by Becca Van
Melanie laughed and turned around to face Jules. The laugher died in her throat when she saw how hungry his brother was.
Kris rolled from the bed, gathered his clothes, and headed to the shower. He was so happy to be mated to Mel, and he needed to give her and Jules some alone time so they could mate, too. Once the bond was in place, the mating heat was going to get worse, and all the four of them were going to want to do was fuck. But he had a feeling that he and his brothers weren’t going to get the opportunity to make love to their mate as much as they wanted. Especially when they had those fuckers who were hunting the brumbies to catch.
Plus, Mel was busy all day cooking and preparing meals. Maybe now that Jenny was feeling much better and her morning sickness was easing up, they might be able to get her to play hooky every now and then. With their Alpha’s permission of course.
* * * *
Jules knew the moment Kris left the room and leaned in to kiss Melanie. He’d had a few close moments when he watched first Johnny and then Kris mate and claim her, but he’d managed to keep his wolf at bay. Just. A couple of times fur had raced out over his skin, and his canines and his claws had elongated, but the man had won the battle. It had helped knowing that after his older brothers had claimed her that it would be his turn.
His thoughts fled as Melanie kissed him back voraciously and didn’t protest when she pushed him to his back and climbed on top of him. Their tongues danced and duelled, rubbing and twirling around and with each other’s. Her breasts pressed into his chest, and as the kiss continued, her nipples hardened and stabbed into his skin.
When she brought her knees up beside his hips and wiggled hers, he groaned into her mouth. Her pussy cuddled his hard, aching dick, and he savoured the humid heat of her cunt pressed against his throbbing rod. But when she started to slide her wet flesh over his and his cock jerked as a bead of pre-cum bubbled to the tip, he was worried it was going to be over before they'd even started.
Jules broke the kiss, clasped her hips, and lifted her up. He met her passion-laden gaze and saw that she was just as hungry as he was.
“Are you ready for me, babe?”
“Yes,” she moaned, and the moan turned to a groan as he lowered her down onto his hard dick.
“Fuck, you’re so wet, hot, and tight,” he said in a growly voice as his wolf came to the surface.
“And you feel so…gooood.” She drew out the last word in a keening sound as he filled her with his erection. He gritted his teeth hard as her hot, wet flesh enveloped his rod, and when the tip of his cock bumped her cervix, he held still.
“Oh. Oh,” she gasped.
“Am I hurting you, babe? Is it too much?” Jules wanted to hold her up from him so he could pummel her fast and hard, but she’d already made love to both his brothers, and he was worried she was sore and tender.
“No, it’s perfect. You’re perfect. Give me more, Jules. Please?”
“I’ll give you anything you want, Mel.” Jules lifted her with ease, held her a few inches above his body, and started to pull back. “All you ever have to do is ask and whatever you want is yours.”
“You,” she panted. “All I need is you, Kris, and Johnny.”
“You have us, babe.” Jules surged up into her slowly, relishing the sensation of her walls separating and snugging around his dick. Each time he drew back and drove forward again, he sped up the pace of his pumping hips.
Melanie dug her fingers into his chest and started moving with him. When she found his rhythm, they moved in unison like a well-oiled machine. As he surged up, she thrust down. When he retreated, she rocked her hips forward and back.
His body was so hard he felt the tendons in his neck straining the surface of his skin. His heart beat a rapid tattoo against his sternum, and he felt the flutter of his pulse at each pulse point in his body.
When she began to falter with weariness, he held her still and took over. He stroked into and out of her hard, fast, and deep, his cock shuttling quickly, and the friction built just as fast. Her internal walls flowed and moved over and around his erection, caressing his dick, soaking him in her cream. The scent of her honey assailed his nostrils and mixed with the musky scent of his cock. His wolf howled with happiness as their aromas mixed and blended, but when he felt the fire licking at the base of his spine, he knew he didn’t have much time left.
He released one of her hips, pleased when she stayed up on her knees as he fucked his cock up into her cunt, and then he slipped a hand between her legs. From her constant gasping and the increasing volume of her moaning, Mel was close to climaxing, too.
Jules wanted them to go together so he tapped his finger over her clit and then started rubbing the small bud.
Her muscles clenched around him, once, twice, three times, and then her nails dug deep into his skin as she threw her head back and screamed.
Melanie’s cunt clamped down hard around his dick before releasing and clenching him again.
The heat roared up into a flaming conflagration, grabbing hold of his balls before shooting up out of his cock. Jules surged up from the bed, wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and tipped her head to the side. Just as her climax began to wane, he struck, embedding his elongated canines into her shoulder right next to Johnny’s mark, and he claimed his mate.
He howled, but there was a loud roaring in his ears, which seemed to drown out any other sound. He cried out with joy and ecstasy at the sweet taste of her blood on his tongue and with rapture as he shot load after load of cum deep into his mate’s body.
Jules was only vaguely aware of the soft cries Melanie made as his wolf’s essence travelled from him and into her. A joy he never expected to feel raced through his veins and into his heart until he was that full of emotions he was sure the organ would explode from his chest.
The connection between them formed and snapped into place. Tears burned and filled his eyes as peace, completeness, and love flowed through his body. Melanie flopped against him with a sigh, and he cuddled her close as he drew his teeth from her flesh and licked her wound clean.
Jules lay back down on the bed, taking her with him and savoured the closeness and comfort of having his mate in his arms.
When Blue and Joe had mated, he and the other single wolves had asked their Alpha and Beta what having a mate was like. They’d answered, of course, but now that he had his own mate, nothing could describe the euphoria he’d experienced when claiming Melanie. And it would be hard as hell trying to explain the absolute, unequivocal love that was in his heart.
He was so damn happy he wanted to howl his joy to the moon, but that would have to wait for another day because there was no damn way he was leaving his woman alone.
She was his and his brothers’ responsibility now, and although he knew she would argue that she could look after herself, it was up to them to keep her safe, make sure she felt loved, and that she was happy.
Jules just hoped he and his brothers didn’t become overbearing and piss their mate off like their Alpha and Beta had done with Jenny.
Hopefully, he and his siblings had learned what not to do by watching their leaders when they stuffed things up. Luckily Jenny was a very forgiving woman.
Chapter Ten
Melanie shifted her legs with a cringe and a sigh as sore muscles protested the movement. When she went to roll over onto her side, she got only halfway before she bumped into a hard, warm, muscular body. Clarity came racing back as her mind kicked into gear and she remembered what had happened the previous evening.
She blinked the sleep from her eyes to find Johnny leaning up on his elbow, a smile on his face as he watched her intently.
“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” He lifted his hand and brushed the hair back off of her face. The action was such a contrast to the man. He was normally so hard and serious, yet now that she was connected to him, she could feel contentment and emotions so strong it felt almost like love, and the feeling was coming from him. She couldn't be sure that it was lov
e since they weren't her emotions, but it sure felt like it to her. However, she wasn't about to put words in his mouth since she wasn't him. She would hate for someone to speak for her about what she was feeling when she hadn't voiced it herself.
“I’m fine.” She tried not to wince when the tenderness between her legs made itself known as she pushed up in the bed to lean against pillows and the headboard, taking the covers with her to hide her nakedness.
“No.” Johnny frowned at her and then shifted until he, too, was sitting up and leaning against the headboard. She mumbled a protest when he tugged the covers away, but before she could grab them again, he took hold of her upper arms, lifted her with the ease of immense strength, and plonked her bare arse against his naked lap. She squirmed with shyness, but when she felt his hard cock against one of her cheeks, she held still. Her body reacted instantly to his nearness and his lust. Her areolae ruched, her nipples hardened, and her pussy clenched and moistened.
Johnny clasped hold of her chin, tilting her head until she met his blue eyes. “Don’t ever lie to me, Melanie. You have no need to hide you discomfit from me, sweetheart. I can feel how sore you are.”
“I’ll be…” She paused midsentence when the aroma of coffee and what smelled like burnt toast preceded Kris's and Jules’s entrance into the bedroom.
Jules entered first, and when she saw the black toast on the plate on the tray he carried, she nibbled on her lower lip. She didn’t want to offend them since it was obvious they had made an effort to make breakfast, but she had never liked eating charcoal, and that was what the shrivelled-up toast looked and smelled like.
“We made you breakfast,” Jules said a little hesitantly as he placed the tray on the bedside table within reach.
“Attempted to anyway,” Kris muttered and frowned at the tray. She wondered what he was hiding because his hands were behind his back.
Johnny growled and scowled at his brothers. “You can’t expect our mate to eat that shit.”
Mel bit on her lip a little harder to hold in her smile. She was worried she would burst out laughing if she didn’t, and she didn’t want to insult the two men since they’d gone to so much trouble on her behalf.
Johnny reached for one of the two coffees on the tray, sniffed it, and then handed it over to her. When she met his gaze, she saw humour in his eyes and wondered if he could feel hers. This bond thing was going to take a lot of getting used to. And now that she thought about it, she wondered if she would ever be able to hide anything from the three werewolves. Would she have no privacy now that they could feel what she did? Nerves fluttered in her belly as she wondered if they could read her mind. That thought was very unsettling.
Johnny handed her the mug of white coffee and winked at her. “It smells just the way you make it, sweetheart.”
Mel squeaked and jumped. She wasn’t used to hearing voices in her head and couldn’t help being startled. Johnny grabbed hold of her hand and steadied it so she didn’t slosh hot coffee onto her skin.
“Careful, sweetness.” He kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry I startled you. Now why don’t you tell me what’s got you feeling so…anxious?”
“Uh…” Mel blew on and then sipped her coffee as she tried to come up with how to ask her question without injuring their feelings. But she couldn’t think of how to word it and not sound alarmed. “Can you read my thoughts?”
“No, we can’t, babe. You don’t have to worry on that score, but we can feel your emotions.”
When she met Jules’s green-eyed gaze, she felt more than a little guilty when he looked disappointed and wondered if he’d felt her amusement when she spied the toast. She glanced over at Kris to see him grinning from ear to ear, and then he burst out laughing. She had no idea what was so funny but couldn’t help but smile, too. And then the deep resonance of Jules’s voice joined in with Kris’s laughter, making her chuckle.
“What’s so funny?” she asked and looked up to see Johnny’s wide smile.
“You should have seen your face.” Kris pointed at her and gasped before he burst into another bout of laughter.
“Did you really think we’d expect you to eat that?” Jules gasped out between chuckles.
“I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”
“Fuck that,” Johnny said right before he, too, started to laugh.
Her three mates’ faces lit with humour caused her breath to catch in her throat. They were all so big and sexy and handsome. She couldn’t believe that they were all hers.
When their humour waned, Kris drew his other hand out from behind his back. He had a large brown paper bag in his hand, which he passed over to her. “Jenny was feeling good enough to fix breakfast for everyone this morning. She made cinnamon rolls and sent a batch over for us.”
“Oh, that’s so nice of her.” Mel opened the bag, inhaled deeply, and sighed as the fresh aroma of warm rolls assailed her, making her stomach growl.
Johnny snatched the bag from her hand and dug into it.
“Hey, I want one of those.”
“And you shall have one,” he said and then held the bun to her lips.
Mel went to take it from him, but he tisked and pulled it away. “I will see to your needs, mate. It is my right and privilege.”
She met his gaze as he once more held the roll to her lips, and she self-consciously opened her mouth and took a bite. The flavour exploded on her tongue, and all self-consciousness fled as she chewed quickly and swallowed before taking another bite. While she finished her bun and drank her coffee, she watched and waited as her mates devoured the rest of the breakfast treat. As she sat on Johnny’s lap totally naked, she realised she wasn’t embarrassed about her nudity. It felt right and natural to be naked in front of her mates. It didn’t seem to matter that Kris and Jules were dressed or that Johnny was as naked as she was.
Kris and Jules had both taken a seat on the bed while they all devoured their breakfast, and once they were all done, Johnny lifted her and settled her on his lap so that she could see all of them without turning her head too much.
Warmth and emotion swept into her heart. No one had ever taken such good care of her, and his actions showed how much he valued her and her comfort. She blinked to dispel the tears forming at the back of her eyes and cleared her throat as the muscles constricted.
“How old are you, Melanie?” Jules tilted his head, and his gaze perused her face.
“Twenty-four.”
“Blue said you lived in Melbourne,” Kris stated. “Do you have family living there?”
“No,” she answered as a bare whisper of grief shot straight into her heart.
Johnny wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against his warm chest. She sighed, inhaling his wonderful, masculine, woodsy scent and rubbed her cheek on his skin.
“What happened, sweetheart? Where are your parents?” Johnny rubbed his chin on the top of her head.
“I never met my dad. He was in the army and was killed while serving our country. My mum died two years ago. She was walking to the train station…” She paused as she cleared her throat again. “An inattentive driver was talking or texting on his phone and ran a red light. She was hit at a pedestrian crossing and killed instantly.”
“I’m sorry,” Johnny murmured and hugged her even tighter. All of a sudden his muscles tensed, and when she looked up at him, she frowned when she noticed his eyes were slightly glazed and his head was tilted as if he was listening to someone.
“Shit!” Kris’s growled curse drew her gaze.
“Blue said that the arseholes after the brumbies have been spotted close to pack land,” Johnny said.
“What?”
“Oh, we haven’t told her.” Jules clasped her hand in his and then quickly explained about the men trying to capture the wild horses and sell them for profit, how the Australian Wildlife Conservancy had contacted Blue and asked for help.
“That’s terrible. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“No, swee
theart, but thanks for the offer.” Johnny lifted her from his lap and held her until she was steady on her feet. “Why don’t you have a long soak in the tub?” He began to pull his clothes on, and then they all headed toward the door. Johnny paused to look back at her. “Did you have anything planned for today?”
“Not really, but since you all are going to be busy, I might go into Broken Hill for a few personal items.”
“Okay.” Johnny pulled his mobile phone from his pocket. “What’s your mobile phone number, Mel?”
She rattled off the number and watched as he typed it in. When he met her gaze again, he was scowling at her.
“Where’s your phone, Melanie?”
“Uh, back at my cabin.”
He stalked toward her and cupped her face in his hands. “From now on, you will keep your phone fully charged and on you at all times. Do you understand?”
His pique roused her own commanding attitude.
“Why?” she asked and crossed her arms beneath her breasts. Her stance was lost on him when his eyes immediately lowered to her breasts. She cursed under her breath when her nipples hardened and juices leaked onto her inner thighs.
“We need to be able to contact you at all times. Our bond is new, and there’s no guarantee our mind link will work all the time. Having your phone on you is a backup just in case. We need to know you’re safe, sweetheart.”
“Okay.” She sighed with resignation.
“I’d prefer you waited until one of us could come with you.” He held up his hand when she opened her mouth to speak. “I know you’ve been taking care of yourself for a long time and that you are independent, but you are the most important person in our lives. We can’t change who we are or our personalities now. But if you promise to text me every hour, you can go.”
Mel wanted to tell him to go to hell, but when she tapped into the connection they had, she felt his fear for her being out on her own. She wanted to rail at him that she wasn’t a child, but when she dug deeper into his emotions, the fear wasn’t for her. It was his. He was scared of losing her, and that fear was very real, even if she felt it was unnecessary. She didn’t have any enemies, at least none that she was aware of. Everyone she’d met over the last couple of weeks had been really nice to her, and she felt as if she fit in.
