Sugar Creek 2: Melissa's Acceptance (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Becca Van

  * * * *

  “Melissa, honey, wake up. You need to have a sip of water.”

  Melissa stirred as a masculine voice spoke in her ear while a large, gentle hand lifted her head and shoulders to a half-sitting position. Groaning at the pounding in her head, she took several small sips of cool water from a glass.

  She didn’t know who was speaking to her but was relieved when the thirst quenching water slid down her dry throat. When the hands settled her back against the pillows, darkness enveloped her again.

  The next time she was roused from sleep, she was being held against a warm, masculine body. Hard thighs were under her buttocks and she was cradled against a hard, wide chest.

  “Come on, Melissa, you need to drink to keep your fluids up. That’s right, honey, drink. Good girl.”

  Melissa tried to pry her eyes open to slits to see who was holding and talking to her, but the pain exploding behind her eyes caused her to whimper and sent her into oblivion once more.

  The next eight hours were a total blur to her. She had no idea who was taking care of her or what had made her ill. If only she could remember, but the pain in her head was just too much. It made her slip back into a deep sleep.

  After a long while, Melissa slowly became aware of her surroundings. She had a headache the size of a mountain, but she pried her eyes open enough to see. The sunlight streaming through the window hurt her eyes, so she had to squint, but after blinking a few times her vision cleared.

  She was in a room that had blue walls and a white ceiling. The bed she was in was so comfortable, and much bigger than what she was used to. It took her a moment to realize it was not her own. Even though the mattress was firm, it had padding on top that contoured to her body.

  Grunting with pain, she pushed herself into a sitting position so her back was resting against the headboard with a pillow behind her. The bed was massive. It was much larger than a normal king-size bed. The comforter draped over the top of her was a deep purple color, which contrasted with the blue walls of the room.

  “Oh God. Where am I?” Melissa muttered. She held her throbbing head in her hands as she tried to remember where she was and what had happened.

  “Melissa, are you okay, honey?”

  Melissa squeaked with surprise as the deep voice startled her. Lifting her head and opening her eyes, she looked up to see two tall, sexy hunks.

  “Who are you?”

  “I’m Damian and this is Luke. Don’t you remember Luke knocking you to floor of the inn last night as he came through the door?”

  Melissa’s memory came rushing back. “Oh yeah,” she whispered. “Now I remember why I have a headache the size of Mt. Everest. Where am I?”

  “You’re in our home, baby. We had Doc Jonas check you out and when he suggested taking you to the hospital, you refused,” Damian explained.

  “We suggested you come home with us so we could look after you and you accepted,” Luke said.

  “I did?”

  Damian nodded. “Doc told us to keep an eye on you for the next forty-eight hours. Luke and I decided to bring you to our home rather than staying at the inn. We figured you’d be more comfortable. It was the least we could do after the big lummox over there knocked you out.”

  “I’m so sorry I hurt you, honey. If I’d known you were behind the door I would have been more careful,” Luke apologized again. “Don’t worry about a thing, Melissa. Damian and I will look after you until you’re feeling well again.”

  “I’m okay. I just have a headache. If you could show me to a bathroom though, I would greatly appreciate it.” Melissa pushed the comforter down and shrieked with embarrassment, and then she quickly pulled it up to her chin again when she realized she was only wearing her bra and panties.

  “Which one of you undressed me and why?” Melissa glared at the two men.

  “We both undressed you, Melissa. We just wanted to be sure you were comfortable. You were too hot in your clothes and started sweating. We didn’t want to make you feel worse by you overheating, since you’d already been sick. I’ll get you something to put on.” Damian turned to rummage in a large tallboy. Pulling out a large black T-shirt, he handed it to her so she could slip it on.

  Pulling the T-shirt over her head and slipping her arms into it was quite a feat while still clutching the comforter to her chest, but she finally managed. She swung her legs to the side of the bed and stood on very weak, wobbly limbs. Damian and Luke were beside her before she could blink. They placed steadying hands at her elbows to keep her on her feet and when she was once again stable, they led her to a door across the room. She gasped in awe when she saw the big, beautiful bathroom.

  “Thank you both, but I can take it from here,” Melissa said firmly.

  “Okay.” Damian released her arm. “We’ll be waiting right here for you. If you need any help just give a yell.”

  Closing the door behind her, Melissa made use of the facilities. After washing and drying her hands and face, she opened the bathroom door.

  “I don’t suppose you have a spare toothbrush, do you?”

  “Actually we do. There is one under the sink in the vanity cupboard. I’ll get it for you.” Luke entered the bathroom, searched in the cupboard, and when he found a toothbrush still in the packaging, he placed it next to the sink.

  “Would it be all right if I used your shower, please? I feel like something the cat dragged in.” She’d never felt so sweaty and grungy. She had no idea how long she’d been sleeping but it must have been for a long time.

  “Sure thing, Mel.” Luke retrieved a towel from the second cabinet under the sink and placed it within easy reach for her.

  “Make use of anything you need, baby. You don’t have to ask. If you can’t find what you need, just let one of us know and we’ll get it for you.” Damian stroked a finger down her cheek.

  She shivered in reaction and hoped he or Luke hadn’t noticed. Ever since they’d walked into the bedroom she felt drawn to them. They smelled so damn good—musky male and sex were the only words that came to mind—she couldn’t stop inhaling their delectable scents. Her nipples were hard and throbbing and her pussy was wet from its continual clenching.

  “Thanks.” Melissa sighed and closed the door. Now that they weren’t standing right next to her, the haze of their aroma wasn’t so strong and she felt like the sexual fog had lifted.

  What the hell is wrong with you, Mel? You’ve just broken up with one asshole after he humiliated you. You’ve got no business panting after two strange men.

  After showering, she felt a lot better, but she still had a thumping headache. Once she was back in the black T-shirt which, thank goodness, came to around mid-thigh, she followed the sounds of the two men to the kitchen.

  Standing in the doorway, she couldn’t help but look the two sexy men over. Damian looked to be the elder of the two brothers, and stood just over six feet with shoulder-length black hair and brown eyes. He had on black jeans that hugged his long muscular legs and a black T-shirt that showed off his bulging biceps and a wide, muscular chest.

  Luke was a couple of inches taller than his brother with short dark-brown hair and hazel-green eyes. He was wider in the shoulders than Damian and had a little more muscle. His long, strong legs were encased in blue denim jeans and his chest was covered with a snug fitting white T-shirt, which showed off some of his ripped abdomen. She could smell their musky scent again and wanted to walk closer to them and get a good whiff, but she was able to hold back. Just.

  Melissa realized both the men were looking at her expectantly and realized they must have been speaking to her. Her cheeks tinged with heat and she hoped she wasn’t as red as she felt. How embarrassing. She’d been caught ogling their sexy bodies.

  “Sorry, what did you say?”

  “Do you want something to eat and drink, baby?” Damian asked.

  “A cup of coffee would be nice, thank you.” Melissa blushed even harder at Damian’s term of endearment. Even though she was
still a little wary of them, since she didn’t know them, it made her feel special to be called baby and honey.

  Luke moved closer and ran his hand down the length of her arm until he was grasping her small hand in his large, warm palm. He led her to the table and saw her seated. She exhaled slowly when he released her hand, wondering what the hell was wrong with her. She hadn’t reacted to Wesley this way, so why was she reacting to Luke and Damian like she was a bitch in heat? She wasn’t sure she liked the way her body seemed to be taking over and noticing these two men, but she just couldn’t seem to help herself. There was just something…otherworldly about them, and she was drawn to them big time.

  “Would you like something to eat, Melissa?” Luke took the chair next to hers and she inhaled deeply when his scent seemed to envelop all her senses. He and his brother smelled so good, she couldn’t get enough of their aromas.

  “No thank you. I’m not really hungry right now, but I could use some painkillers if you have some.”

  “Um, I don’t think we do, sweetheart,” Luke replied.

  She shivered as Luke’s deep cadence washed over her and hoped that he and Damian hadn’t seen her reaction. “Oh well, if you tell me where my purse is, I have some I can take.”

  “I’ll get if for you. Stay where you are, Melissa.” Luke stood quickly and left the room. Within seconds, he was back with her purse, and then retrieved a glass of water for her to wash the pills down.

  Damian and Luke brought their mugs to the table and sat on either side of her, eying her with what looked like desire in their eyes. More of their delectable scent wrapped around her and her breasts felt swollen and heavy. Her nipples hardened even more and her pussy dripped more juices onto her panties. She was so turned on she wanted to take hold of her breasts and massage the ache away, and that wasn’t the only thing she wanted to do. Melissa wanted to shove her hand down into her panties and rub her clit to relieve the throbbing in her pussy. But what would be even better was if these two men touched her and took the interminable ache away.

  Shit! Get those thoughts out of your head right now, Mel. What the hell is going on with me?

  * * * *

  “She is so beautiful, Damian. Her hair has so many colors and it looks like it’s threaded with fire, and her eyes! Man, her eyes look like emeralds sparkling in the sun, and her body. Shit, I have never seen such a fragile little thing. Even though she is average height for a woman, she’s so slender it looks as if a slight breeze would whisk her away.” Luke was fascinated with his mate and couldn’t stop looking at her. He wanted to scoop her up into his arms and hold her against him forevermore.

  “She is absolutely gorgeous, Luke. Her face reminds me of a pixie. Her eyes remind me of a cat with that tilt at the end. She is going to be one little wildcat in bed. She is trying to ignore the mating musk but she keeps breathing in our scent. My wolf is clawing at me to claim her and it’s a struggle to keep it under control.” Damian smiled at Melissa.

  Her eyes looked hazy from the effects of the mating musk and Luke wondered if she would be able to stop herself from doing what came naturally when a werewolf met their mate. Their Alpha’s mate, Tessa Michaels, had kept Lucien, Rafe, and Gabe on their toes when they were trying to court her. He wondered if Melissa would do the same or if she would be more accepting of them.

  When Melissa shifted in her seat and looked from him to Damian, Luke realized they were making her feel uncomfortable. Neither he nor Damian had said anything out loud since they’d taken their seats and neither of them had been able to take their eyes off of her. He felt a little bad about that, but he just couldn’t seem to pull his gaze away from her. She was so damn beautiful and all he wanted to do was strip her down until she was naked and sink his hard cock into her until he was balls-deep, and claim her.

  “What? Why are you staring at me?” Melissa snapped.

  “Sorry, little one, we don’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable, but your beauty is breathtaking,” Damian said in a low husky voice.

  “Oh for goodness sake. Please don’t lie to me.”

  “What makes you think I’m lying, Melissa?” Damian looked at her through narrowed eyes.

  “Don’t you dare piss her off, Damian!”

  “I have no intention of making our mate angry.”

  “Yeah, well, you just seem to have a knack for annoying people.”

  “Fuck you, Luke.”

  “Anyone can see I’m not beautiful. I’m too thin, I have freckles, and my hair can’t seem to decide what color it wants to be, plus I have red in it.” Melissa glared at Damian and crossed her arms over her chest.

  Oh baby, you aren’t beautiful, you’re fucking gorgeous. Luke wished he could say that out loud, but he wanted to see how Melissa interacted with his arrogant brother and didn’t want to distract her.

  “Who told you that you aren’t beautiful, Melissa?” Damian almost growled that question and Luke could see that his wolf was coming to the surface. He stretched out a leg and gave his brother a kick, hoping he would get the hint and control his beast.

  “No one. I’m just stating the obvious.”

  “Melissa, your ‘obvious’ and mine are polar opposites.”

  “Mmm,” Melissa hummed as though she still didn’t believe Damian, and then changed the subject. “Where are we?”

  “We are about half an hour away from the Shifters Inn we met inconspicuously at last night, near Sugar Creek.” Damian gave her a speculative glance but didn’t say anything more.

  “Shit! That’s quite a ways from where I wanted to be. Where is my car?”

  “It’s still in the parking lot of the inn. I asked our friend Flynn, the manager of the inn, to keep an eye on your car. You don’t have to worry about it,” Damian explained.

  “Thank you for looking after me, but I really think I should be heading home now. If one of you could give me a lift back to my car I would really appreciate it.” Melissa got to her feet and started swaying.

  “I don’t think so, honey.” Luke jumped to his feet to steady her. “Doc Jonas said we had to keep a careful watch on you for the next forty-eight hours and since it’s only been just over fourteen hours, you’re not going anywhere.”

  “I’m feeling much better. I’ll be fine.”

  Her face had lost all color and Luke knew she wasn’t fine at all. There was no way she was leaving until she was one hundred percent healthy. If he and Damian let her go, she could end up passing out in her car while she was driving. A shudder wracked his body and guilt assailed him. If it hadn’t been for him she wouldn’t be hurt at all, but there was no way in hell she was getting behind the wheel of a car.

  “Yeah, we can tell you are feeling much better. That’s why your face has gone as white as a sheet and you’re trying not to pass out,” Damian said. “There is no way in hell you are in any condition to drive, Melissa. You could be putting yourself and other people at risk if you got behind the wheel of a car today. Don’t be so damn stubborn.”

  “But…”

  “No buts,” Luke said.

  “You are going to go back to bed right now. You’re not going anywhere until Doc Jonas has given you the all-clear. Do you understand?” Damian scooped her up into his arms, not giving her a chance to reply or argue, and carried her to the bedroom where he placed her gently on the bed. She was asleep within seconds without voicing any more protests.

  Chapter Two

  Melissa felt so much better when she woke later that day, and even though she knew she should go home, she didn’t want to. She was drawn to Luke and Damian and craved to be near them. She’d never felt that way before and couldn’t understand why she was reluctant to leave.

  After what she’d just been through with Wesley, she should be a lot more wary, especially of men she didn’t know. It wasn’t that Wesley had hurt her physically—now that she thought about it he came across as weak and insipid, a real mommy’s boy, and she never should have gone out with him in the first place—but he ha
d really hurt her feelings and her confidence as a woman and she didn’t know if she wanted to put herself through such a humiliating experience again. After a quick shower and brushing her teeth, she found her clothes draped over a small sofa along the wall, and when she picked them up she realized that they had been cleaned. She wondered if Luke and Damian had washed her clothes or if they’d had someone else do it for them, but she didn’t remember seeing anyone else in their home. With a shrug of her shoulders, she got dressed and then went in search of Luke and Damian. She was just glad that it was the weekend and she didn’t have to go to work.

  Damian was just coming out of the kitchen and he had what smelled like a cup of coffee in his hand.

  “Hi baby, how are you feeling?”

  “Much better. Thank you.”

  “Here.” Damian passed the mug to her. “I heard you get up and thought you would like a cup.”

  “Thanks.” Melissa took a sip of coffee and sighed. It was made just the way she liked it. Wait a minute. Did Damian say he heard me get up? Melissa looked back down the long hallway and frowned. Would he really have been able to hear me? Maybe he heard water running through the pipes?

  Melissa inhaled through her nose and was about to ask Damian a question, but the words went right out of her head. She drew in another deep breath and groaned when her body reacted to that amazing scent. When she looked up into Damian’s brown eyes, she could have sworn they were glowing, but after blinking and looking again she figured she had imagined it. But there was no way to mistake the lust in his gaze.

  “You feel it, don’t you, baby?” Damian moved closer.

  “What?” Melissa felt like she was being enveloped in a haze of lust and couldn’t seem to get her body to move back. Not that she really wanted to. In fact, she wanted to be as close to him as possible.

  “You feel the attraction to Luke and me, too, don’t you?” He took another step forward and she frowned up at him.