Alyssa's Wolves (Wolf Masters, Book 4) (16 page)

“Are you sure?” Tyler’s fur was so soft beneath her fingers, and Alyssa leaned forward to lay her face against him. She needed the contact and calmed considerably when her ear hit Tyler’s chest, and she could feel his heart beating against her cheek.

“Yep. Justin checked it out before he shifted in the hole. Trust me. We took every precaution. It isn’t safe to shift to human form with a break. That’s why we didn’t risk it, and I came for help. Once we determined no bones were involved, he shifted so we could get him out of the hole and then shifted back. It’s gonna hurt like a bitch, but he’ll mend.”

They stayed like that for several minutes, Michael rubbing Alyssa’s back and Tyler’s heart rate gradually slowing beneath her cheek.

“Alyssa? He’s gonna shift now.” Strong arms pulled her off Tyler, and she reluctantly let go of his pelt.

For the first time in her life, Alyssa didn’t move from her spot as Tyler shifted to human form right before her. He had been glorious in his wolf form, but he was spectacular in his human body. He still sat on the wooden floor of the porch, inches from where she crouched in front of him.

His body was lean and long, his skin lighter than any of the Masters but still shades darker than her own. A light dusting of almost blond hair covered his legs, and as her vision traveled up his body, she couldn’t avoid the erection between his thighs.

Alyssa yanked her gaze to his face but found him smiling at her. She flushed, heat covering her cheeks from ear to ear. The urge to touch him in the same way she’d been touching him before he shifted overwhelmed her, and she squeezed her knees together even in her squatted position.

She wanted this man
now
. And the one caressing her neck too.

Tyler grabbed something out of the air and glanced at his hand. Someone had tossed him some shorts and a T-shirt. Without a word, Tyler pulled himself up to standing on one leg and hobbled to put the clothes on. Alyssa rather wished he hadn’t, but that thought only enflamed her cheeks more.

She really needed to get a grip.

Michael pulled her upright, which was convenient. Otherwise, she might not have had the strength of mind or body to stand right then. “He needs ice. Let’s go inside.”

Instinctively, Alyssa aligned herself with one side of Tyler while Michael did the same on the other side, and together the three of them awkwardly stumbled into the kitchen.

Michael’s mother bustled around in the kitchen. When she turned toward them, her smile lit up the room. “Tyler. I can’t believe this happened. I’m so sorry.” She turned to Michael. “Why don’t you get him in bed, and I’ll bring you a bag of ice and some Tylenol.”

“Thank you, ma’am. I appreciate it. I don’t think it’s too bad, just a sprain I’m sure.”

“Please, call me Nancy. We aren’t that formal around here.” Nancy winked at Tyler and then headed for the freezer.

In a strange sort of dance, Alyssa helped Michael get Tyler down the hall and into the guest room. She climbed up beside him and pulled his leg onto her lap. “It’s swollen. How bad does it hurt?” She tipped her head to face him.

Tyler was staring at her with an odd grin turning his lips up at just the corners.

“What?”

“I’m trying to decide how much I should milk it for. If you’d have told me earlier what a sucker you were for injured men, I’d have feigned some sort of fall down the porch steps or something.”

Alyssa slapped his bare leg but then ran her hand up and down the expanse of it, unable to keep herself from enjoying the feel of his firm muscles beneath her fingertips.

Tyler’s leg tensed when her hand traveled up his thigh. She tried to hide the smile spreading over her face but couldn’t. She did this to him! A bulge grew under the cotton shorts he’d put on minutes ago, and Alyssa wanted more than anything to take those shorts off and get a better look at what lay beneath.

Her pussy wept between her legs, and her jeans felt too tight.

If she didn’t get away from their touch, there was no way she’d make it another five minutes without getting claimed by the man currently across her lap and the one who plopped down to hover on the other side of her. She was not unaware of his warm presence pressing into her.

“I’m trying to come up with some sort of ailment myself.” Michael’s breath puffed in her ear as he whispered those words so no one else could hear them.

Nancy showed up with a bag of peas, two pills, and a glass of water. She leaned in for a closer look. “You’d know if it was broken.” She glanced at him. “Were you able to put any weight on it?”

Alyssa took the contents of Nancy’s hands.

“Some. I’m sure it’s fine. A few Tylenol, and I bet I won’t even notice it anymore.”

“Dinner’s almost ready. I’m sure you’re starving. I’ll bring you in a tray in a few minutes.” With that, Nancy whipped back toward the kitchen area and resumed her preparations.

Alyssa felt guilty not helping her out. She always did her part around the house. But she couldn’t bring herself to move from between her mates this time.

Gingerly, she placed the peas on Tyler’s ankle and looked up at his face to gauge his response. He still held the same expression, his eyes twinkling with mirth. “There’s a cut too. You need some ointment on it.”

“It’s more of a scratch, but if you’re going to rub it in, I’m game.”

“Um…” Alyssa bit her lip and glanced around. They were alone now in the guest room. “Where did your brothers go?” She directed the question at Michael. Her world had shrunk to just Tyler and Michael the moment they’d returned, and she’d not given anyone else a second of her attention.

“Home.” Michael wrapped an arm around her neck and kissed her shoulder. “To their mates.”

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.

“Yep.” She climbed up on the bed across from where Tyler and Michael now leaned against the headboard and grabbed herself a plate. “I brought three plates, didn’t I?”

Her smile lit up the room. When she crossed her legs and stabbed in with a fork, Tyler had to swallow around the lump in his throat. How had he fallen so hard so fast? Amazing what happened when a wolf met the right woman.

Dinner smelled amazing. He’d have to remember to thank Nancy later, but frankly he couldn’t really taste anything. His concentration wasn’t on the meal.

Alyssa broke the silence. “When you saw my parents, did they say anything? I guess you could hardly ask them anything.”

“No. I’m sure they miss you terribly. I can tell you this though. If you’d have stayed and married Dwight, you would hardly see much of them anyway. He isn’t known for letting his wives out from under his thumb often. His mates do not enjoy many freedoms.” Tyler gripped the comforter next to him, anger making him clench his jaw as he finished. The thought of Alyssa mated to that old geezer made his blood boil.

Alyssa lifted her head toward him and changed the subject. “What about your parents? How do you suppose they’re taking this?”

“My parents are probably about to tear the house down. I was supposed to head home yesterday and at the very least would have called them. Instead I chucked my cell phone, so I couldn’t be traced and left without a word. I bought a disposable phone on my way to Denver. I hated doing that to them, but it couldn’t be helped. If I’d given them even a hint of my plans, they’d have been forced to rat me out.”

“I’m sorry.” A tear formed in the corner of Alyssa’s eye. There was no way to know for sure if it was for his loss or her own. Probably both.

Michael reached toward her and cupped her cheek. “Me too.”

Tyler stared at Alyssa. “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. My heart aches leaving my parents like that. But you know that feeling all too well…”

Alyssa nodded while fresh tears streaked her face.

These people were so … nice to each other. Open. Talkative. It was amazing what he’d missed out on all his life.

He could get used to this. Well, except for the whole Oregon, middle-of-nowhere, cold-as-hell dairy farming part.
Shit
.

Chapter 12

Alyssa finished her dinner slowly. She didn’t think she could do otherwise without choking.

Her body was in a rush to get past the meal, but her brain was frightened.

If she went by her physical response—sweaty palms, knees shaking, gut clenching—she’d think she had the flu or something, if she didn’t add the dampness between her legs, and the flush stealing up over her cheeks that wasn’t the cause of a fever.

She sat across from the two men and tried to avoid brushing against them as though she’d go up in flames at any human contact.

When they’d all finished, she leaped up and grabbed everyone’s plate. They’d somehow grown awkward after the small talk was over. Alyssa was nervous, more than she’d ever been in her life. This decision was huge. She wasn’t just going to have sex with a man; it was two men, and afterward, her life would never be the same. She’d be able to communicate with them without speaking. They’d know her every thought. They’d be permanently connected for better or for worse.

There were a pile of issues still unresolved, but she had to admit to herself none of them really changed anything. This was fated. The rest would have to fall into place.

Her chest beat rapidly. There was no more stalling. She couldn’t sleep another night without Tyler and Michael.

Sure, she was chicken shit, but she was willing to admit it. Even if only to herself. She’d been unprepared for the onslaught of emotions she’d felt in the last hour. When Tyler and Michael had left for their run earlier, she’d have bet money they couldn’t work things out between them so quickly. But circumstances had brought the men closer and forced her to take notice. Her need to mate with these two had increased exponentially.