Melissa's Mates (15 page)

Melissa listened to the lyrics and smiled at them both. She eased back to the foot of the bed and crawled off. Cracking the door, she saw the same tattooed guy who brought her flowers. “Hey, Londyn, put that song on repeat for me, please.” They smiled at each other, and she laughed when he winked. Maybe he wasn’t so bad. There was something about him that she liked.

Melissa motioned for Channing with her finger. “This is one of my favorite songs, and I can’t dance. You made it easier for me the last time, and I really feel like having fun at the moment, so can you please come help me?”

“Anything you wish.”

Closing her eyes, she listened to words. Channing’s heat molded against her from behind, and she felt him grasp her nude hips. “Now, feel the music throughout your body. Let go, and move to the beat.”

He began to sway her gently back and forth. Each string of the guitar coursed through her, stirring something deep inside. Before she knew it, her hips grew a mind of their own and began to rotate with every gentle move she made. Opening her eyes, she noticed Connor was leaning forward on the bed with his mouth parted.

“You said you couldn’t dance. That is the sexiest, most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed in my life. Please don’t stop.”

Melissa laughed and could feel herself grow embarrassed. “I can’t dance. It’s Channing’s doing, not mine.”

“I’m not doing anything but holding your hips. You’re a natural, love. But I wish to stay right where I am, if that’s all right with you.”

A knock on the bedroom door cut off what Channing was about to say next. Connor growled. “Hold on.” He grabbed his boxers and slid them on. Melissa didn’t wait, she grabbed the first article of clothing she could find, which happened to be one of Connor’s T-shirts that was sitting folded on top of the dresser. She quickly pulled it on, happy it went all the way down to her knees.

She almost didn’t hear what Londyn’s hushed words were saying. “I told her to leave, but she won’t go. She said she was going to break the windows out of your truck if you didn’t come out and talk to her.”

“Tell her to give me a few minutes. And make her wait outside.”

Sickness flipped Melissa’s stomach. She didn’t hesitate. Grabbing her panties and jeans, she put them on as fast as she could.

“Connor, what’s going on?” Channing’s voice even sounded uneasy.

“Nothing. I’ll explain when I get back in.”

Nope, Melissa was not going to stick around to find out. If she knew anything about women, she knew this one obviously had feelings for him. And from the story of his past, she knew that he didn’t have a sister, so she was betting this was a girlfriend or lover.

“Channing, will you take me back to Julie’s?” His eyes grew big as he pulled his shirt down over his pants.

“No, don’t leave. Please.” Connor rushed forward, nearly stumbling on the jeans he was putting on. “It was before I found you. Since then, I haven’t left your side. There’s been no one else. Let me get rid of her real quick, and then we can continue.”

“But you’ve known about this pull we’ve had for weeks. You’re telling me you haven’t see your
girlfriend
in all of that time?”

“Fiancée, honey. And I saw him last week, if you really want to know.”

Melissa spun around. Her eyes connected with the most startling pair of violet she’d ever seen. For what felt like minutes, she couldn’t move. The blonde was just as breathtakingly beautiful as her friend Sarah. Bile rose to her throat against the woman’s words.

“Fiancée?” She looked at Connor, shocked.

“Ex! I broke things off before I went to the island. And that’s a damn lie, Michelle, and you know it. I haven’t seen you in weeks.”

Melissa shook her head against the confusion she felt. Her mouth opened as she raised her hand to stop their arguing. No thoughts were getting through. She felt lightheaded against the jumble of emotions pouring through her.

“Mel, listen to me. I love you. No one else.”

“Yeah, didn’t you use to tell me the same thing
? Oh, I love you Michelle. There’s no one else, but you.
I can’t believe you’re doing this to us, Connor. Make the girl go, and we can pick up where we left off. I can understand you have cold feet. We’ll pretend this never happened.”

“Listen to me, Michelle. I said it was over weeks ago, and I meant it. I’m not having cold feet. I should have never asked you to marry me to begin with.”

“Then why did you!”

“I never thought I’d find the one.”

Melissa felt panicked. She had to get out of here. “Channing, please.” She begged him with her eyes. If she didn’t escape soon, there was no telling what would happen. Between her mouth and her uncontrollable outbursts, there was only so much she could take.

“Connor, give me your keys.” Channing held out his hand, but never took his eyes off of Mel.

“But I don’t want her to leave. Melissa, please. Just let me explain.”

“There’s no need, Connor. I understand it was before, but I just need time to think. I shouldn’t have come. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Melissa rushed out of the room and headed for the front door. Large arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her up off the ground. Her back molded to Connor’s chest as he held her to him.

“Don’t say you regret coming here. God, I would do anything for you. Don’t let what she says make you leave. That’s what she wants. Just stay with me and Channing.”

He spun her around in his arms, making her face to face with him. “Connor, you were engaged. Whether you think that’s a big deal or not, it says a lot to me. Marriage is such a big step. You can’t tell me you didn’t feel something for her or else you wouldn’t have slipped a ring on her finger.”

“I did feel something, but nothing like what I have with you. I thought she was different, but she turned out to be a stranger once the ring went on. She wasn’t who I thought she was. That’s why I ended it.”

“Connor, I don’t know. There’s so much I need to think over. I’m not sure I can do this.” Why did this keep happening? Her darkest fears surfaced, and she couldn’t help but feel trapped in his arms. An ex-fiancée should have been one of the first things he should have mentioned whenever he knew they were meant to be mated.

“No! I’m not letting you leave. We can do this. There’s nothing to think about.”

Panic registered across his features, and the tone of his voice made her jump. “Connor, put her down right now.” Channing was at their side before she knew where he’d come from.

“No, she can’t leave. I have to make this right. She can’t go until I do that.”

“I said put her down. I won’t tell you again. You’re scaring her. Can’t you feel it? You’re making things worse. Now give her to me.”

“God, what have you done to him?” Michelle walked over with a look of disgust on her face. “Connor, put her down and come with me. We’ll leave here and talk. I know we can get past this.”

“Get out, Michelle! I don’t love you or want to be with you.” Connor growled toward her and turned back to Melissa. “Please, I love
you
. Don’t leave.”

The blonde threw her ring at them and slammed the front door shut on her way out. Melissa pushed against Connor’s chest. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

“I don’t know. Michelle was the last thing on my mind. From the first moment I saw you, no one else has mattered. God, I never thought I’d find a mate. Some of us never do. She was just a companion, someone I thought I could love if I tried hard enough. But toward the end, she changed into a horrible person. I didn’t know her at all. Me, you, and Channing – this was meant to be. Stop running and give this a chance.”

The all-too-familiar aching pushed against her insides. “I have to go, Connor. “

A tear slid down his cheek as Channing pulled her from his arms. After a bit of force on Channing’s part, he finally let her go. Londyn was sitting at the table. She couldn’t read his expression. It looked to be a cross between shock and sadness. He didn’t say a word as Channing took the keys from Connor and led Melissa out of the door. They walked to the truck in silence.

When the engine started, he turned toward her. “You have to know how hard this is for us. Connor loves you very much, as do I. I know you need time, and I understand that. But as for Connor, it’s harder for him. He’s used to protecting, and with you, he can’t really do that. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” Melissa looked out of the window as he pulled out of the parking lot. Thoughts obsessively ran though her head to the point that she thought she could be losing her mind. Just knowing how much pain they were all going through made her conflicted. She knew she needed a lot more time, but how could she do that and not make them hurt in the process? Only one thing came to her mind. She needed to stay away from them until she decided.

After a few minutes, the truck pulled in front of Julie’s building. She turned to look at Channing’s sad face. “I’m sorry. Please tell Connor I won’t hurt him anymore.”

“I’ll tell him, but I think you not being there
is
hurting him more.”

Melissa released the seatbelt and climbed over to sit on Channing’s lap. Normally she would never do anything like this, but the need to be close to him made her not think about how ridiculous she must look. “I can’t be with you both until I know that’s what I want. And truthfully, after what I just learned, I’m not sure that’s possible. He should have told me, Channing. What if there’s something else? Are you not telling me something I should know?”

“No. I haven’t been with anyone but you in years. And you’re right, he should have said something. But try to look at this from his side, too. He loves you. This pull has us all going crazy. Also, think about this: You wanted him to tell you about almost getting married, but there’s something you haven’t told him, either.”

Melissa gasped. “I’ve never hidden anything from him. What could be so important that I’ve neglected to tell him?”

“Maybe the fact that you play a game in which men play a major role.”

She could feel her eyes go wide. “Bets.”

“Yes, Bets. Don’t you think he deserves to know about that?”

“Yes.” She grew quiet, feeling like a complete hypocrite. It could be possible that he’d forgotten to mention the fiancée. Hell, they hardly had spent any time together. And wasn’t that conversation meant for people who knew each other a lot more? Even as she knew this, she also knew that they weren’t going through the typical, everyday relationship. Shit. Everything between them was going so fast. Her head was spinning at trying to process the details.

“I need time to think. How do I get a hold of you?”

Channing looked deeply into her eyes. “I’m going to make you memorize my number. Will you allow me to do that?”

“Yes.” The light blue eyes sucked her in, and she allowed it. The number he gave her soaked into her memory like a sponge. She could hear herself repeating it over and over in her mind.

“Got it. I’ll call you if I need anything. Please don’t forget to tell Connor I’m sorry.”

“I won’t. Here, let me walk you to the door.”

He easily lifted her down. Melissa wasn’t sure why, but she wasn’t very comfortable coming back to Julie’s home. Maybe it was because her men wouldn’t be here, but she wasn’t sure. They walked up the stairs, and she retrieved her key from her jeans pocket.

Channing’s lips eased into hers. Tightly, his arms pulled her body into his. The breath left her lungs at the taste of him. She clung to him like her life depended upon it. She didn’t want to let go. Just the thought that he was leaving her made the pain return.

“God, would you both like a room? My neighbors do not need a free show.”

Melissa reluctantly pulled her lips back. Gripping to the back of Channing’s shirt, she tried to catch her breath. His forehead rested against hers. “You don’t want this. I can feel it. Come back. We’ll leave right now, and you and Connor can get everything out of the way. Then we can move forward. Don’t think, Melissa. Just come with me.”