“We’re not stuck with you.” Alec countered. “What, do you think Rook and I would settle for any woman fate threw our way? Yes, you happen to be a blood match but there have been others before you.”
Her eyes widened with his confession.
Twice before he and Rook had gotten the call that a suitable match had been found for them but neither time had they felt the match suited them.
“None of them ever enticed us to give up the life we live now, Melanie. That is, until you.” Alec took her hand and pressed it against his chest. Her touch was like hot sparks lighting his flesh on fire. “You’re the first woman to capture our hearts and you’ll be the last.”
A hint of tears glistened in the corner of her eyes. She looked up at Rook and he kissed them away and with the nimbleness of men desperately in love, they managed to steer her out of Alec’s brother’s home and into the elevator without ever ending the steady fall of kisses.
Chapter Nine
Melanie ran her hand across the dashboard of Rook’s blue-and-white Shelby Mustang, almost petting it. Between Alec’s sports car and this vintage gem, it had been one cargasm after the other. Alec was so in trouble for telling Rook to think twice before letting her drive. Rook? He was in trouble for listening.
“Sooo, does this lifemate thing include a pre-nup?” She sat back in the bucket seat that hugged her butt exquisitely and crossed her arms. “FYI, just give me this car and we’ll call it even.”
Rook cut across traffic into the lower level of his glass-encased Manhattan high-rise and backed into his personal car elevator. “What’s mine is yours.” He leveled a quick no-nonsense look straight at her. “Except this car.”
“Oh sure, promise me the moon and then the minute I agree to be your lifemate snatch it back.” For fun she worked her best pout, sticking out her bottom lip for all it was worth. She might be overselling it with the fluttering eyelashes but went for it anyway. “Will you at least let me drive it sometime?”
He shook his head, keeping his laugh to a deep, sexy rumble in his chest. “I could be persuaded.” Rook undid his seatbelt as the elevator began its ascent. He leaned over and attacked her neck with a constellation of kisses that had her seeing stars. “You can start now by accommodating two of my fantasies at once.”
“That sounds interesting.” His lips tickled in the most tantalizing way. His breath on her neck heated her to the bone. Melanie wavered between a giggle and a sigh. “Dare I ask?”
“Having sex with you in a car and elevator. It’ll be a two-for-one.” He unfastened her seatbelt, ran his hands over the fitted cotton of her shirt as he guided the belt off her body.
The metallic whirl of the elevator stopped. Through the windshield she caught sight of Alec waiting by the entryway to Rook’s apartment. Her pulse raced with the intensity of his hot-molten-lava look.
Rook slipped his hand underneath her shirt, creating a shiver along her skin. Never hurried with his touch, he took the time to stroke every sensitive inch of her flesh. She needed to wear body armor around these two. Otherwise she’d be out of her clothes more often than she was in them.
“Why don’t we invite Alec to join us?” he purred.
An invitation wasn’t necessary. Alec prowled straight for her door and pulled it open.
Dark. Carnal. She knew where his suggestion was leading, knew why Alec had hastened to the car. Anticipation strummed every nerve and she quaked.
“What do you think, Alec?” Rook nipped at her earlobe. “Can we both have our way with Melanie here in the car?”
A lump formed in the back of her throat. What had she gotten herself into? Couldn’t they ease her into a threesome on something typical like a bed? The dueling blowjobs in the shower yesterday hadn’t prepared her for what would be happening between the three of them soon.
Alec raised his brow and seemed to be mulling over the idea as he visually inspected the inside of the car. He offered her his hand. “That might prove challenging.”
Phew. She took Alec’s hand. At least one of these men had some sense.
“But I think we could make very good use of the hood,” he murmured sensually.
Melanie whisked back her hand. There went the pounding in her chest. It thumped so hard she heard the rush of her blood in her ears. Maybe it was safer to stay in the car with Rook and his grasping hands.
“Do I have to remind you both that I’ve never had sex with two men at once?” Now there was a sentence she’d never thought to say in her life.
“That’s why we want it to be memorable.” The huskiness of Rook’s voice almost had her giving in to the crazy suggestion. Almost.
The setting wouldn’t make the memory. Alec and Rook would do that. She clamped her hand over Rook’s wandering fingers because once they reached her sensitive nipples she’d be too weak to say no to anything they suggested.
“Sorry,” she said firmly. “But the hood of a car, as sweet of a ride as it is, isn’t where I want to pop my ménage cherry.”
Rook’s booming laugh blended with Alec’s chuckle and their sexual innuendo came to an abrupt halt.
“Did you actually just say that?” Alec asked.
“I like to get right to the point.” Melanie scooted out of the car and shut the door. “You’ll learn that about me.”
“I look forward to it.” Alec didn’t rush the moment. He wrapped his hand around the crook of her arm and gazed into her eyes, searching their depths. “I can’t wait to learn everything about you.”
His touch opened the floodgates of her soul. She wanted to tell him everything. There wasn’t a need to guard her emotions any longer. Her heart clenched as she imagined long hours in bed with both of them, sharing all their memories as they made new ones together.
Rook climbed out of the car, his long stride had him reaching her side in very few steps. “Come on.” He picked her up and cradled her against his broad chest. She didn’t argue. These men would never let her down.
His lip quirked in that sexy way it often did. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”
He smelled of golden-leafed fall—wonderful, warm and sweet. Melanie breathed him in, tempted to rub against him so she could carry the scent of him on her forever.
Alec shut her door. He headed out in front of them and walked through the apartment door at the end of the hall.
Rook kept them a few steps behind. He stopped before following Alec inside. “It might be a little premature to carry you over the threshold but I can’t help myself.” He leaned in. His breath caressed her lips just before his mouth did. “Welcome home, Melanie.”
It didn’t matter where they were—here with him and Alec she was home. She curled her arms tighter around his neck. Desire and longing made a mess of her body and it felt like she was running a marathon without ever taking a step.
The most fabulous sweet fragrance hit her when Rook stepped inside. She breathed in deeply and widened her eyes. “What’s that smell?”
Rook lowered her to the ground. “Take a look. It’s one of your surprises.”
Melanie turned and the grand view of the city from the two-story-high living room windows took a backseat to the floral shop that had taken up residence in his home. Flower arrangements in every size, color and variety filled the modern home.
“Wow.” She smiled and held her hand against her chest. “Just wow. They’re beautiful.” In a daze, Melanie traveled through the room, skimming her fingers over the delicate blooms. Examining the roses, lilies, flowers she didn’t recognize—the indulgence all for her—she began to choke up. “You’ve made up for every disappointing Valentine’s Day I’ve ever had.”
Alec crossed his arms and shook his head in disbelief. “Are you trying to make me look bad?”
“You make that sound like it takes any effort,” Rook quipped.
“I love them.” She suffocated on the words she really wanted to say but the loving looks from both Alec and Rook allowed her to breathe. “I love you, both of you. Isn�
�t that crazy? But I already do.”
Rook came to her first, swallowed her in his strong embrace and kissed the top of her head. “I knew you would, baby.”
“Confident, were you?” Melanie squeezed him tighter.
“Hopeful.” His hold relaxed and he looked down into her eyes, his own bright with unshed tears. “I had to be. The alternative was something I didn’t think I could live with.”
An explosion of endorphins flooded her body with a pleasurable numbness. Never had she felt so much love. How had she thought she could ever resist them?
“Alec, get our present for Melanie. It’s on the table by the couch.”
Her stomach burned with excitement and a little bit of nervousness. “The flowers are enough, trust me. I don’t need anything else.”
“This gift has been waiting decades for you. Don’t make us wait any longer.” Alec stood next to them and held out a carved mahogany box. “Open it,” he prodded.
Melanie’s breath quickened taking note of the expectation in Alec’s eyes. She hesitated and then lifted the lid of the hinged box. Oh my. A gold diamond-studded cuff bracelet shone against the dark purple lining. The delicate metal was woven like a vine.
This was too much. Her hand hovered over the jewelry but she didn’t touch.
Rook wrapped his arms around her from behind and took the bracelet. He held it out in front of her like an offering on the palm of his hand. “Traditionally vampires don’t pledge their love and commitment with a ring, Melanie, but if you want a big diamond you can have that too.”
No, I think the bracelet that looks like it belongs in a royal jewelry collection will do just fine. She might need bodyguards to walk around with her in the city just to be safe.
“Many years ago when Alec and I decided to share a lifemate, we had this made. The pattern is special. Like a family crest, each vampire has a design distinctive to their lineage.”
“So whose family does the design represent—yours or Alec’s?”
“It represents both our heritages.” Alec rested the box on a nearby table and plucked the piece of jewelry from Rook’s hand. “Rook and I had an artist blend our family’s patterns together to make a new one. This now symbolizes the family we want to begin with you.”
“That is, if you’ll have us?” Rook whispered in her ear.
“Yes.” One word, one syllable, yet it held so much meaning. It had been the easiest answer she’d ever given in her life. Giddiness had her chanting the word over and over in her head.
Alec slipped the bracelet onto her left wrist and it hugged her rushing pulse. His dark gaze pinned hers.
Behind his lips she could make out the tips of his fangs. Arousal surged and every nerve tingled with anticipation.
“You’re sure?” Alec was adamant. “Because the next time my lips touch your skin I’m not going to stop touching you until we’ve made you our lifemate.”
His possessive words went straight to her core and a slow, steady throb worked through her body. Her vocal chords wouldn’t cooperate. She nodded.
“There is one more thing.” Alec’s tongue darted out and moistened his lips. “It’s something we’d like to give to you but it’s more of a gift to us.”
“Anything. Just ask.” They were giving her so much—if she could prove her love for them, whatever it was, she’d do it in a minute.
“One kiss, one drop of blood, from each of us, that’s all we ask.”
“Why?”
“You’re about to become part of our world, Melanie. Our paths will cross with unmated vampires, many desperate to find a lifemate. You might be a match for some of them too,” Alec said, his voice trailing off.
“But I’m a match for you. I don’t want anyone else.” Dear God, two of them…that was enough.
“That doesn’t mean they won’t want you. How could they not?” Rook pressed in close from behind. “Take our blood and our bond will be complete. Others will smell our scent on you and know that you are ours.”
Alec pressed the tip of his fang into his bottom lip without a flinch. A drop of blood welled to the surface.
Melanie arched her toes and pressed her palms against Alec’s sturdy chest. She wanted to be theirs alone. Without a second thought she pressed her mouth to his. The metallic tang of his blood didn’t take away from the sweetness of the kiss. She slipped her tongue along his lips to ensure she swallowed down every bit.
He wrapped his arms around her, taking the kiss deeper, owning her mouth. Quick, demanding, his tongue thrust against hers. Arms tight, Alec kept her close, groaning and laving kisses along her jaw. “Knowing a part of me is inside of you forever—fuck, that’s everything, Melanie,” he whispered. “Mine always.”
An avalanche of arousal spiraled, tightening the walls of her pussy. Her panties clung to the moist heat of her swollen flesh.
“She’s yours, she’s mine, she’s ours.” Rook pressed in closer and she clenched her thighs tight, giving her awakening clit some much-needed friction. Knowing Rook was right behind—his blood-dotted mouth waiting his turn and eager to make her his own—only made Melanie that more needy. The moment never would be complete until she shared herself with them both.
With a dizzy spin she tore herself from Alec and fell into Rook’s hold. His kiss came quick. The taste of his blood was identical to the flavor of Alec’s still lingering on her tongue. Soft and full, his mouth covered hers, pouring more heat into her body.
Touch. She needed the kind of touch she didn’t want the whole world to see in those wide-open windows. She wrenched herself from Rook and hurried to the flight of open stairs. Three steps up she turned to face them and continued to climb with her hand slipping along the cool metal banister for support.
Two sets of intent gazes tracked her every move.
Rook and Alec stood like statues, hard and steady, until Rook leaned over and said something to Alec she couldn’t hear.
Secrets? Melanie didn’t take another step. Annoyance tempered her lust. She needed to make it clear that it would never be okay to keep her in the dark again. “If we want this to work there can’t be secrets between us.”
“It’s not a secret, baby.” Rook smiled and it managed to be dark, mischievous and sexy all at the same time. “I just told Alec I thought he should go to you first and get that lovely ass of yours ready for an afternoon of lovemaking.”
Thankfully she had a good hold on the railing or she might have taken a nosedive down the steps.
Alec prowled toward her, a relentless predator. He pulled his shirt out from his waistband. “And if you hadn’t interrupted I would have told him what a damned good idea I thought it was.” He climbed the steps two at a time, his light gray eyes dark with promise. “How do you like that for honesty?”
Melanie fought back the quake that threatened to whip through her body. This aggressive posturing turned her on and the momentary spike of apprehension she had about what was about to happen waned.
It was hard to find air for her words when her lungs greedily sucked it all down. “Well if we’re being honest then I guess I should let you know that I can’t wait for you to get me into the bedroom and have your way with me.”
“That’s something we can all agree on.” Alec reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it up over her head. He traced the edge of her white lace bra where it met the swell of her breasts.
Melanie couldn’t hold back now. One touch, one small patch of her skin teased and she felt heat all over her body.
“On or off, Rook? She looks so sexy in it I can’t decide.”
Rook stood at the base of the stairs. The way he looked at her, she already felt naked. “Off, always off. Nothing is better than her skin.”
Alec took everything off her with excruciatingly slow care and then corralled her up the stairs and into Rook’s bedroom. She was flat on the low platform bed—Alec fully clothed on top of her—before she knew what happened.
Last-minute doubts—Alec’s wild kisses didn�
�t leave room for them. This was happening and very soon. Melanie tried to keep her breaths steady, tried to stay calm and relaxed but Alec was making it his personal mission to see her lose control with each merciless touch.
“I’m going to love watching you come undone.” Rook stood at the foot of the bed, savage heat darkening his eyes. He worked each button on his shirt lose from neck to waist.
“How can you watch?” Alec’s rough chin skidded across her skin, his mouth soothing the burn. “Melanie’s too beautiful not to touch.”
“Shit, you’re right. What the hell am I thinking?” Rook peeled off his shirt and stripped away everything below his waist.
Rook’s muscled chest, the trim cut of his waist, even the spear of his erection jutting out from a dark patch of hair couldn’t keep her from noticing the new black-banded tattoo wrapped around his left biceps.
The bed dipped as Rook climbed on and stretched out beside her.
Alec climbed off, pulling at his clothes as he went. As soon as he flung his shirt to the floor, Melanie realized he had the same matching tattoo. The pattern looked familiar. She looked to her bracelet and then back to Alec’s arm. They matched.
“Where did those come from?”
Rook smiled and smoothed her hair away from her face. “We didn’t mention that downstairs did we?”
“I’d say we were both too eager to get upstairs,” Alec chimed in.
“You have your bracelet, we have these tattoos. Yesterday Alec and I had a vampire tattoo artist mark us as claimed. People call them tribal tattoos but the men wearing them are either transitioned vampires or humans ripping off our designs.”
“But,” she stammered. “But yesterday I hadn’t agreed to anything.” Melanie pushed up on her elbows. My God, her heart fluttered. They love me that much. Reverently, she skimmed her hand over Rook’s new body art. “What if I had said no?”
“You didn’t. That’s all that matters,” Alec said, removing his pants. He gripped his perfectly shaped erection and with a slow slide stroked himself. “We have years to talk about it. Right now I want to get to the fun part of becoming lifemates.”
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