Zack and Ace

Chapter Six

Several hours later, Kelly debated the wisdom of contacting Doc when she laid eyes on Zack.

“Where the hell have you been?” Ace asked, then his eyes widened. “Shit, what happened to you?”

“Oh, Zack.” Kelly raced to his side and ran her hands over the faded bruises on Zack’s chest and belly as he stood in the middle of the kitchen. “You look terrible. How do you feel?”

Zack shrugged and tried to turn away. For the first time that she could remember, he wouldn’t meet her gaze. She exchanged a confused look with Ace. “Zack, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I couldn’t sleep last night and went out for a beer. Got in the middle of a fight. No biggie. I’ll heal.” He smiled, but the expression didn’t quite reach his eyes. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Eggs and bacon,” she murmured, understanding there was more he hadn’t said. Maybe he’d speak if she left him with Ace. She knew how close they were. A blush heated her cheeks as she recalled what she now knew about the mating heat. Oh, yes, Zack and Ace were very close. “I, um, I’ll be right back.”

She left the kitchen but lingered in the hallway.

“Come on, man. What’s up?” The concern in Ace’s voice warmed her.

“Nothing.”

“Don’t lie to me.” Ace’s anger was justified. Why the heck was Zack pretending his bruises weren’t a big deal?

“What do you care?”

Kelly started. Why did Zack suddenly sound angry?

“You’re hurt. Why wouldn’t I care?” Ace quieted. “Is this about Kelly? You angry I was with her without you? Hell, I’d have waited for you, but it’s just…”

Oh, God. Please don’t let them fight over me. This was part of what she’d worried about. A physical relationship with two men she could more than handle, as evidenced by how aroused she got just thinking about them. But the emotional minefield they’d need to wade through would take all of them working together.

“It’s not Kelly. She’s great.” His sure words did nothing to make her feel better, especially because she heard the echo of loneliness there, which made no sense.

“Then what is it?” Ace asked quietly.

“Look, I had a long night. I’m tired. Can we do this later?”

Kelly slipped around the corner back into the kitchen.

Zack looked drawn, nothing like the man who’d taken control last night, who’d made her come so hard, she’d fallen into instant, intractable lust. Add that to the love she’d never been able to deny for him, and she felt horribly worried. Anxiety made her heart ache for this wounded man.

Zack didn’t wait for Ace to reply. He turned his back on his friend and walked away.

When he neared her he stopped for a kiss, then moved around her down the hallway. A door closed, followed by the snick of a lock.

Kelly didn’t know what to say. It was as if Zack had just shut them out of his life. Even as she thought it, she knew she exaggerated. Hell, he probably just needed to wind down and wanted some privacy. But she wasn’t used to seeing Zack as anything but confident and flirty. Right now, he seemed so sad and tired, not at all like himself.

Ace folded her into his arms, as if sensing her need for togetherness. His embrace was her undoing.

She struggled to hold back tears. “I’m so sorry, Ace. This is my fault. I’ve come between you two.”

“Hell, no.” Ace pulled back, his face flushed. “Kelly, my relationship with Zack has nothing to do with you. I mean it does, but it’s been strained since before you were ever in the picture.” He sighed. “Can you make some coffee? I’m not at my best before I’ve had a cup.”

“Sure.” She kissed him on the mouth gently, but the heat was there. The kiss lingered longer than she’d intended, especially when she felt his hands inside her robe cupping her breasts.

“Fuck. I want you all the time,” Ace moaned against her mouth. “Knowing what it’s like is only making the need worse. Wait until we do it when changed.” He kissed her one last time. “All your sensations are magnified.” His eyes glowed. “Zack’s amazing when he’s normal, but when he’s changed, it’s like he’s living, breathing sex.”

Kelly stepped away to brew the coffee. She glanced over her shoulder, wanting to see Ace’s face. “That’s the first time you’ve ever alluded to sex with Zack. You guys never touch except to punch or push each other. At least, that’s all I’ve ever seen.”

“Yeah, well. We do. Have sex, that is.” Ace looked so incredibly uncomfortable with the discussion, which made him that much more attractive. A man with muscles on top of muscles who was scared of something as simple as intimacy. It gave Kelly equal footing in a world she knew little about.

“Is that so embarrassing to admit?”

“You have no idea.” Ace shook his head. “You might as well be dead if you’ve kissed a guy where I come from. You didn’t cry in my family. Didn’t show love or affection for anyone. Mom took off when I was three. Dad was an asshole,” he said bluntly. “If you weren’t tough, rock solid, he wanted nothing to do with you. No matter how great I was in football or how many fights I won, it was never enough.”

“I’m sorry, Ace.”

“Hey, it is what it is. I haven’t seen the old man in years. But I can’t help thinking about what he’d think about me and Zack.” Ace stared at the empty mug Kelly handed him.

“Being with you, on the other hand, would be okay.”

“Just okay?” she teased.

The hunger in Ace’s brown eyes startled her. “Hell, I might get a medal for fucking you as hard as I have.”

She blushed. She couldn’t help it.

“Sorry. I should have said, for making love with you as hard as I have. Zack’s always on my ass not to curse in front of you.”

She didn’t mention that “ass” was also a curse word. “He’s something of a gentleman, isn’t he?”

“He likes to think so,” Ace said with a grin that quickly faded. “Something’s wrong with him. I feel it. It’s more than physical. He’s different now.”

“I know. I sensed it too. Like he’s hurting. Maybe he needs time.” Even as she said it, the beast growing within roared its displeasure.

The coffee beeped, and she poured some for them both.

Ace stared. “Your eyes are changing. I’m not sure how much time we can give him.”

Sudden need for her wounded mate consumed her.

Ace must have sensed her need, because after a moment of silence, he said, “You know, I think it’s best that you see what’s wrong with him.” He nodded toward the hallway. “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.”

Kelly left her coffee without taking a sip. Down the hallway, she saw a closed door and reached above the picture frame next to the door for the key. Opening the door quietly, she entered and closed it behind her. Zack lay on his back on the spare bed. His hands were behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.

“I thought you were tired,” she said softly.

“I am.” His low voice sent shivers down her spine. Zack was so sexy, though he never tried to be. So handsome, so full of enthusiasm…usually. Now, he looked worn. “I can’t sleep.”

“Can I help?” She wanted to soothe him, and without realizing exactly how she did it, she released a light perfume in the air.

Zack tensed. “No.” He had to clear his throat to continue. “I’m fine.”

“Liar.” Kelly sat next to Zack on the bed and traced the faint bruises on his chest. He healed at a remarkable rate. “Let me see your bandage.”

Zack stared up at her, his light gray eyes full of pain.

“Oh, Zack. Let me help you.” She peeled back the bandage to see his wound healing.

Tapping it gently back in place, she stroked his chest with a light touch and ran her hands down to his waist. “Your shorts are damp.”

He blinked slowly, his gaze lingering on her mouth. “I had a swim.”

“In a bar?” she asked dryly.

He didn’t seem to care that he’d been caught in a lie. “Yeah.”

She deliberately shoved her hand under his waistband and closed it around his steely cock. Zack hissed his pleasure.

“Zack, I don’t know what’s bothering you. But I want to help. I want to heal your hurts,” she whispered and released him. Slowly, she inched down his shorts, loving the way they clung to his muscles. One muscle in particular jumped when she eased the fabric down and off his body. “You’re so big.”

He groaned. “Only around you.”

And Ace, he didn’t say. Interesting. Kelly removed her robe and knelt, straddling his knees.

“Your breasts are full, your nipples hard,” Zack rasped.

“Yours are too.” Kelly leaned over him, closing her eyes as her breasts nestled his cock.

She reached out and tweaked his nipple. Sliding over him, careful of his stitches, she took that small bud in her mouth.

“Christ.”

She sucked him and added teeth, the way he and Ace had done to her last night. “I missed you before. When Ace was fucking me,” she added.

Whether it was the thought of Ace taking her or her language, she wasn’t sure, but Zack acted like a male in the throes of his own heat. He arched against her, rubbing his cock under her belly. His arms left his head to cage her back.

“You’re so soft.”

“You’re so hard.” Kelly continued to kiss him, laving his nipples and chest, running her mouth down his body toward that rigid part of him. Gratified to see his slit filled with arousal, she lowered to taste it.

“Yes,” he hissed as she took him in her mouth. He threaded his fingers through her hair and pushed more of himself inside her.

Kelly wanted to bring him pleasure, to soothe his aches and make him happy once more. But Zack refused to let it be only about him.

“Put your pussy over my mouth,” he commanded, tugging at her thighs.

Helpless to refuse him, she took him deeper into her mouth and circled his body. With pleasure, she straddled his face.

He didn’t tease, didn’t go slow. Zack sucked her clit hard and rammed two fingers inside her.

Aroused beyond measure, she sucked harder, taking more and more of him in. She rubbed his balls and eased a finger between his cheeks, wanting to shove inside his hole, the way Ace must when they came together.

Zack moaned and sucked harder, echoing her excitement. The scent of sex filled the air, a smell her beast approved of. She wanted more, to push the male beneath her past his limits.

Kelly added the press of teeth against the sensitive skin under his cockhead just as she pressed deeper into his ass.

Zack began pistoning his hips, arching up harder and harder into her mouth as he sucked ravenously, eating her with moans while he fucked her with his fingers. He pushed deep while he tasted her, but she needed his seed.

Clamping her mouth around his shaft, she tugged, caught in her own ecstasy -- the feel of his lips, his tongue. She was so close to exploding…and then he shifted the pressure on her clit enough to slow her down before ramping the tension again.

He drew her flesh into his mouth with a groan, the rumble of his pleasure vibrating through her very womb. She sucked hard as she came, unable to stop.

Warm cum filled her mouth, spurting into the back of her throat while Zack gripped her tight. He continued to lick her, tasting all of her cream while she swallowed him up.

It was some time before they could move. He kissed her one last time and shifted her to lie on top of him.

“Zack, watch your wounds.”

He grinned, the pain that had clouded his gaze nowhere to be found as he stared up at her with possession. “Thanks, baby. You make me feel good.”

Purring like a cat, Zack made her think of an untamed panther. Sleek and dark and dangerous. Tamed with a bowl of cream.

“That’s the Zack I know and love,” she murmured, content until she realized what she’d said. “I mean, I…I’m glad you’re happy now. You had me worried.”

His eyes twinkled, his grin sincere. “Oh, I’m happy, Kelly. I came inside that sweet mouth of yours, and I can’t stop purring. You taste so good, like honey.” He licked his lips, and his gaze darkened. “I want you again. All the time.” Zack’s smile faded. “I think your heat’s coming on strong.”

“Yeah, and it’s going to push ours up ahead of schedule,” Ace added from the open doorway.

Kelly froze. “I, ah, how long were you standing there?” She hadn’t heard the door open, and from Zack’s flat expression, neither had he.

“Long enough to come in my shorts.” Ace grimaced. “Watching that… Man, I want to see it all over again.”

The tension in Zack told her where the problem lay -- in Ace’s direction.

“You know, I really am tired.” Zack kissed her shoulder and gave her a hug. “I don’t mean to be insensitive, but I think a rest would help me heal faster. I have a feeling we’re going to need our strength for tonight.”

“Okay.” She stroked his face, so in love with him.

“Thanks, Kelly. I think I can sleep now.” He winked and kissed her palm, dismissing Ace as easily as if closing the door. “Wake me in a few hours, would you, Kel?”

“Sure. Get some rest.” She leaned down to kiss his cheek, put on her robe, and pushed a scowling Ace out of the room.

Once outside, she had to forcibly drag Ace back down the hallway toward the kitchen.

“It’s you,” she said bluntly.

Ace clenched his jaw. “Yeah, I get that. What the hell’s his problem? He was all about sharing, not wanting to fight. Now he wants to keep us separate?”

Kelly felt off balance. Her body kept telling her to take more of them while her heart said to slow down. They all needed to know each other better before she lost her mind to the mating heat. She’d learned more about Ace this morning than she had in the three years they’d known each other. His childhood explained a lot about his attitude.

Always the hardhead. The macho male. The one with the cocky grin and lazy stance who said he could take whatever was shoved at him. Ace’s way of dealing with his insecurities was to pretend he didn’t have any.

Then there was Zack. The easygoing, friendly partner. The one who took more of Ace’s crap than anyone on the team. The gentle giant who stirred Kelly’s need to protect, but who could turn into a dominating beast in the bedroom.

Her mates had so much depth that needed plumbing, but she had a feeling they needed to start with each other. She had her own questions that needed answering, and she needed her own space to think as well.

“Ace?”

“What’s the matter?”

“I need to see Caitlyn. Some girl time would really help, you know?”

He shrugged. “Sure.”

“Plus, there’s a few things I need to do at the compound --”

“Hell, no. I don’t want you around those horny bastards.” Ace fumed.

“Ah, okay.” She hadn’t thought about that. Still, she could use an objective viewpoint.

Caitlyn had once been where she was now. “But I don’t see the harm in going over there. I love Derrick and Hale. I know they’d never do anything to harm me. And Roane’s so in love with Caitlyn, he’s no threat.”

“Yeah, well, you might want to keep all that love to yourself,” he snarled. “If the guys scent you now, they’ll want to fuck you. And I won’t be able to stop myself from taking them apart.”

He wasn’t joking. Instead of frightening her, his anger appeased her. She needed a worthy mate, one strong enough to protect and support her. Ace’s aggression triggered satisfaction in her beast.

“Okay. Then I’ll call her to come here.”

He nodded stiffly, clenching his fingers tight.

“Relax, Ace. I can barely handle two mates. I don’t need any more.”

“That’s right. Mates. Mine and Zack’s.” Ace stepped forward to nuzzle her cheek.

“Mmm.” He stepped back. “Okay. You call Caitlyn, and I’ll make myself scarce. I promise.

Besides, I need a shower. I wasn’t kidding about coming in my shorts.” His eyes flashed with heat. “That was really hot. I wonder how we can turn sixty-nine into a three-way.”

He grinned and left her staring after that perfect ass, as if he knew what he did to her.

Kelly groaned and fanned herself. Oh, hell. I’m really turning into a bitch in heat. I need help.

She picked up the phone and dialed Caitlyn.

Caitlyn arrived a few hours later.

“Thanks so much for coming. Ace doesn’t want me around the compound until I can put a lid on…this.”

Caitlyn smiled. “He’s right. You’re safer away from the others just now. Doc explained to us what’s going on. Should I say congratulations?”

Kelly shrugged. “Ah, sure. Thanks, I guess.”

“This is a hard thing to understand until you go through it.”

“That’s an understatement.”

Caitlyn nodded and sat across from Kelly in the living room. “Let me give you what I know. The guys mean well, but even Doc doesn’t understand that being a female Circ is a lot different from being a male Circ. Women and men think differently. To men, it’s a huge plus to be bigger and stronger.”

“Frankly, I don’t see the advantage being gargantuan will get me, not when I have to run errands around people I know.”

“Yeah, that might be a problem. Scaring the mailman won’t win you any favors around town.” Caitlyn grinned.

“Please tell me this will get easier.” Kelly sighed. “I like that I’m closer to Ace and Zack, but this intense relationship is complicating things. I’m so confused right now.”

“Maybe I can help with that. As far as what to expect physically, you’re going to turn into a she-beast. When changed, you’ll be able to see, hear, smell, and taste like you wouldn’t believe. The enhanced senses are there when you’re normal, too. But they’re magnified to the nth degree when you’re beastly.”

“Beastly. Great. You mention your beast a lot.”

“It makes sense. You probably already understand that part of yourself I’m talking about. Oh, and before I forget, the first time you change, it might get a little rocky.” Caitlyn blushed.

“Rocky?”

“Since you’re not mated yet, you’ll want to screw anything not nailed down. That’s why Ace wants you to stay far away from the others. And trust me, when you’re mated, you’ll know. It’s more than just sex with the guys. It’s something hard to describe.” She paused. “Any questions?”

Kelly stared, wide-eyed. “Uh…”

“Sorry, too much? It’s a lot to take in. And you have two guys. That’s gonna be tough.”

They remained silent for a moment as Kelly absorbed what Caitlyn had said. “So what’s it like? The mating heat?”

Caitlyn squirmed. “You want to screw everybody with a Circ heartbeat. I couldn’t control myself around Roane at all. But at the same time, I had to challenge him. My beast wanted someone I couldn’t control. He had to be the strongest, fastest, toughest -- you get the drift. It’s an animal urge, Kelly. You just have to accept and go with it.”

“I understand what you’re saying, but I don’t want everybody. I only want Zack and Ace. You told me I haven’t yet mated, but my beast knows what it wants.”

“What she wants,” Caitlyn corrected. “The beast we talk about lives inside you. It’s a real part of you now, not just an instinct or a feeling. I think of mine as a second level of consciousness. And your beast is never wrong. Doc thinks she’s almost psychic.”

Kelly considered that. “Lately, I’ve sensed when something’s bothering the guys, or if something’s wrong. And it’s more than hunch. It’s almost like I know things.”

“Right. My intuition pretty much flares at anything to do with Roane or my safety. But there it ends. It’s not like I’m psychic now, just really tuned in to what I consider necessary for survival.”

Kelly nodded. She’d known something bothered Zack. And she’d felt off even after lying with Ace -- when Zack had gone. “Does your beast control you?”

“Only in the first stage of the mating heat. But Roane quickly took charge of that.”

Caitlyn grinned. “It’s so weird now to think I was dying. Before the others found me, I’d been very ill. Doc explained I was simply gearing up for my first change. It was a huge relief to know I’m perfectly healthy.”

“Yeah, me too.” Kelly explained her circumstances. “For the longest time I thought there was something wrong with me. Doc’s shots helped; of course they helped. He was stopping my development.” She should have been angrier about his deception, but she couldn’t fault Doc for wanting to help her and heed her mother’s wishes at the same time.

“Does it feel finally like you belong?” Caitlyn asked. “I was alone for a long time. Now I’m happy, fulfilled. The Web design business is booming. Roane is mine, and I have a new family.” Caitlyn frowned. “If it weren’t for the PPA, life would be perfect.”

“I feel closer to all of you, but I admit, I’m a little worried about the PPA. I never used to worry about them, since they were a part of Doc’s life I didn’t belong to. But now I wonder if I’ll lose control of my Circ side in public. What if they find out about me? You think they might try to kidnap me like they once tried with you?” Kelly had been living with that fear since she’d learned the truth from Doc.

“I don’t know. Until you’re more secure with being a Circ, I’d suggest staying close to Doc and the guys. Your guys,” Caitlyn emphasized with a grin.

“Not a problem.”

Caitlyn stared at her.

“What?”

Her friend leaned closer. “So, what’s it like with Zack and Ace?”

“Words can’t describe it.” Kelly gave her a naughty smile.

“Wow.” Caitlyn’s eyes widened. “It’s incredible with Roane. I can’t imagine two guys with that stamina.” She turned bright red. “I mean, I can, it’s just that --”

Kelly looked over her shoulder to see what caught Caitlyn’s attention.

Ace stood in the kitchen wearing a pair of shorts and nothing else. Talk about a perfect body. He grabbed a soda from the refrigerator and paused when he felt them staring at him.

“What?”

“Nothing.” Caitlyn shook her head.

Ace gave her an odd look. He winked at Kelly, saluted her with his drink, and left.

“Double wow,” Caitlyn breathed. “You have your own personal bookends.”

Kelly laughed out loud. “Bookends? I think I like that better than ‘boy toys.’”

“Yeah, well, I don’t want to talk about your sexy playthings. They remind me of my

‘boy toy,’ and I’m deliberately steering clear of Roane for a while. That idiot had the nerve to argue my designs for our bedroom.” Caitlyn scowled as she reached for her ample purse. She pulled out three bottles of nail polish. “How about we hang out and do girl stuff? Pretty Pink, Barely Blue, or Primal Purple?”

“Primal Purple.” Though she wondered if the polish would cover her beast’s nails later tonight. Kelly felt the need to change with every breath she took. It wouldn’t be much longer until she let it out. At the thought, her beast purred its approval. “Once you changed, did you finally settle into your own skin?”

Caitlyn nodded. “I was scared at first, but after you embrace that part of yourself, you’ll feel better than you ever have. You can’t deny who you are, no matter how much you might want to. And trust me, after you claim those knuckleheads who’ve been mooning over you for years, you’ll wonder what held you back so long.”

Remembering how good she’d felt sandwiched between them, Kelly smiled and focused on the polish in Caitlyn’s hand. Tonight couldn’t come soon enough.