Alison Paige - Little Red and the Wolf

Shelly joined Joy lounging on the wood patio furniture, their robes falling open as they may. Gray didn’t seem to notice or care, his attention shifted to the third woman.

She stood next to the little cart, holding a glass and stirring the clear iced liquid with her finger. Obviously enjoying the attention, she pulled the finger from her drink and sucked it dry with long draws and red painted lips.

“Oh.” Maizie swallowed her gasp. She knew this woman. This was the woman she’d seen having sex in the woods. Maizie’s cheeks warmed. What’d happened to the man she was with? The bite mark she’d seen on his neck had looked bad, though it hadn’t bothered him enough to keep him from screwing her brains out.

“Bad move, Lynn,” Gray said. “You overstep your bounds.”

She laughed, soft and pretty, her long blonde hair blanketing over her shoulders. In her midtwenties or so, Lynn ’s body was at its prime. She hadn’t even gone to the trouble of tying her robe’s sash. She strolled toward him, her curvy hips swaying, the edges of her robe flashing bare belly, brown thatch and firm thighs.

“Have a lovely day at the lake, Gray?” she said.

“If any harm had come to her- The smell of frightened prey, you know how easily that could’ve gone wrong, gotten out of hand. You led the rest out there knowing how upset they’d be when they saw she wasn’t my mate.”

“Just proving a point, dear brother , same as you.” She snatched his shirt at the collar, fisting it in her grip. A hard yank pulled him to her, reflex opened his hold on Maizie. She let her hand drop to her side, watching.

Lynn took Gray’s mouth with hers, her jaw stretched wide, tongue driving deep into his mouth. And Gray took it. Not a muscle on the rest of his body responded, but he didn’t deny her the kiss. As deep and long as she wanted, he obliged.

She released him with a small shove, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and took a sip of her drink. Her gaze drifted to Maizie. “Besides, if you were so worried we’d lost our senses and were truly hunting her, why’d you bring her here? She’s a liability, just like Shawn.”

“Wrong. This was business,” Gray said. “And why wouldn’t I bring her here? This is my home. I expect my family to behave like civil human beings here, if nowhere else.”

“But of course.” Lynn slinked toward Joy and Shelly and the last unused chaise lounge. The fluid movement of her body was mesmerizing. “Business, you say? Really? Only if your business is seducing ignorant little girls. Or maybe she gets faxes through her ass and that’s why your hand was on it.”

Lynn laughed at her own wit, looking to the other women who smiled indulgently, though Joy seemed tired by the display. Lynn lay back, her robe slipping down the sides of her body, leaving her completely exposed. She raised one knee, shielding her trimmed bush and showing off the smooth round of her ass.

“This is Ester’s granddaughter.” He stepped toward them, growing the distance between himself and Maizie. “She has influence with her grandmother. I did what I had to. And the rest of you will not interfere.”

“You did what you wanted. Like you always do.” Lynn set her drink on the side table between her and Joy. “We’re the only ones held to archaic rules and codes.”

Gray took another step, his face flushing with anger. “There’s reason behind our rules.”

“Yes.” Lynn sat straight, body rigid. “And we were just illustrating those reasons, like you did for me. You were vulnerable, Gray. She made you slow and stupid and vulnerable. You couldn’t protect her in this form. You couldn’t protect yourself. And your feelings for her, your fear of her reaction, stopped you from doing what you should’ve done. What you would’ve done without thinking if it weren’t for her.”

Gray glowered at her, his jaw muscles twitched. Then suddenly a strange calm washed over him, as though he’d chosen the demeanor rather than achieving it. His hands slipped into the front pockets of his pants, deceptively casual.

“It is not for you to educate me. You were my wife’s sister. But don’t delude yourself. Push me on this and I will strike you down. Mind your place, Lynn, or I’ll put you in it by force.” His voice was low. His words were precise and the sound of it sent a chill racing down Maizie’s spine.

“Her place, Uncle Gray?” All eyes turned to the stunning young man pushing through the far glass door onto the patio. “Oh good. Let’s discuss places. Hierarchy.”

His naked body, carved perfection, glistened with a thin sheen of moisture, his short spiked hair dappled with water. Each casual stride swung his cock, semi-hard, growing harder when he noticed Maizie’s stare. A smile rippled across his lips, then he shut it down, attention shifting back to Gray.

Maizie blinked to stop her gawk, looked away at…anything. But Gray had noticed, saw her eyes widen on the young man. She could feel his muscles tense but he didn’t say anything to her. “Don’t start, Rick.”

“Start? Uncle Gray, when I decide to, I won’t just start, I’ll damn well finish and there’ll be nothing you can do about it. Trust me.”

Gray growled his words through his teeth. “This is business, Rick. Stay out of it.”

“Right. Business. Why am I not surprised?” Rick’s blue eyes, an exact match to Shelly’s, shifted to Maizie. “Did you bother to tell the girl? By the looks of her, I’d say she’s just as hopeful as the rest of us were. The difference is, we know you. We’re used to you playing at taking a mate and always falling short. Whatever. If you won’t take her, maybe I will. She seems pretty open to the idea.”

Gray glanced back at Maizie, caught her gaze stuck on Rick’s cock before she flicked her attention to his face, her cheeks blazing red. Her mouth gaped in protest. “What? I was just… You’re naked. I’m not dead. I’m also not an animal. I don’t jump anything that crosses my path and looks ready and able.”

Rick’s brow rose, a smile lifting one cheek. “Not an animal? You hear that, Uncle Gray?”

It was obvious the young upstart was getting off on her attention, wrinkles smoothing, his cock growing as she watched. Dammit, why’d he trust his family would act human in front of Maizie if she met them here instead of in the woods? It was always a competition with Rick. He wanted to be alpha despite the worries and protests from the women in their lives.

Lynn, Joy and Shelly had begged Gray not to step aside, not to walk away and hand the pack over to Rick. As much as Rick might want it and as much as Gray would like to give it to him, he couldn’t do that to the kid.

They were right. Rick was too young. He’d get himself killed by a stray mutt inside a week. Sooner, if he kept trying to use Maizie to get his way. Gray would see to it himself.

Gray straightened, not moving but blocking Rick’s path to Maizie by sheer will. “This isn’t a game, boy.”

Rick stopped short, his gaze shifting from Maizie to Gray. “You’re damn right. This is life, old man. You bring a prime female back to the den and think you won’t have to fight for her? You’re the one who’s delusional.”

He patted Gray’s shoulder, chuckling, and stepped around him. There was no mistaking the challenge in his eyes, though Gray knew it had less to do with wanting Maizie as his mate than it did with wanting to lead the pack. He should’ve seen this coming. Bringing her to the house was a mistake. He hadn’t realized things had gotten so unstable.

“Prime female? Really?” Maizie’s tone was dripping with indignation and shock.

Gray also knew if by some miracle Rick managed to defeat him in a fight, Rick wouldn’t pass on his right to take his opponent’s mate. That wasn’t going to happen. Not with Maizie. Not ever.