Tally watched her cousin glare at her for the first time in years. “What the heck, Nita?”
“No, you listen. You have two men you’ve described as every woman’s dream, licking at your heels and ready to do your bidding. Men offering you protection, love, devotion and a relationship neither would ever do anything to damage and you still can’t decide?”
She bit her lip and glanced away. Nita was right. What the hell was wrong with her? When would she ever meet two men as willing and ready to make her their life? Not anytime soon if ever.
“You’re right. I’m such an idiot.”
Nita grinned. “You’re not an idiot. You’re scared to try something new. But there’s something you seem to have forgotten in your search for everything wrong with these two guys.”
“What?”
“You’re already in a relationship with them or they wouldn’t be practically living in your house. You sleep with both of them. You have sex with both of them. Hell, you shower with one and then the other.” She sniggered. “I bet you’d do both in the shower if your shower wasn’t so damn small.”
She flushed and glanced around. “Hey, just because I am ready to give the whole mate thing a chance doesn’t mean I want the entire world in on my sex life.”
“Fine, but you really need to give those men the mate they desperately need.” Nita patted her hand. “They’ve been patient with you for almost two weeks. They need you to make a move already.” Nita stared deep in her eyes. “You are not a punk, prima. You’re a self-assured woman who knows what is good and what isn’t. Is this good for you? Do these men make you happy? Only you know the answer to that.”
She thought about Nita’s questions for the rest of the day. She was right. Tally had become a good judge of what was good for her life. She knew that Connor and Theron had taken more than just an interest in all the things that made her happy. They’d turned the entire situation into a way for her to see that a relationship between the three could work. Neither man pushed or pulled for more of her attention than she wanted to give.
They were so concerned with what she wanted that she was shocked at how much they paid attention. It caught her off guard one night when Connor showed up with a tub of her favorite ice cream. He said she’d been running low. It was her favorite when they watched TV at night. For him to notice that was beyond what she’d ever expected out of anyone.
Even Theron, the big sexual wolf had found ways to make her feel cared for when she wasn’t aware of it. He’d given her hugs and kisses when they sat down doing simple things like talk. Whenever they walked anywhere, he always held her hand. It was all those little things that added to the bigger thing she’d tried to deny. Her obvious feelings for them.
Denying it wouldn’t make it go away. They cared and dammit she did too. It was time to stop with the games and come out with what she knew they needed. Her answer on being their mate. They hadn’t mentioned it again except the few times they spoke of her going to meet their pack. But she knew that they waited anxiously for her to make up her mind.
That evening, she got home and found dinner on the table, candles lit and wine chilling. Theron sat on the sofa watching a game while Connor read a newspaper.
She stopped at the sight of both men. Her stomach flipped when they smiled. Her heart filled with an emotion she didn’t want to define just yet.
“We need to talk,” she burst out.
Their smiles dimmed. They glanced at each other and back at her.
“Tally, if anything’s wrong—” Connor started.
She raised a hand and cut him off. “Stop, please. I need to talk. You both need to listen.”
They nodded but remained silent. She put her handbag on a chair and slipped off her heels. To help herself relax, she curled her toes into the soft beige carpet and sighed. If nothing else, the softness allowed her to take a mental breather and focus on what she wanted to say.
“Okay, so you both said you wanted to have this mating relationship with me, right?”
Dual nods again.
“And you both promised to be faithful and not look for another woman while we’re together,” she said, saying their words back to them. “I’ve made a decision. I don’t know how or why you two decided I was the woman for you.” She watched both, loving Theron’s fierce concentration on dissecting everything she said and Connor’s encouraging smile. “I’ll be your mate.” She cleared her throat. “That is, if you still want me.”
Both men jumped to their feet.
“Of course we want you!” Theron growled.