Melindas Wolves (17 page)

He furrowed his brow. “That’s crazy, Melinda. It’s going to be a long day. And it’s too hot. Besides, half the reason I brought you is because I want you with me.”

“Why? So you can point out the merits of destroying this beautiful land all day? No thanks, Keegan.” She was being overly harsh, she knew that. It wasn’t his fault he’d been working somewhere she didn’t approve of when they met. And, he had a point.

She couldn’t sit there in the truck. She wished she didn’t have to play nice. His friends were in for a rude introduction—literally. How many mates started World War III the morning after the claiming?

Surely not many.

And the worst part? She was horny from sitting in the cab with him for the last half hour.

Frustrated beyond belief both sexually and emotionally. It was like a war going on in her head between her environmental stand and her libido. She couldn’t win if she tried.

At least they were in public now, so she wouldn’t have to worry about having sex with the man she currently wanted to scream at.

“Melinda, honey…” He set a hand on her thigh.

“Scoot back. I can get out of a truck without help.” She immediately winced.

He looked like he’d been verbally slapped.

And he had. But he stepped back as she climbed down from the cab.

She avoided his gaze, hoping they wouldn’t have to spar right then. She didn’t think she could take fighting with him. What she really wanted to do was remain mute the entire day and leave this subject for some other time.

Apparently that wasn’t on Keegan’s agenda. In fact, he stepped into her space as he shut the truck door, pinned her to the warm metal at her back, and set a hand on both sides of her head. “Look at me, hon.”

She lifted her gaze, pretending to squint even though the sun wasn’t directly in her eyes. She tried to look bored.

“You’re my mate. I know we don’t see eye-to-eye on this project, but please do me a favor and keep that to yourself this morning. Try to be cordial to my men. I’ll be the laughing stock of the job if they catch wind that my woman doesn’t agree with my beliefs.”

She narrowed her eyes further, this time for real. “Keegan, step back. You’re crowding me with your insults.”

“Melinda.” He moaned around her name. “Hon, I’m not trying to be a jackass.”

“Good to know how little effort it takes. At least now I know it comes naturally.”

She shoved his chest, mostly to get his scent out of her face. If she breathed in one more whiff of him, she would lose all her resolve and haul him close for a kiss instead of pushing him away.

Her heart and her mind began a battle that was painful.

Keegan sighed loudly, muttering under his breath as she followed him to a trailer where several people were coming and going. He took her hand without a word as they stepped inside.

“Hey.” A tall slender man about their same age lifted his gaze from a spread of blueprints. “’Bout time you showed up,” he teased, winking at Melinda.

He stepped forward, holding out a hand. “I’m Braden. Welcome.”

“Melinda.” She took his hand, immediately emitting a light gasp no one noticed. It happened sometimes when she touched another person. Perhaps the person was stressed about something or fake or in a bad mood. She didn’t think Braden was inherently bad, but she stared at him a moment longer after releasing his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Braden rounded the enormous table back to his spot. She watched him move, light, intent on the designs spread across the desk.

Keegan set his hand on the small of her back. “Braden is the foreman on site.”

Melinda nodded. “Got it. Hope there won’t be a name quiz later after I meet several people.” She tried to shake off her weird feeling.

Braden chuckled. “As long as you remember mine, it’s all good.”

She lifted her gaze to Keegan, playing the sweet new mate. “I need to make a few calls. Is there some place I can do that?”

“Of course. Use my office.” He seemed relieved as he ushered her to a door on the short hallway. “Make yourself at home. It’s sparse, but let me know if you need anything.”

She felt like one of his employees instead of the mate he’d fucked this morning.

The second he shut the door, leaving her to herself, her spine went stiff. She glanced around the room. Something was off. Not surprising. This wasn’t an unusual feeling for her, and she’d known it would happen on this site. But it was more intense than she’d expected. There was a small window on the outside wall, and she took the few strides to it and looked out. It faced the casino.

A shiver raced down her spine. Something was definitely off. Imminent danger made her skin crawl.

Not for the first time, she cursed her weird ability to detect almost nothing but unease in some instances. What was she supposed to do with that? Run out there and tell everyone to get back?

Nope. She couldn’t do anything of the sort. She needed to pull herself together and take a chill pill first. Later.

She slumped into the uncomfortable plastic chair on the back side of the desk, shaking off her premonition as she pulled her phone from her purse.

Sherri answered on the first ring. “Hey, boss. How’s it going?”

“Okay, if you don’t mind spending the day at the casino site.”

“The casino? That monstrous eyesore that’s going to block the view of the lake and bring unwanted drunk people to Sojourn and probably run your shop out of business?

That one?”

“The very one.”

“Pray tell, why?”

“Apparently my mate is the building inspector on the job.”

“No.” Sherri gasped.

“Yes. Definitely yes. And it must be super humorous to bring me here for the day to keep an eye on me. If that man thinks he’s going to convert me to his way of thinking, he’s got bigger issues than just his warped idea of progress.” She realized her voice had risen, and she twisted to look at the door. It remained closed.

Plus, she had another problem. Her thoughts weren’t her own. Either of her mates could prod into her mind at will. And she seriously doubted she had the skills to block them well with her emotions running as high as they were this morning.

Her leg bounced up and down as she tried to rein in her anger.

“Sweetie, calm down. He’s your mate. Like it or not, you’re going to have to work this out. Or at least agree to disagree.”

She knew that. But easier said than done.

Deep breaths.

“I just wanted to let you know I won’t likely be in today. You guys okay without me?”

“Of course. Take as much time as you need. It sounds like you have your work cut out for you. Take it easy on your man. Don’t rip him a new asshole the first day after mating him. You did let them claim you, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.” Sherri giggled. “Talk to you later.” She hung up before Melinda had a chance to respond.

She set her phone on the desk and leaned back in the horrific chair, tipping her head back and closing her eyes. More memories flooded into her mind from last night and this morning. Unbidden, but there all the same.

The small office suffocated her. It smelled of Keegan, and the confined space made her legs bounce. She lifted her sandaled feet and balanced them against the side of the desk. Why had she chosen a sundress today?

It was warm out. And the forecast called for higher temperatures as the day wore on. She grabbed the dress, thinking she would feel more in control if she didn’t have a denim seam between her legs rubbing against her pussy all day.

That might have been a calculated error since she was now more concerned with her exposure and the panties she wore that were already wet from the drive to the job site.

The door opened behind her, and she twisted in her seat to find Keegan striding in.

When he shut the heavy metal with a snick, she flinched. “Everything okay?”

She swallowed, her gaze running up and down his body. He was solid. Built. So fucking sexy, any woman would fawn over him. “Yes.”

Please tell me you didn’t catch any of that conversation
…

He came straight to her, and before she could protest, lifted her out of the hard chair and set her on the desk. His hands landed on both sides of her hips. He met her gaze and held it, his face serious. “Do you know how much you mean to me?”

She nodded. It was true. She was well aware of his feelings. Hers were no different.

“I’m sorry about this job. It’s my current project, and it’s huge. I have to work here for months. Perhaps longer. Some days I go to other assignments, but most of my time is spent here. This place is a calamity of problems. It looks like there were indeed issues with the initial foundation, and until everything is ironed out with the concrete poured before the earthquake, construction can’t proceed.”

She nodded again. It was so difficult to focus with him in her face like that. She didn’t know how he did it.

Apparently not any better than her, since he righted himself and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m trying to apologize here.”

She could see that. “So, you think that email might have had some truth to it?”

“Maybe.” He pursed his lips and then continued, “I haven’t done enough research yet to be sure. But I’m very concerned based on the files I pulled so far this morning.”

“Um, Keegan, I don’t mean to be a bitch, but something isn’t right here.”

He looked back toward her. “Don’t I know it.”

“No, I mean something is
really
not right.”

He angled his head to one side, looking at her quizzically. “Like what? We just got here. You already have a suspicion?”

She lowered her gaze. “I don’t know for sure,” she muttered. And then she straightened and took a deep breath. “Look, I know you don’t know me well yet, and my quirky abilities are foreign to you, but when I get feelings, I just know things. They aren’t always specific. And this is one of those times.”

“So you’re saying something is wrong with this casino project, a project you’re conveniently opposed to? And you want me to do what? Call the guys in and stop everything?” He set his hands on his hips, his chest rising and falling with his aggravation.

He’d been in the middle of a pseudo-apology, and now she’d pushed him away again.

It couldn’t be helped. She wasn’t the kind of person to hold her tongue. “Well, when you put it that way, it sounds absurd.”

“What way would you like to put it?”

She tucked her hair behind her ears and met his gaze. “I don’t know. I’m just warning you.”

“Warning me about what, Melinda?” He lifted both hands in the air and glanced at the ceiling.

This was not how she wanted the conversation to go. She’d known him two days now, and so far they’d managed to fight more than not. “Keegan,” she jumped down from the desk and stepped closer, setting her hands on his chest. “I’m not a fool. I get there’s nothing you can do differently right now. But in my experience, when something creeps up my spine, it means business. When and if I know more, I’ll pass on the details. In the meantime, it would be negligent of me to keep my feelings to myself.”

He stared at her, blinking.

She couldn’t blame him. If she were him, she’d be just as skeptical. Lifting up on her tiptoes, she leaned closer to his lips until she hovered an inch away. She smoothed her hands up his chest and around his neck at the same time.

Please, God, let him close the distance
. She carefully pleaded with whatever higher being was listening while keeping her thoughts blocked from him.

“I want you to stay in my office for now, okay? I know it’s a lot to ask. But I feel better having you here.” He rubbed his hands up her back. “Maybe I’m being greedy.

Maybe I have a little bit of your eerie mojo floating around in me too. In any case, I want you close. Tell me what you feel. I promise to try to be open minded. I know you must be bored.”

Someone knocked on the door.

Melinda sighed as Keegan turned his head. “I have a meeting to get to.” He eased out of her embrace and left her standing there. With his hand on the door, he hesitated, but then he proceeded, leaving her once again alone in his office.

Keegan sat in the small conference room at the other end of the trailer from his office with his boss, Mitch Highland. Mitch held the email Keegan had printed out.

Mitch reread it for the tenth time. “And you have no idea who this came from?”

Keegan shook his head. “Not a fucking clue.” He ran a hand through his hair and leaned back in his chair.

“Does anyone else know about this?” Mitch’s hand shook.

Keegan nodded at the paper and shrugged. “I can’t tell you who else that guy has spoken to, but no, not from me. Yet. I wanted to do an inspection of his specifics this morning and see for myself if there’s any truth to these accusations. If this is for real, there will be hell to pay. I’ve already gone through several files. I’m afraid the guy may be right.”

“No kidding.” Mitch scanned the page again. “The fucking foundation? That’s huge. And a serious accusation. If the builder used shoddy materials and subpar concrete, the casino might as well be built on sand.” He jumped to his feet, his chair screeching across the linoleum floor like nails on a chalkboard. Both hands in his hair, he paced. “If it hadn’t been for the earthquake setting this site back more than a year, that casino would have been open by now. People would have died in that quake.”

“Fuck, people could still die in another quake if this wrong isn’t righted.”

“Thank God the standards were changed.” Mitch stacked the pages in front of him and stuffed them in his briefcase. “Can I keep these?”

“Yep. I can always reprint if we need.”

“Right. I think we should keep this to ourselves for now. If we start spreading rumors, people will get nervous. The men working on this project are already scared out of their minds it could come to another halt if anything goes wrong. Most of them are just now getting back to work after the quake. They can’t afford to lose their jobs again.”

“Good point. I’ll start going down this list and see if there’s any validity to these accusations. No one will raise an eyebrow at me inspecting anything. After all, it’s my job. Hell, if I cried wolf for every email I’ve received threatening this job, we would all be running in circles.” Keegan grinned.