Stealing Their Harley, page 6
It isn’t lost on me that he didn’t say they’d never kill someone. Just that they are picky about who they do kill. That can’t be good.
“We knew that he was desperate if he came to us offering his life, though,” Kacen clarifies, crossing his arms over his chest. “He didn’t care about his own life. He only wanted to save you and your mother. For that reason and the fact that we are essentially rivals with the Dawnfall pack, it made the decision to help him relatively easy.”
My mind swirls with all the new information I’ve been given. I have no reason to doubt them. I watched Dawson turn into a wolf. I know wolf shifters are real now. I can’t and won’t deny what I saw. They have done nothing to harm me and they seem genuine in their need to protect me. For reasons I’m not sure I’m ready to explore, it hurts my heart that they only see me as a job. They said it themselves, they would never be with a human. Why does that news make me so damned sad?
“I think I’m going to go get a drink of water,” I announce and spring to my feet. Alekai and Kacen blink in surprise, but they both nod together.
Without another word, I spin, slide past Dawson, and rush out of the room. I need a few minutes to gather myself and it’s next to impossible when I’m in their presence.
Chapter 7
Thanks to my failed attempt at escape yesterday, I know exactly where to find the kitchen. Locating a glass for some water is a completely different story. While the kitchen is on the smaller side, it has an abundance of cabinets in a whitewashed tone. Circling around the peninsula, I check the pantry first. No luck. I move on to the upper cabinets. After opening and closing several of the doors, I grow frustrated and groan out loud.
A chuckle behind me startles me and I spin quickly to find Alekai leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. It accentuates the muscles and I can’t help but appreciate the view for a few long seconds.
“The cups are above the coffee maker,” he tells me, not commenting on the fact that I had stood there, ogling him for at least a full minute.
I glance toward the cabinet above the coffee maker and sigh. Of course, the one cabinet I hadn’t checked yet, would be it. “Thanks,” I mutter as I open the door and find a treasure chest of coffee mugs and glasses. Selecting a small beveled glass, I close the door.
“I know this is a lot to take in, Harley,” Alekai says with a sigh. He runs a hand through his light brown hair. “It’s killing me that you’re so upset and frustrated.”
“I never said I was upset or frustrated,” I counter while pressing the button on the fridge for crushed ice. If one thing can make my day better, it’s crushed ice. I love the stuff.
“You didn’t have to say it.” Alekai’s voice comes from right behind me and I startle, nearly dropping my glass.
I turn slowly and come face to chest with him. I tilt my head up and the air rushes from my lungs. I watch his eyes go from honey brown to shining silver. “We can sense and scent your emotions. Like right now, I know you’re turned on by me.”
I shiver. I should be embarrassed but I must be a deviant because him knowing just makes me burn a little hotter. “Is…” I have to stop and swallow a couple of times to wet my dry throat before I can speak again. “Is that something you all can do? Sense… and uh... smell other people’s emotions?”
Alekai shakes his head and takes a step closer to me. I step back, my back meeting with the fridge door. I cradle the glass in my hand, holding it to my chest. “No, the three of us can only pick up on your emotions and each other’s. No one else.”
“Why is that?” I wonder, tilting my head further to meet his gaze better. I lick my bottom lip, waiting on his answer.
He ducks his head slowly, his attention moving from my eyes to my lips. He takes the glass from my hand, setting it on the counter next to me. “When the time is right, I’ll explain that to you. Right now, I need to kiss you before I go insane.”
“Yes, please,” I breathe out just before he nips at my bottom lip.
I gasp and he takes advantage of it, kissing me with such intensity it knocks me breathless. He growls into the kiss and leans down, wrapping his hands around my thighs and lifting me. My legs go around his waist, the evidence of our kiss pressing against my center. I whimper and press myself closer to him as he walks us away from the fridge to place me firmly on the counter. His hand comes up to fist in my hair and he angles my head to deepen our kiss.
My hands roam over his chest until I find the hem of his shirt, my fingers inching underneath to find the smooth, hard planes of his abs. Alekai runs his hands up my thighs, his thumbs caressing the insides, making me squirm.
“Jesus.”
The whispered curse pulls me from my lust-filled fog and I push Alekai away with a shocked yelp. Dawson and Kacen stand in the entryway to the kitchen with identical expressions on their faces. The only problem is, I can’t decipher what the expression is. Of course, it has to be anger, right? I mean I just made out with their best friend, basically their brother. I’ve kissed all of them and it hasn’t even been a full day. Why can’t I control myself around them? Every nerve ending in my body screams at me to be close to them, as close as physically possible. I’ve never had such intense feelings for anyone before. Maybe that’s why I’m still a virgin. What a horrible time for my libido to kick in. It can’t be normal to want to jump three guys at once. I have to be broken somehow.
My actions might make them want to throw me out on my ass, or worse, have them get angry with each other. The idea of causing any of the guys to be upset has my chest constricting painfully. I burst into tears and rush from the room with a muttered apology. I can’t seem to control myself around them, so I need to just lock myself in the room they gave me until they tell me to take a hike.
Thankfully there’s a lock on the door and I flip it before the three men rushing after me get a chance to come in. I’m not ready for them to throw me out yet. Not because there’s a pack of wolf shifters after me. No, I’m not ready to leave them because my heart would break if I did. The more I’m around them, the more they touch me and talk to me, the more I need to be with them.
The tears won’t stop and I throw myself on the bed, covering my head with a pillow to drown out their calls for me. I don’t know what I’m supposed to say to them. Sorry I can’t keep my hormones in check around the three of you, do you mind if I jump you guys while I’m here? I’m sure that would go over really well.
A sudden thought occurs to me and I gasp in horror. What if they have mates? Oh, my god! What was I thinking? If one or all of them have mates and I’m going around making out with them, I’ll likely have three pissed off she-wolves out for blood when they go back home. The thought of them leaving me, returning to their true loves, has my chest tightening once again. I turn to my side and curl up into myself, desperate for the ache to subside. I wish I could call Rico and ask him what I should do. He always gives the best advice.
Thinking of him only makes me cry harder. I miss my best friend. I miss my mother. I even miss my father, though I’d never admit that to him. I don’t know how long I lie there, but it’s long enough for me to watch the sun slowly set through the window beside the bed. My eyes grow heavy after a while and I allow myself to succumb to sleep as the moon rises high in the sky.
I don’t stay asleep long, though. I wake in a cold sweat, my heart racing and my body aching. Chills rack my body and I know the fever is back with a vengeance. I feel weak and tired. If I could just sleep, I’m sure I would feel a lot better, but every time I fall asleep, I wake not long after in worse condition. I try to sit up, and the room spins and my stomach rolls. I haven’t had anything to eat since breakfast two days ago and right now, I’m counting my blessings for having an empty stomach. The dizziness becomes too much and I fall back onto the bed. As I lie shivering from the worsening fever, the sun peeks over the horizon, giving rise to a new day. After what feels like forever, I hear the guys outside my door again. They call for me, but I’m too weak to answer them. Whatever illness I have, it came back with a vengeance.
“You’re not going to break her door down, Alekai,” Dawson sighs. I want to yell for him to let Alekai break the damn door down, but it takes all my energy to simply stay awake at this point.
“You guys go make something to eat, I’ll talk to her.” Kacen’s suggestion earns him several growls. His take charge attitude is clearly not going over well with Dawson and Alekai.
“Fine. Be that way.” I hear Kacen’s resigned voice as the door handle jiggles. My heart leaps. I need them right now and I’m desperate for them to get the door open.
When my heart jumps, they pause their bickering. “Harley? Can you hear us, love?”
I want to answer Dawson, but all I can manage is a small whimper.
“Open the door, Harley!” This time it’s Alekai and he sounds as desperate as I feel. “Open it or I’ll open it for you.”
Again, I whimper as I try to tell him to come in. The door handle jiggles once more, then the sound of metal crunching meets my ears and a gust of air rushes over me as the door opens.
Kacen reaches me first, lifting me from the bed and cradling me close to his chest as he sits down on the bed. “She’s on fire again.” I snuggle into his chest, relishing the relief it brings.
Alekai sits down on Kacen’s right side and rests his lips against my forehead and inhales deeply. “It’s worse this time. Kacen , I’m worried. What the hell is going on?”
Dawson takes a seat on Kacen’s left and picks up my feet to rest them on his lap. He massages them gently and frowns at me. “What should we do?”
“I don’t know,” Kacen huffs out in frustration. “Maybe we can call my father, or the pack doctor? I’m not sure he would know what to do with a sick human, though.”
“Wait,” Alekai whispers. His hand comes to rest on my forehead and the three of them sit still for several long moments. I wait too, wondering what he’s thinking. “It feels like her fever is going away.”
I blink up at him, taking stock of my body, and realize he’s right. The chills are subsiding and the aches and pains are fading. I sigh with relief and relax under the touch of all three of them.
“It’s like her body rejects being apart from us,” Dawson muses. “As soon as we’re with her again, she’s fine. First when Alekai found her, then again yesterday morning after she’d been in here alone all night, and again now. The more she’s around us, the more her body rejects being apart from us.”
“What’s wrong with me?” I whisper, finally finding my voice again. “Why do I feel like I can’t be away from you. My body feels like its dying when the distance between us is too great. This isn’t normal. Why do I feel so drawn to the three of you? I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, let alone three men at the same time.”
“Nothing about us is normal, sweets,” Alekai tries to joke, but it falls flat. He swallows hard and turns to Kacen. “We need to tell her.”
“Tell me what?” I try to wiggle out of their hold, but three sets of hands tighten, keeping me in place. It doesn’t take much to keep me from breaking away. I truly don’t want to move, so I don’t fight them. They bring me a level of comfort I’ve never known and if I could stay in their arms for the rest of my life, I’d die happy.
Still, they’re keeping something from me and I need to know what it is. Especially if it involves me.
“Baby, you mean more to us than we let on yesterday,” Kacen admits quietly.
I struggle to sit up, and this time they allow it. They continue to touch me somehow, though. Dawson keeps my feet on his lap, Kacen has his arms around my waist, and Alekai holds my hand in his, rubbing his thumb in comforting circles.
Kacen glances at Dawson who nods, then Alekai who also nods. He focuses back on me and takes a deep breath. “You’re our mate, Harley. You belong to the three of us.”
Chapter 8
I scramble off Kacen’s lap, my feet firmly back on the wooden floor. I stalk backward, placing some distance between the four of us. “Come again?”
“It’s true, love,” Dawson whispers. His eyes hold fear and I wonder why.
My head is moving back and forth so fast, denying their words, it makes me dizzy. I raise my hand, pointing a finger at the three of them. As I spill each word, my finger jabs out toward them, emphasizing my point. “That’s not possible. You said yourselves, you can’t have human mates. Now you expect me to believe I’m your mate? What are you playing at?”
“We aren’t playing at anything, Harley.” Alekai hops off the bed and takes a step toward me, but I maintain the distance, stepping backward. The hurt in his eyes causes my chest to squeeze but I ignore the guilt that it sparks. “We don’t understand why this is happening any more than you do. It shouldn’t be possible for you to be our mate, but we know you are.” He reaches out a hand and takes another step forward. Slowly, like you would approach a cornered animal. I flinch and push away the guilt when I see his eyes sadden at the rejection. He lowers his arm and pleads, “The second I touched you in the woods, Harley, I knew you were mine. Then the same thing happened to Kacen and Dawson.”
“This doesn’t make any sense.” I squeeze my eyes tight, fighting against the anger and frustration. “You can’t all be mated to the same person, let alone a human. You said it yourself.”
Dawson bites his lip and slides off the bed. He doesn’t make a move toward me, though. “Actually, we can. In our world, it’s not uncommon for several shifters to be mated to each other. We’ve known from our first shift that the three of us would share a mate. It’s what brought us together to begin with and we formed a stronger bond as brothers along the way. We’ve always known it would be the three of us and our mate. We were just waiting for you.”
“Is this bond the reason I can’t resist you guys? The reason I find myself attracted to you, even against my better judgement?” I wonder aloud. At least then I would know I’m not going insane.
Alekai barks out a laugh and wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, the previous hurt now gone from his gaze. “I knew you couldn’t resist me, sugar.”
“Shut up.” I roll my eyes but can’t stop the grin tickling my lips. He’s such an ass but at least he’s adorable.
“The answer to your question is sort of,” Kacen offers with a tilt of his head. “You likely feel a pull to us because of the bond we have, but the attraction is a different story. You can’t force that. If you’re attracted to the three of us, that’s all you.”
“Like a head versus the heart kind of thing?” I ask, relaxing slightly. At least there’s a reason behind the pull I feel for them. Yep, no insanity plea for me.
Dawson perks up and smiles proudly at me and my heart soars. “Exactly like that. Your heart can’t resist the pull, but if you want to resist us, your head would allow it. It’s the reason that rejecting a mate is possible. Incredibly rare, but possible.”
“I could reject you guys if I wanted to?” I don’t think I could ever do such a thing to them. In a few short days, they’ve come to mean so much to me.
Three handsome faces pale as the guys exchange terrified glances. “Is that what you want, love?” The heartbreak in Dawson’s tone has me rushing to him, wrapping my arms around his waist, and melting into him.
“Of course not, Dawson,” I whisper softly to him. “I’m just trying to wrap my head around all of this. I’m trying to understand everything. It doesn’t make sense for the three of you to want me. I don’t see how that could ever work out.”
He puffs out his chest and lets out a big sigh of relief. His arms come around me and he hugs me back, kissing the top of my head. “You can ask any questions and we will answer them all, love. But I want one thing to be clear.” He pulls back and takes my face in his hands, his thumb skimming my lower lip. “This will work, I swear it will.” He slowly lowers his mouth to mine in a sweet, soft kiss that leaves me wanting more.
“See,” Alekai chirps, gesturing between me and Dawson. “That doesn’t bother me at all. It turns me the fuck on, though.”
“Same.” Kacen gives me a sexy grin then fist bumps Alekai, before turning his serious gaze to me. “Just give us a chance to prove to you this can work. You’re already here, under our protection until your dad deals with his situation and locates your mother. Let us use this time to show you we want this.”
It doesn’t take a lot of arguing from them for me to agree. I don’t want to resist the feelings I have around them anymore. Now that I understand a little more about where such strong, sudden emotions for each of them come from, I need to explore them. Knowing we need this time, I find myself nodding easily. “Okay, I’ll give the three of you a chance.”
Before I can blink, I’m surrounded by three men who take turns hugging and kissing me. I’m so overwhelmed, I can’t do anything but kiss them back and try to hold in all the emotions coursing through me.
“Let’s feed you, sugar,” Alekai suggests, breaking up the hug fest. “It’s been way too long since you last ate, I’m sure.”
As if on cue, my stomach lets out a loud growl and he shoots me a knowing smirk. “Do you guys have super hearing?”
We follow Alekai to the kitchen, Dawson never letting my hand go. It comforts me, so I don’t mind.
“We do,” Kacen answers my question. “All of our senses are ten times stronger than that of a human. With you, we can sense your emotions as well.”
“Yeah, Alekai told me that yesterday.” I remember our heated make out session in the kitchen and blush. “Is that because I’m your, erm, mate?”
“Unfortunately for you, it’s a shifter thing,” Kacen explains as he takes a seat on one of the bar stools around the peninsula. “Mates can sense the emotions of each other. Even though there’s nothing sexual about the bond I have with Alekai and Dawson, I know what they’re feeling at all times. The same applies to you now as well.”
