Free Projected Pleasure by Jennifer Salaiz Page A

bed. You two have at it.”
    “Zachary! You can’t do that. You are as much of this conversation as I am. It’s your pack. Aren’t you worried about starting a riot between your wolves?”
    “Cole, talk to my wife,” he said, gesturing toward her.
    The other love of her life smiled at her, sitting on the bed. She could feel her mouth pout as his features softened. “You know I need a mate, right?”
    Marley groaned. “Does it have to be her? I’ll take you out. We’ll find you a real mate. Not some girl .” It took everything she had not to say something meaner. She couldn’t believe the words she’d really 68
    Jennifer Salaiz
    wanted to say. This wasn’t like her. “Please, Cole, not her. I beg you.
    She’s so,” Marley paused. “Young.”
    Both Cole and Zachary’s laughter filled the bedroom. “She’s twenty-four, Marley, hardly young. But no worries, I’ve already had a talk with her, and she’s promised to tone it down, so maybe things will go more smoothly tomorrow.”
    “Tomorrow!” Marley bolted up to a standing position in the bed.
    “No way, I won’t be ready that fast. Tell her to come back in four years. Then, I might give her a chance. There’s something about her I don’t like. I’m sorry, Cole, but it’s not going to work!”
    He stood from the bed, staring up at her. “Zachary, I don’t think there’s any getting through to your wife.”
    “I could have told you that. Once Marley gets something in her head that’s the end of everything.”
    “And kids! Did you hear her go on and on about wanting to have kids soon?” Marley dropped back down to the bed. “That’s not something you tell someone on the first date. Get serious, you guys.
    She’s a fucking quack. I don’t like her. If she’s handing out invitations to get knocked up, I would have sent her to the dog’s breeding grounds. I mean shit, that … is … not … normal . Do I need to spell it out for you two?”
    “It was kind of strange,” Zachary said, rolling back to face them.
    “Thank you.” Marley sighed.
    “But maybe she’s just tired of short-term relationships,” her husband pointed out.
    Marley groaned. “That’s it! I’m done explaining to you two. Keep her away from me and my son. That’s all I’m going to say. I don’t like her, nor do I trust her.”
    “That’s unfair,” Cole whispered. “Don’t make this harder on me than it already is. You have no idea what this is putting me through.”
    Zachary sat up in bed. “What do you mean? If she’s your mate it shouldn’t be hard. You should be obsessed with her. You would know Projected Pleasure
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    from the moment you see her. It’s not something you can make happen.”
    “Yeah, well, if that’s the case, then we were meant to be mated to the same person because I’ve already told you once how I feel about your wife. From the moment I saw her, I loved her.”
    The room fell eerily silent. Marley was almost afraid to breathe.
    Should she say something? Damn, this was all her fault. But she couldn’t help the way she felt for these two men.
    “Cole, I don’t blame you for loving Marley. How can I? I love her, too. But I don’t feel like you’ve look around enough to know you were meant for her. It took me a year to find my mate. You haven’t even really tried, have you? Not even when you were gone for all those months.”
    She watched Cole begin to pace back and forth. “No, and truthfully I don’t feel the need to. Marley’s my mate. She marked me !
    I belong to her.”
    Oh, shit! Marley was lost at what to say. Dammit! She had to think of something before a fight broke out. Zachary could only take so much before he snapped.
    “Are you so sure she marked you? If I recall correctly you told me you loved her before Demetri was even born. She hadn’t marked you then. You had no reason not to look for a mate when you were gone all that time,” Zachary growled.
    “All right, enough. Nothing is going to get accomplished