“That him, sugar?”
Gavin stepped closer, hoping this would put an end to it all.
Her lips firmed. “Yes. I’m positive.”
Sirens sounded, and she looked up. Riley kissed the top of her head. “It’s over, sugar. It’s really over.”
He led her over to the sofa and had her sit.
“I’m getting you a glass of wine,” he said.
Gavin raised a hand. “How about a beer for me? I could use one.”
Riley chuckled. “I’m sure you could.”
Brooke’s hand shook as she grabbed the glass from Riley. A knock sounded on the front door, and even though she’d heard the siren, the noise startled her. Riley opened up and both the sheriff and Tom came in.
Justin’s gaze took in the room. “I see you’ve been busy.” He looked up at Gavin.
“Damn home invaders.”
“Should I call Doc Pritchard for you?”
Old Doc Pritchard had to be closer to eighty than seventy. His knees and hands had more calcium buildup in them than straight chalk.
Gavin waved a hand. “I’m good.”
Justin shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
Tom walked over to her. “How are you holding up?”
“Good. Considering. I locked myself in a closet downstairs, so I was safe.”
He smiled. “That was smart. Gavin and Riley are quite the protectors, huh?”
“Yes, they are.”
Now that the threat was gone, she’d move back to her house and open her shop. Her days would be filled with long hours and lots of computer code to create. Her men would find another case to solve and probably another damsel in distress to save.
Ceci! “I need to call my sister and let her know the good news.”
Justin held up his hand. “Give me a second. I want to get a formal identification.”
The man roused and kicked out his leg. One eye was swollen shut.
“Sit up.”
The man grunted. “Fuck you.”
At least that was what she thought he said, as it had come out garbled.
“What’s your name?”
The man, who she believed was Kaplan, turned his head away from the sheriff. Justin faced her. “We’ll have to wait on the notification. We’ll take his fingerprints back at the station.”
Riley stepped forward. “He’s never been arrested, so there may be nothing to compare them to.”
“That may be, but I gotta try.”
“I bet the Bozeman PD would like to get their hands on both of these guys.”
Justin nodded. “I’ll take them to the station and process them while I wait for Bozeman to take these two off my hands.”
Riley told him about the guy driving the Mercedes and the other guy in the white Chevy Malibu.
“Their organization is deep. That’s always the problem. We catch one and there’s another to take his place.”
Her stomach tumbled. Would this nightmare ever end?
Chapter Nineteen
Riley sat next to Brooke on the sofa. “Don’t worry, sugar. The one who wanted you out of the way was Kaplan, and he can’t touch you now.”
She prayed that was true. After Justin and Tom took Gavin’s and Riley’s statement, they hauled the men away.
“I can’t believe that Kaplan went to all the trouble to come after me after he’d already been identified. Hell, you even shot him. He and his man had to know what you two were capable of.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Logic isn’t what guides men like him. Money is. By you seeing him kill the mule, you stirred up a hornet’s nest and pissed Kaplan off. He wanted revenge.”
“He’ll have a long time to think about where he messed up.”
Riley leaned over and kissed her.
Gavin stepped into the living room from the hall. She jumped up and rushed over to him. “You need to see a doctor.”
His cheek was black and blue, and his nose was crusted in blood.
“I’ll be fine.”
Men were so damned stubborn. “Then take some aspirin. You’ll be feeling every one of those hits tomorrow.”
He lifted his hand, presumably to stroke her cheek like he often did and winced. “I think I’ll sit.”
This wasn’t good. “So what happens now?”
Gavin motioned her back to the sofa and sat across from her.
He downed half the beer. “You get your life back. You don’t have to put up with us anymore.”
How was she supposed to respond to that? She wanted them in her life, but maybe they didn’t feel the same way. Embarrassing herself by telling them she’d fallen in love with them might cause them to have to break the bad news to her that they didn’t feel the same way.
“How about I fix you two dinner and then head home. I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed.” That was so damned lame, Brooke Armstrong.
“Sure, baby. I’d ask you to spend the night, but I’m afraid I’m not going to be any use to you for a while. I think I might have broken a rib.”
Hearing he had a serious injury shot adrenaline through her veins. Her pulse raced and she jumped up. “We need to tape you up.”
He waved a hand. “Let me sit for a bit and eat. Then you can do your Florence Nightingale magic.”
“I could make you a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”
He grinned. “You are the woman of my dreams.”
She looked deep into his eyes and saw that pain laced his features. Not only did she need time to come to grips with what she wanted to do, clearly the men needed to regroup, too.
“One PB&J sandwich coming right up.” She stood. “Riley?”
He shook his head. “I’m good.”
She stepped in the kitchen to gather the materials. They kept their conversation too low for her to hear. Damn them. Did they want her to go? She could stay, but perhaps Gavin was embarrassed by his injuries.
With a heavy heart, Brooke fixed the sandwich and carried it out to Gavin. “Do you want another beer?”
“You are too good to me. If you wouldn’t mind.” He lifted his hand to take the plate and stilled. He closed his eyes for a second too long. She wished there was something else she could do to help him.
Brooke sat back down and watched him eat. He was probably wondering when she would go so he could collapse on his bed and heal. She stood. “I think I’ll head on out, now that all the bad guys are gone for the time being.” She swallowed to skew up her courage. “Will I see you again?”
Gavin stopped in mid-bite. “You can’t keep us away. Just give me some time.”
Her smile didn’t come out as convincing as she would have liked. “Awesome. Let me go pack.”
“I should give the men a heads-up that their tour is over,” Riley said.
So being a bodyguard was akin to serving overseas? She didn’t like his analogy. Turning her back and walking down their hallway was harder than sitting in that dark room listening to feet pounding above her knowing Gavin was taking a beating in order to protect her.
She sniffled her way into her room, and as hard as she tried, she couldn’t keep the tears from falling.
They said they wanted you.
“Right.”
She tossed her clothes in her suitcase. With her shoulders squared, she marched into the living room and painted on a cheery smile. Her eyes were still stinging, but she could say it was from the earlier trauma.
“Well, I guess this is it.” She held out her hand to Riley.
“Sugar. A handshake?”
If she kissed him, she might not stop. “It wouldn’t be fair to poor Gavin if I rip off your clothes and have my way with you.”
Did she just blurt that out?
He tapped her nose. “Good little subs don’t have their way—unless we demand it.” He leaned over and kissed her. His mouth remained closed, but his soft lips and almost inaudible moan gave her hope that he really did care.
She stepped back. “Call me, okay?”
He winked
. “You bet.”
She spun around to Gavin. “I didn’t get to tape you up.”
“I think I’d rather wait for that until after a good night’s sleep.”
Then this was it. Employing her best acting skills, she walked out the kitchen door into the garage. Riley followed, presumably to help her with her suitcase, but she knew that if they were alone in the garage, she’d lose it. She took the suitcases from him. “Thanks for everything.”
She stepped into the cold, and with shaking fingers, pressed the button on the garage door then saw her dilemma. Gavin’s car was parked behind hers. Damn. Now she’d have to go inside.
The kitchen door flew open, and Riley’s body filled the doorframe. “We can’t let you go.”
Her heart soared. “Yes, you can. You have jobs.”
He pulled her into the kitchen and slipped her suitcases from her fingers. He nuzzled her neck and every objection dissolved.
She giggled. “We cannot have sex until Gavin is healed. It wouldn’t be fair.”
Gavin grinned and Riley frowned.
* * * *
The next six weeks dragged on forever, even though she spent much her time at the store with Gavin. When Lydia found out about the attack, she’d called and insisted he come to the clinic to have Doc Pritchard check him out. Turned out Gavin had a broken nose, two cracked ribs, and a hairline fracture in his wrist. To say he was a bear to live with was an understatement. He constantly insisted he was fine, but when he inhaled too hard, he couldn’t help but wince. Furthermore, because he didn’t work out, he’d become increasingly frustrated. Clearly, the man was still hurting, which meant no sex.
Riley was perhaps the hardest to deal with. For the first week, he’d come into her room every night, and she had to turn him down, saying it wasn’t fair to Gavin if they made love.
The only saving grace was that Gavin had always been fascinated with computers, so it wasn’t a stretch when he suggested he work at her store, checking people out and possibly helping them with their computer needs. While he was great with which cables to use when hooking up external devices and was knowledgeable about the PC, the Mac operating confused him. Defeat wasn’t in his nature though. He studied online and became quite competent.
With each day, his mood had improved, and his injuries seemed to be healing.
The moment the store emptied, she hurried over to Gavin to check on how he was doing. “You figure out all the different finger swipe motions for the Mac?”
One of her jobs was to demonstrate the different computers and match the best one to the customer’s needs.
“This a test?” He tugged her close and didn’t even wince. He was definitely making progress.
“No. I like to help all my employees.”
He looked up at her and grinned. “Is that all I am to you? An employee?”
She lightly swatted his chest. “You’re being silly. I’m just happy you’ve taken an interest in my passion.”
He sobered. “I respected what you did before the incident, but after seeing how you deal with everyone so calmly, manage to keep the right amount of inventory in stock, and fix computers, you are truly a super woman.” He placed his head on her chest. “I think I’m good enough to give you a run for your money. What do you say?” He looked up and grinned.
She leaned back. “What does that mean?” She hoped he was talking about sex and not challenging her to a computer-knowledge dual.
He glanced toward the front door then lifted her chin. “It means that I’m good enough to resume my old duties and bask in my sensual joys.”
Her pussy nearly exploded with the good news. Now she planted her head against his chest. His heartbeat sounded strong. “What do you plan to do to me?”
Gavin placed his lips to her ear. “Tie you up, blindfold you, and spank you until your ass is raw. Then I’m going to drive my cock into your pussy and you’re going to love it.”
If he thought he would shock her, he had something else coming. “I can’t wait.”
A customer came in and she untangled herself from his arms. Being with Gavin felt so right. Twice, she and Riley had gone to her parents’ ranch and taken the horses for a ride. Those days had almost been balmy. Even though she’d grown up with horses, she was surprised how well he rode. Riley seemed to be good at everything. But they hadn’t lingered, not wanting Gavin to feel alone.
Tonight just might be the night when they sealed their fate.
“I have to take care of this woman.”
Gavin grinned and waved her on. “Be prepared to be wowed later on.”
Her pussy caught on fire. How she was going to get through the next few hours until closing, she didn’t know.
A ton of people came in all at once, some with repairs, and others just wanting to browse. By the time the last person left, she was tired. Often she kept the door open in case someone had to work late and wanted to stop by. Not tonight. At five on the dot, she locked the front door, and flipped over the Closed sign.
Gavin came over to her. “Ready?”
“Totally.”
“I called Riley and told him to fix us some dinner.”
Usually, she and Gavin would pick something up from one of the restaurants as Gavin wasn’t supposed to move around too much. “That sounds like fun. What do you think he’ll make?”
“Something easy.”
“Works for me.”
She’d driven, but when they arrived at the car, he held out his hand. “I’ll drive.”
She was about to ask if he thought it wise, but he should know his limitations, so she handed him the key. When they pulled into the garage only a few minutes later, they walked into the kitchen where Riley was making a salad. Something smelled good.
He looked up and smiled. “Go ahead and wash up. Dinner will be served shortly.”
This was a nice change. Both she and Gavin rushed down the hallway. It was almost as if they both believed the faster they ate, the sooner they could get to loving.
She hurried back to see if she could help. “Need me to do anything?”
“No, sugar. Just have a seat and let me feast my eyes on you.” He winked.
He pulled a pizza from the oven and placed it on the table. Gavin returned and slid onto the seat next to her. She wanted to ask Riley about his day, but not only was she hungry, she was anxious and excited about what happened after dinner.
Riley looked over at Gavin. “We caught Trevor Bamford today.”
Gavin’s eyes widened. “No shit. That’ll be a feather in your cap next time you need help from the Bozeman PD.”
“I’m hoping.”
After the whole affair with Mr. Hoodie, aka Harrison Kaplan, Riley had been trying to find another man accused of robbing a bank. Apparently, today, he’d succeeded. That was all the more reason to celebrate.
Once the last piece of pizza disappeared, Gavin set down his glass and stood. Without a word, he lifted off her glasses, stood, and picked her up. “It’s time we make a real woman out of you.”
She laughed, but then tensed. “Your back. Your arm. You’ll hurt yourself.”
He’d removed her glasses for a reason. Maybe he didn’t want her to see him wince, so she let it be. Riley jumped up, rushed down the hallway, and opened the door to the basement. Heavy footsteps pounded down the stairs.
She was about to say she could walk, but Gavin seemed intent on proving he was back to normal, and her pussy flooded at the thought.
When he reached the basement, Riley hadn’t turned on the bank of overhead lights, and neither had Gavin, yet a strong yellow glow came from the far corner. Riley was lighting candles. Oh, my.
She squinted at the weight bench that sat in the middle of the wrestling pad. “Are those rose petals?”
Gavin smiled. “Only the best for the woman we love.”
Blood pounded in her ears. A lump formed in her throat and her heart rattled against her chest. “You love me?”
Damn. Her sister had told
her never to show her insecurities. Well, it was damned hard to have self-confidence sometimes when presented with a dream.
“Yes, baby, and we’re about to show you just how much.”
He set her down on the bench. Riley walked to a different corner of the basement and returned, waving something dark.
“Do you trust us, sugar?”
“Totally.”
“Good.” He stepped behind her and placed a blindfold over her eyes.
Her breath caught and her fingers curled into a fist. You can do this. It was one thing to close her eyes on her own, but another for someone else to take her sight away. Riley had been such a gentle lover, taking his time so she’d get used to his ways. Now, it seems he was wiling to blend his style with Gavin’s.
Someone, who she suspected was Gavin, ran his hands over her arms. “You good, baby?”
“I am now.”
Chapter Twenty
Despite it only being slightly damp in the basement, Brooke still shivered.
“Gavin, plug in that heater. Our babe is cold.”
She really didn’t need a heater. “A warm body would be better.”
“You hear that sass, Gavin? We need to nip that in the bud. Sugar, if you’re going to be our little sub, then you need to remember the rules.”
“It’s been a long time.” A veritable eternity really.
Gavin must having been standing next to her the whole time, because he lifted her foot and tugged off her boot. More footsteps sounded and Riley reached her side and removed her other boot. Surprisingly, they didn’t take off her socks. Just as well. Being cold never suited her.
Deciding to keep her sass to a minimum, she waited until they told her what to do. Feet moved across the floor, but neither spoke. She focused her attention on the rustling sound instead. The popping she knew. They were undoing their jeans. Thinking about them getting naked excited her. Too bad she couldn’t watch the show.
Whispers floated in the air.
Then two sets of hands lifted her to a stand, and shivers of anticipation rippled down her body. One of them led her forward a few steps, but she was still standing on the cushy wrestling mat.
Monroe, Melody Snow - Bodyguards of Pleasure [Pleasure, Montana 8] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 19