by Zoey Marcel
“Hey, Melanie, it’s me.”
Melanie’s eyes closed and she said a silent prayer of thanks. Coincidence or providence it didn’t matter. She was beyond grateful for her sister’s safety.
“Oh, thank God. Kendall, where are you?”
“I’m at a hotel. Sorry if I woke you. The asshole broke my cell phone when he was done with it, but I wanted to call you and let you know I’m okay. I’m calling from the hotel.”
“Are you hurt?”
“No. I’m fine.”
“Did they catch the bastard?”
“No. He got away. He had gloves on so no fingerprints, unfortunately.”
Mellie’s heart sank, but the closeness of Emmett and Diego walking next to her brought her a welcome sense of security.
“Did he take anything or try to…you know?”
“No. That’s the really odd part. He didn’t take any money or personal stuff or try to rape me,” Kendall said, sounding a bit shaken. “He just wanted to see my cell phone.”
Melanie’s brain broke. “What? He just wanted to make a phone call? That’s a really elaborate way of asking to use someone’s phone.”
Kendall snickered a little on the other end before becoming serious again. “No, Melanie. He didn’t make any phone calls. He just wanted to scroll through my phone. I don’t know who or what he was looking for, but he looked like he was memorizing one of the numbers I had stored in there. Then he smashed my phone and took off through the sliding glass door that he broke.”
What the hell?
“Are you serious?”
“I am. The man was a basket case. I don’t know what made him think he knows anyone I know, but he took somebody’s number and probably has it memorized. The scary thing is I don’t know whose number it was.”
“Was it someone you know?”
“Melanie, I just told you I don’t know which number he took.”
“No, I mean the man who broke into your home. Did you recognize him?”
Kendall was quiet for a moment. “Not really. I mean it all happened so fast. When he was going through my phone I thought that maybe he looked a little familiar, but I’m not sure. I was so scared. My poor brain was probably just desperate for answers.”
“Who did he look like?”
“I don’t know. He was in my house less than five minutes. Honestly, I think it was more like two minutes tops, if that.”
Mellie sighed, getting into the cab that her two escorts had hailed for them. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay. Which hotel are you staying at?”
“It’s an acceptable one. Why?”
“I want to come see you.”
“Oh my god, are you actually here in California? You just dropped everything and flew in from Boston?”
“Actually, I took the job I told you about in South Dakota, and yes, I flew here. I had to make sure you were okay.”
Kendall sounded touched. “Aw, that’s so sweet. Hang on and I’ll give you the address.”
* * * *
Melanie held her sister tight, pretty much draining all the air from her lungs.
“Too much love,” Kendall choked out.
“Sorry.” Mellie let go of her with an apologetic smile. “I’m just glad you’re alive.”
“Me, too. Oo!” Kendall turned a little giddy when she caught sight of Emmett and Diego standing there in her hotel room. “Who are these gentlemen?”
Emmett smirked, but to Melanie’s surprise he refrained from any innuendos this time. He extended his hand to her sister. “Emmett O’Neil. I’m Melanie’s boss, one of them. This is Diego, my ranch hand.”
“Oh.” Kendall got a pinkish hue on her face and a girlish smile as she shook each of their hands. “How do you do? Are you guys hiring right now?”
Diego grinned.
Emmett laughed. “I like your sister already, Melanie.”
She smiled.
Not too much, I hope. Good heavens, where did that come from? Emmett can like whoever he wants…just not my sister.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Diego said politely.
“We’ll leave the two of you to catch up. Melanie, will you be staying in here with her or would you rather sleep with us?” Emmett asked, tone dropping an octave or so during the last half of his sentence.
Mellie felt warm, surprised by how strong the temptation to go with them was. “I’ll stay in here. Thanks. Will you be close?”
“Very close. We’re the room across from yours.” Emmett headed out with Diego. “Stay safe.”
“Buenos noches.” Diego nodded with a smile and then followed Emmett out.
Kendall turned to face Mellie, fanning herself with her hand. “Oh my god, those are the second hottest men I’ve ever seen.”
The comment annoyed Melanie. “I think they’re some of the hottest. How unreasonable are your expectations that you think someone else is hotter?”
Kendall grinned and sat down on the edge of the bed with her. “I didn’t mean any offense. I just had a thing for a guy once, so he’ll always be first place on my sexy list.”
“You mean Charlie Huntington?” Mellie asked, remembering that the man had given her his number to give to Kendall. He apparently lived in McKenna Downs, South Dakota now and worked as the bartender sometimes at Bull’s Ass Saloon.
Kendall’s expression became a heart-tugging mixture of regret, caring, and dormant needs. “Yeah, him. You know me so well.”
Before Mellie could say anything more on the subject, Kendall switched directions with the conversation.
“It really means a lot that you flew all this way just to be with me and make sure that I was all right.”
Melanie smiled and gave her sister’s hand a squeeze. “Of course. It always made me nervous that you lived alone after Amelia died.”
“I’m fine, really. Well, except for tonight, but that’s never happened before.”
“You should really move, Kendall.”
“Yeah, I might. I at least need to get the sliding glass door fixed before going back.”
Mellie shook her head. “I mean it. You have to get away from there. What if that madman comes back?”
Kendall shrugged. “I doubt it now that he got whatever number he was looking for.” She shook her head. “I just don’t get it. Why would he break into my house and not take anything or hurt me? All he wanted was a phone number. How did he even know what to look for?”
“I don’t know,” Mellie said quietly. “That’s why I asked if it was someone you knew.”
Kendall stood and paced around the room aimlessly. “I don’t think so. He looked a tiny bit familiar, but I couldn’t place his face. There was just something about him that reminded me of someone. I can’t think who. It’s driving me crazy.”
“I’m sure the police will catch him. What did he look like?”
“It all happened so fast. It was hard to tell. Medium build white male in his thirties or early forties.”
Mellie rolled her eyes. “Ah yes, the typical description. Let me guess, he was wearing a gray hoodie and jeans, right?”
Kendall stopped pacing and thought back. “No. He was dressed in all black and wearing a black cowboy hat.”
“That’s odd burglar wear.”
“Yeah, he had this gruff kind of voice and brown hair and a mustache and soul patch. I didn’t really get a good look at his eye color.”
The memory of the description the Reverend Mother had given Mellie earlier that night of her supposed stalker ran back through her mind. It matched the description of the intruder Kendall just described perfectly.
But it couldn’t really be the same person. The man who had broken into the abbey in Boston and terrified the nuns while demanding to know Mellie’s whereabouts couldn’t possibly be the same person who broke into Kendall’s home in California. True, he could have flown here, but if he supposedly knew Mellie well enough to know her sister’s address, then he wouldn’t have needed to break into a convent to ask where Mel
anie was.
Different person or not, how the heck had the man known that she used to live at the abbey? Only a handful of people knew that she’d moved to Boston five years ago and became a nun temporarily to escape from the demons of her past.
“They’ll find him,” Mellie reassured her sister. “Do you have a place to stay until your sliding glass door is fixed?”
“Yeah, I have friends I can stay with. I just didn’t want to wake them up at this time of night. I’ll check with them tomorrow. I’m sure it will be fine.”
“I’ll have to fly back soon, but we should spend a day together,” Mellie decided.
Kendall smiled. “Yes, we should. So, tell me all about your sexy bosses. What do they have you doing?”
Mellie blushed hard and had to look away.
“What is that?” Kendall was beaming as she plopped onto the bed with her. “Details.”
Melanie gave her a bashful smile. “I’m their housekeeper and cook.”
“Uh-huh. What else?”
“Two of my bosses are interested in me. Hunter and Jake.”
“Oh my god, two at once? Which one do you like better?”
“I love them both the same.”
Kendall gaped at her. “Love? Aw! You’re in love.”
“Like,” Mellie said quickly, but it was too late. Kendall was squealing and hugging her tight.
“I’m so happy for you. Which one are you leaning more toward?”
She swallowed, not sure how Kendall would take it. “They both want me.”
“Uh-huh.”
Kendall wasn’t getting it. Understandable.
“Hunter and Jake both…they want to share me.” Mellie waited for what she was certain would be judgment and ridicule.
“A threesome? Are you going to do it? They must not love you that much if they’re willing to share you with each other for a night.”
“They do love me, Kendall. It’s not for a night. They both want to marry me and are willing to share with their brother.”
Kendall’s eyes bugged out and she stood swiftly. “You mean two husbands? Holy cow, Melanie. That sounds like a pain in the ass.”
Mellie smiled a little, cheeks warming when she remembered the discomfort and dark pleasure of her men tunneling up her ass. “They’re not that bad.”
“Are you actually considering it?”
“Yeah, I am. Things are complicated right now, but I’m willing to try as long as they are.”
“But it’s not normal.”
Mellie shrugged. “Who said relationships have to be normal? They just have to be healthy and happy.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy for you if that’s what you want. Just make sure it really is what you want and not just lust hormones.”
She frowned. “Kendall, I’m not a teenager. I’m old enough to know my own mind.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I just don’t want you to get hurt like I did. I thought Charlie was the only freak that was willing to share a woman with his brothers.”
Mellie thought about the phone number in her purse, but she didn’t reach for it. “I know you never went for that back then, but did you ever think about calling Charlie to catch up and maybe see if he’s changed his mind since then? He might be for a more traditional one man and one woman marriage now. You never know.”
Kendall was quiet and reflective for a minute. “I don’t know. We had kind of a torrid relationship.”
“If my memory serves me correctly, you mean both definitions of torrid, don’t you?” Mellie teased.
Kendall bit her lower lip with a coy smile. “Yeah. Charlie was always really good at that stuff. It takes more than great sex to make a relationship.”
“Anyone could see that you two really loved each other.”
“We did.” Her little sister got a far-off look in her eyes. “We should get some sleep. I want to be awake for our day together tomorrow. I’m sure Boston was a treat for you, but I can’t imagine anything exciting about South Dakota.”
Mellie’s heart skipped a beat. “Actually South Dakota is really nice. There’s lots of tourist stuff there, too, and history. McKenna Downs is a small town, but it grows on you.”
McKenna Downs was a great little town, but it was the men of McKenna Downs that made her think sometimes that she just might stay there.
* * * *
He couldn’t believe how swell his plan was working out. Not only did he have Melanie Laurie’s cell phone number, but he’d also gotten the curvy tart in the same state as him. He knew the hotel she was staying at.
Now how to get her away from the two strong men who’d accompanied her here? He didn’t like them at all. Did they touch his beloved whore? They’d better not have if they knew what was good for them.
He wasn’t sure if he should try to nab her while she was still here in California or if he should follow her back to whatever state she’d come from.
Either way it didn’t matter. He would have his appetizing slut in his arms and she would revel in it if she knew what was good for her. Why shouldn’t she delight in his expertise? He’d gained so much skill and couldn’t get her off his mind.
He’d killed for her. Would that make her happy to know that he’d ended the lives of every female he’d touched so that she would be the only living woman to know the magic of his touch?
Would it turn her on to know that he loved her enough to kill for her?
He’d bet it would. If anyone had ever worshiped him enough to kill for him, he’d fuck the consciousness out of them.
Chapter Three
Emmett O’Neil answered his cell phone when he saw that his youngest brother Jake was calling him.
“Hello?”
“Have you fallen for her yet?” Jake asked excitedly.
Emmett snorted. “Jake, you moron, I barely know Melanie, and I already told you I’m not capable of loving anyone…not anymore.”
He had to add that last part before his insensitive sibling brought up the past again.
“But it’s only because you don’t know Mellie as well as Hunter and I do yet. Once you do, you’ll fall hard for her just like we did.”
“Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better. I already told you I would go along with your plural marriage tradition. That doesn’t mean I have to love her.”
“You like her, though, right?” Jake sounded concerned.
“Of course I like her. She’s sweet and good at what she does.”
It was a little more than that, but Emmett didn’t want to get all mushy in front of his brother.
Hunter scoffed from the other end, apparently listening in on their conversation. “It’s more than that. I think you’re afraid to open up to anyone, even if you feel Mellie tugging on your soul.”
“Hunter, spare me.”
“Have you introduced her to BDSM yet?” Jake asked. “Do it. Let’s get it rolling.”
Emmett rolled his eyes. “Very well, if you’d like me to just explain to her about our little plans—”
“No!” Jake and Hunter exclaimed in unison.
Emmett smiled, enjoying this. “Then if you aren’t willing to open up yet about our plans for her, don’t harass me about introducing her to any kink until I feel she’s ready for it.”
Jake whined. “Okay, but hurry it up.”
Hunter snorted. “Jake, let’s ease up on him. Emmett will get to it when he’s good and ready…and then he’ll owe me a hundred bucks when this is over.”
Ah yes, their wager. Hunter had bet that Emmett would fall hard for Melanie, but Emmett was certain that he wouldn’t for as much as he liked the doll.
He smirked. “I’ll take your bet, Hunter. Unlike the two of you, I’m perfectly capable of bedding a woman without any feelings getting involved.”
“Well, so was I until Mellie. I mean, I was a good boy,” Jake said, sounding like he was grinning.
Emmett smiled. “Is Hunter giving you one of his ‘repent, heathen’ looks?”
Jake chuckled. “Yep.”
“This isn’t desperation or hormones on our part and you know it,” Hunter told him. “It’s the real deal.”
“I don’t doubt it.” A knock at the door told Emmett it was time to wrap up this pointless conversation with his two lovestruck brothers. “Diego is back with breakfast. Try to at least pretend you have thinking capabilities beyond your smitten hearts. Greyson doesn’t need another reason to be annoyed.”
Jake sounded amused. “Don’t worry about us. You just worry about protecting your heart from sweet Mellie. She’ll get you good, Emmett.”
“Good-bye, you fool.”
Emmett hung up and shook his head. The sappy stooge.
He opened the door of his hotel room, surprised and delighted to see Melanie standing there alone.
“Can I come in?” she asked meekly.
Something about her dulcet, soft-spoken voice calmed him and made him want to hurt anyone who wasn’t nice to her. He held the door open wider for her so she could enter.
“Of course. What’s on your mind?”
She faced him once the door was closed again. “I just wanted to thank you for coming with me and paying for my plane ticket here. I can’t thank you enough for that. I was so worried about my sister.”
He gave her a brief nod. “It was my pleasure.”
Speaking of pleasure, he’d never seen a woman look so good in shorts and a tank top before. Seriously, her enormous breasts were a brazen showcase from her low-cut white tank top, and the denim shorts hugged the curves of her plump ass and her meaty thighs. Her exposed legs were thick and tan, and her painted toenails made her look feminine and well-groomed.
Her soft brown hair made a silken halo for the angelic softness of her baby face. The blue in her eyes was faint and pure, a kind of baby blue, he supposed, with just a hint of gray that spoke of the internal storm that haunted this stunning, benevolent creature.
The alluring fragrance of her floral perfume titillated him, but the essence of jasmine wasn’t satisfied with merely flirting with his nose. The cool scent of nocturnal flowers touched his balls, awakening every primitive desire from within him.
