Wolf Betrayed (Talon Pack #4)(52)

That’s why she was glad she and Shane were on the same page when it came to taking care of Bram, rather than the other way around.

Someone needed to care for him and make sure his needs were met.

He might be dominant in bed and in life, but when it came to those he cared about, he wasn’t forceful. He was the quiet dominant wolf, and those were the ones you usually had to watch out for.

And now he was hers.

“Are you going to tell me what you’re thinking about? Or should I guess?”

She traced her fingertips along his lips after he’d spoken and shook her head. “I’m only thinking about you. Come to bed with me.” It was a whisper. A need laid bare before the man she loved. One of the men she loved.

How had she gotten here? How had this become her life?

Warmth filled her, and she smiled.

She was…happy.

For the first time since she’d seen Ellie and Maddox in that basement and they’d saved her life, she was past content and into pure joy. Was this what it felt like to be mates? Was this what it meant to have a future not wrapped up in darkness?

And maybe, just maybe, she deserved this.

Bram lowered his head and brushed his lips along hers. “I think that sounds like a perfect plan.” He kissed her fully then, his tongue sliding along hers. She moaned into him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

This man. This was what she needed.

Him and Shane.

Forever.

He gripped her butt and lifted her off her feet. She chuckled and held on tightly, wrapping her legs around his waist. The position left the long line of his cock pressed firmly against her heat, and she sighed happily.

“Let’s get inside before your whole family finds us naked and sweaty in the middle of the forest.”

Once again, she traced his jaw with her finger a few times, even as he carried her into her house. “Well, I’d like to get naked and sweaty with you outside once, but yeah, in front of my family, not so much.”

He grinned, and she fell in love with him all over again. Goddess, he had the most beautiful smile, and she prayed one day he would use it more often. He closed the door behind her and pushed her back against the wall.

With her body pinned and her legs wrapped around his waist to steady her, he pulled her arms up over her head so she was completely at his mercy.

And goddess, how she loved it.

If any other man or woman tried to pin her down, she’d fight, but Bram and Shane? It just made her want to wrap around them tightly and take all that they could give her.

“I’m going to f*ck you against your door. What do you think about that?”

Charlotte smiled and arched her back, pressing her hips closer to his. “I think we’re wearing too many clothes.”

Bram raised a brow, and before she could ask him what he was going to do next, he was using his claws to rip her clothes from her body.

She moaned, in awe of how careful he was, even as he handled her roughly at the same time. His claws grazed her skin, but it was in a sensual move, not a violent one. And when she was naked, still against the door and panting, he held her with one arm and somehow slid out of his clothes, as well.

Now they were both naked, ready, and willing.

It was about time.

She closed her eyes as he slid his lips over her skin, his mouth working her shoulders, her breasts, her neck. She couldn’t help but remember the last time they’d been alone like this. She’d been so happy, so…in love with the man in her arms, and too afraid to do anything about it once the worst happened. She’d wanted him to move on to find his own fate, and had hurt them both in the process.

She’d been wrong before, and she was damned if she’d do it again.

“Ouch!” she called out and opened her eyes. Bram glared at her, and she rubbed her nipple where he’d bitten down none too gently. “What was that for?”

“I’m doing some of my best work here, and you’re frowning. What’s going on in that head of yours?”

She shook her head. “I was just thinking about how we almost lost this.” She cupped his face. “I’m not going to lose you again.”

He turned his head to kiss her palm. “Damn straight.” And when he kissed her, she lost all thoughts of what they’d been through before and only focused on what they had right then. He worked her until she was right at the edge and then slid into her. They panted as one, their bodies moving in unison as they made love. It was hard and yet soft at the same time, fast, and yet never-ending.

And when they came, they threw their heads back and howled, their mating bond once again flaring, cementing them as part of their third. Deep along the bond, she felt Shane’s adoration of Bram and Charlotte together, and she couldn’t wait to see him again. She’d only known him a short while, but somehow, he’d become a deeper part of her life, an integral one she knew she couldn’t live without.

She had two mates, two paths wrapped into one, and a future she could taste on her tongue. Perhaps fate hadn’t betrayed her when she’d been a child and then again when she’d been wrong about Bram. And now that she thought she could live with that, she could breathe again.

She had her best friend, her lover, her mate in her arms—along with Shane waiting close by—and for now, and perhaps for eternity, that would be enough.