by Becca Van
Sugar Creek 2: Melissa’s Acceptance
Melissa Wise, a twenty-two-year-old, slender, multicolor-haired virgin, takes a drive for some much needed rest and relaxation after she breaks up with her now ex-boyfriend. She ends up at a little place called the Shifter Inn outside of Sugar Creek, Ohio. She is about to leave through the inn door when she is inadvertently knocked flat on her back, cracking her head on the floor and knocking her unconscious as two men barge in through the entrance.
Damian and Luke Aerth are very worried when they realize they have just hurt their mate. They call a doctor to check her over and when the all clear is given they take her back to their cabin, which is on pack land, to take care of her.
The two men convince Melissa to become intimate with them, but she runs and hides after becoming embarrassed. Will the two men be able to convince Melissa she means more to them than just sex? Or will she walk away from them feeling as if she's been used by yet another male?
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves
Length: 46,099 words
SUGAR CREEK 2:
MELISSA'S ACCEPTANCE
Becca Van
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
SUGAR CREEK 2: MELISSA'S ACCEPTANCE
Copyright © 2014 by Becca Van
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62741-355-8
First E-book Publication: April 2014
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2014 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
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www.SirenPublishing.com
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Epilogue
About the Author
SUGAR CREEK 2: MELISSA'S ACCEPTANCE
BECCA VAN
Copyright © 2014
Prologue
Melissa Wise arrived on her sister Sara’s doorstep ten minutes after her final date with Wesley Sands had come to its horrid end, and when she saw her sister she couldn’t hold back the tears anymore.
“What’s wrong, Mel? Why are you crying?” Sara frowned with concern.
“I am never going on a date again,” Melissa announced before she burst into uncontrollable sobs.
Sara pulled Melissa into the entry foyer of her small apartment, shutting the door behind them. Melissa was glad for Sara’s quick actions, since she didn’t want any of her sister’s nosy neighbors coming outside to see what was going on. She clung to Sara for a moment, safe in the knowledge that her sister loved and cared for her as much as Melissa did for her. Finally she was able to stop crying and let Sara go.
“Okay, let’s take this into the kitchen. I’ll put the kettle on and you can tell me what’s happened.” Sara took hold of Melissa’s hand, led her into her small kitchen and made their drinks. She placed two mugs of coffee on the table and took a seat next to Melissa.
“Tell me what’s been going on, Mel.”
“I told you I was going on another date with Wesley tonight.”
“Yes, you did. So what happened?”
“Well, he drove me back to my apartment. I asked him if he would like to come in for a drink. We were sitting on the sofa talking, then he started kissing me, which was fine. I was an eager participant until things started getting out of hand, and we were doing some heavy petting.” Melissa took a shuddering breath and tears began to trickle down her cheeks again. “We were both so hot for each other. Oh God. I can’t do this. It’s too embarrassing.”
“Mel, come on honey, you’re my little sister. You can tell me anything. It can’t be that bad.”
“You have no idea. I am never going out with another man, again. I can’t have sex with anyone ever. I was so embarrassed and ashamed and he made me feel dirty, Sara. The one and only time I had ever gone this far in my life with a man intimately and he humiliated me.”
“Tell me what happened, sis. I might be able to help you.”
“No, I can’t. It’s too embarrassing.”
“I’ll bet it had nothing to do with what you did and was probably his fault, honey. I mean, he has to be a weasel or something with a name like Wesley. He’s probably still living with Mommy and never had a date with a female in his life.” Sara snickered.
“Well actually, he does still live at home with his parents.”
“See, there you go. I’ll bet he’s a nerd, too. You’re better off without someone like that. There is a man out there somewhere for you. Don’t let your first experience put you off from the entire male race. Just be patient and when you least expect it, some man is going to come along and sweep you off your feet.”
“I’m the only sister you’ve ever had.” Sara snorted. “You know if you ever want to talk about whatever the problem is, I’m here for you, Mel.”
“I know. Thanks Sara, you are the best. I think I’m going to go for a drive. I just don’t want to go back to my apartment right now. I’ve heard of a little inn about an hour’s drive from here, near Sugar Creek. I think I’ll head out there just to check it out. I need to clear my mind before I’ll be able to sleep.”
“Well, you drive carefully, Mel. You know, I’ll always be here for you, honey.”
“I know. Thanks Sara, and that goes both ways, you know.”
“I know.”
Chapter One
Melissa pulled into the parking lot of the Shifters Inn just after midnight. There seemed to be quite a few cars in the lot. It looked like the people of Sugar Creek, Ohio had decided on a night out as well.
Grabbing her purse from beside her, Melissa locked her car and headed toward the door of the inn. A shiver ran down the back of her neck and to the base of her spine. She felt as if she was meant to be here at this specific moment in time. Like it was fate or something.
“Get a grip, Mel. You are full of it tonight,” she muttered to herself as she pushed open the door.
The lighting was so dim Melissa could only just make out the silhouettes of the other patrons, but from what she could see the room was packed full. As she headed toward the bar, she realized there were hardly any females present. The place seemed to be overrun by males.
Mel spied a couple of vacant stools along the bar, so she headed in that direction. Once seated comfortably, she gave her order of a club soda to the bartender. She let her gaze wander about the room as she sipped her drink. People watching was one of her favorite pastimes. She could learn a lot about people from just watching them. It was a pity she hadn’t learned more about Wesley before she had gone out with him. Maybe she wouldn’t be feeling as humiliated if she had.
Turning back to the bar, Melissa waited for the bartender to make his way down to her and ordered another drink. She sat at the bar for about an hour before she began to feel tired. Deciding it was time to either book a room for the rest of the night or head back home, she got off the bar stool and headed toward the exit. She may as well drive home so she could sleep in her own bed comfortably.
Just as she reached for the handle on the exit, the door was pushed open with such force that Melissa was sent flying backward. She landed hard on her back and she felt pain splinter through her skull as her head hit the floor. The next moment, her vision went black and she knew no more.
* * * *
When Melissa regained consciousness, she noticed she was in the arms of a very large, handsome, muscular man. She was also lying on something soft and comfortable and the man was cradling her upper body. Groaning from the drumbeat pounding in her head, she tried to sit up and escape the arms of the stranger holding her.
“Don’t move yet, baby,” the man said in a soft, yet surprisingly deep, husky voice. “You hit your head pretty hard when you were knocked flat. I want to make sure you haven’t got any more injuries before you move.”
“Who are you? What happened?” Melissa grimaced as pain pierced her skull.
“My name is Damian Aerth and that great hunk of muscle sitting on the end of the sofa at your feet is my younger brother, Luke.”
“I’m really sorry for making you fall down and hurting you, ma’am. I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing, and because of me, you ended up hitting your head on the floor, which knocked you out,” Luke apologized sincerely.
Melissa could hear his remorse and knew that Luke was blaming himself. She couldn’t let him continue to castigate himself over an accident. “That’s okay, there was no harm done, really. Please, just be more careful when you enter a door so you don’t knock any more unsuspecting females on their asses.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry.”
“What’s your name, baby?” Damian asked as he propped Melissa up so she was sitting on his lap rather than lying with her head on his thigh.
“Melissa Wise.”
“We’re very pleased to meet you, Melissa. How is your head feeling?” Damian asked.
“Like it’s going to explode. I’m feeling a little queasy at the moment. Where am I?” Melissa slowly and carefully took in her surroundings.
“You’re in one of the rooms at the Shifter Inn. When Luke knocked you out, I picked you up and brought you here so we could make sure you were okay and so you’d be comfortable.”
“Let me go.” She pushed at the muscled arms wrapped around her waist.
Damian let go and she felt his eyes on her as she struggled to her feet. Luke and Damian quickly scrambled to their feet as she swayed across the room to the bathroom. They each took hold of an elbow to steady her, but when she made it to the toilet, she got down on her knees and was physically ill.
“Go away, please.” Melissa groaned in between retches.
“No way, honey. This is all my fault! We aren’t going anywhere. Damian, go call the doc to come check her out.”
“I already asked Flynn to call the doc when I requested a room. He should be arriving any minute.”
“I don’t need a doctor. I only need a good night’s sleep and I’ll be as good as new. Please, leave me alone,” Melissa demanded, feeling very embarrassed. “Even my sister doesn’t stay with me when I’m sick. I don’t like people watching me throw up.”
“You’re just going to have to accept the fact we aren’t going anywhere, Melissa,” Damian said firmly. She couldn’t answer because she started retching again.
After the nausea had passed, Melissa tried to get to her feet. Damian and Luke helped her up by taking hold of her elbows. When she was standing once more, Luke pulled her against his warm, hard, masculine chest so she had something to lean on and wouldn’t topple to the floor. And for once she was glad, because she was really unsteady on her feet and her knees felt like they were about to buckle.
Damian took one of the clean face cloths from the top of the vanity and, after wetting it with warm water, he wiped her face and neck. Picking up the clean glass from the counter, he filled it with cold water and handed it to her so she could rinse her mouth. When she was done, Luke scooped her up into his arms and carried her back to the bedroom, where he placed her on the bed carefully.
“I think you would be more comfortable out of these clothes and under the covers, Melissa. Do you want some help to take them off?” Luke was looking worried and she wondered if she looked as bad as she felt.
She wanted to answer, but her muscles were already relaxing and her heavy eyelids were closing and she drifted to sleep before she could reply.
* * * *
Damian wanted to make her more comfortable by removing her clothes but reconsidered when he thought about her reaction when she awoke. The last thing he wanted to do was embarrass her, so he removed her shoes only. Luke picked her up while Damian pulled back the covers on the bed and Luke gently lowered Melissa onto the clean sheet. Damian pulled the covers up and Luke helped him tuck the quilt around her body, making sure she was kept warm and comfortable.
“God, look at her! She is fucking gorgeous. You know who she is, don’t you, Luke?” Damian asked his brother using their mental link.
“Yeah, I do. I could kick myself for hurting our mate like that. If I hadn’t been in such a hurry and distracted I would have smelled her scent before we even got to the door. We have to keep her with us, Damian. We can’t let her go. We’ve waited too long as it is to meet our mate, and I had to screw everything up by knocking her over. Do you think she’ll forgive me?”
“I don’t think she’s the type of woman to hold a grudge, Luke. She knows it was an accident and that you didn’t hurt her on purpose.
“We’ll have to give he
r time to get to know us first before we can claim her. If we force her to accept us before she’s ready, we could end up pushing her away from us. We’re going to have to take this slowly, Luke. One day at a time.” Damian rubbed a hand over his face. He hated seeing their mate in pain and sick but he was ecstatic that he and his brother had finally found her.
Damian let Doc Jonas in when he arrived a few moments later and he watched intently as the older man examined their mate. The whole time he looked Melissa over, he didn’t say a word and Damian was becoming very concerned, and by the frown on Luke’s face, so was he.
“Melissa is going to be fine. She has a concussion and needs to be watched closely for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. I really think she should be in a hospital.”
Melissa roused and had obviously heard the doctor. “No. No hospital.”
“We can take you home to our place and look after you, Melissa.” Damian waited with bated breath for her reply.
“’Kay,” she sighed and then drifted back to sleep.
Doc Jonas nodded. “You need to keep her fluids up. I want you to wake her every hour for the next eight hours and then every two hours after that for the next eight hours. If you have any concerns at all, or if she starts vomiting again, give me a call straight away. I think the nausea has passed though.”
“We’re going to take her back to our cabin with us so we can keep an eye on her. Do you think it’s okay if we move her, Doc?” Luke asked.
“Yes you can, if you’re very careful. Just make sure she is kept warm and comfortable on the journey.”