Lesser of Two Evils Read online

  “Mine,” he said. His. Kerry swallowed back a sob. His to do with as he pleased. She was trapped, just like her mother. So I can fuck you whenever I want.

  Kerry lay down and hugged her pillow. This will get me pups and I want pups.

  Chapter 2

  Kerry watched the trees move in the breeze outside. She hadn’t slept much, and her eyes felt sandy. He stirred behind her, and she stayed perfectly still. His erection pressed to her bottom, and he wrapped an arm around her to pull her against him. Her eyes went wide. He wanted to do it again. His hand dipped between her legs, and his finger circled her nub. Oh. She sucked in a sharp breath. “I don’t think you enjoyed our time last night as much as you could have enjoyed it.”

  His lips were against her ear, and she felt his warm, damp breath there. It made her toes curl and the muscles deep inside her clench again. She stretched against him. He put a finger inside of her, and she moaned lightly. A second finger joined the first, stretching her. “Do you like that?”

  “Yes,” she cried. It was so confusing. These feelings were indescribable. An hour ago, she was hoping that he never woke up, but right now…

  “Good.” His cock replaced his fingers. He slid into her, filling her, and she sucked in a breath. “That’s right, baby. I’ll make you feel so good.” He moved against her, pulling out and pushing in while his finger circled the bundle of nerves. She squirmed and writhed. Her body was out of her control and moving without her direction.

  Energy crackled through her and zinged over her nerves. It felt like heat beating a pulse through her veins and at her center, where it throbbed. The muscles deep inside her clenched hard around him, and he moaned into her hair. He pumped into her while his finger worked faster. Suddenly, everything in her tensed and tightened at once. Light burst behind her eyes, and she heard a keening wail. He roared behind her, holding her so tightly that she couldn’t breathe.

  “Fuck,” he said, panting into her hair. She tried to move but couldn’t because he still had her trapped with an arm around her middle. Kerry pushed at his hands, desperately trying to draw a deep breath. “Sorry, sugar,” he said gainst her ear and loosened his grip. Finally, she drew in deep gulps of air and lay quietly, thinking about what just happened.

  That was different from what he’d done last night. It was bigger and powerful. She’d never climaxed like that before, never so hard that she saw stars. Her own fingers had never brought her that much pleasure.

  “Come, let’s shower.” He got out of bed and held out his hand out to her. She took it and let him pull her out of the bed and to the bathroom. He reached into the shower and turned the water on. “How do you feel this morning?”

  She shrugged because she wasn’t sure. Last night was terrifying. This morning was nice though, well, nicer than nice. This morning was actually good, because he’d made it good for her, too. She was sore and tired. If he would do that every time he wanted to have sex, she knew she would like it more. So far, she mostly felt like a receptacle, as if it wouldn’t matter whom he was pounding.

  They’d mated, yes, but she didn’t feel destined. Not the way she had with Eric. That couldn’t have been right though, because he said he’d found the one. Ethan didn’t love her, and she didn’t love him. How could she? They’d met yesterday. She was still trying to figure him out. She wondered how to stay out of his way as she did her father.

  He’d slept curled up against her most of the night. Since he hadn’t seen to her needs as well as he did his own, she was frustrated and on edge. So how was she? A little lost, tired, sore, and she was very sticky. She was also disappointed about the hunt that she didn’t get to have last night. He tugged her into the shower with him. Water hit her from all sides, surprising her, and she sputtered. He pushed her out of the torrent. “Are you okay? Sorry about that,” he grinned. “I didn’t mean to drown you.”

  “I’m okay.” She wiped her eyes and giggled. He was smiling down at her when she opened her eyes again. He seemed nice enough, and maybe one day she could like him when they learned more about each other.

  “Good. Now come.” He squeezed shower gel into one hand, then rubbed his hands together. He turned her around and started on her shoulders, then worked his way over every inch of her skin. By the time he finished, her face was hot with embarrassment. He put her under the water and rinsed her, then washed her hair and rinsed it.

  Picking up the bottle again, he took her hand and filled it with gel. She nibbled her lip. “Come on.” He turned around, and she tentatively smoothed her hands over his shoulders and down his back. His back was broad and muscled, narrowing at his waist. He had two dimples above his rear, and she pushed her fingers into them.

  Ethan put his hands up on the shower wall on either side of the column of sprayers. “Don’t stop,” he said when she paused. His voice was strange, husky, and low. Kerry closed her eyes and let her hands roam downward. Maybe if she didn’t look, it wouldn’t be so embarrassing. She washed both legs and reached around to wash his feet. They were big, but so was he. He’d look stupid if they were little. She grinned at that thought. He turned, and she was face to face with his long, hard cock. Her eyes climbed the length of him until they found his face.

  He was grinning at her, a dimple flashing at the corner of his mouth. “Now the front.” He held out the shower gel bottle and filled her palm again. She worked her way up his legs and stopped when she got to the massive erection. He took her hand and rubbed it over himself. “Don’t skip the best part.” She gripped it, testing its girth. Air hissed between his teeth. Her nails scraped his sack. “Fuck.”

  “I’m sorry.” She jerked her hand away. He pulled it back to him. His face was a mask of pain and pleasure. He’d liked that. She pushed her hands up the front of him, over the ropes of muscle in his abdomen, and watched his face change when she skimmed them over his nipples. They were small and brown. She wondered what they tasted like. She could suck on them the way he did hers, but not now. “All done.” She rinsed her hands in the water and stepped out, grabbing a warm towel as she went. She rubbed her hair and body quickly, then wrapped it around herself. After rubbing her hair and body quickly, she wrapped it around herself. She grabbed her toothbrush and squeezed a small amount of toothpaste onto it He was watching her in the mirror from the shower when she glanced up. She looked down into the sink while she brushed. He couldn’t possibly want to have sex again. At this rate, she wouldn’t be able to stand or sit for a week. He turned the water off and stepped out, grabbing a towel.

  “You look tired,” he said, pulling his toothbrush from the rack by the sink. He smeared it with the minty paste and stuck it in his mouth. She turned her head as much as she could so he couldn’t see her spit. She rinsed and left the bathroom.

  “Did you sleep?” He followed her a second later. She shook her head, not looking at him when he came out naked. He sighed. “Get dressed, I’ll fix breakfast.” He pulled on jeans and left her alone. Kerry dressed in a T-shirt and jeans. She tugged on her socks and found a sweater to put on over her tee shirt. She straightened the bed and fluffed the pillows. She went to the window to look outside and watched squirrels chasing each other for a long time.

  “Ten seconds for both,” she mumbled.

  “What does that mean?” Ethan said from behind her.

  “Huh? Oh, the squirrels. Ten seconds for both.”

  “You think it would only take you ten seconds to get both of them?”

  She cocked an eyebrow, then nodded.

  He smirked. “We’ll see about that sometime, but not now. Breakfast is ready.” Kerry followed him down the hall to the kitchen. There was a place set with coffee, juice, a croissant, scrambled egg, and bacon. Oh, how she loved bacon! Her mouth watered. They never had bacon at her house, just cold cereal. Bacon costs money. Till you can find a boar to kill, you eat cereal. Her father’s voice boomed through her mind. She sat, and he sat beside her. Kerry gobbled the bacon. He took the bacon from his plate and put it on he
rs. She ate it without looking up.

  “So you like bacon?” She nodded. “Tomorrow, I’ll make more.” He winked at her. She ate the eggs and finally slowed for the croissant. She’d never had this before, but she’d seen them in town at the bakery while she and her mother window-shopped. It was flakey and sweet. She decided that she liked it, too. Pulling the delicate pastry apart, she examined it while she chewed and wondered how bread could do this. “Do you like that?”

  “Yes. I’m just trying to figure it out.”

  The corners of his mouth lifted. “It’s a croissant.”

  “I know what it’s called. I’m just trying to see how they made bread do that.” She kept turning it around and looking at it.

  “They roll the dough out and brush it with butter.” She quirked her mouth, and he grinned. “They do that six times or so and refrigerate it for a while after each time. Then they cut it and roll it up into that shape, I think.” She nodded and put the rest of it in her mouth. “Good girl.” He took her empty plate and carried it to the sink, rinsed it, and loaded it into the washer. “Are you ready to go?”

  “Go where?” Kerry asked, getting up.

  “I owe you a pair of panties.” She felt her face heat. “You’re cute when you’re embarrassed.” He kissed the tip of her nose.

  ***

  She followed him through the pantry and laundry room, and they came to a door. He unlocked it and opened it, then reached inside to turn the lights on. fluorescent lights sprang to life in a long, plain room with a cement floor. There were cars and trucks lined up like soldiers. She glanced up at him. “Are these all yours?”

  He winked and started down the steps. “The keys are here, they’re labeled. If you want to go somewhere, choose a vehicle and go for it. They’re yours now, too.”

  “I can’t drive.” His head tilted with curiosity. “Really. We had one car, and between my parents fighting over who got to use it, no one bothered to teach me.

  “I’ll teach you.” He took a set of keys from the rack and hit a button on one key. The lights flashed on a midnight-blue sedan.

  “If you have all of these fancy cars, why did you pick me up in that pickup truck yesterday?” She followed him. “I thought it was going to lose pieces on the highway.” He laughed, a deep sound that vibrated through to her core. Her insides quivered.

  “My father and his father picked their mates up in that truck. My sons will fetch their mates in it, too. It’s tradition.” He opened the passenger door for her, and she sank down onto the cool white leather seat. He pressed a button on the visor when he sat in, and the garage door rolled up slowly. She blew out a breath. “What’s wrong?” He reached over and squeezed her hand.

  “All of this.” She waved her hand at the other cars as they rolled past. “It’s too much.”

  “How so?”

  “You can never drive all of these, so why do you need them? It seems like a waste.”

  “The pack uses them, too. They were here when I moved in. The last Alpha was a bit over the top. He was more interested in making money, buying things, extending the house and the territory, than he was in his pack. He also liked to dabble in illegal drugs.”

  Kerry grimaced. “He was a drug dealer?” She was in a drug dealer’s car. The thought frightened her.

  “Of sorts. He specialized in drugs that worked on us especially. He met his demise when several of his, um, customers ran out of cash and he wouldn’t give them what they needed. They tore him to pieces.” She didn’t know it was possible for a wolf to get high. Alcohol had a temporary effect if you drank enough quickly, but she’d never considered drugs. Her pack had never had any addicts. They were too poor and more interested in eating than drugs.

  “So you were here when this happened?”

  He shook his head. “I came the afternoon it happened. I was traveling, working for the council at the time as an enforcer. Nasty work, but it paid well. I was to investigate the matter and to solve the problem. The council got word that there was a drug situation, and you know how they are.”

  She shook her head. She didn’t know anything about a council.

  He narrowed his eyes. “You don’t know about the council?”

  She shook her head.

  “Huh. Okay, there is one. The council has seven members of wolf elders. They govern the wolves in North America. Your Alpha has to pay dues or he isn’t recognized as an Alpha. That means if he hasn’t paid, I can walk in and take over with the council’s support. They will send wolves like me, enforcers, to enforce their laws. If they don’t like something he’s doing, they will get rid of him.

  “Luke challenged Mateo when my mom was a pup. He beat Mateo, killed him, and took his place. No one said anything about a council in the story that I heard. I don’t think your council knows about Luke. What would he have to do that would break their laws?” He shrugged.

  “Drugs are illegal, taking everything from pack members and letting them starve, hoarding she-wolves, things that decrease the wolf population, basically. Also anything that could expose us as a species.”

  She thought about that. Luke hadn’t done anything to reduce the wolf population, and he always made it clear that they were to stay hidden. He was strong and mean, but the pack was poor. As far as she knew, that wasn’t his fault. It was the way things were. He hadn’t had a mate in the time that she’d been alive. She saw him with a female occasionally, but no one steady. Either none was willing, or he was waiting for one to be available, like her. She cringed. Ethan stopped the car at a boutique. “Come. I owe you a pair of panties.”

  Kerry’s face heated, but she climbed out and met him on the sidewalk.

  Chapter 3

  “Claire,” Ethan said to the woman folding sweaters on a table near the door. She was pretty, thirty, maybe, and she had an exceptionally large chest.

  “Ethan! Hello. Who is your friend?”

  He grabbed Kerry’s hand and pulled her forward.

  “This is Kerry.”

  Claire looked her up and down, then nodded.

  “What can I do for you?”

  Kerry wondered how he knew this woman. She wasn’t wolf, so she wasn’t pack.

  “Kerry needs panties.”

  Claire smiled and turned on her heel. She went to the rear of the store and stopped at a large display of panties, garters, and stockings. Kerry averted her eyes. There were so many, and so many colors. Hers normally came in a pack of five.

  “Over here, we have all kinds: nylon, cotton, silk, briefs, bikinis, and thongs. What did you have in mind?”

  “Kerry, choose, then meet me at the counter.” Ethan said. Kerry picked up several pairs and looked at them. Ethan was at the counter with Claire having a hushed conversation. She wondered if he’d been with that woman, and felt a streak of jealousy. She shook her head to clear it. It didn’t matter if he’d been with her. Why should Kerry care? Maybe if he was with that woman she could get a little peace. She was still sore, and it stung when she peed this morning. He was so big, she thought that maybe he’d torn something. She would heal quickly, of course, but it wasn’t instant.

  Kerry held up a thong and dropped it. That wouldn’t cover anything at all, she thought. She picked a white cotton pair and took them to the counter for the Claire to ring up. Ethan sat in a pink velvet chair nearby. Claire put the underwear in a small beige bag with gold trim and handed it to her. “Now if you’ll wait right there, I will record your measurements.”

  Kerry shook her head. “I just needed the panties,” she said softly.

  “If you need anything else and they have your measurements on file, we can call and they will deliver it,” Ethan said without looking up from his smartphone. Claire was already wrapping a fabric tape around her waist, then her bust. She scribbled on a pad on the counter. She measured Kerry’s legs, arms, and feet. She grinned when she looked up at her.

  “Shoes,” she said, and scribbled on the pad again. “Thank you, Kerry. If you find yourself in nee
d of anything, you call and I will have it sent right over.” Kerry didn’t think she would be calling. The price on the underwear she’d just bought was ridiculous. She’d chosen the cheapest pair on the table, but she could’ve bought a whole pack at the superstore for less.

  Ethan unfolded himself from the chair, and Kerry thought again that he was huge. Claire wasn’t paying him any mind, and Kerry decided that he wasn’t sleeping with her. If he had, it was over and in the past. Following him outside she sat down in the car when he opened the door for her. He got inside and started the car, still looking at the phone.

  “I’m going out of town for a couple of days,” he said, finally tucking the phone into the holder at his hip. Her heart gave a little leap. She could sleep and maybe pee without that stinging. “The council has summoned me.” He backed out of the lot.

  “Do you still work for them?” She thought maybe he was still an enforcer. He shook his head.

  “No, they got word that I mated. I have to present my case.” Kerry’s brows knitted. “I’ve been here for almost a year. When I came, Alexander was lying in pieces in the yard. No one saw anything. I assumed the Alpha position, cleaned up the mess, and made it disappear. Somewhere along the line, I decided to stay. I like it here, I like the pack, and they wanted me to stay. I never felt like I belonged anywhere until I got here. The council assumed that I would straighten the mess out, find a new Alpha, and return to work. Now they’ve gotten wind that I mated, which means that I will not enforce for them anymore.”

  “Am I going?”

  He shook his head. “No, this isn’t about you, it’s about me. Connor will look out for you while I’m gone. If you need to go anywhere, he can take you. There’s plenty of food in the fridge and freezer. You can cook for yourself, right?” She nodded. “If you want to go out and meet the pack members, by all means feel free. Thelma lives in the pink house, if you need any female guidance.” He turned onto the long drive with the nut trees.