by Jane Jamison
“Easy. Breathe. And don’t make any quick moves. You might slip and crack your head.” Silver Eyes lifted his hands, palms out, trying to placate her.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re still drunk. That must’ve been one hell of a party.”
She scowled at Black Eyes. “How’d you know where I was?” Had they been watching her the entire time, waiting to make their move?
“Either that or you were on a date.” Black Eyes motioned toward the crumpled, dirty dress. “That’s not the kind of dress a girl wears to work.”
Okay, so his reasoning made sense. She bent her knees, ready to do a roundhouse kick as Green Eyes started to move toward her. “I said to stay back.”
“Look, sugar-pie, we’re not going to hurt you. We’re trying to help you. You were passed out by the train tracks. I brought you home to help you sober up.”
Passed out? How much had she had to drink? Or had they rufied her drink? But how could they have done it when she’d scooped the champagne bottle right out of the silver bucket next to an older gentleman and his fat wife?
“Who are you?” She’d get information from them before giving them any more of hers.
Green Eyes placed his hand on Silver Eyes’ shoulder. “I’m Pike Killian, and this is my friend Coltrane Kinsburg. The other guy is Coltrane’s half-brother, Roth Kinsburg. Now it’s your turn. You said your name is Harper, but you didn’t tell me your last name.”
“I’m Harper Hanley.” The room started to spin again. When had alcohol ever affected her this way? “Wait. Did I throw up on you?” The thought of hurling again was enough to set it off. Before she could stop herself, she lurched forward and vomited.
The men shouted and hurried backward. She reached out, needing to find something to support her. Strong hands grabbed her, keeping her upright as they held her under the shower.
She struggled—although not very hard—then gave into the pleasant feeling of the warm water rushing over her body. Sighing, she gave up trying to fight them. After all, they hadn’t done anything bad to her so far. She doubted they would.
“Easy, darlin’,” drawled Coltrane. “We’ve got a bed waiting for you.”
She moaned, as much from the aches setting in as for the enjoyment of feeling him against her. Her hands slipped around his waist, one dropping low enough to get a good feel of his tight, round ass.
As they led her out of the shower, then held her up while Pike removed her wet undies and rubbed her dry with the softest towel she’d ever felt, she had to admit that getting kidnapped—rescued?—by three incredibly sexy men wasn’t such a bad thing.
“Are you having fun there, sugar-pie?”
She’d closed her eyes, concentrating on the feel of his ass. “Mmm?”
“Do you like what you feel?”
“Uh-huh.”
Chuckles all around her.
“There’s more where that came from, baby. Better, even.”
“Once you’ve sobered up, we’ll be glad to let you cop a feel on all of us.”
She bolted up, jerking her hand away from Pike’s ass. “I’m sorry.”
Those mesmerizing green eyes sank into her heart. “Don’t be. I enjoyed the hell out of it.”
He brought her to a stop as they waited for Coltrane to pull down the covers on an enormous bed. The bed fit the enormous room. Although the furnishings were simple, they were large and formidable, as though they’d been made to withstand decades of wear and tear. Beige was the main color of the room with bright spots of reds, blues, and greens to break up the monotony.
Pike eased her onto the bed. “Take a nap, Harper. We can talk about everything after you’ve rested.”
She struggled, her bad side fighting against her good side. Didn’t she have something important to do? The image of Dr. Rump’s body came barreling back. “Shit. No.”
Roth grabbed her, forcing her back onto the bed. “Whatever it is can wait. You’re no good to anyone in the condition you’re in.”
“No, I have to get help. Dr. Rump was killed. I saw the whole thing.”
“Are you sure you really saw anything, baby?”
She stared at Roth. “I know what I saw.”
“Is that the only thing you think you saw?”
“No. I saw a—” She clamped her mouth shut. Pulling the blanket up to her chin, she struggled to remember.
“You saw what, darlin’?”
How could she tell Coltrane or any of them what she’d seen? At that moment, she wasn’t sure she’d actually seen a dragon. “Nothing.” Weariness swept over her. Her stomach rumbled, threatening another upchuck. “I’m really tired.”
“Then get some rest, darlin’. When you wake up and feel better, you come on downstairs. We’ll be waiting for you.”
“But what about Dr. Rump?” Had she really seen the woman hit him? Or had she imagined everything including the murder and the dragon? Seeing a dragon certainly made her think she hadn’t really seen a murder.
“Like we said, we’ll handle all that. You get some rest, okay?”
“Okay.” Bone-weary, she had no energy to fight any longer. Sleep was coming in fast. She slid down in the bed, pulling the warm covers around her.
“Oh, and darlin’?”
She could barely keep her eyes open. “Uh-huh?”
“If you’re ready to try us all on at the same time, you just let us know.” Coltrane shot her a wink.
The heat rushed into her cheeks and then into her pussy. What was she supposed to say to that?
Coltrane laughed and then led the way out of the bedroom. “Don’t worry about our clothes. We’ll get them later.” As he pulled the door closed behind Pike and Roth, he winked again. “Sleep tight, darlin’.”
* * * *
Roth stretched out his legs on the coffee table and stared out the huge window dominating the front of their home. As he often did at this time of day, he studied the purple hues of the coming sunset. Sunset had always been one of his favorite times to fly. “I still don’t know why you brought her back here.”
He was half Talasium and half Red Verian dragon and proud to be a member of both clans. His half-brother, Coltrane, was full Talasium, which was why he’d inherited the Talasium silver eyes. Although they hadn’t been raised together until they were teens, they were as close as any brothers-of-the-same-mother could be. After Coltrane’s mother passed away in a terrible accident during a thunderstorm, his father had taken Roth’s mother as his new mate.
Later, they’d met Pike at a bar in Dallas and had hit it off. Who knew they could become friends with an Emeralian dragon? Then again, ever since the Queen of the Dragons had come to Vegas, more and more relationships, both friendships and romances, had begun springing up between the clans.
“What was I supposed to do? Leave her passed out beside the tracks?” Pike leaned against the wall leading into the large kitchen. Like the rest of the home, the living room was decorated with comfort in mind and furniture that would accommodate their large bodies.
“She saw someone murdered.” Coltrane was always ready to jump on a bit of drama. He loved to fight and was impulsive by nature.
“She thinks she saw someone murdered. We don’t know if she really did.”
Roth arched an eyebrow at his friend. “You don’t think she did?”
“Shit.” Pike took a long swig. “I don’t know. Maybe. But I do know she saw a fucking dragon. Did you want me to take her to the cops so she could tell them about both? What do you think they would’ve done? Hell, once she started spouting off about seeing me, they would’ve tossed her butt out of the station. And mine along with hers.”
“If this Dr. Rump guy actually got himself killed, then they’ll find out soon enough. She’ll have to come forward.” Roth didn’t want to say it, but they all knew Pike had made a bad decision.
“What’s done is done.” Coltrane flopped down on the armchair next to him. “What we have to figure out now is how to convince her that
she didn’t see a dragon.”
Pike shrugged, but his body was still tense, belying the casual gesture. “We can talk her into it. Who’s going to really believe they saw a dragon, anyway? We’ll tell her that she hallucinated or something while she was drunk.”
“Are you going to convince her that she imagined the murder, too?” Roth would’ve liked to go along with Pike’s idea but couldn’t.
“Maybe she did.”
“You’re reaching, man. If she really did see a murder, and she finds out that she really did, then she’s going to realize she actually saw a dragon. One can’t be real and the other a hallucination.”
“Why the hell not?”
Unfortunately, Roth didn’t have an answer. He crossed his arms and checked his brother. “You’re not saying much.”
“I don’t have much to add. We’re kind of stuck with the situation as it stands.” Coltrane propped his boots onto the table, too. “I say we go with Pike’s idea until we come up with a better one.”
They nursed their drinks for a while, each lost in his own thoughts. More questions with no answers came to Roth. “She did seem really out of it. More than I’d think for someone tying one on.”
“Yeah, she did. Plus, she keeps coming in and out of it. Like she gets less drunk one minute and then goes back to slurring her words the next.” Coltrane leaned forward, obviously liking the mystery. “Strange, if you ask me.”
“Maybe she’s a lightweight.” Pike shrugged yet again. “Or maybe booze hits her in a weird way.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Roth wasn’t convinced. Still, what did it matter? It wouldn’t change the fact that his friend had brought a human home to Flying K Ranch. Besides, he’d rather concentrate on something better. “She’s pretty damn hot.”
Both Pike and Coltrane were eager to jump on the bandwagon. Roth saw the hunger burning inside him in their eyes.
“Hot as hell.” Coltrane took another swig. “I like curvy girls.”
“Yeah. There’s more to hold on to,” added Pike. “Maybe we shouldn’t have taken off her clothes, but I’m glad we did.”
“She didn’t seem to mind,” joked Coltrane. “Besides, it’s not like we did anything sexual.”
“Not that I didn’t want to.” Pike repositioned his cock. “Shit. I’m getting hard just thinking about her.”
Roth wouldn’t disagree. He’d always been partial to bigger women, too. They seemed more…womanly. “She’s the perfect shape and size, all right, but are you thinking she could be the one we want? Remember, she might be a drunk.”
“That’s bullshit, and you know it.” Coltrane laughed and leaned back. “Something else is going on. Besides, when is it a crime to get shitfaced every once in a while? She’s got a little edge to her, and I like it. Hell, she was ready to take on all three of us in the bathroom.”
“True enough.” Roth grinned. He had to admit that he liked her spunk. She’d seen a murder—maybe—and a dragon—definitely—all in one day and hadn’t freaked out. “Okay, so we’re agreed. We convince her that she didn’t see a dragon. In the meantime, we get to know her and see if she’s right for us.”
“And we keep her safe,” added Pike.
“He’s right.” Coltrane grew serious. “If she saw a murder, then she could be in danger. Did the killer see her? Who knows what might happen to her?”
Roth hadn’t thought about her possibly being in danger. “We don’t know anything yet. Not even if a murder took place. Until then, we stick close, both to keep her safe and to get to know her.”
“Done deal,” agreed Pike. “I’m glad you see it my way.”
Roth didn’t bother taking Pike’s bait. His friend loved getting the last word in, so why not let him? Glancing toward the ceiling, he shifted enough to bring out his sensitive dragon hearing. So far, she hadn’t stirred from her bed. When she did, he’d be ready.
Chapter Three
Turn off the damn light.
Harper groaned and pulled the cover back over her head. Her head pounded even without the sunlight beating its torture down on her. Her body ached, her mouth was stuffed with invisible cotton, and her eyes felt plastered to the inside of her head.
After lying still for several minutes, she groaned again, at last accepting her fate. She’d have to get out of bed sooner or later. Somehow she didn’t think getting out later was going to be much better.
Slowly, she inched the cover down, sliding it over her forehead and then exposing her eyes. Another groan changed into a whimper as the assault of light hit her. Once she stopped cringing like a vampire stuck outside at high noon, she knew the worst of it was over.
At least that was what she thought until she tried to open her eyes.
Shit. Shit. Shit, that hurts.
Gritting her teeth, she tried again, taking it even slower than before. At first, the light stabbed into her eyes like daggers, but the longer she managed to keep them open, the easier it became to keep them open.
Where am I?
She sat up quickly and regretted it. Moaning, she slumped back on the bed. The room was huge, and the furniture obviously custom made to fit such an enormous room. The bed could’ve easily held five people with room to spare and was covered in a luxurious bedspread and the softest sheets she’d ever felt.
“I’m sure not back in my apartment.” Even her whisper seemed to roar in her head. If she had been home, she would’ve curled back under the covers. As it was, though, she had no choice but to haul her generously endowed ass out of bed.
She threw back the covers and, for the first time, realized that she was naked. Had she gotten undressed? Or had someone helped her?
Please let this be a friend’s house. Maybe their rich parents’ home?
She could wish all she wanted, but she didn’t think either one of those options was true. Glancing around the room, she noticed three doors. One was the bedroom door, but the other two had to lead to a bathroom and a closet. Where was her dress, anyway?
Covering her breasts as much as she could with only one arm while holding her hand in front of her recently waxed mons, she darted across the room and hoped no one would see. The rich-looking drapes were pulled back from the windows, letting the sunlight pour in.
Door number one, here I come.
Luckily, her choice—selected only because door number one was the closest to the bed—led to a large walk-in closet. She came to a stop and stared. “This is as big as my living room.” Wall-to-wall shelves held only a small amount of clothes, as though whoever lived there really didn’t care how they dressed. Most of the clothing was casual, with jeans—dark blue, faded, and black—taking up an entire wall.
She grabbed one of the pairs closest to her and held it up for inspection. “A man’s.”
Did I leave the wedding reception with a man?
She frowned as she struggled to remember what had happened after her boyfriend’s vile text. Judging by her physical state, she’d obviously gotten smashed. Or had she? It wasn’t like her to get drunk, but then again, she’d been upset. Who wouldn’t have been upset after getting dumped while attending a wedding reception?
A slice of pain ripped through her temple. Cringing, she put her fingers there. How could she remember anything with her head breaking in two?
Wait. What happened to Megan?
She vaguely remembered Megan telling her to stay where she was until she got back. But back from where?
Still, she couldn’t remember getting that wasted. Not enough to forget everything and wind up in the bed of a stranger, anyway. Oh, sure, she’d had a few one-night stands, but she always remembered them.
“This feels different.” She shook her head—bad idea—and decided now wasn’t the time to sort everything out. Getting dressed and getting the hell out of the house was her first priority.
Where was her dress? When she couldn’t find it, she did the only thing she could do. Rifling through the shirts hanging neatly in a row and separated by color, she chose a br
ight blue T-shirt and pulled it over her head. The jeans were far too large, but a pair of elastic shorts combined with a belt she tied in a knot around her waist would have to do.
The reflection she saw in the mirror had her backing up. Then she realized it was her. “Oh, hell. I look like a reject from a zombie movie. Too ugly even to eat people’s brains.” Tunneling her fingers through her hair, she did the best she could to detangle the mess.
She hurried out of the closet, through the other door, and into the bathroom. Who knew there was so much marble in the world? Everything was a mix of gray and white, giving the room a spa atmosphere. Her gaze settled on the shower, and she ached to get under the rainforest style showerhead. Did she have time? Or was time running out? What if whoever had brought her there was about to return?
An idea teased the edges of the memory. Had he brought her here in a plane? She recalled the feeling of flying, yet she was sure she hadn’t been in an airplane. Which, of course, made no sense.
Snatching one of the fluffy washcloths off the counter, she dipped it under the tap and pressed cool water to her face. The sensation was refreshing but made her want the shower even more.
No time.
Pivoting around, she rushed back into the bedroom and over to a window. Where was she?
Cringing as she pushed the drapes aside, she peered into the bright sunshine. Green land spread out as far as she could see. A nearby red barn sported a weather vane and white trim around the windows and doors. A white fence separated the main yard of the home from the pasture that lay beyond it. A gravel road led toward the horizon. A painting couldn’t have looked any prettier, and if she hadn’t been suffering from a hangover, she would’ve loved to take a walk in the field and enjoy nature.
No time.
She hurried to the bedroom door and cracked it open. Pausing outside in the hallway, she took in the wideness of the hall and the many doors running up and down both sides and then made off like a jackrabbit toward the top of the mahogany stairs. The steps wound around, leading from the second story down to a foyer below.