concerned, Lily wasn’t even in the picture. She quietly slipped away from Annie and back into the pool, leaving Alex and Annie to work this out on their own.
Her body still thrummed with the force of her orgasm. The warm water should have soothed her, but she was so sensitive that the small current abraded her sensitive nipples instead.
Gliding through the water, she swam to the far side and found an outcropping where she could sit and yet remain almost entirely submerged. She wanted them to forget she was here, but she didn’t want to miss this, either.
It didn’t appear that would be a problem. Alex waited until Annie regained her composure. Then he stood and walked over to her and gently laid the dead rabbit down in front of her.
Annie’s eyes went wide. She shot a quick glance toward Lily as if looking for confirmation. Lily didn’t say a word. This was for Annie to figure out.
Annie’s eyes were shining with what could only be tears. She knelt and ran her fingers over the rabbit’s soft fur. Then she raised her head, looked directly into Alex’s eyes, and shifted.
Now in her wolven form, she sniffed at the offering Alex had brought.
Lily watched and wondered. Did Annie understand the significance ? For a Chanku male, sharing a fresh kill went way beyond a corsage for the prom. Lily relaxed as soon as Annie took a bite, holding the body down with her front paw, tearing through fur and skin while Alex watched. She swallowed it down, licking blood from her muzzle before sitting back.
Lily grinned. Good girl, she thought, but the words stayed behind her shields. Annie was doing exactly as she should, offering the rest of the kill to Alex. He stared at her for a moment. Then he finished the rabbit in a couple of bites.
When he’d cleaned his bloody muzzle on the grass, Alex shifted. There was no way to ignore his blatant arousal, and Lily realized she was enjoying this chance to sit back and admire him. He really was a beautiful man.
What did Annie see when she looked at Alex? Nudity was nothing unusual, but Lily realized she couldn’t remember much about Annie when they ran as a pack. She’d usually arrived in whatever form she was taking and would head back to her parents’ house, still in her animal form.
Their few sexual encounters had been fun and open, but now that she thought of it, none of the guys had ever been around when she’d had sex with Annie. How could she have missed that? But it explained Annie’s hesitation as she gazed up at Alex.
Then she shifted, sooner than Lily expected. Another good sign. Lily had no intention of interfering or even reminding them she was here. At least, not this first time, but she wasn’t about to leave, either. She felt Annie’s need, her insecurities, and even some fear.
Not of sex with Alex, but that he would be disappointed, that he’d expect her to know more, to be more experienced.
Okay. A little interference was warranted.
Tell him, Lily said. He needs to know.
Annie nodded and stepped into Alex’s embrace.
She was warm and sleek and absolutely perfect. Her hesitancy only made him want her more. She trembled, and he wondered if she was as nervous about this as he was.
Sex was as natural as breathing. Sex with Annie? Goddess, but he’d never felt nervous about sex with any woman. Right now he was actually shaking.
He sensed Lily, knew she waited nearby, close enough for Annie, yet far enough to give them at least a sense of privacy. He’d always loved Lily. Loving her was just a part of who he was, how he saw himself, but watching her make love with Annie had hit him like a blow to the heart. He’d stared at the two women, both so beautiful yet so unique. He’d watched them reach their climax together, and it was then that he realized his attention hadn’t been on Lily at all.
No. His focus had been entirely on Annie McClintock. He’d often wondered if this day would ever come, if he could look at another woman and feel something, anything remotely as powerful as the feelings he had for Lily.
It had finally happened.
He felt more than something for Annie. Emotions so powerful he didn’t even mind the fact he’d have to admit, once again, that Lily was right. He nuzzled his chin in Annie’s tousled hair, and kissed her temple and