Page 63

Week One

S tanding on this porch brings back a flood of memories.

After the whole Catastrophe nonsense, Jolene didn’t come to school for a week. Because I was close to emerging, I had sessions with Andromeda Bane several times a week, and during one of them, she asked me to take Jolene’s missed work to their house. I could have said no and she wouldn’t have been able to force me, but I was struggling with the guilt of what we allowed to happen at that stupid ball. The guys and I were usually good at checking the girls when they were about to step over the line from mean girl shit to ruthless bullying, but this time, we failed.

We were self-entitled rich kids too concerned with getting high and partying to realize our female counterparts were out for blood. I’ve carried the guilt over it for years—I didn’t socialize with Jolene after elementary school because of the strict lines drawn in the sand, but I knew she didn’t deserve what she got for trying to help someone who wasn’t as strong as her. Her kind heart was her downfall, and it never sat right with me; I just didn’t have the power to fix it back then.

When Bobbi Jo asked me to deliver these papers, that knot of guilt made its way from the back of my mind straight to my gut, and I don’t know how to feel. Honestly, I can’t believe the brass set on this girl for moving back to this pit of vipers willingly. She certainly hasn’t lost the spark that made her slam the door in my face when I brought her homework all those years ago. When she saw me, the look on her face was so outraged that I thought she actually might emerge in front of me, but she didn’t. Jolene simply slid her eyes up and down my frame and gave me a look that promised vengeance before the door rattled the entire porch.

Even then, it was pretty hot. Jolene didn’t give a damn who I was or where I came from—only that I wasn’t even worth speaking to.

I’ve always had a thing for women who stand up to my bullshit, and even more so if I can tame them in private. Reaching out, I ring the doorbell, waiting to see what hellfire I get for daring to grace her home once again. It’s possible she’s let go of the past and that’s why she could come home, but given her temper back then, I highly doubt it. When she doesn’t answer, I push it again, determined to see what all the fuss in town is about.

Jolene Athena Whitley will not hide from me. I have a job to do and maybe, just maybe, amends to make.

“I’m coming! Hold your effing bits, I have to get decent!”

My lips curve up as she huffs from inside. There’s the fire I remember—this is going to be a lot of fun. I ring the bell again just to be a dick, and I can hear the frustrated growl as feet stomp to the door. It flies open with the force of a tornado, and when it does, Jolene does not disappoint.

Despite my casual posture, her skin pales, and I know she didn’t look before she yanked it open. She had no idea it was me, and now she’s speechless, which is kind of cute. I smirk at her, deciding to play along with whatever image she has of me so I can gauge what’s changed in the decade she was gone. “Well, well, well. Looks like the Cotillion Catastrophe is all grown up.”

Jolene crosses her arms over her chest, looking at me like I’m something scraped off the bottom of her shoe on the horse farm. “ Buona notte , Edgar. What brings you to the slums this evening?”

I just grin at her more, enchanted by the attitude. Raking a hand through my hair, I shrug, knowing I’m preening a little to see if she notices. “Aw, Tilly, are you still holding a grudge about that stupid coming out party? It’s been over a decade.”

Her expression changes to confusion when I don’t spit back at her, and she lets out a sigh of irritation. “Edgar, it’s late. I’ve been working all day, and I’m relaxing before a week filled with similarly exhausting days unpacking. You can’t seriously think I want to stand on my porch in my pajamas rehashing the past with you.”

That gets my attention, and I squint, taking in her attire slowly. Perfectly painted toenails, long legs in short, silky pajama shorts with water lilies on them, and… ooh, a belly ring. It sparkles in the porch light as I trace the contours of beautiful tattoo work that climbs up her left side until I can’t quite make it out under the lacy bralette. She’s trying to hide her discomfort at my perusal of her soft curves—real curves, not sculpted and enhanced lines like most of the women in the Hollow—so when I reach her face and look into eyes so green they shine like emeralds, I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. I don’t know why I feel like comforting her; it’s not my typical style, but I know I want that insecure look on her face to go away.

Jolene huffs and smacks my hand away, making me grin. “Ooh! Feisty. I like it.”

And I do, though she probably doesn’t believe me.

She tilts her head, cracking her neck as she gives another supremely annoyed look. “Edgar, I won’t ask you again. You have five seconds to explain why the cock-gobbling fuck you’re here or I’m slamming this door in your face.”

Hot damn, this woman is fucking perfect. How in the hell am I going to keep her from slamming the door in my face again? Maybe I’ll try to make her laugh.

“Language, Tilly. It’s not befitting a lady of your stature.”

“Five… four…”

That didn’t work.

I hold up my hands in surrender, looking sheepish as she stares at me. “Okay, okay. Bobbi Jo had paperwork to send your way today, and like a true gentleman, I offered to deliver it in person.”

“Oh, Edgar. My friends here say that’s a lie. Try again. Three… two…”

Her weird cat snarls at me and I have to stop focusing on her for a moment to tamp down the hound. He’s a grumpy son of a bitch, and of my trio of supe sides, he has the worst temper. Once I get that settled, I realize she’s speaking and have to force myself to figure out what she said while I was keeping the fire inside of me from escaping. “Sweet baby Jesus, Tilly. Call off the little shits.”

I reach into my back pocket slowly, pulling out the bent folder Bobbi Jo gave me. I wait until she sees it, then look down at the huge ass cats by her side to see if their puffed up tails have receded. The last thing I need is for what appears to be her companions attacking me. Kali and Hecate would feel it and race here so fast it would make you think they were hellhounds, not me.

“I’m only shading the truth a smidge. I was at the diner after you left today—listening to the buzz as usual—and Bobbi Jo came in. She said she was going to run these out to you, and I asked her to allow me. I was curious about the whispers, I’ll admit.”

Jolene sighs as if I’m the most tiresome thing she’s ever dealt with before gesturing to the porch furniture. “Okay, Edgar. Have a seat on the veranda and I’ll look. I’m gonna go get a pen and my drink. Would you like a bourbon? I unpacked the bar yesterday.”

Score. Bobbi Jo’s little errand gave me a way in, and I could kiss her clueless face for it.

Giving the gorgeous woman in front of me my most charming smile, I nod. “Single barrel, sugar? Neat.”

She rolls her eyes before turning to head into the house, so I drop into the piece of furniture that looks the least like I’ll break it. I’m not a small guy, and her parents clearly picked the patio set out for appearances, not function. It would be rude to crack something in half on my first visit. Out of the corner of my eye, I see her peep out of the front window, clearly making sure I didn’t follow her inside. It makes me chuckle, but I just lean back and rock like I don’t have a care in the world.

That’s a very down-home coping mechanism, I know, but it’s what we do here.

When she finally returns, I’m pleased to see she didn’t run to cover herself up. I’m enjoying the hell out of the view, and that she stayed half naked bodes well for me. Okay, maybe not for my dick, but definitely for my chances with her at some point. I give her another grin as she approaches with a tray full of bourbon in crystal glasses and an adorable snack tray, still eyeing me like a snake in her boot.

You can take the girl out of the South, but you can’t take the South out of the girl.

Her eyes cut to the folder and I can almost see the gears in her head spinning as she thinks about our former alma mater and what happened to her. I have to keep her from focusing on the past so she doesn’t get that haunted look in her eyes again. “Why, look at you, Tilly! Your mama would be right proud.”

The strained smile she gives me in return tells me that wasn’t the right thing to say. I don’t know a thing about what kind of relationship she had with her parents, but this reaction says it wasn’t good. When they died in that wreck, the story was she couldn’t leave her job in Europe to come home for the funeral. It generated a lot of snide whispers about the Catastrophe again, and I’m sure some of that gossip made it back to her. Maybe she feels guilty about missing it? Either way, I’ve learned that her family is not a good one.

She walks over and settles in the other rocking chair, watching her furry friends as they commandeer the lounge, before turning back to me. “Tell me about the paperwork.”

I pick up my bourbon and take a drink, delighted when I realize she’s served my favorite. “Blanton’s is an excellent choice, Tilly. The paperwork is just normal new hire stuff. Take your time and run it down to Bobbi Jo before Friday so Maryellen can get you set up in all the systems.”

“Mrrrow,” one of her cats says, giving me a dirty look if I ever saw one.

“Your companions don’t like me very much, do they?” I ask as I look at the two exotic animals gracing the lounge as if it’s their throne. I’m sure no one mentioned her arriving with them, so it’s interesting she has them now. Where did two extremely expensive designer wild cats come from?

Jolene simply shrugs at me. “I’ve always heard that cats are exceedingly particular about the company they keep. They must sense your more… mischievous side.”

Her witty retort catches me off guard, and I burst out laughing. I laugh so hard that I take a minute to gather myself and I give her a warm look when I finally catch my breath. Her saucy demeanor is delightful, and it’s hot as hell. I shift in my chair, adjusting the evidence of that without calling attention to my predicament. It’d be rude, and the last thing I want is to do is piss her off. “Tilly, that’s the best laugh I’ve had all week. I enjoy hearing a Southern girl try desperately to call me a twat in the politest language she can. I was right about your mama the first time—she’d be even prouder now. All you needed to add was ‘bless your heart’ and I’d have a fork in me.”

She gives me an adorably flabbergasted expression and I realize she must have thought she was being subtle. It makes my cock jump when she opens and closes her mouth like she’s trying to think of another barb, and I can’t stop myself from rolling out of the chair to stand in front of her. Tugging her up, I yank her against my body, sinking my fist into her hair and holding on tightly. The squeak she makes is even cuter, and I pull her head back to look at me, being careful not to be too rough.

“Teddy, what in the actual fu?—”

When she uses the childhood nickname that I haven’t let a soul utter since we were kids, it destroys every ounce of my control. Jolene has no idea what hearing that for the first time in twenty years does to me, so I dip my head and kiss her hard. Her arms come up around my neck, her curves fitting to my body in a way that makes all of my sides wake up. My chest rumbles with the growl of the hound when I grip her hip firmly enough to bruise, and I wing a prayer to whomever that I can keep it all in check.

I’ve never had all three parts of me awaken at the same time as this. Could it be?

The thought startles me, and I let go of her hair, lifting my lips from hers to look into her eyes. I have to give her time to object because every cell in my being is damn near screaming for this woman. She looks as if she’s going to and my heart stops, but she doesn’t protest. Our mouths crash together again and I heft her up by her thighs, letting her wrap her thick thighs around my waist. I don’t even have to stop kissing her as I navigate us through the front door—the power of my feathered side guides us without my eyes.

Nipping her lip as I carry her inside, I wait for her to look at me again. My personal proclivities are rooted in definitive consent, and I don’t want her to be swept away in a momentary wave of passion, only to regret it later. Her lashes sweep upward and her gorgeous emerald eyes meet mine for a brief second before she reaches up to tug my hair until we’re kissing again. Normally, I’d want words, but the clarity in her gaze was so strong that I’m satisfied. The second sight of the feathered third of my supe side helps me find my way to the stairs as I carry her one handed.

She probably thinks she’s too heavy—it was a common theme in high school, and she was visibly uncomfortable with her lack of clothes at first. I’m determined to show her exactly how sexy I find her.

Her hips press against mine and the heat from her pussy damn near melts me as I continue following my instincts towards what I hope is the bedroom. As we take a moment to breathe, I nibble her earlobe and murmur, “Stop thinking so hard, Tilly.”

“Teddy… we…”

“Shh.” I nip my way down the creamy skin of her throat, enjoying the red marks my teeth leave. Every part of me is tingling, and I have to use this brief pause to control the one power I don’t want to use right now. I want this to be all of us—no help from my inner Lothario—and I squeeze her hips again as I enter the room she’s using. Climbing onto the bed, I range over with a hungry grin.

“But…”

Huffing, I lift as I eyeball the boxes around the room. Tilly isn’t saying ‘no’... if she was, her scent would change and it hasn’t. WhatI’m getting is fear, and a little bit of shame. Our past is making her question my motives, and though I don’t blame her, I need her to relax. I spot a silk scarf hanging out of one of her boxes and walk over to grab it. When I come back, I kneel on the bed and brush it over her skin. Her soft gasp tells me she likes it, so I continue until I reach her face.

“Brattiness has consequences, Tilly.” I use the Dom tone, curious if she’ll respond to it or not. I have the feeling she might and that would make her even more fucking perfect if it’s goddamned possible.

Her response is dripping with purposeful sarcasm when she answers, “I’m sure I have no idea what you mean, Teddy.”

I can’t help the snarl that echoes out of me at the nickname and I smirk down at her as I whisper, “When I say ‘shhhh’, I mean it, sugar.”

Her breath catches and I use that pause to draw the scarf over her neck to her mouth, slipping it between her lips. When she doesn’t protest again, I grind my cock against her stomach while I tie the material behind her head. I leave enough slack for her to get out if she truly wishes because we haven’t set up any kind of boundaries for true play and I don’t want her to feel unsafe. The sight of the bright green silk and her pink lips makes me groan low.

Jolene Athena Whitley is made for me and I wasted a fuck ton of time listening to my snooty ass parents.

Before I can process that thought, she grabs my hipbones and yanks me closer as she rubs her heat against my straining crotch. She clearly wants me to move this along faster and it activates the dominant in me—if she’s giving up control then I’m going to set the pace. Sliding my hands from her shoulders to her thighs, I yank them apart and nestle my erection against her. I dip my head to leave a few more marks on her skin as she squirms, loving the noises she’s making in her throat. Satisfied with the trail of red going past her collarbone, I watch her move restlessly.

“Sugar, I can promise you that there isn’t a thing in the entire universe that’s gonna rush this. If I need to take more drastic measures to keep you still, I’ll do so.” A low whine is her response, so I drop down to the scrap of lace she’s wearing only to find that she’s got shiny decorations to play with underneath the rosy colored top.

Mother. Fucker. That’s. Hot.

Plucking at the shield on one side, I suck on the other nipple through the fabric. Her skin is on fire, and when she stills, I give her a swat on the hipbone. I can tell she’s fighting what she wants because her body is straining to be closer but her mind is still going a thousand miles a minute. I raise my head and peel her top off, grinning at her blindfolded face hungrily. “Get out of your head, Tilly. I want you present and accounted for, especially if that means you’ll give me more of that bratty attitude.”

Sue me. I like a woman who gives me as good as she gets. It’s the asshole in me.

Jolene doesn’t answer, but she digs her fingers into my hair and pulls hard. That gives me carte blanche, so I dive back in, biting her nipple lightly while my hand slips into the leg of the silky shorts. For the love of Zeus, she’s not wearing a fucking thing under them and she’s soaked. My fingers stroke over her slit teasingly and I know I’m going to fall victim to my own game if she doesn’t quit making that sound in her throat. Taking a deep breath, I blow cool air over her nipple watching her shudder.

My control gets more tenuous as I move down her body, kissing and biting over her torso and stomach. The goddamned belly jewel nearly winks at me as I descend and I practically snarl up at her. “Tilly, I’m going to make you scream so loud the neighbors will wonder if someone murdered you. And when I’m done with that, I’m going to break this motherfucking bed, so you have to buy a new one—preferably larger.”

The snort she lets out is delightful, and I grin before I yank her shorts down. Grasping her thighs in my hands, I trace my tongue around the shape of her pussy. She bucks her hips, clearly wanting more, but I do it again just to see her shiver in anticipation. Her back is arched as she digs her hands into the comforter and I know she’s still holding back.

That won’t do at all.

“I said, get out of your head, Tilly,” I murmur before I flick my tongue over her clit lightly.

She makes another strangled noise and I feel her lifting up to peek down at me. I continue teasing my face over her juices, letting it coat my lips and chin so she can see it. I’m pretending not to notice her defiance because I enjoy it, so I tap my fingers on the apex of her mound in a light rhythm. I don’t have to wait long before she gets the message and lies back, clinching the gag between teeth as she grins.

Good girl.

Throwing her legs over my shoulders, I dive in with teeth and tongue, rumbling as her taste and scent flood my senses. It loosens the floodgates immediately and her thighs clamp around my head as she grinds against my face. Pleased with her abandon, I thrust two fingers inside of her and bite her clit lightly as the powers inside of me push hard against my control. I’ve never felt them so intensely during sex before and it seems to be a contest between the three monsters inside of me for which one is going to break free from my control. She makes a soft mewling sound, and that’s it—the bird wins and I can’t stop myself from marking her.

Jolene lets out a deep, long moan and her body spasms as she comes. For a moment, I think she’s going to smother me with her thighs and honestly, I’d die happy. Lifting off her, I shed my clothes quickly and crawl up her body while she’s still shaking. I remove the scarf with a flick of my hand, leaning in to take her lips. She licks herself off my bottom lip and I can’t stop myself from thrusting inside of her. Her arms go around me, squeezing like steel bands and her nails dig in my hips with a delicious sting.

Jesus fucking Christ, I didn’t even use a goddamned rubber and I’ve never once forgotten that step in my entire sexual history.

“Son of a bitch ,” I whisper as I start to pound into her, our bodies slick with sweat as they slap together. Breaths come in harsh pants as our eyes lock and she groups my dick like she’s trying to wring something of me. If I had better words, I’d use them, but there’s not a goddamned thing I could say that would do this justice.

It feels like coming home.

My hips move faster and thrusts get rougher as we rocket towards a climax when suddenly, every single one of my supe sides still. A warm sensation moves from her body to mine, like a tendrils of energy caressing my skin. Our eyes meet as my hound struggles to break free to respond to whatever she’s doing to us—which, hopefully, isn’t emerging for the first time. That’s the last thought I have before I lose myself to the beast inside of me, and my body drills hers into the bed with the power of a hellhound unleashed.

When her orgasm hits, I raise my head and let out a roar that rattles the window panes. She screams and holds on so tightly it feels like her arms are going to break bones as our bodies begin to still. The fire in my veins fades once I come, making way for the cool breeze associated with the bird. It feels like something inside of her called to my powers, and now they’ve laid claim to the woman beneath me. I don’t know how to feel or what to do about it, so I whisper the first thing that comes to mind, “ Drugar.”

The hound has declared his intent, and the bird agrees. My other powers are surprisingly quiet now and I don’t know why.

Shaking my head as my frame trembles and my mind races, I look down at the woman who defined my past and seems to be taking over my future—Jolene is out cold. At least that gives me time to figure out what in the hell I’m going to do about my inner supes claiming an unemerged girl who may still hate me as their mate.

Just fucking great.