Rome and Jules, page 7
His father smiled. “My, you do ask the right questions, Rome.”
“Makes sense.”
“At first I thought Anthony’s theory was wild talk, but after looking into it a bit more, I think there could be a chance Anderson wants to take over Havilland’s pack.”
“No shit?” He clapped a hand to his mouth. “Excuse me.”
“You’re excused. In fact, that’s what Lawrence and I have been discussing. I don’t think it’s good for Siracusa pack to have Anderson take over. Yes, he’s more stable but also more acquisitive and greedy. He’s a loose cannon. No, we want to make a move that prevents such a possibility. Have you had further contact with the female, Rhonda?”
He couldn’t control the frown.
Lawrence put a hand on his back. “I had understood that you were interested in her.” His voice as always was soft and lyrical, like water dripping into a Japanese pond.
“She’s not very bright. I can’t imagine being saddled with her, and I don’t think she’d be a fitting Siracusa female.”
“Ah, I see.” His grandfather gazed at him steadily. Rome tried to meet his eyes and failed.
His father said, “But I’ve also investigated her. She’s far more influential than you told us, Rome. Her father is Wendell Montgomery’s brother. She’s Ty’s cousin and very pure Havilland blood.”
“What do you care about Havilland blood?” Rome scowled and tried to control the edge in his voice. “Didn’t you just call them overbred?”
His father gave that canny-as-a-wolf smile. “I don’t care, but other Havillands do.”
Rome breathed. He could barely get the words out. He’d told himself his father just wanted to use a Havilland female to spy on his enemy. Now? Whoa. “So you’re really thinking of trying to form an alliance with Havilland by marriage?”
“Rome, you’re a very smart male. For one so young, you have remarkable powers of observation and judgment.”
“You seriously think you can carry it off?” He swallowed.
“We’re exploring the possibilities, but to do it we need to preempt this Anderson atrocity.” He leaned forward intently. “So far as we know, Rhonda is the only Havilland female of high rank who might be amenable to an approach by a Siracusa.”
His belly flipped. “I don’t think we’ve really explored the field.”
His father sat back. “Then it’s time to get to exploring, and I mean fast. Find an available Havilland who’s open to a liaison and make sure she has influence in the pack, as I’m told this Rhonda does. Do it soon, Rome. Now. Time’s wasting and we don’t know what Anderson’s planning.”
“Sir, why me?”
His father’s gaze bored into him. “Because you’re my only unmarried son, of course. But more importantly, for the very reasons I mentioned. You’re smart, observant, and have excellent powers of critical thinking. You’re true alpha material.”
“But—”
He held up a hand. “It will come. I’m sure of it.”
Lawrence’s hand pressed against Rome’s back. His father had breached protocol by alluding to alpha advantage to one who hadn’t yet demonstrated that he possessed it. He had to be pretty certain Rome would be an alpha.
For the first time, Rome would have been happy not to have his father’s good opinion.
Chapter Eight
DON’T wanna. Don’t wanna. Don’t wanna.
Rome munched eggs Benedict and glanced covertly around the club dining room toward the tables of Havillands. Like on most Sundays, all the families gathered at their own tables, mated pairs at both ends and children between. Some groups were so big with children’s children’s children that they needed two and three tables.
Yes, he was supposed to be scanning for females, but his eyes had a mind of their own. Oh shit, he’s so beautiful.
Jules sat at the Havilland alpha table between his father and Anderson. Closest to the windows based on rank, the Havilland table allowed sunlight to shine off Jules’s hair and glint from his cheekbones. Those were the cheekbones below the saddest eyes anywhere. Rome’s heart squeezed.
Havilland wove a little in his chair, and the glass in front of him looked more like a screwdriver than OJ.
Rome felt more than saw his father’s eyes on him. He’d been granted the honor of sitting next to his father at the table, a spot usually reserved for Federico and his wife and two cubs. The honor made him nervous. To those whom much was given, a fucking lot was expected. He said the first thing that popped in his mind. “Havilland’s drunk already.”
“Oh?” His father’s voice sounded—observant. “How do you know?”
Shit! Most wolves couldn’t have seen any details of Havilland’s table, which sat farthest from Siracusa. “Uh, I thought I saw him practically fall out of his chair.” Did that sound reasonable?
“I notice that the girl, Rhonda, sits at the Montgomery table, which is nearest to Havilland.”
“Yes.” He wanted to sigh. He glanced at the table and took a little breath.
“What?”
“Don’t look. Pretend you’re doing something else.”
His father elaborately buttered his toast, and Rome let his eyes rest on the interested glance of—Yolanda Montgomery. Out of her green makeup, she was positively pretty in a formidable sort of way. Made sense. Ty was yummy—if you didn’t count his nasty temper. She glanced at her brother sitting next to her, but he seemed way too busy leaning backward in his chair to tease Donald Anderson at the next table. He wasn’t watching Yolanda. Her lips turned up ever so slightly. Rome let his do the same. Yes, playing with fire, but any reasonable diversion from Rhonda was welcome. Besides, the fact that Yolanda would smile at him was intriguing, and he was enough his father’s son that intrigue compelled him.
Someone at the table spoke to Yolanda, and she turned her head toward them, but her eyes remained on Rome’s for seconds before she finally looked toward the speaker. Rome turned to his father. “Interesting.”
“Tell me.”
“I just got a smile from Yolanda Montgomery.”
“Ty’s sister?”
“Yes, the one I danced with. But, of course, I was in a total mask, so she had no way of knowing who I was. I doubt she could recognize me, and I have no idea why she’d be smiling at me now.”
“But I gather you’d like to find out.” His father grinned.
“Absolutely.”
“Then have at it. The future may depend on your charm and ability to reproduce.” He slapped Rome’s back and laughed.
Barfing was an option.
He looked up and found Jules staring at him. A gaze in which he’d like to drown.
After brunch, the pack families mingled and took advantage of the club’s swimming pool, tennis courts, basketball hoops, gym, and beach—always careful to keep the Havillands and the Siracusas as far apart as venues allowed. Occasionally young wolves from the rival packs would take each other on for bragging rights—the closest to war they could legally get.
Rome wandered out from the locker room into the sunlight, wearing his board shorts and a light shirt he kept unbuttoned. He dressed in “have at it” mode, but there was only one person he really wanted to admire him. He glanced around but didn’t see Jules anywhere. Maybe they’d left.
Merrick came bounding over like the giant puppy he was. “Hey, man, pulling out the big guns, huh?”
“What?” He gave him a grin to show he wasn’t completely in the dark.
“Those are your show-off-the-ass-ets shorts. You can’t fool me. Who you after? Is it Rhonda hunting time?”
He shrugged. Actually telling Merrick his father’s intentions wasn’t wise. “I’m shopping.”
“Nah, you’re the store window, and you’re waiting to see who pushes in their cart.” He laughed.
“Something like that.”
“Holler if you need a wingman. I’ve got a match in five.” Merrick loved his tennis and was wickedly adept.
Rome frowned. “Not with Ty, I hope.”
“Nah. He’s not that stupid. I think he’s playing with Anderson and the Havilland guy.”
Rome’s heart slammed the inside of his ribs. “I’ll walk along with you. Think I might try the beach.”
“Water’s pretty cold, I hear.” They started off down the path toward the courts and beyond them, the entry to the Dark Harbor beach.
Halfway to the courts, the scent of orange blossoms filled Rome’s nose—and his cock. Shit. He fastened two buttons on his shirt so it hung over his incipient erection. He sped up until Merrick laughed, “What’s your hurry?”
“Oh. Sorry.”
“You just want to see what females you can lure behind the sand dunes.” He laughed as they came around the corner and saw two of the courts spread in front of them. On the nearest one, Ty and Anderson slammed a ball back and forth. Anderson had more style, but Ty made up for it in power, and they were well matched.
Standing beside the court in tennis whites was Jules. Oh. My. Wolfgod! His long legs shone a light tan in the bright sun, defined by a beautiful musculature like his chest. The shorts caressed a high, round ass. Heat filled Rome’s chest.
“She-it, who knew Jules Havilland had a body like that? I mean, he looks skinny in clothes.”
If Merrick had been anyone else, Rome might have teased him about noticing male’s asses so often, but no way did he want to make his friend uncomfortable. “Yeah. He’s pretty damned handsome.”
Merrick nodded. “I agree.”
From the court beyond where Anderson and Ty played, Giancarlo Motecito waved a racquet at Merrick. Rome nudged him. “Go play. I’ll see you later.”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“Yeah, well, that gives me a lot of leeway.”
Laughing his puppy laugh, Merrick ran toward the court, and Jules looked up.
Rome didn’t move. Couldn’t, more like. Locked and loaded in a pair of deep blue eyes.
Jules’s lips parted, and Rome heard his own whisper-soft moan.
“Jules! Pay attention. You’re up.”
Jules snapped his head around toward Anderson, who frowned at him and shot Rome a glance of pure unfriendliness.
Whew. Not good. Get the fuck out of here. Rome jogged toward the beach, not even looking back.
JULES trotted up to Donald and grabbed his racquet from the bench at the side of the court. Donald hadn’t stopped frowning since he saw Rome. “What was that all about?”
Jules shot a casual glance in the direction Rome had run off. “Don’t know. I think he saw me and didn’t want to risk confrontation, so he stopped.”
“Oh? Well, you’re about as confronting as a hummingbird.” He barked a laugh.
“I’m the son of the Havilland alpha.” He raised a brow. “And they say if hummingbirds were bigger, they’d be the most dangerous birds on earth. I’m bigger.” He flipped the tail of hair off his shoulder and walked to the other side of the net. Donald had won over Ty, but not by much. Let’s see what he can do with a hummingbird.
As Donald positioned himself for the serve, Ty yelled, “Go, Ronnie. Get him!”
Ronnie? Seriously? His gaze crept down the path toward the beach where Rome had disappeared. What would life be like if he could just walk to the sand and curl up on a blanket beside Rome with no fear?
The ball whizzed past his head, missing his ear by less than an inch. Shit!
Ty cheered, and Donald smirked. Okay, Jules, wake up and smell the testosterone. He grabbed the ball, tossed it in the air, and slammed it across the net so hard it should have penetrated the clay. Donald’s face got suddenly serious. Take that, you asshole.
On Donald’s next serve, Jules returned another slam and set the pace for beating Donald and then Ty in straight sets. He walked off, packed his racquet in its case, stalked past Donald, and paused. He made a flapping motion with his hands. “Cheep, cheep.”
Donald had the good grace to laugh as Jules strode to the clubhouse.
ROME leaned back on his arms and let the sun seep into his bare chest and legs. All around him, young wolves played Frisbee while mothers created sandcastles with the little cubs. Across the beach, on towels of their own, a group of Havilland females giggled and cast him more than a few glances. Farther down the sand, closer to the water, Yolanda stretched on her own towel and read a book. Other pack members gave her a wide berth. Interesting. Was it just because of Ty?
Off to the right, an outcropping of rock separated a small cove from the main gathering area. At night, couples often used the little spot for making out since it could be accessed secretly from the rocks above, but few people went there during the day unless they swam. Might be a good place to meet Jules. Also might be a good place to get a moment’s peace.
Rome got up, brushed off his butt, and walked down the sand toward the water. He waded in ankle-deep. Whoa. Cold as advertised. The tidal surge pulled at his legs. That’d keep the wolves out of the water. Taking a deep breath, he plunged into an oncoming wave and swam under the surf toward the deeper water. It only took a second to adapt to the temperature—another alpha advantage designed to keep alpha wolves alive in extreme weather.
A powerful swimmer, he navigated against the current around the point and back into the quiet cove beyond. He shook himself like a canine and walked out of the surf onto the warm beach. Alone at last. As he’d guessed, no one had braved the swim. Good with him. He scraped his feet through the rocky sand until he made it to the promontory that stuck out into the cove and formed a series of little rooms on the other side. These were the chosen make-out places.
One alcove caught the sun, and he settled down to sit with his back against the rock and think. What the hell am I going to do? To stay with my pack, I need to marry a female and put myself at the center of an alliance that changes the future of Dark Harbor. A marriage that’s a lie. Hell, a life that’s a lie. But that alliance could be so valuable to the pack, a value that resonated in his furry soul.
Can I sacrifice that much? Would changing the werewolf world as he knew it be enough to give up any chance of personal happiness?
Oh wolfgods! If he married a Havilland female, he’d see Jules every day. Married to Donald Anderson and both of them condemned to marriage forever—because there was no divorce in their lives. How long would it take for him to commit an unforgivable sin—or go mad trying not to? Shit. Shit. Shit.
Wait! His nose twitched and his head shot up. Someone’s here! He’d been so engrossed, he hadn’t paid attention. If that was Ty—
“Hello? Rome?”
Female. He stepped out from his hiding place and came face-to-face with Yolanda. “Oh, hi.”
She wore only a black bikini, her strong, curvy body shown off to good advantage, her long dark hair slicked to her head. “Hi. I thought I might be invited.”
“You swam around the point?”
She shook her wet head. “As you see.”
“You’re some swimmer.” He grinned. “Step into my office.” He waved a hand at the alcove.
She chuckled huskily and settled comfortably on the sand. “It took you awhile to know I was here.”
“Dozing.” He sat cross-legged opposite her. What in hell did she want?
She bent her knees and leaned her head on them. “How did you get into and out of our party without getting killed?”
Whoa! “How do you know it was me?” He grinned.
“I didn’t at the time, of course, but then I saw you at the club and noticed your great ass and graceful walk, both of which I’d noted in Batman. Then I saw you with Merrick and figured out Darth Vader was just that cocky. So how’d you do it?”
He shrugged. Think fast. “There’s not much security, even at the party. We waited for a break and sneaked in the kitchen door.”
“Why?”
“Boys will be boys.” He said it with just enough of a question that she laughed.
“Okay, I’m willing to believe you’d do it on a dare. Plus, I see Merrick with his tongue hanging out over vacuous Rhonda, so I imagine she had something to do with it.”
“I’ll never tell.” He held up a hand.
“So why did you dance with me?”
“Damn, female, you are direct.”
“You noticed.” She gave a lazy smile.
“Honestly, I didn’t know who you were or I probably wouldn’t have. It was an unwise situation in which to call attention to myself—-especially with Ty.”
“But you didn’t know who I was, so the question remains. Why did you ask me?”
He looked out at the ocean. “You’re attractive—and you looked alone.”
“Ah. A circumstance to which you relate.” Not a question.
“Why do you say that?”
“Observation.”
“Why don’t the girls like to play with you? Just because of Ty? I mean, hell, he probably won’t kill them.”
She laughed. “No. I just don’t suffer fools, and I’m not interested in a lot of girlie crap. After I turned down about fifty invitations to be someone’s bridesmaid or attend their makeup party, they gave up.”
“Lonely?”
“Not much. You?”
He leveled a gaze at her. “Why would you think I’m lonely? I’ve been a bridesmaid many times.”
She snorted. “You don’t fit in with that nest of gangsters.”
He frowned.
“I don’t exactly mean that in a bad way.”
“How can you be a gangster in a good way?”
“By seeing The Godfather one too many times. I mean, your father’s obviously a smart, capable man, which is more than I can say about my uncle. Your brothers are a bit clichéd but not bad. They just swallowed too much crap about alpha males. You, on the other hand, outshine all of them—smart, open-minded, accessible to change, and dynamic. I think you’re pretty amazing, but I doubt anyone appreciates you—-or knows you, for that matter.” She stopped.
He stared at her.
Her eyes flicked to his face. “That was the end of my paean of praise to your virtues, in case you were waiting for more.”
