Melinda’s Wolves(3)

Someone sniffled, and the next thing Melinda knew, her mother pulled her into a side embrace. She set her chin on Melinda’s shoulder and spoke into her ear. “So happy for you, baby. And so glad I could be here.”

Melinda didn’t look at her mother. To anyone who didn’t know them, they probably looked like the closest mother and daughter in the universe. No one would suspect they had just met a few hours ago.

Joyce released her daughter and slipped away, leaving Melinda once again with all her concentration on the two men in front of her.

“Maybe we should step out back for a minute?” Keegan lifted his brows in question.

Neither man touched her. They stood close, too close, but all three of them knew the sizzle between them would turn into a full bonfire if they touched. That was how it worked with wolves. When both, or in this case all three, mates were lupine, the chemistry was explosive.

Melinda squeezed her legs together and instantly regretted it. She also wished she’d chosen an outfit that covered more of her skin for the evening. But that wasn’t the case. She’d changed into the short pink sundress before the party. The skirt reached mid-thigh and was full enough that she would be exposed to anyone around if she spun too fast. The bodice was fitted, and she wasn’t wearing a bra.

She could get away with just about anything since she was five feet tall and barely weighed a hundred pounds. Nothing about her was ample, and that included her chest. Her mother and grandmother were no larger. In fact she was probably the biggest of the three.

She nodded, and Trace and Keegan turned to head toward the sliding glass doors that led to the deck.

Rebecca leaned in and kissed Melinda on the cheek. She grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “I may not be lupine, but I’m smart enough to realize what’s happening.” She winked.

Melinda had forgotten her friend stood so close to her all that time. As she stepped away to follow her future, Miles stopped her for a hug.

She watched as Griffen patted his brother Trace on the shoulder.

It was amazing she was able to get her feet to obey the command to walk, but she wove through the throng of guests and made her way out to the back deck with Trace and Keegan behind her.

The view from the deck was breathtaking. Melinda had stood there earlier in the day, taking in the mountains in the distance and the rolling hills of trees as far as she could see. Everything was so green this time of year.

“Now I see why they built the house facing the other direction,” Trace said. “Amazing.” He followed her to the railing of the deck. The fabulous postcard effect was lost on her this time, however. She could see nothing. Her mind was too busy wrapping itself around this new turn of events.

She turned at the railing and leaned against it for support, fiddling with her hands in front of her. “This is unexpected.”

“Yes,” Keegan agreed. “Not what I thought might happen this evening.”

She smiled, watching his deep blue eyes narrow on her. A long lock of his hair came loose from the ponytail and whipped across his face. It was sexy, and she shivered at the thought of running her fingers through it.

Trace stepped closer and reached to cup her chin. His eyes closed as he held her face.

She tipped her cheek into his palm, every nerve ending in her body coming alive at the contact.

“You’re so tiny,” he commented.

“You’re so big,” she teased in response.

Both men chuckled.

“It’s powerful, beyond my expectations. I mean, they said… I just didn’t expect it to be this…consuming.” Keegan reached for her hand and lifted it to his face. He inhaled as he stroked her knuckles across his cheek.

He was right. The call to mate was intense. She’d seen her brother go through it a year ago, but nothing prepared her for this. Her nipples puckered, and she wished more than ever she’d chosen something that permitted a bra.

Trace leaned in closer, his breath hitting her ear as he whispered, “I can smell your arousal already. It’s intoxicating.”

A tight ball gripped her stomach. She needed to sit before she fell. Her knees wouldn’t hold her.

Someone wandered onto the deck from the yard. “I think Miles, Griffen, and Rebecca have a few guest rooms if y’all need one.”

She whipped her gaze to find Zachary Masters coming up the steps with a huge grin. He was the third of the Masters brothers.

“Go away, Zach,” Trace said to his younger brother without looking.

Zachary lifted both hands and scooted into the house.

Melinda glanced back at her men. “What do we do next?” She felt the flush that covered her cheeks as soon as the words came out unfiltered. “I mean…” She bit her lip and then released it. “That didn’t come out right.”