Abbey's Protectors [Beckett's Wolf Pack, Triad Mates 4] (Siren Publishing Menage & More) (17 page)

Clay kissed her temple lightly, hugging her tightly before easing back. “Honey, we want you to always feel calm and happy,” he told her, closing his eyes briefly and breathing in deeply to take in the glorious scent of her.

Abbey worried her lower lip between her teeth as memories of her situation bombarded her. She had to be completely honest with them. She wanted them to know what she was dealing with. She wanted them to understand that she was broken and needed their help to heal. She could feel the strength and the gentleness that these men had just for her. She wanted that gentleness and strength in her life, surrounding her and making her finally feel safe and protected—and loved. As she looked at the two men who lay contentedly on either side of her, she felt the bond tightening and couldn’t deny it any longer. The beautiful woman had told her that these men were hers. Her father had told her to accept the woman’s words and guidance. She couldn’t ignore the advice any longer. Her father loved her and only wanted the best for her. He must agree that this triad mating was the best thing for her and would make her happy.

“Can you feel how my heart is racing?” she asked them quietly, taking a deep breath to try to calm herself.

“Yes, honey,” Clay answered, leaning forward and laying his head against her chest. “Are you okay?”

Hunter kissed her temple lightly, worry filling him as he felt her emotions swirling within her. “Open your heart to us, sweetheart. Allow us to calm you.”

Abbey nodded and closed her eyes, taking deep, even breaths and concentrating on the two men who held her gently. So many emotions filled her, but she pushed aside her fear and nervousness to concentrate on the kindness and support that both men filled her with.

“I saw the two of you holding our children,” she whispered finally, opening her eyes and looking at them shyly.

Both men’s growls greeted her words. Abbey watched them silently as they leaned up on their forearms and looked down at her. Their eyes were golden again, and she could feel her heart racing as she sensed their wolves peering down at her.

“Abbey, we’ve seen our babies, too,” Clay told her, reaching up and settling his hand on her stomach.

“Do you want to have children?” Hunter asked her, touching her chin and gently turning her face to meet his gaze. “We need you to be completely honest about this, sweetheart.”

Abbey looked at Hunter and saw the way he was holding himself away from her. “Are you okay?” she asked him, reaching up to cup his cheek lightly.

“I’m better now that we have you back, Mate,” he told her honestly. “Don’t avoid the question, Abbey.”

“I’m not,” she protested, looking at Clay for support but he was looking at her just as intently as Hunter was. She could see that he didn’t believe her. “I’m not,” she insisted.

“Then answer the question,” Clay told her calmly. “Do you want to have children? Or should we rephrase the question? Do you want to have children with us?”

“This is progressing a little quickly, don’t you think?” Abbey asked them.

Neither man relented. They both looked at her with the most serious expression on their faces, Abbey was sure she would not be able to avoid the question.

“There’s a lot we need to talk about before I can answer that question.”

“I had a vision of you the night before we found you in the woods,” Hunter told her softly. “In the vision I was giving you a hard time and you punched me in the arm.”

“I’m sorry,” Abbey apologized immediately.

“Baby, don’t be sorry,” Hunter told her, smiling. “It was a vision that was gifted to me and showed me that you were going to be the perfect mate for us. It showed me that we would have fun together, we would enjoy spending time together, and you wouldn’t take any of my shit.”

“Trust me, Abbey, he
will
give you a lot of shit,” Clay warned her. “It’s in his nature.”

Abbey’s eyes flashed to Hunter, worried that he would be offended but when she saw him looking back at her she was relieved to see that he was smiling. He winked at her before leaning down to kiss her lips lightly.

“Clay’s right,” he admitted as he pulled back slightly. “I do tend to give people a lot of shit. But I promise I’ll try to limit it with you.”

“Get it in writing, honey,” Clay advised seriously.

Abbey couldn’t help it. She laughed out loud. She couldn’t believe how much enjoyment these men gave her. She felt comfortable. She felt relaxed. And she felt safe.

She looked at both men and saw that they were smiling widely. Both of them were completely at ease as they lay beside her. Hunter’s eyes were back to his normal brown. They were filled with warmth and caring as he waited for her to accept them. Clay’s blue eyes held a definite twinkle of enjoyment as he watched her, and Abbey couldn’t help but smile back at both of them. How could she ever want to put anything but happiness in both of their hearts?

“Clay and I also shared another vision where we were holding you and resting our hands on your sweet baby bump,” Hunter told her, smiling. “It was really nice feeling our cub moving inside of you.”

Abbey was warmed by his words, but she was also a little surprised. The fact that the men were having visions of her pregnant was surprising enough. Having them be happy about it was what made her speechless.

“Would you be happy if you were pregnant with our cub, Abbey?” Clay asked her, his voice calm.

Abbey looked from Clay to Hunter, trying to figure out if what they were asking her was sincere or not. She tried very hard not to let her desires cloud her feelings.

“Is that what the both of you want?” she finally asked, careful to keep her thoughts and feelings from bleeding through in her voice.

“What we want is a lifetime with you, honey,” Clay told her sincerely as he looked down at her. “Having children with you would be an added gift.”

The blue of his eyes were now edged with a warm gold, and his canines were still prominent in his mouth. Despite the obvious wolf attributes, there was a softness in his expression as he searched her face and waited for her answer.

Abbey’s heart began to thump against her chest and her pulse raced from hearing his words. It was as if she could feel what he was feeling.

How could that be possible? How can I feel his emotions?

Despite her confusion, she knew that she really was sensing exactly what Clay was feeling. Searching her heart, she realized she could sense Hunter’s emotions as well.

“We want to love you and build a future with you that will include lots of cubs for us to raise,” Hunter told her, his deep voice resonating through her body. “We want you. We want a family. We want the love we’ll only have with you sharing your life with us and giving us that family.”

Abbey looked at each man, trying to judge their sincerity. Years of people using her and pretending to be what they weren’t in order to get to her father or his company had taught her to be leery of any person who behaved the way these men were behaving. She had learned the hard way with her husband that she had to put aside her basic need for love and acceptance and concentrate on the reality of each situation. She was not going to be fooled again. She narrowed her eyes and viewed these men critically.

She had never felt such a connection to any person before—certainly never with any man. She wanted to care for them as she knew they would care for her. She wanted to touch them and soothe them. She could feel the pain and loneliness in their hearts and wanted to give them the daily joy she knew they deserved. The beautiful woman had told her that they had seen much sadness and brutality in their lives, and she wanted to be the woman who showed them that there was gentleness and goodness waiting for them—with her. She wanted to love them. She wanted them to love her. And if she were to be honest with herself, she wanted a future and a family with them.

Hunter lay against her right side while Clay lay against her left. They leaned up and rested against her, their bodies warm and firm above her.

“Do you know who I am?” she asked them after a long silence while they waited patiently for her to speak.

“Of course we know who you are,” Clay told her immediately.

“Who am I?”

“You’re our mate,” Hunter told her with conviction.

Abbey looked at them both silently for a moment. “What’s my name?” she asked them finally.

“Abbey,” Hunter said.

“Abigail,” Clay corrected.

“What’s my last name?”

Both men were silent.

“You don’t know,” she told them, great satisfaction filling her.

“No.” Hunter looked at Clay as he admitted what neither one of them knew. “Sorry, sweetheart, but we don’t know your last name.”

Abbey’s smile grew wider. These men truly didn’t know who she was. They didn’t know who her father was. They didn’t know about her software company or the money that it generated.

“You don’t know my name, but you want to be my mates?”

“We
are
your mates,” Clay insisted. “It doesn’t matter what your last name is. All that matters is that you belong with us, and we’ll belong to you. We’ll have a wonderful future together. All you need to do is accept us.”

“Yes, that’s the whole point, isn’t it?” Abbey asked them. She looked at both men, seeing the hopeful expressions on their faces.

Abbey touched their backs without thought, drawing little circles across their shoulders, loving the feel of their strength beneath her hands. Something settled in her as both of them rested against her neck. She threaded her fingers through their hair, loving the silkiness of both men’s locks as she repeatedly petted them and massaged their scalps.

“We want to claim you, sweetheart,” Hunter told her gently, kissing her shoulder lightly. “We need you home with us.”

“You want me to go to your home?” Abbey asked, surprised.

“Of course, honey,” Clay told her, smiling. “How else are we going to be a mated triad and have a life together? We want you with us always.” He saw the way her expression became serious and worried that she didn’t understand the true depth of what their mating would mean. “What’s wrong, Abbey?”

“I have commitments,” Abbey told them calmly. “I have people who are depending on me. I don’t think I can make that decision right now.”

The men shared a look then returned their attention back to their hesitant mate. They wrapped their arms around her and held her gently between them. The soft ribbons of connection that wove an intricate design of permanency around them were enough for now. The bond was there. It was stronger than before. And there was nothing and no one who would be able to sever that connection.

Abbey looked at Hunter then at Clay, feeling the warmth of something holding the three of them together. It was soft and gentle and not suffocating in any way. It was comfortable. It was deep. And it felt right.

The bond she felt with them couldn’t be denied. She didn’t want to deny it. She had an aching need to belong to them, and for the first time in her life, she wasn’t afraid of wanting what she always thought before was unattainable. She knew that the men lying beside her were the most honest men she had ever met. She knew she could trust them with her identity. She knew she could trust them with her life. Her father had brought the beautiful lady to her to tell her that these men were meant to be hers. She had to trust that this was something that was destined. Taking a calming breath, she continued her gentle petting of their heads, soothing herself as well.

“My name is Abbey Tyler. My father was Brandon Tyler. He created a software development company twenty years ago that now has developed into a large corporation that has hundreds of employees. My dad died three years ago, and I’ve been the CEO and the majority stock holder of the company since his death. I’m responsible for the running of the company and the well-being of our employees. I’m lucky enough to have two friends who have helped me run the company and keep it successful, but, ultimately, the responsibility is mine. I take that responsibility very seriously. I care about my father’s company, and I care about the people who work for me.” She hesitated, watching the men for any flash of greed, but only saw them listening intently to her. “A few months ago, I met a man named Peter Jordan. He is a very good looking man who knew all the right words to say. I should have known better, but I guess I was lonely enough to get caught up in his lies.”

She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. When both men leaned away from her, she worried that her admission of desperation for someone to love her had caused them to be disgusted by her, but when she looked up at them she saw only gentleness in their eyes.

“What happened, honey?” Clay asked her gently.

“We were married five months ago. It took me less than one week to realize that I was only a means to an end for him. My father’s attorneys made sure that Peter would never have any claim to the company through the marriage, but there was one way he could have access to Tyler Industries.”

“How?” Hunter growled.

“If we had a child, and he was the sole guardian, he would be in control of all the money that would be set aside to take care of the child until the child reached the age of eighteen.” Both men tightened their hold on her. “I couldn’t let that happen. He didn’t know that I was taking birth control pills. When I didn’t end up pregnant each month, he wasn’t able to keep up the façade of the loving husband anymore.” She looked off into the distance as she thought about the man she had married, her heart heavy with grief that she had been so fooled by him. “If the marriage failed, Peter would still be set up in a position that would give him a significant income. Either way, he would come out a winner. The only thing I didn’t foresee was that he would try to get rid of me.”