Jessica squirmed against the bed, trying to get more comfortable. Oh, who was she kidding? She was rubbing her aching clit against the mattress. She should get up and lock the door, but she had no desire to move.
Second, a few people might have noticed something was amiss, especially Nancy, but the men must need to actually claim her before all the world would be privy to the information. On second thought, it was possible everyone was choosing to just pretend not to be aware of her plight, just like they were all zipped tight about the fact she was a wolf.
Damn. She could scratch that one off the list of things of which she was certain.
So, back to two. Something about today was significantly different from yesterday. She was needier today. Her pussy ached with the need to be filled. Even standing in the kitchen she’d had to bite her tongue to keep from moaning, and her damn hands had itched to rub herself to completion. There was a dull pain in her womb that demanded fulfilling.
What the fuck was that all about?
Jessica squinted her eyes shut and concentrated. It was hard with the scent of Charles and Reese seeping under the door. She’d even known the moment they’d come back inside.
She squeezed her hands between her tucked legs and held still. The last thing she needed was to be caught masturbating in Kara’s guest room. She felt like she had a fever. Her brow was sweating even now that she’d left the main rooms.
She was shivering like a sick person. And there was another thing she knew for sure. She wasn’t sick. She was … in heat? No, that would imply she was having her period, right?
Whatever.
Jessica froze, held rigid with another fact she’d been avoiding. There was another woman out there in the living room she’d never seen before. And that woman had been glaring at Reese and Charles as though she wanted to strangle them. Interesting. Were they involved with her? Or had been in the past? If they truly believed Jessica was their intended mate, why the hell did they have another woman with them today? Anger made her ears ring.
And why the hell did that raise the heat level of Jessica’s face until she shook with jealousy? She was so fucked.
* * * *
The scrawny teenager shuffled into the home office and faced Fredrick on wobbly legs. “You wanted to see me, sir?”
“I did, Leslie.” Fredrick took a deep breath and sat at his desk. “Please, have a seat.” He motioned toward the chair opposite. It would do no good to start shouting. In the last twenty-four hours, Fredrick had calmed … marginally. He’d get much more out of Leslie if he remained calm.
“Tell me what you know about Alyssa, son.” He held his voice calm.
The kid squirmed in his seat and sat on his hands. He didn’t make eye contact.
Fredrick hadn’t ever had the pleasure of making this boy’s acquaintance before, and frankly he’d been surprised to find the kid was the same age as Alyssa.
Fredrick waited, impatiently bouncing his leg under the table.
Finally, Leslie cleared his throat. “She took off in the night, sir.” He barely mumbled the words.
“She told you this? Have you spoken to her?”
Leslie shook his head. “No. No. She doesn’t even know I followed her.”
“Then how did you know to follow her, may I ask?” Fredrick clenched his teeth, seething, but not wanting Leslie to see his displeasure. It was like pulling teeth getting information out of the kid.
“I didn’t.” The boy swallowed and glanced at Fredrick. “I was … um … watching her house. It was a coincidence. I just happened to see her sneak out the window.” His head dipped again.
“You were spying on her?”
Silence for several moments, and then the kid started crying. Crying. “I didn’t mean nothin’ by it, sir. I just like her and, and, and she’s … pretty.” He choked on a sob.
Fredrick had to cover his mouth to stifle the grin spreading. It wouldn’t do for the kid to realize he found this humorous. What red-blooded boy didn’t at one point or another peep at a girl?
“Then what happened?” If they moved on, perhaps Leslie would calm and get the rest of the story out.
“I followed her,” he muttered, as though that offense were worse than the Peeping Tom offense he’d just confessed to.
“And?” God almighty. Was the kid ever going to actually give him anything to work with?
“She walked all night, practically ran, until she came to the truck stop off the highway outside of town. I stayed outside and hid behind a tree. She went in. She met with some people—”
“Met someone?” Fredrick ground his teeth. Damn it, why couldn’t he just keep his mouth shut for a minute so the kid could finish?