Rescuing Their Virgin Mate[Pack Wars-Book 3] (13 page)

Had Clay asked Kurt if they
could stay there for her safety? “Am I in danger?”

“I hope not, but I don’t like
to take chances.” He wrapped an arm around her waist. Something seemed odd
about the offer, but questioning him would only elevate her anxiety. “Are we
going right now?” It was close to midnight.

“As soon as we stop back at
the house to pack a few things.”

She had no idea how far away
this house might be, but if it was on the west coast of Florida, the only
reason to leave now was because Clay knew more than he was saying.

Chapter Nine

Elena felt a little
embarrassed falling asleep in the car on the way to Kurt’s other home.

“We’re here.” Clay cut the
engine and she stretched.

“Sorry, I wasn’t much of a
companion. Where are we?”

“It’s a small town called
Orangeburg. It’s about forty-five minutes south of Gulfside.”

She’d never heard of it. Clay
opened his door and she opened hers. The air was chillier here, but the salt
air smelled refreshing.

He gathered their suitcases.
“Follow me.”

As soon as they neared the
door, lights clicked on. “That’s handy.”

“The place is rigged with all
sorts of cool stuff.”

When they entered, lamplight
lit the cozy living room. The pastels and soft fabrics gave it a lived-in feel,
yet from the carefully placed artwork, it appeared professionally decorated.

“I like it.”

“I do, too. Tomorrow, I’ll
give you the full tour. Let me show you to your room.”

Since she could barely keep
her eyes open, she was good with that. For a moment, she thought Clay might
suggest they share a room, but sleeping alone worked, too. It would give her
time to figure out what she wanted to do.

He pushed a door open and
motioned for her to enter. As soon as she went in, the light from three soft
sconces cast a yellow glow over the room. The king-size bed only took up a
portion of the room. A two-seater sofa, two chairs, and a coffee table huddled
in the far corner.

“This is amazing.”

He chuckled. “Don’t get too
used to the luxury.”

Uh-oh
. “I didn’t mean your place wasn’t nice.”
Yeesh
. She
had a sleep-deprived brain.

“I know. I’m kidding.” He put
down both suitcases and rubbed both of her shoulders.

When he leaned close, her
heart hammered. His lips parted and she thought he’d kiss her. All right, she
wanted him to kiss her.

“Are you going to be okay by
yourself in a strange place?”

The first night at their
house, she said she didn’t want to be alone, but instinctively understood Dirk
was the one for her. As much as there was a strong attraction between her and
Clay, at least on her part, she didn’t think it was reciprocated.

“I’m good.”

“I’ll be next door if you
need anything.”

“Thanks.”

He picked up his suitcase and
walked out.

A small crack split her
heart. She squashed the debate in her head about whether to crawl into his bed
or not. The potential rejection seemed too great. Right now, it would be better
to have a good night’s sleep and see how things panned out tomorrow. Her goal,
too, was not to dwell on Dirk or if he was in danger.

#

When Elena opened her eyes,
it took a moment to realize where she was. The heavenly scent of coffee snuck under
her door and forced her to get up. Quickly, she changed into a different pair
of yoga pants, and layered a short sleeve shirt under a thin sweater. The beach
might be cold this time of year.

Pans banged and the rich
aroma of breakfast trailed down the hallway. It was easy to locate the kitchen.
When she passed through the living room and stepped into the kitchen, Clay was busy
scraping the pan with a rubber pancake turner and cursing.

“Need help?”

He whipped around and the
tension in his face dissipated. “You cook?”

“My mother is Hispanic. I
think I had a pot and a wooden spoon in my hand when I was two.” She stepped
next to him. Only a hint of cologne reached her over the burnt eggs. “Did you
put any oil in the pan first?”

“Fuck.” He clamped his mouth
shut. “Sorry.”

“That’s okay. I might be
inexperienced in bed, but trust me, I’ve heard it all.” Too often Harvey Couch
would be in his office and would swear up a storm. Looking back, she realized
she should have quit months before.

“Do you think it’s edible?” He
lifted the pan. The pan was charred and the eggs dirty.

“No.”

“There aren’t any more eggs.
You want to eat out?”

“That sounds wonderful.”

He dumped the ruined batch
down the sink and ran the disposal.

At some point, she’d have to
find a job and start paying them back. It wasn’t their responsibility to
support her—mate or no mate.

“Let’s go.”

She thought they’d take the
car, but instead he led them down the drive and across the empty road to the
beach.

“You know of a diner around
here?”

“Yup.”

The seagulls squawked and the
wind whipped so vigorously she had to hold her hair with one hand. But the
fresh air invigorated her.

Clay clasped her free hand
and the gesture thrilled her. In silence, they walked along the shore, dancing
away from the water with each incoming wave.

“Not many people out today,” she
said. The clouds had rolled in, but it was still nice.

“Orangeburg isn’t much of a
tourist town.”

They’d walked no more than
fifty feet when Clay stopped. He pulled her back to his chest and pointed out
at the Gulf. “Look. Dolphins.”

As she searched the waves,
two fins popped up next to each other. “Cool. I wish I had my phone so I could
take a picture.”

“I have mine.” He stepped
back, turned it on, and even pressed the camera display for her. “Give it a
go.”

The few attempts caught the
beautiful animals after they’d already disappeared. “It’s hard to capture them
at the peak of the leap.”

“Let me. My reflexes are
faster.” He slipped the camera from her fingers.

One more thing she didn’t
know about his kind.

He snapped away and grinned.
“Got it.”

After he swiped a finger over
the screen to enlarge the photo he moved close to show her the shot. The tail
of one was about eight inches above the water, but the other dolphin was half
in the air.

“That’s fantastic.”

He rubbed the phone on his
chest as if to brag. Without saying a word, he held up the camera and shot a
picture of her. She immediately covered her face.

“I look terrible. I don’t
have any makeup on.”

“I think you’re gorgeous.”

His words stunned her. She
was too fat, too short, and a host of other
toos
, but gorgeous wasn’t one of
them. He grabbed her hand and led her a few feet away from the water.

“Sit down and let me shoot
you.”

She bit back her retort about
not seeing any weapon. “I’m not photogenic.”

He waved a hand. “I wish I
had a real camera. What I could do. Mmm.”

Images of her naked, spread
out on a bed, slammed into her.
Bad girl
.
Why did being around Clay bring out the worst in her? They were on a beach, and
because no one was around, she thought it safe to pose.

She sat, leaned back on her
hands and stretched out her legs. Sand would find its way into every crevice,
but that would make the shower more divine.

“How’s this?” She dropped
back her head and closed her eyes to shield them from the glare.

The digital camera on the
phone clicked and clicked. “You’re amazing.”

Any good photographer would
try to make her feel at ease and it was working. After twenty seconds, she
decided to change poses. She sat up, grabbed her knees to her chest, and turned
her face away toward the sea.

“That’s perfect.” Clay got in
close, but his nearness didn’t make her tense. Quickly, she faced him and stuck
out her tongue. He grinned. “You’ll pay for that.”

“At least you can’t put it up
on Facebook for every Colter to see.”

“Damn. You’re right.”

She held out her hand as he
pulled her to her feet.

“I want to take pictures of
you.”

“
Moi
?
I’m not photogenic.” He kept his voice mockingly high.

She punched him in the chest
and took the phone from him. He’d never go for stretching out in the sand, so
she shot him standing. When he didn’t object to her moving around, she decided
to see if he would be amenable to posing a different way.

“I know it’s a little chilly,
but would you mind taking off your shirt? You could hook one thumb in your
waistband and hold the shirt over your shoulder like this.” She did the pose
for him.

He cocked a brow, but he did
as she asked. Once bare-chested, her breath caught. “Wow. You look hot.”

His abs tightened. “Really?”

He must know how
good looking
he was. “Well, now that you ask, I’m not sure.”
She held the camera in front of her, zoomed in to frame him correctly and
snapped away. She pictured them rolling in the sand and needing to wash
together. If that happened, she’d make sure to explore him more thoroughly.

Last night after the party,
she’d decided to give Clay a try. Ménages seemed to work for Liz and Chelsea.
Why not her? She’d already sinned once. What was once more?

“Would you mind getting on
the sand and clasping your hands behind your head?”

“You sure?”

She giggled. “Just do it.”

He dropped down, tossed his
shirt to the side, and placed his hands like she’d asked. Her heart sputtered. She
took one full-length shot then straddled his legs to frame his torso.

“If you knelt, I bet you
could shoot my better side.” He turned his head as if to prove his point.

She stood directly over his crotch.
If she knelt, their two intimate anatomies would line up. Since they couldn’t
do anything on the beach in broad daylight, she thought teasing him might be
fun. “You’re right.”

On her knees, she leaned
close, aimed, and took a few more pictures. Her breath caught at his beauty.
When she bought a new cell phone and set up her computer she’d ask him to send
her the photos.

He gripped her hips and
tugged. Their position turned more awkward when her knees gave way and her crotch
landed on his. Heat flew up her face, but she kept her poise and took another
shot.

“I think that’s enough for
today,” she said.

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

Clay removed the phone from
her hand and placed it on top of his shirt. Even if she wanted to move, she
couldn’t. His grasp was too tight. He pulled her shoulders toward him and
kissed her.

His long, deep groan surprised
her. The kiss was both tender and intense. His erection bulged right under her,
and caused something inside to ignite, forcing away all objections about being with
Dirk and Clay. Their claim of her being both their mates still hadn’t sunk in,
but his kiss helped convince her there was something right about being with
them.

“You drive me crazy.” He
moaned against her lips and lowered one hand to cup her breast.

His other hand slid under her
shirt and rested in the middle of her back. His nails lengthened and dug into
her skin.

“Clay!”

He jerked, lifted her, and
set her aside. “I’m sorry.” He jumped up and paced. When he turned around seconds
later, he was back to normal.

“I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Had her vagina not been
vibrating and her heart racing a hundred miles an hour, she might have run, but
something about Clay was endearing.

“I actually wasn’t scared.”

“You weren’t?” His brows
rose.

“No. Dirk explained
everything to me. I’m actually flattered I cause such a strong reaction in
you.”

He pumped a fist and dimples
creased his cheeks. He bent over and retrieved his phone and shirt. He stuffed
the phone in his jeans’ pocket and drew on his shirt. “I think I promised you
breakfast.

At first, she thought he was
cool with everything, but clearly he was as rattled as she was.

He led them to the water’s
edge. She removed her sneakers and though her toes were cold stepping in the
water, she loved the ebb and flow of the sea. They walked in silence, hand in
hand, enjoying the vista and each other.

In about a mile, a small
strip of shops appeared. One was called The Seaside Cafe. Outside seating
looked inviting, but the wind had picked up, and dark clouds were rolling in. A
clap of thunder sounded in the distance.