It crossed his mind to flip the closed sign over and celebrate upstairs for the rest of the afternoon. But then her phone rang, and again he dismissed the urge. Even with everything she’d just said, he wanted her to know that he would never ignore her needs.
He could tell immediately by Andrea’s leap in excitement who was on the line. She spoke to both Daegan and Isaac before handing the phone to him. Andrea winked and pressed her index finger to her pursed lips, making it clear that she wanted to explain her change of plans face-to-face. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and then turned his attention to his brother.
Xavier laughed happily when Isaac explained the reason for their call.
“Absolutely,” he said with a wide grin.
* * * *
It was only a two hour drive, but from the moment they’d made the decision, Isaac felt impatient to hold Andrea in his arms. They’d spoken to her on the phone every evening that they’d been away, but it just felt too long since he’d breathed her sweet scent or held her lush curves. It didn’t help that concerns on how the pack would accept her had been keeping him awake at night.
“How many with Mom’s attitude do you think we’re dealing with?”
Daegan shrugged in answer. “No clue, but I reckon Sheila is probably stirring up a mountain of trouble.”
That much would be true. It had taken several days, but Andrea had eventually told them what she’d overheard in the parking lot of the restaurant that day. Xavier had been furious and more than willing to do something to preempt Sheila’s plans, but Daegan and Isaac had worried that it would be interpreted badly by the pack. The alpha’s mate would be expected to be as strong a leader as the alpha. Not being born a werewolf already put Andrea at a disadvantage, and having Xavier defend her against baseless accusations would just make things harder in the long run.
“At least we know Dad will support Xavier,” Daegan said grimly.
“True, but it won’t do much good if the pack decides to support Mom and Sheila’s point of view.” Isaac rubbed at the headache beginning behind his eyes.
“You’ve seen Andrea with her customers. She knows how to deal with people—all types of people. I have no doubt she’ll be able to handle whatever the pack throws her way.”
Isaac laughed softly. His brother had a good point. Andrea really was perfect, and in some ways it was starting to make sense why she was mate to all three of them. Daegan and Isaac had always supported their brother, even on the rare occasions when they disagreed. Sharing Andrea solidified that bond and in turn had the potential to make all four of them stronger.
Now they just had to convince a reluctant new werewolf to let them claim her.
* * * *
Andrea smiled when she felt them nearby. It was exactly the same feeling she’d gotten when Xavier had turned up earlier than expected. Memories of the frantic lovemaking that followed had her stomach flipping and her panties dampening.
Xavier winked and took a deep breath. Andrea blew him a kiss. She was actually getting used to the idea of them being able to smell her arousal, and considering that it almost always ended in several screaming orgasms, Andrea was more than happy. She wasn’t so sure of how she’d handle it, being surrounded by other werewolves, but she’d cross that bridge later. For now, she was content just to go with it.
“They’re here, aren’t they?”
Xavier grinned and glanced at his watch. “They who?” he teased.
She growled her annoyance, but couldn’t quite get the right note simply because she felt so happy. He laughed and pulled her into his embrace. He looked like he was going to continue teasing her, but after a moment’s hesitation he became very serious.
“Can we claim you tonight?”
She nodded her consent but laughed at the delivery. “As marriage proposals go, that’s not really what I was expecting.”
“Would you prefer the down-on-one-knee, diamond-ring-in-a-box routine that humans seem to prefer?”
“Well, no. Considering I’m no longer human, it’s probably not appropriate.” She lifted onto her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. “What happens when you claim me?”
He grinned but didn’t seem inclined to answer. She was about to take him to task when the front door opened and Daegan and Isaac walked in the door.
* * * *
The first thing that hit Isaac was his mate’s sweet scent. The second was the delicious smell of her arousal. His wolf howled at him to claim his mate, but it was barely four in the afternoon, and there was no way he would disrupt the business she loved.
Her enthusiastic welcome made him smile so wide his cheeks began to ache, but his jaw almost hit the floor when she marched over to the front door, flipped the lock, and turned the sign to “closed.”