* * * *
“What was that all about, Regan?” Rita asked her husband as she placed her hand on his arm. She could see the shocked expression on his face. When Marlena hugged him, there was sadness in her eyes and such emotion. She hightailed it outta there quick.
“I don’t know,” Regan said and looked toward Roy. His eyes filled with concern as he flipped the burgers and held their gazes.
“She’s scared, isn’t she? Is it from our boys? Are they pushing her, or asking too much too soon?” Rita asked. Regan knew that their sons were demanding men and were older than Marlena. He understood his wife’s concern about them pushing Marlena too far too quickly. Especially with Marlena being new in town and unused to the ways a ménage relationship works. But there was more going on here with Marlena. If she were in some sort of trouble, he hoped Marlena would confide in his sons. They would protect her.
“I don’t know. I don’t think so. I think it’s more. You know as well as I do we saw something in her eyes that day she came here looking for work,” Reagan said to her.
She pulled back and clasped her hands in front of her.
“You thought she might have been in trouble,” Rita said.
“I think she is still. I think she’s holding back and maybe feels like she’s got to protect herself from everyone and everything.”
“The men will get it out of her. It’s their job now if they’re officially staking a claim,” Roy said then pulled the burgers off the grill, placed them on the buns with the fries, and put them on the shelf. He tapped the bell.
“Although they haven’t made it official. Maybe we need to talk to them, Reagan,” Roy said and then turned back around as Marlena came in to grab the order. She looked as normal as anything. She smiled at them.
“Got two more tables. Are there more chicken specials left or not?” Marlena asked.
“Two more, honey,” Rita told her and smiled.
“Great. I’ll be right back after I confirm they want those.” She turned around and headed out.
“She’s so sweet, and petite. I hope she’s not in trouble, or that she’s on the run,” Reagan said.
“On the run? What?” Rita asked.
“She said she loved it here and didn’t want to leave. It was almost like she was setting me up to not be shocked if that happened.”
“That doesn’t sound right at all,” Rita replied and didn’t like the feeling she had now either.
“If she’s in trouble, then we need to help her.”
“And how are we supposed to do that?” Roy asked.
“You leave it to me. I’ll get her to talk, to come around and see we can be her family if need be. I like her. Hell, she reminds me a lot of myself at twenty-three. We’ll make her see she’s cared for and there’s no place better than Chance. You two talk to the men. Make sure they’re taking their time, and you know what I mean,” she said and raised one eye up at them.
They chuckled.
“You watch that sassiness, woman, or there’ll be hell to pay tonight,” Roy challenged.
“Bring it on, Roy, I can handle both of you, remember?” she teased and went back to preparing more food.
“Oh I recall someone begging for mercy just last night,” Reagan teased her and gave her a slap to her ass. She gasped just as Marlena came into the kitchen.
“Oh, I’ll just come back in a minute.”
“Get back here. She’s my woman. I can tap that ass if I want to.”
“Reagan,” Rita scolded and the men chuckled.
“They can be a handful. But believe me, I’ve got them wrapped around my finger. So do you need those two specials?” Rita asked Marlena.
“Yes, ma’am,” she said and smiled softly.
“You got it,” Rita said and went back to working. She caught Marlena smiling, and Rita hoped she could see the love between Rita and her men. Marlena could have that, too, if her sons gained her trust and helped her to see that they could love her and protect her no matter what. Maybe she should talk to the men, and not Roy and Reagan.
She smiled then went about cooking. She’d get to it later. Give the men a chance. They only made their first move last week. She smiled. Maybe in a few months she would gain herself a daughter-in-law and a grandbaby?
“What’s that’s grin about?” Regan asked her.
“Oh nothing. Nothing at all.”
Chapter 7
Marlena laughed as Danny cursed for hitting his thumb again. She could see it bruising and swelling up as she climbed down from the small stepladder and walked toward him.
“Let me see,” she said and chuckled. He really wasn’t very good at this construction stuff. She reached for his hand.
“I’m fine. Shit,” he carried on. She smiled.
“I’ll get you some ice.” She walked toward one of the boxes on the floor, opened it up, and pulled out a box of plastic bags. She took one then went to the freezer and grabbed some cubes. She sealed the bag then brought it over to him. He was sitting on one of the chairs by the kitchen and living room.
“Here. Place this on for a little while.” She put her hands on her hips as she watched him put the bag of ice on.
“You really aren’t too comfortable doing this type of work, are you?” she asked.
He went to speak then stopped. He started again.
“I’m not, but I was hoping to impress you anyway,” he told her and winked.
She walked closer. She couldn’t help but to touch him. He was so handsome and a bit different than Jack and Mike. Danny was not so intimidating as he was forward. He said what was on his mind and didn’t seem to sugarcoat much. But he was hiding his dislike of doing work like this.
She pushed a strand of hair from his eye and held his gaze.
“Your brothers force you into this?” she asked and stepped back.
But he placed a hand on her waist and pulled her between his thighs.
“I wanted to be able to spend time with you and get to know you just like Jack and Mike do. It’s not like I don’t entirely know what I’m doing.”
“Well, I would hope you knew enough. I think we’re almost ready to stain the doors and the cabinets. I saw Parker Cass in the diner today. He said if we needed help, he would come over,” she teased. Meanwhile Parker did come in and she found out that he had a thing for Alice. She was hoping they would get together, probably as badly as her friends hoped Marlena would get together with the Spencer brothers.
Danny pulled her closer and lifted her up so that she had to straddle his hips or fall on her ass. She gasped and grabbed on to his shoulders.
“You think that’s funny? Poor guy could have gotten a bullet in his ass from Mike.”
“What?” she asked, holding his gaze. He used his hands to rub up and down her bare thighs. She was wearing a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top. It was pretty warm in the house. He ran those hands up her hips then under her tank top and pulled her closer.
He held her gaze and she held his. Those damn blue eyes told so much about him. Danny was a businessman, and he had power, control, and a bit of arrogance about him. She felt her pussy clench. He turned her on and he knew it.
“Ever get a spanking for being naughty, Marlena?” he asked, shocking her. She shook her head and he used his thumbs to manipulate her nipples over the tank top as he held her under her arms. His hands were so big, and his fingers thick and long, that he could reach the tiny buds and stimulate them.
Her lips parted.
“You know, I think you deserve a little spanking, for bringing up Parker, and for teasing me about hitting my thumb again.”
She shook her head, nibbled her bottom lip, and held his gaze. She couldn’t believe how turned on she was at his naughty words.
“Is there anything I can do to make it up to you? I was just teasing.”
He reached up and ran a thumb along her lips, staring at them. She didn’t know what came over her, but she was aroused and felt like giving Danny a little bit of
his own medicine. She peeked her tongue out and licked a small part of skin on his thumb.
He held her gaze and pinched her nipple with his other hand.
“I could think of some things that might save your sexy little ass from turning pink by my hand.”
“Like what?” she asked, opening wider. He pushed more of his thumb between her lips and she sucked on it and pulled it between her lips.
He pulled harder on her nipple and she closed her eyes and rocked her hips on his lap. He pulled his thumb from her mouth and trailed it down her throat between her breasts then pushed the material aside and cupped her breasts. She gasped. Felt her pussy cream and she moaned.
“You are so responsive, baby. So fucking responsive.” He pulled her breast from confinement and leaned down to lick her nipple.
She grabbed a hold of his shoulders and pressed upward so he could get a full mouthful of her nipple and breast.
She moaned aloud and then gasped when she felt the second set of hands on her shoulders from behind.
“Mike,” she moaned.
“Damn, I’ve got good timing,” he said then ran his fingers through her hair, tilted her head back, and kissed her. She reached up and held onto his cheeks and head as he ate at her mouth and Danny feasted on her breasts. She’d never felt so out of control. She never wanted to have sex so badly in her life, and that thought had her pulling from Mike’s lips.
“We have to stop. Oh God, Danny, please.” She begged for him to release her breast. He pulled on her nipple, twirled his tongue around the areola, then released it.
“I want you,” Danny told her then cupped her face between his hands and kissed her deeply. She held onto him, even as she felt him stand up with her wrapped around his waist as if she weighed nothing at all. She felt them walking and she pulled back.
“Wait. Oh God, we can’t. God,” she said and banged her forehead against his chest.
They were in her bedroom. Danny sat down with her still straddling his waist. Mike caressed her hair from her cheeks.
“Talk to us. Explain what’s going on.”
She lifted her head from Danny’s chest and held Mike’s gaze.
“I can’t take this chance. I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
“Because of him? Because of this asshole who hurt you?” Danny asked, sounding angry.
She nodded her head.
Mike crossed his arms in front of his chest.
He looked so big and powerful even out of uniform.
“Why don’t you explain a little more about this guy? Make us understand what’s holding you back?” Mike asked. She eased her way off of Danny’s lap. She stared at both of them. She saw the bed, looked at their bodies in the jeans, the T-shirts, and those sexy, older expressions. It turned her on and made her want to throw inhibition to the wind.
“Let’s go back out into the living room,” she said and went to leave. Mike grabbed her hand.
“No. Let’s talk right here. It’s obvious that being in your bedroom alone with us makes you nervous. Why?” he pushed.
“Mike, please. Let’s just go into the living room,” she said, feeling that anxiousness begin to deepen. She was getting frazzled and freaked out.
He pulled her closer. He ran his hand along her hip and cupped her breast gently. She pulled back. He pulled her against him again.
“You’re practically shaking. We would never hurt you,” Mike told her.
“Did this guy you were with, did he hurt you, Marlena? Did he abuse you?” Danny asked and she felt the tears hit her eyes.
“Let’s go back out,” she said but didn’t move. She felt like if she did move then even that would make her cry. Make the tears flow and she would break down and tell them everything.
“Why are you scared of being in this bedroom with us?” Mike pushed for answers. He was being a boss, a law man, running the show, and she got angry, and it put her on the defensive.
“It’s better if we go into the kitchen and finish working,” she said slowly.
“No. We want you in here. Why do you want to leave us?” Danny asked, standing up and taking her other hand. They both stepped closer, holding her hands and bringing them to their chests, palms flat.
“Why?” Mike pushed.
She lowered her head.
“Because I won’t be able to stop. I’ll want to keep feeling everything you make me feel and I shouldn’t let it happen.”
She felt Mike’s fingers under her chin tilting her face up toward him.
“But it’s right, what we feel. My brothers and I want you. We want to make you happy, protect you—”
She shook her head, cutting him off.
The tears filled her eyes.
“You can’t protect me. I have to protect you.”
“From who?”
She heard the third voice and turned to see Jack standing there. He was dressed nicely. He must have come from Spencer’s.
“Please don’t make me tell you. It’s embarrassing and it will only make leaving worse.”
“Leaving? You’re leaving?” Jack asked, coming into the room, too, and standing next to Mike.
“Eventually I’ll have to,” she said.
“Why?” Jack asked.
She was silent a moment and Mike touched her chin.
“Why?” he asked firmly.
“Because he tried to kill me once, and he might be looking for me to finish the job.” The tears spilled down her cheeks and she stood there staring at their shocked expressions, wondering if she just made a huge mistake, trusting them with this information.
“Marlena, you need to explain all of it to us, so we can help you and protect you. Start with who this guy is, what he did to you, and why you think he’s coming after you?” Mike said to her.
“Let her sit down,” Jack said and helped her to the edge of the bed.
“I think we all need to get comfortable. I don’t expect you to leave anything out. Understand?” Jack asked, looking angry and firm. She nodded her head as she took the seat and clasped her fingers.
“I used to live in Connecticut,” she said and hesitated.
“We know that, and that you don’t have any family. Get to the part about the guy,” Mike said, arms still crossed. Danny and Jack looked at him.
“Don’t get all interrogator, cop mode. Give her a time to get it out,” Danny told his brother.
Marlena swallowed hard and began to explain about being an accountant and working for a company and how she met Peter.
“That’s the dick’s name?” Jack asked.
“Peter what?” Mike asked.
“Why do you have to know?” she asked.
“So we can make sure he doesn’t come anywhere near what’s ours,” Jack said before Mike could.
They looked so upset with her already. How could she tell them what Peter did to her?
“Go on, honey, explain,” Danny said and placed his hand over hers, gave them a squeeze for encouragement, and then pulled back.
“It’s embarrassing,” she said.
“Don’t be embarrassed. Talk to us,” Jack said.
“I want to, but you’re older and more experienced and you’ll think I was so stupid and naive, which I was, but I know better now. I figured it out when it was too late.”
“Figured what out?” Danny asked. She looked at him and held his gaze.
“That Peter was using me for his own purpose. He was showing me off. Making demands on me then putting me down in front of people. He would build me up and make me feel like I was loved and cared for when we were alone but then he became abusive and rough.”
“He hit you?” Jack asked, eyes squinting.
“Yes. But mostly he was verbally abusive and tried breaking down my confidence and controlling me. I was only twenty-two when I met him and fell for his charms, his good looks, and powerful demeanor.”
“He’s a rich asshole?” Mike asked.
She nodded her head.
“When did you break t
hings off with him? Why do you think he’s after you?” Mike pushed to get to the point and she was shaking as the tears filled her eyes.
“I broke things off when I realized he was cheating on me. He attacked me one night and got crazy. He threatened me, bruised my ribs, and struck me several times. He left me at a party looking like a piece of used trash. I went to the police and got an order of protection against him. I explained how he assaulted me and he got someone to say he was with them that it wasn’t me and that I was lying because I was a worthless whore.”
“Jesus, what a fucking prick,” Danny said and caressed her thigh.
“What happened next? You took off and wound up here?” Mike asked. She shook her head.
“I was home alone in my apartment. I was trying to figure out where to go and how to get out of town, when I started smelling smoke. I usually put a little something in the oven, but I wasn’t very hungry. Peter knew I would do that. Come home and make a dinner, even a small one just for me. But that night I put on the stove for soup. I walked out of the kitchen and heard a noise and a fire broke out. It was so quick, and obvious by the way it immediately spread around the apartment that some kind of accelerant or wiring was used. I was caught inside. I tried to get to the door but I couldn’t. There were flames everywhere. I didn’t know what to do because I was on the tenth floor. There were no fire escapes on my side by my windows. I grabbed the small fire extinguisher and ran to the bathroom, turned on the shower and the faucet to fill the tub, thinking I could throw water on the flames and use the extinguisher to hold off the flames until the firefighters came.
“I could hear the sirens in the distance and everything. I knew help was coming but the flames were shooting into the bathroom. I felt the pain and heat against my side as the sparks of flame hit my hip and I was on fire. I hopped into the tub, grabbed the curtain and the fire extinguisher. I sprayed at the flames with the extinguisher and screamed out for help until firefighters got there. They place was destroyed and they were shocked to see me in the tub and with the extinguisher. I should have died in there. That’s what Peter wanted. He set that fire. But the police, the firefighters couldn’t prove anything.”
Dare to Trust Page 9