Mellie's Angel [Men of McKenna Downs 2] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever)
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Men of McKenna Downs 2
Mellie’s Angel
Melanie Laurie misses Jake O'Neil, one of her bosses, while he's away on business. Her attraction to his older brother, Hunter, confuses her. Jake encourages their attraction, and Mellie is weak against Hunter’s sweet disposition and his smooth, sexy way of talking.
Hunter O'Neil always knew the woman of his dreams would come into his life to complete him, his brothers, and their friend, Diego Sanchez. As he and Mellie spend time together and begin to fall for each other, Hunter knows he'll have to tell her what makes him different from his brothers. That part is easy compared to the knowledge that one day he and his brothers will have to tell Mellie about the town secret in McKenna Downs and pray that she doesn't walk away from them for good.
Meanwhile, the stalker follows the trail of Mellie's past, drawing ever closer and threatening someone she loves to draw her out in the open.
NOTE! You are purchasing Siren's newest serialized imprint, the LoveXtreme Forever Series. This is book 2 of 5 in the Men of McKenna Downs collection. These books are not stand-alone. Each is a continuation of the previous book and must be read in the numbered order. The final book contains a happily forever after for the heroine and all her men.
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Western/Cowboys
Length: 31,985 words
MELLIE'S ANGEL
Men of McKenna Downs 2
Zoey Marcel
LOVEXTREME FOREVER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: LoveXtreme Forever
MELLIE'S ANGEL
Copyright © 2014 by Zoey Marcel
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62741-296-4
First E-book Publication: April 2014
Cover design by Harris Channing
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.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
About the Author
MELLIE'S ANGEL
Men of McKenna Downs 2
ZOEY MARCEL
Copyright © 2014
Chapter One
Melanie Laurie missed him already. Jake O’Neil, the man she had feelings for, had gone with his eldest brother Greyson on some business trip to drop off horses to a client in North Dakota. It had been hard watching Jake get into the truck and drive away when she’d only started to get to know him. She knew he would be back in a couple of days, but that knowledge did little if anything to lift her spirits.
Jake’s older brother, Hunter stood near the coffeepot, pouring fresh grounds into the filter. The O’Neils had hired her to be their maid and cook. Yesterday had been her first day, but so far they hadn’t let her do a darned thing in the labor department. She wasn’t one to loaf around on the job and wasn’t sure why they were being so nice to her, though she found being treated like gold was more than agreeable.
“This is French vanilla,” Hunter informed her in that naturally low voice of his. It was breathy, manly, and sexy as hell. “Is that all right with you?”
She nodded. “Please. That sounds delicious. Vanilla coffee is my favorite actually.”
“I know. Jake told me.”
Jake told him what kind of coffee she liked best? What for? He’d only met her just the other day. Were he and his brother just that close, or simply bored as hell that the type of caffeinated beverage the maid consumed was the hot topic of the day?
Despite the oddity, she found it kind of sweet that Jake cared enough to repeat the information and that Hunter had actually remembered his younger brother mentioning it to him.
“It smells good,” she remarked, not sure what else to say.
“Wait ’til it gets brewing.” Hunter turned the coffeemaker on and then put the bag of grounds away in the cupboard. “You hungry?”
“Jake bought me breakfast before we came here. Thanks anyway.”
Things got quiet except for the soothing lull of the percolating machine. She’d always loved that sound even when she was little. The pungent aroma of fresh coffee brewing was even better.
“You ready for that tour now?” Hunter asked.
She smiled, hoping a tour would give her time to get used to being alone with any O’Neil that wasn’t Jake. “Please.”
Hunter showed her around the log cabin dream house. The tour took longer than she thought it would. The place was a mansion. Clearly Jake hadn’t been kidding about the possibility of her getting lost in their house at first. Heck, she was surprised the cowboys didn’t get lost wandering around here themselves.
The entire home took her breath away. She’d always been partial to log cabins. They were so rustic, so wild, and romantic. This place was all those things and more. Des
pite the spacious feel and vaulted ceilings in the living room, the chunky logs gave the luxurious mansion a cozy cabin atmosphere that echoed the hominess of a much smaller house.
If the house was breathtaking enough, she found her eyes flickering to another spellbinding sight.
Hunter O’Neil was the quintessential rugged cowboy. In spite of his shaggy dark blond hair, his rough, weathered features were anything but androgynous. He had hard lines on his face from half a lifetime of hard manual labor under the sun and crow’s feet at the edges of his eyes, probably from a failure to discover the existence of sunglasses while he worked outside.
His square jaw was studded with stubble that didn’t hide the sexy allure of his cleft chin.
Melanie hadn’t cared for chin dimples as a child, but now that she was a woman, she didn’t mind. On Hunter they screamed of male hotness, and she had the irresistible urge to lick him there.
She pushed the naughty thought aside and tried to pay attention to his talking, but lord, that voice. His gentle, sultry timbre was like an angel of passion caressing her all over. That voice got under her skin and heated her blood, gave her chills that made her feel like she was naked and somehow precious.
Darn Jake for this. He took her to bed with two of his brothers last night, confessed his love for her this morning…and then left her alone with the two brothers he’d shared her with last night? Was his trust in them so strong, or was he simply a fool?
She had no intention of getting frisky with them, but the thought occurred to her that if Jake hadn’t been so wild and crazy as to share her with Hunter and Emmett, she might not be having such a hard time keeping her thoughts pure right now.
Of course she still would have noticed how handsome and desirable Hunter was, but she wouldn’t be lusting after him and remembering what he looked like when he was aroused. He’d only lowered his jeans last night, but she could imagine what he looked like completely naked—strong, manly, and powerful with a hairy chest. His massive cock stiff and throbbing for her as she sucked it hard and thoroughly until he’d emptied himself into her mouth. She’d swallowed his cum last night. He was the first man she’d ever done that for. It was a special thing.
No, it wasn’t. He was her boss. All four of the O’Neil brothers were, and she’d do well to remember that.
“Follow me,” Hunter beckoned.
Melanie followed him through another hall, forbidding herself to look down at the tight butt moving in front of her. She had only glimpsed his behind last night, but it had been tight and hirsute, asking to be squeezed by her hands and ground into by her breasts.
Father, forgive me.
“This is Greyson’s room,” Hunter announced. “Be careful not to touch anything. He’s funny that way.”
She stepped in cautiously, having a look around. It was tidy and clean and quite masculine, continuing the log cabin ambiance that most of the rooms had with a few exceptions.
“He’s not a fan of people messing with his stuff, huh?”
“No. He’s kind of picky in that regard, or any regard for that matter.”
She felt Hunter’s eyes on her, searing and relentless as she walked around Greyson’s large room. He had a king-size bed. Why did a single man need a king-size bed?
“What do you think of our house?” Hunter asked, alluring voice dripping sweet with honey.
She had a feeling with his husky, angelic timbre and his evident gift of speech he’d displayed he could con people out of all their money if he wanted to…or their clothes.
Melanie forbade the memories of last night to return, but they were ornery foes, fighting dirty to get back to the forefront of her mind.
“I love it. It’s a beautiful house. If I lived in a place like this, I’d never want to leave.”
Hunter smiled, deepening the appealing creases at the corners of his mouth. “I’m glad you like it.”
His lush, shamrock-green eyes had a grayish grunge tint to them. There was a deep sincerity in those eyes that betrayed the kind soul behind them. Ironically those same benevolent eyes housed desire and a hint of wickedness he managed to keep a tight rein on.
His eyes weren’t the only paradox about him. His harsh, masculine characteristics were at odds with the mellow pitch of his voice and the gentility of his quiet spirit. He intrigued her.
She gulped when he approached her. He was about an inch taller than Jake and several inches taller than her. At a guess she would put him at about six foot one.
“Do you want some coffee, sweetness?” Hunter asked in what was probably his normal volume.
She swallowed, knowing it wasn’t his fault for having such a nice voice. It wasn’t like he was trying to seduce her.
“I would. Thank you.”
Her breath caught and her pulse sped up when he brushed a strand of hair back from her face and tucked it behind her ear.
“I like coffee,” she said in a near squeak.
Oh lord, someday she really needed to learn the art of speaking intelligently when nervous.
He smiled at her. “I like it, too, angel.”
Good heavens, he was still standing there gazing down deeply into her eyes like they were engaged in a hot and heavy passionate encounter. What to say? What to do?
She should move. She waited. Not moving. Her feet felt weighed down as if her shoes had lead in them.
“After you finish your coffee, I’ll show you,” he murmured, running his fingers through her hair.
“What will show you me?” she whispered, feeling as soothed by his fingers moving through her strands as she was aroused and nervous.
His scent drove her crazy. He smelled like good wood smoke and kind of earthy, like a man who had been working in the forest during the fall. It was an enticing, rugged essence that unhinged her even more, particularly when he leaned in ever so slowly.
“Where the cleaners are,” he whispered, bending his head down, “and the sponges.”
Gracious, that sentence should not have sounded carnal, but somehow he made it sinful and tempting. She almost let him kiss her, but a pang of guilt forced her to bend her head down so her lips were out of range.
Jake was the one she had feelings for, just him, no one else.
Hunter paused as if gauging her reaction. “We don’t want the coffee to get cold.”
She shook her head, feeling awkward and embarrassed and to her shame, disappointed that she hadn’t let him go through with the kiss.
Melanie followed him back downstairs and watched him grab two chunky white mugs from a cupboard. Her mind scrambled for something to say to shed this uncomfortable feeling and the distracting impulses that whispered in her bad girl ear.
“So Greyson is particular about his things getting touched?”
Hunter nodded and poured some dark, piping-hot coffee into both mugs. “Oh yeah, he knows where everything goes down to the centimeter, and if something is out of place he knows. Don’t ask me how he knows, but he does. Then he won’t rest until everything is put back in place.”
A smile eased onto Mellie’s face. “Oh wow.”
Hunter handed her a mug.
“Thank you.”
“I wrote the measurements down for the stuff on his dresser and the surfaces in his room so the maids would know exactly where to put it back after dusting in there.” He blew on his coffee lightly. “I’ll show you later.”
She grinned, slightly sideways. “That must have been difficult for some of the past maids to deal with on a regular basis.”
Hunter looked amused. “Oh, it was. The ones that weren’t let go quit. Greyson would never admit to this, but I think that most of them leave because of him.”
She nodded, trying not to smile, but failing miserably at it. “I can see that.”
“Same here, but he can’t. It makes it interesting, that’s for sure.”
She exhaled through her mouth, using her breath to cool the brew faster. Feeling his deep, moving eyes on her, she raised her head to meet h
is transfixed gaze.
“I think you’ll be different, Melanie,” he said quietly. “I know you will.”
She smiled, telling herself that Hunter was Jake’s older brother and not one of the men she’d had a foursome with last night. Alas, he was both and she couldn’t seem to disconnect from the torrid memory no matter how hard she tried.
Her tone came out lower than she meant for it to. “I intend to be. I don’t want to disappoint you…any of you.”
Hunter gazed at her deeply for a moment before answering. “You couldn’t even if you tried.”
* * * *
He scowled, wanting to pulverize someone. Pretty much anyone would do. The nuns hadn’t been any help to him. All the Reverend Mother had told him was that Melanie Laurie wasn’t at the convent. Great, so that left everywhere else in the world that she could be.
His mind clambered endlessly for a possible location. If she wasn’t at the convent in Boston, then maybe she’d gone back to her home in California. She had parents there, but he doubted the thirty-year-old woman would want to move back in with her parents. It was possible, but he knew her better than that.
His plump little whore would want to live on her own or move in with someone close to her own age for a while, someone like her sister.
His eyes narrowed and he felt a slow, sinister smile come over him. Yes, her sister. His delicious tart had a younger sister. Kendall Laurie, wasn’t it? Even if Melanie wasn’t currently living with her sister it didn’t matter. Kendall would more than likely know where Melanie was, and even if not, she would have his curvy slut’s phone number.
He would get it and then he would have her. Hopefully Kendall was swift and cooperative about disclosing Melanie’s location. It would be a shame to shed the blood of such a pretty creature.