The Mane Event

  Dropping her clothes into a chair, Ronnie walked back over to the bed. A deep breath, and she slipped back under the covers, resting on her side. It felt nice and right, but she blew that off, too. She was just tired, is all.

  Shaw turned over and wrapped his arm around her waist, his face nestled into her hair, his cock snug against her ass. She rested her hand on his arm, smiled, and went back to sleep.

  Brendon waited until he knew she was asleep before he let out the breath he’d been holding. True, he would have stopped her before she made it through his front door, but he wanted her to come back on her own. Wanted to see if the pull she felt was as strong as his own.

  He didn’t feel smug in the knowledge she came back. More like relieved. He’d fallen hard and fast for this female. This woman. He had no intention of letting her go now, but he wasn’t stupid enough to believe it would be easy to keep her. Ronnie didn’t like anyone having a hold on her. Not a man or her family. Not even her Pack. If she knew Shaw wanted her to stay in his life forever, she would have sprinted out the door like in one of those Bugs Bunny cartoons, leaving a big Ronnie-shaped hole in the wood.

  No, he’d have to be crafty. He wouldn’t trick Ronnie. He didn’t want her to stay because she thought he was dying or something. He wanted her to stay because she loved him. Because the wolf in her realized it had found its mate. So he’d have to be crafty to keep her around until she realized it. Until she admitted it not only to him but to herself.

  Thankfully, cats were known for being crafty and extremely patient.

  Already planning his next move, Brendon pulled her closer and smiled in pure pleasure when she gripped his arm tight—afraid to let him go.

  Ronnie stood in front of Shaw’s refrigerator and continued to debate the pros and cons of its contents.

  She absolutely detested eggs, so that was out. The man had enough bacon to feed the French Foreign Legion, but then she’d have to cook. She worked really hard to avoid using that stove thing.

  She could eat some fresh fruit, but…nah.

  “Uh…excuse me?”

  Ronnie didn’t bother glancing over her shoulder at Shaw’s brother. She’d heard him at the front door as soon as he slipped the key in the lock and she smelled him as soon as he got off the elevator. And she didn’t feel self-conscious because Shaw’s Philadelphia Flyers hockey shirt reached below her knees, covering her naked ass.

  “He’s in the shower,” she answered his unasked question.

  “Do you want me to leave?”

  “No. Just didn’t want you walking around the apartment calling out his name like some stray cub, thinking he’s ignoring you when he’s only in the shower.” She winked at him. “Figured it was best to tell ya up front.”

  At her smile, he seemed to relax. She had no idea why he might have been uptight. She’d been nothing but polite to the man while he rolled on the floor trying to kill his own brother.

  “Breakfast or lunch?”

  “I know the clock says lunch, but I’m just getting up after my own shower. My stomach wants to be fed but I don’t see anything I have the energy or inclination to tussle with.”

  “Um…can I make a suggestion?”

  For a man whose own brother referred to him as “scumbag” he sure seemed awfully polite.

  Stepping back from the fridge but keeping the door open with her butt, Ronnie gestured toward the cold storage. “Be my guest.”

  Mitch crouched in front of the open refrigerator and dug around the back. Really, the damn thing was huge. Take out the shelves, you could comfortably fit a family of four in there.

  “My brother usually has…ah…there it is.” He glanced at what he held in his hand. “Expiration date’s good, too. Here.” He handed her a medium tub of low-fat vanilla yogurt.

  If she hadn’t been having wild sex with his brother all night, she might have kissed him. “Yes!” She grabbed a spoon, then leaped up onto the counter without using her hands. An old She-wolf trick. She crossed her legs at the ankles and opened the fresh yogurt. “How did you know?”

  Mitch shrugged and closed the refrigerator door. “I used to date a She-wolf when I was sixteen.” He opened the fridge door again, grabbed a water, and reclosed it. “Went to her house for Thanksgiving dinner. At dessert, they had five kinds of pie, six cakes, and this enormous bowl of plain, low-fat vanilla yogurt.” He leaned at the far end of the counter, forcing her to turn a little to see him but keeping a healthy distance. “By the end of the evening, a few slices here and there of cake and pie were gone, but the yogurt bowl…completely cleaned out. When I asked her, she said wolves love yogurt.”

  “Did you mock?”

  “No. Then I wouldn’t have gotten laid.”

  “This is very true.”

  Ronnie ate her yogurt, her feet banging against the counter doors.

  “Ya know,” she finally offered as she steadily worked her way through that tub of yogurt, “you seem awful polite for a lowlife.” She shrugged when he stared at her. “You wear that rebel without a clue motorcycle jacket, appear to shave only once or twice a week, got a couple of interesting scars on your neck, but…”

  “But what?”

  She shrugged. “You bathed this morning. You use conditioner. What nails you do have are clean. And I don’t know many lowlifes who would have dug around in a fridge to get his hated brother’s lay-of-the-moment a yogurt without trying to get some pussy himself, and yet you are halfway across the room. Out of respect.”

  He picked at the wrapper on his ridiculously overpriced water bottle and stared at her. Finally, he said, “I don’t hate my brother.”

  “I know. Not sure Shaw does, though.”

  “And that bothers you—why?”

  “It doesn’t. Just passing on the information.”

  Mitch smirked and looked so much like his brother when he did. “I think you like him.”

  “Not at all. I often have sex with men I can’t stand.”

  “I don’t mean that kind of like. I mean, you like him.”

  Reaching the bottom of the yogurt tub, she joked, “You’re right, Mitchy. And would you pass him a note in study hall for me?”

  He snorted. Then he froze, his gold eyes glued to the swinging kitchen door. Ronnie’s eyes narrowed, a female scent hitting her hard.

  The door flew open and a tall, beautiful, and clearly feline female strutted in.

  She stared right at Mitch. “Here to mooch off Brendon again?”

  “I don’t need to mooch. I can just steal from his wallet.”

  “And I’m sure you do.” Her nose crinkled. “Why do I keep smelling wet dog?” Gold eyes turned to Ronnie. “Oh. That must be you.”

  Mitch straightened but Ronnie held her hand up to stop him. “It’s okay, Mitch.” She slid off the counter, turning to face the lioness who had to be Shaw’s sister. She looked exactly like him, only female. Sleek and elegant in designer jeans and sweater and designer boots, she still couldn’t hide the cold eyes of a predator. Or the rough edges of the less-than-wealthy upbringing Shaw had mentioned over late-night bowls of cereal.

  “You’ll have to accept us eventually,” Ronnie said simply, her eyes downcast.

  “I will?”

  Ronnie smoothed her hand over her stomach. “Of course. Once I have our baby.”

  The female went from fifteen feet away to two with one leap, coming at Ronnie just like she goaded her into doing. As soon as she landed, Ronnie slammed her hands against the female’s chest, forcing her back and right into Shaw’s arms as he walked into his kitchen.

  He’d been having the best day, too. Got to sleep in, nice sore cock from great sex, and a sexy little She-wolf all to himself. But leave it to his own relatives to try and ruin everything.

  He glared down at his twin. “Why are you here?”

  Growling, she struggled out of his arms. “To check on you and to make sure that idiot,” she pointed at Mitch, “didn’t steal all your good china. But I had no idea you were enter
taining canines. Or getting them pregnant!”

  “Pregnant?” Brendon knew he was potent, but to go through latex…wow.

  What should really worry him? That the idea of Ronnie carrying his baby didn’t scare him at all. He’d bet she’d look beautiful pregnant.

  Then it hit Brendon like a brick to the head where his mind had happily wandered.

  Look at that. Your heart can just stop in your chest but you keep on breathing.

  To keep himself from asking if Ronnie wanted to go maternity clothes shopping, he looked at her and softly asked, “Pregnant?”

  Ronnie shrugged. “Nah. I was just fuckin’ with her. As soon as she tried to kill me she would have smelled I wasn’t pregnant.”

  Okay. He really liked this female. He’d always loved a woman with a healthy sense of humor. But one who refused to be intimidated by his sister made him all horny and anxious to get her back into bed.

  Trying not to laugh in the face of his sister’s blinding anger, he said, “Ronnie, this is my twin sister, Marissa. Rissa, this is Ronnie. She and her Pack saved me the other night.” He yanked Marissa back. “So be nice,” he snarled in her ear.

  She didn’t apologize and Brendon didn’t expect her to, but she stopped talking and looked away.

  “Ronnie, could you give us a minute?”

  “Yeah. Sure.” Thankfully, she didn’t seem angry he’d asked her to leave.

  She pushed through the door and Rissa turned on him. “Couldn’t you at least fuck one of the small ones? She’s built like a linebacker.”

  Not surprisingly that swinging door slammed back open, denting Brendon’s wall as Ronnie walked in yelling, “You tree-climbing heifer!”

  “You car-chasing slut!”

  Mitch came around the counter and grabbed hold of Marissa while Brendon put his arms around Ronnie and pulled her back. Unfortunately, the two females were in full rage, and even Brendon’s roar didn’t get them to shut up.

  But Mitch’s quiet “You know, lions really don’t climb trees” brought the yelling to an abrupt end, and the three of them looked at him.

  He shrugged. “I mean…we can climb trees. Especially ones with low branches. But then we can’t get down again. Leopards, however, are quite spry. So they take their prey up into trees. So other predators like us or hyenas can’t steal their meal.”

  After a long moment of silence, Ronnie shook her head and pulled out of Brendon’s arms. Without a word, she walked out of the kitchen. He waited until he heard his bedroom door close, then he looked at Marissa.

  “I think you better get used to something.”

  “What?”

  “Her.” He stepped up to his sister. “Cause if I get my way, she’ll be around. A lot.”

  “Are you giving to the ASPCA, too? I didn’t know you’d become so altruistic.”

  Knowing he was way close to popping his own sister in the mouth, Brendon picked her up and dumped her in front of Mitch.

  “What the hell am I supposed to do with her?”

  “Take her to your room. The two of you can have lunch and discuss other fascinating cat trivia.”

  Marissa stepped away from Mitch. “Brendon—”

  “Out!” He took a deep breath. “Out of my sight. Until I’m ready to see you again. Of course that may not be until after New Year’s.”

  “Fine! Do whatever you want. And when you get fleas, don’t come complaining to me.”

  Mitch shoved Marissa out the door. He stopped and looked at Brendon. For a second, Brendon thought he had something really deep to say. But the kid only shook his head and said, “I’ll see ya later, bruh.”

  His family left and he walked into his bedroom to find Ronnie back in her own clothes.

  “Ronnie—”

  “Forget it.” She turned and glared at him. “I’m leaving you. And I never want to see you again.”

  He swallowed the lump of panic in his throat. “If you’ll give me a—”

  She cut him off. “Shaw…”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m just kiddin’.” She burst out laughing. “You should see your face!”

  His eyes narrowed. “You think that’s funny?”

  “I think it’s hilarious.”

  “You’re mean.”

  “Not as mean as that sister of yours. I’ve met snakes nicer. But compared to my momma she’s a lightweight. And I don’t scare easy.”

  “That’s good. Now get over here.”

  “You want me all the way over there? That’s like a really long walk.”

  “Don’t make me come get you, Ronnie Lee.”

  “Oooh. And what if I do make you come get me? Whatcha gonna do, Yankee?” He watched her nipples harden under her worn T-shirt. “Whatcha gonna do to poor little ol’ me?”

  Slowly, Brendon moved around the bed. “I gave you an order you didn’t follow.” He made a tsk-tsk sound. “That requires punishment, Ronnie Lee.”

  “Punishment?” He watched her fight a smile as she took steps away from him. “You’d punish me?”

  “Yeah. I would. And I know I’d enjoy every minute of it.”

  “That’s not a good idea, hoss.”

  “Oh?”

  “I’m a fighter. I won’t go down easy. No pun intended.”

  “Good. I don’t need any weak females in my bed. Now get over here and take your punishment like a good little pup.”

  “Sorry, pussy. Can’t do it.”

  Now a few feet from her, Brendon shrugged. “That’s too bad, sexy.”

  He made a wild grab for her and she expertly dodged him, avoiding his arms and audaciously slapping his ass as she passed.

  “You little brat!”

  She laughed and leaped up on his bed, charging across it. He didn’t bother running for her, instead leaping right from the spot where he stood. She’d reached the door when he tackled her from behind, knocking her to the ground.

  Brendon used his arms to protect her while he made sure he fell on his side.

  She struggled even as she laughed hysterically.

  “Shaw, you crazy bastard! Let me go!”

  Jumping to his feet, Brendon grabbed hold of her ankle and dragged her back to the bed. “Oh, I’m not letting you go, sexy. Not for a while anyway.” Not ever.

  He grabbed her waist and lifted her, tossing her on the bed. She tried to sprint away, but he slapped one hand against her back, and the power of it kept her right where she was. He had to be careful, though. Too hard a slam from his hand or paw could snap her back like a twig.

  Ronnie kicked and cursed and laughed, trying her best to get away from Brendon. He sat on the edge of the bed and dragged her over his lap.

  “I have to say, Ronnie Lee, I love this ass.” He reached between them and expertly got her shorts loose.

  “Don’t even think about it, Shaw,” she squealed when he pulled the denim off her ass.

  “Too late.” He brought his hand down on one cheek.

  “Ow! You bastard!”

  “That was just mean, Ronnie Lee.” He slapped her other cheek.

  “Stop. Stop!” She reached back and tried to cover her butt.

  “Now, now, Ronnie. You know how important it is to get your punishment.”

  “Don’t,” she begged, even while she giggled. “I’ll do anything.”

  “You say that, but I don’t think you mean it.” He raised his hand and she wiggled desperately.

  “I promise. Anything!”

  Brendon pretended to think about it for a second. “Anything?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay. Stay with me today. We’ll go out, have some fun, then come back here tonight.”

  Ronnie blinked in surprise. “Spend the day together? I don’t know…”

  He raised his hand again.

  “Okay! Okay! I’ll spend the day with you.”

  “And tonight.”

  “You said the day.”

  He brought his hand down on her ass and she howled. Literally. “All right! To
night, too.”

  “Promise?”

  “Yes. I promise.”

  “Good.”

  Brendon didn’t say anything for a minute, and finally she looked over her shoulder at him. “What?”

  “You wet, sexy?”

  Smirking, she looked away. “Maybe.”

  He shoved her back on the bed and pulled her shorts completely off.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I can’t leave you like this. All wet and horny because of little ol’ me.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Oh puhleeze!”

  Brendon pushed his basketball shorts down and put her legs on his shoulders. He grabbed the last condom from the box on the nightstand, making a mental note to pick up more while they were out. “No need to beg, sexy. I’ll take care of it.”

  “Are they all like you?”

  “All what? Cats?”

  “Yeah.”

  “They want to be, but they’re not kings of the jungle. Only I am.” She looked up at him with one raised eyebrow. He shrugged and added, “Duh,” before he buried himself balls-deep inside her and “took care of it.”

  Ronnie pulled out a pair of black jeans, a black sweater that would show some cleavage, and her favorite pair of black cowboy boots. Shaw really seemed to like her in cowboy boots. Now if she could get him in a pair of cowboy boots, all would be right with her world.

  Smiling, Ronnie made a small pile of her clothes and then stood by the bed trying to figure out what else she might be forgetting. She knew she probably forgot something. Especially with her mind wandering back to last night with Shaw. She could say in all honesty she’d never had such a good time before in bed, and she’d had many good times in bed. Yet something about being with Shaw felt so right.

  Whatever. Until the last year or so, Ronnie had never been a big-time worrier, concerned with how events would play out a few months or years down the line. And she wouldn’t start now with Shaw. She’d keep this relationship as simple as she kept all the others. They’d have a good time now and end it when it got boring. She gave what they currently had about a three-day shelf life. She figured by New Year’s Eve they’d both be looking for something more in line with who they were. Shaw would want back into some Pride, and Ronnie would be on the lookout for the wolf of her dreams.