Own Me (The Wolf Hotel, #5)

by K.A. Tucker

“How was the Australian Outback?” Henry asks, clasping hands with him. “Got lost and almost died. Other than that, fantastic.” Merrick’s voice is deep, his tone cool. His face barely cracks a smile as he peers at me. “So you’re the one.” It’s not a question. Something peculiar lingers in his crystal blue eyes. I can’t explain the look, but I wouldn’t call it warm or friendly. I can see what Henry meant when he said Merrick is hard to read.

“That’s right. Your hopes of playing with Wolf’s cock are officially coming to an end,” Preston proclaims. “You mean playing with it again,” chirps Warner. My jaw drops. Wait? Are they saying … I asked Henry point-blank if he’d ever been with a man and he told me no. Did he lie, or is this just these two tormenting their friend with typical dumb male jokes? “Thanks for that. Just couldn’t fucking help yourselves.” Henry grumbles, “Idiots.”

I can’t hold it in anymore. Besides, I have no loyalty to Merrick and what’s he going to do to me? “You told me I would look good tonight.” “Yes.” Henry frowns. “And?” “And Merrick told me it’s a circus theme.” “Did he now.” Henry glares at Merrick. Merrick shakes his head at me in dismay. “Sorry, man. She looked up at me with those big, beautiful eyes, and I couldn’t lie to her.” “He has me going as the bearded lady!” There’s a touch of whine in my voice that I’m embarrassed about. “To be fair, she guessed that part.” Merrick takes a sip of his wine.

Henry purses his lips for one … two … three seconds before his head tips back and a loud, booming laugh escapes him. “She pounced on me the second you were out of the room. Played out just like you said it would, man.” Merrick holds his glass up. Henry clangs his against it in a toast. “Fuck, I missed you, Mer.” Wait a minute. I gape at Merrick. “Were you lying to me? I’m not going as the bearded lady?” He winks. “I told you not to bother trying.”

“Did you and Merrick ever hook up?” I interrupt. He gives the bartender a salute as he leads me toward the stairs. “No.” “Henry …” “Why would I lie? You know I’m not ashamed of anything I’ve done.” His lips twist. “But there is a story.” I knew it. “What happened—” “Not now, Abbi. We have the event of the year to get to.” His tone brokers no argument.

I get my third ball. “How did I not know you played basketball?” “The same way I had no idea you’ve made an Olympic sport out of bucket ball,” he counters. “Seriously, have you always been this competitive?”

“Sorry, what’s the score now? I lost track,” Henry taunts. The mime gestures six and six. “Right … A tie, and you’ve used up all your shots. So, I could put it in any of these baskets and win. Even the lowest.” His mouth curves into a frown as he tosses with no effort. “Or I could just get another one of these.” For a third time, the ball lands in the top. “How are you good at everything!”

“What was that about?” I ask. “I think she was asking if she could fuck me in the Fun House.” My jaw drops. “Are you kidding me?” I spin around, ready to march back and throw a ball at her head. Or her clamped nipples. Henry lassos me with an arm around my chest. “Relax, I’m joking. Sort of.” He holds up the small package. “This is going to look so good in you—”

He leans in. “I’ll have you know, I’ve seen two very sexy bearded ladies so far.” My mouth drops. But of course, there’s no way to hide from Merrick either. He chose our costumes. “This one is more my style.”

“What’s the story with him?” “No story.” “You said earlier there was a story.” “Really? This is happening”—he juts his chin toward the two women contorted at impossible angles, their mouths fixed between the other’s legs—“and you’d rather talk about Merrick and me?” “Yes.”

“Because I’m completely obsessed with you, didn’t you know that already?” He leads me away from the crowd. “What do you want to know?” “You said you two didn’t hook up but …” I let the question linger in the air. “Things got a bit out of hand once,” he admits. I knew it. “And what exactly is ‘out of hand’ for you?” Because Henry’s threshold for sexual acts would set fire to Reverend Enderbey’s pulpit. “We fucked a woman together.” “You’ve done that before.” Several times, apparently, much to my chagrin. “Not like that. Let’s say it was a really tight fit.”

My mouth makes an Oh shape as I picture that scenario. “You mean, like, the two of you, like … together.” I hold my index and middle finger in the air, pressed together. “Not like you and me and Ronan.” “Not like that night, no.” Something unreadable flickers in Henry’s eyes as he watches me closely. “I don’t crave dick. Merrick sometimes does. I knew that and I pushed for it, anyway.” “He said you’re hard to say no to.” That earns a chuckle. “I guess I was curious, and I trusted him not to take it farther than I was comfortable.”

“Was it weird for you two after?” “What? No. It’s Mer.” He frowns curiously. “And I might not crave dick, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy what we did.” “So … He’s bisexual.” “He’s not interested in labels but, yeah, you could say that. I’ve seen him with mostly women, but he has hooked up with a couple men. He was in a relationship with one not that long ago. It was serious from what he told me.” “What happened?” “It didn’t work out.”

“Merrick is one of my best friends. I trust him completely. But he grew up in a very different family from mine.”

“Things you don’t ever need to know or worry about,” Henry cuts me off. “But in case you were wondering … no.” I peer up at him, confused. “No, what?” His index finger traces over my lip. “If you’re having any little fantasies about me, you, and Merrick, get those thoughts out of that pretty little head of yours now. I mean it, Abbi.” My mouth hangs. “I don’t! I didn’t!” He hums like he doesn’t believe me. “I think I’ve created a monster.”

“You know who would love this party?” I whisper. “Don’t say it—” “Connor and Ronan.” They would lose their minds over a place like this. “It’s too bad you can’t tell them anything about what you see here. Ever.”

Everywhere I look, people are having sex or watching sex. This event is drenched in it. I know who my future husband is. No wonder he never misses it. But it stirs questions. “Have you ever been in one of those rooms?” “Yes.” “How many times?” “Every time.” He didn’t hesitate to answer.

Henry stifles his laughter. “What impression have I ever given that I would be into that?” He pulls me away by my hand. “I don’t enjoy giving up control.” “You don’t say.” Henry Wolf is control. It could be a slogan. I get a playful swat against my ass and a soft “brat” in response. “Fine, then what?” “I’ll show you.”

Henry’s dark chuckle curls in my ear. “This should not be a surprise.” “It’s not. I just …” Henry hasn’t given me detailed specifics about every encounter he’s ever had, but I know his tastes are risqué. He’s been with multiple women before, several times. But watching this now, and imagining Henry as one of these men, in this tawdry annual event he never misses, where he can do whatever he wants, with whomever he wants … He uses these rooms every time he comes here. He admitted it.

Just the thought of another woman with her hands—and other parts—on him like this makes my fists clench and my eyes blur with rage. Especially when he’s declared that no one will be touching me.

“First of all, I’ve never made you do anything, have I? I’ve never forced you?” “No, but—” “And you’ve enjoyed everything that I knew you would enjoy, right?” “Yes. But I—” “Okay, good. I’m glad we have that out of the way. Listen to me very carefully, Abigail.” Henry’s tone is cool and calm. “When I said I’m not sharing you with anyone like I did that night with Ronan, I mean that no one is ever laying a fucking hand on you ever again. Is that clear?” I swallow. “Yes.”

“So that spectacle back there? Having someone else’s cock inside you? You don’t have to worry about me asking you for that because it’s not happening. Ever.” I hesitate. “And what about you?” “Me? I plan on spending an excessive amount of time inside you. Every day for the rest of my life, if it’s up to me—”

“No, that’s not what I mean.” I giggle, even as his words fan a wave of heat through the lower half of my body. “You’re in those rooms every year you come here. You said so yourself.” “E...

“You still don’t get it, do you?” A strange look fills his face. “You have commanded my attention without pause since that interview video. I lied and manipulated to get you to Alaska as my assistant, I risked my entire future because I couldn’t stay away from you, I came back even after you shattered my heart.”

“I feel like I’m on a fucking leash, and I don’t even care. There isn’t a woman out there who has ever tethered me like this.” His voice turns gruff. “You own me, Abbi. Everything that I have and am is yours, and that will never change. That, I can promise you.”

“I love you so much. I’m terrified that I won’t always be enough for you.”

“That’s not possible.” “How do you know?” He wraps me in his arms. “Because I’ve already had everything else, and none of it feels a fraction as good as you do.”

Merrick’s attention is riveted to Henry and me, his semi-hard length hanging. “Do you like his eyes on you?” Henry growls into my ear. I hesitate. “Don’t lie to me.” His teeth scrape against my skin. “And before you answer that, know that it doesn’t bother me. I like his eyes on us too.” “Yes,” I admit breathlessly after a moment. He kisses the back of my neck and I feel his lips in every nerve of my body. “Do you trust that I know what you’ll like?” “Always. You know I do.” “Good.”

Merrick drops to his knees in front of our chair, reaching over to move my skirt. “Don’t touch her,” Henry warns in a growl. “I won’t,” Merrick promises. “Fuck, but I want to. Those tits are spectacular.”

Henry is fucking me in front of three people. Friends, not people.

The mental image Henry painted for me earlier—of these two beautiful men pleasuring a woman together—crashes into my mind like an avalanche, consuming all other thoughts. Henry may not crave dick as he so eloquently put it, but he knows Merrick does and he’s not shying away, not growling at him to remove his hands. Henry likes testing his own boundaries. He also likes testing mine. I’ve never tested his.

“Can he touch you?” I hear myself ask in a whisper and, I swear, behind that lion tamer’s mask, I see a glint flash in Merrick’s blue eyes—of shock or excitement, I can’t tell. Henry’s hips slow, lose their rhythm. “Is that what you want to see?” he asks with ragged breaths. He’s close to coming. I hesitate. “Just once.” Just like I agreed to that time in the grotto with Margo, even though I don’t crave women. I want to know that Henry will bend for me as readily as I bend for him. “Fuck,” he curses, then swallows hard. “Just this once. And only because it’s him.”

“You sure?” Merrick asks, his hand still on Henry’s thigh. “Make it worthwhile,” Henry growls. A sexy smirk curls the lion tamer’s lips. “You know I will.”

Henry complies and Merrick’s muscular arm flexes as he hooks it around one of Henry’s legs and lifts. He slides his slick fingers farther back. “Not the best angle, but I can make it work,” Merrick murmurs. Henry grunts, and I realize Merrick’s aim—which I should have when I asked for this. My skin ignites over my entire body and I can hardly breathe. Has Henry ever allowed anything like that?

“Relax for me,” Merrick coaxes, his voice gravelly, and I frantically search the reflections for one that shows me the explicit scene. Unfortunately, it’s blocked by Merrick’s bare ass, so I lean forward, straining to see from this award angle. “That’s my girl.” Henry chuckles. “I can’t believe you talked me into this.”

“He’s enjoying this, I promise,” Merrick whispers, his breathing shallow as he settles on his haunches and watches. “And so are you. Fuck, you are so wet.” He licks his lower lip, looking seconds away from leaning in to join in with his mouth.

Henry picks up speed and I lose control. With a high-pitched cry, I arch my back and let my climax overtake me, my body trembling as my sex spasms around Henry’s length for what feels like an eternity, the sensation overwhelming. Henry follows with a desperate sound that I don’t recall ever hearing from him before, his hips jerking erratically as he throbs and shudders inside me. He’s holding me against him so tightly, every muscle in his body seems to be constricting. I’m sure my skin will be marred by bruises tomorrow.

Merrick’s throaty moans trail ours, and when I come down off my high, he’s bowed forward, his shoulders heaving as he strokes out another orgasm. “Holy fuck.” Henry releases my legs and pulls down my skirt to cover me from view. “I have created a monster,” he whispers against my ear.

I twist in his lap to meet his lips with mine. “Are you okay? You’re not mad at me?” I can’t read anything behind that stupid mask. He chuckles through ragged breaths. “I’m fine.” I hesitat...

“But if you ever ask me for that again, expect Margo’s tongue in your pussy immediately after because that is something I really enjoyed.” “One and done. Got it.” I guess that’s fair. Merrick has already slipped his fingers out of Henry. He collects my black panties from the floor and wipes his slick hands on them. “Hey!” He grins. “Sorry, but I need these more than you do.”

“This way?” Merrick points and heads the way we came, giving Henry’s shoulder a friendly pat on his way past. As if nothing that just happened was out of the ordinary. Henry stoops to collect the silver toy off the floor, slipping it into his pocket. Leaning down to kiss my temple, he whispers in my ear, “And you think I’ll get bored?”

“Have you thought about what you’re going to say if she’s here?” I ask. “Yeah. How about ‘Stop fucking running away. Are you trying to kill your grandparents?’” By his stern tone, I can’t tell if he’s joking. “Okay, but for real.” His answering stare confirms he is not joking. “You know you can’t say that to her.” “Why not? It’s true. She needs to stop running away and she is going to kill them with worry if she keeps this up. You should have heard Howard on the phone. She’s being a selfish brat.”

“Maybe. But she’s also being a girl who just lost her mother, then found out some rather disturbing things about her, which led to finding you. As difficult as this was for you to handle learning, imagine how much harder it is for her. And if she did come back here, then she’s likely looking for more answers, or a connection, or … something.” “She’s not going to get anything from me behaving like this.”

“Yes! I’d love an order of French toast, please,” I jump in before Henry can decline, raising my eyebrows expectantly at him. His daughter is sitting across from him. This is a real chance to get to know her while he’s playing the white knight and her defenses are down. “Make it two. And if she’s done murdering her food, perhaps a fresh plate of something else that she’ll eat?” He refers to Violet in third person, but he’s staring at her.

“Already?” That makes me chuckle. “He doesn’t waste time.” “But he’ll do what he says he’s going to?” There’s doubt in her voice. I take a long sip of my coffee. “If he says he’s going to do something, he’ll do it.” I can’t believe I’m sitting across from Henry’s child.

Violet peers at my hand. “Is that your engagement ring?” “It is.” I hold my hand out, admiring the pearl. “It was Henry’s grandmother’s ring. The gold is from the Wolf mine.” It dawns on me then. “This was your great-grandmother’s ring.”

“This is going to be so much fun.” She claps again and I sense her genuine excitement. “Who else have you asked to join us?” “My friend Autumn, who you met in Alaska. The concierge.” I called her last week to ask and she squealed into the phone. “Oui. She is a doll.”

“And I want to ask Ronan, but Henry’s not totally on board.” She waves a dismissive hand. “Ask him, anyway. It is your bridal party, not Henry’s.” “I can’t do that!” “Why not? Ronan is important to you, non?” “He is.” “And he helped save Henry from almost certain death?” “He did.” “And just because he is in love with you does not mean he cannot—” “Whoa.” I giggle. “Ronan is not in love with me.” “Oh, of course not. I am entirely wrong in my observation. I don’t know what I’m talking about.”

“Either way, Henry can be difficult. He likes control and he always has it. But there are times when you must ask his permission, and then there are times you must tell him what you want and how it will be. He is a smart man, and he wants to make you happy. He will bend when he knows it is essential to you.” “I hope you’re right.” “I am. But just...

“What about you, Daddy?” he asks in a mocking tone. “Lagavulin and fuck off.” Henry sinks into the spot on the couch next to me. His cheeks carry a pinkish hue. As Preston and Margo start a conversation, I lean into Henry’s side, inhaling his spicy cologne, craving his touch. “I take it you told them?” “I did.” “And?” “They were as shocked as I was but supportive. More so than I expected, to be honest. But they’ve also been calling me that all night,” he adds. “What? Daddy?”