Climbing the Ladder (3 page)

snarling. “Don’t touch me.”

Kody whimpered, stepped closer. “You don’t understand, Sammy.”

“You have to stay here and listen. I know you don’t want to.” Mesa needed her spirit, not

her defeat.

Her eyes flashed to his, and he wanted to howl with the pure rightness of it, of her. “You

don’t get to tell me anything.”

“Then listen to Kody.” He put his whole soul into it.

“You called to me, I told you that. I told you I left home to find you. Mesa was my

home.”

Sammy snorted. “Great. So go home.”

“No. Now you’re part of me. We’re three.” Kody was going to lose his shit. Mesa could

tell.

“I’m going to call the lawyer in the morning. It will be simple. There aren’t babies

involved, thank God.”

“No. No, but there can be now, Sammy. We’re all here.”

Sammy looked like she was losing it, too, and Mesa did the only thing he could do. He

leaped at her and took her neck in his hand, pressing at the nerve under her ear. She could sleep.

Then they could all figure it out together.

“Mesa? Mesa, she’s…” He reached out to touch her cheek.

“She’s fine, baby. She’ll wake up rested.”

“I’m sorry. I just… God, my head hurts.” Hurts didn’t even cover it. It was going to split

open. Crack.

Mesa frowned, reaching out to touch his cheek. “Hurts how? Do you have a lot of

headaches?”

“No. No, not usually.” He pushed into Mesa’s touch, a deep groan leaving him. His

Alpha. His mate. Sound vibrated all through him. The pain eased right away.

“This feels like more than stress.” One of Mesa’s arms wrapped around him, the other

hand massaging his neck.

“Alpha…” His knees buckled and he moved closer, rubbing against Mesa. Mesa was

worried. Worried. Hungry. Wanting. Happy.

He felt it. All of it, including Sammy’s sleeping confusion.

Mesa licked his neck, tasting him. Loving on him.

“Mesa.”
Mate. Mate. Mate.

“Yes, love.” He heard the echo in his head of the words spoken aloud.

His eyes went wide and he moaned.
Mesa?

Could Mesa hear him?

Love.

Oh, God. He could hear Mesa.

He nodded, eyes on Mesa’s.
Yes. Yes. Love.

Mesa smiled. “She’s definitely the one, baby.”

“I did okay?” He’d had to follow the Call. That was what his kind did, even if it was so

hard and hurt the ones you loved.

“You did amazing.” Mesa dropped a kiss on his mouth. “Proud of you.”

Oh. Oh. Kody keened softly, an old tear in the center of his soul healing.

Good. “That’s good. Now, go pack a bag for both of you. I need you to tell me where you

go to run.”

“Run? I go to the mountains. I love it there. Cold at night, but beautiful. It’s not the full

moon, though.”

“No.” Mesa hugged him before patting his ass. “We need to get her out of a defensible

place, where there are no phones, no computers.”

“Okay. Okay. She’s… not the outdoorsy type. My gear is in the garage.”

Mesa grinned, and it was all wolf. “We don’t want her to be comfortable, baby. We want

her to be off-balance.”

“We’re going to help her, though, right? Bring her home with us?” She was demanding

and fierce and wild, and he loved her desperately. He needed her like he needed air.

“We are. We’d never leave her.” Mesa started systematically turning off electronics,

some of which the man had probably never seen. Like the Xbox.

Kody headed to the bedroom, packed clothes randomly, sniffing the air, the smell of

Sammy and her hurt strong in here. He hurried through it, wanting to start new.

Mesa gave him a few minutes, maybe more than a few. When Mesa came in, though, he

was sitting on the bed holding his head.

“Baby?”

“Uh-huh.” He leaned Mesa was like a blanket of heat, of strength. So close.

“We need to get you out of here, too. The more people you’re around, the worse it will

be.”

“It’s normal? To hurt like this?” He needed Mesa to tell him it was okay.

“Grandma Minnie said when we found our third you would be wide open for a bit.” Mesa

stroked his temples. “I never thought she would already be here.”

Kody groaned at the touch, his hands reaching for Mesa’s belly.

“Mmm.” Mesa sank down in front of him, almost as tall kneeling as Kody was sitting on

the damned bed. Kody let his fingers explore, relearn, touch. Mesa was a furnace. There were

muscles there now that hadn’t been there when Kody left. Strong muscles made from hard work

and maturity.

It made his eyes roll, and he started panting. His cock was hard as diamonds, pushing at

his pants.

“Sweet. You smell so good, baby.” Mesa petted him through his clothes, stroking his

chest and belly.

“Want you. Is it bad? To want you while she’s in there?” He wanted to lick, suck, taste.

“No, baby. It’s just instinct. We were meant for each other.”

He had to chuckle. That was how Mesa had gotten him the very first time, explaining

how their need to have sex was just a natural thing…How it was ridiculous to resist the urge to nuzzle in, take the fat cock inside him? How many times had they crept away, hiding from

Granny’s gaze to learn each other, play? Cause trouble?

His hands worked Mesa’s jeans open, the scent making him whimper.

“Oh.” Mesa jerked against him, hands falling to his belt.

“Need.” He slid down, body rubbing against Mesa’s legs. “Please.”

“Anything you want.” Mesa’s cock was out in the open now, just as big and pretty as

ever. Wet-tipped and red.

“Please.” He leaned forward, tongue sliding over the slit. Oh.

Oh.

Bittersalt.

Satin.

Silk.

His.

He groaned and wrapped his lips around the thick head. Mesa jerked, pushing against

him, into his mouth. It was like heaven.

Yes.

Yes, please.

He pulled Mesa in deeper, swallowing, taking the heavy flesh in. One hand tangled in his

hair, holding him there so Mesa could take his mouth.

Kody leaned back and opened up, cock pushing into his throat, but it wasn’t that that

made him shake. It was Mesa’s pleasure, slamming down his spine.

A low, growling moan was his only warning before Mesa came for him, just as if they

were teenagers again.

His eyes rolled up, his hands spreading over Mesa’s belly. Mate.

“Mine. Oh, Kody. Missed you so bad.”

Yours.
He said it over and over in his head.

He nuzzled, licking and lapping, groaning low. Mesa’s. Sammy’s.

“Our girl.”

“Yes.” Mesa opened Kody’s pants, slipping a hand around his cock.

“Mesa.” He spread, arched up into the touch. Mesa had new calluses, new strength. New

skill, too. He had no right to wonder who Mesa had been with, but he did.

“Need you to come for me, baby.” Mesa’s thumb rubbed over the head of his cock,

pressing a little, right into the slit.

His teeth clacked together, Mesa’s words echoed by the need flooding him.

“That’s it. Oh, fuck, look at you.”

The orgasm left him clearer, steadier. Focused. His head eased off even more.

Mesa smiled at him before kissing him hard, one more time. “You ready to get moving,

baby?”

“Yes. Yes. We should grab food, too. Blankets.” He grinned, moving through the room,

grabbing their pillows. Her scent would help.

Mesa zipped up and helped him gather. “Call her work and tell them she won’t be in

tomorrow.”

“I can do that. I’ll call her in for the week. That gives us to Monday.”

Sammy would understand. It was biology. It was their biology. She might not have been

raised a wolf, but she would get it.

“Good deal. I’ll start packing the truck.”

“You have a truck?”

“I do.” Mesa grinned. “Nothing will fit in your Prius.”

He chuffed softly, tickled that Mesa had paid attention, that Mesa needed to know things

about him. “I know. Fucking hate that thing.”

Hooting, Mesa grinned. “I bet you like her Cooper. It’s fast, at least.”

“She gets wet, driving fast.” He licked his lips. So much fun, having Mesa here to learn

about her. They were going to have so much fun together. They would.

“Mmm. I can’t wait to see that. Smell it.” Mesa’s growl was pure hunger. It made him

glad to see that Mesa already wanted her.

He growled happily. “She’s so soft inside, Mate. She bites, too.”

That thought made him shivery.

“Does she now?” Mesa paused for a moment, brown eyes going unfocused.

He nodded, panted softly. “She’s fire, Mesa.”

“I like the threat of getting burned.”

He ran his nose along Mesa’s jaw. “Good. We should go. She’ll be scared, worried.

Mad.”

“Yes. Hopefully we have time to get her settled before she wakes up.”

Kody nodded. “I want this to be easy. She isn’t like us, not yet.”

“She will be.” God, Mesa was hot. All Alpha. He licked his lips, his wolf suddenly close,

too close. Mesa stared at him, pupils dilating. “Don’t get me started.”

“Won’t.” He shuddered, the urge to show his belly huge.

“Soon, baby. We’ll run together. I promise.” Mesa gave him one more toothy kiss before

zipping up and getting up to haul a load outside.

He gathered four days worth of food, including the stew, the bread, and all the fixings.

They would cook on the camp stove, easily. Sammy had never understood how he could do it,

but it was a skill.

Mesa filled the truck, then came back to the living room to get Sammy. He lifted her

easily, cradling her against the wide chest.

Her hair fell into her face and Kody reached out, finger jerking back as Mesa growled at

him.

“No. No, baby. I can’t—” Mesa took a deep breath. “We can’t all three touch yet.”

“Oh. Oh, right. Soon. Tonight, yes? Soon?” Soon they would be together. All of them.

“Yes. Soon. Now it would be trouble. We’ll put her in the back seat of the cab, huh?”

“Yeah. Yeah. Let’s go. I’ll get the cooler and the food.” Excitement was nipping at his

heels, chasing him.

He knew that Sammy would be a bear when she woke up, but they were going to fix it. It

was going to be amazing.

He could feel it.

Her head hurt. Sammy moaned, shifted on the sheets. Her head hurt.

She frowned, reached up for the clock to see what time it was, whether she had a few

more hours of sleep before she had to get up and get ready for work. There was no clock. Hell, there was no bed. There was a squeaky air mattress.

She sat up with a little cry, scrambling. “Kody?”

“Sammy?” Kody came into the tent—she was in a tent—kneeling in front of her. “I’m

right here.”

“Kody, what the fuck? I had this terrible dream…” She pushed into his arms, crying a

little, her head pounding. “You were cheating on me with this great big guy.”

“No. No, I would never cheat on you, love.”

She leaned into him, let his hands ease her, help. “I know. I was coming home to make

love with you and—” She shook her head. “Why am I in a tent, Kody?”

He sat in front of her, cross-legged, looking earnest. “Well, we needed to get out of the

city.”

“Why? Was there an earthquake?”

“Something like that.” He smiled, the lines etched deep around his mouth and eyes easing

a little. “I’m so glad you’re awake.”

“Me too, I think.” She moved into his lap, cheek on his shoulder. “I’m not quite with it,

yet.”

“I know.” He put his arms around her, and her headache eased at his touch, at his

nearness. He’d always been able to make it less crazy in her head.

She sighed, eyes closing. Better.

“Mmm. Yes. Better.”

She nodded. “You’re warm.”

“You’re a little chilled. I should have brought more blankets.” He nuzzled her temple,

sniffing her in that adorable way he had.

“I’m okay.” There was something nagging at her, niggling at her, but this was easy, just

to rest.

“Good. I was worried.” He stroked her back, his voice a little buzz in her head.

“Man, I must be trying to get a migraine. Is there any water?”

“There is.” He reached behind them, pulling a bag of supplies close.

“Thank you.” She drank deep, the water clearing her head, and she leaned in to kiss

Kody. Their lips met and she stopped. Stilled.

Something was weird.

Off.

Different.

“Sammy?” He pulled back enough to meet her eyes. “What?”

“Did you change soap? You smell… different. Not bad or anything. Just different.”

“I—I think I’d better explain. You’re going to be mad all over again.”

“Mad?” That niggling sensation hit her again. “I wasn’t dreaming, was I?”

“You were if you thought I was cheating on you.” Kody got that stubborn look he did

sometimes, the one that told her he was ready to split a hair with an axe.

“You were kissing a man. Your lover.” The headache came back with a vengeance and

she scooted away from him, memories flooding back. “I want my phone.”

“We didn’t bring it. Mesa hasn’t been my lover since I left him, which was before I met

you.”

“So, what? You’re saying you weren’t getting off with him in our kitchen?” She hated

playing games.

“Well…”

“Right.” She searched for her shoes, grabbed them. She’d find the car keys and just leave

Mr. Cheating Asshole to starve.

“That’s enough.” The big guy, the one Kody had called Mesa, ducked into the tent,

blocking her only escape. He took up all the space and sucked up twice his allotment of air.