Carnal Secrets

CHAPTER NINETEEN

THREE MONTHS LATER

As Jaime yapped beside him at the dining table about something or other, Nick forced a smile for her. Oh, she was a nice enough girl and stuff, but he just didn’t do the friend thing, and apparently a person didn’t have a choice in the matter when it was Jaime. He noticed that his mate, who was sitting on his other side, was stifling a smile of amusement at his discomfort—as usual.

Just a little longer, he reminded himself. Just a little longer, and then he and Shaya would be finished with their evening meal and leaving Phoenix Pack territory, and they would only be returning as visitors.

Since the night of the battle, he and Shaya had been living on pack territory temporarily. Although they had slept in the motor home outside the caves, they were still constantly harassed and, as such, had had very little time alone. Nick and Shaya weren’t the only ones who had remained on pack territory. Derren, Roni, Eli, Kathy, Jesse, Bracken, Zander, and Kent—who had sold the salon—had remained too. Why? It wasn’t that they expected Nick to start a pack. No, it was because they believed they already were a pack.

Hell, even Caleb thought he was part of this supposed “pack.” To his surprise, Nick found that he actually liked Caleb despite the male’s close friendship with Shaya. Although Caleb was protective of her, it wasn’t to the extent that he imposed on Nick’s role. Also, Nick was grateful to him for being there for Shaya growing up when her mother wasn’t.

If Nick was honest with himself, he would admit that being an Alpha again would be a challenge he would enjoy, because this time he’d have his mate with him, and he would be an Alpha of a dispersed pack—something his “pack” had subtly hinted they would all be fine with. That meant he would have plenty of time alone with his mate. The “pack” all deferred to Shaya a lot, treating her with respect and acknowledging the inner strength that many people would have overlooked.

In essence, they had made her their Alpha female, and she was perfectly fine with it since it didn’t interfere with her position as a mediator. She had gotten the job, just like he had known she would. Naturally, she was ecstatic. The only time he had seen her happier was the evening of their mating ceremony.

As planned, they had the ceremony a few days after the attack, when everyone was fully healed. Trey performed the ceremony for them, just as Nick had done for Trey and Taryn. Shaya had looked absolutely beautiful; he could vividly remember every detail—her halter-neck dress had been azure in color, all satin with a layer of silk beneath the skirt that had trailed slightly below the satin. As tradition, he had worn a simple suit, which had been a dark gray—the same color as his wolf’s fur. And for the first time since he’d first surfaced, his wolf had been truly and utterly content. He still was.

The after-party had been pretty funny as Rhett had gotten so drunk he’d actually passed out near the music speaker. Seriously, how was that even possible for someone with shifter hearing? But then, Nick supposed it wasn’t every day a male discovered his mate was pregnant. To Rhett’s dismay, Grace was refusing to “take it easy,” in spite of the fact that she had fussed over Taryn when the Alpha female was pregnant with Kye. Nick knew that the day Shaya became pregnant—something he would know just by a slight change in her scent—would be one of the best days of his life, but it would still shock the shit out of him, just as it had Rhett.

His mother, who was currently laughing hysterically about something with Shaya, Roni, and Eli, had been leaving not-so-subtle hints about him giving her grandchildren sometime soon. She absolutely adored Shaya, which was why she had spent a good portion of the mating ceremony snarling at Gabrielle—who had been extremely well behaved that night, not insulting Shaya even once. Stone had been pleasant enough to Nick, but he’d patted his Glock a few times and given Nick a look that said, “I’m watching you.” Whatever.

Eli, too, had easily taken to Shaya. Of course he had. She had a natural ease with people that Nick was sure would make her fantastic at her job. She, Kathy, and Eli had been conspiring together about ways to keep Roni from returning to her wolf form for another long period of time. If anyone could accomplish that, it was Shaya.

A big relief was that, so far, he hadn’t had a single headache since Taryn healed him. Not one. Nor had he had any other problems that might signify his cognitive functions were beginning to degenerate again. At Shaya’s request, Taryn occasionally laid a hand on his forehead to see if any luminous patches showed up under his scalp. But there were none. If what everyone speculated was true, the only reason he had gotten ill again after his first healing was that Amber had deliberately failed to fully heal him. As such, Shaya was confident that he was healed for good now. His gut told him that she was right.

Nick was pulled from his thoughts when a chunky ginger cat sprang onto the table and then onto Jaime’s lap, hissing loudly at Dante, who was opposite her. Nick looked down at the animal that always managed to scare the hell out of his dog. In Bruce’s defense…“That is one motherfucking ugly cat.”

Jaime gasped in horror while Dante nodded his agreement. Cuddling her cat close, Jaime turned on her mate, cursing him for being antisocial toward her pet. Gabe consoled her until she ended her rant with a huff, though he and Hope were chuckling to themselves.

“These disputes between them about her freaky pet are commonplace,” Gabe told Nick, petting Bruce, who had taken a liking to the male. “Dante gets jealous of the attention Hunk receives from his mate.” Dante didn’t deny it.

Although Nick had initially disliked Dante for warning him away from Shaya—in fairness, he had been merely trying to protect Shaya—Nick had come to like the Beta male. Over the past few months, Dante and Tao had taken it upon themselves to subject Jesse, Bracken, and Zander to the training given to enforcers. Nick knew why; they were preparing them to be enforcers for Nick. Yep, the Phoenix Pack was also taking part in the plan to make him an Alpha again.

As Shaya stood and leaned across the table to retrieve the bottle of ketchup from Kent, Nick couldn’t help but enjoy the view. “You truly do have the most perfect ass.” His mate merely smiled brightly.

“I strongly agree,” said Dominic, endangering his life once again. When Nick growled, he raised his hands. “Just kidding.”

Kent sighed at Dominic before turning to Nick. “I’d hit him for you…but look how pretty he is.”

Roni fingered the shirt Dominic was wearing. “Nice shirt. Can I talk you out of it?”

As everyone laughed at her teasing, Dominic pointed at her. “Stop doing that. If you’re not going to marry me and let us be filthy-minded together—”

“You stop doing it to mess with my brother, and I’ll stop doing it to you.” As usual, Roni and Dominic then began to quibble. Nick noticed that Marcus didn’t appear to like the byplay that often went on between Roni and the pervert. Marcus watched and flirted with Roni a lot, who just responded with blank looks. Unlike the other females here, she was resistant to his “charm,” which was a good thing because it meant Nick didn’t have to kill him. Sitting there now, Marcus looked confused more than anything else…like someone who felt as though he had lost his magical powers. And Trick appeared to find it hilarious.

When Grace took Nick’s empty plate and topped up his coffee mug, he gave her a nod of thanks. He had to admit, he’d miss her cooking. Like Lydia, she was also good with injuries; they had both been a great help to Taryn when many had been wounded after the battle. Hell, Tao and Dominic had come very close to dying. Eli, Trey, Marcus, and Trick had also been badly hurt. Taryn had been totally and utterly pissed with Trey about it, as if he’d wanted to get shot or something.

At the moment, though, the Alpha pair was perfectly happy, sitting together at the table, playing with their son and laughing as Kye frowned at Cam’s attempt to play peek-a-boo with him—as if the kid was offended that Cam thought such a game would be enough to entertain him. Nick felt a distinct pang of longing. He wanted that with Shaya one day. As if she sensed that, she smiled at him and placed a hand on his thigh. Her hand was nowhere near his cock, but it didn’t matter—like that, he was rock hard. “Can we leave now?”

She laughed. Yeah, she probably shouldn’t have found it amusing that her mate was in hell surrounded by people, or that she could make him hard that easily, but she so did. “Let me finish my cake and coffee.”

In truth, Shaya was eager to leave, because Nick was finally taking her to see the house he’d bought for them. He’d refused to tell her anything about it—not even where it was—and she wasn’t a patient person. Still, she wanted to enjoy this meal with the Phoenix Pack because she knew that after that day, things would be very different. She’d be an Alpha female.

Though Nick was reluctant about being an Alpha again, she knew it was a given. Unlike with many other dominant males, he didn’t have to showcase his alpha qualities, he didn’t have to actively work to gain people’s attention—he just was. And that was enough for people to notice and be inspired by him. He didn’t have to demand to be obeyed, or respected, or followed—those things happened for him automatically. It was kind of annoying when people often sought him out for help or advice and seemed to gather around him. But it was also kind of funny considering he had such an aversion to company.

“Wrap up the cake with a napkin and bring it with you.”

Grinning at the impatience in his voice, Shaya said, “No, I want to eat it now.”

“But…people keep smiling at me.”

“So smile back.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Just so you know: They’ll still be friendly to you, no matter how much you try to keep them at a distance. They’re determined to break down your defenses and make you one of their own.” Like Jaime, however, the guys also did it to irritate Nick. Yeah, the males of the Phoenix Pack—particularly Trick—lived to tease one another and everyone else around them. As Tao was so easy to provoke, he got it the worst. Ryan simply grunted in what looked like impatience whenever Trick tried it with him.

“Stop hogging my grandson,” complained Greta at Taryn as she held out her arms to Kye, clearly expecting him to reach for her—he didn’t.

“I think you mean hugging,” said Taryn sweetly, holding Kye closer. He giggled, playing with her hair.

Greta placed her hands on her hips, scowling at Taryn. The old woman had spent the past half hour insulting the Alpha female and didn’t appear to be done. “You know what I mean, hussy.”

Taryn sighed tiredly. “Greta, I think you’ve delighted us long enough. Why not go select some favorite hymns and poems—it won’t be long before the funeral. Have you put any more thought into whether or not you want an open casket?”

“Humph. I still have no idea why my Trey mated with you. Tiny, sarcastic, disrespectful—”

“Greta, seriously, careful your vile tongue doesn’t get your false teeth knocked out.”

Of course that made Greta ten times worse.

Nick turned to Shaya. “I really don’t think I can take much more.” These people were crazy. “You done yet?”

Chuckling, Shaya held up her index finger. Drinking down the last of her coffee, she nodded. “Now we can leave.”

Both relieved and excited, Nick took her hand in his and helped her rise from the table. All at once, Derren, Roni, Eli, Kathy, Kent, Jesse, Bracken, and Zander rose from their seats. “Oh no. Shaya and I want some privacy for a change.”

“We just want to know where we’ll be living,” said Derren innocently. The others nodded. Most likely in response to Nick’s growl, he said, “You’re not going to get rid of me, you know that. Nor are you going to get rid of these people. And you’re not going to get out of being Alpha either.”

As an idea came to mind, Nick crossed his arms over his chest. “Okay. You want me to be Alpha? You got it…as long as you’re Beta—no more bodyguard shit.”

Derren gawked. “Hell no. I don’t want responsibilities. They scare me.”

“Then I’m afraid I don’t have a place for you. Derren, with regret, you’re officially out of the pack. I’m permanently firing you.”

“Hey, you can’t do that. I’m the one who organized the pack,” he more or less whined.

“Doesn’t matter. If I’m Alpha, it’s my decision. So, are you going to accept the position of Beta or not?”

Derren had the look of a sulky teenager. “Fine.”

Smirking, Nick led Shaya around the table. “I’ll show you the house tomorrow,” he told his “pack.” Being an Alpha again was going to take some getting used to. “Shaya and I want to spend our first night there alone.” They all nodded respectfully.

After he and Shaya had said their good-byes and she had been molested by Dominic—which almost led to the pervert losing a limb—Nick and Shaya went out of the tunnels and down to the indoor parking lot. He held up something he’d taken from his back pocket.

Shaya tensed. “You want to blindfold me?”

“I told you, I want this to be a surprise.”

“But…you want to blindfold me?”

“What part of ‘surprise’ don’t you understand?”

A little irritated that she wouldn’t even be able to look out the window and guess where they were going, she nonetheless nodded. He gently put on the blindfold, plunging her into complete darkness, and kissed her lightly on the mouth before guiding her into his Mercedes.

When Nick finally drove them out of pack territory, he released a sigh of relief. Those people had the potential to drive him insane. The only person he wanted to be in the company of was Shaya, and now he had her all to himself finally. He soon realized that he probably should have brought a gag as well as a blindfold, because she did nothing but quiz him throughout the entire journey—no doubt to annoy him. It worked.

When the car finally came to a stop, Shaya practically bounced in the seat in anticipation. She probably looked like a toddler in a playground, but she didn’t care. Three long months of “it’s a surprise” had her feeling beyond excited—as well as exasperated. “Can I take the blindfold off now?”

“No, that’s my job. Wait there.”

Sighing, Shaya waited as Nick exited the car and then came around and opened the passenger door. Taking her hand, he helped her get out of the vehicle. The familiar scents of pine, sun-warmed earth, and moss hit her nose. The place itself had a familiar scent…she had been here before. “Blindfold. Off.”

Nick tsked. “No patience.” He led her a short distance and then, standing behind her, untied the piece of black cloth. “Now you can look.”

Blinking a few times to adjust to the light, Shaya fully opened her eyes and gasped. “Oh my God.” Yeah, she’d been here before, been here many times as a child. It had been her favorite place back then. “You bought the hunting lodge I told you about?” It was just as she remembered it. The first level was made with large stone while the second and third levels had timber frames. The large glass dove windows took clear advantage of the natural light, practically illuminating it. To add to that, fairy lights now decorated the trees that surrounded the lodge. “I can’t believe you did this.” With emotion clogging her throat, the words came out in a whisper.

Surprising the hell out of Nick, she sharply pivoted and dived on him, wrapping around him like a clinging vine. He caught her easily and curled his arms around her. “Does this mean you like it?” Her “I love it!” made him inwardly sag in relief. Nick had believed he knew her well enough to know this was something she would love, somewhere she could think of as home, but a tiny part of him had been worried that he’d been wrong. His wolf was thrilled by her reaction.

When she finally untangled herself from him, he explained, “It’s not just the only lodge here now. The owners built and rented out several other lodges on the land, which would be perfect for the ‘pack’ to live in. It means you and I will have our own space.”

Touched to the point that she was tearful, she said, “I really, really can’t believe you’ve done this. I never would have guessed. I suppose I should have—you always try to spoil me.”

“It’s my right, and it’ll happen a lot, so you need to get better at accepting gifts.”

She waved away that comment. “You know what else I can’t believe? That the prejudiced humans sold the place to a shifter.” When he opened his mouth to speak, she raised a hand. “Don’t tell me…Your contacts got involved, right?”

“Right,” he confirmed. “Want to go inside?”

“Do Dalmatians have black spots?”

“One thing first: I made a few…changes.”

“What do you mean? And don’t look so panicky about it. Just because you’ve made changes doesn’t mean I won’t still love it.”

Smiling, he explained, “The place hadn’t been properly looked after. It needed some work, so a contact of mine—”

“A friend of yours,” she stressed.

“A friend of mine,” he allowed, “who runs a business specializing in restoring and also modernizing buildings worked on the place. I told him what I thought you’d like, and he and his team have been working on it. He’ll also work on the other lodges when they’ve each been claimed and the ‘pack’ tells him what they want. Ready?”

Nodding enthusiastically, she slipped her hand in his and let him lead her inside. The second she entered, she gasped again. It was very different from before; the living room, kitchen, and dining area was one huge, open space—the main feature being the living area with luxurious sofas and armchairs and a state-of-the-art entertainment system. Between the TV and sofas was an oval white fluffy rug that just made her want to go curl up on it. There was also a big stone fireplace that added to the rustic tone of the place. It had such a homey, spacious, warm feeling that hadn’t been there before.

Nick led her up the golden curved staircase and gave her a tour of upstairs—showing her the large bathroom, the many guest rooms, and the game room with a cocktail bar. The master bedroom could only be described as sensual with its red, gold, and white color theme and the grand four-poster bed—the room made a person think of sex, pleasure, and desires fulfilled.

As if it wasn’t great enough that there was a Jacuzzi in the stylish en suite bathroom, there was also one on the deck outside the bedroom balcony, overlooking the river and the sun that was setting beyond it. The whole place was like a peaceful oasis for her and her wolf. Turning, she found her mate in the doorway of the bedroom with his gaze locked on her. “I absolutely love it. But…no decorative pillows?” she teased, pouting.

He shook his head and began advancing toward her, intent on taking her on that bed as he’d imagined doing since he’d chosen it. “No decorative pillows.” Finally reaching her, he trailed his fingertips up her arms. “As for the basement…it’s now an indoor pool, but you can see that later. Now that I finally have you in this room, I’m keeping you in it for a little while.” He took a single step backward. “Take off your clothes.”

Shivering at that authoritative tone that brooked no argument, Shaya removed her tank top, stilettos, jeans, lacy bra, and matching panties. Eyes flashing with need raked over her, making her entire body tingle in awareness and anticipation. But he didn’t touch her. Instead, he began to very slowly circle her predatorily in that way he sometimes did. Behind her, he licked along the curve of her shoulder and delivered a sharp nip to her earlobe. Then his deep, seductive voice was murmuring in her ear.

“Perfect…every single inch of you.”

Coming to stand before her again, he still didn’t reach for her. But his hungry gaze felt enough like a touch that a tremor rippled down her spine. As he slowly undressed, her breathing deepened as electricity arched between them and the silence seemed to stretch on and on. Every part of her seemed to ache for him; her breasts felt heavy, her nipples were hard, and her clit was pulsing. “Nick,” she appealed.

His piercing gaze ensnared hers. “What do you want? Tell me, Shay. Tell me, and I’ll give it to you.”

Somehow, his dominant tone created a trancelike effect that made both her and her wolf total slaves. “You,” she rasped. “All of you.” It was an echo of something he had once said to her. And it got Shaya what she wanted: a growl rumbled up his chest as he fit her body to his, crushing her breasts against him and cupping her ass. His mouth, tongue, and hands were demanding, dominating, and possessive. She more or less liquefied under the assault to her senses, threading her fingers through his hair and tugging.

He closed his mouth around her nipple, sucking hard and raking his teeth over it. Moving on to the other nipple, he lashed it with his tongue and then drew it into his mouth. At the same time, his hand skimmed over her flat stomach and down to cup her hard. Then two fingers sank deep inside her and swirled around.

“I love how you get so wet for me.” Kissing her again, Nick slowly thrust his fingers in and out of her, loving the moans she fed him, watching every expression that flashed across her face. Withdrawing his fingers, he moved one to circle the puckered hole where a butt plug was snugly positioned inside her. “I’m going to finally take you here tonight, baby. Do you want that?”

Shaya nodded, wanting her mate to have claimed her in every possible way—this was the only step they hadn’t yet taken, because Nick had wanted her to be totally ready. Also, he’d explained that he didn’t want her to surrender this way just to please him or out of curiosity, that he wanted her to want it as much as he did. She did, and she wasn’t embarrassed to admit it.

“On the bed, baby.” Once she clambered onto the bed and lay on her back, he crawled over her and took her mouth, branding it. He ended the kiss with a bite to her lip. “Spread your legs,” he rumbled. “I want to taste this pussy that was made for me.”

Once she’d followed his order, Nick kissed, licked, and bit his way down her body to dip his tongue into her navel before going lower still. He flicked her clit with the tip of his tongue, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from her. He might have made her beg a little, but the scent of her pussy was much too tempting. Sliding his hands under her thighs, he tilted her hips and hooked her legs over his shoulders. Then he licked, sipped, and drank from her, savoring her taste and her moans. Each one of his senses was filled with, and overwhelmed by, her.

One thing he loved about Shaya was that her responses were without deception or exaggeration; she simply allowed her desire to flood her veins, rule her, and take her where she needed to be. The way she writhed and arched, the way she pulled on his hair, the way she groaned and whimpered and dug her heels between his shoulder blades—all of it was real, and all of it sent an agonizing need rocketing through him. “I need to be inside you. Right fucking now. Turn over.”

Those words caused quivers deep in her stomach. Needing to come so badly, Shaya obediently positioned herself on her hands and knees. He smoothed his hands over her ass as he came to kneel behind her, letting his cock rub against her slit. It felt good and all, but she really couldn’t wait much longer. “Nick, I need to come.”

He positioned his cock at the entrance of her pussy. Keeping one hand on her hip, he held her shoulder with the other. “When I’m ready for you to come, I’ll tell you.” He slammed home, groaning as her walls clamped down on him. Buried inside his mate, the aching need in his body eased. But then it exploded.

Shaya cried out as Nick began to ruthlessly hammer into her, thrusting hard, driving deep. His pace was feverish, frenzied, and was sending her into that same frenzied state; she was moaning, whimpering, and instinctively pushing back against him. Well, actually, she was trying to push back, but his iron hold prevented her from moving. Still, her attempts earned her a growl and the prick of claws against her skin—Nick’s way of telling her to keep still, that he was in control and she’d take what he gave her.

“I love the feel of your pussy around me. Know what else I love?” Nick slid his hand into her hair and pulled, urging her upright so her back was to his chest, and bringing her face to his. “You. Every goddamn inch of you—inside and out. Can you feel it?”

She could. She could feel it flowing over her, centering her, sheltering her, and wrapping around her. Even if she hadn’t known it with every cell and every bone of her body, she would have known it from the look in his eyes right then. He loved her. Loved her with an intensity that he would never have thought himself capable of—it was deep, and boundless, and true. It was also returned. She looped her arms around his neck. “And I love you.”

The words made Nick pause in his movements. He truly hadn’t expected her to give him those words, hadn’t believed she felt that way—not yet. He could have used their bond anytime to find out for sure, but he hadn’t wanted to delve that deeply in case what he found wasn’t what he’d hoped to find. But now what she felt was radiating from the bond. So knowing that it was true, feeling it was true, Nick was filled with elation and a sense of completeness that only Shaya could have given him. It made something settle deep inside his wolf, gave the animal a peace he’d never otherwise have known.

“Come here, baby.” Her mouth met his, and Nick devoured it, dominated it, but also cherished it. Then he placed a hand on her lower back and gently pressed forward until she was leaning on her elbows. “Now I’m going to make you come.” With that, he began fucking her with hard, feral digs that made her cry out, made her gasp his name and tear at the bed sheets with her claws. “Now.”

The combination of his order, the feel of his teeth buried in her shoulder, and the light pinch on her clit had her body imploding. She threw her head back, screaming. That was when, in one smooth movement, he pulled out the butt plug and thrust into her ass. She screamed again as the sensation intensified her climax.

Nick didn’t move one single inch as she came down from her orgasm. When she began to writhe, he cinched her hips and held her still. “You okay, baby?” He couldn’t sense any pain from her, but he needed to hear her say it.

“Move, Nick; I need you to move. It hurts a little, but it’s a good hurt.”

Satisfied, Nick slowly withdrew until only the head of his cock was inside her, and then he thrust forward just as slowly. “Fuck, baby, that feels so good.” He did it over and over, not picking up the pace until she became restless against him and begged for more. When she tried slamming back into him, he hardened his thrusts slightly, staying fully connected to her through their bond so he could make sure she wasn’t in pain.

“Let go, Nick. I know you’re holding back.”

It seemed he wasn’t the only one who was tapping into the bond. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You’d never hurt me. You’ve lost control lots of times, but you’ve never once hurt me, and you won’t do it now. Let go.”

Groaning, he began frantically pumping his hips, taking what he wanted and giving her what she needed. Every thrust was a brand, a reminder that she was his. Her noises drove him crazy and spurred him on until his pace was frenzied and relentless, offering her no mercy, ensuring she never forgot this, never forgot how good it felt.

“Nick, I need to come.”

“Then come.” As her body tightened and rippled around him, pure rapture tore through Nick—a pleasure/pain that went on and on—and he exploded inside her.

Shaya screamed his name as a blistering, white-hot fire tore through her mind, body, and soul—bowing her back and sending tremor after tremor ripping through her, obliterating every thought she had in her mind except for one: She loved the bastard.

“I’m not a bastard,” Nick practically slurred as they sank onto the mattress, still joined.

She hadn’t actually meant to say that out loud. “Sure you’re not, Beavis,” she panted.

He growled and nipped her shoulder, rolling them onto their sides. “I’m not stupid.”

“No, you’re just slow. And it’s such a shame too.”

“If I’m Beavis, you’re Butt-Head.”

She snorted. “You wouldn’t call me that.”

Smiling, he licked one of the marks he’d left on her nape. “Sure I would, Butt-Head.”

Indignant, Shaya shuffled over so that his cock slipped out of her. “The fact you think you can get away with that just proves that you’re dumb.” Then she dashed for the shower. Of course he followed her, and of course he made her come with his mouth again. Having stripped off the shredded bed sheets, they eventually collapsed on the bed, still naked.

“I can’t believe you’ve already ruined the brand-new sheets. You need to learn better self-control,” he teased.

“I refer back to my earlier comment—you’re a bastard.”

Chuckling, Nick moved onto his side and pulled her to him. “Yeah, well, you still love me.”

She could sense his utter surprise. “You should have known I love you. You’ve heard what they say: ‘Love sucks; true love swallows.’ As I recall, I’ve always taken every last drop.”

He groaned. “Now I’m getting hard again.”

“Sorry, stud, but we can’t do anything about it until we’ve decided something important.”

“What’s that?” he asked, licking at his claiming mark. He couldn’t think of anything more important than making her come all over again—it was his favorite thing to do.

“What are we going to name the pack? It needs a name.”

“Huh. I hadn’t thought of that. Any ideas?”

“Well…when Taryn, Caleb, Joey—that’s the kid that Taryn thought was her true mate and died when he was nine—and I were little, we used to pretend we were a special ops team.”

“Special ops team?” He chuckled.

“Taryn and I weren’t girly as kids. Anyway, we used to call our team ‘Mercury Ops.’ I think that would be good for a pack name.”

“The Mercury Ops Pack?” he echoed with distaste.

She slapped his arm. “No. The Mercury Pack. It would mean a lot to me. And to Taryn. And to Caleb. And to Joey, whose soul may haunt you forever if you say no.” She fixed a pitiful look on her face. “Please?”

“Oh, I do love to hear you beg, Shay.”

“I’ve already run it by Derren and the others; they all like it.”

He narrowed his eyes as he realized something. “And here I thought they were working on you, but you’ve been working with them, haven’t you?”

She shrugged unapologetically. “Your wolf will always feel like something’s missing if he doesn’t do what he was born to do. That’s not good with me. So…the Mercury Pack—yes or no?”

“If I say no?”

“I’ll harass you until you say yes.” When a strange glint entered that dusky-green gaze, Shaya automatically became wary.

“I’ll tell you what: I’ll say yes if you agree to something.”

That didn’t sound good. “What is it you want?”

“I want you to drop this fantasy you have of me dressing like a sailor.”

“Oh, but—”

He rolled onto his back, holding up a hand to cut her off. “No, no, I am not dressing like a fucking sailor.”

She pouted. “Oh, come on! After the first few times, it won’t even feel kinky anymore.”

“No.”

“But you’d look so—”

“No.”

“Can’t you at least think—?”

“No.”

She growled and gave him the sulkiest pout ever. “Trey does it for Taryn.”

Nick felt his face scrunch up. “Jeez, Shay, I so did not need to know that.” The image came unbidden to his mind, and Nick feared it might just pop into his head whenever he was around the Alpha male in the future.

Her voice turned sultry. “If you do it, I may reconsider the pole dancing scenario you had in mind.”

A short pause. “I’ll think about it.”

“That’s all I’m asking.”