Overwhelmingly Precious [Werewolves of Hanson Mall 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (7 page)

“Like your parents?”

“Hell yes.” Quintana had to stop and center herself before she spoke again. And she needed to remember Georgia was listening, too. “My father was the youngest of five brothers and he was human as well. So he was very much the runt of the litter. For years I’ve been trying to get my mother to let me put money in her bank account but she refuses. She says she couldn’t buy things for herself when others don’t have money. So I pay for her cell phone and she can use that as much as she wants without it annoying other members of the pack. I’d like to do more for her but that’s all she’ll permit me to give her.”

“They all need a damn good meal,” said Keelan.

“Fuck, yes. They all look like they’re on one of those weight loss program advertisements,” said Georgia.

“No. What they really need is proper advice on how to make a living for themselves. Years ago the Hanson Mall pack Alpha took the radically different approach of selling the pack’s land and building the mall. What this Alpha needs to do is work out a pathway forward that will bring new life and health into his pack,” said Wynn.

Quintana gasped. He was absolutely correct. Wynn was obviously not young and immature. He’d clearly put his finger on exactly what her old pack needed to do to survive and thrive.

“Do you think he’ll contact the Supreme?” asked Keelan.

“I don’t know. I’ve been gone too long to guess at how he’ll react to things. In the past I would have said no, but he must have noticed his pack’s problems and I suspect he knows he can’t solve them alone. It’d be a question of pride though, not to admit to anyone else there even is a problem. Wolves are very proud.”

“But they’re also very protective. It must pain him a lot that he can’t provide properly for his pack,” said Keelan.

“I don’t know if he’d have the will or the skills to do something new. Your old Alpha was a man of vision as well as strong enough to enthuse his pack and get them behind him. He was a true leader, having both the ability to see what needed to be done, and also the charisma to enthuse the pack to follow him down that road.”

“Is the Alpha the same man who was Alpha when you were with the pack?” asked Georgia.

“Yes. There was another Alpha when I was a baby, but this Alpha is the only one I’ve ever known.”

“In that case, he must have the respect of the pack or he wouldn’t still be in charge. Wynn, we need to work out how to get them to agree to answer our questions. Then we can build relationships with the pack and then they’ll trust us when we ask them to get help to solve their problems,” said Georgia.

That all sounded good to Quintana but she had absolutely no idea how they’d do it.

* * * *

Georgia had an apartment in the Hanson pack’s apartment block, so Wynn dropped her off there. Keelan was almost certain he wouldn’t take Quintana to her apartment but would take her back to the mall. At least he really hoped so. He longed to hold her again. To kiss her and make love to her. Besides, they hadn’t eaten yet and he was hungry.

Wynn stopped at a burger store. “I’m hungry. Does anyone mind if we eat here?”

“I’m hungry, too,” said Keelan, but his gaze was on Quintana. What would she say?

“I wish I could get my mother to accept some money. I’m sure she doesn’t eat enough.”

Keelan helped Quintana out of the car and tucked her against his side as they walked into the store. “Could you get her food she could share with other people? Would that work?” he asked.

Quintana frowned and looked thoughtful. It was a long time before she answered. “I guess not. I suppose that’s why she’s only accepted the cell phone from me. She can make calls and texts, take pictures, and check her e-mail, or play games on the Internet, so it amuses her and keeps her in touch with the real world. I’m not sure the pack is completely grounded in the outside world and she lived outside the pack for a while.”

Keelan picked up her hand and held it. “Yet your mom chose to return to the farm.”

“Yes she did, and she always says she’s happy there. She has friends and it’s been her family, too, for so many years that it’s home to her.”

Keelan wanted her to smile and relax, but she needed to keep talking about the farm until whatever was worrying her was out of her system. It was just that he didn’t really know what to say to her to help. So he held her hand, stroking her fingers until their burgers were served. He handed her the soda she’d asked for and teased her, “What, not one of those green things again?”

“A green lantern is only for special occasions.”

But she was smiling at them, so he was pleased about that.

“What we need to do is what Georgia said. Work out how to get them to agree to join in the genealogy project,” said Wynn.

“That’s dead easy. Offer them money. It’s obvious the Alpha will jump at it,” answered Quintana.

“But how can you do that? Is there funding for the project? I mean it’s the Hanson pack which pays for your airfare and so on isn’t it?” asked Keelan. It wasn’t something he’d ever discussed with Wynn before. He’d just assumed as a Hanson pack member the pack covered his expenses.

“It’s a little more complicated than that. There is a budget which pays for things like airfare. When Georgia or I travel to other packs they provide our meals and accommodation and anything else we need. Basically the host pack covers our expenses. But the Supreme gives us a budget for more general expenses like the time I flew to Europe.”

“Yet this would be the exact opposite. Instead of the pack covering your expenses, the pack would be asking for payment. I don’t know that it’s possible,” said Keelan. He wanted the Simon pack to be involved and he could clearly see they needed help, but he wasn’t at all sure the other packs would contribute to funding for them.

Keelan stared at Quintana. She was eating her fries thoughtfully, stabbing each one separately and chewing it slowly. She was so lovely. She was everything he wanted and needed but he could tell her old pack was going to come between them unless something could be done to help them move forward in a healthy way. “Can we think of any other way to get them to help us?” he asked.

For the rest of the meal they talked about the project, but really, it was completely voluntary. It was just that up until now, there’d always been someone willing to help, usually an older person who knew much of the pack’s history.

“Your mother has that cell phone. Would she be willing to be interviewed, do you think?” asked Wynn.

Keelan smiled. He hadn’t thought of that as a solution.

“Maybe. When she’s alone. I think she spends most of her days with the other women, but is alone at night.”

“Would you ask her for us please? She wouldn’t even need to tell anyone what she was doing. All she has to do is tell us if she knows of other humans and where they fit in the family tree,” said Wynn.

“Okay.” Quintana put down her fork and took out her cell phone, her fingers flying over the face of it as she texted her mother. The phone beeped almost immediately with the reply.

“What did she say?” asked Keelan.

“She says to wait. She thinks the Alpha might talk to the Supreme.”

“Really? Wow that’d be awesome,” said Wynn.

“What would be even better is if you would come home with us again tonight, Quintana. Will you please?” asked Keelan.

Please say yes.

* * * *

The day had been far more stressful than Wynn liked. First he’d been hopeful of getting a lot of new information and new leads for the project. Then he’d thought perhaps the evening would end with him and Keelan in bed with Quintana. Both of those things would be perfect conclusions to his day. Instead he’d found the pack not doing well—which hurt him because he knew it would pain Quintana. But that they weren’t prepared to solve their problems was even worse. Some packs had the misfortune of choosing an unsuitable Alpha. However that problem usually resolved itself as a more suitable person rose and took over the leadership. But a pack struggling to survive was sheer pain. They needed hope and a future but the only way to achieve that was by moving away from their traditions and they had to actively make a decision to forge a new path. Well, perhaps the Alpha was going to do that. Wynn certainly hoped so. And maybe he would soon be in bed again with Quintana. That would be even better.

Wynn kept his gaze on Quintana while they were waiting for her answer. She was looking down at the table, idly turning her fork over and over in her hand. He wondered if she even realized she was doing it as she thought.

“Thank you. I’d like that,” she said.

Wynn relaxed. He wanted to jump up and yell with joy but instead he simply said, “No, thank
you
.”

They went back to the car, and Keelan slid into the backseat, leaving him to open Quintana’s door so she could sit up front with him. He was grateful that Keelan was so scrupulously fair about sharing Quintana with him. Keelan didn’t treat him as the annoying younger cousin, but as an equal partner, and that meant a lot to Wynn. He respected Keelan even more for his evenhanded approach and genuine care for both himself and Quintana.

This time it was Keelan who carried Quintana into the bedroom, so Wynn hurried ahead to pull down the blankets and switch on the small light, draping the red silk scarf over it again. He also rummaged in the nightstand and brought out lube and condoms. Tonight might be too soon, but one day he hoped she’d let them fuck her together. If they were to truly be a family—and he sure as fuck hoped she’d agree to that plan—he and Keelan needed to both be inside her together. But it was very soon in their relationship really. They’d interviewed her and taken her to Sam’s. That was their first date. They’d been to the movies. That was their second date. He was hoping today counted as their third date.

When Keelan set her on the bed Wynn kneeled at her feet and raised an eyebrow at Keelan. Wynn was certain Keelan knew what he wanted to say, but it appeared he was going to let Wynn ask.

Okay, I can do that.

“Quintana, you understand that we both want you.”

She nodded but didn’t say anything. Apparently he needed to keep talking.

“For us to truly share you, that means we both need to fuck you. Together.”

“I can count.”

Her answer surprised him. It wasn’t at all what he’d expected.

“So was that a yes?”

“It was, as long as you both understand I’ve never done this before so am not exactly experienced.”

Wynn sat beside her on the bed and hugged her. “I think we’ll manage to work out how to do it.”

“It starts with us all getting undressed, and maybe a shower would be good since it’s been a long day,” said Keelan.

Wynn slipped her shoes off, and then unbuttoned her shirt. He kicked his own footwear off and then hurried into the bathroom to turn on the water, while Keelan undressed Quintana some more. While he was there he stripped off the rest of his clothing. By the time he returned to the bedroom, Quintana was wearing only her bra and panties, and Keelan was trying to remove his own pants while kissing her. Wynn stepped behind her and unsnapped her bra, then gently tugged on the scrap of green silk and lace that hid her luscious cunt. As he pulled it down, he licked a line down her spine to the top of her gently rounded ass. He licked and nibbled across her butt cheeks until she moved away from Keelan and said breathlessly, “The shower, remember?”

Keelan led the way into the bathroom and Wynn held Quintana’s elbow as she stepped into the tub. His brain knew she’d been getting in and out of the shower for many years without any help, but he couldn’t stop himself wanting to look after her. She was his and he needed to protect her.

Wynn stood behind Quintana and unraveled her amazing hair. It was very long, almost down to her waist, and it fell in waves which he found enchanting.

“Does your hair always form waves or is it because of the braid?” he asked.

“It does a bit. The braid makes them more uniform, though,” she replied.

“It’s beautiful.”

Wynn lifted the bottle of shampoo from the shelf, that Keelan had bought specially for her. He filled his palm with the sweet-smelling pink stuff, and then massaged it into her hair. It smelled of strawberries and foamed up into a pinky-white froth that he worked all through her hair. He left it there and used his soapy hands to rub over her shoulders and down her back to her ass.

Damn, her butt was beautiful. Round and perfect, it was all soft flesh with an underlying core of muscle. Regretfully he moved lower to wash her legs. They were beautiful, too. Long, lean, and straight, and they led down to dainty feet. She was completely perfect with no defect anywhere and he loved every inch of her amazing body.

Keelan nodded at Wynn over Quintana’s hair. Since Keelan was beginning to rinse the shampoo off her long mane, Wynn assumed this was a hint to scoop up some of the bubbles and gently massage them around her ass. He cupped her butt in his hands, rubbing and smoothing the foam everywhere, but gradually concentrating on the crack and then inserting the tip of his finger in her ass.

Collecting more bubbles he softened the outer ring of muscles, until he could slide his finger deep inside her intense heat, and then he began softening her internal tissues until she was moaning and thrusting back onto his finger. Now Wynn added a second finger to her passage, scissoring them to open her wide enough for a cock. Maybe his, or possibly Keelan’s, it didn’t really matter which of them was first. She was theirs and if it wasn’t his turn tonight it would be soon.

Keelan had his mouth on her breasts, and his fingers in her cunt. Wynn matched him stroke for stroke in her ass, until her moans grew louder and her hips thrust backward and forward between his hand and Keelan’s.

When she broke she came hard, her body shivering between his and Keelan’s. They both held her arms until she stopped shaking, and then they quickly rinsed her clean in the water. Wynn stepped out of the tub, grabbing a fresh towel to wrap around her. Her hair was dripping down her back so he handed her a second towel, then watched in amazement as she bent over, wrapped it around her head, stood upright, and her hair had completely disappeared into a turban.