Melindas Wolves (4 page)

When Trace swung his arm behind her head to twist and look out the back window, Keegan set a hand on her thigh at the same time.

She nearly jumped out of her skin. His fingers on her bare leg seemed directly connected to her sex, as if he’d stroked between her lower lips instead of her thigh. She stifled the moan threatening to escape her mouth and immediately set her own hand on his, squeezing his fingers and then prying them off her. “I can’t…um…think with you touching me.”

He gave a soft chuckle but didn’t remove his hand. Instead he flipped it over and threaded his fingers with hers, his knuckles resting on her leg. “Hon, if you were able to think for the last five hours, even before I touched you, we may have issues.”

Trace grabbed her other hand and set it on his own thigh as he drove. That was no better. His hand was warm. His thigh was warmer. She glanced down, realizing how precariously close to his crotch her fingers were. And then she jerked free of both men’s clutches, crossed her arms, and tucked her hands tight against her body.

A shiver raced through her. She was a giant pile of lust and nerves. Not a feeling she welcomed.

“Relax, hon. What you’re feeling is totally normal. It happens to all of us when we meet our mate.” Keegan twisted his body so he faced her more directly. “When my sister Kiera met her mate, the two of them nearly ran from the room and none of us saw them for about a week.”

She stared at him. “This is different.”

He nodded. “It is. There are two of us, but we promise to take it at whatever pace you need.”

She pursed her lips and didn’t say a word.
Yeah, well, the pace I need is off-the-charts
slower than you can begin to imagine…

Melinda faced the front, trying not to breathe much. Maybe if she inhaled through her mouth… Nope. That only caused her to taste them on her tongue. She held herself stiff, but her legs bounced with a mind of their own against her will.

“How about I tell you about myself,” Keegan said, his tone low and soothing.

“Please.”
Good plan
.

“I’m thirty-one. My family moved here when I was five. My parents still live near Trace’s family. They’re friends. I called them earlier. They’re dying to meet you, of course. Luckily I managed to put them off for now.

“I have one younger sister, Kiera. She’s mated to Brantley and has a baby boy named Kent. He’s almost one.

“I’m a building inspector for the county, so I’ve been busier than ever since the earthquake. And I’m currently knee deep in the new casino project.”

She jerked her gaze to him. “The casino? That eyesore?”

He scrunched up his forehead. “Well, yeah. Of course it’s an eyesore right now. It’s been on hold for months awaiting permission to continue. It’s a pile of rebar and concrete. When it’s finished, it will be a piece of art.”

Now she glared at him. “Are you kidding?” Her voice rose. “That giant monstrosity will never be anything but a way to defile the land and draw unwanted big business to the reservation.”

Keegan inhaled sharply and then blew out a breath. “We might have to agree to disagree on that issue.”

“Or you might need to see my side,” she responded defiantly.

His face lit up as he grinned. “Feisty.”

“Don’t you forget it.”

“Our woman is passionate,” he added.

Trace glanced at her. “I’m not sure now is the best time to get into a pissing match.”

“True.” Keegan rubbed his hands on his legs. “For the record, I’m assigned by the city. I don’t choose the buildings that need inspection, hon. But I can’t wait to argue with you in the future.”

“Oh, we aren’t arguing about that ugly casino blocking the view of the lake, bringing unwanted superstores to the area, closing down the mom and pop shops that have been there for over a century, including
my
shop.”

“Think of the financial gain—” Keegan started to protest.

“Or think of claiming our mate without getting punched in the face,” Trace interrupted.

“Right. Sorry.” Keegan pursed his lips, and Melinda glared at him, noticing the obvious energy he expended fighting against continuing their disagreement.

She might have laughed, if it were funny. But nothing about the land development project was funny. She didn’t care if he was just doing his job. She’d been on the side of the opposition since the beginning. And after the earthquake, her side bought months of delays by continuing to push their issues.

The earthquake had been an excellent deterrent. After the collapse of many buildings in the area and the destruction of parts of the casino monstrosity, many members of her tribe had switched sides. At this point, there were far more people opposed than before the earthquake.

But the builders already had permits, and stopping them didn’t seem a belated possibility. After a year on hold, she was well aware that the casino had resumed construction a few weeks ago.

Trace pulled up to a ranch-style home. Melinda peered out the window at her first glimpse into Keegan’s world. The house wasn’t huge, but it was immaculate on the outside. A certain amount of pride went into every bush, the perfectly groomed grass, and the quaint front porch with two Adirondack chairs situated at an angle with each other.

Melinda blew out a breath, already knowing this mate of hers was type A. If they were going to be at odds over that damn casino, wait until he found out what the inside of her condo looked like.

Keegan opened the passenger door and jumped down. He reached back as Melinda scooted to the edge of the seat and lifted her out.

“I’m pretty good at getting in and out of cars, Keegan. Been doing it for years. I even have my own driver’s license.” She was half teasing, but she hoped she sounded somewhat serious. She was still feeling confrontational.

He didn’t release her waist. Instead he set his forehead against hers. “I know, but I like touching you. So get used to it.”

With him so close and in her personal space, he consumed her, blocking out the world. When he finally released her, he took her hand and led her to the porch.

Trace unlocked the front door.

“You have a key?” she asked. It was Keegan’s house.

Trace nodded. “We’ve been close for twenty-five years, babe. He has a key to my condo too.”

How close? She was worried about the number of women they might have shared over the years. She couldn’t decide if she was jealous or flat out scared.

Trace held the door open and motioned for her to enter.

The first thing she noticed when she stepped inside and Keegan flipped on the light switch was the entire place smelled of primarily Keegan with a hint of Trace. No one else. That both comforted and intoxicated her.

At least they hadn’t fucked some other woman inside the house recently. That would completely unnerve her.

She let her gaze roam around the room. It was tidy, but lived in. Comfortable.

Inviting. The walls were painted a dark brown on two sides, warming the space. The leather couch and two chairs were both the same color of dark brown. Pillows were tossed in the corners of the couch in rich jewel tones.

On the wall opposite the sofa was an enormous entertainment center, the woodwork amazing. It looked custom made. It held a large flat-screen TV and several gaming and stereo components. It was obvious Keegan spent a lot of time in this room.

Remotes and game controllers littered the coffee table.

“Can I get you a drink, Melinda?” Keegan ran a hand down her arm until his fingers lightly gripped hers. He was forever touching her. Every time they made contact, she lost a piece of herself to the claiming. Her heart raced to the point that it seemed to ring in her ears. A tingling spread over her like a jolt of electricity.

“You have some wine?” Maybe she could relax if she had something to drink. It might calm her nerves.

Keegan nodded. “Red or white?”

“White if you have it. Or do you have something on the sweeter side?”

“Zinfandel?”

“Perfect.”

Keegan released her to head for the kitchen area.

Trace took the same hand Keegan released, making her suck in a breath. She couldn’t catch a break. Every second her sensitivity to the two of them increased.

“Come. Sit. I know it’s late. Super late. But let’s talk.”

It was late, past one in the morning. But there was no way in hell she could sleep even if she tried. And neither would either of them.

Melinda pulled her hand free of Trace and rounded to the living area, choosing an armchair that neither of them could share with her. She sat on her hands on the edge of the seat, her legs bouncing up and down rapidly.

Trace sat on the couch across from her. “Relax, baby. Please. Your nerves are palpable. Nothing’s going to happen you don’t beg for.”

His words made her gasp. What a strange way to verbalize their arrangement. Beg?

She couldn’t imagine begging for anything in this lifetime. It wasn’t her style. She was a strong woman. Confident. Outspoken. And usually on her game. Her ability to perceive things before they happened had followed her all of her life. More of an intuition that was sharp than anything specific. But tonight she was so foggy from the need to mate, she couldn’t discern anything at all.

She untucked one hand from under her thigh to take the glass of pink wine Keegan handed her as she lifted an eyebrow. “I’m drinking alone?”

He nodded and took a seat by Trace. “You look like you could use it.”

She took a long sip. He wasn’t wrong. And both of them had undoubtedly had a few beers earlier in the evening. She’d been unable to enjoy any aspect of the party from the moment Rebecca went into labor.

The wine was smooth and sweet and went down perfectly. If only it calmed her more… She didn’t drink often, but tonight it seemed to be called for.

“So, tell us about you.” Trace leaned forward, setting his elbows on his knees and rubbing his hands together.

“Does it matter? It won’t change anything.” She immediately regretted being so adversarial and winced. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay, baby.” Trace’s lowered his voice. “No need to apologize. You’re right. It won’t change anything. Even though you and Keegan are obviously going to bump heads in a daily battle over environment versus modern advances. Even though there are still a lot of members of your tribe who would prefer you not mate outside the pack.

Even though we have ten thousand logistics to work out and we don’t live super close to each other currently…”

He hesitated, meeting her gaze. “Baby, this is a sure thing. But that doesn’t mean we don’t want to get to know you, make you feel comfortable, take care with your feelings. We aren’t jackasses.”

He was right. Neither of them seemed to be an asshole. They’d been nothing but polite and careful with her from the first moment she’d met them. “You’re right. I live outside of Sojourn on the rez in a small condo. You already know I’m a member of the Yobuka Tribe. All of us are Native American and lupine. Over the centuries there has been a surprisingly low number of tribal members who have mates outside our own tribe. Fate hasn’t let that happen many times. The Yobuka have always been rather isolated when it came to other shifters in the area. Until recently.”

She scrunched up her brow, thinking about that some more. “My mother may have been the first to really break tradition. Not that anyone has a say in who they’re mated to, but there must be a reason she was fated to a white man—and then Miles and myself too.”

“Two of them at that,” Trace said.

“Yeah. What’s up with that?” She forced a smile and then took another sip of wine.

She would ponder the implications of ménages in the area more another time. Perhaps nature was making a strong case that it was time for the tribe to branch out. It was the twenty-first century and about time their bloodline melded with others.

She shook the thought out of her head for the time being. “Anyway, I own a shop in town that sells locally made Native American products. It’s called Dreamcatchers. I have a degree in business.”

Both men smiled.

She continued. “My grandmother—we call her Mimi—raised us. My father was a dickwad from the reservation that raped my mother when she was young. That’s how Miles and I were conceived.”

The smiles fell as they both gasped, eyes wide.

“Jesus, honey, that’s awful. I’m so sorry.” Keegan scooted forward.

Trace probably knew a lot of this story, but she wasn’t sure what Griffen would have shared.

She licked her lips. “Oh, it gets worse. My mother later met her mate when Miles and I were three. She got pregnant. He was white. And the elders of the tribe chased her off the land. We spent the next twenty-seven years believing her to be dead. Until today when she showed up before the party. Oh, and apparently I have three half siblings I’ve never met.”

Keegan stiffened, not moving an inch. “Fuck. I’m so sorry, hon. Griffen told us a little about your mother when we first got to the party tonight. But that was before we knew you were ours.”

“Yeah. So, I’m a little on edge. My mother just showed up. I barely got to spend any time with her. My sister-in-law had a baby. And not one but two men stepped into my life with the intent of claiming me. That’s not the average day.”

Trace stood abruptly, as if the couch were on fire. He stepped around the coffee table and lifted her right out of the seat, tugging her into his embrace. “We met your mom while you were with Rebecca. She seems very nice. Genuine. I’m glad you could finally be reunited.”

She closed her eyes, inhaling his scent as she buried her face in his firm chest.

His arms ran up and down her back soothingly. His head came down lower so he could speak into her ear. “It’s a lot to take in all at once. No wonder you’re so stressed.”

Amazingly she felt calmer in his arms. She hadn’t realized Keegan had also stood until his hand landed on her back above Trace’s arms. “Is your mom moving back here?”

Melinda shrugged. “Not right now. She has a life and three other kids I’ve never met in her husband’s hometown. It’s about two hours west. She can only stay a few days. She and her mate, Gene, have to get back. It’s going to be weird getting to know her.”