Suck It Up (7 page)

She avoided his gaze and instead focused on his bristly cheek. Her hand rose, and before she could stop herself, her fingertips were playing with his stubble. It tickled, reminding her how it’d felt against the soft skin of her thighs. He’d probably marked her, she thought with unheard-of glee.

“Kellie?”

She bit her lip. “Why isn’t my lioness protesting? She’s happy, but she hated you only yesterday! I don’t get it.”

“Now that we’re mated, my lion controls her. Weirdly enough, it turns out she likes it.”

Frowning, she finally looked at him. “I don’t understand.”

He shrugged, moving so his head rested on his bent arms. “She’s dominant, but she apparently didn’t know she likes being dominated, too. All those women, all those men she picked, they were weak, weren’t they?”

She nodded.

“She was afraid they’d control her otherwise. But now that he does, she’s realized it isn’t that bad.”

“Huh?”

“She likes it,” he added, his eyes twinkling. “As much as you liked me fucking you from behind…”

“Hey!” She hit his shoulder, making him laugh. Seconds later, she was flat on her back and he on her. “Again?” she asked, feeling his cock lengthen and thicken against her thigh.

“Yup. You seem to have that effect on me.” He slid down the bed until his face was level with her breasts. “Hey there,” he said as he eyed her reddened nipples. “Long time no see.”

She sputtered, but he didn’t react. Instead, he bent down and pressed soft kisses all around her left areola, leaving her breathless as want and need collided inside her. Lust rose once again, so sharp she cried out. She gave herself to the sensations, to the man who’d claimed her.

She had no choice after all.

He was it.

Chapter Ten

“Are you sure about this?” Kellie asked, hesitating at the sight of the door in front of them. “It’s too early.”

“No, it’s not. We’re mated.” Nate pushed her forward and rang the doorbell.

They waited in silence, his hand never leaving the small of her back. They’d spent the weekend in bed, first at her house then at his condo. They’d tried every position under the sun, or so it felt like anyway. And now that it was Sunday evening, now that the mating frenzy had lessened enough for them to be quasi-normal, he’d thought it’d be a good idea to go visit his brother and his mate. She couldn’t believe he wanted to introduce her to his family already. They barely knew each other as it was!

That’s not really true though, is it?
her mind countered, making her frown.

And that’s how she met her brother-in-law for the first time. He looked so much like Nathan she couldn’t help but gape at him. “You could be twins,” she heard herself mutter, much to their amusement.

“Hi, I’m Jay. You must be Kellie.”

She offered him her hand, thinking he’d shake it. Instead, he took it and slowly pulled her to him for a hug. She stiffened in his embrace, her lioness starting to pace inside her.

A growl rang out, and she found herself tugged away from the other man. Nate’s arm wrapped around her waist, anchoring her against him.

“How can you be jealous?” she hissed at him under her breath.

“My lion is,” he replied, the look in his eyes turbulent.

His brother just stood there with a smirk on his face. “And you thought I was bad when I mated with Alexa! Look at you.”

“Fuck off,” Nate growled back, pushing past his brother and entering the house without asking for permission. “Sis? We’re here!”

Kellie followed, mostly because he’d grabbed her hand and wasn’t letting go. She looked at her surroundings in passing, appreciating the warm décor. It clearly was a house that burst with happiness.

A blonde woman turned around when they stepped into the kitchen. A wide smile appeared on her face even as she wiped her hands on a towel. “Nate! And you brought your mate, too. Kellie, right? God, I’m so happy to meet you.”

Kellie found herself engulfed in another hug, wondering if the whole family was touchy-feely. She imagined their Alpha doing the same and grimaced inwardly. He hadn’t appeared to like her the first time she’d met him the day she’d arrived in the Pride. He’d stared down at her with his arms crossed over his chest and a stern expression on his face. She hadn’t shaken in her boots, but it had been a near-miss. Her lioness had hated him on sight.

“Baby?” She was brought back to the present by Nathan’s voice.

Blinking, she blushed when she noticed they were all staring at her. “Sorry. I was…huh, lost in thought. Here,” she added, handing the other couple the bottle of wine she’d insisted on bringing. Nate had commented she didn’t need to, that they were family. He hadn’t seemed to understand they weren’t her family yet. She’d never met them, didn’t know if they’d even like each other. “I hope you like red wine.”

“We do.” Jay smiled. “Thanks a lot.” He moved past them, clipping his younger brother on the back of his head as he did. “She’ll be teaching you manners next.” He laughed, avoiding Nate’s slap.

“Children, behave!” Alexa called out before turning toward Kellie once again. “Come on, let’s leave them to it. I can’t wait to talk to you! Did you really mate only this week? Jay and I have been together only for a few months, you know.” She chatted on, motioning Kellie forward.

They sat down on a huge sofa, and she felt herself start to relax. The other woman was obviously nice. She didn’t seem to care that Kellie was a new member of the Pride. She just appeared happy to have someone to talk to.

“I’m so happy Nate found someone.” Alexa beamed. “He’s the nicest of them all, you know.”

“Them?”

“The three brothers.”

Kellie blinked. “You’re saying he’s nicer than Jay?”
Did I really understand her correctly?

Alexa laughed. “Sure. Jay’s the future Pride Alpha. He’s my mate, and I love him so much, but even I know, he can be difficult. Nate’s so easygoing in comparison. And don’t let me start on Andy. That one seriously needs a woman in his life. He’s the hardest man I’ve ever seen.”

“I, huh, see.” She didn’t, but maybe, she would once she got to know them better. Right? “Nate’s not that nice though. He can be downright domineering at times.”

“Really?”

Kellie nodded.

“They’re their father’s sons.” Alexa shrugged. “Comes with the territory, I guess.”

From what she’d seen of Alistair, she could believe that. “Maybe, yes.”

“What are you two talking about?” Jay appeared in the threshold carrying the now-opened bottle. His brother popped in at his side with two glasses in each hand.

“Nothing,” his mate answered, her grin so wicked it was easy to see how in tune the two were.

Kellie stared at Jay and Alexa and wondered if she and Nate would ever be like that. Somehow, she doubted it. They’d gotten mated before they could even have a relationship. Hell, they’d never even dated! It was so opposite to what she was used to, she couldn’t quite understand it. Sure, she liked him. She could probably love him, too.

After all, he was everything a man should be: kind, clever, sexy, good with his hands… Something stirred inside her, making her wonder if they’d just dampened the mating frenzy over the past two days.
God, please no
, she thought. They needed to work together for the coming week, not have sex in every examination room!

“I can smell you from here,” Nate whispered behind her.

She whirled around, but he only winked at her as he handed her a glass full of ruby red liquid. Her eyes wide, she watched as he grabbed one for himself and sat down on the sofa’s arm, his leg brushing her shoulder. She gulped down some wine and tried to ignore the way her body wanted desperately to get closer to his. She could do this. She was only part-animal, damn it!

“Shit,” she muttered to herself when her thighs cramped.

The doorbell rang, but she ignored it, too busy trying to keep herself under control. The evening from hell worsened when their Alpha strode into the room and stopped short when he saw her sitting there. His gaze went from her to his youngest son, then back to her again. The frown on his face said it all really.

Kellie took another sip of her drink then another one for good measures. She was pretty sure she was going to need alcoholic courage soon.

Nathan didn’t move as his father stepped further into the room. He could see how unhappy his Alpha still was, but he didn’t care. It wasn’t his father’s life; it had nothing to do with him. It reminded Nate so much of when he’d told his dad he wanted to go to med school. He remembered the older man’s shock and outrage that one of his sons would want a career outside the Pride.

Hell, he’d only accepted to come back here because of that. Once Dr. O’Shea had been incarcerated, the position of town doctor had been made available. It’d taken one look at his father for Nate to cave in. He’d thought he’d only stay in town long enough for them to find a replacement, but now, he was mated. And it changed everything.

Or, did it?
He frowned, wondering what Kellie would say if he told her they were moving to the city. She’d just transferred from her home Pride. She’d probably want to stay here, get her bearings, find people to befriend, etcetera.

Shit
, he thought. He was going to have to stay here, wasn’t he?

“Dad.” He nodded as Alistair stopped right in front of them. Leaning to the left, he let his arm curve around Kellie’s shoulders and drew her closer to him. She was stiff, he soon realized. Could she be afraid of his father? He was her Alpha, sure, but she’d always seemed so strong.

“I’d like to talk to your mate. Alone.”

“No,” came Nate’s instant response. His lion sat up at attention inside him. This might be his father, their Alpha, but he wouldn’t let him hurt his woman. Ever.

“I won’t harm her,” his dad bit back. “But I need to talk to her. Without you present, Nathan. Think with the head on your shoulders for once.”

“Dad!” Jay growled.

“Stay out of this, son.” Alistair stared down at his new daughter-in-law. “Kellie? Shall we?”

She shrugged off Nate’s arm and stood up, her eyes dark and her face flushed. She appeared ready to go to battle.

Nathan opened his mouth, prepared to oppose his father once again, but she turned around and shook her head. He recognized the mulish look on her face and bit back a retort. He nodded. “Fine. Five minutes.”

That was all he’d give them. His lion running rampant inside him, he watched his father escort his mate out of the room. Fury sparked inside him, and he wondered if five minutes wouldn’t be too long still…

Chapter Eleven

“One week in the Red Rock Pride, and you’re already mated to one of my sons.”

Kellie looked up at the one person she had to obey at all times. She couldn’t help it; she gulped. “He mated with me, not the other way round.”

“I know. That still doesn’t explain how you managed to snare him.”

She felt her eyebrows rise at the insulting comment. “I didn’t
snare
him.”

“Didn’t you? Can you explain how my son, a doctor, lost his head in the space of a few days and bonded his lion soul to a foreigner?”

She saw red. “You accepted me into this Pride! You’re the one who said I could be transferred here.”

“I did. But how could I have known you’d wreak so much havoc from the get-go?”

Her hands tightened into fists at her sides, but she remained immobile.

“I knew your past history. I knew how temperamental you were, how unruly, too. Your home Alpha had warned me after all.”

She bit her lower lip so hard she tasted blood in her mouth. Her old Alpha had tortured her until her screams had echoed inside her dazed mind for days!

“What? You don’t have anything to respond to that?”

She shook her head. “You don’t know me. Everything I say, you won’t believe anyway.”

“Is that how it was there?”

She blinked and nodded. He seemed to wait for a response, so she simply said, “Yes.”

“It’s not like that here, Kellie. I may be the Alpha, but I’m still fallible. We all are. My son is proof of that.”
What the hell did that mean?
“Tell me about your lioness and why she’s been so uncontrollable.” He leaned back against a console and waited for her to speak.

And so, because she knew she had nothing to lose, she told him everything. All the things she’d said to his son in confidence, she repeated to Alistair. She was pretty sure he’d never believe her anyway, but she was used to that coming from a Pride Alpha. They were always so full of themselves, so egomaniac, they didn’t care for the people they were supposed to protect. And God, had she learnt that the hard way.

When her words dried out, he was still standing there, staring at her. “I believe you,” he finally said.