Melindas Wolves (18 page)

“True. We get dozens of emails. Hopefully this one is just blowing smoke like the others. I think I’d like a short tour now,” Mitch said.

“Thank God the reservation was so divided over this. Their stalling tactics could have saved lives.” Keegan stood as he thought of his mate down the hall. Perhaps there
was
something to that premonition she was having…

“Yep. Without the disagreement, the town council wouldn’t have insisted on extra building inspectors, you and I wouldn’t be here, and the casino could have been erected before anyone knew what might lie beneath.” Mitch lifted the strap of his bag over his shoulder.

“Why do you think this guy is just now coming forward?”

Mitch shrugged. “Maybe he was scared? Maybe he’s been watching the

construction and hoping it wouldn’t progress. Now that it is, he’s fired up.”

“Or,” Keegan added, “maybe his entire email is a hoax designed by some environmentalist who wants to slow progress or stop the building altogether.”

“Could be, but either way our responsibility is the same. We have no choice but to take the threat seriously and look into it.” Mitch grinned, incongruent with the seriousness of the conversation. “Now, I believe congratulations are in order.”

Keegan beamed. “Yep.”

“When did you mate?”

“Yesterday.”

Mitch’s eyes went wide. “And you’re here?”

“Well, the job doesn’t do itself.” He opened the door and stepped into the hall.

“Huh.” Mitch followed behind him. “Your mate is also here. How did I miss that?”

Keegan turned around and walked backward, approaching his office. “One of them. You want to meet her?” He opened the door without waiting for a response.

Melinda stood at the window. She whirled around to face him as he stepped inside.

He went right to her in two strides, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her neck.

“Sorry, honey,” he whispered. He took her hand as he turned back around. “Mitch, this is Melinda. Melinda, my boss, Mitch.”

Mitch smiled hugely and stepped forward, hand extended. “So nice to meet you, Melinda.” He turned toward Keegan. “Did you say ‘one of them?’ You have another mate?”

“Yes. Apparently.”

“That’s so rare. I don’t think I know anyone with two mates. Anyone I know?”

“Probably. You’ve met my friend Trace before, haven’t you?”

“One of the Masters boys, right?”

“Yep. The second eldest.”

Melinda leaned into Keegan’s side as he spoke to Mitch. Did she stiffen for a moment? Maybe he imagined it. Her body felt so right against him. He hated arguing with her and vowed to make amends and work through this disagreement. Besides, maybe she was right in a way. At least the part about the danger she sensed.

“Didn’t Trace’s older brother mate last year?”

“Uh huh. They have a third mate also. In fact, Melinda’s brother is one of them, Miles. And their female is human.”

“Crazy times.” Mitch shook his head. He turned toward Melinda again. “Have you had a proper tour of the site yet?”

“No. Um, Keegan’s been busy all morning.” She glanced down at her dress and sandals. “I’m not really dressed for it.”

“True. At least jeans and closed-toed shoes would be helpful.” Mitch turned toward Keegan. “We can tour another time if you want to just step outside and point out the highlights.”

Keegan hadn’t mentioned Melinda’s abilities or the fact she already knew about the email threats. He was also aware she didn’t need to get closer to the action to feel the bad vibes she felt. “No. You need to see the entire site. Melinda can walk out with us for a minute, and then I’ll take you on the grand tour.”

“Sounds good. I’d love to see what you do. You can show me around another day,”

she said with more enthusiasm than he knew she felt. She even looped her hand through his arm and hugged it against her side.

“Laying it on kinda thick?”
he asked through their connection. He couldn’t keep the smirk off his face, though. And he loved having her so close, even if she was being sarcastic.

“What? Can’t a girl show interest in seeing where her mate works?”
She batted her eyes and smiled with no words communicated out loud for Mitch to hear.

Mitch cleared his throat. “I don’t even want to know what you two lovebirds are saying to each other. My breakfast is going to come back up soon,” he teased.

Keegan wormed his arm out from her grasp and wrapped it behind her. He pinched her ass and gave her a stern look.
“Behave.”

“Mmm. I don’t think so.”
She jumped out of his reach and fled the room before he could grab her again. This time she took Mitch’s arm on the way by. “It’s so nice to meet one of Keegan’s friends.”

The imp. She was toying with him, trying to rile him. And it was working.

“Honey, I suggest you get your hands off my boss before I embarrass you.”

She didn’t turn around to communicate back at him.
“You don’t scare me.”

If he wasn’t mistaken, she nearly skipped from the room.

“You’re acting strange. I could have sworn you flinched the first time you touched Mitch.

Now you’re grasping at his arm? Is there something you aren’t saying?”

“Nope. Just getting a vibe.”

“And?”

“Nothing specific. He’s nervous.”

“He should be. This entire site could prove to be a sham.”

“Exactly. So don’t worry about my senses on this one.”

Mitch opened the door to the outside.

Keegan grabbed two hardhats from the entrance room.
“I think you should reconsider
your flirty stance. This is a site full of men. No one will think anything of me plastering you to
the side of this building and kissing you into submission. The only one who would be mortified is
you.”

She ignored him.

His cock rose to attention at the silent challenge. Did she think he was kidding? Or was she goading him? Maybe she wanted him to claim her mouth in front of everyone.

Hmmm.

As soon as they all three stepped outside, Keegan handed a hardhat to Mitch. He decided to ignore her attempt to provoke him for now.

As much as he hated to admit it out loud, his curiosity over her abilities was peaked. He wanted to get her vibe on the place, especially now that he had a heightened sense of concern about the stability of the initial foundation and framework.

He wouldn’t take her on a tour. Hell, he wouldn’t take her on a tour even if she were dressed appropriately. He didn’t want to risk her safety. She may have had a bad feeling about the site, and maybe it was rubbing off on him, but he would swear he had the same bad taste in his mouth.

Mitch scanned the area and then turned back to face Melinda, using his hand to shield his eyes from the rising sun. “It’s a truly massive structure, isn’t it?”

She nodded as she released Mitch’s arm. “Yes.” At least she didn’t start railing on Mitch for having the balls to step foot on the site of such a future abomination.

Keegan set a hand on Melinda’s back and eased between her and Mitch. Even though it might have been completely irrational, he didn’t like his boss’s hands on his mate. He pointed toward the left end of the construction. “That’s the main entrance over there, followed by the bulk of the building, and the parking structure in the rear.”

He panned his finger from left to right.

“How tall is it supposed to be?” Melinda asked.

Keegan turned to face her. “Way taller than you’d like.” He gave her a wry grin, knowing what she was really asking was if the entire view would be obstructed. The answer was yes.

She narrowed her gaze at him, frowning. Or perhaps seething.

Keegan lifted his hardhat toward Mitch’s free hand. “Can you hold this? I need to speak to my mate alone for a second. I’ll be right back.”

Mitch grabbed the hat, chuckling under his breath. “Take your time.”

Keegan calmly wove his fingers between hers and led her back into the construction trailer. He knew she practically ran to keep up with his hurried strides. Seconds later, he pulled her into his office once again, shut the door, and turned the lock.

Two seconds after that, he spun her around to face his desk and pressed on her upper back until she leaned forward.

“Keegan…”

“Shh. You want to play? I can play.” Keegan separated her legs with one of his.

“I don’t think—”

“Yeah, I see that.” He chuckled, cutting her off. “Are you always this ornery? Or is it just my job that’s making you obstinate?” The question didn’t require a response, but he was sure she shivered slightly. He leaned over her and put his hand on the back of her head. “Set your forehead against my desk.”

She complied with a soft gasp.

Holy Christ
.

Keegan had to rein in his cock at the flood of arousal that wafted up from between her legs. She was going to kill him. He wanted to show her what would happen if she played games with him. But instead, she brought him to his knees with her arousal. He wasn’t going to “show” her anything. She had him by the balls.

A soft moan escaped her lips, and her hips bucked slightly toward him.

Keegan set his hand on her lower back to hold her steady. He lifted her skirt over her ass and tucked it under his hand.

Jesus
.

Her thong was small, lacy, and wet.

“Spread your legs wider, Melinda.” His voice sounded like someone else’s.

She stepped out farther.

“Good girl.” He stroked his hand down one thigh and then back up the inside until he reached her pussy.

Soaked.

She rose onto her toes and moaned louder.

“Shh. Keep quiet. Someone could be in the outer room. Do you know how thin these walls are?”

She shuddered.

He pushed her thong aside and stroked through her folds, gathering her moisture and then spreading it forward. Instead of touching her clit, he grabbed her panties and tugged, tightening the lace over her sensitive nub.

She jerked forward. “Please.”

“You’re a bit of a hellion, aren’t you?”

She didn’t respond.

“Answer me.”

“I, I guess.”

“I work here, honey.”

“I know.” Her voice was almost a whisper.

He had to fight to keep from chuckling. “You don’t want me to fuck you in front of my friends, do you?”

She shook her head.

“Then maybe don’t tempt me.” He released the lace and reached around it from both sides to pinch her clit.

“Mmm.” Her head rolled to one side so her cheek was on the desk.

He released her clit and grasped her ass cheek, molding it in his palm.

Melinda licked her lips. “It might be difficult to follow your advice if this is how you’re going to punish me?”

Oh, she was so mistaken. He knew the low chuckle he emitted was menacing. “Oh, honey. You’re totally not grasping the situation.”

She stiffened.

He went in for the kill. If she thought she could toy with him verbally and mentally in front of his boss, she was in for a wild ride. He thrust his hand back between her legs, yanked her panties to one side, and pushed two fingers into her wet sheath.

She sucked her lips between her teeth.

He loved watching her fight to remain quiet. He watched her face closely as he thrust in and out of her several times. His cock was going to hurt like a son of a bitch after he taught her this lesson, but it would be worth it.

The second she released her lips, her body arching and stiffening, he pulled out.

“Keegan. God. Don’t stop.”

He released her skirt, smoothed it back over her fucking hot ass, and grabbed her shoulders to pull her upright.

When he had her attention, twisting her around to face him, he sucked her arousal off his fingers. “Mmm. You taste divine.”

Her face was red. Her mouth hung open. She leaned against the desk, grasping it with both hands at her sides. Her legs shook. “Keegan… Oh my God. You’re not—”

“Done? Yep. You can spend a few hours wet and needy.” He kissed her forehead, working hard not to grin. He spun around and wrapped his hand around the doorknob before he could change his mind. He was probably far hornier than her now. His little plan had backfired. His cock would be hard the rest of the day.

“Why?” she asked in a voice so low, desperate, and sexy he almost retracted his stance.

“Because my cock is harder than a rock from your provocation. It’s only fair.” He tugged the door open quickly and stepped out. “I’m going to give Mitch a tour. Don’t touch yourself while I’m gone.” And then he left. It was one of the hardest things he’d ever done.

 •●• 

The tour with Mitch did not go as planned. Before they managed to cover much ground, too many impediments got in the way.

The last straw was when a board fell from overhead, landing less than a foot away from Keegan.

He jerked his gaze to the crane operator in frustration, using his hand to cover his eyes from the glare of the sun. “What the hell?”

The man jumped down from the crane and jogged toward Keegan. “Sorry, man. I don’t know what happened.” The guy grabbed the two-by-four and hauled it out of the way. He dropped it with a thud and scratched his head, glancing around. His face was a deep crimson, and his eyes were wide with concern. “I totally had a hold on that board. I don’t know what happened,” he repeated, shifting his feet. The man probably feared for his job.

As far as Keegan was concerned, he should be scared.

“It was like the arm opened up and released for no reason.”

Keegan frowned. “Get someone to look at it. If the equipment is faulty, it needs to be repaired.” Keegan stepped toward the crane and swung up into the driver’s seat. He grabbed the inspection papers from the glove compartment and glanced down the list.

The likelihood that the crane itself was responsible for the dropped two-by-four was slim. It had been declared fully operational just yesterday. No issues.

But this was Keegan’s job. Making sure every possible means of inspection was covered paid his salary. And this was unacceptable.

Keegan stuffed the pages back in the glove compartment and jumped down. He met the nervous man’s gaze. “Get someone to look at that before you operate it again.”