by Becca Van
Des cleared his throat garnering her attention again. “Whoever is with you won’t come into the room with you when you are dealing with a patient, sweetie. We’ll give you and them all the privacy you need.” He held up his finger when she opened her mouth and snapped it closed again. “We will however, be guarding any room you go into. No one will get in or out unless we say so.”
“I don’t need…”
“Don’t argue, Jenna,” Dallas said in a voice as hard as steel. “I don’t care what arguments you come up with. You’re not going to sway our decision so you may as well give up now.”
“Great,” Jenna muttered, but knew they had heard her when Des and Dallas smiled. “So who is the lucky one spending time in my company today?” Even though she didn’t really want them watching everything she did, she was secretly glad that she would have their protection, but she wasn’t about to reveal that tidbit of information.
She didn’t want it going to their heads. They already had domineering, take-charge personalities, and if she gave them an inch, she could see them taking a whole country. Her facetious question was also a front so they wouldn’t know how much safer she was going to feel, or the fact that she had gone and fallen irrevocably in love with all three of them.
Damn her wayward body and heart. Why did they have to awaken now after being dormant for so long? She had no idea what they expected or wanted from her other than her body and even though they said they cared for her, caring wasn’t love and Jenna respected herself way too much to continue a relationship if they didn’t return her feelings. She would walk away in a heartbeat rather than making a fool of herself over them. There was no way she would stick around unless they loved her, too. She wasn’t going to be a clinging vine if they didn’t really care for her. In fact she’d never been a clinging vine and wasn’t about to start now. She’d been too independent for too long to change now.
“I am.” Dach’s breath wafted against her ear as he answered and she hoped he didn’t feel the shiver that had worked its way up her spine. “Are you ready to leave, baby?”
Jenna pushed out of his arms and headed toward the kitchen door. “Just let me brush my teeth again.”
After brushing her teeth and shoring up her defenses, she headed out and prayed she would get through the day without revealing any of her feelings.
Chapter Twelve
Jenna worked quickly and efficiently until lunchtime, but she was aware of Dach’s presence the whole time, even when he wasn’t in the room with her. Whenever she came back out after taking a patient’s blood, the first thing she did was look for him, and every time she looked, her eyes connected with his and the heat that raced up her spine caused her to respond physically every damn time, and he noticed. Damn him and damn herself. She was beyond wet and if she’d had a spare pair of panties on her, she would have ducked into the ladies room and changed.
He watched the patient she’d just tended head back to the waiting room but then he turned to face her. “Are you ready for lunch, baby? I thought we’d go to the diner. Des and Dallas are going to meet us there.”
“Okay, just let me get my purse.” Jenna turned and headed for the staff room and the locker where she stowed said purse. When she had it in hand, she turned back around, took a step, and slammed right up against Dach. She craned her neck until she could see his heated brown eyes.
Dach leaned down and she held her breath, mesmerized by the amber flecks in his orbs. Her lips parted unwillingly and she began panting. Surely he’s not going to kiss me here where anyone could walk in and see?
His breath caressed the sensitive skin of her ear. “I can smell your arousal, baby. When we get home tonight, my brothers and I are going to make long, sweet love with you.”
Jenna gulped and was glad when he straightened up, but instead of moving away from her, he took her elbow and guided her out. His eyes scanned everyone and everything as they walked to the diner and she felt really safe. When they reached the diner, she went to push the door open but he beat her to it. Tears of emotion pricked her eyes and she quickly looked down before stepping through the door. No one, including her brother, had ever had the courtesy of opening a door for her before, and the gesture got to her right in the heart.
When she finally had her emotions under control, she searched the interior for Des and Dallas. They weren’t hard to miss since they were tall, handsome, and brawny, plus they were standing on their feet as if they had been waiting just for her.
“Hey, honey, how was your morning?” Dallas asked and then bent and kissed her on the forehead.
“Busy,” Jenna replied as she slid into the booth at the back of the room. Des and Dallas both sat down and moved toward her, until they each had a thigh touching one of hers.
“Hi, sweetie,” Des said before he slung an arm on the back of the seat behind her and kissed her temple.
“What can I get you?” the young waitress asked as Dach took his seat.
The men looked at her expectantly but she hadn’t decided yet. “You go ahead.”
“I’ll have a burger with the works, chips on the side, and coffee.” Des gave his order. His brothers ordered the same.
“I’ll have a Caesar salad, coffee, and a glass of water please.” Jenna looked up when the waitress had moved away.
“Are you sure that’s enough, baby? You’ve been working really hard.” Dach frowned.
“I don’t like to have a heavy lunch,” she explained. “If I did I would get too drowsy and I can’t have that when I’m taking blood from my patients. I need to be alert at all times.”
“Okay.” Dach sighed with resignation.
The three men chattered over lunch and even though she didn’t really listen, she still heard everything they said. It seemed that Mica Paton had been arrested for embezzlement and for being an accessory to murder. She was happy about this, but the bitch hadn’t revealed who she was working with. Jenna began to wonder if any of this would ever be truly over.
After lunch, Dach walked her back to work and she didn’t stop until just after five thirty. By the time she’d finished the last of the paperwork, she realized they were going to be late for their appointment at the police station. Jenna was really tired and the last thing she wanted to do was sit for hours on end looking at mug books, but she would do anything to put her sister’s killers behind bars.
Dach led her out the back door to the clinic and, after helping her up in the front passenger seat, got in the driver’s seat and drove the short distance to the station. Des and Dallas were waiting for them on the sidewalk and even though their eyes seemed to light up when they saw her, she wasn’t feeling very talkative, so she bypassed them and headed inside.
“Hi, Jenna, thanks for coming,” Noah said and gave her a smile.
“Sure. Look I know I probably sound bitchy, but can we get this over and done with?”
Noah looked at her and then behind her but gave her a nod when he met her eyes again. He held the small swinging door and let her pass before moving in front of her and leading her to an empty office. “Take a seat, Jenna. I’ll just get the books and be back in a moment.”
Jenna sat down with a sigh. She was tired and grumpy and had a pounding headache. All she wanted to do was go home, have a shower, and crawl into bed. When she heard movement close by, she looked up and saw that Dach, Des, and Dallas were all watching her with concern.
“What’s wrong, sweetie?” Des asked.
“Nothing.”
“That’s bullshit, Jenna.” Dallas pointed a finger at her and scowled. “Do you think we don’t know that something is bothering you? You hardly spoke a word at lunch and you’re frowning. What’s going on?”
“I told you, nothing,” Jenna answered firmly.
“Lie.” Dach moved around and squatted next to her. “You’ve practically ignored me all afternoon. What’s worrying you, baby?”
“Look, I…” Jenna nearly sighed with relief when Noah walked back into the room, but wh
en she saw the stack of books in his hands she nearly groaned. Still, she was also happy to be saved by the proverbial bell.
“Hopefully you won’t have to go through them all.” Noah placed the book on the desk in front of her, glanced toward Dach, and raised an eyebrow in query and then started walking toward the door again. “I’ll make a pot of coffee and order in some pizza.”
Jenna moved the books closer and started flipping through mug shots. She didn’t read names or care about what any of the people in the photos had done, all she wanted to do was find her man and get out of here. Dach was now standing behind her and Des and Dallas had brought chairs from near the wall and were sitting next to her.
After she’d finished with the first book she closed it and lifted it to put it aside, but Dallas took it from her hands and did it for her. He opened his mouth but quickly shut it again when Noah came back in with four mugs on a tray with cream and sugar. Jenna didn’t want any coffee. She knew if she did, it would only make her headache worse, so she opened the next book and started turning pages.
She hadn’t spoken a word and neither had any of the King brothers. By the time she got to the final book, her head was pounding so hard she wasn’t feeling very well at all. Although she was lucky enough not to suffer migraines, Jenna got really bad tension headaches and when they hit, if she didn’t take any pain medication, she was sometimes sick to her stomach. Everything had been so up in the air with Joan and the funeral arrangements, as well as her brother graduating his SAS training and her being away from home, she hadn’t had the time to get any more over-the-counter medication from the pharmacy, and now it looked like she was going to pay for the oversight.
“That’s it.” Dallas pushed to his feet and slammed the open mug book closed. “I’ve had enough and you are more than just tired.”
Jenna whimpered when she turned her head too fast to look at Dallas and the scowl on his face quickly changed to a frown of concern.
“Damn it all to hell, Jenna. You’re sick and didn’t say a fucking word. I should tan your arse for not saying anything.”
Dallas didn’t give her a chance to reply. He pushed her chair back and scooped her up into his arms. Just as he started walking toward the door it opened and Noah walked in carrying pizza. The smell of the food made Jenna’s stomach do a roll and she knew she was going to disgrace herself if she didn’t get to bathroom soon.
“Bathroom.” She gulped and then covered her mouth with her hand.
Dallas looked down at her and then rushed past Noah to the bathroom. If she’d been able to order him out, she would have, but he flipped the toilet lid up and knelt on the floor behind her.
Jenna tossed her cookies until she had nothing left in her stomach. If she hadn’t been feeling so bad, she would have ordered Dallas out of the bathroom and been embarrassed by him seeing her sick, but she was in too much pain and too exhausted to care. Dallas reached over and flushed the toilet, and then helped her to her feet. He grabbed a paper towel, held it under the tap, and then wiped her face with it. When he was done, Jenna cupped her hand, filled her mouth with water, swished it about, and then spat it out again.
“Are you okay, honey?” Dallas wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his big body.
Jenna sighed and let him support her weight. “Yeah.”
“You’d say that even if you weren’t wouldn’t you, Jenna?” Dach asked and Jenna wondered if he and Des had watched her throw up too. Jenna didn’t answer but shrugged her shoulders. “What made you sick, baby?”
“Headache.”
“Jeezus, woman,” Dach said and by the tone of his voice he was more than just pissed. “Do you mean to tell me, that for the last…two and a half hours you have been sitting there going through those books and in pain?”
“I’m used to…”
Dallas sighed. “Let’s get her home and into bed so she can rest.”
“Jenna, have you taken anything for your headache, sweetie?” asked Des.
Jenna shrugged and then cringed when Dallas’s raised voice ripped through her aching head. “Fuck!”
“Dallas, keep your voice down. You’re causing her more pain,” Des said. “Do you have a prescription you need to fill?”
“No. Normal painkillers are fine but I ran out last week and forgot to get more.”
“Is she all right?” Noah asked from near the door.
“No. She has a bad headache. We’re taking her home.” Dallas lifted her into her arms and even though she wanted to protest, she didn’t. She kept her eyes closed as he carried her.
“Take the pizza with you,” Noah said, and then his voice faded as Dallas carried her outside. The cool night air felt good on her flushed face but when she got a headache like this one, she always ended up feeling cold to her core and couldn’t warm up. She shivered as the breeze caressed her bare legs and arms. Dallas helped her into the truck and then he pulled her close to his body as if trying to share his body heat with her. She snuggled in and was only vaguely aware of Des buckling her into her seatbelt.
* * * *
The next day was much the same as the day before except this time, Dallas came to work with her. She wondered if he was still upset with her about last night because he’d hardly spoken to her all day, but then she would catch him eyeing her hungrily and wondered if he was keeping his distance from her so he didn’t act inappropriately with her at her place of work.
She was glad when it was time to finish and after making sure her paperwork was filled out correctly, she filed everything and walked out to the parking lot with him. He glanced at her as he backed out of the parking lot and then after checking for traffic, pulled out onto the road.
“Are you glad that Mica was arrested?”
“Of course I am.” Jenna frowned at him. “What sort of question is that?”
“My brothers and I were concerned when you didn’t say anything yesterday at lunch.”
“What did you want me to do? Dance a happy jig? No matter what happens, it won’t bring Joan back.” Jenna sobbed and covered her mouth.
“Shit, I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to upset you.” Dallas reached across and placed a hand on her thigh.
“You didn’t.” she sighed.
“What’s going on with you, Jenna? You’ve been too quiet.”
“I have a lot on my mind.”
“Like what?”
Jenna shrugged.
“You know you can come to us with anything, right?”
She shrugged again and heard him mutter something like, “wait till we get home.”
The ten-minute trip was spent in total silence and Jenna wondered over what he meant but gave up. She was too tired to deal with his cryptic statement.
He helped her out of the truck and she went straight to her room. After finding some clean clothes, she headed to the bathroom and took a hot shower. The shower had done its job revitalizing her and after dressing, she headed for the kitchen, intent on helping with dinner, but when she saw all three of them preparing the food, she sat on a stool at the counter. When they had the food cooking, they turned to her.
“What is going on with you, baby?”
She glanced away. “Nothing.”
“Bullshit,” Des snapped. When she met his stare and then looked to Dach and Dallas, she wondered if she would get out of this with her heart intact. All three of them were looking at her with implacable resolve. “Start talking,” Des demanded.
Jenna lowered her eyes to the counter but looked up when Dach walked over to the oven and put the timer on. Dallas walked around the counter until he was standing right next to her.
“Look at me, Jenna.”
Even though she didn’t want to, she couldn’t help but comply with his demand and found herself looking into his brown eyes.
“If we are going to make this relationship work we all have to communicate, honey. You need to tell us what is going on in that pretty mind of yours.”
“What relations
hip?”
Chapter Thirteen
“What the hell kind of question is that?” Dallas almost growled.
Des sighed and knew he was going to have to put his own frustration aside and calm his older brothers down. If they let their tempers get the better of them, he could see Dach and Dallas saying something they didn’t mean in anger and hurting Jenna. Although it wouldn’t be on purpose, he didn’t want to have to deal with the fallout, so he decided it was best to take over before things got out of hand.
“Back off,” Des said quietly so Jenna couldn’t hear, and then he picked her up into his arms and went striding into the living room. He ignored the fact that she was squirming and pushing against his shoulders to get him to let her go. He wasn’t about to let her get away without talking to them, but he wasn’t hurting her by keeping her in his arms. He sat down on the sofa and shifted her until she was sitting side on to him, so he and his brothers could see her face. “Explain what you mean, Jenna.”
She glanced at Dach, who was sitting on the coffee table in front of her, and then to Dallas, who was sitting on the sofa beside them.
“I don’t know.” She shrugged.
Des was getting sick and tired of her hedging and shrugging and decided to take the bull by the horns, because he had a bad feeling he knew just what she’d meant and he didn’t like what she was thinking one little bit. He decided that it was high time to tell Jenna exactly what they wanted with her.
“Let me tell what I think it is you meant,” he glanced at Dach and Dallas and then locked gazes with her. “You think that we only want to keep you safe because your brother was worried about you being on your own. You also think that we only want you here because we have the added benefit of having sex with you. Am I right?” With each word he spoke, color permeated her face until it was bright red and he knew he’d hit the proverbial nail on the head. His gut knotted up and anger permeated his body, but he held himself in check because he realized that even though they had told Jenna from the start that they were attracted to her and wanted to see where a relationship with her could go, not once had they told her they loved her. Of course they had told her they cared, but he knew that any moron could say words to get what they wanted.