Sharon’s Wolves(16)

“Uh-huh.” Cooper kept his gaze on her as he stepped back, breaking all contact. His puzzled expression softened when he turned toward Jackson and then looked back at her. “Right. Of course.”

Exactly. And don’t blow my cover, she thought.

How the hell had she gotten into this mess?

She winced when she realized she’d just boldly lied to Jackson minutes ago about not being interested in having two men. On her behalf, until Jackson opened the door to Cooper, she’d truly believed her words.

Now?

Fuck.

“What’s going on?” Jackson asked. “Do you two know each other?” He stepped farther into the room. In fact, he didn’t back down either. He boldly resumed his seat next to her on the couch, even settling his palm on her knee and squeezing as if he’d already done so dozens of times and it was perfectly natural.

Cooper took a deep breath and stared at Jackson’s hand for several seconds before seeming to rein in his obvious dismay and yanking his gaze away. He turned to pace the room, rubbing his forehead.

He was shorter than Jackson. His black designer T-shirt hugged his pecs perfectly. She couldn’t breathe remembering them pressed against her chest as he lifted her. Her brain had overloaded with so many sensations at once. His deep male scent, hard body, dark chocolate eyes. Lord. Even the way he wore his short brown hair was sexy.

Sharon didn’t have a clue what to say, so she let him have his moment. After all, this was his doing. He clearly knew what he was walking in on when he came to the door. How was still a mystery to Sharon, but she would find out soon enough.

“Is someone going to fill me in?” Jackson asked. “The tension in this room is so thick I could cut it with a knife.” As he spoke, he eased his palm up her thigh, pushing the hem of her dress higher until she was almost exposed to both of them. Her pussy pulsed with a renewed need that slammed into her with far more force than earlier.

Sharon opened her mouth to say something, hoping it would come to her quickly. But before she was forced to put nouns and verbs in some semblance of order, something to her other side grabbed her attention.

She yanked her gaze toward the front door at the same time Jackson and Cooper did the same.

The black aura that hovered near the entrance to her condo, coalescing into the shape of something that looked like a large bear, didn’t frighten her. It shocked her. Stunned her speechless. But she’d heard enough about its appearances in and around the time of her brothers’ matings often enough that she knew to give it credence.

It wanted something. From all three of them. And it wouldn’t stop until it got what it wanted. Might have been nice if it waited to make its first appearance until after Jackson had been filled in a bit on the details, but Nature didn’t always follow the rules of man.

“What the hell is that?” Jackson asked.

Sharon glanced at Cooper to find his chest rising and falling with each breath, but he wasn’t scared, either. He knew the same things she did.

Long moments passed before the black smoky substance drew in on itself and poofed out of existence, leaving no sign it had ever been there. If any one person would have seen it, they could have written it off as a figment of their imagination, but there were three of them. And the message was undeniable.

“Ice breaker,” Cooper said as he turned back around to face them. He even grinned, a slow smile that spread across his face to stop her heart and endear him to her in a way she would never forget. His eyes lit up as he met her gaze. She didn’t get the impression he usually smiled. But he was smiling now. And the light in the room grew brighter for it.

“Pardon?” Jackson released Sharon’s leg, making her wince to know he was pulling away. Giving up. He’d stood his ground for a minute, but this was getting to be too much for him.

In fact, he inched away, and she feared he would run.

Cooper held up his hands, palms out, and took charge, thank God. “I’m so sorry to barge in on you like this. I know it’s rude.”

“I thought you were going to your sister’s,” Jackson stated.

What the hell?

Instead of asking the ten thousand questions swimming around in her head, she decided to save them for later.

“I was. I changed my mind. Other things were more important.”

“How do you know Sharon? And what the fuck was that thing at the door?” His stress rising palpably, Jackson stood and stepped into the center of the room to face off with Cooper.

“It was a spirit. Sort of a guide.”

“A spirit? That’s insane.”

“Yeah, well, that’s the least of today’s insanity,” Cooper muttered. “Stick with me, and it will get so much crazier.”