She elbowed his ribs, flushing. “I like it,” she mumbled.
“Welcome to the family, Faye,” Bertram said. He looked back at Cade. “Just mated, myself.”
Cade looked as astounded as Bertram had. “Jillian?”
The shifter nodded.
“How did she survive her scare today?”
“She’s sleeping now after all the excitement, but I’ll introduce you tomorrow. Come and join me at my table tonight and you can meet some of the other guests.”
Bertram led them to a large table in the dining room, where several people already sat. “This is Jake, my new brother-in-law.” He indicated the handsome young man who stood to shake their hands. “He has taken Coral on as his sub.” A gorgeous redhead in a low-cut, form-fitting dress stood and shook their hands. She appeared fidgeting, her eyes dilated and cheeks flushed. “Cade, you already know Redd, my little. Redd, this is Faye, Cade’s mate.”
“Nice fighting today, Cade,” the red lycra wearing girl said with a grin, offering a fist bump. She gave Faye a little wave. “Nice to meet you, Faye.” The girl’s hands wandered to her backside as if she’d been freshly spanked. Which, considering where they were, seemed highly likely.
A pretty blonde waitress walked over.
“This is Cindy,” Bertram said.
Faye looked up at the girl, a tingling sensation running through her body.
Cindy dropped a curtsy. “Hi!” she chirped. “Nice to meet you!” She was childish, yet not a child. Faye felt a distinctly protective, maternal instinct toward her.
“How is Jillian?” Cindy asked with concern.
“She’s fine. She’s just resting after all the excitement,” Bertram answered.
Faye watched the innocent-looking girl, sensing something dark in her past.
She’s broken.The thought dropped into her head without reason.She’s broken and you need to help fix her.
CHAPTER 21
CORAL
Coral straightened in her chair and tried to find a comfortable position that wouldn’t look like she was having a problem. She glanced around the table and noticed Redd eyeing her curiously. She felt her face heat with a blush and broke eye contact with her.
She was sitting at a table beside Jake, along with Mr. Wolfe and Redd. Another couple had joined them as well, but Coral couldn’t remember their names at the moment. A petite blonde and a hulking rocker-type guy. They seemed nice, but she couldn’t make herself focus on the conversation. She realized Jake’s intent had been to keep her attention, but his method was leaving her more unfocused than normal. She should have kept her mouth shut.
Before they left the room for dinner, she had started an argument with Jake. She couldn’t explain what she had been feeling, but she had been in a mood and had lashed out. She was so relieved that Jake had come back unscathed, especially after she heard about the fight with the wolves, but her relief had morphed into anger that he had been in potentialdanger. Too many emotions in one day for a girl who regularly liked to check out of real life. This man was forcing her to have emotions she wasn’t comfortable with. She really needed to talk to him, but she had ruined her chance before dinner.
He tried his best to seem outraged with her overreaction, but she saw the amusement dancing in his eyes. As they were already running late, he decided a creative punishment would be to make her wear nipple clamps the rest of the evening. So here she sat. Her bottom still ached from the belt, her pussy was sore from their earlier lovemaking, and now her nipples pulsed under her low cut dress.
Jake’s hand found her thigh and gave it a squeeze. He was deep in conversation with Mr. Wolfe, and she didn’t have the slightest clue what they were talking about.
Redd caught her eye again and motioned for Coral to follow her.
“I need to go to the little girl’s room,” she said to Mr. Wolfe. “Coral, come with me.”
“Can I tag along? I don’t know where it is,” the blonde piped up.
Jake and Mr. Wolfe nodded towards them, hardly pausing their conversation, but the blonde’s rocker boyfriend grabbed her, pulling her in and whispering something to her before releasing her. She smiled down at him as she stood. Coral knew that smile, and she turned away, feeling like she was intruding on a private moment.
Redd grabbed her elbow and steered her towards the dining room’s entrance, the blonde followed closely behind them. “What is up with you tonight?”
“Nothing! Why? Does it seem like something’s up?” Coral asked.
Redd snickered at her response. “Yeah, just a little. You’vebarely said two words all night, and you keep getting that lovey-dovey glazed-over look on your face.”
