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  “I have no idea.” She shook as she spoke, the weight of this problem making her suddenly unstable. She reached for a chair and grabbed it with both hands from behind, spinning it to allow her to face Nathan. The added benefit was to put something between them.

  She didn’t know if she was afraid of herself or him. She wanted—no, needed—to touch him as badly as she needed her next breath…as badly as she’d needed Josh this time yesterday, and still did. She also knew Nathan would feel the same urgency.

  A chair will protect me from him, riiight…

  “What do you want to do now?” Nathan stood, using his hands to grip the arms of the chair as he did so. “Is your…Josh, I mean, at work?”

  “No.” She took a deep breath. “He’s in Alabama. And now that we don’t have to be in court today, that’s where I’m heading now.” She stepped back, releasing the chair. Two steps and she was plastered to the wall. She had to get out of here before she couldn’t control herself anymore.

  “Alabama? How is that possible if you mated yesterday?”

  “He had an emergency and I had to be in court. Trust me, it wasn’t easy.”

  “I guess not.” He stepped toward her and pushed the rolling chair out of the way.

  Samantha flattened herself on the wall as though it might permit her to molecularly squeeze through it with enough effort.

  Nathan stalked toward her. When no more than inches separated them, he placed his hands on the wall on either side of her head and tipped his head. Instead of kissing her as she expected, or hoped for, or wished, or worried about—she had no idea which emotion won that struggle—he scented her. Sniffed her essence in deep.

  A chill went down Samantha’s spine. She took slow shallow breaths to avoid inhaling too much of him. She was already overloaded with his powerful pull.

  “Wow, that’s…intense. And not what I would have ever expected.” He stared at her, serious. “And the curious thing is I can scent both of you. If your Josh walked in this building right now, I would know it.” He paused. “I’m pretty sure I’m not gay, but…this is weird.”

  Gay? That idea hadn’t occurred to her. All she had considered was two men claiming her, not each other. What if Josh and Nathan were mates too? “I’ve heard of threesomes forming.”

  “Me too. But, I’m not into men. And I am most certainly into you.”

  “Well, I am into men, as you put it, but not two of them at a time.” Samantha closed her eyes. This couldn’t be happening. The room was shrinking.

  “Let’s go.” He stood back, grabbed his briefcase, and opened the door.

  “Where?” She hadn’t moved yet.

  “Alabama, I guess. You can explain more to me on the way.”

  Alabama? Was he crazy? “You can’t…”

  “Watch me.” He smiled, raised his eyebrows and nodded toward the hall. “The minutes are ticking.”

  Samantha picked up her stuff, but she wasn’t done arguing with him. She followed him down the hall, onto the elevator, and into the parking garage. “You’re going to go with me?”

  “Yes. There’s no way in hell I’m letting you go alone and there’s for sure no way you’re going to let me touch you until we figure this out, so do you see another option?” He stopped walking and faced her. “We can take my car. I’ve got a full tank of gas. That’ll get us started.”

  His car? She couldn’t leave here with a stranger and let him control everything.

  What was she thinking? That’s exactly what she’d done yesterday at almost the same time. She’d left her office with Josh in his car and gone to his home and let him claim her before she’d even toured the house. Hell, she’d seen nothing but him, his eyes, his naked body…

  What makes today different? Because you already mated a man yesterday, dork.

  Nathan waited for her assent.

  Deflated, and knowing he was right, she nodded. “We’ll have to take your car. Mine’s in the shop.”

  “How’d you get here this morning?”

  “Taxi. Josh left last night. I was stranded. I took a taxi this morning.”

  “He left you? Just like that?” Nathan shook his head briskly. “Never mind. You can explain on the way. Let’s get going.” He reached for her hand and then drew back. “Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

  “It’s okay, really. And…” And, it’s okay if you touch me? Is it? “I don’t mind if—”

  He started walking again. “No worries. I’m not going to lay a hand on you.”

  “I didn’t say you couldn’t—”

  “Samantha,” he started as he opened the door of a brand new shiny black SUV, “there is no way I could handle touching you and I’m pretty sure you would find the same to be true. It’s bad enough we’re going to share the same air inside my car for eight hours. If I let our skin make contact, it’d be all over for me. I wouldn’t be able to keep from taking your mouth, and then…” His voice drifted off.

  Samantha didn’t respond. He was right. She tossed her stuff over the back of the seat and eased into the car while he rounded the rear for the driver’s side.

  They didn’t speak for several minutes while Nathan maneuvered the SUV out of the city and onto the highway, heading south. Samantha relaxed by marginal degrees as the clock ticked. On the one hand, she knew Nathan was on the up and up. No way was he going to hurt her or anything. Hell, if he’d intended to, he’d already had ample opportunity to do so.

  On the other hand, she was losing the battle with her body to avoid responding to him. How she’d made it this long was a mystery. Maybe it had something to do with her shock, her denial, her confusion.

  In any case, she gripped her knees together to pinch off the ache in her belly. It didn’t work, but she sat there anyhow, rigid, as though she needed to stop at a restroom. The problem wasn’t centered in her bladder though. Nope. No such luck. It was her pussy demanding attention.

  She rubbed her palms on her skirt and tugged the pleated material to cover as much of her thighs as possible. The skirt and matching jacket were navy. It was one of her standard going-to-court outfits. The navy pumps matched it perfectly. She even had on hose. And this outfit was going to become increasingly uncomfortable as the hours rolled by. Her knees knocked together, locked as though they were secured to each other.

  “Relax. I’m not a bad guy, I promise.” Nathan’s words jerked her from her pondering.

  She turned to look at his profile. He glanced at her a few times as she stared at his square chin, his perfectly rounded nose, his thick wavy hair. “I know. I’m…”

  “Aroused.” He smiled. His hands gripped the steering wheel, making his knuckles white. “I know. I can smell it. Trust me, you’re filling the entire vehicle with your sexy scent.” He didn’t look at her that time, but kept his eyes on the road as though he were maneuvering through a very treacherous environment instead of straight down Highway Fifty-Five on a stretch with no inclines and not so much as a curve.

  She looked down at his lap. He’d tossed his suit jacket in the back seat, but his dark gray pants did nothing to hide his erection. He adjusted himself as subtly as possible as she watched. “Good thing I’m the only one affected here,” she teased. “Imagine how uncomfortable we’d be if you were as aroused as I was. You’d have trouble keeping the car on the road.”

  As she spoke, he swerved and corrected. “Are you always this snarky?”

  “Yes.” She turned toward her door and rolled the window down an inch. It was hot out, but maybe a little bit of outside air would help with the pheromones.

  Nathan chuckled. “All that’s going to do is make us hot. Heat hot, I mean.”

  She glared at him this time. “You have a better idea? It’s a long drive.”

  “We could pull over and put an end to our misery,” he suggested. She had no idea if he was kidding or not anymore. Probably half and half. After all, she wasn’t stupid enough not to realize he needed her as much as she did him.

  But, it was her tur
n to chuckle. “As you may recall, I’ve been down this road. If you think a quick fuck would make things better between us, you’ve lost your mind.”

  When she said “fuck” he flinched, but grinned at her. “I love a woman who isn’t afraid of four-letter words.”

  This banter made her like him even more. He was sharp, witty, and quick all at the same time. She had no idea why Fate had arranged whatever craziness was her current situation, but at least She knew what She was doing. “So, tell me about yourself. I’ll give you seven hours to sum it up…”

  Chapter Six

  Josh glanced at his phone in his lap. He’d received only cryptic messages from Samantha the entire day. Somehow her case had been canceled and she was heading in his direction. He had a strange feeling there was more to it, though. She’d mentioned a bit of a surprise and had ignored most of his texts, only giving him updates on her location occasionally. He assumed she was driving, but what vehicle? Hers was in the shop. A rental wasn’t out of the question, but why the mystery?

  It was getting late. The sun would set soon. Josh had sat outside the apartment he hoped his sister was in for most of the day. He’d seen Damon leave in the morning and return about six, but no sign of anyone else.

  The first time Evan pointed Damon out to him, he’d sucked in a lungful of air. Tall, too skinny, with brown hair hanging down to his shoulders, he wasn’t at all what Josh had expected. He didn’t remember ever having seen him before. Granted, Josh hadn’t been to a Gathering since childhood, and those meetings were so packed with shifters, he wouldn’t even know a quarter of them in an elevator.

  At Evan’s suggestion, Josh had agreed not to go to the door of the apartment today. See if she came out. If she was in an abusive relationship, it would be a lot easier to convince her to go with him if he approached her somewhere other than where she lived. Entering her home would make her nervous and cause her to retreat.

  But, Josh was anxious. No sign of his sister and abrupt texts from his mate had him on edge.

  Evan sat next to him. They’d taken turns watching the front door. Evan had left several times to get food and once to sleep for a few hours. The man was costing Josh a fortune, but it was worth it.

  Josh hadn’t left the car very often, and he’d slept in the seat whenever Evan was on duty.

  “When can we just go to the door?”

  “Tomorrow. I wanted to give her another day to come out.”

  “We don’t know if she’s even in there.” Josh stiffened. The worst-case scenario was never far from his thoughts.

  “True, but if she is, she’s really in deep. Few people I know do not leave their houses for days on end.”

  “Do you think she’s locked up or something?”

  “I rarely see that sort of thing. More like browbeaten into submission.”

  “Which means what, exactly?”

  “Listen, I’m a PI, not a therapist, but I’ve been sent to find a lot of missing people. When a woman is in a relationship where there’s isolation involved, usually the spouse is threatening her every single day about the repercussions of doing anything other than what he explicitly tells her. She becomes more or less brainwashed into doing his bidding. Or else.”

  Josh shivered. Or else what? He didn’t want to ponder that again now. Was it possible Damon had killed her? Perhaps even in a different state and then moved here alone?

  Anything was possible at this point.

  Evan turned toward Josh, taking his gaze off the apartment door. His dark penetrating stare held concern. “Tomorrow we’ll go to the door. Apparently Damon has a day job. He’s left two days in a row at the same time and returned at six. We should be safe. If she’s in there, it could be tough to get her to come to the door. If she’s trapped in there and can’t answer or isn’t able to for whatever reason, we’ll have to make the decision about whether or not to call the cops or give it more time. We’ll decide all that tomorrow morning.”

  Josh nodded. His cell vibrated. He glanced at the text, which read:

  “Where are you staying? Can you meet me at the hotel? I’m getting close.”

  Thank God. At least he wouldn’t have to spend another night alone without Samantha. It had been a very long twenty-four hours traipsing around without her, especially after mating with her yesterday. It was unnatural to take off after a claiming. And his body was well aware of the absence. He typed back:

  “The hotel on 4th street right off old 78. U can’t miss it. Room 117. I’ll meet u there.”

  Josh turned his head toward Evan once again. “Do you think anything’s going to happen tonight?”

  “No. But I’ll stay here until about midnight and keep watching. If anyone comes or goes, I’ll call you. If not, meet me back here in the morning and we’ll go to the door together.”

  “Sounds good. Thanks. I’m going to head back to the hotel then. You’ll call if you see anything at all?”

  “Absolutely. Go. I know your woman is meeting you.” Evan squared his broad shoulders and rolled them forward several times as he spoke. The man was built like a linebacker, his frame filling the entire space around his seat. He had to be cramped.

  Josh smiled. My woman. That sounded fantastic. He suspected she would balk at being referred to in that manner in front of her, but it still sounded good coming from Evan. Josh had told him about Samantha during the day. Thank God he’d managed to find a PI who was a shifter. Otherwise, explaining his predicament would have been next to impossible.

  Josh stepped out of the passenger side of Evan’s car and snuck away in the dark. Slinking off seemed absurd considering no one was coming or going from the apartment at all.

  In minutes he was back at the hotel and in the room. He couldn’t wait to see Samantha. After the stress of the last day and severe lack of sleep, he was beside himself. He’d done nothing in this room yet. After checking in, he’d immediately headed to meet Evan. His bag sat on the bed where he’d dropped it.

  Josh quickly grabbed his bathroom kit and headed for the shower. He hoped to at least be clean before she got there, because sleep or no sleep he intended to smother himself in her warmth and scent until he passed out.

  Five minutes later, Josh stood at the sink brushing his teeth, a towel wrapped around his still-dripping body. As soon as he turned the water off, there was a knock at the door.

  Thank you, God. Samantha was the only option. No one else would be looking for him.

  A huge grin splitting his face almost painfully, he sped around the bed and whipped the door open. And there stood Samantha…and another man he didn’t know. He strained to keep his smile pasted. The last thing he needed was company other than his mate. His only plan right then was fucking, over and over again.

  Samantha stepped inside. She smiled too, but her expression was at least as forced as his. She kissed him—on the cheek. What the fuck?

  “Joshua Rice, this is Nathan Craig. Nathan, Josh.”

  Great. The uninvited man has a name. That’s wonderful. And he’s a shifter? Josh scented him easily. Yep, he was wolf. But something was totally off about this situation.

  “Nice to meet you, Josh. I’ve heard so much about you in the last eight hours.” This Nathan guy was forcing politeness also. What the hell was going on?

  “Samantha?” Josh turned toward her as he shut the door. The room instantly filled with weirdness—both physical and invisible.

  She dropped her purse and computer on the floor and sat on the edge of the bed. Where was her overnight bag?

  “I don’t even know where to begin.” She wrung her hands together and lifted her face to him. Tears filled her eyes.

  Instantly Josh was at her side. He adjusted his towel, sat next to her, and pulled her into his embrace. She smelled so damn good, though she was laced with the scent of the other shifter.

  With her head against his bare chest, he relaxed marginally and lifted his gaze to Nathan, his eyebrows raised in question.

  Nathan pulled the single
chair out from the desk and turned it to face the bed. He too dropped a briefcase on the floor and took a seat. “It seems we have a bit of a…situation.”

  Yes. I would say so. The situation is that I desperately need to be alone with my mate and you seem to be in our small hotel room with us. Wanna watch? Josh would have laughed at the thoughts in his head, except he suspected there was nothing humorous about what he was about to face.

  Josh straightened his spine without meaning to. He felt incredibly jealous that apparently his mate had traveled eight hours in a car with another shifter. Someone needed to start explaining. “What sort of situation?”

  Nathan wrung his hands together and faced Josh. “Samantha is my mate too.”

  Josh stiffened. His mouth fell open, but no sound came out. He held Samantha tighter. He couldn’t pinpoint his emotion right then.

  “I know it’s weird, and I’ve had the entire day to process this information. Now that I’m here with both of you, it’s a little clearer to me. Our scents mingle together in a way I’ve never experienced with anyone else.” Nathan smiled, but Josh wasn’t sure there was anything funny or remotely happy about this moment. “I worried all day about what it meant for you and I if we were both mated to Samantha. I can see now this…threesome only includes our interaction with her, not each other.” Nathan’s shoulders relaxed as he grinned.

  Josh shook his head. He couldn’t stop it. On impulse, he stood, releasing his mate and stepping away from her. He ran his hands through his hair. “What the fuck are you talking about?” He stared at Samantha, but addressed his question to the goddamn wolf who had arrived with the woman Josh had claimed yesterday.

  Fuck, had the two of them…? Shit.

  Samantha straightened her spine where she sat. She didn’t stand though. “Josh, don’t look at me like that. I’m not some whore you picked up on the street yesterday.” She narrowed her gaze at him, threatening him with a look. “I have not slept with Nathan. I resent you would automatically assume I have, and if you would take one second to breathe, you would realize the truth…about everything.”