Chapter 13
Melody
I’m nervous as we pull up to the mansion. It’s monstrous. “Are you sure this place isn’t haunted?”
Brody shrugs. “I haven’t seen any ghosts yet.”
“But it sucks people in and doesn’t let them leave.”
He grabs my hand. “We’re not staying, baby. Not indefinitely. I have to get back to San Antonio.”
I turn toward him. “Yeah, we need to discuss that, Brody.” He can’t just bark orders about every part of my life. Maybe when we’re naked, but not every aspect of life.
He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses my knuckles. “Though I fully intend to run roughshod over you in the bedroom, I can’t unilaterally decide where we’re living. We’ll discuss it, baby,” he explains gently.
I lift a brow. “An actual discussion between adults? I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation. We met yesterday.”
“We didn’t meet yesterday. We’ve known each other for two weeks.”
I roll my eyes. “Semantics. And you can’t really say we met two weeks ago because I didn’t tell you my name, so it doesn’t count.”
He grins. “Baby, it counts because you’ve been masturbating to thoughts of me since then.”
This is ludicrous, but I have to laugh.
“Shall we go inside?”
“I guess.” I shouldn’t be so nervous. I know all the women who live here. But this time, when I see them, I’m a hell of a lot closer to being one of them.
“I’ll come around to help you. Sit tight, baby.”
At least I remember to remove my seatbelt. When my door opens, I turn toward Brody and set my hands on his shoulders so he can lift me out of the truck. “This vehicle is too high for me.”
“I think it’s perfect. It gives me an excuse to touch you every time we go somewhere.” He slides his hands under my arms as he sets me on my feet. “This dress is fucking sexy, by the way.” His thumbs reach out to graze the sides of my breasts. “You’re not wearing a bra, are you?”
“Nope.” My nipples are stones, but when I glance down, I’m pleased to see no one will be able to tell under the smocking.
“Please tell me you’re wearing another pair of those white panties.”
I giggle. “It’s all I own. If you want me to wear something sexy, we’ll have to stop at a lingerie store in the city tomorrow.”
“We can buy all kinds of sexy clothes, little pixie. Anything you want. But the innocent white cotton makes my dick all kinds of hard.” He lowers so he’s squatting in front of me, tips his head back to look up at me, and eases his palms under my dress.
I jerk my gaze to the back of the mansion where he parked. Luckily, we’re hidden by the open car door. I don’t think anyone can see us, but my face heats anyway.
My breath hitches when he lifts my hem just enough to satisfy his curiosity. “Yeah, sexy as fuck.”
I shove at his arms, hoping he’ll stop teasing me. Besides the fact that we might get caught, he’s making my panties wet. “How come you get to cuss, and I get threatened with a spanking when I do it?”
He releases my dress and stands. “Because I’m a man, and you’re a little pixie,” he growls, his voice comically deep as he pats his chest like Tarzan.
“Good grief.”
Brody shuts the door, threads his fingers with mine, and leads me to an entrance at the back of the mansion. We step into a giant kitchen, and I’m shocked to find everyone waiting for us. It’s so overwhelming.
The women all rush over to me, shove Brody out of the way, forcing him to release me, and then fight to hug me first.
My face is so hot it’s going to catch on fire. I can’t even see Brody beyond the group hug. They all talk at once, clearly excited to have me here. It’s kind of nice. I’m not used to having a family. Even growing up, it was just me, my parents, and strangers all around.
These Wilde wives are so warm and inviting that I almost don’t care that I’m probably never leaving this mansion.
Brody might think he’s going to talk me out of staying in Wilde, but he’s not going to win that argument.
If he feels the need to be in San Antonio so badly, he can go back without me.
And I’m confident that’s not going to happen.
“I knew it,” Arianna finally manages to say, clapping her hands together. “I knew it from the moment he stepped into the library two weeks ago. And now you’re here.”
I can’t keep from giggling. “I’m just here for breakfast,” I lie.
They all laugh.
Claire grabs my hand. “Gretchen made a huge breakfast. We’re going to eat in the dining room.”
As Claire drags me across the kitchen, I catch Gretchen’s eye. She’s grinning like it’s Christmas morning. Apparently, Brody was right. She loves adding new blood to the household. “Welcome to the Wilde family,” she says.
I flush again. I’m not actually part of the family, and it’s madness for anyone to assume I’m going to be a permanent fixture, but it’s infectious. Maybe there is something in the paint. Instead of lead or some other poison, it’s an aphrodisiac.
Brody parts the gaggle of women with both hands before pulling me against his side. “They’re like vultures,” he jokes.
“Oh yeah,” Reagan says, grinning widely. “You’ll be married in less than two weeks.”
I sigh. According to Brody, she’s not wrong. His plan is two weeks from yesterday.
We all shuffle into the dining room. It’s so elegant, it takes my breath away.
Emilia pulls out a chair. “Warning. We’re all working our way through the million rooms in this monstrosity. Some of them haven’t been touched in decades. The place is filled with hidden treasures. But be careful. It’s easy to get lost. Step into a hallway and shout if you get turned around.”
I laugh. “It can’t be that bad.” Brody pulls out the chair next to his sister and helps me get settled before taking the one on the other side of me.
Arianna shakes her head. “Oh, it’s worse than you can imagine. I’ve been here the shortest length of time, and I get nervous every day.”
Dallas kisses the top of her head. “I will always find you, baby.”
She grabs his hand and squeezes it, her face radiates so much love.
That is contagious, too. The love in this room.
It must be driving Emilia batty. I’m pretty sure she has a thing for Haden, who’s arriving soon to manage the renovations on the property.
He works for Brody, so I haven’t mentioned a word to him about Emilia and her infatuation with Haden.
I have no idea how he might react to finding out his sister has the hots for his employee.
I don’t even know for certain I’m correct.
I’m guessing based on how many times she mentioned Haden at book club and the dreamy look in her eyes when she spoke of him. Was that only yesterday?
Gretchen bustles around the room, setting platters of food up and down the long table. It’s enormous and can easily hold far more people than are seated in here this morning, but there are nine of us on one end.
My stomach grumbles as I inhale the smell of bacon and sausage, the predominant scents in the room.
Suddenly, Claire covers her nose and takes deep breaths through her mouth.
Morning sickness. No one else seems to be suffering from it yet.
Okay, maybe Reagan is. She tucks her face against Tiago’s neck, and the man scoots his chair back and hauls her onto his lap.
He rubs her back and whispers something in her ear.
My heart is racing. These men are huge and dominant and overwhelming, but they love their wives so much it’s palpable.
Dallas fills a plate for Arianna.
Ryder butters toast for Claire before leaving the table and returning a minute later with a lemon-lime soda.
Brody grins at me as he reaches for my plate. “Anything you don’t like, baby?”
Again, I feel like it’s Christmas morning and all the family is home for the holidays, except every day is like this here.
This entire extended family lives in this house.
I’m warm all over. That grows as my man fills my plate before his own.
It continues to expand when he sets his palm on my thigh absently, rubbing my bare skin so that I can hardly focus.
“Did she tell you her pen name?” Emilia asks her brother.
“Nope. She doesn’t need to. And even if she did, I would lie to you all and tell you she didn’t.” He takes a bite of pancake.
Emilia sighs. “Poop. I’m so curious. What if her books are in the library here and we don’t even know it?”
“There’s a library?” I ask, sitting taller.
Arianna groans. “The biggest personal library I’ve ever heard of. It’s amazing. We’ll show it to you after breakfast. But there aren’t many modern books in it. Emilia is joking about that. You’re welcome to add to it if you want, though.”
Claire leans forward, holding the piece of toast she has barely nibbled on yet. “Don’t get too excited when you see the cool ladders that roll along the walls so you can get to shelves near the ceiling. These cavemen think we’ll all fall to our deaths, so they never let us climb them.”
“She’s right,” Reagan confirms, “but we’re having a blast cataloging everything. It hasn’t been done in decades, if ever. If you want to join us, you’re welcome to.”
They are so friendly.
Brody gives my leg a squeeze. “You may not steal my girl away from me.” He shakes his head, but he’s chuckling. “I just got her. She’s not going to spend the day cataloging books. I brought her over so you all could harass me and tell me, ‘I told you so.’ That’s it.”
“Oh,” Reagan says, nearly jumping in her seat. “You should take her upstairs so she can choose a room. The one you’re using is lame.”
I swallow a bite of eggs and glance around at everyone. “What’s this about choosing a room?”
Brody groans and runs a hand down his face.