River
and Rhyme joined me on the steps a moment later. Rhyme looked fabulous and very
chic like always in her business dress attire with her black-as-night hair up
in a French twist. River carried an air of masculinity in his wranglers and
button-down dress shirt. His black hair styled perfectly. My siblings were used
to being in the spotlight. I was not. I felt completely overshadowed by them.
Lincoln
was the first to arrive. He was stable, sexy, and knew how to command the area.
Control was his super power and added to his sex appeal. His tan khakis and
dark brown polo were as impeccable as his golden blond curls. Not a single
thing on his person was out of place. I bit my lower lip as the memory of how
good his kiss was despite the dangerous situation we found themselves in during
his last visit to the compound. He hugged me tightly and I breathed in his
crisp pine scent mixed with desire. He would’ve been a front runner if he
hadn’t run at the first sign of trouble. That and his purist ideas made me wary,
but I promised myself I’d give him a second chance, and with his pack aligning
with ours in the upcoming battle for the alpha seat against the rogue wolves I
needed to be cautious.
“I’m
glad you came back,” I told him with a smile.
He
treated me to a sly, knowing grin. “And this time, I’m here to fight for the
woman in front of me.” He didn’t need to apologize again. He’d already done
that when I invited him to come back for the competition.
I
felt a blush creep up my cheeks. “We shall see. No more notes.” I was half
joking, but totally serious. The last time he came to court me he left with a ‘Dear
John’ letter. It was one step up from leaving a break up text message. I was
flabbergasted. I’d thought we were getting along well, but he was obviously not
interested in the drama which made his attempt at brokering a peace between our
two packs questionable.
Brick
was the next to arrive on his motorcycle. The image of his highlighted, brown
shoulder-length hair flying loosely behind him from the breeze pulled me back
to the night we ran away on the bike for a picnic in the park. Before he even
dropped the kickstand, I knew he’d smell of delicious cinnamon buns which oddly
matched his toasted almond skin tone. The memory of his fingers grazing my lips
as he fed me chocolate covered strawberries caused me to lick my lips in
anticipation. When his long, thickly muscled legs reached me on the steps he
pulled me hard against his solid chest, the smell of leather from his jacket
mixed with vanilla and cinnamon, and circled around us weaving its spell. He
moved in close, lips inches from mine, his breath hot on my skin. When I closed
my eyes to receive the expected kiss he popped a tasty strawberry in my mouth.
“A little something to help you remember our awesome night together.” He
squeezed me tight and I swallowed the delectable treat. If I picked him, I’d
gain fifty pounds before the wedding with the way he used food as a seduction
tool.
“God,
that was hot.” Chloe fanned herself as she whispered behind me. “I think I need
a shower.” She giggled.
“Shush,”
I told her, but couldn’t help but chuckle along with her.
The
next to arrive was Eric Christianson. His entrance was perhaps one of the most
interesting. He trotted up on a beautiful white horse. His eyes were shielded
by a straw hat which did little to cover up his black locks. When he dismounted
from his horse, his buckle proudly sparkled from around his slender waist which
led down to painted-on Wranglers and worn but well-maintained boots. I found my
eyes wandering to his chest which was covered by a button-down, blue plaid
shirt that I discovered matched his twinkling eyes when he removed his hat and
offered his hand to shake.
“I’m
very excited to meet you, ma’am.” He seemed polite and shy, but the glint in
his eyes told me he was also very capable and not afraid of danger which was a
good thing around here. It seemed like we were constantly finding ourselves in
treacherous situations. His hand shake reaffirmed my initial impression. It also
told me he was strong and not afraid of work if the callouses were any
indication. I imagined those hands on my skin would be quite thrilling.
The
next arrival took me by Storm. Literally. He was my Storm. His long, dark hair
was tied back in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. His familiar scent
beckoned me and I found myself lost in the turmoil of emotions that came with
the irritatingly observant, hard-headed ass who always managed to keep me on my
toes because for some peculiar reason I cared what he thought of me. Dislike
tainted with trust and interest was not a healthy concoction, but every time he
turned those soul searing green eyes on me I lost all control of my senses. Logic
flew out the window, and my body responded to his with a dance of desire that
burned me from the core to my skin. They say there is a fine line between love
and hate, and I experienced that every time I was around this man. My mind
screamed danger and my body yelled, ‘Come
closer’. It was the kind of relationship that never lasted, but I couldn’t
help but wonder, ‘What if it could?’
and I supposed that was why he was here. He walked up the steps and offered me
a cup of coffee, and in that moment I realized he wasn’t here to compete, he
was here to take care of me like he did with the rest of the family. Evidence
of this was when he handed Chloe, River, and Rhyme their own drinks. The man
was infuriating.
I
turned toward him. “Does that mean you’re not competing in the games?”
Storm
sipped his drink. “I don’t play games.” His green eyes watched me over the brim
of the cup. I wanted to scream, ‘No!’,
to asked him ‘why?’, but I refused to
stoop to his level. Instead, I turned away. I didn’t expect the next chain of
events to happen. He whipped me around and pulled me into his strong arms. “I
don’t play games, but for you, I’m willing to let that rule slide.”
“Meaning
what, exactly?” For some reason, I needed to hear the words. I needed to know
he felt an inkling of what I was starting to feel for him. I wasn’t about to
put myself out there to get burned if he didn’t feel remotely the same.
“Are
you ready for a real relationship with real responsibilities?”
“Are
you ready to stop treating me like a child?”
“Perhaps.”
He grinned.
“Then
perhaps I am. We’ll have to see…if you’re still standing at the end of the
Games.”
“I’ll
only be standing at the end of the games if you show me you’re a worthy mate.”
He caressed my cheek and I felt my legs go weak. How someone could be so strong
and yet gentle was beyond me. “For now, I choose to compete.” His words made my
heart skip a beat before he released me.
Chloe
and Rhyme steadied me, and I breathed deeply as I turned around and awaited the
next contestant in the “Marry Me” game. If Storm wasn’t such a pain in my ass
the games would be over, but the luggage that came with that man was something
I was going to have to work to get over before I could consider him my mate.
Sure, we had explosive chemistry, but I’ve also felt sparks with the other men
and they didn’t carry with them a painful, shared past.
The next to arrive did so in style, and he wasn’t alone. When the
limousine door opened, James Frank and a man who looked almost identical poured
out of the vehicle. The second unidentified man was sloppy drunk and James had
to hold him up to keep him from falling down. James gave me a sheepish grin
when Georgio and Storm pulled the almost incoherent man off James and he was
able to approach me. He straightened his tie and suit jacket before offering
his hand to shake.
“I apologize, Rayne. My little brother can be a handful.” Just
then a little girl in a white frilly dress with red hair like James rushed out
of the vehicle and clung to his pant legs. James’ cheeks burned red which
enhanced his light sprinkle of freckles on his peachy face. I felt for the guy.
“I’m sorry, when I agreed to come I had to bring my siblings because our
parents were out of the country and…”
“It’s okay,” I squatted down to eye level with the little girl.
“I’m Rayne. What’s your name?”
“Kylie,”
she spoke past the thumb in her mouth.
“Welcome
to my home, Kylie.” I grinned. There was something innately sexy about a man
that put family first and liked kids. The way Kylie was clinging to James in
that moment, I had a feeling she adored her brother.
Next
to arrive was Grayson Drake. He drove up in a brand new silver BMW convertible.
His dark, medium length hair was frizzy from the wind but the twinkle in his
crystal blue eyes made up for the slight imperfection of his hair. The rest of
him was well kept. Black slacks, cream colored polo that accented his golden-tanned
skin all mixed together well to create a good looking man. He walked up to me,
and instead of shaking my extended hand, he kissed the inside of my palm.
“Hello, Rayne. I’m Grayson Drake, but you can call me Gray.”
“Nice
to meet you, Gray.” He still had my hand and was absently caressing my knuckles
in a circular motion. I didn’t pull away. It was nice, and his touch held an
electrical current that grabbed my attention.
On
the outside, he looked picture perfect, even with the mussed hair, but his eyes
held an air of danger underneath the surface.
“I
look forward to getting to know you much better.” And then came the grin -- the
danger gone. Though he didn’t look it, he was definitely a bad boy.
The
theme song from the Rocky movies blasted loudly from the green Jeep that pulled
up next. The cinnamon skinned man shifted the vehicle into park, and then
raised his hands to the bar of the topless SUV and swung himself over the
closed door and onto the ground, showing off amazing strength and impressively
cut arms. I had no doubt under that form-fitting dark blue t-shirt he had a
four pack, if not a six pack of defined abs. The man was hot. He wore his black
hair cut close to the scalp. His jeans hung low on V-shaped hips. He made his
way toward me and when his brown eyes connected with mine I forgot to breathe.
He was intense. I couldn’t help but notice the tattoos on his arms, wrists, and
neck, and had to wonder what other tats were hidden under his clothes.
“Hello,
Rayne. I am Julius.” He spoke with a strong Spanish accent which made him even
hotter.
“Julius,
nice to meet you.” I smiled and placed my hand in his, which dwarfed my own. If
I didn’t know any better, I’d think the man was a bear shifter, not a wolf. It
was easy to see how he was an enforcer and second in command of his pack.
The
next guy to arrive was Simon Blake. According to the file I had on him, he
owned a company that made computer games and many suspected he was a hacker.
That wasn’t confirmed, but he was connected to Wolf Vengeance, a handle to an
infamous hacker that had infiltrated many prominent government agencies. I knew
I had to ask him about it because my interest was piqued. He arrived in a red,
convertible Corvette. The first thing I noticed as he approached me were his
sharp hazel eyes. Then his height. He towered over the other wolves, and his
thin frame was opposite of them as well. Many shifters wore their hair long but
Simon’s was shaved with dark brown growth poking up through his scalp. His
hands were tattooed with intricate and colorful designs. “You must be Rayne.
I’m Simon.”
“It
is a pleasure to meet you Simon.”
He
kissed the back of my hand, never taking those astute eyes off of me. “You are
far more beautiful in person than your picture boasts.”
“Thank
you.” I told him, pink coloring my cheeks.
“I
look forward to getting to know you better.” He took his place next to the rest
of the contestants that had already arrived.
Finally,
the last bachelor arrived. I knew from the files his name was Victor, and he
was a singer/songwriter and poet. He was larger than most of the men, which was
saying a lot. His light brown hair fell in waves around his shoulders and was
kissed by the sun. So was his tan skin. He carried a guitar case when he got out
of the van that had “Stealth Wolf Men” painted on the side in a multitude of
colors. It was his band’s logo.
He
smiled softly, shyness in his demeanor and hazel eyes. “I’m Victor, and I’m
guessing you are Rayne Manchester?”
“I
am.” I nodded.
“I’m
so sorry for your loss. Your father was a very good man.”
“Thank
you.” His words choked me up for a moment. I hadn’t expected the condolence. It
was actually very thoughtful.
“Very
good, everyone! I am Eva, your game master. Please come into the house so we
can get you all set up in your rooms, then a little dinner, and our first
competition.”
