Melindas Wolves (38 page)

She was drawn to Melinda in a way she could not explain. She leaned toward her now, setting her head on her sister’s shoulder and wrapping a hand around her biceps.

“I feel a peace I’ve never known here.”

Melinda set her hand on top of Laurie’s. “I know,” she muttered.

Laurie and her brothers, Sawyer and Cooper, had arrived three days ago with their parents, Joyce and Gene Hamilton, for a week-long visit. They’d never been to the tribal land, and although Joyce was also Miles and Melinda’s mother, the twins had a different biological father. The twins had not been born of love or through a mating, but they were full Native American shifters and direct descendants of Mimi.

“My mates are giving me the evil eye.” Melinda giggled. Her face lit up when she watched them from across the room. Laurie felt that intense connection they shared easily.

Trace Masters met his mate’s eye and wandered toward the two women. When he reached them, he leaned forward to kiss Melinda tenderly on the lips before turning toward Laurie. “Melinda tells me you’d like to go skiing?”

Laurie grinned. “Absolutely. I’ve never been, but I’ve always wanted to. I hear your family actually owns the local resort.”

Trace nodded. “We do. My parents own and operate the resort with the help of my brothers—Griffen, Zachary, and Logan. My sister works there too. Her name is Sharon.

You’ll eventually meet them all considering I’m mated to your sister and Griffen is mated with your brother Miles.”

“Geez. I don’t think I can keep all of you straight.”

“Well, you’ve met me and Griffen today. And I spoke with Zachary earlier. He said he’d be willing to take you skiing tomorrow if you’re interested.” He smiled warmly.

Laurie’s eyes shot open. “Really? Isn’t he busy? I wouldn’t want to inconvenience your family.”

“Hey, we’re like family. Don’t turn down an offer for free lessons from the Masters family in the middle of ski season.” Trace chuckled. “Trust me. He offered. He wouldn’t have if he thought he couldn’t fit you in tomorrow.”

Melinda tipped her head up to look her mate in the eye. “Please tell me he doesn’t have an ulterior motive with my sister. You didn’t lead him to believe she looked just like me or something, did you?”

Trace wrapped an arm around his mate and hugged her into his side, chuckling.

“Believe me, that’s the furthest thing from Zachary’s mind these days. He’s far more worried about figuring out what man will
share
his mate than finding the woman.”

“Pardon?” Laurie lifted a brow in confusion.

Melinda swatted at Trace’s belly, making him feign to buckle forward as though she’d knocked the wind out of him. She stood about five feet and weighed less than a bug. She turned her attention back to Laurie after giving him a stern look. “The Masters seem to mate only in ménages.” She nudged Trace with a finger and then nodded at Griffen across the room.

“Oh. Huh. I hadn’t really thought about that. But there are five siblings. Who’s to say they will all end in ménages?”

“History,” Trace added. “We have first cousins in Oregon. All four of the boys mated in threes—two men and a woman. By now, we have realized we’re all Fated to the same thing.”

“Wow. That’s insane. It’s so rare. Wonder why.”

“We’ve all been scratching our heads over that one. Who knows?”

Laurie smiled. “So I’m safe with Zachary then.”

Melinda narrowed her gaze. “Don’t know if I’d go that far. Sometimes two of the partners meet before the third.”

Laurie shrugged. “It’s so unlikely.”

She glanced around the room and stiffened at her words. Both of her siblings mated with a Masters. It gave her the chills. What if she did meet Zachary and find him to be her mate? Was she ready for that sort of commitment? And if that wasn’t bad enough, she’d never considered mating with two men in her life. The idea was overwhelming.

As the activity around her continued, she smiled at the crowd of new family members and tried to block out the possibilities.

Slightly off-kilter was how she would have described herself as she settled into bed later that night.

Whatever happened, happened. Fate had her reasons. If she was indeed destined to mate with one of the Masters brothers, hiding out and avoiding them would solve nothing. And she had always been the sort of woman to face a challenge head on.

She was only twenty-five, but she had a strong head on her shoulders. She could handle whatever fell in her lap.

Besides, what were the chances?

She fell asleep thinking of skiing, blocking out visions of what she assumed Zachary Masters must look like, judging from his two older brothers.

About the Author

Becca Jameson lives in Atlanta, GA, with her husband and two kids. After years of editing, she is now a full-time author. With over twenty-five best-selling books written, she has dabbled in a variety of genres, ranging from paranormal to contemporary to BDSM. She loves chatting with fans, so feel free to contact her through email, Facebook, or her website.

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