by Becca Van
Now that she could look back at her sexual encounters with her first boyfriend, she realized she hadn’t been aroused at all. Yeah, she’d gone through the motions and had had sex, but it had been uncomfortable to the point of pain and had done nothing for her. She’d been glad when it had finally been over. Her ex had been a two-minute man, thank God, because she wasn’t sure she would have survived much longer. Both times they’d used a condom, but the friction had been uncomfortable. They hadn’t been right for each other and Mari wished she’d never given her virginity away, but she couldn’t go back and there was no use regretting something that had happened in the past.
What mattered was that she learn from her mistakes and that she never made the same one twice. She had decided the next time she had sex it would be with someone she really loved and not just someone she was infatuated with.
Mari was jostled from her thoughts when Taylor got into the truck. He was so damn big and muscular it felt like the cab had shrunk. She watched the way his huge biceps bulged and flexed each time he moved, and she was pretty damn sure the man probably had a six or eight-pack worth drooling over. His legs shifted as he shut the door, and again her eyes followed. His thighs were thick with muscle, and then her thoughts turned to what he had between them. She quickly turned her head and looked out the window on her side of the truck and tried to rein in her inappropriate thoughts.
She was shocked at herself. She’d never reacted or behaved like this before. Not that she’d really behaved incongruously yet, but if she didn’t get ahold of herself she may just end up doing something totally off the wall.
Mari jumped when Taylor’s deep voice broke the silence and then gasped when she knocked her sore ankle.
“Shit! Are you okay, Mari?”
She nodded because she wasn’t sure she could answer without moaning, but this time in pain.
“It’s not far, baby. One of my pa—friends is a doctor. He’ll have you fixed up in no time.”
What was is with these men changing a word in mid-sentence? Something really strange was going on here.
Taylor reached out and gave her hand a squeeze.
Mari latched on and squeezed back. Perspiration had formed on her brow and upper lip, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could remain quiet. That last knock to her ankle hurt a hell of a lot and hadn’t eased up any. Her stomach was roiling, and she was worried she was going to have to get him to pull over so she could be sick.
She nearly groaned with relief when he slowed the truck and turned onto a gravel driveway, but the land must have been quite extensive because he drove slowly for at least another fifteen minutes.
Mari closed her eyes and inhaled deeply as the truck bounced over a bump and her stomach lurched. The pain was worse than before, and she was feeling sick to her stomach. Taylor pulled up outside a brightly lit house, and since her mouth was filling with saliva, she knew she was going to be sick. She flung the door open, ignored Taylor’s “wait”, slid to the ground on her good leg, clung to the open door of the truck, hopped once to get a little bit away from the vehicle, bent over, and heaved.
Right at that moment she didn’t care that Sin and Michael could see her as the lights from their truck washed over her. All the she cared about was staying up on her good leg and not falling to the ground as she emptied the contents of her stomach.
By the time she had nothing left, her body was covered in a light sheen of sweat, her stomach muscles were tender from the hard spasms, and she was feeling as weak as a newborn kitten.
If she’d had had the strength to care, she would have been embarrassed that three big, strong, sexy, handsome men had watched her toss her cookies, but she felt like a wrung out-wet rag.
As her stomach finally started to settle, the pain in her ankle grew really intense and she felt light-headed. The hands, which she didn’t realize had been holding her hair back until just then, released her tresses and gently lifted her to a standing position. With a moan of humiliation, weakness, and pain, she turned her head and buried her face into the hard, muscular chest.
That piney-musky scent surrounded her, and she let herself drift on a cloud of security she’d never felt before. For some reason she couldn’t fathom and really didn’t have the strength to figure out, she felt safe and protected in Taylor’s arms. When the aroma intensified, she knew that Sin and Michael were close by, and that feeling of being sheltered, the security, increased and she allowed herself to close her eyes and drift.
She was so damn tired, and if it wasn’t for the pain in her ankle and leg she would have drifted off to sleep without a qualm. Taylor carried her into the house, and then she was lowered onto what felt like a leather sofa. She managed to open her eyes, and she found three men looking at her with worried frowns on their faces.
Even through her pain-filled fog, she could see how handsome the three men were. She had, of course, noticed before, but it had still been dark and even the interior light from the trucks hadn’t illuminated them enough to show just how good looking they all were.
Taylor was the tallest with his short-cropped black hair and dark-blue eyes. He was packed full of muscles, and even though his size was close to a linebacker, he wasn’t over the top. His shoulders were very wide and his chest was thick, but not like a barrel. His torso tapered down, and she could see each delineation of muscle beneath the tight black T-shirt he wore. Each time he shifted his arms, his biceps bulged and flexed. The muscles in his arms were so big she imagined her hands would only cover half of them. Not that she had big hands, but the man was huge. His thighs were dense, and she wondered if his ass was beefy with muscle. She imagined it would be since there didn’t seem to be anything out of proportion on him, size-wise. That thought had her trying to imagine how big his cock was, and when she noticed her eyes starting to move toward his crotch, she closed them tightly instead and hoped that her face wasn’t as red as it felt.
A rustle of clothing drew her attention, and she snapped her eyes open. Sin’s eyes were a smoky gray color with light-blue rings around the outsides of his irises. The contrast of colors was startling and mesmerizing, and it was hard to break their visual connection. Her eyes wandered over his broad shoulders. They weren't quite as wide as Taylor’s but no less appealing. Her gaze followed the contours of his neck over the tanned skin at the base of his throat and back up again. She was distracted by the light gleaming in his light, sandy-brown colored hair and noticed the darker ends near the side of his face. His jaw was square, and his chin had a small cleft, which did nothing to detract from his rugged handsomeness. In fact, it only seemed to enhance it. There was a light stubble gracing his chin and jaw, and she had the wildest urge to reach out to see what it felt like, but averted her eyes before that yearning took hold. She drew in a ragged breath when she saw how his body was toned and muscular with large biceps, muscular pecs, ripped abs, and strong, sturdy thighs.
Her gaze shifted to Michael. He was just as handsome as the other two, but in a more classic sense, a little less rugged than Sin. However, each of the men oozed a masculine sexuality she’d never seen before, and she found her breath catching in her throat and her body responding to their dominant manly auras. Mari tried to pull her eyes from their perusal but they seemed to have a mind of their own and she found herself meeting his gaze. Was there heat in his eyes? No, you're imagining things again, Mari. Michael’s eyes were a startling mix of light blue and gray that seemed to change with the light or whatever he was feeling, just the way the light changed with a storm. When he shifted on his feet she found herself looking at his hair. It was a slightly darker brown than his brother's and a little longer, but on him, it gave him a rakish pirate-like appeal. When he drew in a deep breath, her eyes followed the action as his chest expanded. He was slightly leaner than Sin, but not by much, and his biceps jumped when he clenched his hands into fists. She closed her eyes and gulped loudly, and when she heard movement, her lids popped open again.
The three men see
med to move all at once. They crowded closer to the sofa and squatted down in front of her.
“How are you feeling, Mari?” Sin asked in a deep, raspy voice that sent a shiver racing up her spine.
“My stomach feels a little better. Could I have some water please?” She so needed to rinse the sour taste from her tongue. What would be better was if she could get to a bathroom to brush her teeth, but she just didn’t have the energy and there was no way she was asking one of them to carry her. Not when she liked being so close to them when she barely knew them but she couldn’t work out why. She was drawn to them like no other man, or men before, and even though they were handsome and sexy, that wasn’t the only reason for her attraction.
They made her feel safe, which was totally ludicrous because for all she knew they could have rap sheets as long as her arm. However, she knew that wasn't the case and just thinking it made her feel guilty. They hadn't done one thing to make her think that. In fact they'd gone out of their way to help her. If they were criminals they wouldn't have brought her to their home and they'd had plenty of opportunity to hurt her when they found her on the side of the road.
Michael came back from the kitchen and handed her a glass of water. She took a large sip, swirled the liquid around in her mouth, and swallowed it She was just thankful that the first mouthful took away the disgusting taste from her mouth and the next few sips quenched her thirst.
“Ashton is on his way,” Taylor said as he took the glass from her hand and placed it on the coffee table behind him. “He is the doctor I was telling you about.”
Mari raised her eyebrow in question and wondered if Michael or Sin had called the doctor while they were heading back home. Not that it really mattered. She was just glad that they had a doctor close by who could check out her throbbing ankle. Michael cleared his throat, drawing her attention
“I called him when I went to get you the water.”
Marigold nodded and then frowned and wondered if she'd given away her thoughts by the expression on her face. But for some reason she didn’t believe him. He hadn't been gone very long, although if he had the doctor's number programmed into the phone maybe he had had time to make a call. But the niggling in her gut told her she was right and that he was lying to her about making a phone call. He had looked away before completing his sentence and shifted restlessly from foot to foot.
Again, it didn't really matter how Michael had contacted the doctor. She just hoped he got here soon and was able to give her something to relieve the pain.
Chapter Three
Taylor cursed under his breath at his faux pas, and then he sighed with relief when Michael lied to their mate, but from the look on her face he didn’t think she believed a word Michael had just said. He was just thankful she didn’t question them further.
The loud rap on the door was a welcome distraction from their mate’s penetrating gaze, and he quickly got to his feet to answer it. He was pleased to see Ashton had brought along his medical bag, and after quickly whispering to his pack friend how they had found Marigold on the side of the road and that she was human, Ashton nodded with understanding and hurried to her side.
Sin and Michael moved out of Ashton’s way to give the man room to examine her. “Hi, I’m Ashton. I’ve come to look at your injury.”
“I’m Marigold, but everyone calls me Mari. Pleased to meet you Ashton.” Mari held her hand out to Ashton, and it took every ounce of Taylor’s control to swallow the growling rumble trying to form in his chest. He didn’t want another man close to or touching his mate. Ashton’s proximity was making it hard for him to control his wolf. The doctor must have heard the slight aggressive rumble, though, because he shook Mari’s hand only briefly before dropping it again.
Ashton knelt down at Mari’s feet and started to carefully prod and rotate her ankle. Mari gasped, her face paling even more if that were possible, and then her lips tightened with pain.
“I’m sorry, Mari, but I needed to make sure your ankle wasn’t broken,” Ashton said as he released her foot and ankle before sitting back on his heels. “You haven’t got any broken bones, but you do have a bad sprain. You’re going to need to stay off of that foot for at least a few days. You may need the aid of a crutch after that, but if you are careful and keep it strapped you should be back to normal in a week or two.”
“But I have to be able to walk on it by Saturday. I’m one of Primrose’s bridesmaids.”
“Mari,” Taylor started to say but was interrupted when a female voice called her name, too.
Primrose came rushing into the room and over to the sofa, nearly pushing Ashton on his ass to get to Marigold. “Oh, Mari, what happened? Are you all right?”
“Prim! Oh, it’s so good to see you. I can’t believe you’re getting married.” Mari nearly squealed out that statement, and Taylor found himself smiling for the first time in…he couldn’t remember.
Primrose leaned down and hugged her friend before turning to look at Ashton. “What’s wrong with Mari?”
“She has a sprained ankle.” Ashton met Mari’s gaze before meeting Sin’s, Taylor’s and Michael’s. “Which she will need to keep off of.”
“She can stay here where we’ll be able to help her,” Sin said.
“But I—”
* * * *
“That’s settled then,” Prim said, interrupting Mari. Sin nearly smiled when his woman glared at Primrose.
Taylor moved toward the door but paused to look at Mari over his shoulder. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. I’m going to pack a bag. You’re going to need help looking after our ma—Mari.”
Sin nodded. He’d known their friend wouldn’t want to be away from their mate and had expected him to jump at the chance to be close to her. He hadn’t been wrong.
“I don’t need—”
“Michael, go and get an ice pack. Mari needs it to put on her ankle and foot,” Sin said and then met Mari’s glare with his own. There was no way he was letting her leave. Not when they’d just found her. He was already enamored by her and hoped that she would be with him, his brother, and his friend by staying with them and getting to know them.
The mating heat was already starting, and he was so horny all he wanted to do was command everyone to leave so he could strip Marigold down and sink into her wet heat, but she wasn’t ready for that yet. She had no idea that she was their mate or that they were werewolves. No idea that they were already in love with her.
Sin was happy that Taylor would share her with him and Michael. The man was quiet, but since he’d joined their pack he’d become so introverted he had begun to worry about him. But he didn’t think it was only that they hadn’t found their mate that was bothering Taylor. He had a feeling something else was going on, but every time he tried to get him to open up, Taylor seemed to shut down tight. He was hoping that Mari would be able to get him to talk more once she became comfortable with them, and he hoped that wasn’t in the too-distant future.
Michael came back from the kitchen with an ice pack wrapped in a clean dish towel and headed straight for Mari. When he looked at her, he could see that she was in a great deal of pain but was trying to hide it. Her mouth was pulled tight, her face was white, and she had a frown on her face, like she had a headache, too.
Sin hurried to the kitchen, rummaged around in the drawer, and found the bottle of painkillers one of the women had left lying around. His kind didn’t often suffer from headaches and, because they healed faster than a human, didn’t really need the benefit of such things. That was, unless they had been injured severely, but usually if that happened, Ashton would step in and give them a shot until the wounds healed naturally. It didn’t take very long for a werewolf to be restored back to health.
After taking a glass from the cupboard and filling it with water, he moved back to the living room. He noticed the tenseness of Mari’s muscles and knew she was at her limit. Her head was resting on the back of the sofa and her eyes were closed, but her breathing wasn’t slow and
even like it should have been. She wasn’t panting, but she was breathing faster than normal. He felt so connected to her already and prayed to the fates that she would accept them as her men. He squatted down in front of her and placed his hand on her jean-clad knee. Her eyes popped open, and he held up his hand, where the two pills were sitting in his palm.
“What is it?” Mari asked, looking down at the medicine before meeting his gaze again. Her eyes were glazed over, and sweat was once more beading on her brow. Yes, their little mate was in a great deal of pain.
“Just over-the-counter painkillers.” He flicked a tablet over so she could see the brand name stamped into the top, and then she reached out and took them from his hand. She popped them into her mouth and he gave her the water, watching her as she swallowed them down.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He reached for her hand, and immediately the heat in his body intensified at the contact. He knew she felt it, too, when she shivered. Her eyes closed again, and she inhaled deeply and sighed with what sounded like pleasure.
His wolf was emitting the mating musk to entice her to want to be with him, and it was working. Taylor entered the living room, dropped his bag on the floor, walked over to the sofa, and sat down beside her. Michael was already sitting on the cushion near her feet, and he adjusted the pack on her ankle every now and then.
Ashton had already left, and Prim was sitting in an armchair opposite the sofa, worriedly watching her friend. Her eyes touched on him, Michael, and Taylor before back to Mari again. She was no doubt scenting their mating musk, and Sin hoped she wouldn’t interfere with their wooing of Marigold. He could virtually see the cogs spinning in her mind, but she must have come to a decision because she rose to her feet and headed toward Mari.