AMelodyinParadise Read online

  Melody walked to the chair in the corner and sat down with a plop. “You’re shapeshifters? All of you are shapeshifters?” She licked her lips and Mitch felt his pulse jump as he imagined what she could do with those lips and that tongue.

  “Paradise…is Paradise filled with shifters?” She shook her head and half-smiled. “I knew it sounded like paradise, but to have an entire town filled with shapeshifters…well, that’s awesome!”

  “She’s hearing you, but she’s not hearing you, Carmen. Either that, or she’s ignoring the pertinent parts about her being our mate.”

  Turning her attention on him, Melody’s cheeks turned a gorgeous shade of pink before she looked down toward the floor. “No, I haven’t. I’ve heard every bit and…and I don’t know what to think.” She looked up at him. “It’s one thing to read about something like this in an erotic novel, but it’s totally different to live it.”

  Mitch felt himself grow hard while he watched her contemplate a life with him and Wyatt. He wanted to say he loved her, but he barely knew her. He’d spent too many years trying to put thoughts of her out of his mind as Carmen tried to throw them together. Perhaps if they had gotten to know her sooner, they would have known each other as individuals before she matured enough to trigger el calor in all of them.

  Was that why the heat hit her so hard? They hadn’t been together for long. It had been less than twenty-four hours since they had been exposed to each other’s scents and body chemistry. Was it the repeated exposure to each other’s scents over the last several years that made her first reaction to them so virulent? Or was there something else going on? Whatever it was, he was certain it was going to make them come together much faster than she would like.

  He knew human women and he knew that they liked to think they were in love with the men they had a physical relationship with. They also liked to think the man, or in their case the men, in question were in love with them as well. There was no way, by any stretch of the imagination, that Melody could believe they loved her.

  “I know this sounds weird and probably just a little bit wacked, but I think I’ve been a little in love with you two since I was seventeen.” Melody shrugged, drew her legs up into the chair with her and wrapped her hands around her knees. “At first I thought it was a schoolgirl crush.” She grinned and rolled her eyes. “I mean what girl hasn’t had a crush on the older brother, uncle or some other male member of their best friend’s family? I’ve talked to a lot of girls who have done the same.”

  Her toes peeked out from under the full-length black gown she still wore. She wiggled them a bit as she talked. For some reason, the action held him mesmerized.

  “I—I know that it’s wrong. Sinful even. But for the last few years, I just couldn’t imagine myself with anyone else.”

  Mitch shifted his gaze to Carmen who had begun to move toward the door. “I think you guys need to hash this out and you don’t need me around to do it.” She grinned. “I’m going to go out to the swimming pool and do some laps.” She grabbed the doorknob and pulled it closed until only her head poked through the opening. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Then she winked. “On second thought, Mel. Do lots of things I wouldn’t do.” When she closed the door, Mitch was sure they all heard her squeal. “Finally! She’s going to be a part of the family. I love it!”

  Chapter Six

  Melody sat in the chair and stared at the two men that she now realized that she loved. How could such feelings run so deep without her knowing it? She watched as they just sat there on the bed and looked at her. Were they expecting her to make the first move? She hoped not. She had no idea what to do.

  Oh, she knew the mechanics of it. She even thought she might know enough to get herself into trouble, but she didn’t think she could entice the two men to do something they didn’t want to do. The question was, did they want her or not?

  “Just in case you two haven’t figured it out, I’m a virgin and I have no idea what you’ll expect of me.” She felt her face heat as they smiled at her.

  “A virgin in this day and age?” Wyatt grinned at Mitch. “That’s hard to believe.”

  “I don’t lie.” She glared at him. “I haven’t been with anyone because I’ve been half in love with you two for the last several years.” She glared at them. “Though, from what I’ve seen since we met, for the life of me, I can’t tell you why.”

  “Oh, we get better, honey,” Mitch smiled as he moved from the bed and removed his shirt. She hadn’t expected him to have such ripped abs. Heck, he had an eight pack and if what she saw below his shiny gold belt buckle was any indication, he had a raging hard-on as well.

  Her stomach clenched as she thought about the size of his package and she looked away. She wasn’t sure she was ready to see him without his pants, just yet and she didn’t want to give him any ideas.

  “I, uh, hoo! Is it getting hot in here?” Melody waved her hand in front of her face. It was hot in here and she felt as though she was burning up. At least she didn’t feel that strange burning heat in her middle like she had earlier. This was something different.

  Wyatt stood as well. He unbuttoned his shirt, slowly revealing his broad shoulders and well-defined chest. Both of them were tanned and so totally fit, she wondered how much time they spent in the gym every week.

  “This is the way it is, Melody,” Mitch said in that deep voice that gave her goosebumps when he spoke. “Our people go through what is called el calor when we meet our mates. We think it happens so we know who it is we should procreate with. Perhaps it is some failsafe nature provided to us, so that we would mate with the right person to ensure strong babes that would survive the rough, prehistoric times. We don’t know. All that we do know is that it drives us to mate with the person who brings this out in us.

  “Until recently, we were led to believe that there was one male for every female. When they mated, they were married. For life.” He ran his fingers through his hair. It was the only indication he gave that he could be the slightest bit nervous.

  “Like I said, that was until recently. A few years ago, the rightful leader of Paradise retook his place amongst our people. He discovered that we were not meant to mate one on one. He found archived records that proved that until recently our females mated with not one, but two or more males of her choosing.”

  “That is why you are attracted to us both,” Wyatt added. “It has also been documented that human women who have shifter mates, also usually have two or more mates among our people.”

  Melody didn’t know what to say. This was what she had fantasized about, dreamed about all of these years. She wanted them both. For some reason, she could never imagine herself with only one of them. What did this all mean? Did it mean she could really have the dream, live the dream?

  “Don’t reject us immediately, Melody,” Wyatt actually lowered himself to his knees and Mitch followed suit. “Think about it before you run from us screaming. Please.”

  Melody watched the two of them for a minute. They seemed so sincere. They both wanted her. What could she do? What should she do other than accept this very odd proposal?

  “I don’t know what to say. Do we,” she paused, trying to figure out how to word her question without sounding like a complete slut. “Do we have to,” she paused again and waved her arm, unable to put her x-rated thoughts to words. “Do we have to do it all together, or would it just be one on one?”

  Wyatt gave her such a sexy grin she would have melted into a puddle in front of him if she hadn’t been sitting in a chair. “Well, sweetheart, that depends on you, with the exception of one time.”

  “What do you mean?” She hugged her legs tighter, trying to hide the fact that her nipples had tightened into hard little peaks.

  “With the exception of the mating ritual, the three of us won’t ever have to make love at once unless you want it.”

  “Oh. Well that’s nice to know. I just wasn’t sure. Since I’ve never, well…” Her face got so hot, Melod
y half expected to burst into flames. “Since I’ve never had sex before, I knew I couldn’t take both of you at once the first few times around.”

  Oh, God. Did she just say that out loud? Did they want to make love with her right now? How long would it take Carmen to swim a few laps? Would Carmen hear them or would she keep her nosy ass in the living room and watch a movie until one of them made an appearance?

  The two men looked at each other for a minute then Wyatt stood. “I’ll go get Carmen and we’ll go out to get something to eat.” He turned to Melody and winked. “Later, it’ll be our turn to get to know each other.” He left the room without a backward glance and Melody turned to Mitch and nervously licked her lips.

  “God, darlin’, don’t do that. It drives me crazy.” He lowered himself to his hands and crawled over to her. Resting his head on the arm of her chair, he looked up at her with those chocolate brown eyes that she had come to love so much. “I don’t want for it to seem as though I’m rushing you, sweetheart, but—”

  Leaning forward, Melody pressed a finger against his lips. She didn’t want to hear him apologizing. It was their body chemistry that caused this. If what they had told her was true, they didn’t have any more of a choice in this than she did right now. All she knew was that she didn’t want to have to go through that pain again. If having sex with an entire football team would stop that, she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t consider it.

  “It’s okay, Mitch.” She bit her lip. “Can I call you Mitch?” Melody knew it was kind of late to ask that now, but it just felt a little weird, because they hadn’t been properly introduced.

  Nodding, he laughed. “Of course it’s okay.”

  Melody’s stomach did a little flip and that strange heat started again. “How long is that injection supposed to work?” It just seemed like it should last longer than a few minutes.

  “Six to eight hours. Why?”

  Taking a deep breath, Melody rubbed her stomach. “Not for me, it doesn’t. I think it’s wearing off already.” She turned her panicked gaze to Mitch. “I don’t think I can go through that again, Mitch. I really don’t.”

  Mitch stood and drew her up and into his arms. “Then we’ll start this now. I didn’t want to rush you, but it seems your body has other ideas.”

  Without warning, Mitch cupped her jaws in his hands and slanted his mouth over hers. Her mouth opened with a little pressure from his thumbs. He thrust his tongue into her mouth, mapping the inside.

  Melody’s knees went weak, her stomach doing little flips as the heat roiling around inside her subsided a bit. Perhaps it wasn’t the heat that went away, but these new sensations overpowering them. Whatever it was, Melody reveled in the fact that she was kissing at least one of the men of her dreams.

  Her clit throbbed with anticipation as cream soaked her panties and coated her thighs. Her nipples grew hard, rubbing against the inside of her dress. Her womb clenched with need as he reached behind her neck to release the clasp on her gown. The top fell around her waist and he pulled her closer. The sensation of her bare breasts brushing against the hot skin of his chest sent darts of sensual fire from the tips of her breasts down to her aching core.

  Mitch’s kiss pushed the heat back. It hovered on the edge of her consciousness as though waiting to renew its attack on her defenseless body. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could stand to feel the dress touching her skin instead of Mitch’s experienced fingers.

  Every time she looked at the photos Carmen had of her two uncles, her arousal simmered within her. Having them in the same house, the same room with her, did something to her insides. At that moment, she wanted Mitch so much she could barely think of anything else. Not once had she ever thrown herself at a man like this and it scared her. Still, thinking of never kissing this man, never making love with him, scared her more than she ever thought possible.

  Melody knew that she should wait. Her human brain told her that this was wrong, sleeping with a man she barely knew wasn’t right, but her body told her otherwise. Every time his hands skimmed over her bare back or up her sides to cup her breasts, his fingers tugging gently on her nipples felt right, maybe too right.

  Melody could tell already that if she stayed with these men, they would have her wrapped around their little fingers in no time. They would only have to look at her with those beautiful bedroom eyes, give her one of their heart-stopping grins or murmur something to her in their deep, whiskey-smooth voices and she would be lost. Heck, she was lost already.

  Even though she’d believed it impossible, she had always wanted to make love with two of the alpha males from one of the erotic novels she loved to read. She had known it was impossible, yet it never stopped her from dreaming.

  There was no doubt that the two alphas she had come to love could make her happy. They would do their best to satisfy her every need, in bed and out of it. Melody wasn’t sure how she knew that. She just did.

  Mitch pulled away and looked down into her eyes. “Is there something wrong?” He traced her bottom lip with his thumb. “You seem preoccupied.” He pressed a series of kisses along her jaw.

  “No,” she replied, a bit breathless. “I’m fine. This is…” She gasped when he laved her ear and suckled the lobe into his mouth. “This is nice.”

  “Just nice?” he asked with a chuckle.

  She grinned. “So far.”

  “Well, then, let’s see if we can ramp it up a bit.” Cupping her breasts, he lowered his head to take an already hard nipple into his mouth.

  Melody drew in a quick breath, her head dropping back on her shoulders as she arched her back and tried to press her breast harder against his mouth. She felt wanton. This felt so good, so right. She barely knew this man and his adopted brother, but here she was, staying here with the two of them and enjoying every minute of it.

  Chapter Seven

  Mitch felt his entire body go hard with need. His cock throbbed behind his fly as he continued to suckle Melody’s ripe breast. Her small pink nipples sat atop large, firm breasts like cherries on top of a sundae and he wanted nothing more than to taste them.

  He sucked harder, pulling her nipple further into his mouth, flicking his tongue over the turgid tip as she moaned in his arms. His body ached with the need to mount her, mate her and make her his. He couldn’t wait to sink his hard cock deep into her tight channel.

  When she threw her head back and arched into him, Mitch almost tossed her on the floor and took her then. The only thing that stopped him was the knowledge that she had never known the touch of a man before and he would not be the one who would ruin her first time.

  This was a gift she gave him, that Wyatt gave him. To know that he was her first gave him a sense of pride, of possession that he wasn’t sure she would understand if he tried to explain it. The gift of her virginity would tie him to her for eternity. Being untouched wasn’t a requirement for his people. In fact, sexuality was something they embraced, something they used to pass the time when bored. Had she come to him and said she’d had a hundred lovers it wouldn’t have mattered to him. Yet somehow, knowing that she had never known the touch of a man turned him on nearly to the point of pain.

  Stepping back, he pushed the dress from her hips and let it puddle at her feet. His balls drew tight against his body when he saw the tiny lace thong she wore beneath the slinky black gown.

  “I don’t normally wear thongs.” Mitch watched as Melody’s body turned pink with embarrassment. “But anything else left panty lines that anyone could see.”

  “I love them.” He hooked his fingers beneath what was supposed to be a waistband and drew them down to her ankles. Resting a hand on his shoulder, she lifted first one foot then the other and stepped out of them. “Gods, you’re so sexy.” Jesus! Was that his voice, sounding so low and gruff? He’d scare her off if he didn’t watch it.

  Frightening her off was the last thing he wanted to do. He needed this woman. It was more than the heat, more than want. It was an all-consuming need to
be with this woman, live with her, even love her. He wanted, no, needed her with the same desperate urgency that she had needed them just an hour ago.

  El calor had risen within him and he wasn’t sure he wanted to inject himself with another dose of the serum that would help him control it. He wanted this woman he knelt before with a passion, an insistent desire to possess her, to love her, to make them both whole, at least for a little while.

  Something within him reared up and demanded he take this woman and make her his. Nothing had ever felt more right than when he had taken Melody into his arms. Was it wrong to want this woman so much? Was it wrong to want to share his every thought, his every desire, every beat of his heart with her?

  Still kneeling at her feet, he reached up and grasped each of her hands, resting them on his shoulders. Lifting her right leg, he brought it up over his left arm and leaned close, breathing in her womanly scent. It was as close to heaven as he had ever been yet. Taking a deep breath, he smiled. “You smell delicious.”

  Even though he knew she was an innocent and that this was probably too much for her, Mitch leaned closer, took the globes of her ass in his hands and thrust his tongue into her wet slit.

  She tasted just as he thought she would, like sweet, sweet honey with a touch of spice. Melody screamed, her untried body not used to the sensations he introduced. When the sensations became too much for her she thrust her hips forward and almost fell. Only then did he stop his assault on her beautiful, pink nether flesh.

  That was when he knew he must take her to the bed. It was time to make her his, time to complete at least this part of their mating. Tonight, he would bind her to him, tomorrow, it would be Wyatt. After that, they would have to prepare her for the completion of their mating ritual when the three of them would join together as one.