One Very Special Woman Read online

  Split-second timing sounded all very well in a first aid manual, but he wasn’t sure how it would work out in real life.

  Fortunately, for the final dance of the night, she was partnered with a wolf who was content to dance opposite her, watching her and occasionally holding her hands, but not moving her around the dance floor. This meant Merek was able to stand exactly opposite them on the sidelines and pretend not to be staring at Ebony. He watched the band a lot of the time, looking for a cue that they were about to finish for the night. When he saw a woman walk up onto the stage, he almost ruined his chances. At first he didn’t recognize her as the event organizer because she was wearing a short black dress now, instead of the long white one with ribbons she’d had on at the start of the evening.

  Merek only just had time to make his way across the dance floor and be standing beside Ebony when the music stopped.

  “Please, Ebony, may Ben and I walk you back to your cabin after the party tonight?”

  Before she could answer or the other wolf complain, the woman on the stage spoke.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes the program for this evening but please pay attention to the instructions I’m about to give you. All the women will leave the ballroom first. No man may leave until all the women have gone. Security guards are waiting in the foyer to escort women to their cabins. Any women who have arranged to meet up with a group for coffee or whatever—”

  The woman gave a little cough and Merek couldn’t help his smile. Whatever was definitely on his mind but he couldn’t imagine Ebony agreeing to it yet. Some of the other wolves must be fast workers indeed. He could only hope none of them wanted Ebony.

  “—will stay to one side of the foyer until their group is gathered and then leave with that group. We hope you’ve enjoyed tonight’s formal dance, and we’ll see you again at seven tomorrow evening for our Boot Scootin’ Bonanza. Good night. Ladies, you may leave now.”

  Ebony politely thanked her dance partner then gave the tiniest nod to Merek as she began walking from the dance floor. All around the room other women were collecting purses and jackets from chairs, and walking to the big double doors at the end of the room. An enormous security guard stood there, making it quite clear any men who tried to leave wouldn’t get far. But many men were moving, too, forming into little groups, talking to their friends. Merek looked around and saw Ben about two thirds of the way down the room. His unusual hair color—well, unusual for a wolf—made him easy to find in a gathering like this.

  “I think she’ll let us walk her home,” he whispered into Ben’s ear.

  Ben nodded but kept his gaze on the doors where the ladies were filing out, one by one in a chattering group. The noise in the ballroom was rising, too, as men were talking to each other, some of them walking the woman of their choice to the doorway, others still standing in groups of men and women. That was an amazing confirmation that the event was successful already, after only one day. People were already mixing and making friends, and that was a huge success in its own right. As the various packs began working together and cooperating with each other, the species as a whole became more likely to survive and thrive. Stopping unnecessary rivalry and encouraging cooperation was an excellent step forward.

  Not that it would help him win his woman. Merek already knew with one hundred percent certainty that Ebony Tainton was the woman he and Ben needed to turn them into a family. She and she alone was their perfect mate. Well, if she was waiting for them in the foyer that would be a start. Even if they only had a few more minutes to talk to her, it would help. Besides, he planned to ask her to commit to spending some time with them tomorrow as well.

  * * * *

  As the last of the women made their way to the exit, Ben joined a line of wolves waiting to leave. They were all standing well to the side, not blocking the exit at all, but it was clearly a line and Ben wanted to be not too far down it. Not that he thought Ebony would break a promise, but more that he wanted to be with her every possible minute. The evening had been torture for him, trying to be nice to other people when all he’d really wanted to do was watch Ebony. The blue-green dress she’d changed into after her performance was perfect for her. It highlighted the glossy black of her hair, and lovingly caressed her small rounded breasts. She was so neat and graceful in every move she made. At times he found it hard to believe she wasn’t a wolf because she moved with such lithe dexterity. But then, she was half wolf even if she couldn’t shift.

  That meant any child she had with him and Merek might be female and it might be a wolf. Not that he was going to be pressing her to have a child. The only thing he’d be trying to get out of her right now was a promise to spend more time with him. No matter how many times he reminded himself it was only the first full day of the event, and there was an entire week ahead of them, he still couldn’t help wanting to spend every moment of every day getting to know Ebony better. Then they could take her to bed and demonstrate once and for all how well they’d love and cherish her if only she’d agree to be with them.

  Ben tried to tell himself there were another sixty women here and he hadn’t even smiled at most of them yet. But it didn’t help. The moment he’d seen Ebony he’d wanted her. It was strange in a way, because apart from their hair color Ebony and Ivory were very similar to each other. He liked Ivory. She seemed a really nice person. But she didn’t make his cock stand up the way Ebony did. Only Ebony made his heart beat faster and his mouth go dry with longing to spend time with her. And only Ebony sent a fiercely protective urge burning through him. She was his and he needed to look after her.

  Ben knew the mountainous man standing in the doorway was Harry Harrison, a bear shape-shifter and the head of a security company. He checked his scanner as the last woman left the room and it must have shown that all the women were accounted for, because he waved to the line of wolves. Ben shuffled forward and a few minutes later his left hand with the big blue number on it was scanned. The light on the machine went green and he was allowed out. Without waiting for Merek, who was in line right behind him, Ben looked around the foyer. There were several security guards standing there, and three small groups of women. Ebony and Ivory were in one group. He walked across to the group and stood just a little distance away where Ebony could see him if she looked, but not interfering with her conversation at all.

  A few minutes later he felt Merek standing at his shoulder and together they stepped a fraction closer to the group.

  “May we walk you back to your cabin, Ebony?” asked Merek.

  Ben noted how husky Merek’s voice was. Merek wanted this as much as he did.

  “Thank you. I’d like that.”

  Ebony’s voice was light and flirtatious and Ben was pretty sure his cock grew another inch from her tone. Oh hell yeah, he wanted her. Surely she’d let them kiss her. He’d die if he couldn’t touch her at least a little bit.

  “I need to collect my luggage,” she said, walking over to one of the security guards.

  Luggage? Oh yes, her other dress from when she danced the display dance.

  The guard smiled at her and handed over a small roll-along suitcase.

  “That’s it? What about the dress?” asked Merek.

  “The dress, gloves, and shoes have to go back to the hire company. This is my stuff.”

  Wow. That was a lot of stuff if it didn’t take account of the actual dress. But Ben shrugged. What did he know about women’s clothing after all? Not a hell of a lot.

  “We wore our ordinary clothes over here and changed once we arrived,” explained Ebony.

  “Oh. That makes sense. Of course you wouldn’t want everyone to see the costumes in advance,” said Merek.

  Yeah, he’d just worked that out as well.

  Merek took the handle of the suitcase and Ben ushered Ebony toward the exit. Once they were outside they stood either side of her and began walking along the path around the building which would take them to the cabins. Hesitantly, Ben took her hand in his a
nd entwined his fingers with hers. She made no attempt to stop him, and her hand felt so good in his. Much smaller and smoother than his, but warm and soft as well. He rubbed his thumb on her palm and then on her wrist. Her skin was silky soft and so delicate he hoped his work-roughened hands didn’t hurt her.

  Ebony made no attempt to tell them which pathway to turn down to her cabin, so they kept walking. Ben was certain Merek would have a plan for this. His only plan would be to take her to their cabin and fuck her brains out, but likely she’d say no long before that happened. But meanwhile, walking with her under the stars was nice. There were other people around, too, but everyone was talking softly. The sky was black but dotted with stars and quite pretty. It was cooler than in the daytime but not cold. As long as they didn’t stay out too long Ebony wouldn’t catch a chill. Besides, Ben could think of a damn fine way to warm her up.

  Merek stopped outside their cabin. He turned Ebony so she was looking directly at both of them. “Will you please come inside with us for coffee or whatever?” he asked, copying the lady who’d been on the stage.

  “Yes, but not for very long,” she replied.

  Ben didn’t care about the qualification. She’d said yes and now he could kiss her. And maybe even more than that.

  * * * *

  Ebony had been thinking about Benedict and Merek on and off all day among everything else she’d been doing. Right until the very last dance she hadn’t decided if she’d let them walk her back to her cabin or whatever else they suggested doing. She was completely certain they’d ask her to do something. The way they’d thought of the picnic showed they wouldn’t give up easily.

  But what she couldn’t decide was whether or not to agree to whatever they asked her. Ebony hated being indecisive. It wasn’t like her at all. Oh sure, sometimes she needed to think about how she’d achieve her aim, but she usually knew exactly what her aim was. This time, not so much. She wasn’t ready to settle for Mr. Good Enough. She still wanted Mr. Right. Or even better, two Mr. Rights. But were they Merek and Ben? How the fuck was she supposed to know on Day One? It was easy enough to recognize Mr. Hell No in ten seconds, but picking one man, okay, two men, out of two hundred? Shouldn’t that involve a careful evaluation over the entire week with plenty of time to cross-reference them against all the other men?

  Yet something about these two men called to her in the most primeval way possible. A few times when she’d caught their gaze on her over the night it was as if there was a rope from their eyes to her cunt. Her whole body was ready to welcome them in. And that shouldn’t be happening so fast. Likely it shouldn’t be happening at all.

  Ebony had done her very best to be completely fair and honest with all the men. She’d paid complete attention to each of her dancing partners. Where it was possible she’d talked to them, asked them about themselves, and their pack. Every one of them had been polite and nice. A few were totally not her sort of person, but she was pretty sure they’d all do their best to ensure she was happy.

  But she wouldn’t be. They were nice people but there was no spark between them and her.

  Whereas the spark between her and Ben and Merek was more like a Molotov cocktail. Her senses went up in flames when the men touched her and she had to work really hard not to fall into their arms and pull their mouths down to hers for a kiss.

  It wasn’t just that they were good looking. At least half the men here were good looking. It wasn’t simply that they were polite. Every man she’d spoken to had been attentive, and good company. The plain fact was that not one of these excellent specimens of male wolf appealed to her as much as Merek and Ben did.

  So why wait? It was time to test them out in a more private zone. Now, here she was at the door of their cabin, stepping inside, about to get private with them. And her body was on fire with the need to be touched.

  Dorothea had practically given them official permission to get naughty. It seemed silly to waste the opportunity. And if this turned out to have been a mistake there was plenty of the week left for her and the men to try again. Self-justification much?

  All right. I admit it. I want to get up close and personal with them.

  Merek switched the lights on and Ben closed the drapes. Ebony waited just inside the door to see what they suggested next.

  Ben turned the coffeemaker on and set out three cups. Merek placed her roll-along suitcase out of the way against the wall.

  “We’d both very much like to kiss you. May we?” asked Merek.

  Ebony swallowed hard and managed to nod instead of grabbing for them herself.

  Merek held her shoulders firmly, but not so hard she couldn’t have pulled away if she’d wanted to. Then he made love to her mouth. His lips caressed her lips, gradually encouraging her to step closer to his body and tip her head back so they could kiss more deeply. His lips took possession of her mouth definitely, but again, she could have stepped back at any time. Merek lowered one arm to her waist, holding her more firmly as he deepened the kiss still farther, tasting all of her mouth and letting her suck on his tongue. By the time they pulled apart she was breathless and her panties were damp with the lust he roused in her body.

  There was no denying the man knew how to kiss.

  Merek turned her gently to face Ben. Of course. There were two of them. Ben kissed her as he’d led her when they’d danced. His body showed her what it wanted her to do, but the choice to follow was hers. Just as she’d been perfectly content to let him lead her in a waltz, so, too, she let him lead her in the kiss. He nibbled her eyebrows and her earlobes. He kissed a line along her jaw, and finally he possessed her lips as he leaned his erection against her belly and stroked both his hands up and down her back. The man had all the moves, but they were done to her as if she was someone special, not just him kissing whoever. Once again, by the end of the kiss, she was hotter than hell and wanting a whole lot more.

  Ebony stopped thinking. Feeling was all she needed to do. She was willing to go wherever they led her for the moment.

  Ben tilted her head back and sucked and licked the column of her throat. Damn that was sweet. Behind her, a long thick cock pressed into her ass, and two more hands were on her body cupping her breasts. For a brief moment she worried that the men would be disappointed in her breasts. That she was too small. Then she relaxed into their amazing touches. Four hands on her body at once. Ben stroking and touching her face and head, while Merek’s thumbs had unerringly found her nipples and were teasing them.

  When Ben captured her lips again, Merek unzipped the back of her long dress. He acted slowly. She could have pulled her mouth away from Ben’s and told them to stop at any time. But stopping wasn’t on her mind. The four hands on her body were on her mind. Half of her was reveling in what was happening right now, while the other half was on tenterhooks to discover what they would touch next.

  She wasn’t left wondering for long. Her bra was undone only seconds after her dress landed on the floor around her feet. And then Merek was kissing the back of her neck, her shoulders, and her spine, but his hands never left her breasts. He teased, pinched, and stroked her nipples, then cupped the globes some more, stroking part of her skin with his thumbs as he kneaded her flesh with the rest of his hands.

  Ben dropped to his knees and helped her to step out of her dress, while Merek shook her bra off down her arms. Before she was aware of it Ben was back and this time his face was buried in her pussy, his hands on her inner thighs, and his mouth sucking her through the lace of her panties.

  Ebony gasped and unconsciously widened her legs, wanting, no needing, his touch on her slit. “Take them off,” she groaned.

  Merek lifted her up and carried her to one of the beds as Ben pulled her panties off. He kissed her lips hungrily, and then sucked her breast in to his mouth, flicking her nipple with his teeth and making her groan. Ben slid between her legs and once again his mouth was on her cunt, but this time his lips and teeth were against her skin, which felt so much hotter.

  M
erek took both her wrists in his hands, holding them flat to the bed as he moved his mouth from her face to her breasts and back again.

  She just had time to recognize that he might be a Dom, before Ben was sucking her clit and making her gasp. Ben’s tongue was everywhere, inside her pussy, sliding along her nether lips, licking her clit. Then it was his teeth, gently biting her lips, scraping over her clit, and before she could regain her breath his tongue was deep inside her again, fucking her.

  She shook her wrists in Merek’s hands. “I want to touch you,” she complained.

  “Enjoy being restrained. Know that allowing Ben and me to have control of your body and make decisions for you in the bedroom will free your spirit and enhance your pleasure. Your orgasm will be harder if you do this my way, but if you want me to, I’ll let you go.”

  Well, that was interesting. He was prepared to defer to her wishes.

  “This time we’ll do it your way then,” she said, wondering if her orgasm really would be better.

  As soon as she’d said that he bent over her breasts, licking and puffing warm air on them, sucking the insides of her upper arm, and her nipples. He licked the undersides of her breasts and then claimed her mouth again.

  Meanwhile, Ben was doing wicked things to her cunt. His fingers were everywhere, touching and stroking, but it was his mouth that was driving her wild. She never knew where he’d kiss, suck, lick, or bite next, and she was damn close to coming.

  Ben threw her legs over his shoulders and tongued her deeper than ever, his hands touching and stroking her clit and her inner thighs. Ebony knew she was making tiny noises, but she couldn’t help it. She was very close to climaxing. When Merek bit her nipple she shattered, flooding with cream as her cunt tried hard to hold onto Ben’s tongue. He laid her back down on the bed and both men took turns kissing her mouth, Ben tasted of her, which was strangely erotic.