Graydon
The show is completely forgotten about the second my lips touch Callie’s. I’m not about to wax poetic about it, but damn. I knew what she wanted the minute she turned on the couch to face me, and I’ll be damned if I didn’t give my mate what she wanted. But now that I’ve had a taste of her, she better be prepared for more. There’s no going back now.
The image of her sitting on my lap will forever be ingrained on my mind. Now, she’s wrapped around Max. I should be jealous. Not even two minutes ago she was sitting on me, kissing me, but I’m not. What I want to do is stand behind her and sandwich her between us, but I don’t. I don’t want to push her too hard too fast.
I did feel that surge of energy. I don’t feel any different though. I watch as Max lowers Callie back to her feet, that’s when the smell of something burning hits my nose.
“Shit,” Max says as he races back into the kitchen.
Callie giggles, but starts to shuffle uncomfortably from foot to foot. “Callie.” She looks over to me. “Come here.” She does, but she doesn't automatically sit down. I grab her hand and pull her down to my lap. I position her so she is sitting sideways with her legs stretched in front of her. “Don’t be scared. This was always going to happen. You’re our mate. You should feel comfortable doing whatever you please with any of us. Do you understand?” She nods. “Good. Now, I want another kiss.”
It’s just as good as the first. Not long after that, Lucian and Zeke come back to find me and Callie in the same position cuddling. Yeah, I know. By the looks on the guy’s faces you would think it was the end of the world. I’m not the cuddling type, let alone showing PDA but hell, Callie brings all of that out in me. She’s making me soft.
I hear the front door open and close. Zeke and Lucian are back. I should move Callie from my lap, but I’m not going to. It doesn’t take them long to find us.
“This is an interesting turn of events. Is there something we should know?” Zeke questions.
I shrug my shoulders. Just because Callie is sitting on my lap and we kissed, that doesn't mean I’m going to announce to the world. I’m going to leave that up to Callie to decide. If I’m not mistaken I believe I got the first kiss. I couldn’t help the sly smile that crosses my lips. I look at Callie, and I can see the blush on her cheeks. She tries to bury her face in the crook of my neck.
I move my mouth to rest right beside her ear, barely moving my lips, I whisper, “You don’t have anything to be embarrassed about. You can tell them when you’re ready.” She nods her head. “Take a deep breath. Good girl.”
“What time are we leaving to go to this party?” Max asks.
“We have a few hours, but I want to know what you did in the kitchen. It smells like you’re burning something,” Lucian states.
“Yeah, I had to have a funeral for a bag of popcorn I forgot about in the microwave. I got distracted.”
I snort. I would say he was distracted.
“Okay, something definitely happened,” Zeke states.
Callie gets up from my lap and stands in front of Lucian and Zeke. “I kissed Graydon and Max, on the lips.” They both stand there with their mouths hanging open.
Zeke moves around Callie to stand in front of me. “You better not have forced her.”
I stand up and get right in his face. “You better watch the next thing that comes out of your mouth, friend or not, I will punch you. You know I would never do anything Callie didn’t want. You’re just pissed because she hasn’t kissed you yet. Tell me I’m wrong,” I growled.
Zeke takes a step back before he growls and heads to the back door.
“I’ll go and talk to him,” Max says.
Before I can say anything to Lucian, Callie rounds to him. “Is this going to happen every time I kiss one of you and not everyone?”
Lucian doesn’t answer. Callie snorts shaking her head before she leaves out the back door as well.
“You and Zeke need to pull your heads out of your asses. Callie initiated everything that has happened between us. You know I would never push her into something she didn’t want to do. Screw both of you for thinking that I would.”
I don’t give Lucian any time to answer me back before I head into the kitchen, to the basement door. I have weights down there, and my punching bag is calling my name. It doesn’t take long before I have my hands wrapped, and I’m punching, jabbing, and kicking the bag. My hits are becoming less forceful the longer I stay down here.
I can’t believe Zeke would think I would force myself onto my mate. I know that Lucian didn’t outright say it, but it was written on his face. I’m more surprised by Lucian’s reaction than I am Zeke’s. Zeke has had it bad for Callie since the first day of school. Lucian is usually more level headed. I don’t know what has gotten into them. I stop the bag from moving and walk over to one of the benches to grab my towel.
I can smell Lucian behind me. I turn slowly to face him and what I’m sure will be an ass reaming. What I see on Lucian’s face is defeat.
He sighs. “I don’t believe you forced Callie do to anything. I’m shocked more than anything. I know we said we would take this at her pace. I’m just surprised. I didn’t think that she would be ready for that, at least not for a little while yet.”
“I know. Look I’m sorry for blowing up on you. I should have given you time to talk, but Zeke pushed my buttons, and I needed to get out of there. I honestly think that if you and Zeke where here when she decided to kiss us, she would have kissed you guys too.”
“You’re probably right. Zeke could have handled that better, and I should have stepped in. This is a hot mess now isn’t it?”
“It doesn’t have to be.”
Zeke
I just made a complete ass out of myself. I just accused one of my best friends of forcing himself on our mate. Callie must think I’m the worst kind of person right now. I shifted the moment I stepped outside. Walking around the perimeter of the fenced in backyard in wolf form helps me clear my head. All of my senses are heightened. Everything is black and white to my wolf. He thinks I’m a fool. He’s right.
Max has been following me at a distance. I stop and motion with my head for him to walk beside me. He shifts into his wolf form. I don’t know how long we walk but it’s long enough that I realized how wrong I really was. The first thing I’m going to is apologize to Callie. Speaking of Callie, she has been sitting on the steps for a while watching us. We lazily make our way over to her. This is the first time she has seen our wolf forms. The closer I get to Callie, I lower my head, and tuck my tail between my legs. I hear her gasp. I sit on one side of her and Max on the other.
“Your wolves are bigger than I thought they would be, a lot bigger.” I lean closer to Callie, to get her scent on my fur. “Can I touch you?” I use my nose to lift her hand. She runs her hand from the top of my head down my back. Over and over, until she stops and runs her fingers through the fur between my shoulder blades. “Your fur is coarse on top but soft underneath. Both of your wolves are magnificent.”
My wolf puffed out his chest at the compliment. I hear the back door open, but no one makes a move. Lucian sits next to me and Graydon next to Max.
“I’m sorry Callie,” Lucian says.
“Can you guys change back? It will be easier to talk to you.”
In a matter of seconds both me and Max shift back. “I’m sorry,” I immediately say.
“I know. I want to know if this is going to happen every time?”
“It shouldn’t have happened this time.”
“You’re right. You’re all my mates, and I can’t have jealousy between you. Have I not been given each of you equal attention? I try. I’ll feel horrible if I’m not. I don't want to be a bad mate.”
“No, Callie, you did nothing wrong. This is on me. I was jealous, and I know I shouldn’t have been.”
“Why?”
“Because I wanted it to be me. I wanted to be your first kiss.”
“Who said it was my first kiss?”
We all whip our heads in her direction. “Then who,” Graydon growls.
“Dustin Thomas. We were five,” she giggles.
“Nah, that doesn’t count,” Max states.
“It doesn’t matter who my first kiss is or was. All that matters is you four will be my last.”
She has a point. “Agreed.”
“Good. Now, I have a question for Zeke and Max. I need to know, do you howl at the moon?”
Zeke clears his throat as Max laughs. “We may have a time or two.”
“Try all the time,” Max laughs.
I giggle. “The only other thing I need is to see Graydon shift. You’re the only one that I haven’t seen.”
“I will, but don’t be scared.”
“Why would I be scared?”
“My bear isn’t small. Just know that I would never hurt you.” He gets up and moves to the middle of the yard. In the blink of an eye a huge, brown bear is standing in the spot Graydon just was.
“Wow,” Callie says breathlessly. She slowly gets up and walks over to Graydon. She stops and looks at him for a moment before she launches at him and hugs him. “Just right.”
Max starts laughing and I look at him. “Callie just quoted Goldilocks.” Lucian and I start to chuckle. Graydon shifts back.
“Holy cow, I just hugged a bear.” We all start to laugh.