How had she missed that?
“Don’t worry. Everyone understands.” His words were spoken so low she could barely hear him even with his face so close to her ear. A chill went down her arm, starting at her shoulder and spreading to her fingers. She jerked, and Michael chuckled.
“Your mom,” she mumbled. “She’s going to be back any minute.” She flushed for the millionth time.
“I’m pretty sure she’s aware of our situation and clear on the implications.”
“I don’t care. I … need some space.” Alyssa shoved at Michael, but when that proved futile, she wiggled out from under Tyler’s leg and stood. The mere proximity of the two men was flooding her senses, so she couldn’t think straight. She wanted them. So much so she feared she’d not be able to think rationally. It wouldn’t be prudent to start flinging clothes around the room with Michael’s parents just around the corner and dinner almost ready.
Alyssa straightened her clothes and backed up. If she didn’t extricate herself from the clutches of these two, she was going to lose her mind. She was fairly close to not being able to control her actions.
Alyssa spun around and headed to help with the kitchen table, running into nearly every piece of furniture on the way as if she were drunk. She needed time to clear her head. Tyler and Michael seemed much more civil toward each other than they had earlier, most likely a result of Tyler’s accident in the woods, but her emotions were all over the place.
She’d been totally unwilling to mate with these two earlier in the day. But everything changed while she’d stood on that porch waiting for them to return. An hour. Sixty slow, ticking minutes, during which she could think of nothing but mating with them as soon as possible so that nothing like this could ever happen again.
Regardless of the complications of being claimed by two men who were from such different backgrounds and had incredibly different ideas about where they’d be in the future, Alyssa was clear on the most important thing. This claiming was unavoidable. Any disagreements between them would just have to be worked out. Postponing mating with them was just that—putting off the inevitable.
*
Tyler stared at his flustered mate’s back as she left the room. The woman was so fucking sexy all discombobulated. And he loved knowing he had some part in doing that to her. Hell, he wasn’t kidding. If he’d known this little accident would have brought the three of them together, he’d have broken a leg or an arm earlier in the day.
“She’s magnificent, isn’t she?” Michael’s words shook Tyler back to reality.
“Stunning. And she’s ours.” There was no doubt in Tyler’s mind he was going to spend the rest of his life with these two people. Michael still sat on the bed, only inches separating the two men. There was no need to speak out loud, and their thoughts were assuredly private this way.
“Sorry I was such an ass earlier.” Tyler needed to say the words, even though they were silent. Michael had apologized before. Tyler needed to also. “You took me by surprise. But you’re growing on me.” He smiled.
“Good thing, because we’re going to have to get in sync and work together to make that woman the happiest woman alive.” Michael glanced back at Tyler. “And we’re going to love every minute of it. Besides, it was mostly my fault we got off on the wrong foot. I didn’t have to act like such a jerk when you arrived. I was secretly hoping she’d imagined you.”
“I’d have done the same. Can’t blame you for that.” Tyler stretched his leg out and leaned forward to situate the peas better. The cold really was helping.
“How’s the leg?” Michael asked out loud.
“Better. I’m sure I’ll be good as new in a few days.”
“I hope there’re plenty of things you can do with a sprained ankle. Alyssa is so aroused I can smell her from here. Did you see her hands? She was shaking with nerves.”
Tyler looked up when Alyssa backed through the door balancing a tray. “I have food,” she announced. “You guys missed lunch.”
“I’m starving.” Tyler looked at Alyssa though, not the tray. Didn’t really matter what was on it. The food he wanted was dessert.
Alyssa set the tray down on the bed and nudged Michael to move over. “Your mom made roast. Eat it before it gets cold.” She glanced up, her gaze roaming back and forth between the two men. “Stop staring at me like that. It’s disconcerting.”
“You’re going to join us, right?” Tyler leaned forward and took a plate. It did smell delicious.