Syn flicked her long hair over her shoulder. “Kellen, did I ask you for your permission?” She drew his name out in a long drawl. “I don’t believe I need to ask you if I may leave my home. The alarm was lifted, hence I’m here.”
“She’s itching for a fight,” Lyric whispered.
I had figured that out. Why, was the question. Placing her hands on her hips, exposed by her barely there daisy dukes, Syn stared her brother down. Her gaze raked over him, then around the room. Who she was looking for, I wasn’t sure. Testosterone levels increased so much that my wolf itched to push Lyric behind me. Several growls echoed around the otherwise quiet space.
“I came to tell you the police have heard of a disturbance. Luckily, I was dating the chief a couple of weeks back, and he called to see if I was okay. You know how they hate coming this far outside the city. However, the sheriff’s department doesn’t have such an affliction.”
At the mention of her dating, or whatever, the big man named Bodhi stomped out from behind the bar. “What the fuck do you mean, you were dating the chief?” he asked, his dark eyes blacker than the blackest night.
Syn shrugged. “Let’s work on getting this place cleaned up if we plan to open any time soon.” She didn’t so much as walk, but sashay across the blood-and-dirt-filled room, carefully stepping over bodies as if it were an everyday occurrence and she was the queen of the castle.
“Um, baby, do you dress like that?” I tilted my head in the direction the other woman had disappeared.
Lyric laughed. “I’m not sure where she found those shorts. I think they’re from like ninth grade, but they got the response she was looking for.”
“If you mean she has her brother ready to rip every man’s head off and Bodhi’s blood vessel in his right temple ready to explode, then, yes, mission accomplished.”
“Yep, that’s exactly what I mean,” Lyric agreed.
We worked as a team to clean up the mess left behind by the fight. I was surprised when the fallen wolves didn’t shift back to men until Kellen explained that when shifters died in their shifted form, they stayed that way. The biggest problem we faced now was that we were unable to learn their identities, leaving the question of why we were attacked unresolved.
“Did you find Taya?” Lyric asked as we loaded up into my big truck.
I turned to look at the bar, a scowl on my face. “Yeah, she’s a little worse for wear, but she’ll recover.”
Lyric shook her head. “Xan cares about her, but she’s not his mate. I’m glad she’s okay. She’ll probably head back home to Mystic, South Dakota. That’s where she’s originally from.”
“Is there another pack there?” I asked, thinking I really needed to learn more.
“Yes. I don’t know all the details, just that she has family there.”
I felt sorry for the other woman, but my first worry was for my own mate. I wanted to get her back to my place and shower the stink of fighting and death off both of us before I made love to her. I’d heard the word mate bandied about, saw the flash of fear in Lyric’s eyes every time. I knew what it meant on some levels. My own mind had flashed the word to me earlier. My wolf wanted her and no other, and so did I. We both needed to let our woman know she was it for us. Mate. She was our mate. Our woman. My wolf settled as I accepted it.
I laced my fingers through hers. We’d both washed our hands and faces. However, our clothes, and everything from our necks to our toes, were covered in dirt and grime. When I pulled into the garage, Lyric’s fingers loosened, but mine tightened, pulling her across the seat and out my door. After the night I’d had, the fear of what could have happened to her, I wasn’t sure I could let Lyric out of my sight for the foreseeable future. She didn’t seem to mind, wrapping her legs around my waist as I maneuvered us through my quiet home. My bare feet left traces of what we’d been through on the tile and wood. How I’d explain the mess to my housekeeper, I had no clue, nor did I care.
Ignoring the big bed that dominated my bedroom, I carried my precious woman into my en suite. The luxurious room was one I’d spared no expense on.
“Do you like this outfit, darlin’?”
“Oh, fuck, no. Get it off me.” Lyric locked her legs around my waist, pulling her T-shirt off, trusting me to hold her up.
The tiled shower drew me, but I could also picture setting her on the double vanity with the mirror behind it. The height would be perfect for me to sit Lyric on the edge while I fucked her, or I could bend her over and watch her expression in the mirror as I pounded into her from behind.
“What has that look on your face?” Lyric bit at my lower lip.
I captured her mouth with my own, telling her in explicit detail what I’d imagined doing to her. “Holy fuck me running. You keep that shit up, and I’m liable to come in my panties.”
A growl escaped me at her words, and the smell of her arousal let me know she was telling the truth. I used my strength to unlock her feet from behind me, stripping the remaining clothes from both of us. “Why, you little liar. You don’t have any panties on.” I swatted her behind. The playful tap had the fleshy little cheek bouncing. A pink flush covered her face.
“Oopsie, I must have left them back at the clubhouse.” She blinked over her shoulder at me, smiling playfully.
Damn, I loved her and her dirty mouth. “In you go.” I watched her look at the large, decadent shower with the wide shelf built into one wall. When I’d had the blueprints drawn up, I’d had it designed with the sole purpose of sex in mind. The builder had raised his eyebrows, probably did a little math, and came up with the exact height of me, but I didn’t care. I’d wanted to be able to set my wife on the ledge and be at the perfect height to slide between her legs.
With a few button presses, the multi-head showers came on. I allowed a few minutes for the water to warm up before I settled Lyric in front of them. Taking the time to wash her and then myself nearly killed me. Her breathing had turned into little pants. My mate was clean, and my dick twitched to be inside her. I sat her on the platform, wedging my hips between her legs. Her pussy was right there, glistening with arousal all for me.
“Mate. I like it. No.” I shook my head, water droplets flying. “I love that word. From what I know about wolves, that means life. Right?” My cock poised at her entrance. Her startled gasp had me smiling.
Chapter Thirteen
