“My wolf? You mean, we’d have to be in wolf form to…” I couldn’t say exactly why, but for some reason, I found the thought of wolf-form sex seriously unappealing.
“No, no, no,” Dean jumped in. “That all happens in human form.”
“It’s just that your wolf self and your human self have to be synced up for you to conceive.” Liam leaned back again, as if that explained everything.
“How do we know they’re not?” I asked.
All three of them tilted their noses into the air and sniffed, then shook their heads. They all spoke at once.
“Nope.”
“No.”
“Uh-uh.”
“Oh my God,” I exclaimed, leaning as far away from them all as I could, given that I was trapped in a booth. “You can smell it?”
I gave them time to quit snickering before I said, “Fine. Forget pregnancy. What about other stuff?”
“Other stuff?” Liam asked. Good Lord, he was sweet—but apparently incredibly naïve.
“Stuff. Like, for example, sexually-transmitted diseases? Do we need condoms?”
At that, they finally burst into laughter.
Owen’s the one who finally spoke. “Wolves don’t have any STDs of their own. And werewolves cannot contract or transmit any of those kinds of disorders.”
Understanding finally hit me. It felt kind of like being struck by a bolt of lightning. One that made me feel a little stupid and more than little angry.
“You mean all those years I spent freaking out over pregnancy or sexually-transmitted diseases were unnecessary?””
My parents and I were due a very serious talk.
“So. Now that we’ve discussed that—in what order will you take us into your bed?” Trust Owen to get it all back on track. And talk about it
I rolled my eyes. Normally, I would consider birth control conversation more than enough for one meal.
I shouldn’t have to make this decision.
That’s when inspiration struck. “Who do you guys think should be first?”
Chapter 3
Without hesitation, Liam and Dean both said, “Owen,” while Owen said, “Liam.”
“Okay, then. Who should be second?”
Dean and Owen both said, “Liam” and Liam said, “Dean.”
“That decides it, then. The order will be Owen, then Liam, then Dean.”
“Great,” Liam said. “I’ll get my sister to help you get ready again, if you’d like.”
“That sounds good.” We all stood, and the guys started moving around to clear away the dishes.
When I made my list, I’d spoken more definitively than I felt, and I found myself watching my guys for any signs of disappointment.
I didn’t see any, but I needed to make sure.
Placing one hand on Dean’s arm, I held him back until the other two had moved into the kitchen.
“Are you okay with being last on that list?” I asked.
He grinned, and the glint in his eye made me return the smile. “Babe, by night three, you are going to think you are all worn out. I’m looking forward to showing you that’s not true.”
Before I could even begin to process what he’d just said, he leaned over and drew me into a kiss that sent sparks flying through my body and promised much more.
I didn’t even have time to clarify that I’d meant to ask if he minded being last in the alpha-mate rankings before he’d pulled away and moved into the kitchen, leaving my whole body tingling, from my lips all the way down to my toes.
Oh, yeah. This was definitely going to be interesting.
* * *
I dragged Liam’s sister Tara with me to go lingerie shopping that afternoon. If nothing else, it would take up my day, since I didn’t have anything else to do to get ready for the ceremonies that would be taking up my next three evenings. And I wasn’t ready to think about what would be happening over the next three nights.
“You know,” Tara said, staring around the lingerie store bemusedly, “I don’t think wolves care about this kind of stuff as much as humans do.”
I paused, startled to consider that possibility.
“Maybe not,” I finally replied. “But this is as much for me as it is for them. I’m too nervous about tonight to spend today just jittering around my apartment.”
I flipped through a rack of lacy bras. “And besides, if I find the right clothes, I might be more comfortable when I’m finally alone with each of the guys.”
Tara tilted her head and gazed at me, confused. “Are you a virgin?”
“Good God, no.” I found myself glancing around the store as if she might have been overheard. “But this is my first time with…well, with these men.”
“But they’re your mates.”
Good lord, she was as naïve as her brother.
I puffed out a breath. “I grew up thinking I was human. I don’t think in terms of mates—at least, not yet. I feel like I’m in an arranged marriage three times over. And even thought I really like all three of my…mates…I’m worried about how this might work out long-term.”
Tara’s mouth twisted. “I guess that makes sense.”
“And,” I continued, “I suddenly have all the wedding jitters that I didn’t have yesterday.”
“So in some ways,” my new sister-in-law observed, “you might as well be a virgin.”
Then again, perhaps neither Liam nor his sister was as naïve as I had thought.
“I guess I am.”
“Then let’s find you the right lingerie to make you feel powerful. Like an alpha.”
We went back to searching through the racks and drawers.
Ten minutes later, I was ensconced in a dressing room while Tara brought armloads of items for me to try on.
“Liam told me he thinks you’re nervous about the ceremonies, too,” she observed as she
