Harvests Pride (2 page)

Hanna struggled for sanity in her head as Kaz’s lips forced hers apart and his tongue slid inside to stroke across hers. A strange sensation of calm and rightness flowed over her as he claimed her mouth. At the same time, need so great it clawed at her middle filled her. She moaned into him, overwhelmed by the sensations and wanting more and more. His strange, spicy taste entranced her and she wanted more and more of that too. She pressed into his mouth, greedily trying for more. He growled and his fingers plowed into her hair, angling her head for his demands.

Myan stroked his hand along her ribcage and up to cup her breast. Her body seemed to swell into his touch. Her nipples ached, begging for him. He plucked and twisted one through her shirt, drawing almost animalistic moans from her throat.

What the hell was happening to her? Her senses clawed their way forward as her body melted into their fingers. With all her strength, she wrenched herself away. They reached for her, but she scrabbled a few feet from them, stopping only when she reached the far wall. Desperately, she held up her hand, insubstantial defense against them.

“Stop,” she begged. This was untenable. How had she ended up in their arms less than thirty seconds after entering the dressing room? They hadn’t even spoken, not really, and they’d been all over her—and she’d been all over them.

How unprofessional can you be, Hanna?

“You’re right,” Myan said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “We should wait until we’re back at the hotel. The car’s waiting. We’re done here today.”

“No,” Hanna breathed. She wasn’t going to the hotel with them.

“You can deny this?” Kaz demanded. Myan placed a hand on his arm, and Kaz spun away, barely hiding his frustration.

“Forgive him,” Myan said. “We’ve waited forever for you to get here. Just…” He took a deep breath then nodded as if the air had assured him of something. “Just come with us, and we’ll get Melanie on the phone. She’ll ease your mind.”

Her arms crossed over her middle. This could be a trick. If they knew she was Mel’s sister, they’d say whatever they thought she wanted to hear, just to get her somewhere that she’d be vulnerable and alone at their mercy. Maybe they’d done the same thing to her sister.

She shook her head. She might have momentarily fallen into their arms, but she wasn’t born yesterday and she wasn’t too stupid to breathe. There was no way she’d blithely skip off anywhere with them, let alone their hotel room, attraction or not.

“I’ll take a cab to the hotel,” she said. “Then I’ll meet you in the bar for the preliminary interview.”

“We can’t—” Myan began but Kaz interrupted him.

“Fine. We’ll meet you there. We’ve had a long day and need to get out of here. I’ll have Alexi get you a cab.”

Myan stared at his brother then slowly nodded. “Right, we’ll meet you there.” Scooping up a cell phone, he punched in a few numbers, waited then ordered Alexi to escort Hanna to the hotel. She could still hear the other man speaking as Myan hung up. Myan smiled at her, but it didn’t seem to be a pleased expression at all. “We’ll see you there, then.”

With nods, both he and Kaz left the room.

Hanna stared after them, a little dizzy from the intensity of what had just happened followed by the complete departure of tension. She wilted against the wall and pressed a hand to her forehead. Need still clawed at her middle, a need she’d never felt before. She would have been stunned if it was for one man since she’d never felt desire this strongly before now. Worse, it was lust for two men. And neither of them seemed to mind. She had a distinct impression that they liked to share and right now, they both wanted to share her.

“Hanna?” Alexi said. She looked up to see him standing in the doorway, and got the feeling he’d been standing there for a bit. “There’s a cab outside.”

“Okay…thanks,” she replied.

He gave her wide berth as she passed. She couldn’t help but notice the others from the band and the security personnel did the same—the crew however seemed oblivious to her, which was fine. She wanted to be unobtrusive while she was here so she could observe. Still, the behavior of those closest to Kaz and Myan disturbed her.

In the cab, Alexi’s demeanor didn’t change. Deferential to a fault, he hugged the opposite door as if she might jump him. At the hotel, he stepped aside as she exited the car, only jumping forward to catch her arm when she stumbled on a loose piece of gravel. He immediately yanked away as if burned.

“It’s okay. I’m not going to bite you,” she told him, but he didn’t look so sure. He gave a tight smile and opened the door to the hotel for her then followed her to the desk.

“Hanna Herst?” the attendant there repeated when she checked in. He smiled broadly. “Yes, I have your room key right here. Your bags have already been delivered.” He proffered the small folder containing her keycard, the room number written on the outside. “Have an excellent stay.”

“Thank you, I’m sure I will,” she replied, returning his smile. It was only for one night. She was so strung out by the day, she’d be fine at a Motel-6 and this was a five-star establishment. Right now, she just wanted to get to her room, slip off her shoes and flop across the bed. She needed to regroup before she saw the front men of
Harvest
again.

If they’d been testing her, she’d failed abysmally. Now, they probably thought she’d drop right into bed with them. In those first moments, when she’d been in their arms, that would have been completely true! Her whole body had melted for them, no matter what her thoughts said. Even now, the annoying need in her middle hadn’t subsided. It clawed and twisted, so tense she was nearly shaking from it. If she didn’t get alone soon so she could alleviate this, she might scream at the slightest brush of an unsuspecting stranger.

Thankfully, Alexi continued to give her space as he followed her. At the elevator, she sighed and turned to him. “I can get there on my own.”

He shook his head. “I’ve been charged with seeing you safely to the room.”

“Puh-lease,” she groaned and rolled her eyes. She wasn’t an infant, and she was perfectly safe in the hotel. She
needed
a few minutes alone to get hold of herself.

Silently, he stared her down, as if willing her to give in. When she sighed again and looked away, he pressed the button for her floor.

“This is ridiculous,” she muttered.

“This is what has been commanded,” he retorted, staring up at the arrows beside the door.

“Commanded?” she repeated, swinging her gaze at him and making another mental note for her article. “It’s not like they’re royalty.”

He slid her a sidelong glance but said nothing. When the doors opened, he waited for her to enter, then followed, standing at the opposite corner of the car. Moments later, the doors whooshed open and he waited for her to exit, again following as she marched to her room.

“I’m here, okay,” she ground out, unnerved that he was on her heels like a trained puppy. She didn’t want him near her, though he was nice and she perceived no threat. Still, her skin was crawly at his male presence—and that made zero sense.

She pulled the room key from the paper folder then slipped the plastic into the mechanical slot. “Bu-bye now,” she told Alexi when the lock clicked and she pushed the lever down. “I think I can take it from here.”

Hanna usually wasn’t snarky to strangers, but this whole assignment had turned weird from the second she’d followed him backstage to meet Kaz and Myan.

Shock kicked through her as she entered the room. She’d expected the typical short hall with the bathroom to the right and the beds beyond it. Instead, she entered what appeared to be a living room. Her paper had booked her a suite? When two forms moved from where they’d been waiting, she took a step backward, but Alexi pulled the door shut, trapping her inside with the two men who’d stoked her lust to insane levels.

“What are you doing here?” she gasped.

Kaz sniffed, his face growing dark. “Why is Alexi’s scent on you?”

“What?” she lifted her arm and sniffed near her elbow. All she smelled was her laundry soap. She dropped the limb just as quickly. This was crazy. They didn’t smell anything.

“He
touched
you,” Myan breathed, his words a lethal growl.

“I almost fell—”

Myan wrapped his arm around her and drew her to the sitting area. “Are you all right?”

“What is wrong with you?” she asked, disengaging from him with a squirm. What was wrong with
her
? They shouldn’t be here, but she was all hot again. “Why are you in my room?”

“It’s
our
room, mate. Yours, mine, Myan’s.”

Mate?
And now, he was Australian? Another quirk for her article.

“I’m not sharing a room with you.”

“I’m afraid you are,” Kaz replied.

“No. I’m
not
.”

“Would you like to speak with your sister?” Myan interjected, redirecting the conversation. She had news for him. This was far from over.

She didn’t have a chance to tell him before he drew her to the couch and scooped a cell phone off the coffee table. He punched a speed-dial number then lifted the phone to his ear. “Hey hon, guess who’s here? Yeah, I know. ‘Bout time. Here she is.”

He thrust the instrument at Hanna. She sank onto the cushions, almost afraid to hope after all this time. It couldn’t be this easy.

“Hello,” she said tentatively.

“Hiya, Hanny-bananny.”

Tears flooded her eyes as her heart clenched on a lurch. The two men from
Harvest
faded away.

“Mel?” she choked. “Oh my God, Mel!” Sobs overwhelmed her, and she forgot about everything but the sweet voice coming over the line. “Where are you? Are you okay? Why haven’t you called me?”

“Hey, one question at a time. I’m fine, but I can’t explain. Not yet. But I promise, I
am
okay. You’ll see me soon and you’ll understand everything.”

“But—”

“Just stick with the guys. And before you ask, no, I haven’t joined a cult. I’m still in full control of my senses and freewill. I’ll see you tomorrow. Okay? Just… Listen to them and give them a chance, okay.”

“Mel!”

Her sister hung up before Hanna could get more answers. Hanna turned to the men. Myan sat beside her, and Kaz leaned on the armrest behind his brother.

“Where is she?” she demanded.

“Your sister is safe at our home,” Kaz replied.

“I don’t understand…”

Kaz moved to sit beside her, so he and Myan were on opposite sides. They each took one of her hands. “Close your eyes,” Myan urged. “Do you feel it? Need and longing you’ve never experienced before. It’s heavy in your middle, and you want us. You know nothing else will make it go away. Deep down, you know it. Even if you tried—”

“No!” she exclaimed. Her eyes popped open. She’d followed his command without even realizing it. “No!” she cried again. Squirming away, she jumped to her feet and scrambled over the coffee table since her path to either side was blocked. Skirting the opposite couch, she faced them, shaking her head. “This is just…hero worship. Being star struck. I’m just overwhelmed by your fame. It’s nothing more than what millions of teenage girls go through when they see their idols. It’ll fade when I’m alone and can get my head straight.” She sighed. “It’s so unprofessional.”

Kaz chuckled, the sound low and sensual. “You’re not a fan. You came to the arena today determined to dislike us.”

“You’re definitely not star struck,” Myan enjoined. “Which is probably a good thing. You want us for completely different reasons.”

Together they stood, and she backed up. She didn’t stop moving until she ran into the large dining table on the other side of the room. They were in front of her, hemming her in, before she could round it.

“Hanna,” Myan grated, demanding her attention. “We aren’t going to accost you. Nothing will happen here that you don’t want.”

“Or demand,” his brother added.

She sucked in a breath at his assertion, her cream flooding her folds. Her fingers clenched on the chair tops beside her as she struggled for balance. Her womb pulsed with heady desire. She was sure the hair on her arms was standing on end. If they brushed it, she’d collapse into an orgasm.

“I don’t understand,” she whispered. She was always levelheaded and controlled. This was…abnormal. Crazy.

“This is what Melanie found,” Myan told her. “With
her
mates.”

“Mates…” she repeated, confused. “
Mates?
Are you crazy? That’s so… Humans don’t have mates!”

She ducked through them, groaning at the touch of their bodies against her shoulders. Their masculine scent was stealing her breath.

Hanna swung around to face them and ward off their next advance.

“
We
have a mate,” Kaz asserted. “And
we
are yours.”

“No.” She shook her head.

Myan tilted his head, assessing her, then looked at his brother. “I’m sure we could find a groupie who’d be more than willing to—”

“No!” Hanna screeched. She launched herself at them, grabbing their shirtfronts and pulling them into her. “No one touches you. No one!”