Charles laughed again. “By the weather, babe. We had several cars here. Reese and I stayed to help Justin and Trevor chop some extra firewood. They thought an entire cord of wood wasn’t quite enough to keep their pregnant mate warm for the entire night,” he joked. “It was advantageous because, by the time we finished, the snow and sleet were falling so hard it was too dangerous to risk the trip home. You, my love, are also trapped.”
Jessica sucked in a breath and held it. Trapped? “So, the only other people in the house now are Kara and her mates?”
“That’s right.” Reese leaned in to nibble on the other side of her neck. He even boldly flipped a leg over the one of hers closest to him, wedging his knee between her thighs. “I’m pretty certain those three are too busy to pay any attention to what happens in this wing of the house. Even hugely pregnant, Kara still sparks their interest.”
“And what the hell is wrong with being interested in a pregnant woman?” Jessica bit her bottom lip, a habit she was well aware of, especially when she spoke unnecessarily.
“Not a damn thing, love,” Reese stated. “In fact, I’m quite certain I would be even more attracted to you round with my child than I am now.”
“What if it were my child?” Charles jested. His mouth wandered to Jessica’s shoulder.
Reese grinned against her skin, and his tongue flicked out to lick the space right behind her ear. “Same difference.”
Just like last night, Jess lay there like a bump on a log while these two men mauled her into submission. How are you going to get out of this one?
“So, you woke me from an admittedly deep sleep so you could tell me I was stuck here for the night?” Her voice sounded hoarse even to her own ears.
“Yep, and so we could do this to you.” Reese flicked a finger over her nipple, making her body jolt, her eyes widen, and her tits stand at attention.
Jessica’s brain screamed, Stop. Her body … ignored the command.
Fighting two large men off with her hands proved equally futile. They squished themselves closer to her and pinned her arms against her sides.
The fever she’d sensed earlier returned with a vengeance, as did the dull pain in her stomach.
Reese smoothed his palm over her belly repeatedly. “Does it hurt?”
Huh?
At her pause, he added, “Your … womb. Ovaries. Whatever.” His lips tickled her ear while he spoke, his tongue darting out now to lick the lobe and even delving inside to send goose bumps down her body.
“How do you know anything about that?” This was beyond weird.
Charles leaned back a few inches, and both men froze.
“You really are rather unknowledgeable about our kind, aren’t you?” Charles cocked his head and gazed into her eyes. “How? What…”
“When? Where? Why?” she provided in rapid succession. “My parents died when I was ten, you wiseasses.”
“And no one took you in? Educated you?”
“Sure. The fucking state of Oregon took me in. A variety of human foster parents raised me. That’s why I’m so levelheaded. So incredibly not screwed up.”
Both men gasped and held steady, only the subtle pressure on Jessica’s center and her shoulder indicating their reaction and support for her plight.
She’d not meant to blurt out so much information, but they’d driven her to react with their teasing.
“Oh, babe,” Charles began, “I’m so sorry. We had no idea.”
“Of course not. I’ve never told anyone.”
“No one?” Reese questioned. “Not even Kara? Lindsey?”
“They know the gist, but not the nitty-gritty.” She looked both ways and then continued. “They don’t know I’m lupine.”
“And why is that?” Reese kissed her cheek and nuzzled her neck before pulling back once more. “Why were you living in hiding, essentially?” He froze. “Is someone after you?”
“No. No. Nothing like that. Unless you count the religious bastards who kidnapped me in the summer in an attempt to lure Lindsey for their arranged marriage.”
Charles tensed. “I know about that too. I’m so sorry. That must have been awful.”
“Scary, sure, but I knew what they wanted. I was just bait. I also knew there was a pack of angry wolves coming to my rescue, and not a chance in hell were they going to let anything happen to Lindsey. That was a secret neither the zealots nor my friends were privy to.”
Reese shook her to get her attention. “You didn’t answer the question. Why so secretive? Your friends know all about us now. They think they are the ones keeping this crazy mess from you. Why the farce?”