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EMME

T hat night, after Hunter and Kellan wore me out by edging me closer to the art of double penetration—we weren’t there yet, but we were so deliciously close—I fell into an exhausted sleep. Only to find myself startling awake not even two hours later.

The tendrils of a dream I couldn’t remember coated my skin, and my body tingled as if energy or magic had caressed it. By the time I shook off the strange sensation, I knew I wouldn’t be falling asleep for a while, and not wanting to wake the alphas, I slid out from between them.

Snatching one of their shirts from the floor, I headed for the kitchen in search of a snack—I might not have been baking much lately, but Florence’s cookies were to die for, and a loaded chocolate chip sounded like the key to shedding the last of my dream.

The house was dark and quiet, and while I loved the sounds of my pack, the silence wasn’t uncomfortable. Not when this place always felt like home.

My first real home.

As I passed through the front entryway, I caught a familiar clang from the garage.

Without giving myself time to consider the consequences of my actions, I switched directions and hurried down the stairs.

Low lights illuminate the vehicles, and I stopped to give my new bike a gentle caress.

“Soon, sweet girl,” I crooned, my gaze lingering on all her pink and black curves. “And this time I’ll keep you safe.”

Goddess, let that not be an empty promise.

“One day I hope you look at me the way you look at that bike.” Finley’s deep rumble washed over my back, and I spun to find him propped against a pillar.

He wore his overalls, and had a few grease stains dirtying up his gorgeous face. His hat was on backwards to hold his hair in place, a style which should be classified as a weapon against females everywhere. “It’s a look of love,” he finished.

Sweet fucking mercy . My voice turned playful even as my legs went weak. “Letting me help you fix up your car is a great way to build a look of love, don’t you think?”

I’d offered once before, and it hadn’t gone over so well.

This time though, when Finley’s gaze lingered on my bare legs, tracing up to the hem of the shirt that fell to mid-thigh, his expression was heavy with desire.

“I thought you’d never ask, darlin’. Come on.

Let’s bring this old girl back to life.”

This was the third time he’d called me darlin’ , and in that low drawl of his rumbly bear it was as powerful as his backwards cap. Basically, I was screwed when it came to resisting Finley Thornton.

He held out a hand, and I barely hesitated before sliding my palm against his. When he tightened his grip, my body tightened with it. As positive as I was that standing here, almost naked and emotionally vulnerable was a bad idea, it was too late to turn back now.

Finley led me to the section of garage he used to rebuild his cars. His Ford still occupied the first bay, but in the second sat the car he’d gifted me for my birthday.

A broad smile ripped across my face. “She’s here,” I said. “And while I love her just as she is, with a few repairs she’ll be spectacular.”

“I haven’t touched her,” Finley assured me. “I’ve been waiting for you. Want to take a closer look?”

“Do dragons fly and cause mass hysteria?” I huffed, pressing my hand to my chest.

He rumbled out a laugh and led me around his Ford. He never let go of my hand, not even as he detailed the issues we faced with the Bronco, and what he had in mind to return her to her former glory.

“So, what do you think? Ready to get started on bringing her back to life?”

He stared at me, and I nodded. “Listening to you talk about cars reminds me of the few happy memories in my past.” I wanted to share this piece of myself after he’d shared so much in therapy. “And I’m so fucking excited to do this with you. Where should we start? Tell me what you need me to do?”

I knew about cars, but I’d never been hands-on in repairing them.

Finley tugged me closer, and his unbridled enthusiasm caught on as I bounced briefly on my bare feet.

When he noticed my lack of foot coverings, Finley detoured to a bag hanging on a peg on the wall, releasing me long enough to rifle through the contents.

He emerged victorious with a pair of thick black socks.

“They’re clean,” he assured me, those dimples assaulting my senses as he knelt at my feet. “Now lift. I don’t want you getting cold.”

Even with climate control, the garage floors were cool, not that it was enough to bother me.

Still, I didn’t argue as he lifted my right foot, and then my left, dragging the thick socks almost to my knees.

It was only as he adjusted the elastic on one that he seemed to notice his proximity to my vagina, barely hidden under Hunter’s shirt.

Finley’s hands tightened on my thighs as his gaze darkened and he breathed deeply. “Fuck,” he groaned, closing his eyes as if that would help. “You’re a temptation I would follow into hell and beyond.”

I completely forgot the plan to move slowly as I was hit with an urge to thrust my hips until his mouth landed right on the ache in my core. All I could think about was the scrape of his beard on my thighs, and the flick of his tongue across my clit, as he buried his face between my?—

With a startled growl, Finley launched to his feet. “Whatever you’re imagining, darlin’,” he winced, “please stop. Your scent is…” A choked desperate sound spilled from his lips and I shuffled back a few steps to create space.

I’d put the restrictions in place by telling him to earn my trust and repair the chasm between us, and yet here I was, flashing my needy vagina in his face like a selfish asshole.

“I’m sorry,” I said, shame coating my cheeks in heat. “I’m not making this easy on you—I should go and put a few more clothes on.”

As I turned, Finley lurched forward and caught my hand, twirling me back into him.

“No. I don’t want it to be easy.” He pulled me closer.

“I don’t deserve easy, and more than that, I know that all of this buildup is only going to make it that much sweeter when I finally win you back. Keep making it hard, Em. Please.”

I would challenge any damn shifter in the world to be able to say no to Finley when he was like this. “Okay, I can do that,” I told him.

He kissed my cheek, and then moved to press another to the corner of my lips, before he released me and steered us back to the cars.

For the next two hours we worked in comfortable companionship, our conversations casual as we discussed our favorite vehicles and dream cars.

“I’ve always been into the bigger trucks and off-roaders,” Finley told me, leaning into the open hood.

“While the track gave me a newfound appreciation for speed and competition, I’m the one you want with you if you’re heading off the beaten track and need to push your car’s suspension to its limits. ”

“I’ve always been into bikes,” I said, handing over the tool he needed before he even asked. “Which had a lot to do with availability, speed, and price. The way I feel when I’m surrounded by these super and hyper cars indicates that maybe I just love anything with an engine that goes fast.”

Finley tilted his head to the side to meet my gaze, and in the dim lighting his expression was wreathed in amusement. “We need to race again,” he said. “This time just you and me.”

The very thought had a jolt of excitement in my gut. “You want to get your ass kicked again?”

He threw his head back and laughed, his hands still buried in the engine. “Famous last words, Emmeline. I think I’ll take that challenge. Name the place and time.”

I found myself chuckling with him. “I’m ready whenever you are. Not this week, though, right? Kel told me you’ve got a road trip for hockey…?”

That sobered him as he returned his focus to the engine bay. “Yep, we’ve got three away games, which means we’ll be gone Monday through Friday.”

Before he could look my way again, I forced my features into calm, unbothered lines, which turned out to be a waste of energy.

Finley noticed immediately. “We can stay if it upsets you,” he said, and I got a hint that he kind of hoped I’d make them stay.

“It’s just hockey, and we’re top of the division. ”

I narrowed my eyes on him. “Absolutely fucking not. I can survive a few days without you both, as long as my bond with Kellan handles the distance.”

Finley released his hold on the car and took a step toward me. “You shouldn’t have to survive. Come with us.”

He paused in front of me, and I was about to agree before I remembered one glaring issue: “I can’t leave without Talon. His is the newest bond. And on top of that, our connection remains slightly frayed and patchy.”

Talon’s bond did filter through bits and pieces of his emotions, but it wasn’t as strong as with Hunter and Kellan.

The bear shot a frustrated glare in the direction of the hidden doorway. “Annoying motherfucker,” he mumbled under his breath. “But you’re probably right, which means we should just blow off these games and stay here.”

I pressed my hand to his chest in the hopes of reiterating how serious I was.

“Not a chance, Finley Thornton.” His nostrils flared as he stared down at my touch.

“You’ve already missed too many games because of me.

It’s not fair to you or your team for you guys to just blow it off.

We can chat on the phone daily, and I’ll watch your games on the sports network. ”

He didn’t look convinced, and I was too tired to argue more tonight.

“We can talk about it tomorrow,” he finally said, before he glanced at the clock on the wall, which read two a.m. “Or today to be more accurate.” He patted my hand on his chest. “Go to bed, Ice Queen. I’ll clean up and get some rest too. ”

“Will you sleep?” I asked, noticing the fatigue on his features. “I can sit with you.”

His stare was penetrating, and at first I thought he’d refuse until he said, “Yeah, okay. I’d like that.”

In my relief that he wouldn’t be alone, I was hit with another thought, one that might not go over so well. “Uh, I have a bit of an extreme idea that might help both of us and someone else.”

Finley didn’t even ask for any further clarification. “Works for me. Let me get cleaned up and I’ll meet you… where?”

Forcing myself to remain calm I said, “In the containment room.”

His eyes widened, and when his gaze flicked toward the door, I all but held my breath until he sighed. “Yeah, let’s do it. Might as well get used to that bastard being around. See you in a minute, Ice.”

While Finley disappeared to clean himself up, I raced up the stairs to pull blankets and pillows from the hallway storage. By the time I’d returned to the garage, arms filled, Finley was waiting in a pair of sleep shorts, and he hurried over to take the bedding from my arms.

I opened the door and strode through first, unsurprised to find Talon already at the bars, as if he’d been waiting for me all along.

The fluttering in our bond flared as I drank in the sight of him after days of being apart.

When his chest rumbled, I couldn’t stop from rushing forward, Finley’s protests lost as I hit the bars and reached for the dragon.

“Sweet Honey,” Talon breathed, the growl of his dragon following again as he snarled, “don’t take another step closer, bear. Give me this moment with her.”

I breathed in his scent as he held me close, and even with the bars between us, I was comfortable in his touch. “You took too long to return to me,” he rumbled, inhaling deeply against the top of my head. “I almost broke out again.”

It had been too long, and it had affected me too, even if I’d been pretending otherwise. “I’ll try and be here more,” I said, knowing we both needed it. “But I wish you’d just give them the information they need to trust you. Then you could be free.”

Talon shifted back to see my face. “I can’t, mate. While I won’t hurt you or any of your pack, I remain loyal to their enemy, and I see no reason to change that.”

A spike of hurt at his statement had me pulling away to create distance between us. “You proclaim to be my mate,” I said roughly, “and yet you would hand me over to an alpha who wants to hurt me. The alpha who killed my mother.”

His expression remained hard and unyielding. “You are mine. No one will ever hurt you again. Alpha knows the deal, and he has assured me we will rule together.”

Finley’s laughter was broken and completely devoid of any humor. “You’re one stupid motherfucker if you believe that.”

The darkness in his voice reminded me of the Finley I first met, and I found I didn’t mind his raging bear when it wasn’t directed at me.

Not that I had the energy for a fight to break out tonight. “Let’s leave the battle for later,” I said with a yawn. “All of us need rest.”

Even Talon looked exhausted, and it took a lot for the dragons to show weakness.

I directed Finley to set out the bedding beside the bars. “None of us should be alone tonight,” I said as I slid down on the soft material, on the side closest to Talon.

The dragon’s hands were in my hair not even a breath later, and I sighed at how good it felt when he played with the length. He grabbed the brush from last time, and started to run it through the strands until I was a relaxed puddle.

Finley watched us closely before releasing an aggravated sound. “Touch her in any way she doesn’t like and I’ll break your hand off.”

He dropped down on my other side and stretched out his huge length. We didn’t touch at first, until I reached out and pressed my hand against his chest. “Sleep, Grouchy,” I whispered. “We’ll watch over you.”

Talon’s dragon rumbled, but he didn’t deny it, and to my surprise it took less than five minutes for Finley’s breathing to even out as he went to sleep.

To stem the tidal wave of emotion crashing into me, I reached up and grasped Talon’s hand, the brush stilling between us as I sought an anchor. In this moment, caught between the two alphas who’d hurt me the most, I was truly starting to believe that we might all be each others’ salvations.