Chapter Seven
Nervous about meeting his family, Melanie inched closer to Alec while she compulsively flattened out every wrinkle set into her clothes. Her clingy striped shirt kept riding up—and her pants. Why in the world had she worn black? Every speck of lint showed.
Alec pounded again on the door of his brother’s Manhattan apartment and that didn’t exactly help her relax either. His relaxed jeans and rumpled plaid shirt looked out of place among the ostentatious carpeting and wainscoted walls of the exclusive building. It didn’t matter. He carried himself with such confidence he belonged wherever he went.
Now she had to figure out where she belonged.
She’d been powerless to deny her desire for Alec earlier. Even now a constant hum of sexual awareness coursed through her. A scintillating thought of Rook, an indulgent look at Alec and the hum intensified. The connection that existed was something so elemental to her being just the thought of denying herself either of them actually caused pain to radiate through her body.
Their hands bumped and she slipped her fingers between his effortlessly, as if they were meant to be there. Clearly, her body knew where it wanted to be.
Really, she couldn’t take this roller coaster of indecision anymore. She had to hike up her big-girl panties and decide what she wanted. Her parents had taught her to think for herself, after all, and Grace only ever wanted her to be happy. What people would say at this year’s Christmas party if she showed up with two men didn’t matter.
Okay it mattered—but she wasn’t going to worry about that right now.
Like Alec had said, she needed to choose her own happiness.
Melanie stole a glance at him. He’d been knocking on and off for a few minutes and still no one answered. She let her eyes follow the rigid angles of his face. Looking at him for the rest of her life…there could be worst fates.
“Are you sure they’re home?” she asked.
“Marc said they would be.” He gave his knuckles a rest and looked over at her, his eyebrow raised accusingly. “Maybe if you’d taken your foot off the gas and used the brake more often we wouldn’t have gotten here earlier than expected.”
Melanie mimicked his playful expression and poked his chest with her index finger. “You should be thanking me. Stop-and-go traffic is bad for gas mileage. I was doing you and the environment a favor by eliminating most of the stopping.”
“Well, you did a good job then because the only thing that kept stopping was my heart.” He grabbed her hand, pulled it to his lips and kissed the tip of her finger. “That’s dangerous considering how little it beats already.”
If he cared so much about heart health, he’d stop looking at her like that—like he wanted to kiss every inch of her body and never stop. She licked her lips. Maybe he’d take the hint and start with her mouth. “I assumed you were made of tougher stuff.”
Alec gazed back into her eyes. “Not when it comes to you.”
The building could have been on fire and she wouldn’t have noticed. Did he even know how to turn off the sex appeal? She could only resist so much. If she did step over that cliff—the one her toes were already poised at the edge of—she wondered if surviving a life with Rook and Alec would be possible. Her body might not be able to handle the constant bombardment of arousal.
“You really are charming,” she sighed wistfully.
“Didn’t we have this discussion earlier?” He brushed the back of his fingers across her chest just above the swooping neckline of her shirt, bringing quick heat to the surface of her skin. “Do I need to remind you where that led us?”
Oh no, he didn’t have to do that. Melanie swallowed against the golf-ball-sized lump forming in her throat and pounded on the door before she ended up naked in the hallway.
The door swung open and Melanie startled as if she’d been caught making out with him by one of his parents. A man dressed like he’d just stepped out of a Brooks Brothers ad stood at the door. By the look of him—the short, conservative haircut with distinguished strands of gray and the same hypnotic eyes and straight nose as Alec— he could be Alec’s father.
“What’s with all the knocking?” He finished tucking in his shirt and came at Alec with his arms outstretched. “I told you we would be here. Can’t a man have a few minutes to help his wife get dressed?”
Alec let go of her hand. He wrapped his arms around him and returned the boisterous backslaps. “Jennifer’s okay, isn’t she?”
“Of course she is.” He looked from Alec to her and flashed a friendly smile. “Why do you ask?”
“You said she needed help getting dressed,” Alec said. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“Stop worrying about Jenn, big brother. That’s my job.”
Melanie knew she probably looked like a pair of headlights had stunned her as she stared between the two of them. This man couldn’t be Alec’s younger brother Marc. He looked to be in his fifties.
Marc raised his eyebrows and pushed his horn-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose. “And to satisfy your curiosity, I helped her get out of her clothes this morning so I thought it only right to help her put them back on.”
The family resemblance included more than just looks. She fought back her grin. Both men were suggestive flirts.
“Always a gentleman, aren’t you?” Alec chuckled and placed his arm around her shoulder giving it a squeeze. “Marc, this is Melanie.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Marc leaned in and welcomed her with kiss on the cheek.
“It’s nice to meet you too.” They parted and she couldn’t stop looking between the brothers. “So what exactly is the age difference between you two?”
“I was born in 1879,” Alec said. “Marc in 1885. There’s only six years between us. He and Jennifer, his lifemate, married about thirty-six years ago. He’s been aging since then.”
“You said he was your younger brother so I had it in my head that he’d actually look younger.” She’d forgotten to take into account what Alec had told her about the aging process beginning again once they found a lifemate. Melanie rubbed her forehead and let out a tired breath. With so much happening so fast she couldn’t keep it all straight.
“Any chance you guys come with an owner’s manual?” she joked.
Alec kissed her jaw just below her ear. “I’m sorry but you’ll have to purchase the goods before you find out.”
Marc’s husky laugh joined her perturbed sigh. He stepped back and motioned them into the luxury apartment. “Come in. Jennifer will be down any minute.”
She walked ahead of Alec into the grand marbled two-story foyer and the décor reminded her of the finest homes pictured in high-end architectural magazines, with a large crystal chandelier and rich, textured wallpaper.
“She’s excited to meet you, Melanie,” Marc continued. “Her marching orders have kept Ian and me on our toes all morning helping get brunch ready.”
“Really, you shouldn’t have gone to any trouble. We didn’t give you much notice.” Melanie racked her brain trying to remember if Alec had mentioned an Ian. She stabbed at a guess. “And Ian, he’s your son?”
“Um, no,” Marc closed the front door and cleared his throat. “Ian is Jennifer’s other lifemate.”
“Oh.” Melanie whipped her head in Alec’s direction, her jaw set. What was with him and Rook leaving out all the important details? “You might have mentioned that.”
Alec shrugged his shoulders apologetically. “I didn’t?”
“I’m pretty sure you left that out.”
“All the vampires in the world and you’re stuck with my brother.” Marc threw his arm over Alec’s shoulder, gave him a jostle and smiled wide. “I completely understand the hesitation.”
Lucky for Alec his brother’s humor diffused her irritation. She didn’t hesitate to giggle at Alec’s expense.
“Gee thanks, Marc.” Alec’s annoyed tone didn’t match his smirk. “And here I thought you understood that I wanted you to meet Melanie to pu
t in a good word for me. I guess next time I shouldn’t use such big words.”
“I’ll always put in a good word for you.” Tall and regal, an elegant woman with her blonde hair cinched back in a bun peered down at them from the top of the curved staircase. “Hi, Melanie, I’m Jennifer.”
Dressed simply in black and white, she glided down the stairs with all the grace of a ballerina. “Don’t listen to my husband. He’s just jealous of Alec because he got the good looks in the family.”
“Ha.” Marc grabbed Jennifer before she could get by him and nuzzled his mouth against her neck. “Don’t make me spank you in front of company, dear.”
Jennifer squealed and made a halfhearted attempt to escape Alec’s brother’s hold, as if she were a young newlywed and not a mature, sophisticated woman.
It was sweet and Melanie’s insides went all mushy.
Alec butted up against her and she melted some more. His nearness flooded her with excitement and his breath on her neck made her shiver.
“I’m afraid if I tell my brother to get a room, he might actually do just that and then you won’t get a chance to speak with Jennifer.”
“I don’t think he’s going to need you to put that idea into his head.” Melanie turned and her eyes locked with his before traveling to his mouth, his neck, that meaty earlobe of his perfect for sucking. “Are they always like this?”
Will we always be like this? That’s what she really wanted to know. After all, that’s why he’d brought her here. To meet another lifemated couple and see for herself that the passion and loved remained after so many years.
Decades ago Jennifer had found herself in the same situation as she now did and from what little Melanie had seen she didn’t seem to regret her decision at all. Really, she wasn’t flying blind here anymore. Surely Jennifer would give her an honest perspective.
Alec loomed in front of her and she remembered his thoughtful words earlier, the sense of ease his and Rook’s arms wrapped around her could bring. Other than from her family, she hadn’t felt such comfort and acceptance from anyone before. Having it again she was reluctant to let it go.
She stood on her toes. Gave in to the gravity of need. Soft lips, rough chin—she loved the contrast of these hard men with soft hearts.
“Always.” Alec held her steady and spoke between gentle kisses. “We will always be like this.”
So in sync, he’d answered her unspoken question. She swayed and he curled his fingers around the nape of her neck kissing her more deeply. Prickling heat shot through her body. Melanie rested her hand on his hip, skimmed it up his waist. Barely any space separated them but it still felt like too much.
“Would you two like some privacy?” From across the foyer, Marc gleefully reminded them that they weren’t alone.
Embarrassment deepened the warmth of her already flushed skin. Melanie slipped away from Alec but it wasn’t far. He kept her nestled against him.
“Marc, let them be,” Jennifer sighed. “Don’t you remember our first days?”
“Of course I do. They were every bit as exciting as the nights.”
Jennifer tsked, wiggled out of Marc’s grasp and hurried over. “Melanie, why don’t you come with me so we can talk? I’d love the chance to show off my new kitchen too.”
“I’d like that.” She looked forward to some girl time and hopefully some reassurances that this whole lifemate craziness wasn’t so crazy after all.
“Alec, keep your brother out of the kitchen.” Jennifer linked her arm through hers and guided Melanie down the hall. “I don’t need him putting a dent in the brunch before I’ve had a chance to serve it.”
“Consider me a steel wall.”
She looked back over her shoulder and Alec followed after them sporting a mischievous smile. He leaned against the wall and effectively blocked Marc’s path down the hallway.
Melanie turned her head back around and her dream kitchen appeared before her eyes. At least three times larger than her outdated Formica-and-melamine nightmare, the beautifully crafted cherry cabinets and professional-grade stainless-steel appliances would even impress Martha Stewart. And that island—it could seat a small dinner party.
“Wow, this is gorgeous.”
It even smelled good. Whatever Jennifer was cooking, Melanie’s appetite approved.
“Thanks.” Jennifer slipped her arm from hers and looked over the kitchen with a proud eye. “Ian did a great job. He designed the new layout and was in here every day with the crews helping with the installation.”
“And did Marc help too?” Melanie asked, running her hand along the cool, speckled granite countertop.
“Heavens no. Marc is very handy with the credit card, not his hands.” She grinned and shared a shy, knowing look with her. “Well, not unless they’re on me. Then his hands are very useful.”
Melanie couldn’t hold back her smile. She liked Jennifer’s openness and enjoyed her easy humor even if it was a little strange to hear such suggestive talk from a woman old enough to be her mother. That they could be sisters-in-law sunk in. No one would ever replace Grace but it would be nice to have a sisterly bond with someone again. Her heart actually did that thing where it skipped a beat with guarded happiness.
“He did seem to like having them all over you.”
A beat of silence passed and they both broke into breathy giggles.
“Ian’s just as bad and I’ll tell you, it never gets old…well, except when I’m trying to cook.” She crossed her arms and cocked her hip. “Those men are responsible for I don’t know how many burnt dinners. When they were teenagers my sons memorized the number for every pizza and Chinese place that delivered.”
“Alec didn’t mention you had sons.” Surprise, surprise. “How many do you have?”
“Don’t be too hard on him for that. He’s a great uncle to my three boys. He’s just preoccupied at the moment.” Jennifer smirked and pulled out a high-backed leather barstool. “Now have a seat and I’ll tell you all about them while I fix us some mimosas.”
She scooted onto the stool. “Can I help with anything?”
“Nope, casserole is in the oven and everything else is prepared.” Jennifer opened the glass-fronted refrigerator searching its contents. “We’re just waiting for Ian to return with the muffins and bagels.”
She assembled the ingredients for one of Melanie’s favorite drinks and rested them next to champagne flutes arranged on the countertop. “So I have the twins, Anders and Gage, with Ian. Marc and I have Lucas—he’s our youngest.” She sighed. “I really need to stop referring to them as boys. All of them have transitioned recently.”
“You mean they’re vampires now like Rook and Alec?”
Jennifer let out another heavy breath while she filled the glasses halfway with orange juice. “Fangs and all. I’ll tell you, I always knew they would someday become like their fathers but I’m still getting used to the change.” She stopped preparing the drinks and looked thoughtfully at Melanie.
“Tell me, how are you really doing with all of this? I’ve had decades to deal. You’ve only had a few hours.”
Her chest tightened as it always did when she tried to hold back emotions. Melanie shrugged her shoulders, not sure where to start. “Sometimes I’m feeling so much it’s like I can’t feel anything at all. Do you know what I mean?”
“Absolutely. I remember being where you are right now.” Jennifer sat down next to her. “Numb. It’s like you’re numb. The confusion, apprehension, the anxiousness, even the pleasurable feelings like desire are so simultaneous it’s hard to get a handle on any of the emotions to deal with them.”
Was this woman inside her body right now? She grabbed Jennifer’s hand, excited to be understood, and let out a relieved breath. “Yes, that’s exactly what it’s like. So how did you deal with it? How did you know you were making the right decision?”
Jennifer raised her eyebrow and her rich brown eyes twinkled. “You mean the fact that I had two handsome men falling all ov
er themselves promising me a lifetime of devotion and amazing sex wasn’t enough?”
If only it were that easy. “I know, right, that should be enough.”
“Seriously.” Jennifer patted Melanie’s hand. “I trusted and focused on the one emotion that mattered. Love. And when I did, its intensity overshadowed everything else. The worries about my parents and friends thinking badly of me didn’t seem as important anymore. I’ve learned that when something feels so right in your life you can’t believe anyone else when they tell you its wrong.”
The woman was a living and breathing fortune cookie. She was spouting wisdom Melanie had known but had to hear from someone else to trust—someone who knew exactly what she was going through.
“Do Rook and Alec feel like they’re right in your life?” Jennifer asked.
Not only did they feel right in her life Rook and Alec made her life finally feel right.
The weight of indecision that had left her feeling encased in concrete lifted with her instantaneous revelation. Finally she knew what she wanted to do and now that she did, she wondered why she’d hesitated at all.
A chorus of rowdy male voices interrupted what would have been a resounding yes in response to Jennifer. A tall, blond man with sun-kissed skin entered the kitchen bearing a pink cardboard box. With his easy, all-American good looks she could have him booked for a dozen major ad campaigns in minutes.
“Sorry to interrupt. Alec told me he was under strict instructions from you to keep Marc out of the food.” He placed the box on the counter. ”If I stayed out there much longer Marc would have lightened my load.” He nodded to Melanie and then made to leave as fast as he’d come.
“Wait, Ian.” Jennifer slid off her seat and went to him. “Thanks for running to the bakery.” She kissed him on the cheek.
“Anytime,” he said, swiftly shifting his head to capture her mouth in a lingering kiss.
That mushy feeling returned and a wave of happiness rolled through, leaving goose bumps on her skin. Very soon this would be her life too. Nice work if you could get it, indeed.
Dying to Love Her Page 8