“Oh, yeah, we’re moving in.”
Channing placed a fist full of popcorn into his mouth and held the bag out to Connor who followed suit. Still, she couldn’t move. Had these men lost their damn minds? They couldn’t just move into her home!
“Oh, I’m sorry. Would you like some?”
Channing held the bag out to her, and she finally managed to close her mouth, but she still couldn’t talk. All Melissa could do was shake her head no. “How ‘bout breakfast? Are you hungry?”
Looking over at Connor, she let her jacket fall to the floor. “No, thank you. Um, I’m sorry. What in the hell gave you both the idea to come into my home and decide you’re both going to just move in? No, let me rephrase that. Break into my home. I know I locked that door.”
“You’re our mate. Of course we’re going to live with you.” Connor reached over and grabbed another handful of popcorn, smiled at her brightly, and popped the white fluff into his mouth.
“Plus, I have to admit. I like this place. You have a great view. I think I’m going to like living here.”
“Channing, you both are not living here.”
They just smiled at her. Smiled! Melissa smiled back and reached for her phone. “Excuse me, gentlemen.” Dialing Stephen’s number, she waited until he answered it.
“Hello?” The sleep edging his voice instantly made guilt wash through her.
“I’m sorry to wake you, but when you get up, I have two men who say they’re moving in, and I want them to leave my house. I don’t care if you have to arrest them. I want them out.”
Stephen yawned into the phone. “No can do, Red. Ayden’s orders. They have to stay.”
“Bullshit, I’ll call the chief.”
“Who also has the same orders. It’s pointless, Mel. You need to just accept and get to know them.”
“I will not! Is Ev awake?”
“No, and I’m not waking her. She got up at five with morning sickness again. We thought it was finally gone, but I guess not. Anyways, I’m going back to bed. Have fun with those two.” Stephen laughed and hung up. Melissa stared at the phone, shocked.
“So, you never answered Connor. Do you want breakfast?”
Melissa threw her phone at Channing and charged. She wasn’t sure why, he just asked a question, and it wasn’t even laced with attitude, but she felt trapped. Connor grabbed her around the waist before she could reach him.
“Whoa there, honey. What’s wrong? We’re not here to make you angry.”
Sobs broke though Melissa’s throat as she saw her world closing in on her. She was used to making the rules. Without the ability to do so, she felt panicked.
“Shh, baby, listen.” He pulled her into his lap and sat on the couch, cradling her body. “This is going to be hard, but please just give it a try. I know you don’t know either one of us, but we’re not terrible people, trust me. I didn’t like Channing that much at first, either, but he’s not so bad.”
Melissa laughed past her sob and buried her face deeper into his chest. Something about him holding her made her feel safer, at peace, like with the ocean. Heat fluttered in her chest, and she let the feeling overpower her. Maybe Connor wasn’t so bad. She hadn’t thought so when they were standing at the ocean.
“Thanks a lot,” Channing muttered from the sofa. Melissa wasn’t sure why, but she wiggled from his arms and crawled to the other man. Guilt. Damn, she hated knowing she’d reacted that way.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have thrown the phone. You were trying to be nice and I–It was uncalled for, and I apologize. But you have to know that what you’re both doing isn’t right. It’s unfair to me, and it’s wrong.”
“It would be unfair to you if we let you go through pain. That’s why Ayden wants us here. Until you’re marked, the bond is going to grow stronger and more painful. The need to be with us at all times will overpower you. If you distance yourself too far, it could be agonizing. Please understand we’re not here to make your life harder. We want to make it easier. We want you to choose us.”
Shaking her head back and forth, Melissa couldn’t understand. Hadn’t she been trying to figure this whole ménage thing out since Evelyn got together with Stephen and Brandon? “Please tell me how you’re both okay with this? It doesn’t make sense to me. You both want to be with me but are willing to overlook the fact that you’ll never be able to have me for yourself. You’ll have to share me with each other. How are you okay with that?”
Connor pulled her back in his lap, nuzzling his face in her neck. She tried to ignore how unbelievably natural the gesture felt. This man was a complete stranger, yet she could swear some part of her knew him. They kept talking about bonds and ties. She wasn’t sure what exactly they were, but the link was obviously there. It tugged at her heart, sending tingling all throughout her body.
“Some things are more important than greed. I’d rather have half of you than nothing at all. Melissa, it might sound impossible to understand, but the bond is designed to make the people involved fall indefinitely in love with each other. This love will never die, never waver. It’ll last until one of us is no longer here.”
Melissa sighed, staring deeply into his eyes. “That sounds so romantic. And too good to be true.” She wiggled from his arms and stood. “Listen, there’s somewhere I need to go. Are you both going to be following me, or can I go on my own?”
“You’re free to do as you wish.”
She looked at Channing and nodded her head. Melissa didn’t even change. Grabbing her truck keys, she ran outside and jumped in the cab, slamming the truck into drive. She needed to see Devon and apologize. She wasn’t sure what this feeling was, but she knew it was connected to what they were. Fuck. She’d been such a bitch to him.
Devon’s new house was located not two miles from her. Before the song playing could finish, she pulled into the long paved drive. Jumping out, Melissa ran as fast as she could. Her long, loose curls fanned around her as she slid to a stop. Gavin opened the door holding a bowl of cereal and looking around alarmed.
“Mel, what’s wrong?”
No words would come to describe the endless list. Instead, she lifted her hair and she showed him the puncture wounds on her neck.
“Oh shit. Were you attacked?”
He led her through the entryway into a large living room. Sarah and Devon walked out of a hallway laughing and stopped when they saw her. Melissa burst into tears, running to her friend. “I’m so sorry, Sarah. I was so mean to your mates. But I didn’t know. God, please.”
Sobs wracked her chest as she could feel her legs growing weak. Sarah held her tightly while leading her to the couch. “Mel, you said mates.”
Melissa pulled back her hair. “I’m to be mated with Connor and Channing. I didn’t know. I don’t think I want this.” The tears were coming so steadily, she couldn’t breathe.
“Channing! Oh that’s excellent news, honey. I know not very many people trust him, but he saved my life from Tom. I couldn’t adore him more. But who’s Connor?” Sarah’s words trailed off as if trying to remember.
Devon sat down on the opposite couch, and she looked back and forth between him and Sarah. “Devon, do you know Connor? Stephen says he has a bad reputation or something. Is that true?”
Devon’s mouth opened, closed, and then he turned and threw a quick glance to Sarah. “I know Connor. He’s…Truthfully, Mel, we don’t know much about him. He’s very quiet but very deadly. The story is that when he was growing up, something horrible happened to his family. He was meant to be Alpha, but he ran. He didn’t want it. Eventually they found him, and well, they couldn’t make him do anything. He took multiple beatings for years until finally they released him.
“But I do know one thing for a fact, and that’s how protective he is over women in general. He’s very passionate about the way the men in the pack treat them, even if they’re not mated. He’ll take good care of you. I have no doubt. But Channing? How in the world did you meet him, more less bond w
ith him, too?”
Just the thought of what happened between them sent heat searing her body. God, she wanted to feel him again. She wanted to look into those light blue eyes and feel that strange pull as he thrust his cock into her.
Melissa shifted on the couch and took a deep breath. “Well, Julie lost her first case yesterday, and she wanted to have drinks, so I went with her. We were there a few hours, and as we were leaving, I ran into him. Literally. The moment I looked into his eyes, there was something. I felt a little scared at first because they reminded me of Tom, but after he kept trying to be nice, I could feel myself getting sucked in his direction. It was like I was meant to lean into him.
“Needless to say, he showed up at the Martini Bar last night and even though I was bet to take him home, I’d already basically decided on it myself. Well, one thing led to another, he bit me, and I got scared and ran. Connor showed up on the beach, and that’s where the shit hit the fan, and we all discovered the bond that links us all together.”
Everyone remained quiet as they took in her words. She stared around the large living area, noticing plastic things covering the walls’ sockets. They were baby proofing already. Amazing. Adorable. Damn, she wanted to cry again.
“I think karma just bitch-slapped me.” Melissa burst into tears, again and laid her head on Sarah’s lap. She didn’t want to ever move from this spot. Control. Damn, she needed some about right now.
* * * *
Channing paced Melissa’s living room, ready to yank his hair out. He wasn’t used to this. The pull he felt for her almost made it impossible for him to stay within the walls of her house. He wanted to go to her, make sure she was okay. Her emotions poured though him, and he knew she was distressed. Even Connor seemed to pick up on her heartache.
“What do you think is happening?”
Connor looked up from the couch and shrugged. “I don’t know. The bond is still too weak for me to know exactly what she feels. All I know is I feel like my heart is breaking. If I didn’t know about the effects of what we all have, I’d take it for my own emotions, but I know it’s not me.”
“Yeah, I feel the same thing. We have to make this easier on her. She’s new to all of this. There has to be a way we can cheer her up.”
“I’m lost. I’m not used to being around other people unless I’m eliminating them.”
“I’m not used to it, either.” Channing sighed. He sat down on the couch and rested his head in his hands. Everyone feared him. His position to his servants caused him to make them fear him. For so long now, that’s all he knew. Now he’d have to find a way to soften up and woo a woman. He still couldn’t believe it.
“Where do you think she went?”
Looking up, Channing searched through his thoughts. “I’m not sure. She has a lot of friends.”
“I wish we could go and comfort her. I hate knowing she feels this way. Yes, I understand she’s having a hard time coming to terms with the way things are, but we can’t just sit and do nothing. We have to convince her.”
“Give her time. If we smother her, it’ll make things worse. Trust me. Did you not see the way she reacted earlier? She’s used to having things her way. We can’t take that away from her. She needs to feel in control of her life. We just somehow have to fit ourselves into it.”
Connor nodded and stood. “I’m starving. Popcorn is not breakfast. How territorial do you think Melissa is over her kitchen? I’m not about to cook if she’s going to get upset.”
Channing looked up and laughed. “I have no idea.”
Connor laughed back and grabbed his phone. “Take-out, it is. I’m not chancing pissing her off. Hey, you know what? I have an even better idea for after breakfast. Get ready Channing. With this plan, I think we can make Melissa melt.”
The vampire looked into Connor’s face and smiled. He had a few ideas of his own to try to get the feisty redhead to submit to her fate. With the combination of both, they might be able to master Melissa’s fears after all.
Chapter 8
Melissa walked into her house physically and mentally exhausted. Not even looking toward the men on the couch, she walked into her room and shut the door. Curling into a ball under the covers, she closed her eyes with every intention of finally going to sleep. Channing appeared out of nowhere, right next to her. She screamed and tumbled backwards off the bed.
“Holy shit! You did not just do that.”
His eyes were round as he looked at her. “I’m sorry. God, I must be stupid. I didn’t think. I’m so used to just appearing wherever I want to go. Forgive me, Melissa.”
Cautiously, she eased back to the bed just as Connor opened her door. “Smooth, Casanova. If you would have waited, we could have come in here together.”
Eyeing the men, she looked back and forth. “Did you both need something? I’m really tired and haven’t got any rest yet.”
“Then we’ll put you to sleep.” Connor crawled in on the other side of her, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her back against him. As much as she wanted to kick both of them out, she couldn’t ignore how relaxed and calm she suddenly felt. She was too tired to fight.
“Just close your eyes, Melissa. We’ll take care of you.”
Assurance settled over her at Channing’s words. Warmth came from both sides of her body as they pressed against her. A whole new heat rushed to her core as she felt herself become aroused at their closeness. Sleep drifted from her mind while the thought of them touching her drove her to stay awake. Keeping her eyes closed, she tried to breathe her way through the spell, but all she could take in was the mixture of their manly smells.
Connor’s chest rose and fell deeply against her back. Breath tickled her neck, and she tried not to shiver against the sensitive sensations erupting over her body.
“Melissa.” The word was husky as air brushed over her exposed flesh. This time, she did shiver.
“Yes, Connor?”
His hand spanned across her stomach, lingering briefly until he gripped the gown tightly. “Your scent. It’s unbelievable.”
Channing’s hands caressed her cheek, and she opened her eyes to stare into his depths. Light blue sucked her in, promising things she only could dream of. Melissa recognized it wasn’t him telling her mind what to hear, it was herself. Deep down, she knew they all could have the kind of happiness her friends had found, but she wasn’t ready to admit that’s what she wanted. There were too many ifs. And she didn’t like anything associated with doubt.
Hardness pushed against her lower back, and she couldn’t help but moan and lean more into Connor’s cock. Everything about what was happening felt so right. Channing’s hand trailed down her neck, and she fought to control the heavenly vibrations racing over her.
“Just say yes. I promise you won’t regret it.”
She turned on her back and looked toward Connor, staring deeply into his eyes. For the second time in her life, time slowed. Captivated and immobile, it wasn’t until Channing’s finger lingered at the hem of her nightgown that she heard her answer.
“Yes. God, yes.”
Connor’s mouth eased to hers hesitantly. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him deeper into her body. Sweetness exploded over her tongue as she was swept away completely by his taste. Coolness settled over her body as her nightgown was pulled down her body. The sounds of tearing erupted all around her as Connor didn’t even break his mouth away to remove his clothing.
Warmth encased one of her aching nipples and lights exploded behind her eyes. Crying out into Connor’s mouth she clutched to him tighter. His body shifted, and the feel of his large hand eased down her ribs and over her hip. Fire engulfed her. The need to feel him touch her overpowered every other thought she could think of.
* * * *
The taste of Melissa’s mouth went beyond anything he’d ever tasted before. Connor broke his lips from hers, breathing raggedly as he looked down into her dark green eyes. “I never thought it could be like this.” Th
e more he took in her face, the more he felt the pull. “God, you’re so beautiful.”
Placing kisses down her neck, he took her other breast into his mouth. His face was so close to Channing’s, but he didn’t care. The need to take in more drove him to try to sample every inch of skin covering her body.
Gently biting the hard nub between his teeth, her fingers weaved into his hair. He sucked her more into his mouth, moving his hand to settle on her inner thighs. Wetness greeting him, and he couldn’t wait any longer. A growl came from his throat as he lifted and moved to lie between her thighs. In awe, he stared at what lay before him. She glistened, so ready, so willing.
Lowering his mouth, he traced his tongue over her swollen folds. Her flavor hit him hard, leaving his chest aching with wanting to never be parted from her again. He’d been hollow for so long that he never thought he’d get to experience what so many people had died for, his father included.
Easing his tongue into the tightness of her pussy, he felt his eyes roll back in pure ecstasy. She was made for him to savor. If it were up to him, he’d bask in her essence, just as he was, for the rest of his life, without ever moving.
The rotation of her hips brought his eyes up. Channing was now at her mouth, drinking in her moans. At the sight of her hips arched beautifully to receive him, her nipples hard with her pleasure, he circled her opening with his fingertip. More, she arched for him. These little things he loved more than anything he could remember.
Sucking the area around her clit, he eased his finger inside of her. Wetness encircled him. Slowly he thrust, rubbing her insides as he explored her depths. God, she moaned beautifully. There had to be a way for her to accept she was meant for them. Sure, things were going to be hard at first, but wouldn’t their loving her be enough to overcome the tough times? As she reached for him, he prayed it would be.
Salaiz, Jennifer - Melissa's Mates [Blissful Bets 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 6
