Melissa's Acceptance (2 page)

Damian let go and she felt his eyes on her as she struggled to her feet. Luke and Damian quickly scrambled to their feet as she swayed across the room to the bathroom. They each took hold of an elbow to steady her, but when she made it to the toilet, she got down on her knees and was physically ill.

“Go away, please.” Melissa groaned in between retches.

“No way, honey. This is all my fault! We aren’t going anywhere. Damian, go call the doc to come check her out.”

“I already asked Flynn to call the doc when I requested a room. He should be arriving any minute.”

“I don’t need a doctor. I only need a good night’s sleep and I’ll be as good as new. Please, leave me alone,” Melissa demanded, feeling very embarrassed. “Even my sister doesn’t stay with me when I’m sick. I don’t like people watching me throw up.”

“You’re just going to have to accept the fact we aren’t going anywhere, Melissa,” Damian said firmly. She couldn’t answer because she started retching again.

After the nausea had passed, Melissa tried to get to her feet. Damian and Luke helped her up by taking hold of her elbows. When she was standing once more, Luke pulled her against his warm, hard, masculine chest so she had something to lean on and wouldn’t topple to the floor. And for once she was glad, because she was really unsteady on her feet and her knees felt like they were about to buckle.

Damian took one of the clean face cloths from the top of the vanity and, after wetting it with warm water, he wiped her face and neck. Picking up the clean glass from the counter, he filled it with cold water and handed it to her so she could rinse her mouth. When she was done, Luke scooped her up into his arms and carried her back to the bedroom, where he placed her on the bed carefully.

“I think you would be more comfortable out of these clothes and under the covers, Melissa. Do you want some help to take them off?” Luke was looking worried and she wondered if she looked as bad as she felt.

She wanted to answer, but her muscles were already relaxing and her heavy eyelids were closing and she drifted to sleep before she could reply.

* * * *

Damian wanted to make her more comfortable by removing her clothes but reconsidered when he thought about her reaction when she awoke. The last thing he wanted to do was embarrass her, so he removed her shoes only. Luke picked her up while Damian pulled back the covers on the bed and Luke gently lowered Melissa onto the clean sheet. Damian pulled the covers up and Luke helped him tuck the quilt around her body, making sure she was kept warm and comfortable.

“God, look at her! She is fucking gorgeous. You know who she is, don’t you, Luke?”
Damian asked his brother using their mental link.

“Yeah, I do. I could kick myself for hurting our mate like that. If I hadn’t been in such a hurry and distracted I would have smelled her scent before we even got to the door. We have to keep her with us, Damian. We can’t let her go. We’ve waited too long as it is to meet our mate, and I had to screw everything up by knocking her over. Do you think she’ll forgive me?”

“I don’t think she’s the type of woman to hold a grudge, Luke. She knows it was an accident and that you didn’t hurt her on purpose.

“We’ll have to give her time to get to know us first before we can claim her. If we force her to accept us before she’s ready, we could end up pushing her away from us. We’re going to have to take this slowly, Luke. One day at a time.”
Damian rubbed a hand over his face. He hated seeing their mate in pain and sick but he was ecstatic that he and his brother had finally found her.

Damian let Doc Jonas in when he arrived a few moments later and he watched intently as the older man examined their mate. The whole time he looked Melissa over, he didn’t say a word and Damian was becoming very concerned, and by the frown on Luke’s face, so was he.

“Melissa is going to be fine. She has a concussion and needs to be watched closely for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. I really think she should be in a hospital.”

Melissa roused and had obviously heard the doctor. “No. No hospital.”

“We can take you home to our place and look after you, Melissa.” Damian waited with bated breath for her reply.

“’Kay,” she sighed and then drifted back to sleep.

Doc Jonas nodded. “You need to keep her fluids up. I want you to wake her every hour for the next eight hours and then every two hours after that for the next eight hours. If you have any concerns at all, or if she starts vomiting again, give me a call straight away. I think the nausea has passed though.”

“We’re going to take her back to our cabin with us so we can keep an eye on her. Do you think it’s okay if we move her, Doc?” Luke asked.

“Yes you can, if you’re very careful. Just make sure she is kept warm and comfortable on the journey.”

* * * *

“Melissa, honey, wake up. You need to have a sip of water.”

Melissa stirred as a masculine voice spoke in her ear while a large, gentle hand lifted her head and shoulders to a half-sitting position. Groaning at the pounding in her head, she took several small sips of cool water from a glass.

She didn’t know who was speaking to her but was relieved when the thirst quenching water slid down her dry throat. When the hands settled her back against the pillows, darkness enveloped her again.

The next time she was roused from sleep, she was being held against a warm, masculine body. Hard thighs were under her buttocks and she was cradled against a hard, wide chest.

“Come on, Melissa, you need to drink to keep your fluids up. That’s right, honey, drink. Good girl.”

Melissa tried to pry her eyes open to slits to see who was holding and talking to her, but the pain exploding behind her eyes caused her to whimper and sent her into oblivion once more.

The next eight hours were a total blur to her. She had no idea who was taking care of her or what had made her ill. If only she could remember, but the pain in her head was just too much. It made her slip back into a deep sleep.

After a long while, Melissa slowly became aware of her surroundings. She had a headache the size of a mountain, but she pried her eyes open enough to see. The sunlight streaming through the window hurt her eyes, so she had to squint, but after blinking a few times her vision cleared.

She was in a room that had blue walls and a white ceiling. The bed she was in was so comfortable, and much bigger than what she was used to. It took her a moment to realize it was not her own. Even though the mattress was firm, it had padding on top that contoured to her body.

Grunting with pain, she pushed herself into a sitting position so her back was resting against the headboard with a pillow behind her. The bed was massive. It was much larger than a normal king-size bed. The comforter draped over the top of her was a deep purple color, which contrasted with the blue walls of the room.

“Oh God. Where am I?” Melissa muttered. She held her throbbing head in her hands as she tried to remember where she was and what had happened.

“Melissa, are you okay, honey?”

Melissa squeaked with surprise as the deep voice startled her. Lifting her head and opening her eyes, she looked up to see two tall, sexy hunks.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Damian and this is Luke. Don’t you remember Luke knocking you to floor of the inn last night as he came through the door?”

Melissa’s memory came rushing back. “Oh yeah,” she whispered. “Now I remember why I have a headache the size of Mt. Everest. Where am I?”

“You’re in our home, baby. We had Doc Jonas check you out and when he suggested taking you to the hospital, you refused,” Damian explained.

“We suggested you come home with us so we could look after you and you accepted,” Luke said.

“I did?”

Damian nodded. “Doc told us to keep an eye on you for the next forty-eight hours. Luke and I decided to bring you to our home rather than staying at the inn. We figured you’d be more comfortable. It was the least we could do after the big lummox over there knocked you out.”

“I’m so sorry I hurt you, honey. If I’d known you were behind the door I would have been more careful,” Luke apologized again. “Don’t worry about a thing, Melissa. Damian and I will look after you until you’re feeling well again.”

“I’m okay. I just have a headache. If you could show me to a bathroom though, I would greatly appreciate it.” Melissa pushed the comforter down and shrieked with embarrassment, and then she quickly pulled it up to her chin again when she realized she was only wearing her bra and panties.

“Which one of you undressed me and why?” Melissa glared at the two men.

“We both undressed you, Melissa. We just wanted to be sure you were comfortable. You were too hot in your clothes and started sweating. We didn’t want to make you feel worse by you overheating, since you’d already been sick. I’ll get you something to put on.” Damian turned to rummage in a large tallboy. Pulling out a large black T-shirt, he handed it to her so she could slip it on.

Pulling the T-shirt over her head and slipping her arms into it was quite a feat while still clutching the comforter to her chest, but she finally managed. She swung her legs to the side of the bed and stood on very weak, wobbly limbs. Damian and Luke were beside her before she could blink. They placed steadying hands at her elbows to keep her on her feet and when she was once again stable, they led her to a door across the room. She gasped in awe when she saw the big, beautiful bathroom.

“Thank you both, but I can take it from here,” Melissa said firmly.

“Okay.” Damian released her arm. “We’ll be waiting right here for you. If you need any help just give a yell.”

Closing the door behind her, Melissa made use of the facilities. After washing and drying her hands and face, she opened the bathroom door.

“I don’t suppose you have a spare toothbrush, do you?”

“Actually we do. There is one under the sink in the vanity cupboard. I’ll get it for you.” Luke entered the bathroom, searched in the cupboard, and when he found a toothbrush still in the packaging, he placed it next to the sink.

“Would it be all right if I used your shower, please? I feel like something the cat dragged in.” She’d never felt so sweaty and grungy. She had no idea how long she’d been sleeping but it must have been for a long time.

“Sure thing, Mel.” Luke retrieved a towel from the second cabinet under the sink and placed it within easy reach for her.

“Make use of anything you need, baby. You don’t have to ask. If you can’t find what you need, just let one of us know and we’ll get it for you.” Damian stroked a finger down her cheek.

She shivered in reaction and hoped he or Luke hadn’t noticed. Ever since they’d walked into the bedroom she felt drawn to them. They smelled so damn good—musky male and sex were the only words that came to mind—she couldn’t stop inhaling their delectable scents. Her nipples were hard and throbbing and her pussy was wet from its continual clenching.

“Thanks.” Melissa sighed and closed the door. Now that they weren’t standing right next to her, the haze of their aroma wasn’t so strong and she felt like the sexual fog had lifted.

What the hell is wrong with you, Mel? You’ve just broken up with one asshole after he humiliated you. You’ve got no business panting after two strange men.

After showering, she felt a lot better, but she still had a thumping headache. Once she was back in the black T-shirt which, thank goodness, came to around mid-thigh, she followed the sounds of the two men to the kitchen.

Standing in the doorway, she couldn’t help but look the two sexy men over. Damian looked to be the elder of the two brothers, and stood just over six feet with shoulder-length black hair and brown eyes. He had on black jeans that hugged his long muscular legs and a black T-shirt that showed off his bulging biceps and a wide, muscular chest.

Luke was a couple of inches taller than his brother with short dark-brown hair and hazel-green eyes. He was wider in the shoulders than Damian and had a little more muscle. His long, strong legs were encased in blue denim jeans and his chest was covered with a snug fitting white T-shirt, which showed off some of his ripped abdomen. She could smell their musky scent again and wanted to walk closer to them and get a good whiff, but she was able to hold back. Just.

Melissa realized both the men were looking at her expectantly and realized they must have been speaking to her. Her cheeks tinged with heat and she hoped she wasn’t as red as she felt. How embarrassing. She’d been caught ogling their sexy bodies.

“Sorry, what did you say?”

“Do you want something to eat and drink, baby?” Damian asked.

“A cup of coffee would be nice, thank you.” Melissa blushed even harder at Damian’s term of endearment. Even though she was still a little wary of them, since she didn’t know them, it made her feel special to be called baby and honey.

Luke moved closer and ran his hand down the length of her arm until he was grasping her small hand in his large, warm palm. He led her to the table and saw her seated. She exhaled slowly when he released her hand, wondering what the hell was wrong with her. She hadn’t reacted to Wesley this way, so why was she reacting to Luke and Damian like she was a bitch in heat? She wasn’t sure she liked the way her body seemed to be taking over and noticing these two men, but she just couldn’t seem to help herself. There was just something…otherworldly about them, and she was drawn to them big time.

“Would you like something to eat, Melissa?” Luke took the chair next to hers and she inhaled deeply when his scent seemed to envelop all her senses. He and his brother smelled so good, she couldn’t get enough of their aromas.

“No thank you. I’m not really hungry right now, but I could use some painkillers if you have some.”

“Um, I don’t think we do, sweetheart,” Luke replied.

She shivered as Luke’s deep cadence washed over her and hoped that he and Damian hadn’t seen her reaction. “Oh well, if you tell me where my purse is, I have some I can take.”