“I’m glad you forgot your suppressants,” Jake says, his voice hoarse and strangled with want.
Willa’s eyes shift to his face, and something tender and also slightly sad washes over her face. Their past is rearing its head, clouding the sex-charged space between us.
“So many memories,” she says, giving words to the tension between them. My primal need snarls gently in reply, unhappy to be reminded of their past. If the baser part of me had itsway, I’d go back in time and break them up before they ever got together, just so I could be the first to have her.
“We’ll make new ones,” I say firmly, my hands working my belt loose, my eyes trained on Willa’s face. “We’ll make better ones.”
“I like the sound of that,” she murmurs, her voice sultry. The sound does something to me that no other woman’s voice has done in the past.
I want to claim her, yes, but I also want to protect her, to make her feel safe. Hearing the eagerness behind her words makes me feel a surge of possession and pride that I’ve never felt before.
I shuck my shirt over my head and climb onto the bed, pressing my back against the headboard. I beckon to Willa, gesturing for her to join me.
“I guess we won’t need these…” she says softly, a smile curving her lips as she rises to her knees on the bed and strips off her sweater and bra. Her breasts swing gently, temptingly, and I swallow hard, once again pushing my desire back.
I flip her around with a growl, her plump bottom pressing temptingly against my full length. I resist the urge to take her immediately, but my control is slipping.
“Jake,” I say harshly, roughness coloring the tone of my voice. “Get over here.”
He doesn’t reply, but I can feel his own instincts answering to the authority of mine. He’s tearing off his clothing in a rush, his fingers clumsy, his hands clearly shaking with excitement.
“Look what you’ve done to us,” I say to her and lift my hips slightly, my erection sliding against her skin. She sucks in a breath. “Look at what you’ve reduced us to.”
“Dammit,” Jake mutters as he trips over the legs of his jeans before finally getting them off. He yanks his underwear downand then turns to face us, a slightly sheepish look flitting across his face.
“I haven’t been this awkward since… well, Willa remembers that first time.” He scrubs a hand over the back of his neck, but he’s grinning.
“You weren’t awkward,” she says with a laugh. I feel that laugh in my core, and my body clenches again with want.
Time enough for that, I say to my deeper self. This is about the pack, first and foremost.
My instincts don’t like it. I can feel my own frustration. But I know I’m right. There will be time enough for selfishness. Right now, we need to make sure that the rest of our pack is prepared to come together.
“It’s been too long,” Jake says gruffly as he climbs onto the bed with us. The mattress dips briefly as it takes his weight, and Willa rolls a little against my hardness.
I breathe through my nose and slip my hands down over her thighs, pulling them open. Her hands come down to grip my wrists, but she doesn’t stop me. It’s like she’s thanking me for the support.
“You still want this, right?” I whisper in her ear before pressing a kiss to the crook of her neck.
I can feel the shiver wash over her as she nods, her hair tickling my face. “Oh god, yes,” she says back, her voice firm, her fingers gripping my wrists tightly.
“You and Jake have unfinished business to sort out,” I say in her ear, but my eyes are on Jake. He meets my gaze with a question in his expression, but then his face smooths out, and he nods.
He understands what I’m thinking. I don’t have to explain. I’m grateful for the connection between pack mates in this moment, because it would be hard to express all the reasons that I think that it needs to be Jake first.
“I want to know what you like,” I go on, my words still directed into the shell of Willa’s ear. “I want you to show us, okay?”
“Okay,” she echoes, licking her lips. Her scent spikes higher, and I close my eyes.
It’s not like me not to be in control of myself, of everyone around me, of every situation. I like that she makes me feel like this. It’s good to let go once in a while.
“God, she smells good,” Jake says under his breath as he makes his way closer. His gaze meets mine again, and I nod. It’s all I can do to think clearly with the scent of Willa’s pre-heat filling the room.
“Jake’s going to take you, and I’m going to watch, okay? I’m going to drink it all in.”
“Won’t you feel… left out?” she whispers.
I laugh lightly. “Yes,” I say honestly. “And no. The bond… I’ll be right there with you two.”
