by Becca Van
“Wonderful,” she finally answered.
“You sound surprised.” Jett leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms over his impressively broad chest.
Emmy gulped and tried not to let her gaze wander, but her eyes seemed to have a mind of their own. Every time she glanced over his body, her eyes seemed to linger on his groin, and from what she could see the man was built. All over.
“Like what you see, love?”
Emmy nodded. She gasped and covered her mouth when she realized what she’d just done. The warmth in her cheeks grew to a searing heat, and she lowered her gaze to the floor.
Jett straightened and nudged her eyes up toward his. “Don’t be embarrassed, Emmy. I definitely like what I’m seeing, too.”
“I’m sorry,” she rasped out.
“Why?”
“I don’t normally go around…I don’t usually…” Words were beyond her, so she shrugged.
“I came in to tell you breakfast is ready. You have to be hungry after sleeping through dinner last night.”
“I am.”
“Good. Brooks and Declan have made enough food to feed an army.” Jett clasped her hand in his and led her out of the bedroom.
Emmy gaped at the food-laden table as Jett pulled out a chair and helped her into it. There was enough food to feed all those tourists who’d arrived the night before. She glanced toward the stairway, half expecting to see those people trudging up the steps, but the top step remained empty. She met Jett’s gaze as he sat next to her. “You weren’t kidding, were you?”
“I never joke about food, love.”
“Here ya go, baby.” Declan kissed the top of her head as he placed a full mug of coffee next to her empty plate.
“Thanks.” She frowned up at him. “How’d you know I took my coffee black?”
“I was in the diner yesterday. Remember?” Declan sat on the other side of her.
“So?”
A flash of guilt or some other emotion crossed Declan’s gorgeous blue eyes, but he just shrugged. “I’m pretty good at reading people and I’m very observant. The coffee residue in your cup was black, and since you’re slim, I figured you didn’t add sugar.”
“All right then.” Emmy wasn’t sure why, but she suspected Declan had just hedged around the truth. Since the subject wasn’t that important, she let it go.
“Pass me Emmy’s plate,” Brooks ordered from his spot at the head of the table. Jett picked it up before she could and handed it to Brooks. When he started loading food on it, she was astonished. He put a piece of toast on the plate and then scooped up a mound of scrambled eggs on top of it. Then he added four pieces of bacon, four large pancakes, and drizzled syrup over the top. “Here you go, darlin’.”
Emmy shook her head. “That has to be yours.”
Brooks frowned at the plate and then gazed at her as he shook his head. “No, I made it for you.”
Emmy knew she wouldn’t eat half of the food piled onto the big plate, but since she didn’t want to appear rude, she just nodded her acceptance. Jett took the food from Brooks and put it down in front of her. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, love.”
Emmy sipped her coffee and watched in amazement as the three men piled their plates high with food. They each had a stack of at least ten pancakes, three pieces of toast loaded with scrambled eggs and bacon with syrup over all of it. She didn’t think there was any way they’d be able to consume so much food in one sitting, but it would be fun to watch.
“Where are you from, Emmy?” Declan asked after he finished chewing and swallowing.”
“Houston. What about all of you? Did you grow up in Ambrose?”
“No,” Brooks answered. “We’re originally from Maine.”
“What made you move all the way out here?” she asked before taking a bite of scrambled eggs. They were so light and fluffy as well as perfectly seasoned with salt and pepper with melted cheese throughout, she couldn’t help but moan. When she finished chewing, she immediately cut off a small bit of toast with egg and some bacon and shoved it into her mouth. The moment she realized it was so quiet, she glanced up and found all three of the men staring at her mouth with heated gazes. She ducked her head, trying to hide her discomfort. Emmy had no idea what was so enthralling about her eating, but from the hunger in their eyes, they definitely found it alluring.
Jett cleared his throat and shifted beside her. His arm brushing up against hers sent zings of heated lust shooting through her blood which centered in her breasts and pussy. When her clit started throbbing and her folds grew moist, she squeezed her legs together and swallowed down a gasp of desire when liquid arousal pooled low in her belly.
“We grew up in Augusta and met in school. We’ve been friends ever since,” Jet explained in a raspy voice.
“Why did you choose Ambrose?” Emmy asked, again.
“We don’t like being around a lot of people, and since we love cold weather, we figured Ambrose was the perfect place,” Declan said.
“You should have seen this place five years ago.” Jett sat back in his chair as he sipped his coffee. “There was no one here. All the buildings were run down with peeling paint, and the houses surrounding the town were in even worse condition.”
Declan leaned his elbows on the edge of the table. “All of the men living in this town served in the military. We became good friends over the years and didn’t want to lose that bond. We’d all had enough of serving our country and spent six months searching for the optimal place to settle down.”
Brooks nodded. “It didn’t take us long to get the town cleaned and set up, and the rest is history.”
“There are no women?” Emmy asked as she pushed her still full plate aside and wrapped her hands around her coffee mug. When Jett huffed out a breath, she turned toward him and found him frowning at her uneaten breakfast. She’d eaten the bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast, but there was no way she could fit anything else into her full stomach.
“Have you had enough, love?”
“More than. Thank you, it was delicious.”
“No worries.” Jett winked at her, grabbed her plate, and began to shovel food into his mouth as if he hadn’t just consumed enough food to fill ten people.
“Women come through now and again,” Declan started to answer her earlier question, “but they never stay.”
“Why not?” Emmy frowned.
“Because there’s nothing here to keep them interested,” Brooks replied.
“They must be fools,” Emmy muttered under her breath. “Or maybe they’re blind.”
Jett coughed and spluttered with his hand over his mouth. She glanced his way and saw that he was trying to stave off laughter since he still had food in his mouth. She heard him gulp as he swallowed, and then the deep cadence of his humor washed over her. Emmy had no idea what he was laughing at until she remembered talking under her breath.
“Tell me you didn’t hear that,” Emmy said.
“I can’t,” Jett gasped in air and then chuckled again.
Emmy frowned. “How the hell did you hear me?”
Jett tapped his earlobe. “We all have excellent hearing, love.”
She nodded as she stared at the now empty plates of food and couldn’t help eyeing their big bodies over. They were big and tall, as well as handsome as all get out, and sexy, but from what she could see there wasn’t an ounce of fat on any of them. “How do you eat so much and not put on any weight?”
Jett flexed his arm drawing her eyes to his massive bicep. “We have fast metabolisms, love.”
“I’ll say.” Emmy stood and began to collect the dirty dishes.
“You don’t have to do that, darlin’,” Brooks said as he rose.
“It’s the least I can do after you let me sleep in your spare room and cooked for me.” Emmy carried the dishes toward into the kitchen and began to rinse them. “How much do I owe you for the room?”
“Nothing,” Brooks replied gruffly.
&n
bsp; “What do you mean nothing?”
“We aren’t going to charge you, Emmy, so don’t bother arguing.” Brooks took the plate she handed him and put it in the dishwasher.
“But—”
“You’d better listen to Brooks, baby,” Declan said as he bent around her and placed more dishes into the sink. She sucked in a breath of air and hoped he didn’t feel her shiver. “We’re just appreciative that you gave up your room. It could have been a problem if you hadn’t.”
Emmy didn’t dare meet Declan’s or Brooks’ eyes, because she was sure the fire racing through her blood would be visible if she did. If she didn’t leave soon, Emmy wasn’t sure that she’d ever want to. There was something about Jett, Brooks, and Declan that called to her. Plus, being near them made her feel safe as well as feminine and sexy. She’d never felt that way before and she was very tempted to hang around a little while longer.
But if she did, would the man on her tail find her?
“What’s wrong, darlin’?” Brooks held on to the plate she’d just handed him without taking it.
“Nothing,” she lied.
Brooks bent to put the last plate in the dishwasher before straightening. He dried his hands on a dishtowel and then handed it to her. “If you’re in trouble, we might be able to help you, Emmy.”
“What makes you think I’m in trouble?” she asked cautiously.
“You have dark smudges under your eyes as if you’ve been having trouble sleeping and there are shadows in their depths. Declan also told us your car is packed up.” Brooks took the towel from her. She’d been using the action as a shield, but now that he’d taken it away, she didn’t know what to do. Nor did she know what to say. If she told the truth would they look at her with pity? Emmy didn’t want their pity, but she was also tired of carrying the burden on her shoulders. It had been a heavy weight for nigh on eighteen months, and sometimes she was sure she was going to buckle under the pressure.
“Are you hiding from the authorities, love?” Jett asked.
Emmy sucked in a noisy breath. She couldn’t believe how much his question had hurt her, especially since she didn’t even know them.
She crossed her arms beneath her breasts and hugged her torso. “No, I’m not running from the law,” she answered snarkily.
“I’m sorry, Emmy. I didn’t mean to upset you or piss you off.”
“It’s okay.” She licked her dry lips and uncrossed her arms. “I would probably have asked the same thing if the circumstances had been reversed.”
“Do you want another cup of coffee, baby?” Declan asked.
“Yes, please.”
“Come and sit in the living room, darlin’.” Brooks offered his hand to her. “You can tell us what you’re so scared of and maybe we can help you.”
Emmy put her hand in his and tried to keep the tears burning the back of her eyes at bay. She wasn’t sure anyone would be able to help her, but since these three amazingly handsome, sexy men had been in the military, just maybe they could give her some suggestions or teach her how to protect herself.
As soon as she sat, Brooks sank into the cushion beside her and Declan sat on her other side. Jett glanced around and then shoved the sturdy coffee table closer to her and perched on it.
“I thwarted a bombing.”
“What?” Brooks gasped.
“Bombing?” Jett asked in a hoarse voice.
“You stopped a terrorist?” Declan’s face paled.
Emmy shook her head. “I’m not sure you’d clarify the situation as a terrorist attack.”
“You need to tell us what’s going on, Emmy,” Declan commanded in a firm voice. “Start at the beginning and don’t leave anything out.”
Emmy drew in a ragged breath and exhaled slowly. This was the first time she was about to tell someone about what she’d endured, and while she didn’t think she was making a mistake, she wasn’t sure she was doing the right thing either.
The only way she’d know was to see their expressions as she told them what had happened eighteen months ago.
Hopefully, they’d be able to help her decide what her next course of action was going to be.
Chapter Four
Jett could hardly get his mind around what Emmy had just revealed. Anger and fear warred inside his heart and soul, but he tried to hide his emotions from her. She was already very tense and didn’t need him reacting badly and adding to her tension.
She shivered and inhaled shakily before releasing the breath from her lungs. She took a sip of coffee and then settled back into the cushion, but she didn’t relax any. Jett glanced over at Brooks and Declan to see they were just as het up as he was. Declan had curled his hands into fists and his knuckles were white. The muscles in Brooks jaw were flexing as he ground his teeth down and he was gripping his legs just above his knees so hard he was likely going to leave bruises behind.
“I used to be a cleaner at the St. Regis Hotel in Houston, Texas. There was a three-day political convention planned. The staff had been working hard all week to get everything the way the manager wanted it. It was the day before the delegates were to arrive and I had one room left to clean.” Emmy paused to take a breath. “I was almost to the room with my cleaning cart, but I stopped a few yards away when I heard shouting. The room was supposed to be empty, so even though I stayed out of sight, I hung around to try and find out what was going on. One of the men’s voices was familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I’d heard it.”
When she began to tremble, Jett couldn’t remain where he was any longer. He shoved to his feet, scooped Emmy up into his arms, and sat where she’d been sitting. He could feel her shivering and his heart flipped in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, hoping to share his warmth. His polar bear was shoving against his abs, trying to get out, but he pushed his inner animal down until he was sitting on his haunches. Now wasn’t the time to let his beast get control. He needed to hear the rest of Emmy’s story, and that wouldn’t happen if his bear got too antsy. There was no way in hell he was going to frighten his mate.
“I heard a popping sound and wasn’t sure what it was until one of the men said, ‘You just killed our communications expert.’ I was so scared and my first instinct was to run, but I couldn’t move. One of them asked if the charges were in place and the other answered yes. He also went on to say that they would set up on the roof across the street and pick off any surviving politicians with their guns when they came running out of the building.”
“Fuck, baby, you must have been terrified.” Declan clasped her hand in his and then covered the top of it with his free hand, trying to warm it.
“I was.” Emmy nodded and licked her lips. “But I couldn’t let those men blow up the hotel and kill a lot of innocent people.”
Brooks threaded his fingers with hers and then he began to rub the top of her hand with his other one. “What did you do, darlin’?”
“I grabbed my cart and began to hurry toward the elevator. I had to get out before they saw me.”
Emmy’s quaking grew worse and Jett’s gut told him her story was going to as well. “I’d just entered the car and pushed the down button when I looked back along the hall. The two men had emerged from the room and were looking right at me. They both reached behind their backs and pulled out guns as they started running toward me. I’ll never forget the sounds those bullets made as they hit the metal doors to the elevator.”
“Fuck!” Declan released her hand, rose, and began to pace. “Did they hit you, baby? Did you get hurt?”
She shook her head. “No, I was lucky.”
Jett nudged her gaze up to his. “You made it to the ground floor?”
Again, she shook her head.
“Shit! How did you escape, darlin’?” Brooks asked.
“I knew they’d be waiting for me if I rode the elevator all the way down, so I pushed the emergency stop, climbed on top of my cleaning trolley, and out into the elevator shaft.”
“Did they come looking for
you, love?” Jett asked.
“I think so. I could hear thuds and whispers, but I didn’t move from my hiding place.”
“Where did you hide, baby?” Declan asked as he sat down again.
“I climbed up the shaft, and while I tried to pry one of the doors open, I couldn’t manage it. So, I climbed to the very top and stood on a small platform for a while. When I heard movement down below, I realized they were looking for me and glanced around frantically for somewhere to hide. There was an opening to the ventilation system off to the side of the platform, and I managed to squirm my way into it.”
“Thank God you saw it, darlin’.” Brooks lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it.
“Yeah,” she agreed.
“What did you do then, love?”
“I had my cell phone with me and called 9-1-1 and explained what had happened. The dispatcher stayed on the line with me, telling me to stay quiet and not move. The police and a SWAT team were sent, and five hours later, they had the perpetrators.”
“They were sent to jail?” Jett asked.
“Yes. I was the key witness at their trial six months later. Both men were sentenced with preconceived intentions of terrorism and murder, and won’t be getting out of jail for a very long time. If ever.”
“Then why are you still running?” Brooks asked.
Declan cursed under his breath. “They sent someone after you, didn’t they?”
“Yes.”
“Motherfuckers,” Jett snarled.
“Do you know who it is?” Brooks shifted in his seat. “Do you have a name? Did you call the cops?”
“No. Luckily, I spent six months in the witness protection program. Detective Brocard had uniformed officers pack up my things and bring them to the safe house. He also had a security expert place cameras throughout my apartment, but it didn’t help. Unless the guy after me makes a move, there’s nothing the police can do.”