by Becca Van
What they needed to worry over was finding their woman. He hated that she wasn’t with her car and wondered what had happened. He was worried about her, and he hadn’t even met her yet. Was it a coincidence that two of her tires had gone flat at the same time, or was she in danger?
The thought of her being all alone and scared had the hackles on the back of his neck rising. A growl formed in his chest, and although he tried to contain it, it wasn’t possible, and the deep rumble escaped his mouth.
They had walked nearly two miles before Michael stopped and sat down on the side of the road. Sin scanned the dark using his wolf’s vision and spied a woman sitting in a ditch with her arms wrapped around her knees and tears streaming down her face. One of her hands was clutching at her ankle, and her mouth was pulled tight as if she was in pain.
His breath caught in his throat as he took at her beautiful, tear-streaked face. She had shoulder-length blonde hair, blue eyes, and one of the most stunning faces he’d ever seen. He and Taylor walked over to her and squatted down next to her.
“Are you all right, miss…” Sin paused, hoping she would give her name, but all she did was close her eyes and whimper.
He could almost feel pain rolling off of her in waves, but he also smelled her trepidation, which he could understand. She was out in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night with two strange men and a wolf surrounding her. Michael had slowly crept forward and around her and was now leaning into her back. Whether she would have baulked in a different situation he would never know, but for now they needed to get her back home so that a doctor could be called out.
“My name is Sinclair Avero, and this is Taylor Henderson. We live about ten minutes up the road. If you’d like we can take you back to our place and get you some medical attention.”
“One of my friends is a doctor,” Taylor said.
Sin nearly sighed with relief. He’d forgotten that Ashton Benet from Taylor’s pack was a general practitioner.
“I–I…please?”
“What happened?” Taylor asked as he and Sin squatted down in front of her.
“I swerved to avoid hitting a stupid cow and ran over a large branch. Two of my tires went flat. They must have punctures,” she began to explain and then winced in pain before continuing on. “Since I didn’t have two spares and there was no cell reception I decided to walk to find help.” She paused again and drew in a ragged, pain-filled breath. “I must have stepped on a large stone or a piece of bark or something, I don’t know which. My ankle twisted and I fell to the ground.”
“What’s your name, honey?” Sin asked.
“Marigold, but everyone calls me Mari.”
“Mari, I’m going to carry you back to my truck, honey. My brother is waiting back there.” Sin paused to look at Michael. His brother gave Marigold a longing look before he stood up and took off running. “We need to get you some help, for that ankle. We’ll get your car towed tomorrow.”
“Okay,” she sighed before looking up at him and Taylor. “Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come along.”
“Don’t worry, baby,” Taylor said as he took one of her hands into his. “We’ll take good care of you. I promise.”
Sin moved in closer when Taylor released her hand, stood up, and moved back. He bent down, pushed an arm beneath her knees and wrapped one around her shoulders, and lifted. His wolf immediately started pushing at him to claim her, and since she was in his arms and her delectable apple and cinnamon scent had wrapped around him like a living entity, it was damn hard to keep his animal at bay. He closed his eyes and breathed her in as he tried to control his beast and also hide the fact he was struggling for supremacy over his animal. The last thing he needed was for her to notice his eyes changing while he was fighting with his wolf.
When he was sure his eyes were back to normal, he opened them and headed back toward the trucks and her car. Taylor fell into step beside them, and his eyes scanned the darkness as if he felt someone was close by.
Sin inhaled deeply, but he didn’t smell anyone close other than a rabbit, a fox, some field mice and cattle. He was sure there was nothing to be worried about, except for the woman in his arms.
“Where were you headed, honey?” Sin asked as he walked slowly. He was sure Michael would have had enough time to get back to the trucks and into his clothes, but he kept his pace slow and steady just in case. He didn’t want Marigold frightened or shocked by catching his brother still in the nude in or in the process of dressing after changing back to his human skin.
“Uh...I’ve been invited to my friend’s wedding and to visit for a few weeks. I haven’t seen her for a while. She invited me to stay on family land, and since I’ve…taken an extended vacation, I decided why the hell not. I meant to start out earlier but a few things came up that I had to deal with and then my tires went flat.”
“Where is that, baby?” Taylor asked.
“Someplace called Sugar Creek.”
Sin stopped and looked down at Marigold with ecstatic surprise. He wanted to howl into the night with joy, but he swallowed his happiness down and just ended up smiling.
“Who are you visiting?” Sin asked.
“My friend Primrose Costa.”
“Well, it just so happens that we all live on Sugar Creek land and know Prim and her ma…fiancés.”
“You do? Oh, what a wonderful coincidence.”
“You have no idea.” Sin heard Taylor mutter and glanced over to see him smiling.
Sin felt like shouting to the rooftops. He, his brother, and Taylor had been so down, struggling to control their wolves. He’d been so angry with the world, and even though he knew the power struggle with his animal wasn’t over, they now had a future to look forward to. The fates had intervened just in time as far as he was concerned and sent their mate right into their arms.
Now all he, his brother, and Taylor needed to do was convince Marigold that they were the men for her. Sounded much easier in theory, but he had a feeling it was going to be the fight of their lives.
There was so much they needed to learn about their mate and for her to learn about them, let alone telling her she was mate to three werewolves.
Sin was so excited to have his mate in his arms. He ignored his hard, aching cock and pushed back against his wolf, and the damn animal tried to reign supreme again and claim Mari. His heart was racing, his was breathing faster, and his erection was straining and jerking against his zipper. And every time he inhaled, her scent just got sweeter, making saliva pool in his mouth as if he was already tasting her. The longer he held her, the harder his struggle got, and although he loved having Marigold’s slight weight in his arms and her soft warmth against his body, he was going to have to pass her over to Taylor or Michael. He could feel the points of his claws starting to push through the tips of his fingers, and fur was starting to sprout on his forearms.
“Taylor,” Sin rasped out and was glad he didn’t have to say any more. Taylor came close and took Mari from his arms. Sin spun around and headed into the dense trees off the side of the road. Once he was out of sight, he put on a burst of speed and then sank down onto a fallen tree trunk and breathed in deeply.
Now that he didn’t have his mate in his arms or her scent surrounding him, he got control of his wolf. Although her scent clung to his clothes and skin, it was less pungent than when she’d been in his arms.
How the hell are we going to woo our mate if I keep losing control?
Chapter Two
"Thank you so much for stopping when you saw my car," Mari said sincerely. "I have no idea what I would have done if you hadn't come by."
"You're welcome, honey," Sin said. She shivered as his deep voice felt like it stroked over her skin, causing goose bumps to pop up all over her flesh. Did he sound possessive when he called her honey? No, Mari, you're imagining things. Don't let the fact that Taylor and Sinclair are gorgeous and buff make you dream things up. God, they smell good, too. I just wa
nt to lick them all over. Mari, cut that shit out!
She pushed her wayward thoughts aside and pulled herself back to the present.
She would have been scared out of her mind when those two huge men and their wolf-like dog had appeared if she hadn’t been in so much pain. She couldn’t believe she’d ended up in this predicament without the aid of a cell phone to call for help.
She’d been in contact with Prim ever since she’d resigned her position as kindergarten teacher and moved away. She’d missed her friend, and when Prim had invited her to her wedding she’d replied with her acceptance straight away.
Mari wasn’t a teacher like Prim, but they had met by accident in a café when they bumped into each other and had hit it off instantly. They had sat down and chatted over coffee and even though neither of them were very outgoing or social butterflies the friendship they had formed was one that would last a lifetime.
Mari was a dental hygienist, and although she enjoyed her job she was currently unemployed. The dentist she’d been working for had decided to move back to his hometown in California, and even though she’d had plenty of warning to look around for more work, Mari felt that having a few weeks’ break would do her good.
However, her thoughts flew from her head when she inhaled again. The scent of pine and musk assailed her, and her mind felt like it started to fog. But that wasn’t the only thing that happened. Even though she was in a lot of pain, her body responded to their nearness. Her nipples puckered and hardened, and her pussy got wet. That had never happened to her before.
Sure, she’d had a boyfriend and sex, twice, but the only time she got wet was after a lot of kissing and petting, and even then she didn’t think she’d gotten this wet, ever. What the hell is happening to me? Why do I have to be attracted to two men?
She was glad that Sinclair was carrying her and walking at the same time because he wasn’t looking at her. Her face felt so hot she was sure she could fry an egg on it, and once her mind latched onto those lascivious thoughts it didn’t seem to want to deviate. She had the image in her mind of him lowering his head to hers and then kissing her. She cringed and pushed those images from her mind.
All of a sudden, Sin stopped and growled out Taylor’s name. She looked up and saw that his eyes were a glowing, golden color. She wasn’t sure what his normal eye color was, but she was pretty damn sure that wasn’t it. And she was fairly certain that glowing gold wasn’t usual either. What the hell is going on?
Taylor took her from Sin’s arms, and she felt her heart plummet into her stomach when he spun around and hurried away. She began to wonder if he wanted to get as far from her as possible, and an ache formed in her chest between her breasts. What if he didn’t like her? Thank God he couldn’t read her mind and know what she’d just been thinking.
She met Taylor’s eyes briefly before looking back toward where Sinclair had gone. “What’s wrong with him?”
“Ah…nature calls.”
“Oh,” Mari said, glad it wasn’t because of her. At least she hoped it wasn’t.
She saw the shadow of her car and two large trucks parked behind it on the side of the road. The front door to the last truck opened, the interior light coming on, and Mari’s breath caught in her throat when she saw another large, muscular, handsome man as he got out of the vehicle.
From what she could see, he had similar features to Sinclair and had to be related. Maybe his brother or a cousin. He walked up to her and Taylor and stopped in front of them.
“Hi, I’m Michael, Sin’s brother.” He held his hand out to her, and she gripped it. Frissons of awareness raced up her arm and straight down to her pussy, making her shiver. The piney-musky scent became stronger, and she inhaled deeply. Was it some sort of cologne the men wore that smelled so good? If that was the case, she was going to have to make sure she stayed as far from them as possible. She didn’t want to make herself look like an idiot by doing something stupid, like grabbing hold of one of them and kissing the breath right out of him.
“Marigold Blossom.” She cringed when she realized she’d given him her last name. Her parents must have been out of their minds when they’d named her, or maybe they’d been high. They had been offspring of flower-power parents of the sixties when sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll had been the norm. She’d had so much flack from other kids over her name but had learned to ignore the name-calling for the most part, but whenever she said both her names together she always ended up on the defensive and waiting for the jokes to begin.
“That’s a pretty name,” Michael said. She stared at him for a moment and, when she didn’t see any smirk on his face, took him at his word.
“Thanks.” She tugged her hand from his, the movement causing her to shift in Taylor’s arms, and she jarred her leg, which caused her to gasp in pain.
“Why don’t you get Marigold into the truck and we can head out,” Michael said.
“Good idea,” Sinclair said as he came up behind her.
Mari looked around for their dog but couldn’t see it. “Where’s your dog?”
She looked up to see Taylor smirking, but when he caught her watching him, the smile slid from his face and he glanced over at Sinclair before meeting Michael’s gaze.
Michael cleared his throat then started talking. “Uh…he ran home.”
“Is that safe? How far is it? Won’t he be in danger of getting hit by a car?” Mari crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Michael. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those dog owners who lets their pet run wild? You should be ashamed of yourself. You need to keep your dog on a leash and with you at all times. Someone could steal him or worse. Pets should be treated like a small child. You can’t just let them roam about willy-nilly.”
“I don’t let him roam and don’t worry about him, he’s safe. He knows this area like that back of his ha—paw and would have stayed clear of the roads.”
"How would a dog know to do that?" she asked skeptically. And had he been about to say hand? What the hell?
“If he’s not there when you get back you have to go looking for him. In fact, why don’t you call him to you now? Surely it would be better to have him safe in the truck? If a rancher saw him he could end up being killed. Dogs like chasing cattle and such.”
“Don’t worry about him. We need to worry about you,” Sinclair said, drawing her gaze. “Why don’t you give me the keys to your car and I’ll get your stuff out of it. We call for a tow truck tomorrow.”
Mari nodded and then wiggled, trying to get her hand in her pocket, but she couldn’t since her jeans were pulled tight over her hips. “You’re going to have to put me down,” she told Taylor. “I can’t reach them.”
Taylor carefully lowered her to her feet. Mari made sure to put her weight on her right foot only, keeping her left off the ground. She held on to Taylor’s arm and nearly moaned when she felt the heat of his body seeping into her skin and that yummy scent wafted to her nose. She swayed a little, but it wasn’t because she was balancing on one leg. No, it was because she couldn’t seem to get close enough.
Damn it! What the hell was she doing lusting after these men? She didn’t even know them, and she wasn’t the type of person to be affected by a handsome face and a buff body. Maybe it was because all three of them were handsome and muscular. She shook her head. That wasn’t it either. She seen two or more handsome men together. There was something really weird going on here, but she had no idea what.
And what was with their colognes? Did all the men on this Sugar Creek land take out shares in a men’s cologne company? She couldn’t see these three men doing any such thing. Although she didn’t know them very well—well, okay, at all—they didn’t seem the type. Especially Taylor. He had this aura of power about him, like he was the boss of something. He was taller than Sinclair and Michael by a couple of inches, and brawnier, too. He was so damn tall, he had to have more than a foot over her five feet five inches.
Sinclair was at least six foot four or five, and Mi
chael was only an about an inch shorter than his brother. Mari wished she could see what color their eyes were, but it was too dark and she was flagging. The pain in her ankle was getting worse, and she swore she could feel it swelling. She hoped it was only sprained and not broken. She was supposed to be one of Prim’s bridesmaids, but that was going to put a wrench in the works if she’d broken a bone. Thank God the wedding wasn’t for another week. She’d decided to come early so she could help Primrose organize any last-minute details.
Hopefully by the time the wedding came around she would be able to stand on her own two feet again. Mari realized she must look like a total idiot standing on one leg staring off into space. She glanced up to see all three men watching her and quickly lowered her head when her cheeks heated. She got her keys from her pocket and handed them over to Sinclair.
“Hang on, baby, and let me get you into the truck,” Taylor swept her up into his arms again and walked to the truck parked directly behind her car. He settled her into the front seat and reached for the seat belt. She sucked in a breath when she saw his eyes were a beautiful cerulean color and his hair looked totally black. He was so gorgeous and smelled so good she wanted to kiss him and see what he tasted like. She actually leaned forward to do just that, but she drew back at the last minute and shifted around as if trying to get comfortable.
Somehow Marigold didn’t think she’d ever be comfortable again, but not because of her throbbing leg. No, it was because she was experiencing full-on lust for the first time in her life. Nothing she’d done with her one and only boyfriend compared to what she felt right now with Taylor, Sinclair, and Michael, and they hadn’t even touched her in a sexual way. All they had done was carry her and help her, and even though she should be worried over her body’s reaction, she wasn’t. She was surprised but also elated. She’d sort of thought that she was one of those asexual women who didn’t feel any type of desire for the opposite sex.
