Quarantine RP

Quarantine A Jericho Falls Story

By Dakota Rebel

Resplendence Publishing, LLC http://www.resplendencepublishing.com

Resplendence Publishing, LLC 2665 S Atlantic Avenue, #349 Daytona Beach, FL 32118

Quarantine Copyright © 2011, Dakota Rebel Edited by Michele Paulin and Juli Simonson Cover art by Les Byerley, www.les3photo8.com

Electronic format ISBN: 978-1-60735-365-2

Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

Electronic release: August 2011

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.

As always, to Brynn and Bronwyn, the very best friends a girl could wish for. I love you guys.

~D

Chapter One

The sign, Welcome to Jericho Falls, was dimly lit by a single bulb pointing up from the ground. It looked to be about a forty watt, and if I hadn’t spent all day staring down at the map on my passenger seat, I wouldn’t have known where I was. I was exhausted, it seemed as if I hadn’t slept in days and I prayed that there was a motel in the tiny town. Having been on the run for over six months, I should have been better at picking hiding spots by now. But I’d learned on my tour of backwoods America that you could never judge a place by its dot on a map. The clock on the dashboard turned to ten p.m., and I groaned. Any decent places to eat would be closed, and I would be stuck with greasy bar food again. I glanced down at the slight pooch I was developing under my seatbelt and sighed. Too much time in a car, too much fast food and too much stress would kill my figure if I didn’t watch it. My only saving grace had been the adrenaline that thrummed through me during every waking hour. It burned more calories than a thousand crunches a day would have done. I rolled to a stop at the only stoplight I saw for miles down this stretch of road. It really was a small town. There was no way I could stay for too long. My scent would spread to all edges of this place, and Kevin would find me far too easily if I stayed. Kevin Dehmer. The name echoed in my mind and made me want to vomit. Every time I thought about him and what he’d done to me, I wasn’t sure if I was going to cry, scream or just be sick. The light turned green, and I pointed my car toward the bright neon sign up ahead. No matter where you are in this great country neon lights always equal booze. I knew I’d have to find a hotel soon, but first, I needed food. As I swung into an open parking place in front of the

simple red sign that read BAR, my stomach growled, reminding me that I had forgotten to eat again today. In my situation, not eating could be dangerous. Thanks to Kevin Asshole Dehmer, I was now a Were and, even without the full moon, hunger could bring on the change. But since I had just barely escaped his detection last week in Ohio, I hadn’t felt safe to stop again for a while. It was luck really that I’d heard him asking about me at that grocery store. I’d been one aisle over when his growling voice had hit my ears. I’d walked away from my cart and headed straight to my car, jumping on the first highway I’d come to. North wasn’t all that safe, since it only left Michigan ahead of me. But I’d been so scared I just had to get away. Now, I was in Jericho Falls, barely a blip on the map, and I had no idea what to do. The best course of action would be to get back on the road, head south and get to some more open territory. The full moon was only a couple days away, and I wanted to be far away from civilization when it came. But I was exhausted, and it would be dangerous to go too much longer without a full night of sleep. The first time I’d changed, I’d woken up alone in a field, surrounded by slaughtered cattle. I was covered in blood and could feel hair and flesh under my nails and in my teeth. It had gotten more manageable as I’d changed more. I knew now that if I ate as much protein as I could stomach in the few days before, I would be less likely to attack animals in my shiny new form. Last month, I’d learned that not eating for days at a time could bring on the change all by itself. I could only thank God that I hadn’t been near people when it had happened. Hunger had been clawing at my stomach, and before I’d realized what was happening, it wasn’t just a need for food that was chewing its way out of me, but the beast that was caged inside. I’d managed to catch a deer, and as the blood and raw meat had slid down my throat, the animal inside of me had calmed and I’d returned to myself with pieces of venison still in my mouth. I’d vomited for hours, but whatever the Were had needed it apparently had received because I didn’t shift again until the next full moon. It had been an important lesson. One of many I’d learned on my journey. The first being: don’t let strangers into your house. They could shift and murder your husband then change you into one of them and try to lay claim to you as their mate. If only I had listened to that age old wisdom of don’t talk to strangers. Billy might still be alive, and I wouldn’t go furry once a month.

Tears stung at my eyes as I thought of my husband. As much as possible, I tried to put him out of my mind. It made my insides twist, and I became a useless wreck when he popped into my head. I’d loved him so much, and the fact that he was gone was absolutely unbearable. But if I dwelled on him for too long, I lost myself to the memories and risked screwing up. I couldn’t afford to let Kevin catch me. If he got to me then he won, and I refused to ever let that happen. I took a deep breath, blinking back tears until I felt composed enough to go inside the bar. After locking the car, I squared my shoulders and headed through the doors in search of sustenance. The place was dark, dingy and empty except for a bartender who was wiping down the metal fixtures. He smiled at me when I walked up and took a seat on one of the cracked leather stools. “You’re not closed, are you?” I asked, looking around the deserted room. “No, ma’am,” he said. “We don’t get many customers on Wednesday nights is all.” “Is it Wednesday?” I asked with a start. The days had been blurring together for a while now. My mind didn’t seem to want to go by the calendar so much as the moon phases anymore. “Yes, ma’am.” “Please don’t call me that.” I cringed. I wasn’t that much older than him. Well, maybe I was, but I didn’t need it thrown in my face. “Sorry,” he said, grinning widely. “I didn’t mean to offend you. Can I get you a beer?” “That would be perfect,” I said gratefully. He turned around, and I watched his high, tight butt appreciatively. He looked to be about twenty-three, maybe twenty-four. His dark hair was long enough to cover his ears, but still would have been considered short. His arms were thick and muscular, but his waist was small, and his thighs filled his jeans nicely. I was embarrassed as my pussy grew damp while I examined him. It had been so long since I’d felt a man’s touch, and it was starting to make me jumpy. I’d noticed it on the few other occasions I’d stopped into local bars in random towns. One or two men would catch my fancy, and I would end up in my hotel room furiously working my clit as I imagined all of the wonderful things these younger men could do for me that Billy hadn’t been able to.

I’d loved my husband dearly. It was how we’d managed to stay together even after his impotence problem had tried to drive us apart. He’d been fifteen years older than me, and our sex drives had never really been in sync. When we’d discovered that he had developed erectile dysfunction, it had just been another knock to our already dysfunctional bedroom life. Everything else about our marriage had been perfect and I’d promised him, and myself, that we could work around the sex stuff. Billy had been a great man. We’d loved each other and he’d done what he could to keep me happy in bed. But I couldn’t deny that sometimes my pussy ached for the feel of a rock hard cock inside of it. As gifted as he had been in the oral department, a tongue and fingers could just never replace the joy of being stretched wide around a man’s erection. “Are you still here?” I flushed as I was snapped back to the present to find the bartender inches from my face, studying me cautiously. “Sorry,” I said, shaking the memories from my mind. “It’s been a long…life.” He laughed. “Are you hungry?” “Famished,” I replied, meeting his gaze. “Our burgers are the best in the state,” he said, flashing his perfectly white teeth in a grin. “That sounds great.” He scribbled something on his order pad and walked it over to a small window at the end of the bar, clipping it to a spindle and spinning it toward a man I hadn’t noticed in the kitchen. They talked quietly for a few minutes while I sipped my beer and looked around. The bar walls were littered with pictures of famous people I was sure had never set foot in there along with some random sports memorabilia like boxing gloves and baseball mitts. It all had a nice, lived-in sort of feel. A typical corner bar in a small town. I’d been in dozens of these places over the past few months, but none had ever felt as comfortable as this one. “Jasen’s here! Let’s get this party started!” I jumped as a man burst through the front door of the bar yelling. He saw me and stopped short a few feet from the bar. “Oh, I’m sorry, ma’am. I didn’t realize anyone else was going to be here.” “Don’t call her ma’am,” the bartender scolded him sharply. “She’s not an old woman for cripe’s sake.”

I turned to smile at him, and he winked at me. He was pouring a beer from the tap. When it was full, he slid it down the bar where the new man, Jasen apparently, caught it and took a deep swig. “I’m not blind,” he said after wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. “I can see she’s not old. She’s fucking hot as hell. I was trying to be polite.” My cheeks burned at the compliment. Failing to find a response, I drained my beer and went back to looking around the bar. “Don’t mind Jasen,” the bartender said as he handed me another beer. “He’s kind of special. We’ve been talking about having him tested.” The smell of cooking meat wafted from the kitchen, and my stomach growled. I was starving and couldn’t even bother to be embarrassed by the sound. “Dean, hurry the hell up. We’ve got a starving customer out here.” The bartender turned back to me again. “My name is Nate Dunham, that moron over there is Jasen Aster and back there in the kitchen is Dean Granger. What’s your name?” “Jo Champlain,” I said, reaching out a hand to shake Nate’s. “Nice to meet you.” “So what brings you to town, Ms. Champlain?” Jasen asked as he moved to take the stool next to me. “I’m just passing through,” I said quietly. “Is there a motel around here somewhere?” “Sure,” Nate said as he placed a plate of food in front of me. I hadn’t even noticed he’d walked away to get the burger, and when he set it down, my stomach clenched in hunger. “Don’t be shy. You look like you’ve been on the road for days. Please eat. We can talk amongst ourselves until you’re done.” I gave him a grateful smile and tucked into the burger. He had been right; it was amazing. Of course, I was so hungry pretty much anything would have tasted good at that point. Juice ran down my hand, and I sucked my fingers clean without really thinking about it. Looking up, I saw all three men watching me intently. I pulled my finger from my mouth and cleared my throat as I set down the burger and picked up one of the golden fries that decorated the plate. Nate licked his lips before abruptly turning away to fuss with some bottles on the shelf behind him. Dean walked back toward the kitchen, but Jasen continued to watch me unabashedly.

“You’re really pretty,” Jasen said before taking a drink of his beer. “Um, thank you,” I said around a mouthful of potato. I’m sure I looked insanely sexy after being in a car for two straight days and devouring a burger like a hobo. “Jasen,” Nate snapped. “Let the woman eat in peace.” “What?” Jasen asked defensively. “I was just telling her she’s hot. God, you’re such a buzz kill. What, you saw her first so you get dibs?” “Please excuse him,” Nate said apologetically. “He’s drunk.” “No, I’m not,” Jasen retorted hotly. “This is my first beer all day.” “Jasen that’s enough.” Dean had come out of the kitchen and walked over to join us. He smelled like grease and meat. Without really meaning to I found myself leaning closer to him, my nose inches from his large bicep. He turned to look at me, and my face was pressed into his chest. My hands instinctively went up to push myself away from him, my fingers curled into his shirt and I leaned back, my heart hammering. “I…I am so sorry,” I whispered, horrified by my own behavior. I felt like a fool. An old fool. These young men had been flirting with me, and it had gone to my head. I was thirty-six years old for cripe’s sake. They weren’t really interested in me. “No worries, love,” Dean said. I looked up to see his chocolate brown eyes looking down at me. A sexy smile curved on his face. “I wasn’t complaining.” “I should go,” I said quickly. I pulled some money out of my purse and dropped it on the bar then jumped to my feet. I turned to leave and ran straight into Nate who had come up behind me. He grabbed my left hand and looked at the ring on it, a look I didn’t really understand darkened his gaze. “Yeah, your husband is probably waiting for you.” For some reason his voice was thick with anger. “My husband,” I said softly, staring directly into his eyes, “is dead.” He flinched, and I wasn’t sorry to see it. I understood now that he’d thought I was looking to cheat on my spouse with Dean.

“I’m sorry,” he said, bringing the hand he was still holding up to his lips. “I shouldn’t have—” “No,” I spat, snatching my hand back. “It’s fine. I really do have to be going.” The men had pressed closer, and I was surrounded on all sides by hard, male flesh. My heart pounded in my chest, and my pussy flooded my panties. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been so turned on. “I’m afraid no one is going anywhere.”

Chapter Two

We all turned together to see a man in one of those bright yellow hazard suits standing just inside the door. “This building has been put under a federally mandated quarantine,” the man continued. “For what?” Nate asked, stalking toward the man. “Under 42 Code of Federal Regulations parts 70 and 71 the CDC has decided that the four of you are to remain inside until we can confirm or deny the presence of anthrax.” “Anthrax!” Dean yelled in surprise. “Why the hell would there be anthrax here?” “We received an anonymous tip that someone had come here and contaminated the area with it. Due to health regulations, we cannot allow anyone who may have been exposed to leave this building. A tent is being erected over the bar and you must all remain here while we commence testing.” “How long is that going to take?” I asked, panic welling up in my throat. The full moon was two days away, and I had to be far from this place before nightfall on Friday. “We don’t know,” the man said apologetically. “It could take days, possibly even weeks.” “Weeks!” we all cried together, varying levels of anger and worry in our tones. “I have to get out of here,” I said, walking up to stand next to Nate. “I’m sorry, ma’am. No one is going anywhere.” He smiled softly, his face blurry through the plastic helmet over his head. “I suggest you all just relax. It’s going to be a long couple of days. Tomorrow, we’ll come in to get blood samples from you. Have a nice night.” He turned and walked out the door. Before it closed behind him, we saw men with rifles standing on the sidewalk outside.

My pulse was racing, and I fought to catch my breath. I could feel the beast inside me stirring and knew I needed to get myself under control. If I panicked too much, the animal would take over and I would shift, fighting and clawing my way to escape. I couldn’t risk hurting or infecting these men. “Anthrax?” Dean said, shaking his head as he sat in a chair at a nearby table. “What a load of horse shit.” “Who the hell would call in something like that?” Jasen asked, walking back to grab his beer from the bar. “Well,” Nate said coldly. “If it’s a prank, I’m going to find the asshole who did it and beat his ass.” “I can’t stay here.” I wrapped my arms around myself to try to keep them from shaking. “I have to get going.” “I don’t think those guys are going to let you go anywhere.” Nate coiled his arms around me and pulled me against his chest. It was an intimate gesture, but it didn’t seem wrong. In fact, it felt very right. I melted into him, resting my head on his chest as my heartbeat finally slowed back to a normal pace. “There are a lot worse places we could have been stranded,” Dean said with a laugh. “At least here we have food and booze and bathrooms.” He wasn’t wrong about that. We were probably lucky. In fact, if they weren’t stuck in a room with a ticking time bomb of a Were-Cougar, it might have been pretty fun for them. I would have to find a way to escape. I would stay for that night, but come the next morning, I had to get out. “Well,” Nate said, his mouth moving to whisper in my ear. “Since it seems we’re stuck here, perhaps we could get back to our previous conversation.” “The one about my dead husband?” I asked. I disentangled myself from him and walked back to the bar where my beer still sat. Taking a deep drink, I closed my eyes and wished it were a big glass of whiskey instead. “The one about the three of us,” Dean said. He had walked up behind me, and I hadn’t heard him. I turned around to find myself pinned against the bar, both of his hands on either side of me so that I was staring into his chest

again. Almost against my will, I looked up to meet his chocolate gaze. His black hair was hanging in his eyes and his five o’clock shadow looked like it was about to hit seven p.m. “I don’t remember us having that conversation,” I said, ducking under Dean’s arm and walking straight into Jasen. “Well,” Jasen replied, his gaze like molten blue lava as he looked me up and down. “We were about to. We just hadn’t quite gotten there.” “This is crazy.” I backed away from them. “You three couldn’t possibly be interested in an old woman like me.” Nate chuckled, moving toward me again. “You’re hardly an old woman.” “Compared to you three, I’m positively ancient.” I crossed my arms across my chest. My nipples had formed hard points in my bra, and I wanted to hide my arousal from them. “If this is some sort of joke, it’s not funny.” “We’re not laughing, are we?” Jasen said, his blue eyes sparkling beneath his mop of blond hair. “Look.” Dean sat on a stool and swiveled to look at me. “We’re all stuck here for a while. We have to do something to pass the time.” “Is that what I am?” I asked hotly, my desire taken down a notch at the notion that I was just a way for them to kill a few hours. “Of course not,” Dean said, pulling me into his arms, my chest crushed against his as my arms reached out uselessly to stop him. “We all wanted you the second you walked in here.” “Really? Because before the CDC guy came in, I’m pretty sure Nate was about to tattoo a big red A on my chest.” I glared at the bartender, and he had the decency to look sheepish. “I saw the wedding ring and freaked out. I don’t like cheaters.” He shrugged. “What makes you think I like banging three guys at once?” I shot back, looking around at their young, beautiful faces. “I don’t think you would know if you did.” Jasen walked over to where Dean and I were standing. “But you shouldn’t knock it until you try it.” “Is this something the three of you do often?” I asked. I was losing this fight. Not with them, but with myself. My body ached to be touched by them, by all of them. Every time I blinked, I could see myself spread beneath them all, their hands and their mouths on me, their cocks…

“Not at all,” Nate said, joining us in the middle of the room. “But we all like you—” “You don’t even know me,” I shot back at him. “I could be a, a…” “A what?” Nate asked, a smile playing on his full lips. “A cougar?” It was as if I’d been dunked in ice water. Any arousal that might have been coursing through my body had been doused with that one word. “Why would you say that?” My body was stiff as I backed away from them. How could he possibly know about that? “It was a joke.” Concern etched Nate’s face. “I just meant that none of us think you enjoy preying on younger men.” Oh. That kind of cougar. As his meaning sunk in, I felt indignation rise up in me again. “Do you think I’m old enough to be a cougar?” “There’s just no pleasing you, is there?” Jasen asked, amusement in his tone. “Oh, I’ll bet we could find a way,” Dean said, stepping forward daringly. He raised his hand to cup my jaw, tilting my face to look into his eyes. “I’ll bet we could find all kinds of ways to please you.” My whimper was lost in his mouth as he kissed me. Desire crashed over my body again as Dean’s lips urged mine to part for him. Our tongues danced against each other, teeth clacking slightly together as the kiss deepened. I’d never been kissed like that. My knees threatened to give, but suddenly, there was a second set of hands wrapped around my waist holding me steady. I didn’t want to break the kiss, but I had to know who else was touching me. Turning to my left, I found Jasen’s mouth waiting to pick up where Dean’s had left off. He claimed my mouth, his lips softer, his tongue thicker than the first man’s had been. Lips pressed against my neck as Nate came to join the party. Before I could wrap my head around what was happening, my body was covered with hands and mouths, touching, kissing, grabbing, nipping at bits of my skin. I felt as if I were on fire. For a moment, I worried that the beast inside of me would rear her head, but apparently, she liked the men who were staking their claim to me. She seemed to curl up inside me and purr. It felt so real that the guttural sound actually escaped my throat, a keening cry that made one of the men groan in response.

My mind screamed at me to stop this, but my body ached for release. Real release. Something I hadn’t been given in years, a feeling that I would never be able to give myself but that these men wanted to help me achieve. What harm could really come of this? In the morning, I would find a way out of there anyway. They could think what they liked about me. I didn’t have to concern myself with town gossip. If three young, gorgeous men wanted to have their way with me and let me have my way with them, what harm was that doing to anyone else? A hand slid between my legs, cupping my mound and rubbing firmly against my clit through my jeans. I ground against it, silently begging with my body for them to continue. Jasen released my mouth, and Nate’s lips pressed against mine. His tongue raced around mine as if he were trying to taste where Jasen had just been. The hand that had been pressed between my legs had moved to unbutton my jeans. “We need to find somewhere to lay down,” Dean said. The hand had withdrawn, and I assumed it had been his. “This isn’t going to work standing up.” “I don’t think that cot in the back is going to hold everyone.” Nate stepped back from me. “I think there are some blankets back there though. We could spread them out on the floor.” “I’ll go,” Jasen offered. He kissed me quickly on the lips then winked. “Don’t do anything while I’m gone. I don’t want to miss the fun.” Dean lowered his face to mine again, sucking my lower lip into his mouth and nibbling it gently. I let my hands travel up his shoulders and around his neck, holding him as if he were saving me from drowning. “Can I ask you something really personal?” he asked as he broke the kiss. I stared up into his eyes, the color of melted chocolate, and nodded. “When was the last time you had sex with someone?” “Years,” I whispered, my cheeks flaming with shame. He took my chin between his thumb and finger and gazed down at me. “If we do anything, anything, you don’t want, don’t like or aren’t sure about, please tell us. We want to make you happy. We want this to be enjoyable for everyone. Promise me you’ll tell us if you want to stop.” I nodded again, unable to find my voice. Being completely new to having sex with more than one person, I had no idea how it was even going to work. I mean, I had a good idea, but

until we were in the moment, I had no idea how I would feel about taking all of them at once. If that was even what they wanted. “Kiss me,” I whispered finally, lost as to what else to say or do. Dean smiled as he lowered his mouth again. He kept the kiss soft, light presses of lips with quick licks from his tongue over mine. I heard Jasen come back then a scuffle of chairs and tables as I assumed he and Nate were creating a makeshift bed for us. But Dean never released my mouth, and I didn’t want to look away. His hands were splayed across my back, and I pressed myself to him, my nipples hard against his chest. Need and juices pooled at my pussy, and I was terrified and excited by what I was about to do. All of the months of fear and running and hiding disappeared under the weight of their gazes and the sensation of their hands. For the first time in a long time, I finally felt safe. Standing there in Dean’s arms with his mouth against mine, it almost seemed like home. “Dean,” Nate said, a note of humor in his tone. “Are you going to share, or do I have to spend the night fucking Jasen again?” At these words, I broke away from Dean and stared at Nate in disbelief. I was pretty sure I’d heard him correctly, but my mind was so muddled with desire I couldn’t be positive. “Does that surprise you?” Nate asked, stepping forward to run his hand over my cheek. “Maybe a little,” I admitted. I would never have guessed that either of them liked men. They had been so receptive to me I’d just assumed they were straight. “We swing both ways,” Jasen said, grinning at whatever expression was on my face. I felt so many emotions and couldn’t be sure which I projected. As if to prove Jasen’s words, Nate stepped forward and pulled the man hard against his body as his mouth crashed down on the blond’s. I watched in amazement as they tangled, their lips pressed together, their hands wandering over each other’s bodies. My pussy flooded at the sight of it. It was hands down the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. Dean stepped behind me and wrapped his arms around me. His erection pressed against my ass, and I fought the urge to grind against it. I wanted him, wanted them, more than I had wanted anything in a long time. Even more than I craved my own safety, I coveted these men. “Do you two want to play with us or just with each other?” Dean called out to the men who were still wrapped in an embrace. “I don’t think she minds watching, but I’m pretty sick of it to tell the truth.”

“Just because you couldn’t get it up for Nate doesn’t mean you have to take your jealousy out on me,” Jasen shot back, winking over Nate’s shoulder at the man who still held me tightly. “Sorry, I just can’t swing that way. Not even for you guys.” Dean shrugged, his arms crushing against my body with the motion. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine Dean kissing Nate the way Jasen had. My mind couldn’t make it work. Dean was too… I just couldn’t see it. The scene behind my eyelids changed to Dean’s mouth on my body, and my knees went weak. “Let’s get you more comfortable,” Dean said. He took my hand and led me to the middle of the room where the other men had laid out a pile of blankets to cover the hard floor. I looked around at them, three young studs who all wanted me. It was enough to make me swoon. Now that we had agreed to do this, no one seemed to know what to do next. In an attempt to break the tension, I reached down and pulled my shirt over my head, tossing it aside before I could chicken out and put it back on. I kicked off my shoes and stood before them in my bra and half un-done jeans, waiting for one of them to make the next move. Jasen dropped to his knees in front of me, his hands running up my thighs and over my hips to rest on my waist as he lowered his face to press kisses against my stomach. Nate stood behind him, leaning over to cup my breasts in his hands and lay kisses against my bosom. Dean’s arms gripped my hips while he nipped at my neck. One of my hands dropped to run fingers through Jasen’s hair as my other arm reached up to wrap around Dean’s neck. The sensation of all of those hands on me again was overwhelming. I closed my eyes against the assault, trying to focus on just the feel of their touches and their mouths on me. My jeans were wrenched down my thighs, my underwear disappearing with them. I leaned back against Dean so Jasen could pull my pants free of my feet while Nate reached around me so he could unhook my bra. In moments, I was naked between them. They all stood back, staring at me with hunger in their eyes. I shivered under their gazes, though not from cold. I had never felt hotter in my life. Arousal pooled between my legs, and I thought if I shifted my legs to put pressure on my clit I could come right there, just from the way they were looking at me.

Chapter Three

“Lay down, Jo,” Dean whispered against my neck. I stepped onto the blankets and let Jasen help me to the floor. Nate came down with me, stretching out beside me before sucking one of my nipples between his lips. Jasen bent to kiss me, claiming my mouth viciously, his fingers curling into my hair. I cried out as a third mouth pressed between my legs. Dean’s tongue flicked against my clit, and I had to fight not to grind against him. His stubble scratched my thighs, and I couldn’t tell if it hurt or felt amazing. Every nerve ending in my body stood at attention, and their hands and mouths sent electrical currents through my skin. Two fingers slid inside of my pussy, and I came, screaming and writhing as my release exploded through my muscles. Jasen backed away so I could cry out into the room. My eyes squeezed shut as wave after wave of pleasure rippled through me. I lay panting on the floor, trying to focus my sight on the men who had all stopped touching me. I wanted to know what they were doing, but I was blinking too fast to get my eyes to work properly. “Where did you go?” I croaked to them, swallowing heavily to force down the lump that had risen in my throat. “We’re right here,” Dean said, his deep voice inches from my ear. “What do you want us to do for you?” “I don’t know,” I admitted. Finally opening my eyes, I looked over at him. He was stretched out where Nate had been moments before, but he was completely naked. My gaze traveled down his body, and I inhaled sharply when I got to the impossibly large erection jutting from his body. Pre-cum had pooled at his tip, and I licked my lips in anticipation of what he would taste like.

“You don’t have to,” he said, his voice hoarse with need. “I want to,” I said quietly. “I’m just not sure I’ll be very good at it.” I pushed him onto his back and straddled his body. Kissing my way down his chest, I kept flicking my gaze up to look at him and make sure he was enjoying what I was doing. When I reached his hip, I grazed my teeth over the bone and smiled at the look of pleasure that crossed his face. Kissing my way across his stomach, I finally reached his cock. I dipped my tongue in the pre-cum that had pooled on his weeping tip. He tasted salty and sort of bitter, but not unpleasant. I hesitated as I stared apprehensively at his erection. He was very large, and I worried I wouldn’t be able to fit all of him in my mouth. “Wrap your hand around his base,” Nate said. I turned to see him kneeling next to me, watching me carefully. I did as he said, gripping Dean firmly in my fist. “Now, take his tip in your mouth and swirl your tongue around it, like you’re licking a piece of hard candy.” I wrapped my lips around Dean’s spongy head and did as Nate instructed, wrapping my tongue around him, flicking it across the small hole that was still leaking that salty juice into my mouth. Dean moaned at the sensation, and I was glad Nate was there to help me. I wanted to give them all the same pleasure they were giving me. “Now, slide your hand up as you move your mouth down his shaft. He’s too big for you to try to deep throat him yet. Maybe with practice, but you’ll hurt yourself and maybe him if you try tonight.” I followed his instruction, pumping my hand up as I lowered my head down, pulling back up when my lips met my fist. After a few times, my saliva had slicked his whole shaft, and I was able to move faster. “That’s good,” Nate whispered, flicking my earlobe with his tongue. “Look at him. You can see how much he loves your mouth around his cock.” I gazed up at Dean and saw him staring down at me, his eyes dilated with need for release. He looked like I had felt when he’d been eating my pussy. I loved that I was the one who had put that expression on his face.

“He looks like he wants you to ride his cock,” Jasen said from my other side. His hand slid between my legs and rubbed at my swollen clit. “Your pussy is so wet. I want to watch it slide over him.” He slipped two fingers inside my cunt, and my muscles contracted around them. “Fuck you’re tight. He’s going to stretch you so wide with that monster cock. Maybe while he’s stretching your pussy, Nate will put his dick in your ass.” I whimpered around Dean’s cock at the thought of having both of my holes filled. I’d never had anal sex before, and I wasn’t sure my body could handle two men inside of me at once. But I wanted to try. I trusted them to go slow with me. I wasn’t sure why, but I knew that if I asked them to stop, they would. Jasen leaned across Dean’s body to kiss Nate. “I want to fuck you while you fuck her,” Jasen said as he backed away. I let Dean fall from between my lips and looked around at the men. This was really going to happen. I ran a shaky hand through my auburn hair and tried to suppress the nervous giggle that bubbled in my throat. I wanted it, but I was scared. “Jo,” Dean said, sitting up to cup my chin in his hand. “I want you. We all want you. But if you aren’t ready for this, we can stop.” I shook my head. There was no way I would stop. I wanted them as much as they claimed to want me. I deserved this. I had been so scared for so long, I just wanted to have some fun for a change. Climbing up Dean’s body, I found my legs were shaking with excitement and nervousness. He held my hips and positioned me over his cock. I watched Nate grab Dean and place his tip at my opening. I was so slick that even as large as Dean was, I opened for him and slid down until my ass rested against his body, though my muscles strained to accommodate his erection. I leaned forward to kiss him, my calves pressed against his thighs as I pushed my tongue into his mouth. His fingers fisted in my hair, and he sighed into the kiss, his breath hot against me. After a few minutes, I couldn’t sit still on him anymore. I had to move, had to feel him sliding in and out of my aching pussy. This was what my life had been missing. There was nothing to compare with the feel of Dean’s cock stretching my pussy. All of the masturbating in the world would never come close

to this. All those nights alone in all of those hotel rooms, if I had just come to Michigan sooner maybe I could have had this for months. Something cold and wet pressed against my ass, and I froze. I’d forgotten that there was another piece that was about to be played in this puzzle. I’d been so fixated on Dean that I’d momentarily forgotten there were two other men here for me as well. A finger pushed past the tight ring of muscles in my ass then a second was added. The pressure was uncomfortable for a minute, but Dean started to move inside of me again, and any pain there might have been was washed away on a wave of pleasure. The fingers in my ass moved in tandem with Dean until I found myself bucking my hips against them both, wanting more, wanting to feel Nate’s cock in my ass, pressing against Dean’s through my body. “Please take me,” I whimpered. The fingers were removed and quickly replaced by the tip of Nate’s cock. He pushed firmly but gently until my muscles gave in to him and allowed him inside. Keeping his pace slow and steady, he pushed forward until he was completely encased inside me. The feel of both of my holes being stretched was almost too much for my body to handle. I fell forward on Dean’s chest as I tried to keep from hyperventilating. Nate leaned over my back, kissing my neck, his tongue darting out to lick a line of sweat that was threatening to roll down my spine. We had frozen again. For a moment, I wanted to ask why no one was moving, then Nate groaned in my ear and I remembered that I was not the only one who was being stretched open. I strained my neck to see what was happening behind me. Jasen leaned around Nate’s back and winked at me before placing a kiss on Nate’s shoulder. I shuddered as the scene played in my head, what we must look like. Me pressed between Nate and Dean while Jasen’s cock impaled Nate. My pussy flooded at the vision, getting me wetter than I think I had ever been in my life. My muscles contracted, making Dean and Nate groan as their cocks were gripped inside of me. “Oh my God, somebody move. Please,” I begged, my body aching with the need for release again. Dean pushed in while Nate slid out, over and over again they moved so that one of them was always buried deep inside of my body. I felt their cocks rubbing against each other, a thin piece of skin the only thing separating them.

Nate cried out, his cock twitching in my ass as his rhythm faltered, and he came inside of me. He carefully pulled himself free then he and Jasen shifted so that they were laying next to Dean and I, Jasen still deep inside of him. I watched Jasen fuck Nate, much harder than Nate had done to me. Their bodies slapped together from the force of it. Dean seemed to want to match their pace, his hips rocketing upward to slam inside of my pussy. His tip hit that sweet spot inside of me, and the world exploded. Stars burst behind my eyelids as I screamed, my muscles contracting and releasing around Dean’s cock that was still slamming inside of me. I collapsed on top of him, my arms too weak to hold myself up anymore. Dean wrapped his arms around me, holding me as he continued to fuck me hard and fast. I wanted to help, but my body was spent. He still felt amazing, but there was no way I would come again. Jasen cried out next to us, and Dean followed suit, screaming out my name as his seed pumped into me, his cock twitching so hard I could feel it deep in my channel. Nate and Jasen helped me climb off of Dean and laid me down next to him before they collapsed around us. We all lay there, panting and smiling and looking at each other in amazement. My body ached, but I was pretty sure I’d never felt better in my life. I was both exhausted and rejuvenated at the same time. After a few minutes of silence, I finally had to say something. “I don’t suppose there’s a shower in this bar?” “Actually there is,” Nate said, his voice a little hoarse from his exertion. “Come on, I’ll show you.” He helped me to my feet. I looked down at Dean and Jasen who were still sprawled on the floor. Both grinned us. I shook my head then blew them both kisses before following Nate into a back room. "This is…cozy," I said as I followed him into what looked like a small dorm room in the rear of the bar. There was a bed and a desk and a bathroom. It was cramped but looked comfortable enough. "I stay here sometimes." He shrugged. "I'm working so much that I decided to put in a few amenities so I could just crash after long nights."

He walked over to a small dresser at the foot of the bed and got me towels and a clean men’s shirt I could wear when I got out. The shower felt almost as good as the sex had. I let the hot water beat on my shoulders for a few minutes before scrubbing quickly. I didn’t want to use all of the hot water in case any of the guys wanted to clean up as well. I dried off and slipped on the button down. As I headed out the door, I caught sight of myself in the mirror and paused. My lips were swollen from kissing and going down on Dean. My hair was a tangled auburn mess, and I hadn’t bothered to wash it since all they had was regular soap. There were circles under my green eyes that made it look as if I hadn’t had a decent night sleep in months. Go figure, I thought to myself. As I stared at my reflection, I couldn’t help wondering what the hell those three young, sexy men had seen in me. Was it desperation maybe? Did they think I was an easy target so they’d gone for it? I didn’t want to believe that. They seemed like nice guys. But staring into the mirror at my old, tired face, I just couldn’t understand what it was about me that made them want me as badly as they seemed to. When I went back to the small office that held the bathroom with the shower, Nate and Jasen were passed out on the small cot they had mentioned earlier. I leaned over and kissed both of their foreheads before heading back out into the bar and closing the door on them.

Chapter Four

Dean was sitting at the bar drinking a beer when I came out. He smiled at me, and it seemed so genuine. I really hoped I wasn’t just some easy conquest for him. “Do you want one?” he asked, gesturing with his beer bottle. “I’d love one.” He leaned over and pulled a bottle of out of the cooler, opening it before handing it to me. Dean had put his jeans back on but hadn’t bothered with a shirt. He looked good enough to eat. Again. “So,” he asked, turning to look at me. “What brings you to Jericho Falls?” “I’m just passing through,” I said, playing with the label of my beer bottle. “Where are you headed?” “Nowhere in particular.” I shrugged, not wanting to meet his gaze. “If you’re in trouble, we can help.” “You’re sweet,” I said with a laugh. “But you can’t help me with this kind of trouble. I’d really rather not talk about it, if you don’t mind.” “Sure.” He took another drink of his beer. “Are you tired?” “Surprisingly, no. I actually feel great.” He played with the wedding ring on my finger, and I didn’t pull away, even though I wanted to. “When did your husband die?” “Six months ago,” I whispered. “Six months?” he repeated. “You said you hadn’t had sex in years.”

“That’s right.” I sighed. “My husband had…problems. We married when I graduated college. He was older than me, but I loved him. And he loved me. After a few years of pretty mediocre sex, he developed erectile dysfunction. He never wanted to talk about it, refused to get medical help, and eventually, stopped doing anything sexual at all.” “That must have been rough.” Dean thread his fingers through mine and squeezed my hand. “You must have really loved him to stay with him through that.” “I did. Billy was my best friend.” A tear slid down my cheek, and I didn’t bother to wipe it away. I wasn’t ashamed to mourn my husband. “How did he die?” “He was killed.” I sighed. “Attacked by an animal. It was…it was awful.” The memory washed over me before I could stop it. Kevin screaming about me belonging to him. His claws ripping through Billy’s chest. I just stood there screaming, useless, as that bastard tore my husband to shreds then turned on me. “Are you all right?” Dean’s concerned voice brought me back to the present. “Sorry.” I shook my head as if I could physically make the images go away. I pulled my hand away from his. “I can’t believe we’re stuck here.” “Already itching to leave?” He smiled. “I don’t like to feel trapped. Though if I have to be, I can’t think of a better place.” “Jericho Falls is a great little town.” He nodded as if agreeing with me. “I’m sure it is.” I laughed. “You and Nate and Jasen seem pretty close.” “We grew up together. Nate and Jasen were always fruity for each other. I tried, but it just wasn’t my thing. They’re probably in love, but I don’t know if they’ll ever admit it.” “What about you?” I slid him a sideways glance over my beer. “What about me?” “I find it hard to believe that someone as sexy as you doesn’t have a girlfriend.” “I’ve had girlfriends,” he said slowly. “My last one was actually pretty serious. I was about two days from asking her to marry me when I found out she was cheating on me. That’s why Nate freaked out when he saw your wedding ring. He doesn’t care for cheaters very much.” “I’m sorry.” I put my hand over his and squeezed it gently. “It was a while ago. I’m fine now. On to better things.” His eyes darkened with heat, and I blushed.

“Come here,” he said, desire deepening his tone. He pulled me to my feet and into his arms, kissing me gently. I followed him back to the pile of blankets and watched as he straightened them. When he was satisfied, he lay down and motioned for me to follow. I smiled as I dropped to my knees then sprawled out next to him. Dean rolled onto his side and trailed his hand up my bare thighs. I hadn’t put my panties back on, and as he lifted the shirt, my auburn curls were revealed to him. His fingers dipped between my legs and parted my lips, his thumb rolling firm circles over my clit. I arched into his touch, amazed that I could be aroused again so soon. It was shocking to me that he could want me, especially after seeing the mess I had become in the bathroom mirror. But the look on his face showed that he didn’t see what I had. His eyes were all sex and need. I didn’t understand, but I appreciated it. “Should we do this without them?” I asked, my hand on his wrist to stop him for a minute. “I wouldn’t want any hurt feelings.” “They’re fine with it,” Dean said, his lips pressed against my ear. “They have each other. As much as they like you and want you, they know I need you more.” It sounded as if they’d talked about this happening. I didn’t know if I should be angry at the assumption I would want to continue with this—whatever this was—or glad they had taken the pressure off of me to decide. Dean’s hand moved over mine, and he used it to slide my own fingers between my folds. He pressed his hand firmly against my digits, forcing me to play with my clit for him. I closed my eyes as the familiar pressure built in that small bud of nerves, but before I could come, Dean pulled my hand away, bringing my fingers to my lips and rubbing my own juices across my mouth. Instinctively, my tongue darted out, tasting the sweet essence from my own body. That small act made me feel more wanton than I had when I had three men surrounding me. Dean rolled over me, his mouth pressing to mine as he fought to clean the rest of my juices from my lips and tongue. His cock was pressed hard between us showing that he had been enjoying himself as much as I had.

“You taste so good,” he murmured against my lips. His body slid down mine, trailing kisses over my breasts, my ribs, my stomach. Finally, his mouth found my pussy, and he thrust his tongue inside of me. My hips bucked up into his face making him move up, the stubble on his chin scraping across my clit. I shuddered at the harsh feeling of it, and my fingers tangled in his hair, urging to him to stay where he was as I rubbed myself against him. I looked down to see him gazing up at me, a smile playing across his lips as he let me writhe against his face. It felt too good to be embarrassed about the pleasure his chin was giving me. Over and over, I rubbed my sensitive clit over that stubbled skin until the climax tore through me. He thrust two fingers inside my drenched pussy as I cried out his name, my orgasm making my muscles grip and release his insistent digits as he continued to finger fuck my cunt. I wanted him. I needed to feel his enormous cock inside of me again. “Please,” I moaned, pulling at his arms to urge him back up my body. “Please what?” he teased. “Please fuck me.” He climbed over me again, his hips forcing my thighs further apart as he positioned the tip of his erection against my opening. Very slowly, he pushed inside of me, entering me an inch at a time until he was finally fully encased inside my pussy. “Jesus Jo, you’re so tight,” he growled into my ear. “You’re fucking huge,” I replied honestly. I loved the way he filled me. I’d only ever had sex with two other men before my husband, and neither of them had come close to making me feel the way Dean was doing right then. He started moving and my brain focused on pleasure and need and something that felt dangerously close to love. I forced myself to concentrate on the pleasure part, hoping to shove that other pesky emotion aside. Telling myself that I was just confusing lust with that other four letter word, I tried to relax into Dean and give my body over to the orgasm that was building in my muscles again. “Are you okay?” he asked, pausing to look down at me, concern etched on his rugged features.

“Don’t stop,” I urged him. My legs wrapped around his hips, and I used my ankles to push down, trying to remind him that he was in the middle of something here. “You’re awfully demanding for someone who hasn’t done this in a while,” he teased. “Yeah, it’s been like an hour.” “You know what I mean.” “I don’t think I’ve ever asked for what I wanted before,” I admitted, clenching my muscles around his member. “You make me feel safe enough to do that.” “I’m glad.” He leaned forward and kissed me gently. “I want to give you everything. You can trust me.” “Promise?” The word came out choked as tears burned in my eyes. The emotion surprised me, but he didn’t say anything about my watery gaze. “I promise.” “Make love to me,” I whispered, swallowing hard in an attempt to force the emotions back into my gut. Dean kissed me again as he pushed his hips forward. I sighed into his mouth, reveling in the feel of him sliding slowly but firmly in and out of my wet body. He kept his pace steady. Over and over again, he pressed his cock inside me, paused, then pulled back just to repeat the process. I tilted my hips up, struggling to shift into a position that would allow his tip to find that sweet spot inside of me. My breath caught as he figured out what I was doing and turned his hip, his cock finding my button and applying quicker pressure against it. My fingers clawed into his back as he sped up, pleasure becoming more important than timing. I felt the orgasm build inside my abdomen, the tightness spreading outward from my core until finally it burst, bringing my back off the floor as I shuddered and screamed my release, my teeth sinking into Dean’s shoulder. That bit of pain seemed to resonate for him as he came too, crying out as his cock twitched and spilled his seed deep inside of me. We lay together on the floor, our muscles jerking occasionally as we fought to catch our breath. I hadn’t realized my eyes had closed until I opened them to see Dean grinning down at me. I smiled back lazily, my body spent, my muscles aching from exertion.

After a minute, Dean eased himself out of me and lay down on the blanket at my side, his hand playing across my stomach, which chose that moment to growl angrily. He laughed as I blushed. I realized that I hadn’t finished my food earlier and my body was craving sustenance again. “I’m sorry,” I said, mortified. “Don’t be. Come on, we’ll find you something to eat. I should have asked when you got out of the shower. I noticed that you didn’t eat your burger, and I knew you’d showed up here starving.” Dean helped me to my feet and I pulled down the shirt I had managed to keep on as he dragged his jeans back on. I watched them slide over his ass and felt an overwhelming urge to grab that flesh in my hands and sink my teeth into it. Fuck, I was hungry. I excused myself to the bathroom to clean up while he headed to the kitchen to find me food. **** The smell of deep-fried goodness permeated the air as I walked back out of the office into the main room. Through the little window behind the bar, I saw Dean standing at the fryer. I slid my feet into my shoes and walked into the little kitchen to see him. He had baskets of fries, cheese sticks and mushrooms bubbling and another burger sizzling on the burner. I thought it was very brave of him to be around all that grease without a shirt on. “I wasn’t sure what you’d want so I made a little of everything,” he said, grinning broadly at me. His chocolate brown eyes twinkled, and all I could think of was dessert. What the hell was wrong with me? I’d gone from practically a virgin to borderline slut in the span of a few hours. It felt as if my body were trying to make up for lost time or something. “Should we wake Nate and Jasen?” I asked, hopping up to sit on the counter across from where Dean stood. “Are you afraid to be alone with me?” he asked. “No,” I said quickly, but it sounded like a lie even to me. I sighed and stared at my hands that were clasped in my lap. “I like you.” “I like you too.”

“No, I mean…I really like you, Dean. I think I’m afraid I might get attached or something. But I can’t stay here. I have to get out of here—the sooner the better.” “Why?” He walked over to me, forcing himself between my legs and putting his hands on either side of my hips. “Why can’t you stay for a while? I mean, I’m not asking for anything from you. If you just want to have a good time with me, with us, then take off, I understand. But you don’t have to run off right now.” “Yes, I do.” I exhaled shakily. “Look, there are things you couldn’t possibly understand about me. You’re all in danger as long as I’m here.” “What are you running from?” He lifted my chin to make me look into his eyes. “Whatever it is, maybe we can help.” “There’s no help for me.” My voice echoed the defeat I felt in my body. How could they possibly expect to protect me from myself? For a moment, I considered telling him everything. The bells on the fryers went off though, saving me from making a huge mistake. Dean swore under his breath as he pushed away from the counter and stalked over to the food. He pulled up the baskets and let the grease drip back into the vats as he plated a cheeseburger for me. Jumping down, I grabbed some plastic trays that were sitting nearby and helped him dump all the food into their respective containers. We carried everything out to a table, and I don’t think either of us were surprised when Nate and Jasen stumbled out of the office to join us. “It smells like heaven on a cracker out here,” Jasen said as he dropped into the chair next to me. “I hope you made enough for us.” “You could go make your own,” Dean offered helpfully and laughed when Jasen flipped him the finger. “Can I have a bite of your burger?” Nate asked, leaning over my shoulder and sniffing the sandwich in my hand. I rolled my eyes but lifted the bun so he could take a large bite out of it. He kissed my cheek, leaving a greasy lip print on my face before walking over to sit by Dean. We devoured the food in minutes and when the baskets were empty Dean, Jasen and I looked expectantly at Nate who groaned theatrically but stood and walked into the kitchen to make more.

While he was frying more appetizers, Jasen found the remote for the television and flipped it on. Dean cried out in surprise when a picture of the bar came on screen. “Hey Nate, get your bony ass out here,” Dean called. “We’re on TV.” Jasen turned up the volume, and we listened as the chipper newsgirl talked about the quarantined bar in Jericho Falls. They went live to the scene, and I think we were all shocked to see a bubble had been erected around the place while we’d been…otherwise occupied. “I’m speaking with the senior CDC advisor on scene, Rebeccah,” a short man with too perfect hair and teeth said into his microphone before turning to a short, dark haired man in a suit. “Sir, can you tell us the situation here?” “We were alerted earlier this evening that someone has deposited large quantities of Anthrax inside the building. We cannot yet confirm or deny that this is true, but we at the CDC feel it would be unwise to take any chances. We’ve quarantined three men and one woman inside until we can figure out if the threat is real.” “When do you think you’ll have answers?” the reporter asked. “We’re not sure. We’ll start testing the potential victims tomorrow. But we’re working with a mobile unit, and samples will have to be sent to Atlanta for examination before we’ll be comfortable lifting the quarantine.” “Thank you for your time, sir.” The reporter turned back to the camera. “A shocking scene here in the small town of Jericho Falls. Our thoughts are with the poor souls trapped inside and their families. We’ll be here live on scene throughout this developing story. Keep it tuned in to WKLB News for more updates as they become available.” Jasen muted the television and we all looked around at each other with a mixture of horror and amusement on our faces. I shrieked and jumped when noise exploded around us. Cell phones, the bar phone, and the alarms on the fryer all went off creating an unexpected cacophony of sound that had scared the hell out of me. The men fumbled with their cells while Nate ran to pick up the business phone. Choruses of “We’re all fine,” and “Stop crying” rang through the room. Since I didn’t have anyone who was worried about me, I went back into the kitchen to take care of the food.

Not wanting to go back out and listen to the men talk to their loved ones, reassuring them that everything was fine, I dumped the food in the baskets and climbed back up on the counter, a full tray of cheese sticks on my lap and started eating so I had something to do. “Jo?” Dean called from the other room. “Where did you go?” “I’m in here!” I yelled back around a mouthful of scalding hot mozzarella. “Aw man, she’s hogging all the food,” Jasen complained as I heard him rush toward the door. “You’d better not have eaten all the poppers.” I laughed as he darted through the swinging door and glared at me. Pointing at the basket of deep-fried, stuffed jalapenos, I giggled again at the look of relief on his face. “I’d hate to have to fight a girl over my peppers,” he said. He picked up a few of the baskets and jerked his head to indicate I should follow him. With a sigh, I slid to my feet and protectively carried my cheese sticks toward the table we’d all just vacated. Nate was still on the bar phone, his back to the room. Dean had sat when the food hit the table, and he reached around Jasen’s hand to snag a popper. Jasen glared at him but laughed when Dean winked. “Is Nate still talking to Tabitha?” Jasen asked. “Yeah. Apparently, she rushed down here and almost got in a fight with the CDC people when they wouldn’t let her in.” “Who’s Tabitha?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant. “Nate’s sister. They inherited the bar, and she was actually supposed to be working tonight. She begged off to go on a date with some loser. She probably feels pretty guilty.” “No!” Nate yelled, making me jump. “They haven’t paid a dime for food or beer. Don’t worry, they’ve paid me trade. I’m sure Jasen would eat your pussy if you really want to demand some payment from them.” I looked around to see if anyone else seemed as shocked as I was at the tone Nate used with his sister, but Jasen and Dean didn’t look the least bit put out by it. They continued grazing through the baskets as if they were used to hearing Nate speak that way to his family. Nate slammed the phone down with a loud “Fuck!” before stalking around the bar to join us at the table again. “What a bitch,” he said with a huff as he threw himself into a chair. “Where are the cheese sticks?”

I lowered my gaze to the table, not wanting to admit that I’d eaten all of them. A finger lifted my chin, and I saw Nate making me look up. He was grinning at me. “You’d better get your skinny ass in that kitchen and fry me some more sticks, woman.” “Yes, sir,” I said, giving him a mock salute before heading back to the kitchen yet again. Dean followed me and helped me set the timer on the fryer. “You sure can put away food,” he said, nuzzling my neck as he wrapped his arms around my waist. “How do you stay so damn skinny?” “I’m not that skinny,” I said with a laugh. “But I do have a very high metabolism.” I left off the part about how it spikes the week before a full moon. I’d come too close to telling him too much already. I wasn’t going to put myself in a situation where I might spill to him again. “Besides,” I continued. “I think all that sex made me hungrier than usual.” “Well eat up, love,” he said, nibbling on my earlobe. “If we really are stuck here for a while, you’re going to need your strength.” Oh my.

Chapter Five

After we had all eaten enough that most of us felt sick, Jasen and Nate went back to their cot and Dean pulled me back to our makeshift bed of blankets on the floor. I think he knew I was too tired and full for him to even attempt to arouse me again. He just spooned up against my back, threw his arm over my waist and nuzzled my neck. I lay awake for awhile, listening to the steady sound of him breathing. Having seen the large plastic tent the CDC had erected over the building made my plans to escape seem pretty unlikely. The sun was coming up outside. I could feel it in my head the same way I sensed the moon cycle without having to think about it. It was Thursday. The full moon was tomorrow night, and if I was still here, I would turn into a cougar and possibly hurt these men. Panic stirred in my stomach. The food that weighed heavily there churned, and I feared I might be sick. I closed my eyes and tried to breathe the feeling away. Freaking out wasn’t going to help any of us. It could make everything ten times worse if it brought my beast out. I had to stay calm. I had to think of a way to get out of here. Dean jerked, his arm tightening around me for a minute before he snored softly and rolled away. I envied his ability to sleep. There was nothing I wanted more than to close my eyes and let unconsciousness take away my worry for a few hours. I had managed to swallow the panic down, but I was still scared. Scared of hurting Dean, Jasen and Nate. Scared of hurting myself. Terrified that Kevin would be able to find me. I’d tried to never stay in one town for more than a few days. What if I couldn’t get out and he managed to get in. He’d kill the men and take me— “No,” I said, the word escaping my lips. “What’s the matter?” Dean asked sleepily, not really awake at all.

“Nothing,” I whispered, laying a hand on his shoulder. “Go back to sleep.” He mumbled something incoherent then his breathing went back to that steady pace of deep sleep. I lay awake listening to him for a while, rolling over to watch the rise and fall of his chest in the faint glow from the sun rising outside. **** It felt as if I had just fallen asleep when I was jarred awake by a ringing phone. I opened my eyes to see Dean was no longer sprawled next to me. I blinked sleep from my eyes and sat up, looking around to see where everyone was. “Good morning, sunshine,” Jasen called from the bar. Glancing over, I saw him sitting on a stool drinking coffee and watching the television. Nate was on the phone again, and Dean was clanking around in the kitchen. “What time is it?” I said through a yawn, stretching and groaning as my back popped. “Almost noon,” Jasen said, matching my yawn. “Hey Jo, the CDC guy said they’re coming in soon. They want to know if we need anything.” “I’d love my suitcase out of my car,” I said, rolling to my feet. “They’ll have to come get my keys though.” I thought it was nice of them to offer to bring us stuff. Personally, I would love to brush my teeth. And maybe even wash my hair. All of my clothes and makeup were packed into my travel bag. I just hoped they wouldn’t look in it before they brought it in. I wasn’t in the mood to explain to anyone why I carried a gun in my suitcase. Nate hung up the phone and looked at me, he looked concerned. “Did you sleep all right?” “As well as can be expected,” I said with a shrug. My muscles were aching from all of the activity the previous night, coupled with sleeping on the floor my body felt as if I’d been run over by a truck. “Here,” Jasen said motioning for me to join them. “Aspirin and coffee.” “I don’t have a hangover,” I said with a laugh. “I know, but it’s a cure all. I swear. You’ll feel better in no time. Dean’s making breakfast.”

“How do you like your eggs?” Dean asked me, his head poking through the little window. “Cooked,” I called back, accepting the little white pills Jasen held out for me. I swallowed them and chased it down with a few sips of hot, black coffee. I put my head on the bar and groaned with pleasure as Jasen stared massaging my shoulders. “Oh my God, that feels good.” “Hey,” Nate called out. “No sex before breakfast.” “Is that a rule?” I asked teasingly. “It doesn’t have to be,” Jasen said, flicking his tongue against my earlobe. Excitement stirred for a moment in my abdomen then died out just as quickly. I was too tired and far too sore to contemplate sex right that minute. “I’m only teasing,” Jasen whispered as if he knew what I was thinking. “We don’t have enough time before the Haz-Mat boys come in anyway.” Sitting up, I glanced around for my jeans. I spotted them under a table and went to pull them on. I didn’t want to be half naked when the CDC people came in to talk to us. After I got on my socks and shoes, Dean walked out of the kitchen with a tray of food. He set it on one of the tables before crossing the room to pull me into his arms. “Good morning,” he said, lowering his head to kiss me. “I hope I didn’t keep you up with my snoring last night.” “Not at all,” I laughed. “You barely made a sound.” He took my hand and led me over to where Nate and Jasen were already shoveling eggs into their mouths. I sat down and took the plate Dean offered, smiling at the perfectly cooked scramble of eggs, sausage and peppers he’d put together for me. I lifted a forkful toward my lips then paused, looking at the men. They were acting as if they hadn’t eaten in days. “I see I’m not the only one with a healthy appetite,” I said with a smile. “We’re men,” Nate replied as if that explained everything. I shook my head and took a bite of the eggs. They were perfect. It was a struggle not to devour everything quickly as the men were doing. I didn’t think it would be very ladylike though.

When we were all finished, we sat back and looked around at each other. Jasen belched loudly and Nate punched him on the shoulder. “What?” Jasen asked defensively. “It’s a compliment.” I belched too, though softer than he had. “Excuse me,” I murmured, my hand over my mouth. Jasen raised his palm to high five me, and I clapped my hand to his, unable to contain my smile. “We’re a hell of a group,” Dean said, shaking his head, but he was laughing. “Fabulous,” Nate snorted. “Like I need someone encouraging Jasen’s disgusting behavior.” “Whatever,” Jasen said, waving his had dismissively at Nate. “You love it.” “I love you,” Nate replied with a shrug. “That doesn’t mean I love how you act.” Dean and I exchanged looks. He had just said to me that Nate and Jasen would never admit their feelings for each other, and then this morning, Nate blurted it out. I turned to look at Jasen. He had a bemused smile on his face. “Why Nate Dunham, you old romantic, you! Do you mean to tell me that all I had to do to get you to say that was infect everyone around us with Anthrax? Hell, I could have had that confession out of you months ago,” Jasen said, grinning widely. “Shut up.” Nate turned crimson but smiled as Jasen leaned over to kiss him. “Well, isn’t that adorable,” Dean laughed. “Hey, lover boys, help me clean up.” “I’ll help.” I got to my feet, but they all shouted me down. Jasen handed me the remote control before they picked up the plates and silverware then headed into the kitchen together. I took my coffee cup back up to the bar and started randomly flipping through the channels. The bar apparently had satellite TV, but even with six hundred channels there was nothing on. Finally, I just left it on the Game Show Network. An old rerun of What’s My Line was ending and Jeopardy was about to start. “Oh man, I love Jeopardy,” Jasen said, walking back into the room, drying his hands on a dishtowel. “Me, too.” I turned up the volume a little. “I’m not very good at it though.” “Me, either,” Nate said, joining us at the bar. “Those Bible questions kill me every time.”

“Oh sweet, Jeopardy.” Dean sat on the stool next to me as Nate and Jasen groaned. “What’s the matter?” I asked, looking over at them. “We hate watching with Dr. Know-It-All over there.” Jasen stuck out his tongue. “He gets every question right. Don’t ever take him up on it if he offers to play a Jeopardy drinking game with you. You’ll be drunk off your ass before the end of the first round and butt ass naked for Final Jeopardy.” I raised an eyebrow at him. “You have some experience with this then?” “Well…” Jasen blushed and chewed on his lower lip. “Just don’t wager sexual favors for correct answers with him unless you’re a fan of giving twenty minute blow jobs is all I’m saying.” “Is that so?” I turned to look at Dean, who was grinning at me. “Wanna play?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows at me. Before I could respond, there was a loud knock at the front door of the bar. Nate walked over to open the door, and three people in those large, yellow suits walked in. One of them was carrying a hard plastic briefcase and another was holding my suitcase. “How did you get into my car?” I asked suspiciously, walking over to meet them by the door. “We had a tow truck come with a slim-jim. Don’t worry, there’s no damage to your vehicle.” I sighed and took the bag from the woman who offered it to me. Jasen came up behind me and took the case, walking it over to the bar to set it down before returning again. “So what happens now?” Nate asked one of the men. “We have to take some blood samples. If you all come back clean, we’ll have a team come in to sweep the building and make sure the threat has passed.” “When will the blood results come back?” I asked anxiously. “Hopefully, later today. We know you don’t want to be here. The CDC just has to make sure everyone stays safe.” I sighed and nodded. We all seemed to feel fine. I thought that if we had Anthrax poisoning there would already be symptoms or something. It was really starting to feel as if someone had picked the worst time ever to play the dumbest prank imaginable.

We each took turns sitting down and letting the woman in the big suit take our blood. She took four vials from each of us, carefully labeling them with our clever code names “A, B, C and D”. The CDC people left quickly, apparently none of them were interested in socializing with people who might or might not have been infected with Anthrax. Oh well, their loss. “Do you mind if I take a shower?” I asked the guys. “I really want to wash my hair.” “Go for it,” Nate answered. I grabbed my suitcase and took it into the office with me, shutting the door before flinging the bag onto the cot. I opened it and made sure the gun was still in the zipper pocket that was concealed in the side. Guns made me nervous. I knew that if Kevin actually found me it would be useless because I would be trapped before I could get to it, but I felt safer knowing it was there if I really needed it. Taking my toiletries into the bathroom with me, I turned on the water and let it warm up while I scrubbed my teeth clean. When steam had started to fog the mirror, I stripped out of my clothes and climbed under the showerhead. I shampooed twice and let the conditioner soak into my hair as I soaped up my body. It felt good to be fully clean again. I rinsed my hair and turned the water off. Stepping out of the shower I dried off quickly. Before hanging up my towel, I noticed that the Band-aid they had put over my arm was stuck to it. I ripped it off and threw it in the trash. Looking around the room, I realized the mirror was attached to a medicine cabinet. I peeked inside, hoping to find a first aid kit or a box of Band-aids. There weren’t any. But what I saw made my stomach clench painfully. A large box of condoms sat alone on the middle shelf. Condoms. We hadn’t used condoms. “Dean!” I screamed, sinking to sit on the toilet lid, my head in my hands as I shivered with fear. The door burst open, and Dean rushed into the room, stopping short when he saw me sitting there with tears streaming down my face, the box of condoms in my shaking hand. “We didn’t… I didn’t even think…. Oh my God.”

“Hey,” Dean knelt down and took the blue box out of my hand, dropping it to the floor as he pulled me into his arms. “Hey, don’t worry. We’re all clean, I swear. I can’t even remember the last time one of us got a cold. Are you… I mean, you’re not—” I shook my head. “But there are other things, Dean.” “Oh.” He sighed and leaned back to look at me. “I had a vasectomy three years ago.” I stared at him through tear glazed eyes. “Why? I mean, I know it’s none of my business. But you’re so young.” “It was for medical reasons,” he said with a shrug. “Are you all right?” “I’m fine,” I said shakily. “I just panicked when I realized.” He kissed me, a quick peck of his lips against mine. I smiled weakly and let him pull me to my feet. He snagged a shirt off of the hook on the back of the door and helped me slide it on. I buttoned it quickly as I gave him a quick smile of thanks. When we walked out of the bathroom, Nate and Jasen were standing in the office waiting for us. “Are you okay?” Nate asked, concern thick in his voice. “Yeah. Sorry about that.” I walked back out into the bar, leaving Dean to explain what happened if he wanted to. My nerves were about shot. I was one day away from the full moon, Kevin could show up any second, I had been so wrapped up in the attention I was getting from the men in that room that I hadn’t even considered disease or pregnancy before spreading my legs for them and I was starving. Again. How the hell was I going to explain where on my five foot seven, one hundred and forty pound frame I was putting all of the food I wanted to consume? The beast was growing restless inside of me. She knew that she was close to being allowed out to hunt, and she was so hungry. “When’s lunch?” Jasen asked loudly, walking out of the office, followed by Dean and Nate. “You’re hungry again?” Dean replied, exasperated. “He’s always hungry.” Nate swatted Jasen’s ass playfully. “Honestly, I could stand to eat again, too. I think it’s the stress.” That sounded as plausible as anything. If they were going to spend all day eating, I wasn’t going to feel bad about joining in.

I led the way into the kitchen, opening the large stainless steel fridge to peer inside. My eyes fell to a few steaks sitting on the middle shelf. The raw meat spoke to something inside of me, and a low growl escaped my throat before I could choke it back down. “Was that your stomach?” Nate asked, his voice full of laughter. I turned around to tell him it was and found myself staring into Dean’s chest. He was panting heavily. I met his gaze and saw heat dancing in his eyes. His body forced me backward so that I was leaning against the shelves of the fridge. He lowered his head, I thought to kiss me, but he moved his face to my neck, inhaling deeply as if smelling my skin. My hands wrapped into his hair, trying to pull him away from my throat. It felt as if the beast inside me was rearing to attack, and it was scaring me. Dean was scaring me. A deep vibration rumbled from Dean’s chest and permeated my body, sending shivers up my spine that had nothing to do with the cold air from the refrigerator. “I’ve died,” Jasen said, his voice breaking the tension that had filled the air around Dean and I. “Two days of eating and fucking. I’ve died and gone to Heaven.” “Jasen!” Nate snapped. His voice was harsh and seemed to have a thread of panic to it. “Shut the fuck up.” Dean’s arms snaked around me, pulling me violently into his arms. He carried me out of the kitchen, still not saying a word. I looked over his shoulder to see the other men following us. Jasen looking excited and Nate nervous. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but I didn’t believe that Dean would hurt me. He walked straight toward the pile of blankets that were still spread over the floor. Lowering himself to his knees, he laid me on them, gently cradling my head to keep me from hitting it. His hands reached down to pull his shirt over his head, and the sight of that smooth tan flesh made my fear turn to lust like a switch. I raised my arm to run a hand over his tight abdomen. The muscles rippled under my touch, and I moaned at the feel of his skin against mine. Jasen and Nate fanned out around us, each kneeling over me at a different part of my body. Dean leaned over to kiss me, his mouth slamming down on mine, his tongue fighting against my lips to gain access. Jasen started undoing my jeans while Nate gripped my hands in his, effectively pinning me to the floor.

I didn’t feel trapped though. It was more as if he were offering me to Dean. Unable to sit still against the restraint, I writhed, gripping his hands and trying to twist myself free. Nate just held tighter, his lips gently sucking at my fingertips until I stopped struggling. Jasen pulled off my pants, taking my panties with them so that I was naked from the waist down. His hands slid up my legs, parting my thighs and exposing my core to him. He massaged my flesh, his hands edging closer to my wet pussy, but never actually touching the tingling flesh. Dean broke the kiss, standing up long enough to rip off his own clothes before lowering himself over me again, this time laying his entire body over mine. Nate continued to clasp my hands in his while Jasen pinned my ankles to the floor. They really were offering me to Dean. Holding me open for him to do as he wished. Rather than feel threatened, the beast inside me purred, arching up with my body to press against Dean. It wanted him. I wanted him. Dean positioned his hips between my thighs, his hand between our bodies guiding his cock inside of me. The initial intrusion of him brought my hips off the floor. My legs struggled to wrap around his waist but Jasen held me firmly down. I wanted to touch him but Nate was still resolutely pinning my hands. I was trapped. “Look at me,” Dean said, his voice a harsh whisper. I met his gaze and gasped at the sight of his eyes. They had bled to a deep amber, a color I had never seen against that tan face before. I wasn’t sure if it was the sun setting outside that hit his irises or if his eyes had really turned a new shade of brown. “Ours,” he growled, lowering his face to press the barest of kisses against my lips. “Mine.” “Yours,” I agreed, tilting my hips to urge him to move. “I’m yours.” He slammed himself fully inside of me. A scream tore from my mouth at the feeling of him stretching me wide. I gripped Nate’s hands in mine, using him for support to keep me still as Dean’s body assaulted mine. I was sliding under him from the force of his cock ramming inside of me over and over again. Dean’s hips shifted so that my clit rubbed against his pubic bone, and I came, hard and fast, my body shuddering and twitching, threatening to break the other men’s hold on my arms

and legs. I screamed and screamed until my throat was raw from it, and still, Dean continued fucking me harder than he ever had before. After what felt like a few seconds and forever at the same time, his rhythm faltered and he exploded inside of me, his shaft twitching violently in my channel as his seed pumped into me. A guttural cry escaped him, almost a howl. The sound shot straight through me, bringing me again though his body had stopped moving above mine. My pussy convulsed around his spent cock as little electrical currents jolted my already exhausted muscles. I realized that Nate and Jasen had released me. I wrapped my arms around Dean’s neck and kissed his forehead. He raised his gaze to me, and I saw that his eyes had returned to the chocolate brown color I was used to seeing. Telling myself that it had just been a trick of the light, I kissed him again and put it out of my mind. For a moment, I thought my ears had started ringing, but then I realized it was a phone. Dean groaned and rolled off of me, moving to his feet to find his jeans. He shook out his cell and walked toward the bar with it.

Chapter Six

“Really?” I asked sitting up. “He’s taking a phone call now?” “Don’t feel slighted,” Jasen said, handing me my pants. “He has to take it. It’s the Doc phone.” “The what?” “The Doc phone. Dean’s the only vet in town, and that’s his emergency number. He can’t ignore it.” “He’s a veterinarian?” I asked, climbing clumsily to my feet. “I thought he worked here.” “Nah,” Nate said, offering me a hand to hold me steady as I stepped into my jeans. “He was just helping out so Tabitha could have the night off.” I couldn’t believe that hadn’t come up before now. Of course, we’d been so busy eating and having sex there hadn’t been a lot of time for conversation. I felt bad that I hadn’t bothered to ask the men anything about themselves. “What about you?” I asked Jasen as we walked over to the bar. “What do you do?” “I’m a college student,” he said. He leaned over to grab some beers out of the cooler. He opened them and passed them to Nate and me. “I came home for summer break. Not really how I’d planned on spending it to tell you the truth.” He laughed. “Not that I’m complaining. I’d be a lot happier if we could have moved the party somewhere a little more comfortable though. That floor is killing my knees.” “Dean said you own the bar,” I said turning to Nate. “Yeah, my sister and I inherited it from our Uncle Walt. Tabitha's barely here though.” He rolled his eyes. “She’s kind of a bitch. I’ve been offering to buy her out for months, but she won’t budge. She loves the idea of owning a bar, but she’s not too keen on actually working.”

“And you three all grew up together?” “Yup. Dean and I lived next door to each other our whole lives,” Nate said. He paused to take a swig of his beer. “Jasen moved across the street from us when we were seven. He’s younger than us, but we let him hang around anyway.” “They used to keep the bullies away,” Jasen said with a smile. “I was sort of runty as a kid, and the bigger kids saw me as an excellent target until these two showed up to kick some ass on my behalf.” “What about you?” Dean asked, walking back toward us. “You’ve barely told us anything about yourself.” “I’ve told you everything there is to tell,” I said. “My husband died, and I’ve spent the last six months traveling.” “Running,” Dean corrected me. “There’s something going on with you, Jo.” “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I tried to keep eye contact with him as I took a drink of my beer. But I could tell he didn’t believe me. “Look—” he started, but he was interrupted by a knock on the door. A man in one of those funny suits walked in carrying a metal clipboard. He marched over to the bar and stared around at us, a grave look on his face. “We got the blood results back,” he said. “And?” “And you’ve all tested negative for Anthrax.” We all grinned at each other. “So when do we get to leave?” Jasen asked. “We’re not sure,” the man said with a sigh. “While none of you tested positive for Anthrax, all of your blood work came back…wrong.” “What do you mean wrong?” Dean asked, a thread of anger in his tone. “We’re not sure to be honest. There is an antibody present in your blood that shouldn’t be there. We need to do some more testing to find out what you’ve all been infected with. Until we know for sure, you’re going to have to stay here.” “No!” I jumped to my feet and stalked toward the man. He backed up a few steps, trying to keep distance between us. “You were only supposed to test us for Anthrax,” I said hotly.

“That’s what this stupid quarantine is for. We don’t have it. It’s not here. It was some horrible prank. You have to let us out of here.” “I’m sorry, ma’am. We can’t do that.” The man turned and walked toward the door. “The additional testing should only take a few more days. If you need anything in the meantime, please call.” He set a business card on one of the tables before quickly exiting the bar. I stared after him in disbelief. A few more days? I didn’t have a few more days. The full moon was less than twenty-four hours away. By time they came back in, I would have killed Dean, Nate and Jasen. A panicked laugh bubbled up inside of me. I wrapped my arms around myself and collapsed to the floor. This couldn’t be happening. It just couldn’t. “Jo, what’s wrong?” Nate dropped to the ground next to me, his arms wrapped tightly around me. “Sweetie, what is it?” “You have to get me out of here,” I whispered. “Please, I can’t stay here. It’s not safe.” “We’re not going to let anything happen to you,” Jasen said. He was sitting next to us on my other side, and his hand smoothed over my hair. “It’s not me I’m worried about.” Tears poured down my face now. I had to tell them. It wasn’t fair for them to sit here with me, less than a day away from dying and not even know it. “We’re pretty tough,” Nate said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. “I don’t think you have to worry about us.” I shook my head. Would they even believe me? Maybe they would just think I was crazy and avoid me until sundown on Friday. Then I’d change, and it would be too late for them escape. No. No, I had to tell them. They could think what they liked about me, but it was only fair. Looking around at them, I realized that Dean still stood at the bar. He watched me, but he didn’t look worried. He looked angry. “Does this fear of yours have anything to do with the reason you’ve been on the run for six months?” I nodded, swallowing the sob that was trying to break free. His gaze locked on mine, and I saw some of his fury melt away. With a heavy sigh, he came to sit with us on the floor. He took my hand in his and kissed it.

“Whatever it is, we’ll handle it together. I just wish you had been honest with us from the start.” “Right,” I spat bitterly. “Because there have been so many opportunities between getting fucked to within an inch of my life to tell you that the man who made me a Were-Cougar is hunting me and trying to make me his mate. I’ve had so much time to discuss the fact that come sundown tomorrow night, I’m probably going to slaughter all of you. There’ve been enough moments of calm between the four of us to tell you—” Dean’s mouth on mine stopped my words. Too confused by his reaction to fight it, I slid my hands into his hair and opened my lips to him, allowing his tongue to brush against mine. Some of my panic dissipated at the feel of his hands, warm and strong, running up my back. Nate and Jasen had apparently backed away, and I was left in Dean’s arms. His kisses restored some of my sanity. My tears stopped, and he leaned back to look at me. There was a small smile on his lips that I didn’t understand. “I wish you had just told us this before,” he said. “You could have saved yourself a world of worry, darling.” “You don’t… You mean you believe me?” I asked. “Of course, we do,” Jasen said with a laugh. “Hell, you’re in Jericho Falls, sweetness. The Were capitol of Michigan.” “The Were—the what?” I looked over at him in shock. “We thought that was why you came here,” Nate said, leaning in to kiss my cheek. “We couldn’t understand why you were hiding what you were. We all smelled trouble on you the second you walked through that door.” “I think we need to apologize to you,” Dean said, shaking his head. “We thought you came here hoping we would take care of your problem for you.” “You thought,” Jasen corrected him coldly. “Fine,” Dean said, raising a hand in apology. “I thought you were leading your stalker here in the hopes that we would kill him for you.” “Then why have you spent so much time fucking me silly?” I asked coldly, looking around at all of them.

“We wanted you,” Nate said with a shrug. “We weren’t going to force ourselves on you, but since you seemed receptive, we thought…” He trailed off, and my body went cold. “You thought you’d take it as pre-payment for taking care of my problem?” They all looked embarrassed, but it wasn’t enough. I climbed to my feet, shoving their hands away from me. I couldn’t believe this. They’d known all this time what I was but they let me carry on with my charade in order to get what they'd wanted from me. They were crazy if they thought I'd accept any more of their "help". “Jo, wait,” Jasen said, jumping to his feet. “It wasn’t like that. I mean, it sounds bad when you say it that way.” “You’re right. It does.” My body quivered with anger now. “God, I’m so stupid.” Tears welled in my eyes as my fury built, and I refused to release it any other way. “I thought you wanted me. I thought you cared about me.” I said this directly to Dean, who flinched at the words. “We do—” Nate started, but I cut him off. “I’m just a little old lady who needed three strapping young men to kill a psychopath, right?” “That’s enough!” roared Dean. He got to his feet and advanced on me. I backed away, but Jasen caught me, pinning my hands behind my back and holding me still so I couldn’t run. “I care about you so much it makes me sick. Do you think I wanted to fall for you? All this time, I thought you were playing us. I’m sorry if you think we took advantage of you, but we thought you were doing the same to us. We all underestimated each other. But don’t act like you’re guiltless in all of this. You lied to us. You thought we were all just innocent little boys, and you kept your mouth shut about your condition until there were no other options. Your beast could have broken free at any time, Jo. You showed up here so physically hungry that anything could have set you off. If we’d been just normal people and your emotions forced you to change, you’d have killed us all. But you didn’t say anything, did you?” “No,” I whispered. “No, I didn’t. But don’t think it wasn’t tearing me apart. Don’t act like I didn’t think everything you just said every single time I looked at you guys. I knew I was playing with fire. But I didn’t know what else to do.”

“Look,” Nate said as he stepped between Dean and me. “It’s the night before the full moon. Can we perhaps tone this down before someone goes overboard and shifts? We’re all running hot right now. We don’t need to make things worse for ourselves. We need to eat, and we need to calm the fuck down. All right?” Dean nodded, and I agreed. Jasen released my hands after pulling me backward into his chest and placing a wet kiss against my neck. I couldn’t help smiling at the gesture, and when Dean’s gaze caught mine again, his eyes were softer, more mellow than they had been in hours. “Fabulous!” Nate clapped his hands. “Who wants meat?” **** Nate prepared the steaks I’d seen in the fridge earlier. As we ate, I told them the story about Kevin and my husband and what I’d been doing the last six months, and they told me about how they’d all been turned. “We were camping, and a Were-Wolf attacked us all. Honestly, we were lucky none of us was killed. But he didn’t seem to want us to die, he just wanted us to turn,” Jasen said around a mouthful of food. “What did you mean when you said this was the Were capitol of Michigan?” I asked Nate. “Well, we all grew up together, but it wasn’t here. My uncle, the one who left this bar to me and my sister, lived here so I knew all about it. Tabitha moved out here after Uncle Walt died then Dean and I came after we graduated high school. Jasen dropped out and followed us a year later. That’s why he’s still in college. Dean told Jasen he’d pay if Jasen went back and got his GED.” “Yeah, the bastard decided he wants to try law school,” Dean said, shaking his head. “Hey,” Jasen said with a shrug. “Go big or stay home.” Dean rolled his eyes, and I laughed. The more time I spent with them the more I realized they were like a family. They worked well together. I hoped I didn’t fuck any of that up. “So anyway,” Nate said. “I don’t know if the founders of the town planned it this way or not, but we attract a lot of Weres. I think it’s the fact that we’re out in the boonies. Not a lot of civilians to accidentally hurt. The word gets around, and people move here looking to settle down somewhere safe.”

“That’s nice,” I said with a sigh. “I wish…” I trailed off, preferring not to bother finishing that sentence. I was glad to know that when I shifted they would be there with me. But when the quarantine lifted I knew I had to get out there. I couldn’t let Kevin find them. I wouldn’t risk their safety any more than I already had. “You could stay,” Dean said, staring down at his plate. “I couldn’t,” I said sadly. “He’ll come for me, and I can’t let him find me.” “We can protect you here.” Jasen took my hand in his. “This is a whole town of animals to keep you safe.” “It’s not their place to do that. It’s not your place, either. This is my fight.” “But you’re not fighting,” Nate said softly. “You’re running.” “That’s her choice,” Dean said with a sideways glance at the bartender. “We aren’t going to pressure you, Jo. But if you do leave, I hope you’ll come back through and see us sometimes.” “Why does it feel like you’re saying goodbye already?” I asked suspiciously. “Last time, I checked we’re going to be here for a few more days.” “Yes, but as we plan to spend tonight fucking your brains out and tomorrow eating everything in sight, then shifting when the sun goes down, there may not be a lot of time for heartwarming farewells,” Jasen said with a shrug. I realized suddenly that I loved these men. Nate and Jasen had quickly become like my best friends. I’d never had much experience with friendship before. Even in college, I’d been a loner, keeping to myself as much as possible. Since spending the last six months on the run, anyone I might have had close to a friend had lost touch. But these guys had filled a gap for me that I hadn’t even realized was there. And then there was Dean. I looked over at him, studying his strong jaw, his broad shoulders, his large hands that were clasped on the table in front of him. I loved him, too, but the ache in my heart at the thought of leaving told me that there might be something more than friendship behind my feelings. He’d claimed he cared about me, that he had fallen for me. Did he mean that or was it all spit out in the heat of the moment? Maybe it had something to do with the Were part of me. Did animals form bonds more quickly than humans? It was far too soon for me to have such warm and, pardon the pun, fuzzy feelings for these guys.

“This is stupid,” I said, clapping a hand over my mouth as I realized I’d spoken aloud. “What’s that sweetness?” Nate asked, winking at me as if he knew my thoughts. “How can they keep us here when we tested negative for Anthrax?” I was trying to cover my ass and hoped they’d buy it. “I don’t know,” Jasen said, shaking his head in disgust. “But obviously, they’ve discovered the lycanthropy in our blood. Hey Doc, do you think they know what it means?” “I’m not sure,” Dean said with a sigh. “Even if they do, they can’t keep us in here forever. The government has regulations they have to follow when it comes to Weres.” “Really?” I asked in surprise. “The government knows about us?” “Sure. They’ve managed to keep it quiet. Like aliens, it’s safer if Jon Q Public thinks we’re a myth.” “Aliens are real?” Nate stared at Dean, shock plain on his face. “How the hell do you know that?” “I don’t, you idiot,” Dean said, slapping Nate upside his head. “I was kidding. My point is that if they don’t let us out of here by Monday, I’m making a phone call.” “To who?” Jasen asked incredulously. “Oh, please tell me you have the President on speed dial. I have so much I want to say to that man.” Dean rolled his eyes. “I have the card from that FBI agent who came through last year. The one who was working with the forestry service to get Jericho Falls protected from outsiders. I keep it in my wallet.” “Then why haven’t you called to get us out of here?” I asked, frustrated that he’d had a get-out-of-jail-free card this whole time and had chosen not to use it. “Well one, we couldn’t leave until everyone was sure that the Anthrax thing wasn’t real. And now, I think we’re safer in here. As long as we’re quarantined, that bastard who attacked you can’t get in.” “Leaving me here just gives him more time to track me down!” I jumped to my feet and glared down at him. “I could have been miles from here by now.” “Jo, think about it. Who would have called in a fake threat to the CDC? Don’t you think this was just a plot to keep you here? I think he already knows exactly where you are. He’s using them to trap you.” “If he knows where I am, why hasn’t he just come and grabbed me?”

“Well, from what you’ve told me about him, I think he’s stronger in his animal form. I think he wants to wait until the full moon when he’s more of a threat.” “Speaking of threats,” I said, looking around at the men as the realization of what would happen Friday night washed over me. “What’s going to happen to those innocent CDC people when the full moon breaks and the residents of the town go furry? Will they be safe out there?” “Why wouldn’t they be safe?” Jasen asked, his tone defensive. “She’s just a baby, Jasen.” Nate laid his hand over the younger man’s in a calming gesture. “Remember what it was like for the first year? She still can’t control herself.” “Sorry,” Jasen said to me with a half smile. “I guess I didn’t realize what you’ve been going through lately. As time goes on, you’ll be able to keep a better sense of yourself. It should get better with every shift.” “Really?” Relief washed over me at his words. “You mean I won’t always rip apart livestock when I change?” “No.” Dean reached over and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “It helps if you load up on protein for the few days before the full moon.” “I did finally figure that one out. But there were some pretty scary mornings after the first few moon cycles.” I shuddered as I remembered the feel of raw animal meat in my mouth, blood and dirt under my nails, and the fear of not knowing for sure where I’d been or what exactly I’d done in my cougar form. Now, that I really thought about it I supposed Jasen was right. The shifts had been different the last couple times. I was more myself for some of it, more aware of what was happening. It hadn’t lasted the whole night, but there were definite moments of clarity when the beast let me use my own brain again. “It had to be hard going through all of that alone. I think sometimes we forget how lucky we are to have each other,” Nate said, looking around at his friends. “Speak for yourself,” Jasen replied in a hurt tone. “I never forget how fortunate I am.” Nate leaned over to kiss his lover. It made me smile to see the tenderness between them. “Are you sure you want to leave all of this?” Dean whispered in my ear. “You could stay here if you want. We can keep you safe. If you’d let us, we could make you happy.” “You’ve made me happy,” I said, blinking back tears of regret. “Happier than I’ve ever been. But I can’t stay here.”

Dean nodded, his eyes almost as sad as I felt. I wanted to stay. More than anything I wanted to spend the rest of my life waking up next to his hard body. And maybe, sometimes, we could all fall asleep together, piled into a soft bed to keep warm on winter nights. I lost the fight and began to sob, my shoulders shaking as tears rolled down my cheeks. Dean slid to the floor and wrapped his arms around me. I lowered my head to his shoulder and let all of the stress and sadness I’d swallowed for months flow from my body. More arms and hands came to comfort me as Jasen and Nate joined my pity party.

Chapter Seven

Our clothes disappeared in a rush of hands as we realized none of us were going to feel better until we were touching as much of each other as we could. We were back on our makeshift bed, but the frenzied need we’d felt for the past two days had morphed into something even more meaningful. My tears were kissed away by Nate as Jasen and Dean each pressed their lips against the rest of my body. I lay on the floor and closed my eyes, trying to memorize the feel of each of their hands and their mouths. I knew that only the memories of the last few days would go with me when I left Jericho Falls, and I wanted to make sure they were as vivid as possible. I never wanted to forget a single moment that these men had given me. “Look at me,” Dean’s voice was inches from my face. I opened my eyes to see him looking at me, a serious look etched on his strong features. “You said you were ours, that you were mine. Did you mean it?” “I’ve given the three of you more than I’ve ever given anyone,” I whispered. “You know I can’t stay though.” “We all understand you have to leave.” He nodded gravely. “But did you mean it?” “I meant it,” I said softly. “I’m yours.” He kissed me, his tongue wrestling against mine as he lay his body on top of me. His erection pressing against my abdomen, and my pussy flooded with need for him. Nate and Jasen had moved over, and I broke the kiss to look for them. They were spread out next to us, Jasen straddling Nate’s hips, their mouths pressed together tightly. Dean urged me on to my side so I was facing them. He moved behind me, spooning me against his chest, his cock pressed between us, resting on my ass.

“Do you like watching them?” he whispered against my ear. “Does it turn you on to watch two men touch each other like that?” I nodded, not taking my eyes from the sight in front of me. Jasen glanced over at me and winked, making me blush. He slid down Nate’s body, trailing kisses over the man’s chest as he descended toward the erection jutting from Nate’s groin. I inhaled sharply as Jasen swallowed Nate’s cock, taking him all the way to the base then pausing there until Nate’s back arched off the floor and a cry of pleasure tore from his lips. Jasen pulled up, letting Nate fall from his mouth, a thin line of saliva connecting the man’s lower lip to the penis’ tip. My cunt was soaked from watching these men together. It was so sexy, so new to me, my body was reacting as though I were in on the action. A hand slid between my legs, fingers playing against my clit, sliding in the wetness that had drenched my core, but I found that I couldn’t take my eyes off the scene in front of me. As Dean pinched and rolled my sensitive nub between his fingers, I stared transfixed at Jasen who was positioning himself over Nate’s erection. Inch by inch, the younger man lowered, impaling himself with the thick shaft until his ass rested against Nate’s body. I wanted to get closer, to see Jasen stretched wide around Nate. Unconsciously my body jerked forward, but Dean tightened his grip on me. “Just watch,” he whispered. “You can get a close up later.” I whimpered in complaint but did as he asked, settling back against him to observe the men. Dean resumed his slow, firm teasing between my legs, and I shifted to give him better access. Pressure was already building in my abdomen, and I knew I wasn’t going to make it much longer without coming. Between the sight before me and Dean’s nimble fingers, I was bound to explode any minute. Nate’s gaze flicked over to me as his hand slid down his body and gripped Jasen’s cock in his fist, pumping it furiously. My eyelids started to flutter closed, desire making them do the last thing I wanted. I forced them to stay open, silently demanding I pay attention to the men who were putting on one hell of a show for me. Jasen cried out, his cum spraying up Nate’s chest. At that moment, Dean pinched my clit hard between his fingers and the scene was lost in a flood of stars behind my eyes. I screamed with Nate who was yelling Jasen’s name into the room as he came with us.

Dean rolled me onto my stomach, pulling me to my knees then slamming his cock in my soaked channel. I tried to push up on my hands, but Dean pressed down on my shoulders, keeping me there with my ass up in the air for him. I felt as if I were offering myself to him, like a cat in heat. The irony was not lost on me at all. Over and over, he pounded himself into my pussy, his thick cock occasionally slamming into my cervix and making me whimper, a half-pained, half-pleasured sound. His fingers dug into my hips, and I knew I would have bruises, but I didn’t care. They would be battle wounds I could carry with me when I left him. “Fuck, Jo,” Dean growled. “You’re so fucking tight. So wet for me. Mine. Mine. Tell me.” “Yours,” I cried, my hands scrambling to grip something. A cool hand enveloped mine, and I looked up to see Nate, his fingers entwining mine. “Yours,” I repeated, looking back at the man inside me. Dean came, that half howl, half scream sound tearing from his throat. I felt his cock twitching inside of me, spilling his seed deep inside my pussy. Without warning his teeth sunk into my shoulder, and I came, clawing at Nate’s hand as my body convulsed under Dean’s weight and teeth. I could tell I was bleeding, but it didn’t hurt. It felt amazing. The longer he kept his mouth placed to the wound the harder my body shook, tiny orgasms exploding through my muscles again and again until I thought my throat had torn from screaming my pleasure. His grip on me slackened, and he slid out of me, his forehead resting on my back. I collapsed to the floor, Dean falling on top of me with a thump. He rolled to the side, and when I opened my eyes to look at him I saw that there was indeed blood covering his lower lip. I smiled lazily and leaned over, licking it gently, the sweet coppery taste hitting my taste buds and sending a shiver down my spine. “Mine,” he whispered, kissing me softly. “Yours,” I purred, snuggling into the arms he opened for me. My body and my mind were spent. It had been a long, emotional night, and I was exhausted. I closed my eyes and drifted away. For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t afraid to give myself to sleep. I knew tonight I would have no bad dreams, and no one would come after me. I was safe here in Dean’s arms. I was home. ****

“Jo.” Nate’s voice broke through the cloud of sleep burying my brain. “Jo, sweetie, you need to get up and eat.” “Not hungry,” I mumbled, rolling away from him. “Doesn’t matter,” Jasen said. I opened my eyes to see him grinning at me. “It’s the day of the full moon love. You have to eat. We all overslept. We should have started eating hours ago.” “Ugh.” I pulled the blankets over my head. I felt as if I could sleep for a week. But against my will, my stomach gave a loud growl, and I knew this was a lost battle. My beast would win, food over sleep every time. A knock on the front door startled all of us. I pulled the covers down a little so I could see and looked from Nate to Jasen who both shrugged. “Stay there,” Dean said, walking across the room. He opened the door, and a man walked in. He looked vaguely familiar, but I wasn’t sure why. “Good news,” he said. He smiled widely until he saw me lying on the floor, obviously naked under the blanket and surrounded by Nate and Jasen. “Um, someone confessed to calling in the Anthrax threat. It was a hoax. We’ve cleared up outside, and you’re free to go.” “That is great news,” Dean agreed, moving to block the man’s view of us. “Thank you for letting us know.” The man left quickly, and I realized he looked familiar because I’d seen him several times before, but he’d always been behind a big plastic helmet. His words slowly sunk in. We were free to go. I could get out of here. My mind started calculating how far I could get before I’d have to shift. “You’re not going anywhere,” Nate said as if reading my mind. “You know it’s not safe to take off now. You have to stay through the night. If you’re still hell-bent on taking off tomorrow, fine. But tonight, we’re locking down the bar, and no one gets in or out.” I nodded. He was right. I was too dangerous still to be left on my own. I didn’t know where I would go to change anyway. Tonight, I would shift with them, and tomorrow morning, I would go. “Now,” Jasen said, clapping his hands. “Let’s get some meat into you.” I stared at him, and he laughed. “No double entendre intended, I promise.”

I climbed to my feet, stretching my arms above my head and cringing at a tight pain in my shoulder. My hand went to the skin, and I felt teeth marks still indented in the flesh. The memories of the previous night came back to me. Dean had marked me. Jasen handed me a bundle of clothes then smacked my ass. “Get dressed. Breakfast is getting cold.” Dean had gone back into the kitchen and, now, emerged carrying a tray full of food. The smell of bacon hit my nose, and my stomach growled again. I quickly pulled on my clothes and went to join them at the table. “Jesus!” I looked around at the mountain of food. There were eggs, bacon, sausage, half a ham, a few steaks, a mountain of hash browns and a full loaf of toasted bread. “Who’s going to eat all of this?” “We are,” Nate said as he reached over to grab a handful of bacon. “Just wait. You’ll be amazed at how much food you’ll put away today. I’m guessing you haven’t been stuffing your beast.” “Not like this.” I shook my head as I sat down. Was this why I’d always been so out of control when I shifted? Should I have been eating nonstop in the hours leading up to the change? It was hard to believe that a full stomach could affect my mental state when I became a cougar. But they had been shifting a lot longer than I had, and I trusted them to help me through this. Dean scooped a heap of scrambled eggs on to my plate. “Eat,” he demanded, gesturing with the spoon at my plate. I took a bite, and it was as if it opened a floodgate. I was ravenous. Talk ceased around the table while we shoveled food into our mouths as if we would never eat again. I couldn’t get enough. Ham, bacon, potatoes, eggs, more ham. Forkful after forkful disappeared though it didn’t feel as if I were filling up at all. It seemed as if we’ been eating for hours when Nate walked over to the bar and came back with a pitcher of beer and some glasses. I cocked an eyebrow at him, and he grinned. “Don’t knock it ‘til you try it,” he said, handing me a full glass. “Eggs and beer are the best breakfast ever.” I took a sip then a gulp. Before I’d realized it the pint was empty. A loud belch escaped my mouth, and I clamped a hand to my lips, burning with embarrassment. “Excuse me,” I mumbled.

“Nice one,” Jasen said, clapping me on the back. Nate rolled his eyes at Jasen, but I saw a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. He really was head over heels for his lover, faults and all. I sighed. I’d thought I’d had that with Billy. But the more time I spent with these men, Dean in particular, the more I started to see how one-sided our marriage had really been. Billy had been happy because he wasn’t missing anything. He’d never had that great of a sex drive to begin with. And I just hadn’t wanted to believe that sex was that important. But now, I was finding out how much a relationship could grow through that physical bond he and I had been missing. “Are you okay?” Dean asked, his fork paused halfway to his mouth. “You look…lost.” “Fine,” I said, shaking my head as if to clear the thoughts from my mind. “I’m fine. My mind just wandered for a minute.” “Don’t get lost in thought today, chica,” Jasen said, placing his hand over mine. “If you let your emotions get the better of you, it can bring on the change. Just relax, make sure you eat if you feel even a twinge of hunger and try not to look too sexy today.” I laughed. There was fat chance of that happening. I probably looked like…well, like I’d spent the last two days getting fucked by three rugged men. My body ached, my hair was a tangled mess and my stomach was bloated from all of the sodium I’d just consumed. Sexy was not a word I would have used at all. “All right,” Dean said standing up with a loud groan. “Nate and I will clean up. Jasen, you keep Jo occupied.” “Yes, sir,” Jasen said excitedly. He pulled me to my feet and nuzzled my neck, making me giggle. I think we all knew he was kidding, but when he and I looked over at Dean, there was a pained look on the man’s face. “Fine. We’ll be good.” “What time is it?” I asked, peering out the window. The sun was high in the sky, but it didn’t feel very late yet. I’d had no idea how long I’d been asleep, but I wasn’t expecting the answer Jasen gave me. “Almost five,” he answered. He’d walked behind the bar and pulled out a couple bottles of water then flipped on the television. I hopped on a stool, accepting the water gratefully.

“It’s important to stay hydrated,” he explained before draining half of his own bottle. “You don’t want to do anything that could set off the beast. Hunger, thirst, lust, anger, sadness, it can all trigger the change, especially the day of the full moon.” “You all talk about the beast like it’s not a part of you,” I said. “Well, it both is and it isn’t. Surely, you can feel that it’s like its own living entity inside of you? The way it stirs and rises and quiets in your chest or in your stomach. Like a physical being. But obviously, it’s not. It’s just blood and genetics. It’s a disease.” “I don’t understand any of this.” I sighed. “You’re right. I do feel it, and it feels separate, like I could get it cut out of me and go back to being…” I trailed off, not wanting to offend him. “Normal?” he finished for me with a sad smile. “Sorry, toots, there’s no normal anymore. As time goes on, I promise you’ll get used to it. You’ll learn exactly what to do to avoid setting it off. You’ll even learn to shift on command. It just takes some getting used to. It’s like losing an arm or a leg except instead you get fur, pointy teeth and super powers.” “Super powers?” I asked with a crooked eyebrow. “You probably don’t remember much that happens when you turn. That can last for up to a year. But eventually, conscious thought will break through your beast’s panic, and you’ll be you in there instead of just an animal. For us, when we’re in our wolf forms, we're wicked strong, super fast and damn near indestructible. From what I understand, cats work pretty much the same way.” “Really?” I looked hopefully at him. “So the short bursts of consciousness I have when I shift aren’t just what I have to live with? It will be all me all the time? Can you teach me to do that tonight?” “It’s not really teachable,” he said, his hand over mine in a comforting gesture. “Your brain just has to adjust to the beast sharing your body. You’ll get there. I promise. It’s a good sign that you already get some it now.” “Is it?” I asked ruefully. “It’s fucking scary is what it really is. Waking up covered in blood and hoping it’s just from the animal carcass at your feet. Watching your body turn into…not your body then blacking out for an hour just to come back to yourself as you’re swallowing raw meat from a raccoon and then you’re gone again and it’s all the beast moving you.” I shuddered. “It’s terrifying.”

“I don’t know what to say except that it does get better. I know that doesn’t do shit for you now. But it does become easier to live with.” “Hey,” I said, looking up at the television. “Jeopardy is on.” I wanted to change the subject. All this beast talk was making her stir uncomfortably in my chest. That feeling of a physical being marching around inside of me was getting worse as the minutes ticked by. Like she knew she would get to come out and play tonight, and it made her restless. “Great!” Jasen said, hopping up to sit on the bar and watch it. “Hey, assholes, come on!” he called toward the kitchen. “Let’s play Jeopardy.” Dean and Nate came out of the back room, each carrying a tub of ice cream and a couple of spoons. Dean sat next to me on a stool and Nate went behind the bar to sit next to Jasen on the rail. “Teams?” Dean asked, handing me a spoon and nudging the tub of Mackinaw Island Fudge Ripple toward me. “Sure,” Nate said, his eyes twinkling. “What’s the wager?” “Oral favors,” Jasen said quickly. “Okay,” Dean answered cautiously. “What are the teams?” “Me and Jasen against you and Jo,” Nate said. “Perfect,” Jasen piped up. “Boys against girls.” Dean made a noise I could have sworn was a bark in Jasen’s direction, but Jasen just laughed. The game started, and we were off.

Chapter Eight

“Double or nothing,” Jasen said in frustration as Final Jeopardy started. Dean and I had thoroughly whooped them, and Jasen was acting quite the sore loser. “Double what?” Dean asked with a laugh. “You’re going to suck me off twice?” “I don’t know. This is bullshit.” Jasen crossed his arms across his chest and glared at us. “You two are cheating.” “How?” I asked, a smile tugging at my lips. “Jasen, calm the fuck down. We lost. This was your idea anyway.” “Well, I didn’t know she was a fucking genius,” Jasen said, pointing at me with his spoon. The ice cream was long gone, but Jasen had been nervously sucking on the end of the metal tip for the last few questions. It had drawn my attention away from the game, focusing instead on his lips and tongue playing along the spoon. Luckily, Dean couldn’t have cared less and picked up my slack. “I’m hardly a genius.” I rolled my eyes. “What was your major in college?” Nate asked suspiciously. “Art history.” “Who the fuck majors in art history?” Jasen was on his feet now, pacing up and down behind the bar. “You need to calm down,” Dean said, standing up to walk over to the restless man. “Take a deep breath. No one cheated. We shouldn’t even have played tonight. Didn’t we make that a rule once upon a time? No wagers the day of?” “Yes,” Nate said, his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.

“It’s not funny,” Jasen yelled, rounding on Nate. “That car was fucked.” “What happened?” I asked, looking between the two men. “Jasen got pissed off about something and shifted an hour before sunset. We were driving out to my house to run after we changed, but he went early. Tore up the whole car, the seats were shredded, dashboard destroyed. We decided then that he’s a sore loser and it would be safest if we avoided making bets around the full moon.” Dean had cornered Jasen behind the bar and held an arm across his chest as he told me the story. When he was done, he turned back to the blond and leaned over to whisper in his ear. Nate and I watched as Jasen’s breathing slowed and the heat in his eyes dissipated. Whatever Dean had said to him had worked and calmed him down. I grabbed Nate’s arm and looked at his watch. It was after five-thirty. Fear shot through me as I realized that the sun would be setting in less than an hour. I hoped I wouldn’t try to hurt the guys. Suddenly,the front door smashed open, and I screamed when I saw Kevin walking through it. Dean and Jasen jumped over the bar, and Nate came around to stand in front of me, his arms outstretched in a protective stance. “Thanks for keeping her warm for me, boys,” Kevin said, his voice just as oily as the rest of him. “I’ll be taking my girl back now, if you don’t mind.” “You stay the fuck away from her,” Jasen hissed through gritted teeth. “That’s my mate,” Kevin said, walking toward the men boldly. “Hand her over.” “She is not your mate,” Dean spat, stepping forward. “She is mine.” “Like hell, son.” Kevin’s tone was still light, as if he were having a normal conversation with friends. He was grinning in that crazypants way he had, and it made my beast start to pace. She wanted to attack him. I tried to swallow down my fear and her anger. It was too close to sunset to risk losing control. All I could do was trust Dean and the guys to keep me safe from Kevin. “You probably thought you were real clever, didn’t you, mister?” Dean asked, stepping slowly to the left to keep Kevin’s eyes on him instead of on me. “Calling in that fake Anthrax scare to keep her trapped here until the full moon? You’re a lot stronger when you shift, huh? So you figured there was no use busting in here if you could lock her up real good until you could change and barge in after her.”

“That’s about it, yeah.” Kevin shrugged. “You’re pretty smart, kid. You ever think about becoming a Were-Cougar?” “Not interested,” Dean said. “That’s too bad. I kind of like you. Shame I’ll probably have to kill you all.” I wondered how Kevin didn’t know Dean was a Were-Wolf. I’d just assumed I didn’t know enough to be able to tell. But surely, Kevin had some sense of it. The guys had smelled me when I’d walked in. Didn’t Kevin know how to do that? “That’s not very likely,” Jasen said, walking around to Kevin’s right side. “You’d best leave. Now.” “I’d be happy to,” Kevin said, bouncing on the balls of his feet and smiling that greasy smile at Jasen. “Just hand over the girl, and I’ll walk out real kindly like.” “I’ve already told you,” Dean said, stepping directly in front of Kevin and staring down at him. “She’s mine.” Kevin sighed and stepped around Dean as if he didn’t even matter. He stalked toward me, and I cowered behind Nate. If I hadn’t been a complete chicken I might have seen it coming. But my head was turned away so I didn’t know what was happening until I heard the gunshot. Nate collapsed to the floor in front of me, and I screamed, fear that he'd been killed ripping through me. I scrambled toward him, desperate to see if he was still breathing, but Kevin grabbed me by the arm and pulled me away. I struggled against him, bile and more rising up my throat. My beast threatened to burst from my body. Kevin threw me forward, and I stumbled, crashing to the floor. He wrenched down the collar of my T-shirt to look at my back. “You fucking whore!” he screamed, losing his composure for the first time. “You stupid little cunt!” He wrenched me to my feet, shaking me violently before reaching back and slapping me hard across the face. One minute, it felt as if my eyeball had exploded in its socket, the next every bone in my body was breaking. I screamed, a low guttural howl forced from my lips as my body tore itself apart. Bones shattered and bent, skin ripped, muscles burst and re-knitted as I shifted into my cougar form. “You bastards stole my mate!” Kevin screamed, turning dismissively from me as I writhed on the floor.

“We didn’t steal anything,” Dean said, standing from where he’d knelt next to Nate’s body. “She is mine, ours.” “I’m going to fucking kill you,” Kevin hissed, raising the gun. “You picked the wrong fucking bar on the wrong fucking night, asshole,” Jasen said. I watched from the floor as Dean and Jasen howled. The sound echoed around the room, and I whimpered as it hit my ears. Slinking past Kevin, I made my way over to Nate. His body had shifted, too, but he was unconscious still. Dean petted my head behind my ear. The sensation was so odd, I looked up at him, and he winked at me. I knew fear and adrenaline had brought mine and Nate’s beasts out early, but it couldn’t be that much longer before sunset then there would be two more Were-Wolves and another Were-Cougar in the bar. “She is my mate,” Dean told Kevin coldly. “She has taken my mark and marked me. We belong to each other. You’d best get your ass out here.” “Fucking wolves!” Kevin screamed in frustration. “Of course, you would whore it up with a bunch of dogs. You stupid bitch. I should have left you where I found you. All I wanted was to love you. That husband of yours was worthless. He made you miserable. I wanted to make you happy. But you had to ruin everything.” I tried to scream back that I didn’t even know him, but all that came out was a long, low growl. Stalking toward Kevin, I was glad to see him backing away in fear. The beast liked the fear, the smell of it hit my nostrils and it was good, like burning leaves, woodsy and delicious. Closer and closer, I padded, the scent getting stronger. Something in the beast wondered what that fear would taste like sliding over our tongue, but I pushed the thought away. I would not eat Kevin. Gross. The beast conceded that we did not consider him food. But he was a threat that had to be dealt with. He’d spoken ill of us in front of our mate. I turned to see Dean following me slowly. He wasn’t going to interfere unless he got a sign from me. I understood now that this was my fight. I had to finish this and soon. If Kevin shifted before I was able to incapacitate him— That thought was cut short by howls filling the room again. I watched in fear as Kevin grinned wickedly at me before his body began to shrink and writhe and change. I turned to see Jasen and Dean shifting behind me.

I took the only chance I knew I’d get. I ran flat out at Kevin who was still too occupied with changing form to notice I was attacking. My front paws slammed into his back, which had bowed out as the bones tried to twist and form a new shape. He flew backward, his head slamming into the doorframe behind him. His body continued to shift, but he didn’t seem to move more than that. I hoped like hell that he was really knocked out. Staring down at him, I watched the steady rise and fall of his chest. Tentatively, I poked him with my paw. He didn’t stir. A furry head rubbed against the side of my jaw. I turned to see a large tawny wolf standing next to me. I bumped my head against Dean’s chin then turned to see a gray wolf leaning over another tawny wolf—Jasen checking on Nate. The gray wolf looked toward us and nodded its head once. I took that to mean Nate would be okay. I looked back at Dean and studied his wolfish face. His eyes were that amber color I had seen earlier, but the look in them was very human, very Dean. A headache was blossoming behind my eyes. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to fight the beast taking over for much longer. I would lose myself to the change. But I trusted that Dean and Jasen wouldn’t let me hurt anyone or myself. I knew I had to believe in them, because my choices were slipping away. Raising my head, I bumped it against Dean’s furry forehead. We looked into each other’s eyes for a moment then he faded away as I gave in to darkness. **** I woke up on the cot in the office. A quick glance down showed me I was human again and quite naked. Searching the room, I saw the guys had left my suitcase sitting on a stool across the room. I climbed out of bed stiffly and walked over to get some clothes. After dressing quickly, I opened the door and peeked out into the bar. Nate sat alone at a table, eating peanuts and watching the news. He looked up and grinned when he saw me. “Good morning, kitty,” he said brightly. “Damn you slept a long time.” “Did I?” I looked outside and saw that the sun was bright out the window. I sat down across from him and grabbed a handful of nuts, cracking the shell so I had something to do with my hands. “How are you feeling?” “I’m fine.” He shrugged. “Bastard just tranqed me. I’m sore as hell, but other than that I’m good. How are you feeling?”

“All right,” I said with a sigh, cracking a shell and rolling the peanuts across the table to him. “Where is everybody?” “I woke up just as Dean and Jasen were shifting back. They took that Kevin dude and restrained him downstairs until Dean's FBI agent friend got here to detain him.” He grabbed the nuts and popped them into his mouth. “They’re all down there now. From what Dean told me the agent is going to take the scumbag into custody and get him charged with the murder of your husband and kidnapping all of us. He’s going to be locked up in a special Were detention center for a long time.” “Really?” I cracked another husk and tossed the nuts again. “So, you were out of it all night, too?” “Yeah. You were fine by the way,” he said, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand. “Dean said he saw the beast take over, but you just laid by his side all night. Apparently, you got a little nippy with his neck when he tried to move away from you, but you didn’t attack anyone or anything like that.” That was a relief. It was nice to know that the beast seemed to be calming down. Or maybe, I was just learning to take better care of her. I had been stuffed before I’d shifted. Perhaps, the guys were right, again, and eating constantly before the change did make a world of difference. I’d have to remember that in the future. The future. The word rang through my mind. With Kevin locked up, I supposed I really did have one now. I didn’t have to run anymore. I could go home. Or I could stay. “I can just see wheels turning,” Nate said with a laugh. “It’s just… I don’t know. I’m free, aren’t I? It’s a weird feeling.” “I’ll bet.” Dean’s voice behind me made me jump. “Have you ever been free? You went from college to married to running for your life.” I shot to my feet and ran to him, throwing myself into his arms and squeezing him tightly. He hugged me back, his lips pressed to the top of my head. It felt so good to be in his arms. “Monica just left with Kevin. He’s going to be detained in a government facility they’ve set up for shifters. You won’t ever have to worry about that asshole again.” “Thank God.” I rested my forehead against his chest. “There’s hugging?” Jasen said, bounding up beside us and throwing his arms around Dean and I. “I love the finale where we all hug and laugh and live happily ever after.”

“Oh,” Nate said, getting to his feet and coming to join the Golden Girls moment. “I didn’t realize this was the happily ever after part.” “I don’t know that it is,” Dean said, untangling himself from us and stepping backward. “No one has actually asked Jo what she plans to do. If her happy ending is to take off and go home, that’s not going to be very exciting to me.” “What are you talking about?” Jasen asked, looking from Dean to me and back again. “She is home.” I smiled, and it felt sad to me. This was all so fresh. I hadn’t had time to process everything. As far as home went, I couldn’t say I really had one. The house Billy and I had lived in together had gone to his brother. The cash had been left to me, but I’d made sure when my husband had drafted his will that the majority of his assets had gone to his family. The Champlain family had hated me since the first time Billy had brought me home. I was so much younger than him and his relatives had been pretty well off so they thought I was a gold digger. It had always been me demanding a pre-nup, making sure his family’s belongings would return to them if anything happened to Billy. I didn’t want anything from him or from them. So now, I was technically free, but there was nowhere for me to go. I looked around at the guys and wondered if I could really stay in Jericho Falls. Could this be my home? What if now that the stress was over, now that we weren’t tied to this bar, the spark between us fizzled? “Well,” I said slowly, looking directly at Dean. “Now, that I’m your mate, what exactly does that mean?” “It means that our beasts are tied to each other. You’re free to go wherever you want, but you might feel an occasional twinge when you think of me, and when you shift, your beast may try to come find me.” I was still studying him. His chocolate brown eyes weren’t accusatory or sad. He just looked at me, waiting for my next question. I tried to imagine sitting somewhere and thinking about him after weeks of not seeing him, not touching him. My stomach clenched right then. I didn’t want to leave him. I didn’t want to leave any of them. They were my friends. Jasen was right, I was already home. “Where am I going to live?” I asked finally, at a loss for a way to ask if I could really stay.

Dean stared at me for a full minute. No one spoke; no one moved. We all just waited for whatever he was going to say. “You know, for a genius, you’re awfully stupid,” he said finally. “Gee, thanks,” I laughed. “You’ll live with me, of course.” He rolled his eyes. “Did you think we’d leave you on the street?” “I didn’t really think anything,” I admitted. “Are you sure? I mean, you don’t really know me.” “You’re my mate,” Dean said, stepping close to me and pulling me into his arms. “Everything else we’ll figure out as we go.”

Chapter Nine

“Honey I’m home,” Dean called as he walked through the door. “I’m in the bedroom!” I called. I’d been living with Dean for almost two weeks, and thing were going well. We’d adjusted to each other right away. He didn’t seem to resent sharing his space or his bed with me. And falling asleep sweaty and exhausted then waking up in his arms was about the best thing I could have ever hoped for. Several large boxes had been delivered earlier in the day, and I was unpacking the clothes Billy’s brother had packed up from the house and shipped to Michigan for me. He’d written me a very nice note telling me that if I ever needed anything to let him know and he’d make sure I was taken care of. Things were settling down nicely. I still occasional nightmares that Kevin had broken loose and come after me again. In one particularly terrifying dream, Dean had been killed in a horribly bloody manner. It had ended with me waking up screaming while my lover desperately tried to calm me down. “What’s all this?” Dean asked as he walked into the room and looked around. “My clothes and personal stuff,” I said as I followed his gaze. “You don’t mind, do you?” He marched over and pulled me into his arms. He kissed me softly then looked down into my eyes. “You have to stop asking me that. This is your house, too. I know it’s new, and it’s probably strange for you.” “It’s not for you?” I asked nervously. “You just gave up your space for me, let me take over the kitchen and hog your covers and rip your clothes off whenever I want, and you don’t mind?”

“Do I act like I mind?” “Not at all. And you don’t find that weird? ‘Cause, I think it’s a little strange.” “I love you,” he said with a shrug. “You do?” The question came out as a whisper. He’d never said that to me before. I’d figured we’d get there eventually, but I hadn’t realized he was at a place where he was comfortable telling me that. “Of course, I do.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “I thought you knew.” “Well, I mean, I love you, but I guess I didn’t realize you felt the same way.” “Then I haven’t been trying hard enough.” He bent down and scooped me into his arms. He carried me to the bed and laid me gently on top of the covers. His fingers pulled at the buttons on my shirt, popping them one by one until it was completely undone. Spreading the fabric open, he trailed kisses up my stomach, over my ribcage, between my breasts and up my neck. My fingers fisted in his hair, urging him to keep moving. His lips finally made their way across my jaw to my mouth, his tongue slipping inside to rub lazily against mine. I released his hair so I could pull at his shirt. We had to break the kiss so I could lift the tee over his head then fling it across the room. His chest crashed against mine as he fell back on top of me, his knee planted between my legs while his hands cupped my breasts and his mouth found mine again. I arched into him as his fingers pulled my nipples taut through the thin lace covering them. His mouth slid lower, teeth grazing over my collarbone gently before descending again. He pulled my bra cups down so he could lick and suck his way across my tits. A small whimper escaped my throat at the feel of his lips and tongue on my sensitive skin. He flicked his gaze up to me, watching me as he moved lower still. Leaving a hot, wet trail from his tongue over my ribs and stomach, he kissed a path down my body until he used his teeth to pop the button on my jeans. I raised my hips to allow him to remove the denim. I heard it hit the wall behind us with a soft thump. Before I had a chance to look back down at him, his mouth against my clit made my head fly back against the bed. My fingers dug into the comforter beneath me as I struggled not to writhe out of his grasp. His hands gripped my thighs, holding them apart while he feasted on my pussy.

His tongue pressed hard circles against my sensitive nub then slid inside me over and over. He switched between the areas until I thought I might lose my mind with need for him. “Please,” I whimpered, unable to take anymore of his teasing. “Please what?” he teased. “Please fuck me.” “I don’t think you really want that,” he said casually. “Not yet. I think what you really want…” He trailed off as he slid two fingers into my drenched pussy and his thumb tapped against my clit. Delicious pressure built in my abdomen, my muscles almost humming for release. Dean lowered his face to me again, sucking my clit hard and stars exploded behind my eyes as they slammed shut with pleasure. My body arched as my muscles released and contracted, tiny explosions rocketing through me. Before I could catch my breath enough to beg him to fuck me, he climbed over me and pressed his cock to my soaked cunt. My body still shook from the orgasm, and my canal gripped him firmly as he penetrated me. “I just love the way you feel around me when you’re coming,” he growled against my ear. “You’re so tight and so wet. You feel so fucking good, Jo. How could you think I don’t love you?” His hips moved, slowly fucking me as he talked. His shaft slid in and out of my pussy so achingly slow, I wanted to scream in frustration. “I’ve loved you since you walked into that bar, reeking of trouble and need. I saw you and knew that you were mine. You were made for me. My kitten. Mine.” He stopped moving and looked down into my eyes, trailing a finger along my jaw. “Tell me.” “I’m yours,” I whispered, lifting my head to kiss him. “I’m yours.” “Damn straight.” He shifted his hips, and I braced myself for the assault that was about to come. Dean loved to start slow with me, teasing me, torturing me until I thought I might shatter from tightness then he would slam his cock into me so hard I thought I might just break in general.

As he rocketed in and out of my pussy, his body hitting mine so hard my back was sliding up toward the headboard, I felt the pressure building in my body. No one had ever made me feel the way Dean could. “I love you,” I said, my nails digging into his shoulders. “You tell me.” “Yours,” he growled through clenched teeth. “I’m yours. Only yours. I might quarantine you here so we just have to stay here and fuck the hell out of each other for the rest of our lives.” I would have laughed, but his hip shifted, his pubic bone hitting my clit and I came again, screaming as the familiar electrical shocks burned through my body. It only took a few seconds before Dean lost his rhythm and cried out, his cock jumping inside me as he filled me with his seed. We lay next to each other on the bed, panting and clinging to each other’s hands as if we might drown if we weren’t touching. I glanced over at him and smiled at the silly grin on his face. “I love you,” I said again, squeezing his hand. “I love you, too.” “Are you two done fucking yet?” A voice yelled from down the hallway. Dean and I both groaned at the sound of Nate’s voice. “I’ll have to tell them they can’t just walk in anymore,” Dean said. “Fuck that. We were here first,” Jasen called back. “He’s not wrong,” I said with a laugh. I climbed out of bed and grabbed the button-down shirt of Dean’s I’d been wearing earlier. After throwing it on over a pair of panties that were laying on one of the boxes, I padded down the hall to meet our friends in the living room. “What the fuck do you two want?” I asked as I walked past them to get beer out of the fridge. I turned back to ask if they wanted one but saw they were already holding bottles. With an exaggerated eye roll in their direction, I opened mine and leaned against the counter. “Well,” Nate said with a sigh. “Jasen and I were talking, and we realized that we’ve been incredibly rude.” “Terribly discourteous,” Jasen agreed. “What are you two on about?” Dean asked, walking into the kitchen. “Well, do you remember when we were all quarantined in the bar?” Jasen asked.

“Vaguely,” I said, fighting a smile. “Well, we made a bet that night,” Nate said. “And we were talking earlier about the fact that we’ve never paid up.” “Right.” Jasen nodded at his lover. “I’m not a welcher.” “No, you’re really more of a squealer if memory serves,” said Dean with a laugh. “Bite me,” Jasen shot back. “Anyway, we’re here to pay our debt.” “Why now?” I looked from Jasen to Nate and back again, utterly bemused at their timing. “Well, we were going to discuss it with you, but then we came in and the house reeks of sex so we figured we’d just go ahead and make a day of it. You know, if you’re up to that much pleasure.” “I’m always up for a blow job,” Dean said with a shrug. “But I rode her pretty hard.” “I’m standing right here, assholes,” I said, crossing my arms across my chest. “As I’m the one who just got ridden,” I shot an angry look at Dean, but he just grinned his cheesy grin at me, “I think I should get some say in this.” “Absolutely,” Nate said, solemnly walking toward me. He pulled me into his arms and sniffed my throat. “You smell like Dean.” “As I should,” I whispered. Without warning, he put his hands on my hips and lifted me to sit on the counter. I set down my bottle and ran my fingers through his hair, tilting his face up to kiss me. He pulled away and licked his lips. “You taste like him, too,” he growled. “Did he come inside you?” “He always comes inside me,” I said, my heart pounding at the realization of what was about to happen. Nate’s hand slid between my legs, one finger pushing my panties aside as another dipped into my pussy. He pulled his hand back and sucked the wet digit between his lips. His gaze never left mine as he went back to do it again. “Let me?” Nate asked softly. I looked over at Dean who nodded, his cock already growing hard again, outlined against his jeans. Dropping my gaze back to Nate, I shook my head in agreement. He dropped to his knees in front of me, his face between my thighs. His hand pushed my panties aside then his tongue dipped tentatively inside my pussy. Even more than the feeling of

him touching and kissing my already sensitive skin, the thought that he was tasting me and Dean together turned me on like crazy. As Nate lapped at my cunt, I watched over his head as Jasen dropped to his knees in front of Dean. “You don’t have to do this,” Dean said, gazing down at Jasen and shaking his head. “Who says I don’t want to?” Jasen asked. His back was to me so I couldn’t see his face, but I heard the smile in his voice. “I’ll take any excuse to get that cock inside me.” Dean shrugged and winked at me. “Hey!” Nate’s voice made me look down at him. “Are you not enjoying yourself here?” “Sorry,” I said as I ran my fingers through his hair. “I didn’t mean to ignore you.” “I guess I’m just not trying hard enough,” he replied then dropped his mouth back onto me. His tongue pressed firm, fast circles around my clit while he shoved his fingers deep inside me. My eyelids fluttered closed for a moment then flew back open in pleasure when his fingers crooked and his knuckle found that button deep inside my channel. My head flew back, slamming into the cupboards behind me, but I didn’t care. His mouth and his fingers were working my muscles into little frenzied balls of energy just waiting to be released. A low guttural groan made me glance over at Dean and Jasen. The sight of the blond on his knees with his lips wrapped around my mate’s thick cock pushed me over the edge, and I screamed as the world around me shattered into pieces. I continued screaming as Nate rubbed, pressed and pumped his fingers over that hard button inside of me and his mouth sucked furiously at my clit. Wave after wave of release washed over me, my nails scratching at every inch of Nate’s body I could reach. I heard Dean cry out and wanted to look at him, wanted to see him come in Jasen’s mouth, but my eyes wouldn’t cooperate. They were firmly squeezed shut. Nothing on my body wanting to do anything for me but twitch and contract almost to the point of pain. Nate stood up, his arms out to catch me as if he knew I were about to fall forward into him. Luckily, he was ready and caught me, helping me to my feet then over to a chair where my legs continued to quake slightly.

Jasen and Nate hadn’t been coming over much in the previous weeks, and I’d feared that things were going to get weird between all of us. But as we all mingled in the kitchen everything seemed as it had in the bar. I excused myself to get dressed, and Dean followed me down the hall. We went into the bedroom, and he shut the door, leaning against it while I pulled on a pair of jeans. “Are you all right?” he asked. “Yeah, I’m fine.” I smiled up at him. “Are you?” “Of course.” He shrugged then returned the grin. “I was worried that now that you and I have been…well, you and me for a few weeks you wouldn’t still want to include the guys on occasion.” “Oh!” My cheeks burned scarlet. “I…well, I mean, as long as it’s all right with you, I’d like to involve them once in a while.” I think it would have been strange to never be touched by Jasen and Nate again. Dean was my mate, and I loved him very much, but I wanted us all to keep the relationship that had bonded us in the first place. There was no way I could ever look at those men and not think about their hands on me. Dean’s shoulders seemed to sag as a relieved look washed over his face. I stepped into his arms, squeezing his middle as he laid a kiss on top of my head. “Hey, assholes!” Jasen called from the living room. “Jeopardy’s on. Get out here and play with us.” “Should we tell them if we’ve already seen the episode this time?” I whispered to Dean. “No fucking way,” he said with a wink. “I like it when Jasen gets all pissed off. We’re weeks away from the full moon so he can sputter and bitch all he likes right now. Let’s go see what we can get out of them this time.” He kissed me again, his large, strong hand cupping the back of my head, holding me still as his tongue traced along mine. Running my hands up his broad back, I let myself relax into him. This was really my life now. I wasn’t going to lose these men the way I’d lost so much before. They would love me and take care of me and let me do the same for them. I had partners now, in a way that I never had before. It was an amazing feeling. “Come the fuck on!” Nate yelled. I kissed Dean quickly one more time then shrugged. “Let’s go kick their asses.”

About the Author

Dakota Rebel lives in Detroit, Michigan with her husband Mr. Rebel and two incorrigible children, Jr. Rebel and Rebel Jr. 2.0. Her friends are made up of the most amazing people on the planet. They not only accept her faults but often encourage them. She smokes more than she should, drinks less than she'd like to, and is the life of any party that ends by 9 p.m. She adores her fans like nobody's business and encourages them all to email her at [email protected]. Dakota loves to talk to her readers and can be found at www.dakotarebel.blogspot.com.

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In the Shadow of a Hero by Anna Mayle A cop dies in the city, life goes on. For one little boy, though, it changed everything. Haunted by his past, Maxwell Thomas has grown up homeless and friendless, trapped by his guilt. Prowling the city, the small man guards the Church District like a vigilante, trying to make up for his crime. When he rescues the wrong rent boy, he is pulled back into the madness that destroyed him as a child. And now, another cop's life is on the line... Nick Kenna is a beat cop with dreams of being a detective. When he stumbles across a murder and the very unusual suspect, he finds himself caught, not only by the mystery of the vagrant he's apprehended, but something deeper that sparks between them.

Will Nick be able to save Maxwell, from his past and himself? Or will love be lost as the broken man fades into the shadow of his hero?

Backing Brian by Cheryl Dragon Once a Texan, always a Texan and Brian Beaumont has come back home to open his high-end western wear shop. Not everyone is thrilled with the gay son of a Texas millionaire opening a clothing store. Lucky for Brian, his new brother-in-law sends protection from Raider’s Bodyguard Service. If only Brian could resist the hunky muscled Texas native assigned to guard his body day and night. Jones never wanted to go back to Texas. He left at eighteen for many reasons, but his career is more important than the demons of his past. Always a professional, he meets his match in the tempting Brian. The line between business and pleasure vanishes when their mutual love of sex, rope and power play takes over.

In For a Penny by Carol Lynne What’s the old saying…you can never go home again? Raven Black resigned himself to never returning after being ordered from the only real home he’d ever known. Now, seven years later, Raven is back to face the man who sent him away. Zane Conner is not only Raven’s foster brother but the only man Raven ever loved. Despite his mixed feelings about the situation, Raven can’t deny Zane when the older man asks for his help in saving the Lazy C Bar Ranch. A boy found dead on the ranch clinches Raven’s decision. Why did the young boy look so much like he had at that age—the same age he’d been when his own father had beaten him and left him for dead?

The Mark of Cain by Cash Cole After a night of hot sex with an elusive Native American, Gage is left with a bullet wound and a scarred shoulder from where a panther slashed him. The New Orleans police tell Gage that his lover morphing from man to beast is highly improbable and that whoever broke into his hotel room left no trace evidence, but Gage knows he hasn’t imagined any of this. He starts with the only clue he has, the name of a town in Oklahoma where his lover said he was born. But can he track down sexy Cain, who is in witness protection, before the assassins find and kill them both?

Possession by SW Vaughn

Devlin Island Series: Book One Sully Shaw is one of three – a coven of gay male witches on Devlin Island, charged with protecting the place from the ancient gate between worlds, deep in the woods, that sometimes lets evil things escape. Sully’s job is to banish demons and spirits – which works for him, because after his last disastrous relationship, he’d rather not deal with people. Until a gorgeous stranger crashes on his private beach and needs his help. Troy Landry was just out for a vacation, and maybe a fling, on Devlin Island. What he didn’t bargain for was crashing his boat on the beach, finding a hot naked man who claims to be a witch, and getting possessed by a demon who takes over his body when he falls asleep. The demon can’t be driven out until dawn – so Troy and Sully have to stay awake all night long. Lots of sex helps. But when they start falling for each other, incredible sex might not be enough to overcome Troy’s insecurities, Sully’s past trauma, and a demon bent on releasing its brethren and killing any mortal who stands in its way.

Moon Princess by Suzanne Graham As Celina Maddock left the office on a Friday evening, her coworker jumped into her car and demanded she get on the highway and drive fast after their sizzling kiss in the parking lot. She never imagined she’d get the gorgeous Barrett Osborn ordering her around; however, when he starts talking about Shadows, werewolves, and werebears, she becomes a little worried about his mental health. When Barrett’s lover, Stan Varka, offers his assistance in escaping the Shadows, Celina goes along with their strange story about shapeshifters, because finding herself the center of their attention becomes extremely erotic. Once they’ve finished their night of playacting, Celina doesn’t think she could possibly have a future with these two amazing lovers¼until they convince her that she really is the Moon Princess and the only hope for establishing peace between the wolves and the bears.

Ryland’s Sacrifice by Kim Dare Principles don’t pay tuition fees. When Ryland’s math scholarship disappears overnight, he has two choices. He can borrow money from fellow student Jason Burrows, who has very interesting ways of collecting debts. Or, he can volunteer to be thrown to the werelions. One night spent playing the part of a willing human sacrifice will give him enough money to finish his PhD. It seems like a good deal-right up until the moment he finds himself naked, blindfolded, bound and surrounded by lions.

Mind F*cked by Mia Watts Sage has the ability to read minds, but only in high passion moments when thoughts transmit at a higher frequency. But the gift is double-edged. Sage is inordinately handsome. Some might even say he’s a walking orgasm. So what’s a half-breed to do when every person he meets seems intent on seducing him, and how will he know if the man he chooses will love him for more than his looks? Joe has never been the object of anyone’s lust before. Now Sage, the hottest guy he’s ever laid eyes on, has Joe starring in his sexual fantasies. It would be perfect if only Sage could shut up for one minute, and quit talking about his own hotness—or about how he can read minds. Meanwhile, Joe and Sage must secure the last three Zodiac Stones and prevent their theft while they wait for exhibition. Can they put their sexual tension aside long enough to stop a clever thief? And even if they do, will Joe’s heart be a casualty of their inevitable fling, or could Sage really be looking for more than a one-night stand?

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