by Maya Banks
“Dakota has a car to take you back to the hotel. If you don’t mind, I’m going to catch a ride back with you,” Catherine said. “I’m beat, and as thrilled as I am for Merrick, I don’t have it in me to pull a late nighter tonight.”
“Of course I don’t mind. I’d love the company,” Elle said honestly.
“Dakota is sending two bodyguards with us, and they’ll remain outside your suite until Merrick and Cade return.”
Elle nodded, not bothering to say it was unnecessary. How could she say that with any certainty? She had no idea who’d tried to kill her or where he was now. All she knew was that the only time she felt safe was when she was with Cade and Merrick.
Dallas walked over and bent down to press a perfunctory kiss to Elle’s forehead. It could easily be interpreted as an affectionate kiss from a man to his lover, and Elle knew Dallas did view her affectionately, but it was a pretense.
“You going to be okay with Cathy?” Dallas asked. “I’ll go back to the hotel with you if you want.”
Elle shook her head. “Go and have fun. Enjoy the moment, and make sure Merrick does too. And please don’t let them worry about me. Catherine has been nice enough to ride back to the hotel with me, and I’m going to curl up and get some sleep. I’ll be fine.”
Dallas smiled and then ruffled her hair. “Okay, will do. You two be careful.”
“See ya, Dallas,” Catherine said.
Dakota walked over then with the two mountains who’d escorted her to her seat earlier.
“Elle, this is Carl and Steven, and they’ll be escorting you back to the hotel.”
“I’m going to ride with her, babe,” Catherine spoke up.
Dakota’s brow furrowed. “You sure?”
“Yeah, I’m tired. You guys go and celebrate.”
Dakota pulled her into his arms and kissed her. It was clear the couple cared a lot for each other, and Dakota wasn’t hesitant at all about demonstrating that love for his wife regardless of who was watching.
“See you later then,” he said. Then he nodded at Elle. “They’ll take you out now.”
Elle followed behind Carl while Steven fell in behind her and Catherine. As they walked toward the door, Merrick came out of the shower, his hair still damp. Elle stopped a moment to absorb the image of him standing in the dressing room wearing a T-shirt advertising his training facilities and a pair of jeans that hugged his body in all the right places.
Cade walked over to where she stood, his stance casual. Merrick came up behind him until both men were mere inches away.
“You okay?” Cade asked softly.
She nodded and smiled. “Yep. Congratulations, Merrick. It was an awesome fight.”
The corner of Merrick’s mouth lifted. “You watched? Or did you hide your eyes the entire time?”
She huffed indignantly. “You submitted him with a rear naked choke hold.”
Both men laughed. Cade started to put his hand out to touch her but pulled it back at the last minute.
“We’ll see you later, okay? If you need anything at all, call my cell. I’ll be checking it.”
Elle nodded, and after one last lingering glance, she turned and walked away with the two bodyguards.
C H A P T E R T W E L V E
ELLE WAS IN A VERY modest pair of pajamas when she heard the slide of a keycard in the door. A moment later, it opened, admitting Cade and Merrick into the suite.
She glanced up from her perch on the couch as they trudged inside.
The room was dark, with only a corner lamp burning. She’d been sitting by the window staring at the Las Vegas strip and the dazzling array of lights that cascaded up and down the boulevard.
“Hey,” Cade said softly. “Why are you still awake?”
“I wanted to wait up for you guys,” she said. “I didn’t get to talk to you earlier. It was frustrating.”
Merrick scowled and then plopped onto the couch beside her, extolling a weary sigh that worried her.
“It was damn frustrating,” he agreed in a low growl. “I didn’t want to go to a fucking party. I just wanted to come back to the room where it was quiet, pop a few pain pills and…see you.”
She got a giddy thrill from the admission, but she latched onto the pain in his voice and the comment about pain medication.
“What’s wrong?” she asked sharply.
She turned, hovering over him on her knees, examining him for some sign of injury.
Cade went to the bar and pulled out a bottle of water. Then he went to the pack on the countertop, pulled out a bottle of pills and shook out two. He carried them and the water over to Merrick and handed them to him.
“What’s wrong with him?” Elle asked anxiously.
Cade settled on her other side, his hand sliding soothingly down her back.
“Fighting’s rough, honey. Just because he isn’t bleeding or cut open doesn’t mean he isn’t sore as hell. His ribs took a beating, and he got clocked a few times in the head.”
“Do you need to go to the hospital?” Elle demanded, her hands automatically going to Merrick’s body.
“Dallas has already had a look at me,” Merrick mumbled. “I’ll take it easy for the next few days, heal up, and then I’ll start all over again.”
Elle gasped. “So soon?”
“The title fight will be in a few months,” Cade said. “They’ll give him time to train, make sure Lash is healthy, and then they’ll set a date. Then they’ll start promoting. Things will get a little crazier for this. This is the big time, Elle. This is what Merrick’s been working for.”
Was it a warning to her that she would be in the way? Would she be a hindrance to Merrick and his concentration? She hated the uncertainty of her position. That she wasn’t in any position of equality. She had…nothing. She was nothing.
She lowered her head, not looking at either man.
“Elle?”
Merrick’s soft inquiry reached her ears, but she didn’t look up.
He reached for her then, cautiously touching the side of her arm. He and Cade were both careful like that. As if they feared startling her.
“Elle, he wasn’t saying that for any other reason than he wanted you to know what you were in for.”
“I’ll be in the way,” she said quietly.
A string of colorful curses burst from Cade. In an instant, she found herself turned and pulled onto Cade’s lap. The shock of his touch and the intimacy of their positions sent a jolt of awareness through her body.
He cupped her chin and forced her gaze upward until she met his intense stare.
“Listen to me,” he said succinctly. “You are not in the way. I didn’t say those things to make you think you aren’t welcome. I want you to be prepared for what’s to come. For someone who’s never experienced this sort of thing, it’s going to be overwhelming. Especially to someone who’s already fragile.”
“I don’t want to be a burden,” she said earnestly. “I want Merrick to win. I don’t want to be a distraction.”
Merrick reached for her hand and threaded his fingers through hers.
“How about you let me worry about what is or isn’t a distraction? I want you here for this, Elle. We both do. We’re going to worry about you, and there’s nothing you can do about that, so deal with it, okay?”
She nodded, relief making her light-headed.
“Now, what do you say we go home tomorrow and get back into our routine?” Merrick said.
It seemed so odd coming from this man. A man she’d seen in a whole different light tonight. He was a public figure. He had masses of adoring fans. He was a complete badass in the ring.
But to her?
He was her savior. A gentle giant with a heart of gold.
For all the damage he could inflict on an opponent, he’d never touched her with anything but exquisite gentleness. It seemed impossible that the man who’d rescued her and who lived in a quiet neighborhood in the small town of Grand Junction was quite possibly the next IMMAO he
avyweight champion.
“Just like that?” she asked softly.
Merrick looked at her in question.
“You can turn it off just like that? Go back home to the quiet routine and shake off the hoopla surrounding the fight and your career?”
He smiled, and it was a tired smile that showed the lines of fatigue and strain on his face.
“Yeah, I can do that.”
She leaned over him, worried and anxious. “Are you okay? Are you hurting still?”
He opened his eyes and focused his stare on her, and then he smiled, easing some of the lines from his eyes.
“Yeah, I hurt. I’m going to hurt for the next few days, but Dallas will take good care of me, and Cade always pulls his mother hen act after a fight. I’ll be fine, baby.”
The soft endearment sent a shiver of pleasure coursing through her veins.
“Then let’s go home,” she said softly.
“Hell yeah,” Cade echoed.
C H A P T E R T H I R T E E N
“HAVE YOU MADE A MOVE yet?” Merrick asked quietly.
Cade jerked his head around to stare at his friend. There was fire in his eyes. Anger. Surprise. And the beginnings of something that looked like fear.
They were sitting in the kitchen of their house, both in tense, irritable moods because Elle had talked them into letting her go out to the grocery store by herself.
After six months of them never letting her out of their sight and six months she’d spent recovering and gaining confidence, she’d wanted to venture out on her own, and it was making the two men nuts.
She was always with either him or Cade. Whether it was her attending his training sessions or her going into the office with Cade. She spent every waking minute with at least one of them.
Merrick worried that she would eventually get bored, but she seemed to soak up every aspect of his career as well as learn every part of his and Cade’s business.
She studied the language and terms of mixed martial arts. She learned the holds, the positions, and studied his training regimen. She poked and nagged at him when he ate something he shouldn’t. She hovered when he seemed tired after a workout. And she studied his diet, memorizing the ins and outs and how much protein he needed to take in.
In short, she’d fit in perfectly into his and Cade’s lives, and it was hard to remember what they’d ever done without her. It wasn’t something he wanted to contemplate—being without her.
Which was why today made him antsy. Maybe it felt too much like she was chafing under the constraints she was placed under. Maybe he feared she was ready to move on.
Merrick didn’t understand what she felt she needed to prove. He didn’t want her out of his sight. He knew Cade didn’t either. They both felt better when she was with them.
Elle had come a long way from the terrified, wary, broken woman they’d found in the cabinet of a gun store. She’d gained much-needed weight. The dullness and fear had receded from her eyes. She smiled spontaneously, and she was affectionate with him and Cade.
And it was driving him crazy. He wanted her. Wanted more than the role of protector. But he also knew Cade wanted the same, and it was time to address the elephant in the room.
“Of course I haven’t made a move,” Cade snapped. “Have you?”
Merrick shook his head. “You know I wouldn’t without talking to you about it and until I was comfortable that she was ready. I mean, I’m not talking sex here. I just want to take things to the next level.”
Cade let out a raspy breath that sounded like a snarl. Then he dragged a hand over the top of his head before slapping it back down on the table.
“I’ve known this was coming. That it was inevitable. Maybe I was in denial and wanted to keep on pretending that it wouldn’t come to this. I think we both know we have a problem.”
“Yeah,” Merrick agreed. “What are we going to do about it?”
Cade looked uneasy. He opened his mouth then closed it again, a sure sign he had something he wanted to say but for some reason was hesitating. Which wasn’t usual for him. He typically never had a problem stating his mind. It was one reason he and Merrick got along so well. They were both blunt people, and there was little room for misunderstandings when you had two friends who always said what was on their mind.
“Cade?”
Cade bit out a curse. “You’re going to think I’m nuts. Hell, maybe I am. This would probably never work.”
Merrick leaned forward, his brow furrowed as he frowned. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. About our situation. The way things have been so far and the fact that you and I both have a strong interest in Elle.”
“Go on.”
Cade met his gaze, his lips pursed, and then he blew out his breath, puffing out his cheeks as he expelled it all.
“What if we left things as they are now? I mean with the three of us. Only we’d take things up a notch. But the three of us would remain together. She’d be with…both of us.”
Merrick reared back, leaning against the back of his chair as he let Cade’s words sink in. Holy shit, but this hadn’t been what he’d expected at all.
He cupped a hand over his nape and rubbed hard as he struggled to make sense of the situation and, hell, just to imagine it.
“That’s assuming she’d even ever agree to such a thing,” Cade said evenly. “She still has a lot of issues to work out. All we know is that we want to be with her for the long haul. It wouldn’t be easy with just one of us. But if both of us are involved? It’s going to be ten times as hard.”
“No shit,” Merrick muttered.
“Is that all you’ve got to say?” Cade asked in frustration. “I’ve put it all out on the line. Me, us, her, our friendship.”
“This is heavy shit, man. I mean, I can’t wrap my head around it. I know such relationships exist. Hell, there was a damn documentary on one of the cable networks a few months ago.”
“Think about what it solves,” Cade said quietly. “I don’t want this to ruin our friendship. Our partnership. Your career. We’d have to be extremely careful to keep this private. The thing is, Elle trusts us both. I think she feels something for both of us. Maybe I’m reaching here, or maybe it’s wishful thinking. But I think we could make this work, as bizarre as it may sound. You and I already trust each other. We’re as close as brothers. I’m not going to screw you over, and I know you won’t screw me over. If we were, we wouldn’t be having this conversation and trying to salvage a very sticky situation.”
He took a deep breath and plunged ahead.
“Trust is key in a relationship like I’m proposing. We can’t be stupid, jealous bastards. We have to know going in that we’re basically a family unit and that we have to work together, not at opposites. We have a common goal. We both care for Elle, and we both want to see her happy, safe and protected.”
Merrick nodded. The more Cade talked, the more this craziness was starting to make twisted sense. Or maybe he was just scared shitless that he’d lose in a showdown, and this was his chance to hedge his bets.
“I don’t know what to say,” Merrick admitted. “I wasn’t expecting something like this.”
“You were expecting worse,” Cade said grimly.
Merrick nodded again. “Yeah. I’ve been dreading it. If it were any other girl, I’d back off, you know? I’d say no woman was worth a lifelong friendship, a partnership and a vested business interest.”
“But she isn’t just any girl,” Cade finished.
“Yeah, exactly. She’s…” Merrick broke off even as the firm realization took hold. “She’s the one.” And he knew as he said it that it was the irrevocable truth. Somehow speaking it aloud gave it more strength. It solidified what he’d been grappling with for months now. It was a relief to get it out, to say the words, for Cade to know where Merrick stood.
His pulse was pounding in his head and chest like a freight train roaring down the tracks. He st
ared back at Cade as the enormity of their discussion hit him like said freight train.
“Now you know why I’ve been doing so much thinking about this,” Cade said in a grim voice. “Because I feel the same way, and I know you do too. One of us has to lose, and I don’t want that. I don’t think Elle wants it, even if she doesn’t know exactly what it is she wants.”
“You’re telling me you would be okay with…sharing…her with me?” Merrick asked in disbelief.
“What I’m asking is whether you’d be okay with sharing her with me,” Cade said. “I know what I’m okay with. I don’t know what you are. I’ve had several months to make peace with this. I don’t see an alternative. At least not one that offers us all a chance at happiness.”
He was right. It was insanity, but Cade was right, and Merrick couldn’t even wrap his brain around it. Didn’t know how to respond. What to say. How to even agree to such a bizarre proposition.
“We don’t know if she’ll ever go for this,” Merrick muttered.
“Of course we don’t. But how stupid would it be for me or you to even mention it to her if we weren’t in agreement ourselves? If we do this, we have to present a united front, and we have to be damn convincing. She’s not going to want to cause trouble between us. I think she’d up and disappear on us if she even thought this would strain our relationship.”
“Christ.”
“Yeah, exactly. We have to be careful, man. I don’t want to lose her. She’s been through enough. I want her to be happy. I want to make her happy. Hell, I want us to make her happy.”
“And what about her past?” Merrick asked, putting into words the thought that had haunted him the last six months. What happened when she remembered everything? What if she had a life she wanted to return to?
“We cross that bridge when we get to it,” Cade said quietly. “What else can we do? Look, no one has been looking for her. We’ve had feelers out. Dad has been monitoring missing persons through his friend at the station. From everything we know, I’d say whoever was in her life was the one who tried to kill her. There’s nothing for her to go back to.”