Chapter 12

After the normal morning routine and a quick shower, I was humming a jaunty tune while hauling a stuffed backpack downstairs. Just the thought of spending time near Mandy sent the most delightful tingles through me. Hadn’t been this giddy in quite a while. When I stepped out under a looming gray sky, the hummed tune morphed into a low whistle.

In the neighboring drive, my travel companions were loading their hatchback. With wavy dark hair pushed behind her ears, my sexy neighbor wore a sundress. The white and yellow flower print was loose enough to sway from two thin straps and left bare her toned shoulders, upper back, and most of those divine legs. With the recent full-body sunbathing, her darkened complexion was a stark contrast to the lighter colors.

After loading a bag into their car, she yawned and rubbed her eyes. My heart fluttered. Though the chance of being alone with the petite wonder was small, just having her close was—comforting.

Susan, with drooping shoulders and bleached blonde tresses in a thick French braid, rolled a suitcase from the garage. Skintight purple booty shorts covered a strip of pelvis while a fuchsia crop top, hanging from sharp, wobbling tits, enhanced the swell of her chest. Brown eyes were circled with dark rings.

When her friend, Desi, in a ridiculously tiny pleated black skirt, bent forward to toss her suitcase into the rear of the car, my heart raced. Firm buttocks were separated by the thinnest line of T-back panties. Although loose, a red blouse had a plunging neckline, revealing a straining bra of crimson lace. As the petite redhead stood, she stretched, pulling the short top upward to expose taut stomach muscles. Blue eyes, though dulled by sleep, glittered when she caught sight of me.

Yeah, could be an interesting trip, at least eye candy-wise. A tiny cabin surrounded by woods crowded with other campers promised little time or space for much, even if Mandy could get away. Oh, and how would she now react to me with her daughter? Or with her daughter’s friend? Or with both?

“Focus,” I murmured, adding another silent thanks that at least she’d be closer than if I’d stayed home.

Just as a cheery greeting formed on my lips, Charles appeared. Coffee in one hand, he was struggling to roll a large, wheeled duffle. Yep, he’d also be around. Thus, eye candy, nothing more. Perhaps enjoy a few interesting conversations.

After flashing my best grin, I waved. “Mornin’, fellow travelers!”

All of them stopped, turned to me, and groaned. Okay, not morning people. I mean, if Mandy were in bed with me, neither of us would get much sleep. And Desi was a friend sharing well-shaped benefits with Susan.

On the other hand, lonely guys got plenty of rest. With a shrug, I strode closer in time to help Charles lift the duffle into the trunk. Two easy lifts had the backpack and a small, rugged bag of climbing gear on the pile.

“Thanks, Jim.” He gulped coffee while checking the map on his phone.

“No prob.”

My gaze drifted to Mandy. That wonderful tongue traced rosy lips, and she batted long eyelashes. Batted her eyelashes! Oh, the little minx. Yeah, she was also looking forward to this trip. Other than a quick flip of her dark tresses and a quicker wink behind her husband, she said nothing before settling into the passenger side.

Quiet giggling drew me to the vehicle’s rear seat. Desi and Susan had already clambered inside and were unfolding a thick blanket. At least they had a plan to handle sleep deprivation.

Charles yawned, and I walked closer. When my hand landed on his shoulder, he shivered. Strange.

“You okay?” I asked. “Want me to start out?”

“Nah, I’ll be fine. Stayed up too late working on presentation slides. That’s all.”

Not as if he’d tell me the exhaustion resulted from fucking his sexy wife all night long. Discretion seemed to be his mantra; maybe more than discretion. Was he hiding something? Except, as he glanced at my fingers on his shirt, I believed him.

“Alright,” I said, grinning. “Well, call it when you need me to take over.”

Their car was small, and the backseat was cramped. While squeezing inside, my hip nudged Susan’s blanket-wrapped frame. As my hand pulled on the door handle, a muted whimper left her amid the soft slurping that suggested the girls were kissing. Under the thick linen, Desi’s arms glided. Yep, friends with benefits. A sigh left me as I tugged the door shut. Its thump resounded just as Mandy closed the passenger door.

No sooner had her husband started the engine than she curled up tight under another blanket. In the door’s glass, I caught the reflection of those pretty eyes closing as we rolled from the neighborhood.

Soon enough, houses gave way to rolling fields scattered with cattle and horses. After a pair of shuddering moans, both girls settled into rhythmic breathing. Meanwhile, the combination of cute, soft snoring from his wife and Charles’ classic tunes from the speakers was causing my eyelids to droop.

Amid the car’s gentle rocking, I refocused, chuckling at the memory of a video call. The previous day, as Gary had warned, the leader of the Dusk Pride had contacted me.

“Good morning, Luka,” I’d said before tossing him my widest grin.

After only the usual curt nod, the ostensible pack chief had proceeded to grumble. While his low, rumbling voice recounted all the ills befalling his little tribe of doggies, the swarthy man’s beady eyes gleamed under several loose shocks of thick dark hair. At last, I’d held up my palm.

“Shut up, Luka!”

He’d yipped like the most adorable puppy before pursing his lips.

A soft murmur and gentle thrust of Susan’s butt into my thigh brought my focus back to the car. While scratching my head, I smiled at the view from the window. Truly pastoral. A herd of cattle stood within a large field enclosed by wire-fencing.

With an exhale low enough not to disturb the warm butt-owner, my attention returned to the video call. In the reflection of my face in the glass, the grin widened.

Though by now our normal ritual, my demand always seemed to catch Luka by surprise. With a sigh, I recalled his eyes widening; he knew what was coming next.

“Show me your wife,” I’d commanded.

His expression had grown stony, but he’d slid from view. When Lisandra appeared, air had hissed from my lips.

Dark hair, straight, parted in the center, and tucked behind small ears, framing a sharp-featured, gorgeous face. A gift of southern Italian ancestry, skin of deep olive gleamed.

She’d been wearing a curve-hugging black halter dress. Its plunging neckline displayed a flat stomach. Her bellybutton sported the diamond stud I’d bought for her a hundred years ago. Most of both delightful legs had been peeking through long slits that ended at shapely hips. As glossy crimson lips had rolled, nails, shiny and of the richest red, had been scratching both bare thighs.

The display was part of the ritual. Such things were important to their kind. In her case, this guy had no complaints.

“Luka, strip your wife—for me,” I’d said, adding a throaty growl.

After stepping behind her, he’d looked at me. My curt nod, and his arms had risen to the back of his wife’s neck. A brief tremor had raced through Lisandra as the halter straps had flowed, then tumbled over an ample chest to dangle from her waist. Nipples, sharp, atop swollen, darkened areolas covering a good portion of those juddering globes. As always, impressive. After all these years, gravity had little effect on them.

Dark eyes had gained that special sheen once my inspection ended with a far wider smile for her. As the zipper parted in his hands, the dress peeled away to slither from those wonderful hips. A slow swipe of her palms helped the material slide from sight. Yep, that view had gotten my heartbeat thumping again.

Even at rest, in only black lace panties, lean and muscular, she radiated the calm power of an apex predator. Her eyes had glowed a little brighter; she was as much an exhibitionist as Luka was a voyeur. His trousers surged as he came back into sight and lifted a simple black circlet toward his wife’s neck. We’d done this so many times before that he hadn’t bothered waiting for my command.