His shoulders sagged. “I know, and I appreciate that.”
Melody sat down. “Come over here and talk to me. I want to know more about you.”
He regarded her for a moment before he acquiesced and crossed his legs in front of her. “What do you want to know?”
“You said your people do it with anyone they please.”
“Yeah, pretty much. If you like someone and they like you, there's nothing to stop you doing it as much as you like, at least until someone gets bored or mad or something.”
“So, who decides when it's time to live together and start having kids? Do you have any kind of formal marriage ceremony or anything like that?”
“Not really. People just start living together. Sometimes it happens when the woman gets pregnant. Sometimes people love each other so much they get together first, but they almost always wind up having sex first. How else can you know if you really want to be together?”
Melody frowned. “I guess it's not much different from us, except the part about doinking anyone you want. Sometimes—well, most times—a couple has sex first. That's how they become mated. Then the rest of the mountain finds out, and they move in together.”
His mouth twisted in a naughty grin. “Doinking, huh? That's funny.”
“If you don't mate for life, that's all it ever will be. You can't exactly call it love, can you?”
He put his head on one side. “I'll tell you the truth. That's all I ever thought it was. I never thought about love. I don't know any Midnight who has. It's not part of our social structure. We mate, we have cubs, we mix and match partners as it suits us. I never really thought about finding one solid mate—at least, not until last night.”
Melody's eyes widened. “What about last night? You weren't thinking about anything but sex last night. I saw you with my own eyes.”
“I was thinking about sex. I won't lie to you. I was thinking about all the wicked things I would do to you if I could get you inside this cage. I would bang you so hard the hills would ring, but I was thinking about a lot of other things, too.”
His dirty talk stabbed Melody in the guts. The image of him banging her against the bars until she screamed in exhilarated delight saturated her panties until she couldn't sit still. “What other things did you think about?”
He gazed past her. “I was thinking about what you said about mating for life. I was thinking it might not be such a bad thing after all. I could come around to thinking about mating for life with a girl like you.”
Melody started. “What are you saying? Are you saying you'd like to mate with me?”
“It seems like that word means both sex and marriage to you. It doesn't mean that to us, but if it means that to you, then yes. I would like to have sex with you, and I would like to age into a long-term relationship with you. I might even like to get into one for the rest of my life, but that's not going to happen. We're too different, you and me. What future could we have together?”
Melody's jaw dropped. “You'd like to mate with me?”
He waved his hand. “Don't keep saying that, Melody. I'm a prisoner here on death row. We had a nice kiss last night, but that's all. I'm really glad to see you. I'll be glad to see you anytime you come back down here, and I'm always grateful for the food you bring me. Let's not take this any further than we have to.”
Her chin dropped onto her chest. “Okay. You're right.”
His eyes blazed. “Don't tell me you want to mate with me.”
“No, no. I couldn't want that. I can only mate with a Bruin. I shouldn't even be able to respond to you. I don't really understand it at all.”
“Do you respond to me?”
“Of course, I do. Don't you know that?”
“By respond, do you mean I turn you on?”
She panted through her parched throat. “God, yes, you turn me on! I can't stand it.”
He ran his hand down his stomach to his crotch. He squeezed his hard-on through his pants and bucked his hips into his grasp. “You turn me on, too, Melody. You turn me on like I've never been turned on in my life. I don't think I can stand to keep my hands off you.”
She closed her eyes and turned away. “Don't.”
He growled low in his chest. “Watch me. See what you do to me.”
She couldn't hold back. She had to turn around and watch him. He jammed his hand down his pants, and his wrist moved back and forth against his waistband. He clenched his teeth, and his eyes drilled into her soul.
“You make me so hard. Watch me cum for you, baby.”
“Please, don't,” she whimpered.
He froze. His arm stopped in mid-stroke. “You don't want to watch me?”
“No.”
He pulled his hand out. “Okay. I thought you wanted to.”
“I do want to. I want to do everything with you. You're so beautiful and dangerous and…and black. I can't resist you, but I have to. We can't do this. We would both be destroyed if we did. If you ever get out of here alive, you'll go home and I'll never see you again. We can never be mated. Even if by some chance we could do it, we could never really be together. We could never have children together or live our lives together. We're night and day. We're fire and ice.”
He shuddered, and the sexual tension flowed out of him, down his legs into the floor. “I know. You're right. We shouldn't do anything more.”
Melody turned away to hide her misery. “I should go.”
“You'll come back, won't you? I'll see you again, won't I?”
“Sure. I'll come back as soon as I can. I'll bring you some more food.”
Riley bent down and pulled the napkin-wrapped slice of wedding cake out of the basket. “Bring me some more of this. That's the only way I can offer my congratulations to the happy couple.”
Chapter 10
Melody sat at a table in the marquee. Her eyes pointed toward the dance floor, but she didn't see the people prancing around or hear the music thumping. Riley occupied her every thought.
She didn't even notice when Lyric sat down next to her. “What's the matter? Did Ash break your heart or something?”
Melody didn't respond. She sat motionless until Lyric laid a hand on her arm. Melody looked up at her. “Is everything all right? Is Papa all right?”
Lyric sat back in her seat. “Papa's fine. It's you I'm worried about. What's bothering you? You haven't spoken to me or anyone else all day.”
Melody turned her eyes back to the dance floor. “I'm fine.”
“Yeah, I can see how fine you are. Now, what's going on? Spill your guts.”
“Nothing's going on. I suppose you already heard from Mattox that I took Riley some more food this morning. Nothing happened, and I just gave Mattox his cattle prod back. That's all that's going on.”
“Yeah, he told me all about it. He also told me your plan to send Riley back home with a message for his people about us making war on them. I think you're living in a dream world, but you never asked my opinion in your life.”
“That's right. Now, you know what's going on. You can go back to whatever you were doing before you came over here to bother me.”
Lyric leaned forward. “Come on, Melody. We're sisters, and you could never keep a secret from me. Did Mattox shut down your idea? Is that why you're in here sulking and making all these other guests uncomfortable?”
“I'm not doing anything to them, and if I had a secret, I sure wouldn't tell you. You'd be the first to go blab it to Mattox.”
Lyric guffawed. “You're right. I worship the ground Mattox walks on, and from what I can tell, you feel the same way about him. If you can't tell me what's bothering you, maybe you could tell him.”
“I already did. I already told him my idea.”
“What did he say?”
“He said he would keep it in reserve in case Walker won't listen to reason from the other Alphas.”
“That sounds reasonable.”
“Sure. That's what I expected him to say.”
&nb
sp; Lyric narrowed her eyes. “You're really not going to tell me, are you?”
“No, I'm not.”
At that moment, Ash Dunlap came up in a flurry of energy and excitement. He bent over Melody and held out his hand. “Come and dance with me, Melody. Come on. You know you want to.”
Melody didn't even look up at him. She gave a curt shake of her head and kept her eyes fixed into the distance. Ash left in defeat.
Lyric watched the whole scene with her brow furrowed. After Ash vanished into the crowd, Lyric propped her elbows on her knees and murmured low into Melody's ear. “Now, I know something is seriously bothering you. When we first came here, you were over the moon about all the romance and the beauty and the passion of finding your heart's true mate. Now, you don't look sideways at the men you might mate with. You haven't taken any notice of the celebration, and you haven't visited Marla once since Riley showed up here. You better tell me what's going on, and you better tell me right now.”
Melody softened. She faced her sister with misty eyes. She and Lyric shared everything since they were little girls. They shared heartbreak and devastation over the loss of both parents to tragedy and alcoholism. They shared the struggle of keeping their family ranch afloat against all odds. They even shared the explosion of Lyric breaking up with Riskin Dodd to marry Mattox Farrell instead
How could she keep this secret, from her own sister or anyone else? How could she be attracted to a panther? Strapping, handsome, magnetic, wealthy Bruin men surrounded her on all sides. They flirted with her and batted their eyes at her. They invited her to dance and eat with them. They invited her to sneak around the shed and discover all their hidden passions together.
Melody didn't care about any of them, but she cared about Lyric. “Believe me, I wish I could tell you. I really do, but I can't.”
“If you've got something on your mind, you should tell me. I might be able to help you.”
“I can't tell you, and no one can help me. I just have to deal with this myself and hope everything works out in the end.”
“Are you worried about Riley? Is that what this is all about? Are you worried Walker will kill him? Is that what's weighing on you so much?”
Melody's eyes shot to her sister's face. Then she realized. Lyric didn't understand. She thought Melody was worried about Riley in a distant, platonic sort of way. She had no idea Melody actually developed feelings for Riley.
Feelings for Riley! That phrase sounded so trite and pathetic now. Melody couldn't face Riley again. She couldn't trust herself around him. She couldn't stop herself from falling into his hands again.
She got so lost in her own quandary she didn't notice Lyric get up and leave. She didn't notice anything until a familiar voice boomed in her ear, “What's going on, Melody?”
She whipped around and found Mattox sitting in the chair instead of Lyric. Her heart skipped a beat. Lying to Lyric was one thing. How could she look Mattox in the eye and lie to his face?
His eyes worked on her soul. No Bruin could stand an Alpha's authority. Could he see by looking at her how different she was? The innocent little girl who sighed and dreamed about a fairy tale romance and wedding no longer existed. This raging, seething jumble of emotions and sensations took her place. How could Melody live with herself like this? How could she satisfy this craven need burning a hole in her being?
She rallied all her strength to smile at Mattox. “I don't know. Is something wrong?”
“Lyric told me to come here and talk to you. She says you're upset about something.”
“I'm not upset.” Could he hear her heart racing? Could he smell the cold sweat on her back?
“We can all see you haven't been your usual self since the boys brought Riley here. I thought letting you take him food and water would ease your mind. Now that you know he's all right, you can stop worrying about him.”
Melody thought fast and turned the tables on him. “Is he going to be all right? Did you talk to Walker?”
Mattox shrugged. Her plan worked. He stopped thinking about her and went back to thinking about his own problems. “We talked to him. We got a little reprieve. He won't kill Riley right away, not without our support, but he won't give up, either. He thinks we ought to track these people down and rip their arms off.”
“Did you tell him about my idea?”
“I didn't dare, but I told Brody and Aiken. As long as we're keeping Riley alive in the Dunlaps' basement, you might as well keep feeding him. As long as there's the smallest chance we'll keep him alive, we better make sure we take care of him.”
His words gave Melody no comfort. She didn't want to see Riley again. She couldn't be the person he turned her into. “Okay.”
Mattox took her hand. “Whatever's bothering you, you know you can always trust me. We'll work it out one way or the other.”
“Thanks, Mattox. I know I can trust you. If I need someone to talk to, you'll be the first to know.”
He nodded, but he didn't smile. This situation clouded his face with anxious concern. “You better get your basket of treats together. It's almost lunchtime. I gotta go find Rex. We're negotiating a lease on MacAllister land to run another thousand head of cattle there next year.”
“Aren't you going to come downstairs with me?”
He stood up. “I don’t have time, and I think you can handle it on your own. You showed me he won't do anything to hurt you. If you can get him to trust you, so much the better.”
Melody sank back into her chair. This was just great. Not only did he let her go, he let her go alone. He expected it and worked it into his plans. She had to go, whether she wanted to or not. She made her bed. Now she had to lie in it.
She took a deep breath and got her basket. She better get this over with. She got her collection of food. She went downstairs and found Riley standing far back in his cage with his back against the bars. His face brightened when he saw her come downstairs alone.
Melody had to act fast. She couldn't let herself get caught down here. She strode forward, set down the basket in the same place, and walked straight up the stairs the way she came. She locked the door and went back to the marquee.
She dropped into the same chair and tossed the basket on the table. She covered her face with her hands. What was she coming to? What had she gotten herself into? How could she let herself get so attracted to Riley she couldn't get out of it, now that she wanted to?
She spent enough time mooning over brides in the last year to know the pattern. No man ever caught her attention like Riley. No kiss ever fired her excitement like he did, but how could she fall for him? Bruins only fell for one person in their lives. No one but their true mate interested or aroused them. No one caught them in an irresistible web of attraction.
She couldn't get Riley out of her head. Whether she kept her eyes open or closed, she saw him before her—long and lean, cut with muscle, dark and brooding and seething with buried heat. He radiated sexuality. Everything about him made her tingle all over with excitement and molten excitement. Even thinking about him shot a surge of adrenaline through her veins.
How could he be her mate? How could she be attracted to some kind of hybrid cat? His kind didn't even mate for life. Would she wind up killing herself when he left or mated with someone else? The thought of him looking at some other female sent her into a blind rage. The bear in her would maul and tear and slaughter any female who came near him.
She would never ramble in the woods with him. She would never mate with him as two bears together. They would never sleep in a den and wake up in a pile of fur. Everything she looked forward all her life to doing with her mate slipped through her fingers. She couldn't let this happen. She couldn't care about him.
She ought to take a shotgun with her next time she went downstairs and kill him herself. That was the only sure way to rid herself of this wretched burden. She would be free. She could find a Bruin mate and forget Riley ever existed.
Even as that thought gave her some comfor
t, she knew she wouldn't do it. Even if she killed Riley and married a Bruin, she could never forget him. She would dream about him every day and night for the rest of her life. She would fantasize about him when she rolled in her Bruin husband's arms. He would represent love and passion and her life's unlimited potential, even if she never saw him again.
Love! What was she doing, thinking about love in the same sentence with him? Sex, maybe. Sex flowed from his every pore. His whole feline nature quivered through her with tenterhooks of pure erotic magic. Were all Midnight as sexual as he was?
Bruins stayed close to home. They valued practicality and comfort and stability. These Midnight lived in a different world of radiant electric energy, sexual liberty, and fluid magnetism.
That energy burned Melody when she tried to touch him. It destroyed everything she held sacred. It attracted her with the evil taint of explosive corruption. She couldn't touch him again. She couldn't look at him again, but she couldn't stay away from him. Her whole life led her to him. Her hands longed to touch him, even as her instincts told her not to.
Nothing made sense anymore.
Chapter 11
Melody paused outside the basement door and took a deep breath. This was it. She would go down there, drop off the food, and walk away just like she did before.
The sun slanted low toward the horizon. Music and laughter rose and fell inside the marquee. Four straight days of celebration, and the crowd showed no signs of dispersing. A Bruin wedding could go on for weeks. People came and went and came back again. Kids camped in the forest and reemerged when they got hungry.
Melody stayed away from the basement all day. She made up her mind to give Riley his food and keep her distance, but she couldn't enjoy the festivities. She overheard Lyric and Mattox talking about her, but she kept her secret from everyone. What could she tell them—that she fell for a panther? They would laugh her out of the room.
She turned the key and flicked on the light. What would she find down there? Would Riley stand back to give her room? Would he dart out and grab her so she couldn't leave?
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