Biting Their Mate [Wolf Packs of Fate 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 3

  True enough. She didn’t know the Brannigan men. What was it about them that had her crushing on them? Hot looks were one thing, of course, but lots of men—many of them right there in Fate—were sexy as hell, so why choose the Brannigans? Yet try as she had so many times before, she still couldn’t shake the infatuation.

  “It’s more than infatuation,” she murmured and was promptly angry at herself for making such a stupid declaration. Thankfully, none of the girls were around to hear her.

  A noise to her left jolted her. She spun toward the sound, saw the man staggering toward his pickup, and knew in an instant that she couldn’t let him get behind the wheel.

  “He’s drunk as a skunk.”

  The man stumbled and fell against the side of his vehicle, even as he fumbled with his keys.

  Pivoting around, she started to go back inside and grab the first semi-sober man she could find to stop the drunk. Yet when she glanced back over her shoulder, she realized it was too late. The drunk had gotten the door open and was doing his dead-level best to haul his big body up and onto the driver’s seat. His best, however, wasn’t good enough and he fell backward. Somehow he managed to stay upright and let out a string of obscenities.

  “Shit.” If she didn’t stop him, he’d get on the road in the next few minutes. As far as she was concerned, not stopping a drunken driver would make her guilty of whatever wrong he did. If he took out a mailbox on his way home, she’d feel responsible enough that she’d have to help pay to replace the damaged one. Worse, if he hurt someone…

  She stalled the thought, unwilling to think of the possible horrendous outcome. “Damn it. Hey, you! Hold up!”

  Of course the man didn’t hear her. It was doubtful he’d hear anything except the sound of hard liquor being poured into a glass. She took off running as the man tried once again to pull himself into the cab.

  “Hey, mister, wait a minute.” She had to jump out of the way as he, for the second time, lost his grip and fell backward. Fortunately for him, he didn’t land on his ass. Unfortunately for her, she caught him.

  Even if he hadn’t been drunk with his coordination shot to hell, his sheer bulk would’ve sent her stumbling backward. Although he’d knocked against her hard, she was still able to put her arms under his and keep him on his feet long enough to shove him into a standing position again. He stumbled away from her, falling against his truck as he slowly turned to face her.

  His glare soon morphed into a huge, shit-eating grin. “Hey, pretty lady. Did you need old Duke?”

  She didn’t return the smile. Instead, she put on her best platonic face. “I think you need me more than I need you.” Damn. She cringed inwardly. If only I’d said that differently.

  “Whichever way works for you, baby.”

  His words were coherent enough for her to understand him. His breath stung her nostrils, although she was a good solid six feet away. Aching to cover her nose and mouth, she resisted the urge and set herself to accomplishing the task at hand. Somehow, some way, she had to get those keys away from him. She lifted her hands, hoping to ward off more than his lecherous smile.

  “Look, mister, I think you’ve had too much to drink. You shouldn’t get behind the wheel.”

  “Come here, baby.” He lurched toward her. If the booze hadn’t affected his coordination and his reflexes, he might have caught her. As it was, she deftly sidestepped him.

  “Duke? Is that your name?”

  “Sure is.” He swayed as though a strong wind had him in its grip. “What’s your name, baby?”

  Her name was the last thing she’d ever give him.

  Well, not the last thing.

  She shuddered thinking about his grimy hands on her. Holding out her palm, she hoped the part of him that was probably an understanding, reasonable man would kick in. “Give me your keys, Duke.”

  “Nope.” He held the keys up, letting the light from the overhead streetlight glint off the metal. “Gotta get on home.” His smile widened as spittle ran out the corner of his mouth. “Let’s take this party back to my place. The old ball and chain is gone for the weekend visiting her snooty mother. How about it, baby?”

  Great. Not only is he a drunk but he’s a cheater, too.

  “It looks like you’ve already done too much partying.”

  The smile faded. In its place came a scowl that didn’t do his fifty-something-year-old weathered face any favors. “Fuck. That’s the same thing the bitch always says. Damn it. What’s wrong with all you women nowadays?” He waved his arms, gesturing to an unknown audience. “Am I right? You’re all a bunch of bitches. Do this. Do that. Don’t drink. Don’t have any fucking fun. I’m fucking sick of it, you hear me?”

  “I understand, Duke.” Arguing with him wouldn’t help. “How about we go back inside the bar? You can get another drink if you want.”

  His expression brightened again. “Now you’re talking. Come on, baby. Let’s go party.”

  She dared to step closer. “Sure. Whatever you say, Duke. But first you have to give me your keys.”

  He frowned. “What the fuck for? We’re going inside.”

  The smile she gave him held no real warmth, but he wouldn’t notice. “Exactly. But I really want those keys. You can give them to me, can’t you, Dukey?”

  Being sweet to him made her want to hurl. She’d have to wash her mouth out with soap once she was home.

  His eyes narrowed. “Are you trying to trick me, baby?”

  “Of course not.” God help her, she batted her eyes. “I’m trying to get you to stay, big guy. Now give me your keys.”

  “Nope. But don’t you worry. I won’t run off on you. See?” He did his best to shove his keys into his pockets, but missed. The keys fell to the ground. “Well, fuck.”

  She looked at him, and he looked at her. It was obvious that they were both thinking the same thing. Ignoring the warnings her mind was screaming, she fell to the ground, snatched up the keys, and clutched them to her chest.

  Got them.

  In the next moment, she realized her mistake. Duke was drunk, but he was a sly bastard, too. When she went for his keys, he went for her. His arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her off her feet.

  “Baby, we’re going to have a party of our own.”

  Arizona struggled, kicking and writhing. She never let go of the keys, but he didn’t let go of her, either.

  “Turn me loose, damn it.” With his bulk and his strength, she was no match for him.

  He pulled her toward his truck. “Nope. Gotta stop teasing us guys, baby. It’s time for you to shut up and put up.”

  “No! Let me go! Someone, please—”

  He cut off her cries for help with his large hand plastered over her mouth. “Easy, baby. Just relax and old Duke will make you feel good.” He grunted as he jerked his body sideways and threw her against the truck.

  Pain from something sharp digging into her back ripped through her. At last, she turned the keys loose, letting them fall to the ground. Not that either one of them cared about them now.

  Her breath hitched in her throat as she continued to fight him. Where he hadn’t been able to get himself into the truck, he had little problem hoisting her body into the cab. Fear slammed into her as she stared at the roof of the truck.

  Oh God.

  Duke was on top of her then, his hands tugging her clothes aside. He put his face to her neck, his tongue sliding along her skin. Her scream was muffled against his hand.

  “Time to shut up and fuck up.” He laughed wickedly. Capturing her wrists in one of his, he yanked her arms above her head. His eyes blazed with an amber color as he licked his lips. “I haven’t had a young pussy like yours in a hell of a long time. Too damn long.”

  Another scream was smothered against his hand. Her eyes grew wide as he undid his belt buckle and jerked his jeans open.

  Please. No. Please don’t.

  Yet even if he’d heard her pleas, he wouldn’t have stopped. His expression, primal and full o
f lust, said as much.

  She was powerless against him. Closing her eyes, she pushed her mind to another place, a better place, a place where bad things couldn’t touch her.

  “Get your fucking paws off her.” The voice was low, deep, full of menace—and definitely not Duke’s.

  Everything changed fast. One moment Duke was on top of her, ready to tear her clothes away and plunge his stiff cock inside her. In the next, he was gone.

  Arizona opened her eyes to find herself alone in the pickup. She scrambled toward the passenger door, tugging her clothes back into place. To her shock and relief, only Duke’s hands had been against her body.

  Growls erupted outside the truck. A man’s strangled shout came and went. A fight ensued, but she was too shaken, too afraid to do more than huddle against the door.

  Yet the fight didn’t last long. Only a minute or two after she’d felt Duke’s body lifted off hers, only a minute or two after she’d heard the growls, it was over.

  She waited, her breath shallow as she tried not to make any noise. The light from the lamppost splintered into the cab, slicing through the shadows, but from where she was, she couldn’t see outside the truck.

  Should I wait? Or should I run?

  Someone or something had gotten Duke. Would it spare her? Or was something even worse than Duke about to attack her?

  Staying as quiet as she could, she opened the glove compartment of the truck, hoping to find anything she could use to protect herself. Although the growls had gone, she could still hear movement outside. The one thing she couldn’t hear was Duke.

  Is he dead?

  Keeping her eyes glued to the open truck door, she slipped her hand into the glove compartment. What she found almost made her cry.

  Her fingers curled around the gun’s grip. Pointing it at the open door, she held it tightly with both hands and prepared herself for whatever might happen next.

  Chapter Two

  Arizona pulled the trigger as the shadow of the figure filled the opening of the door. The blast boomed as the retort from the gun jerked her hands up and back. The shadow disappeared, but she wasn’t fooled. Even if she’d managed to shoot whatever it was—and that was a big if considering how hard her hands shook—she knew it could come back.

  “Fuckin’ A, Arizona. Are you trying to take my head off?”

  Stunned, she was filled with a different kind of fear now. “Devin, is that you?” She sat up straighter, squinting to see. “Oh, shit. Please tell me I didn’t shoot you.”

  “No, but you got far too close for comfort. But put the damn gun down before you really do blow my head off.”

  The shadow loomed again, but this time, she was steady enough to realize it wasn’t Duke. Devin’s handsome features couldn’t be seen in the shadow his body formed from the light, but she’d know his voice anywhere. Carefully, she laid the gun on the dashboard.

  “Is that really you?” Her voice wavered as the fear she’d held in a tight ball inside her broke free.

  “It’s us, shortcake. Me, Collin, and Will.”

  Relief flooded her. “Duke. Where is he?”

  Devin reached out his hand. “Running for the hills if he has any sense in him at all.”

  She stared at the hand as though it was a foreign object. At last, she took it and let Devin pull her toward the opening. “He tried—” The words strangled her. With his help, she slid out of the truck.

  He wrapped his arm around her, steadying her. “Did he”—Devin’s jaw worked as though he, too, had suddenly found it difficult to speak—“hurt you?”

  “No. Thanks to you.” Her gaze slid past him to find Collin and Will hurrying toward them.

  “He took off.” Collin’s concerned look swept over her. “I didn’t know he could run so fast.”

  “If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll keep on going.” Will pushed a lock of hair away from his face. “Babe, are you all right?”

  “I am now.”

  “What the hell happened?” asked Devin.

  She didn’t pull away. If she could have, she would’ve asked him to wrap his other arm around her. “He was drunk. I tried to get his keys away from him, but he…” She swallowed, knowing she didn’t need to tell them the rest.

  Collin and Will moved closer, surrounding her with their strength and hard bodies. Their comfort swamped her, both assuring her and making her tingle with their nearness. After what she’d been through, she shouldn’t have wanted any man close, but she couldn’t help what she felt. This was the closest they’d ever gotten to her. Their masculinity and her need for them converged, making her weak with desire.

  “You tried to stop him from driving?”

  She blinked, aware of Collin’s accusatory tone. “Of course I did. A drunk shouldn’t get behind the wheel.”

  “Maybe that’s what goes on in big cities, but most folks around here drive themselves home after a night at the bar.”

  Her yearning for them faded a little. “So you think it’s all right to drive while intoxicated? He could’ve had a wreck and injured himself. Or, worse, someone else.”

  “Easy, shortcake. We’re only telling you how it is in Fate.”

  “Besides, it’s not like he could’ve called a cab,” added Will.

  “He could’ve caught a ride with a friend. Or just plain walked home.” Anger flared inside her. She didn’t have the right to judge others, not with her past, but it still upset her to hear them talk about drunk driving as though there was nothing wrong with it.

  “Calm down, baby.” Collin eased back, his body stiffening. “Nothing would’ve happened to him. And even if it had, he’d heal fast enough.”

  “Maybe we should tell his wife what he tried to do,” suggested Will. “She’ll make him wish we’d killed him.”

  “Are you three really that cavalier about this? Do you really not see the problem? He was going to drive drunk.” She pushed away from Devin and stalked a few feet away before whirling back toward them. “I can’t believe you really feel this way.”

  “Hey, we understand what you’re saying.” Devin picked up Duke’s keys. “Like we said, it’s how it is here. Still, it was a nice thing for you to try and do.”

  “Yeah. Nice, but stupid.”

  Will whacked Collin’s arm. “Shut up, man.”

  “Nice, but stupid? Was it nice but stupid of you to stop him from raping me?”

  Their expressions darkened. “We would’ve torn him apart first.”

  She had no doubt that Devin was sincere, mellowing her anger. “I know. And thank you for helping me. “But—”

  “Arizona, it’s this way. Folks drive even when they shouldn’t. Taking a man’s keys away from him is like taking a man’s horse away in the days of the Old West,” offered Collin. “I’m sorry if that’s hard for you to understand, but I don’t see things changing much anytime soon.”

  “Maybe I can make things change.” She’d blurted the words out before she had time to make sense of them. “I’m just saying it’s wrong.”

  She’d heard that Devin was more reasonable than the other two. He proved it now. “We agree, shortcake. We’re only saying it’s not an easy thing to take keys away from a man like Duke. You should be more careful.”

  Had she noticed the term of endearment he’d used before now? She ached to ask him why he’d called her shortcake, but it wasn’t the right time to do so.

  “Do you want us to call Drake Hardwick? He handles this kind of thing.” Devin took a step forward then stopped, his movements jerky and stiff.

  Did he want to touch her as much as she wanted to skim her hands along his body? “He’d be charged with assault. Or worse, right?” She couldn’t bring herself to say the awful word out loud.

  Devin glanced at the other two men. “We don’t go in much for lawyers and courts in Fate. But trust me. He’ll be punished whether or not you do anything.”

  “How? By whom?”

  Another meaningful glance came. “Just trust me on thi
s. I’ll handle him. It’s how we do things around here.”

  “I guess Fate does a lot of things differently.” She searched them, waited for a response, then gave up when they didn’t offer her one. “Fine. You handle it. I just want to forget it ever happened.”

  “How about you let us drive you home?” Collin’s smile was easy to like.

  Yes. Damn it. I wish I could tell them yes.

  She wanted to let them take her home. After all, it would help, especially since her hands were still trembling. But that wasn’t all she wanted. If they took her home, she’d want them to come inside and stay the night.

  “No. I’m all right. Thanks to you.”

  “Are you sure?” Will’s smile was as easy to like as Collin’s. “It’s no problem.”

  “I’m sure.” If she didn’t leave right then, she’d give in. “Thanks again for helping me.” Turning, she headed for her car parked on the other side of the parking lot. She didn’t get far, however, when all at once she had to know. She spun around to face them. “Devin?”

  “Yeah? Did you change your mind?”

  “No. But I wanted to ask you something.”

  “What’s that?” He still held Duke’s keys.

  “Why did you call me shortcake?”

  His head jerked upward in surprise. “I did?”

  “Yeah. You did. More than once.”

  His shrug didn’t seem as casual as it should’ve been. “I guess because you’re pretty damn short and—”

  “I’m five six. That’s average height for a woman.”

  “And”—he paused, emphasizing what he’d say next—“I’m betting you’re as sweet as any cake I’ve ever eaten.”

  She had no answer, especially since she was certain he’d meant it in a sexual way. An image struck her of Devin lying between her legs, his mouth pressed against her pussy, his gaze fixed on hers. Dragging in a deep breath, she did the only thing she could think to do. She gave a quick nod, then spun around and rushed to her car.

  Oh my stars.

  * * * *

  “Damn, but you’re beautiful.” Will could barely get the words out. His heart pounded, threatening to burst from his chest. Yet if he died from a heart attack, he couldn’t think of a better way to go.