A Reverse Harem Romance Collection Box Set

by Lane Hart

After all the shit that went down tonight, the thing I can’t get out of my head is not having the gun held to it, or my life nearly ending, but that Nadia friendzoned me right before the bad guys showed up.

  I’m so fucking confused about that. Why did she agree to go on a date with me if she only wants to be friends?

  Does she want Cash? If so, that asshole will never let me live it down. And I won’t be able to sit around and watch the two of them together.

  But tonight, Nadia fell asleep on me. She felt safe with me, not him, the bulletproof guy who fought off her attackers while all I could do was run out of the restaurant with her hanging over my shoulder.

  Once the late shows come on, Cash whispers, “We should probably take her to bed. She can’t be comfortable like that.”

  “I think she’s just fine,” I mutter in response. “But, yeah, I’ll take her to bed.”

  “I can do it,” he says as I try to maneuver the recliner down without jostling her too much.

  “I’ve got it.”

  “You two are so pussy whipped,” Trent chimes in with a soft chuckle. Then, he does a double take before staring at the woman on me and adds, “She’s really pretty, isn’t she? Like a beautiful, sleeping angel…”

  My eyes roll so hard I’m surprised they return to the normal position.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Cash hisses at the shifter.

  “Too late,” he replies. Trent squeezes his eyes shut tight and tells the grumpy vamp, “I’m already thinking about it. Thinking about it real hard.”

  “Get her upstairs now, or I’ll do it myself,” Cash tells me.

  It’s not easy, but I manage to get to my feet with Nadia cradled against my chest. I stick my tongue out at the other men before scaling the stairs, which is a little tougher. And I admit, Nadia lands with a little bounce when I drop her down on Trent’s guest bed.

  Her eyes blink open in response. I sweep her hair back from her face and whisper, “You’re okay. I’m just putting you to bed.”

  “O-okay. Thanks,” she mumbles, and then her eyes are closed again as she starts undoing her jeans then kicking them down her legs. I want to help, but I don’t because I shouldn’t be standing here watching her get naked, much less helping. Her hands fumble more with the button on her shirt and then she’s finally shrugging out of it. I only stare at her matching black lace panties and bra for a few long seconds before I clear my throat and say, “Goodnight. I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.”

  “Zaine?” Nadia asks as she gets on her hands and knees to pull back the covers, wiggling her very fine ass at me before disappearing underneath them.

  “Yeah?” I ask.

  “Will you stay? Please?”

  “Of course,” I agree without hesitation even though the carpeted floor is hard as a rock. “I’ll sleep right here next to the bed,” I assure her.

  “No. With me,” she replies and throws the covers back in offering.

  Oh fuck yes. I quickly strip out of my clothes, keeping on just my boxers before I dive onto the mattress. I’ve no sooner rolled to my side and fluffed my pillow when Nadia scooches backward, parking her ass right up against my crotch.

  I try to figure out if this is her way of coming on to me or what, but then I hear her soft breathing and know she’s sound to sleep.

  Tonight, asking me to join her in bed was only about comfort. Nothing more. Even so, I’ll gladly take it.

  Nadia

  My skin is on fire.

  Oh shit, the burning is on the inside of my body too.

  There are lots of hands on me, several men touching me, caressing me, kissing me, but it’s not enough. I need more. I need them inside of me or I may die! But I…I can’t. I have to hurt them to get what I want, so I refuse to give in to the temptation. The urges. The overwhelming desire to take…

  I can't breathe in the stifling heat of all the bodies around me that I can’t have and became frantic for air.

  No matter how hard I try to resist, the men keep teasing me through my panties to the point of torture as I beg for more. I have to have more!

  “Take me! Please! Take me, take me, take me!” I chant as I thrash underneath them, rushing to get my panties off.

  "Mmm. Nadia. Nadia, what the hell are you doing? Oh god," a masculine voice cuts into the sauna, sending cold chills down my spine. I welcome the relief from the heat and insistent need.

  Bright light pierces my eyelids, and I try to blink them open to see what’s going on.

  "What's wrong?" Cash asks when he appears before me in nothing but sleep pants. "Oh fuck!" he exclaims.

  Wait, what is Cash doing half naked in my bedroom, his sculpted chest and abs looking better than they had any right to be? No, this isn't my bedroom. I’m in a guest bedroom at Trent’s.

  "Turn the goddamn light off," comes a cranky voice from behind me, and I shiver, feeling his warm breath on the back of my neck. That's when I notice the arm over my waist.

  Zaine?

  Hold on, what the hell is he doing in bed with me?

  No, no, no. Did I get blackout drunk and screw him?

  I glance down and see my bra is still in place, but my panties are around my knees with all the sheets kicked to the foot of the bed. I reach down and quickly pull up underwear back on even though I would prefer to kick them off so Zaine’s hard inches at my ass could finally thrust inside of me.

  "What the fuck, Zaine?" Cash asks his roommate, for which I was thankful. I'd really like to know what’s going on too. I slide over, out from under his arm and roll over to face him.

  Zaine's arm lifts to shield his eyes from the bright light when he speaks. "She asked me to stay when I tried to put her to bed, so I did. She took her clothes off and went to sleep until a few seconds ago when she started squirming, screaming and pulling her panties off!"

  "Uh-huh," Cash says, full of disbelief.

  "That’s what happened. I swear!” Zaine responds. “And now she’s hotter than a fucking furnace."

  Cash scoffs at that comment.

  "No, I mean really. Feel her skin, it's like she's got a fever," Zaine explains. Cash marches over, and then his hand is suddenly on my forehead, making me feel like a little girl. Not that I ever had a parent check me for a fever before, but I've seen parents on television sitcoms do it.

  "Jesus Christ," Cash exclaims, jerking his hand back. Suddenly, I can't help the cold shivers that rock my body so hard my teeth begin to chatter. "Let me find the thermometer."

  "I hate to say this, but don't you think you should probably put some clothes back on?" Zaine asks. I nod and accept the sweatshirt he picked up from the floor, pulling it over my head before Cash returns with the thermometer.

  "Open up," Cash says with a smile, and I reach up to help his hand guide the probe under my tongue. Good thing I was feverish, or I would have blushed at how his words and that single gesture make desire spark through me. I can't help imagining him telling me to open up for another purpose and then sticking something much larger into my mouth. Based on the way Cash's eyes darkens as he looks at the stick in my mouth, I have a feeling he is thinking about doing something similar. I glance down his sexy naked torso to the low hanging, blue plaid cotton pajama bottoms and find a bulge at the front.

  "Are you seriously eye-fucking me right after I just saw you in nothing but a bra?" Cash asks with a grin. "Damn it, now look what you've done," he mutters, smiling wide and pointing to the two sharp fangs.

  "Get the hell out of here, asshole," Zaine grumbles. "Quit perving on her."

  "I'm not perving on her. She started it," Cash says playfully. "And you're the one in bed with her half-naked.”

  Thankfully, the thermometer interrupts with a beep. Cash reaches for it before I can, pulling it out from between my lips.

  "Holy shit!" he exclaims.

  "How high?" Zaine asks.

  "Oh, it's only like one hundred and nine point nine, but I'm pretty sure that's just as high as it goes."

 
"Holy fuck!" Zaine exclaims while I gasp.

  "That can't be right. Your stick's broken," I tell Cash, reaching for the damn thing to see for myself. He hands it over and…yep, it says one hundred and nine point nine. "But that doesn't make sense. I'm fine. I feel fine, just a little tipsy and cold." Cash holds my eyes as he grabs the thermometer back and sticks it under his tongue after it'd just been in my mouth. A minute later it beeps into the silence.

  "Ninety-six point seven, and I'm not even human."

  "Should we take her to the hospital?" Zaine asks Cash from behind me.

  "I can hear you, and no, I'm not going to the freaking hospital. I can't afford another outrageous bill!"

  "I don't think you need to go to the hospital either. If you were sick, you would have other symptoms," Cash replied.

  "Can't fevers cause brain damage, though?" Zaine asks. "Maybe we should give her some Tylenol or something."

  "If she was talking nonsense or comatose, I would be more concerned, but she seems fine other than being really fucking hot," Cash adds with a flirty smile and a wink.

  "Then get the fuck out of here so we can go back to sleep," Zaine tells him curtly, and I hear him flop around on the pillow. Cash flips him off with his middle finger, but he walks to the door and flicks the lights off before he left. I don't miss the fact that he'd left the door wide ass open.

  "Do you want me to go now?" Zaine asks softly.

  Do I? He said I asked him to stay earlier, and I could see myself doing that. It's been a stressful week. People are trying to kidnap me, and I don’t want to be alone.

  Why do I have Zaine here instead of Cash? Well, that’s an easy one — I don't trust myself with Cash.

  "No. Stay," I tell him in the darkness. He reaches for me and tugs me across the mattress until I’m lying against him with my head tucked into his chest.

  "Good, but I can't be held responsible for what happens below my waist," he says against the top of my head, making me smile. "It's like a high-pressure fire hose that needs several hands to control it."

  "I might be offended if nothing happened down there," I tease. "I mean, I don't even have any pants on."

  He groans, but then pulls his hips away from me. I’m not exactly relieved that he’s not making a move. I’m actually incredibly disappointed because I’m so damn horny. There are three guys who would likely oblige my desires, but I can’t risk hurting them or anyone else.

  Telling myself I’ll just have to take care of my needs the usual way when I’m alone in the shower tomorrow, I force the naughty thoughts to vacate my head.

  And it doesn't take long before I’m drifting back to sleep.

  Chapter 11

  Cash

  I can't sleep.

  Hell, how could I knowing the woman I want more than anything is sleeping in a bed with my asshole roommate. The bastard.

  I know nothing is going on, but it still bothers me. I definitely didn't imagine the spark that had ignited earlier when Nadia got all hot and bothered at the mention of me biting her, or the way she'd looked at me like she was imagining something more than a thermometer in her sexy, little mouth.

  At least I don't have to work today and can stay here with her alone.

  Zaine does have a shift, and I have a feeling he probably got less sleep than me last night with her perfect and tempting body pressed against his and not being able to do anything about it. That thought makes me smile.

  I had given up on sleep and went to Trent’s kitchen to cook breakfast since there was nothing else to do at five a.m. Thanks to my new vampire body, I sleep less and can eat whatever the fuck I want, and I never gain a pound. I haven't worked out since I was changed, and I definitely don't miss that shit.

  "Whatcha cooking?"

  "Fuck!" I yell when Nadia sneaks up behind me.

  "Sorry, but you sort of deserve it after sneaking up on me in the hospital and upstairs last night. Oh, and on the ambulance," she says with a lazy, sleepy smile.

  "Fine. I deserved it."

  "Are you making pancakes?" she asks, looking over my shoulder.

  "Uh-huh. You want some?"

  "Oh yeah. I'm starving. I didn't get to eat any of my mouthwatering steak dinner last night."

  "I'll have a few ready in about another minute," I tell her.

  "Awesome. Do you have any cheese?" she asks.

  "What?"

  "Cheese? You know, slices of American?" she responds, pushing her messy bed-head locks behind both ears when I look over at her.

  "Yeah, I think I saw some slices in the fridge. Why?" I ask in confusion.

  "I like a slice on my pancakes."

  "I'm sorry, but did you just say you want to put a slice of cheese on your fucking pancakes?"

  "Hey, don't knock it until you try it," she says, heading for the fridge. "Cheese and a little butter on a warm pancake is delicious."

  "No syrup?" I ask with a smile.

  "Ew, no. That would be gross," she says, wrinkling her perfect, little nose before digging through the refrigerator. She looks too…exotic and beautiful to be standing in such a plain, boring kitchen even if she is wearing a plain sweatshirt and black pants, with her hair rumpled from sleep.

  "Right, what kind of idiot would put syrup on pancakes?" I joke.

  "You're making fun of me," she huffs indignantly when she straightens from the fridge with cheese slices in her hand.

  "Yeah, I am. You're weird, but it's okay. Luckily for you, you're so beautiful you can get away with a shitload of weird."

  She lowers her eyes and her cheeks blush at my compliment like she isn't used to getting them. That’s just ridiculous because she has to hear that sort of thing all the time.

  I stack her three pancakes on a plate and hand it to her.

  "Thanks," she says softly. "Will you at least try my weirdness?"

  I watch as she spreads the squeeze butter between each layer of fluff, then unwraps the sliced cheese to put it on the top. She uses a fork to press the cheese into the pancake and the warmth melts the cold slice around the sides of the stack.

  "Fine. It can't be that bad, I guess," I finally admit. Using her fork, Nadia cuts a perfect triangle out of the layers and holds it out to me with a smile. Eyes on her violet ones, I reluctantly lean forward and cover the offering with my mouth before pulling away.

  I chew what tastes similar to buttery, cheesy bread before swallowing. "Okay, so that's not as bad as I expected."

  Her too-sensual-to-be-legal pouty, pink lips lift into a wider smile. She looks pleased that I admitted to enjoying her unusual concoction.

  "But it's definitely missing something," I tell her, eyeing her bland stack. It sort of tasted like a dry, cheese biscuit. "Oh, I know! It needs meat, like sausage or bacon." I turn around to grab the sausage roll from the fridge.

  "That might actually work," she says. "I've never tried it with meat, though, since that sort of thing is not usually in my budget."

  I actually hear the snap of my heart breaking right down the middle for her. It causes a very real ache in my chest to think about what her life must have been like.

  "Nadia…damn. You've been on your own, taking care of yourself for a long time, haven't you?"

  "Yeah, pretty much my whole life," she responds sadly.

  "No family?" I ask, knowing Tom had said she'd been raised in foster care, but I want to hear it from her.

  She shakes her head. "I don't even know who my parents are. I grew up in the orphanage outside of town. Stayed in a few foster homes over the years, but…nothing permanent."

  "I'm sorry," I tell her. "That must have been tough."

  She shrugs. "I don't know. I mean, I didn't really have anything to compare my life to except for TV. Once in a while, I would see the families of my friends from school, but no one really wanted to invite the dumb, weird, and poor foster girl over very often."

  And now my heart is completely severed in half.

  "Well, they were all a bunch of fucking idiots, b
ecause I've just met you and I don't want you to ever leave," I tell her. "And even though he's an asshole, I'm pretty sure Zaine feels the same way. Trent too."

  "Thanks for being such nice guys," she responds, hiding her eyes behind strands of her dark hair as she eats standing against the kitchen counter.

  I go back to work, trying not to burn the second batch of pancakes while frying sausage patties in another pan. I can't even begin to imagine what Nadia's life had been like or what she's been through. She’s really fucking strong to still remain so upbeat and happy.

  "You want to try it with sausage?" I ask her when it’s ready. Nadia’s put away about half of her stack.

  "Sure," she replies with a smile, all traces of the lonely, abandoned girl disappearing. I put a few pieces on her plate, then I fix my own with her method, putting the patty between two pancakes before taking a seat at the table and digging in. I still had to add a little syrup, because you just can't eat pancakes without it.

  "Damn," I moan after a few bites. "This is pretty good."

  Nadia nods from her seat across from me as she shovels more food into her mouth.

  "Yeah it is," she agrees. "And I could really get used to you fixing me breakfast," she adds with a smile.

  "Tell me what else you like, and I'll make sure we stock the fridge. Oh, and you're not considering going back to work any time soon, are you?" I ask.

  "I have to," she says without hesitation.

  "No you don't. Forget the money. We can magic your boss into paying you while you're out with post-traumatic stress after getting robbed on the job."

  "I wouldn't feel right getting a check for hours I didn't work," she says with a shake of her head.

  "So you would rather go in and take a chance on getting kidnapped by god only knows who?" I ask, and she shivers.

  "No. I guess not.” Her heavy exhale signals her surrender. Good, I want her to stay here with us. And I’m looking forward to some alone time while Zaine’s at work.

  Oh shit. I glance up at the clock and see it’s a quarter to seven.

  "Zaine!" I yell, making Nadia jump. "Get your ass up! It’s quarter to seven!"