by Maya Banks
“Feet aren’t working right,” she mumbled.
Sawyer laughed. “Yeah, we can see that.”
Cam frowned. “Are you sure we shouldn’t take her to the hospital?” He wasn’t even talking to her now. He was talking over her head to Sawyer. As if she wasn’t even there.
She growled under her breath but was ignored by both men.
“If you could just give me a little help to the truck, I’ll be fine.”
Instead of help, she found herself lifted into the air, and she fell against Cam’s chest with a plop. She turned to look behind her, to see Sawyer wrap his arm around Hutch’s waist and help him along. She nodded her satisfaction that Hutch was taken care of and then wilted against Cam.
“You know I’m going to kick your ass over this stunt later,” Cam said.
She nodded and closed her eyes. “Yeah, well, give me a few days first. Then I’ll let you try and kick it.” As long as he’d be there, she’d bend over and present her ass for him to kick all he wanted.
He chuckled and relaxed against her. He crawled into the backseat, still holding her, while Sawyer stuffed Hutch into the front and then walked around to the driver’s side.
It hit her like a ton of bricks. More forcefully than any of the blows from Daniel. This was what she wanted. More than anything. The three of them. Cam, Sawyer and Hutch. With her always.
She hadn’t trusted them. Hadn’t trusted that they could deal with the relationship. But she couldn’t be responsible for the way they handled it. All she could do was manage her own contribution.
Elation surged through her veins until she was nearly dizzy with it. It was on them. She had to trust them to do what they’d promised. That was all she had to do and all she could do.
If it worked, it worked, but she couldn’t continue to try and manage every aspect, make herself crazy trying to be all things to everyone. She could only be herself and that’s all they said they wanted. Her.
She wanted them. Loved them with every piece of her soul. And they loved her. Wasn’t that all that was important?
She turned her face into Cam’s stomach and wrapped her arms around his waist. Her knees dug into the back of the seat as she pressed herself tighter against him, but she couldn’t let go.
She loved them all so damn much, and she was tired of running. Tired of being miserable without them.
She knew there’d be statements to give, reports to file. The chief would want the full story. But for now, all she wanted was to go home and sleep for about twenty-four hours. It was too important that she be at her best when she next talked to the guys. She couldn’t afford to fuck it up.
When Jeremy stuck his head in the door, she mumbled appropriate responses to his questions and promised a full report later. She wasn’t entirely sure what the hell he’d said, but he left, so she must have nodded in the right spots.
“What did I just promise to do?” she muttered when Jeremy had gone.
Cam chuckled. “Just that you’d be in as soon as you woke from your coma.”
“Oh. Well then, let’s go home so I can enter that coma.”
And coma it was. She barely remembered being put to bed, only that she was snuggled up tight to a warm, male body. They couldn’t be too angry with her if they were still hanging around. She held on to that knowledge, along with the hope that it wasn’t too late to make things work between them.
She slept for an ungodly amount of time, only to wake up and have a painkiller shoved at her with breakfast in bed. By the time she’d finished eating, the world was fuzzy around her, and she was only too happy to let them tuck her back into bed.
There were vague memories. Light touches to her cheek. A hand smoothed through her hair. The more annoying wake-ups with fingers shoved into her face with a demand of how many. She batted them away and told them to go to hell.
The next time she woke there weren’t actually any men in her face or next to her on the bed. She yawned big enough to crack her jaw and then looked at the time. Noon. But what day? She felt like she’d slept an entire week.
She lay there for a long while, staring up at the ceiling. She would have to face them with what she’d done. They’d have questions. She’d hurt them. A grimace worked over her face. She hadn’t wanted to hurt them. That was the last thing she’d ever wanted to do. All she wanted to do was keep them safe, because she simply couldn’t live without them.
She stretched and tested the limits of her body. To her satisfaction, she found that she was limber, not stiff, and that she could move with no pain.
Good damn thing, because she needed flexibility if she was going to pull off her grand plan of seducing all three men into taking her at the same time. If they weren’t still pissed at her. Fear gripped her. She’d never seen them so angry . . . or so resigned. That resignation frightened her.
She got up and took a quick shower, hoping she could be dressed and ready to go before any of the guys swooped in with painkillers or demands to stay in bed. She needed to go into the station and tie up loose ends. And she needed to talk to her chief.
Ten minutes later, her hair still wet, she headed down the stairs, prepared for the inevitable confrontation.
All three guys were in the living room, and her hungry gaze found Hutch. Other than a bruise darkening the side of his face, he looked fine.
They all looked up when she walked over to where they sat.
“What the hell are you doing up?” Sawyer demanded.
She ignored him and went over to where Hutch was slouched on the sofa. For a moment she hesitated, afraid he’d reject her advances. Then she steeled herself and hooked her leg over his, straddling his lap. His arms came around her at the same time hers curved around his neck. She hugged him fiercely and kissed the side of his neck.
“Thank goodness you’re all right,” she whispered.
“I could say the same for you,” he murmured as he stroked her hair. “And it’s thanks to you that I’m okay. Even if I’m pissed as hell that you put yourself in front of me like that.”
He pulled her away so he could look her in the face. His anger was building even as he fought with the relief he felt over her safety. He was as transparent as plastic wrap.
“I swear to God, if you ever pull a stunt like that again, baby, I’m going to lock you in a damn cage.”
She raised one eyebrow then leaned forward and kissed him into silence. Then before he could react, she shoved off his lap. “Anyone seen my keys?”
Three sets of confused stares locked onto her.
“Why on earth do you need your keys?” Cam asked.
“I have to run to the station,” she said calmly. “I need to talk to the chief. It’s important. I won’t be long.”
“Reggie, we have to talk,” Sawyer said firmly.
She softened just a bit as she stared into his blue eyes.
“I know we have to talk,” she said quietly. “This is something I need to take care of. Then I’ll be back.”
“At least let one of us drive you in,” Hutch protested.
She shook her head. “I’ll be fine.” She glanced over at Cam to judge his reaction, but his features were locked in stone. She had a feeling he was going to be the hardest sale when she came back to grovel.
She sighed and squared her shoulders. She wouldn’t let herself dwell on her possible failure.
“I’ll be back,” she said firmly.
“Will you?” Cam asked in a distant voice. “Or have you already left?”
Her gaze swung back to his, met his dark, unreadable eyes. He was sewn up tight. No emotion. In total self-preservation mode. And the damndest thing about it was she couldn’t even blame him. She’d hurt him. Hurt them all with her continued resistance, her stubbornness.
“I’ll be back, Cam,” she said softly. “The question will be whether you still want me.”
Without waiting for his response, not that she expected one, she turned and walked toward the front door. Her keys were lying on t
he table in the hall, and she scooped them up and walked into the midday sun.
CHAPTER 37
Carl and David sat in on her statement, and she went over every single detail of her encounter with Daniel Bishop. Daniel remained in stable condition in the hospital despite suffering two gunshot wounds. One from her and one from Jeremy.
After two hours of the exhausting, painstaking rendering of details, Carl and David excused her with their thanks. She stumbled into the hallway and started toward the chief’s office. When she rounded the corner, she nearly ran headlong into her father.
He caught her arms to steady her then held her out as he stared down at her. “Regina,” he said stiffly. “I assume you’re well?”
She was too tired and too impatient to get back home to stand around exchanging barbs with dear ole dad.
“I’m fine,” she muttered. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to see Chief Witherspoon.”
He hesitated for a moment and then his lips drew in. “Your mother was worried,” he said gruffly. Not I was worried. Your mother was worried. Regina sighed and shook her head.
“Tell Lydia I’m fine.”
She stepped away, forcing him to release her arms, then walked around him and down the hall.
She tapped at the chief’s open door. “May I come in, sir?”
The chief looked up from behind his desk. “Regina, of course. Come in.”
She walked in and closed the door behind her. Taking a deep breath, she walked over to the chair in front of his desk and wiped her damp palms down the legs of her jeans.
She settled into the chair but sat forward on the edge, her posture stiff and tense.
The chief stared speculatively at her. “Is something wrong, Regina?”
“No,” she said quietly. “I needed to speak to you about something. It’s . . . personal.”
“All right. I don’t need to tell you that whatever is said here will remain strictly in confidence.”
“I understand, sir, and I appreciate it.”
Why was this so hard? But it had to start here. If she couldn’t even tell the chief, how could she expect to be able to handle it when her relationship became public? And it would. No way she could continue to live with three men without small town talk making the rounds.
“Regina?” he prompted. “There was something you wanted to say?”
“Yeah, uh, there’s something I think you should be made aware of. As my superior.”
“Okay,” he said patiently.
She took in a deep breath. “I’ll be remaining with Cam Douglas, Hutch Bishop and Sawyer Pritchard on a permanent basis. That is I’m involved . . . romantically with them.” Her cheeks tightened and heated as she stumbled over just how to explain such a relationship.
The chief obviously caught on, because his eyes widened despite his best attempt to remain impassive.
“I see.”
“I know there’ll be talk,” she said quietly. “I don’t want to ever do anything to bring dishonor to this department. I love my job, but if it ever comes down to me choosing between them and my job, it’s a no-brainer. I’ll choose them.”
“Are you saying you want to quit?” the chief asked.
She shook her head. “No. I want very much to keep my job, but I also know things could get difficult. You might be pressured to let me go. I don’t want to embroil the department in a public relations nightmare, nor do I want the people of this town to ever doubt the ability of their police department to keep them safe. As much as I want to keep my job, I won’t allow my personal choices to jeopardize our department or its reputation.”
The chief sat back in his chair and fiddled with the pen in his fingers. “As you well know, I try never to get involved with my officers’ private lives. I operate on the principle that if it doesn’t affect the job, it ain’t none of my business.”
She sensed an unspoken but.
“But in this case, I feel compelled to ask if you’ve thought this through, Regina. Are you sure this is what you want and what is best for you?”
“I know it’s . . . different,” she said for lack of a better word.
“That it is,” the chief muttered. “You have obviously steeled yourself for the worst of the gossip and the possibility of losing your job, but have you thought longer term than that?”
“I just know I don’t want a life without them,” she said quietly. “I know it’ll take sacrifices. I’m not fooling myself into thinking it’ll be easy.”
The chief studied her for a moment. “I can see you’re serious about this. You’ve always fiercely defended those boys and they’ve always had a huge soft spot for you. I won’t say that I don’t think you’re making a mistake, but as your chief, it’s none of my business as long as it doesn’t interfere with your job.”
Hope rose in her chest. “Does this mean I still have a job?”
“Of course it does. I can’t afford to lose good officers. Your sex life is none of my business and it sure as hell ain’t the public’s business. Not that they won’t make it theirs, but you have to be prepared for that. I can’t guarantee you what’ll happen next week or next month, especially given the fact your father is the mayor, but as far as I’m concerned you’re a good cop and unless you fuck up on the job, you’re staying.”
“Thank you, sir,” she said around the knot in her throat. “I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t, Regina.” He glanced up at her with kind eyes. “This won’t be easy for you. You know that.”
She breathed in deep. “I know. I don’t expect it to be. And maybe the important things shouldn’t be easy.” She stood. “Thank you. I really appreciate your understanding. If you don’t mind, I’d like to get back home. I have three men pissed off because I’ve left them high and dry.”
The chief chuckled. “I have a feeling you’ll run circles around those boys. I almost feel sorry for them.”
She grinned and turned to walk out of his office. She hadn’t taken a full step when she looked up and saw her father leaning against the wall just outside the chief’s door. His face was drawn into a tight mask, his eyes dark and angry.
He straightened and stood staring at her for a long moment. “If you persist in your line of behavior, I’ll have no choice but to recommend your removal from the police department.”
She laughed. It came out dry and cracked, but it was either laugh or give in to the fury racing like a tornado through her veins. The bastard had eavesdropped on her conversation with the chief, and now he was trying to blackmail her into compliance?
There was so much she wanted to say. She wanted to blast him with both barrels, but he wasn’t worth it, and the men she loved were home waiting on her.
She walked forward, pressing close and angling her face until they were just inches apart.
“Since you quite obviously eavesdropped on my conversation you already damn well know that if I ever have to choose between them and my job, then I’ll find a new profession. Now, if we’re through, I have somewhere to be. Namely home.”
She turned to walk away but cast one last scornful look in his direction. “You don’t have the balls anyway.”
She drove home feeling lighter than she had in ages. She was through worrying about outside forces. Her father, the chief, what the town would think if they knew. Those things were completely and utterly out of her control.
As she turned into the drive, nervousness scuttled up her chest.
Seduce then speak. It had a nice ring to it. Hopefully they’d cooperate. She was much better at showing them how she felt than at spilling her guts. There would be plenty of time to talk later. They were guys. Actions spoke a lot louder than words.
CHAPTER 38
The house was quiet when she let herself in. The living room was deserted, not that she’d expected them to wait with bated breath for her return.
She dropped her keys on the coffee table and mulled over her options. Chances were, Cam was in his office and the o
ther two were up in their rooms. Which made her plan to make them all take her a little difficult.
Would they come to her if they knew she was at home? Or were they tired of making all the moves? She couldn’t blame them if they were. She hadn’t made it easy for them.
She drifted up the stairs, not disguising the sounds of her