by Becca Van
If they were going to woo her into their bed and their life, they needed to get everything out in the open even if it made him and Phelan look like overbearing dicks. They were men and were used to being dominant, and though Tammy was used to being told what to do from her dads, Hopper didn’t think it would go over so well coming from him and Phelan.
He wasn’t a chauvinistic bastard, but he wanted Tammy to trust them to know what was right for her, especially when it came to her protection. He didn’t want to control her life. He didn’t want a slave and he certainly wasn’t into BDSM, but when it came to her safety, his and Phelan’s word was law.
It wasn’t that he didn’t think she couldn’t look after herself. Her altercation with the rogue wolf shifter who’d been stalking Celeste had proven to him that she could fight, even if she’d ended up restrained and hurt.
He’d spent his youth watching over her as she’d grown. He’d fixed up her scrapes and kissed her bruises as had Phelan. She used to look at him and his friend with stars in her eyes, but now it was as if she couldn’t stomach to be in the same room with them. She didn’t trust them and that hurt more than he’d ever let on, but he was going to do everything within his power, everything he could to earn that trust back. He just wasn’t sure how to go about it. One thing he was sure about, though, was that carrying her like he was hadn’t inveigled him or Phelan back into her good graces.
He’d get down on his knees and beg if necessary but that wasn’t the type of woman Tammy was. She would never ask him to beg and he would never make her do the same.
He loved her so fucking much. Other than being aware of her age, he had no clue how he’d kept his hands off her until now. However, she was now, thankfully, all grown up and she was so fucking beautiful, his heart stopped beating every time he looked at her. He and Phelan were over a foot taller than Tammy, as well as being twice as wide and at least a hundred and fifty pounds heavier. He knew she wasn’t a delicate little flower and acted as tough as nails sometimes, but he was still scared of hurting her. When he’d been holding her wrists above her head earlier, he’d been terrified of bruising her and made sure to be careful while still holding her immobile.
Hopper carried her inside and didn’t stop until he entered the kitchen and set her down on a chair at the table. He’d wanted to carry her into the master bedroom neither he nor Phelan had ever used, but if he did that he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off her. They’d set that room up for Tammy, and other than cleaning it every now and then, it had remained unoccupied. He hoped that before the night was over she’d agree to stay with them, but most of all he hoped she would consent to mating with them.
With a sigh of frustration, he turned toward the kitchen, but Phelan was one step ahead of him. Normally neither of them drank much, but especially not so early in the day. However, under the circumstances, he was all for downing a beer and prayed that the small amount of alcohol would help him relax so he didn’t end up doing something stupid.
“Do you want something to drink, Tams?” Hopper asked as he walked back toward the table. Phelan was right behind him.
Tammy met his gaze briefly before eying the beer in his hand. Her eyebrow quirked in surprise and then she frowned. “Don’t you think it’s a bit early for beer?”
“Hopper asked you a question, baby. Answer it,” Phelan ordered.
“Coffee, please,” Tammy snapped, never taking her gaze away from Phelan. “You’re an ass.”
“I know.” Phelan nodded, smiled, and winked at her.
Hopper was glad that there was still some coffee left in the pot from this morning and poured some into a mug for his mate before heating it in the microwave. He saw her shift in her seat and when he placed the steaming mug in front of her, he inhaled through his nose. The fragrance of her desire had his cock going from half-mast to full attention in the blink of an eye. He swallowed back the groan forming in his chest and sat down beside her. Phelan was sitting on her other side. Tammy wrapped her hands around the mug and stared down into the dark brew, purposely ignoring them.
She could pretend all she wanted that she was unaffected by them, but the aroma of her lust told a different story. He wondered if she was afflicted by the mating heat, too. If she was, she was doing a damn good job of controlling her urges.
Hopper cleared his throat and pushed the thoughts of lust, Tammy’s body, and his erection to the back of his mind. He shoved his sabear down and prayed his inner beast behaved itself so he could concentrate on what he needed to say.
Tammy tensed beside him and then she stood. “If you’re not going to talk to me, I need to get going. I promised Celeste I would help with the painting.”
“Sit. Down,” Phelan commanded.
“I—”
Phelan stood, towering over Tammy’s smaller frame, and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Sit down.”
“Why?” Tammy snarled.
Hopper couldn’t see her face since she had her back to him, but he didn’t need to know she was scowling and glaring at Phelan. Deciding he needed to see her expressions more than feel her body heat, Hopper rose and walked around to the other side of the table. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, but then locked gazes with Phelan again.
“What do you want?”
Hopper glanced at Phelan and then they both replied, “You.”
Chapter Four
Tammy’s heart flipped and her breathing escalated. She longed to hear them say that for over four years, and though she could hear the ring of truth, she wanted to know why they hadn’t claimed her as soon as she’d returned home from college. She also wanted to know if they only wanted her because of the pheromones and/or mating heat. Did they even know who she was anymore? She didn’t think so. How could they, when they’d been avoiding her for years?
“Why?” she blurted out the uppermost question.
“Why?” Hopper asked incredulously. “What do you mean why? You’re our mate, Tammy.”
“So? You don’t even know me.”
“Yes, we do,” Phelan said.
“Lie.” She glared at Phelan. “You don’t know me at all. You’ve hardly said a handful of words to me for years, and every time we ended up in the same room, you made a point of moving to the opposite side of the room, as far from me as you could get.”
Tammy took a deep breath and tried to regulate her breathing, but she was so hurt and angry she felt as if she was about to erupt like a volcano. She closed her eyes and prayed for patience but her emotions were roiling, and her body was on fire. She wasn’t sure how much more of this she could stand without going insane. She laughed humorlessly before she could stop it.
“We’ve already explained our reasons to you.” Phelan slugged down his beer.
“What we haven’t explained is why we didn’t start courting you once you came back home,” Hopper said. He locked gazes with her and continued. “How tall are you, Tammy?”
“You know how—”
“Humor me.” Hopper pointed the neck of his beer bottle toward her.
Tammy sipped her coffee and then answered. “Five two.”
“And how tall do you think we are?”
“For fuck’s sake. How the hell am I supposed to answer that? I don’t have a tape measure, and even if I did, I wouldn’t be tall enough to read it unless I stood on a chair. You’re both well over six foot.”
“I’m six foot five,” Phelan said.
“And I’m six four,” Hopper murmured.
“What has our height got to with…oh no. You have got to be fucking kidding me.” Tammy slapped her hands on the table, shoved to her feet, and paced away. It was all starting to make sense and she didn’t like the way her mind was leading her. She spun around to find them both watching her intently. “I have shifter DNA. Just because I can’t shift like you guys, does not make me any less than you are.”
“That’s not—” Hopper began but Tammy interrupted him.
“I am stronger and faste
r than the average human male. I’m not made of fucking glass. I heal quicker, I can see, hear, and smell better. I’m not some fucking delicate little flower that needs to be coddled, to be protected. I can hold my fucking own, which should be evident after what happened with that wolf shifter.”
“You got hurt,” Phelan roared angrily as he rose. “He was shorter and less muscular than we are and you still got hurt.”
“Of course I did,” Tammy shouted back. “He wasn’t a simple human being. He was a shifter, stronger than me because I can’t shift, and he was fucking insane. What would you have had me do, Phelan? Do nothing and let him hurt me more, let him rape me? Let him take my best friend without a fight? I fought back until the fucker trussed me up like a Thanksgiving turkey.”
“And I’m glad you did fight him,” Hopper said in a calm voice as he glared at Phelan. “If you hadn’t…I don’t want to think about what would have happened.”
“Then I’ll tell you. He might have been able to get away with Celeste and no one would have known until it was too late. As it was, my best friend was severely hurt. She fought him, too, you know. We aren’t meek little women scared of mice, Phelan. If you can’t accept me the way I am—”
“We’re scared we’ll hurt you,” Hopper blurted out.
“You’d never hurt me,” Tammy said emphatically.
“You’re a virgin, baby. Of course, we’re going to hurt you.” Phelan rubbed at the back of his neck as he took his seat.
“Is that what this is really all about?” Tammy asked. “Because I’m a virgin?”
“It’s all of it,” Hopper answered.
Tammy frowned.
Phelan sighed. “We’re more than a foot taller, at least a hundred to a hundred and fifty pounds heavier, and you’re a virgin.”
Tammy had had enough. They were prevaricating. There was something else going on but she wasn’t sure what. She began to pace again, making sure to get closer and closer to the kitchen door and freedom. There was no way she could stay closeted in their house with them and stay sane when her body was on fire for them, craved for them to take the ache inside of her away. Her entire body felt hypersensitive as if all her nerve endings were exposed. She wanted to shove her hands down her pants and relieve herself, but she’d already tried that and it hadn’t worked. She couldn’t get off no matter what she did and knew she wouldn’t get any relief until they decided to get their heads out of their asses and claim her.
She thought about stripping off her clothes, climbing onto the table and spreading her arms and legs out, but she didn’t think that would work. They’d probably turn their backs on her and run from the house. She frowned. Why were they running? Had she done something when she was younger to hurt them or piss them off? Had she made them question her loyalty, her love?
She’d loved them for such a long time. Tammy used to tell them all the time when she was little that she loved them, but had stopped when they’d started to avoid her. Maybe they were waiting to hear those three not so little words. They’d be waiting until hell froze over. She wasn’t putting her heart on her sleeve only to have them smash it to smithereens. If they wanted to hear them, they were going to have to tell her first.
Tammy stopped in the entrance to the kitchen and after glancing behind her to make sure her path was clear, she decided to goad and shock them. What was about to come out of her mouth was probably a mistake and the biggest lie she’d ever told, but just maybe, it would shock them into doing what she wanted. Shock them into claiming her.
“I’m not a virgin.” Tammy took off before the last word was out of her mouth.
She was out the front door and running as if her life depended on it. She made sure to keep away from the resort windows where the human contractors were working and sighed with relief when she entered through the back door. She raced across the empty kitchen glancing admiringly at the industrial stainless steel appliances briefly, and then skidded to a halt when she entered the large, empty room that was going to be the restaurant. However, she didn’t stop fast enough and slammed into a hard and not so unforgiving object. Her hands grabbed onto something soft as she and the object went falling to the floor. The breath in her lungs exploded from between her parted lips and she made an oomph sound as her ribs slammed up against whatever it was she’d crashed into. Her forehead cracked against something and she saw stars as pain exploded into her head.
Tammy squeezed her eyes shut and tried to breathe the darkness away as she tried to get her equilibrium back.
“Oh. My. God. Tammy, are you okay?”
Celeste’s voice seemed to come from far away and though she wanted to answer and open her eyes, she remained still. After a few minutes the pain in her head receded to a dull throb, and as she lifted her head slowly, she felt something warm and sticky run down her face.
“She’s bleeding.”
“What the hell is your head made of? Stone?”
“Tammy, open your eyes, honey,” Tarik said in a quiet voice.
Tammy squinted her eyes open and moaned when shards of pain pierced her brain, but when she noticed she was lying on top of someone, they opened wider of their own accord. She’d never seen the man she was currently sprawled over but guessed he was one of the work contractors from the work clothes he was wearing. She figured he’d been the one to make the comment about her head, but unless she heard him speak again, she couldn’t be sure.
“Let go of Craig’s shirt, short stuff,” Hodge ordered just before she felt his hands on her waist. “I’m going to lift you on the count of three. Tarik, keep an eye on her pupils. One.”
Tammy whimpered when her ribs protested the movement and her head sent another shot of agony through her brain. If she wasn’t hurting so bad, she would have given Hodge a piece of her mind for not counting to three, but she was actually glad he hadn’t. If he had counted to three she would have tensed up and would probably be hurting more.
“Tams, are you all right?” Celeste took hold of her hand.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she lied as she forced her lids up. She watched as the man she’d slammed into struggled to his feet. His chin was already bruising and swelling, but at least she hadn’t split his skin open when she’d knocked her head into him. “I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” He waved her question away as he eyed her body over before his gaze returned to her bleeding forehead. “But you’re not. I’m sorry for hurting you. I didn’t see you.”
“It was my fault.” Tammy shook her head and immediately wished she hadn’t. She squeezed her eyes closed and waited for the pain to ease before opening her eyes again. “I wasn’t watching where I was going. I’m Tamara Parks.” She held her hand out as she introduced herself.
“Craig Bingham.” Craig shook her hand, smiled, and winked. “Next time you come in here, though, please slow down and watch where you’re going. This is a construction site and we don’t want anyone getting hurt. Well, anyone else, anyway.”
“I will.” Tammy drew her hand back. “Again, I’m so sorry.”
Craig tilted his head as he studied her. Tammy shivered with unease as he looked her body over again. She didn’t like any man looking at her with sexual interest other than Phelan and Hopper. She’d caught them watching her when they thought she wasn’t looking, but each time she’d turned to meet their gazes, they’d quickly looked away. Maybe if they were jealous it would prompt them to make a move on her. She mentally shook her head. She wasn’t into subterfuge. Plus, she didn’t want to encourage Craig into thinking he had a chance with her. That could end up creating all sorts of angst and problems. No, her best option was to tell her mates what she wanted and if that didn’t work, she was going to sneak into their house, strip down, and wait for them to get home. Naked in their bed.
“Carry her into the kitchen, Hodge,” Ward ordered.
Tammy had been so lost in thought she’d zoned out. Or maybe it was her pounding head that had caused her inattention. She rested her c
heek on Hodge’s chest and closed her eyes again.
“Put her on the counter,” Ward directed.
“Tammy!” Phelan yelled as he burst through the back door to the resort kitchen. She didn’t need to look to know that Hopper was right behind him. Their delectable, spicy and earthy, musky scents preceded their body heat.
“What the fuck?” Hopper shouted. “Who fucking hurt you?”
“Can you two please stop yelling,” Tammy murmured. “You’re making my head hurt even more.” She blinked her eyes open.
Phelan eyed the blood on Hodge’s shirt and then he grabbed the material and tugged Hodge toward him. “What the fuck did you do?”
“No one hurt me.” Tammy sighed and then rolled her lips inward when Ward began cleaning the gash on her forehead. It stung badly and she had to concentrate on breathing in and out so she wouldn’t cry out. When she thought she could finally talk without whimpering or crying, she continued. “I wasn’t watching where I was going and crashed into one of the workmen. No one hurt me.”
“How did you get Tammy’s blood on you?” Phelan asked, his tone softer than his earlier yelling, but he was still speaking between clenched teeth.
“I lifted her off the guy she was sprawled all over and carried her in here.” Hodge shoved Phelan back. “Do you honestly think I would hurt my little sister? You’re a fucking asshole.”
Tammy closed her eyes again. She wasn’t up to dealing with dominant, testosterone-driven imbeciles. Right at the moment, she didn’t care if they all killed each other.
“Okay, Tams, I’ve cleaned the cut on your head with antiseptic and closed it with butterfly stitches,” Ward explained. “You’ll need to keep it dry while it heals. Open your eyes, honey. I need to check your pupils.”