Page 14 of Melissa's Mates (Blissful Bets)

“Well, I met him earlier today, and when I ran from Channing after he bit the shit out of my neck, he appeared saying Ayden sent him to watch me.”

“That was weeks ago!”

“Yes, well, he says we’re to be mated.”

“What’s his name?”

“Connor.”

A deep intake of breath made panic rush through Melissa’s body. “What? What!”

“Nothing. You’ve just managed to capture the two people with the worst reputations. Way to go Melissa.”

“What do you mean?” Her heart raced at his dry tone. If this was serious, where were his emotions?

“You landed one of the most powerful, ruthless vampires in the world, and one of the deadliest werewolves to walk this earth. They can tell you more about it. Have fun. You’ll have them like putty in your hands by the time it’s over with. Damn, wait till Ayden hears how his go-to guy gets to be matched to you and Channing. So much for getting rid of the vampire now.”

“Why would you want to? He doesn’t seem so bad.”

“You haven’t seen what he’s capable of. He puts everyone’s nerves on end. He’s like a ticking time bomb that no one knows when it’s going to go off. Now that you can possibly calm him down some, we all might be okay. Go talk to them, Mel. And do what you do best: tell them how it’s going to be.”

“Okay.” Numb, she hung up the phone.

A knock sounded at her door, and hesitantly, she opened it. The look on Connor’s face confused her even more. Calming her nerves, she tossed the phone to the bed and gave him her full attention. “What’s wrong, Connor?”

“This isn’t how I wanted you to find out. I’d made plans to actually meet with you and see what happened between us, but now I’m not sure what to do. I’m not very good with people.”

“Is the coffee ready?”

“I believe so.”

Melissa nodded and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the kitchen with her. “I figure since we’re all…stuck. No, that’s not the right word. Please excuse me. I’m going to warn you both now. I have a problem with the way things sometimes come out. I tend to hurt people’s feelings on accident. A lot. I don’t mean to, but it’s something I’ve tried to control, and I just can’t. So, if I say anything that offends either of you, just tell me, and please don’t take it personally.”

Melissa made a cup, sighed, offered it to Connor, and made herself another. Once they sat down, she looked between both men. “I don’t know how else to put this so I’m just going to say it. I’m apologizing beforehand because I know this is going to sound rude. Now, I don’t know either of you. To just give in and say okay without a fight is not like me. So, after this cup of coffee, I’m going to nicely kick both of you out so I can get some sleep, and if I see you great. If not, well, nothing is different. We’ll all move on and pretend this night never happened.”

The men just stared at her. Channing was the first to lean forward. “After talking to Stephen, because I know that’s who you called, you still think you can move on like nothing is wrong? I don’t know about Connor, but I already know us three were meant to be together. I don’t like having to share you, but I’ve seen three relationships that I can compare with this, and you know what, I think I’m okay with how things worked out with them.”

“I don’t like it, either, but I know what Channing is talking about. I think this could work.”

Melissa laughed. “And I know the three trios you’re both referring to, and although you may be right, I’m not changing my life around backwards because of some pull. It’s going to take more than an invisible force to win me over. I want true love or nothing.”

“You wanted time to stop. With Connor you got it. I read your thoughts. I know what lingers deep down in your heart. You wanted an immediate connection, and you got that with me. You also were crushed when you discovered the news from your friends this morning. You were crushed because that’s what you long for more than anything else. You want love, a family. You want what was destroyed for you at a young age.”

Melissa felt her heart break at hearing the words out loud. Putting down her coffee cup, her hands shook uncontrollably. The anger pulsing through her was about to explode. “Leave. Right now.”

“Excuse me?” Channing’s eyebrows rose in his confusion.

“I said, get out of my house and don’t come back. Both of you—out, now!”

Their mouths parted, and Melissa couldn’t think. Flashes of the horrible memories raced through her mind. She didn’t know whether to pace or throw something. Why weren’t they leaving?

“Get out!”

They both stood, and she practically pushed them out. Turning the lock, she stomped to her room and slammed the door. She wouldn’t think about this. She wouldn’t remember.

* * * *

Connor followed Channing down the steps and kept walking. He had a room not a block away at a hotel meant for tourists. He really needed to get his truck and head to Ayden’s to explain what happened. His Alpha wasn’t going to like that he’d hidden the fact of staying even after he was ordered to cease watching Melissa.

---