She laughed unpleasantly. “Not for long. He escaped.”
“I ain’t heard of him,” Jayson said, his jaw tight. “Who is he?”
“He’s wanted for the murder of some women in New Mexico,” Zane answered. To Lana he added, “That’s where I’m from, so the story caught my attention.”
“I’m from there too,” she said. “But I had to leave.” She hesitated. “And it’s six women, actually. Two policemen now as well.”
“How do you know that?” Jayson asked. “How do you know him?”
Her stomach somersaulted. “I know him in the most intimate way anyone can know a stranger. He tried to kill me.”
Just saying the words out loud again sent a noticeable shiver through her. Zane sat down beside her and put an arm around her. He was so warm and strong, so comforting.
“You’re cold,” he murmured gently. “Jayson, hand me that blanket.”
Jayson grabbed the afghan from the rocker and brought it over to the bed. Lana felt the prickle of claws as Sage growled and exploded out of her arms to get away. Jayson helped Zane settle the blanket around her shoulders before sitting down on her opposite side.
“I know it’s six women because he told me,” she went on, rubbing a scratch on her upper arm. “I was supposed to be the seventh.”
Jayson stiffened beside her and took hold of her hand. “But you got away.”
“The police found me and captured him. Temporarily.”
“Jesus,” Jayson said, squeezing her fingers tighter. “And you’re afraid he might try again?”
“He already has.”
He stiffened. “Was that why you were runnin’ in the woods when we first saw you? You thought he was after you?”
She nodded.
“But why won’t he just leave you alone?” Zane asked. “Move onto someone else?”
“Because I’m special to him.” She spat the words out. “His lucky number seven. He was—is—obsessed with me.”
The memories returned, threatening to overwhelm her until she wanted to curl up in a ball forever. But the strength of the two men pressed to her contained the anguish enough to allow the rest of the tale to spill out.
“He grabbed me right off the driveway of an open house I’d just finished showing. I was a real estate agent.” She closed her eyes. “He said he knew the first time he saw me that I would be the one to end it. He claimed the killings would stop after me. I don’t believe that, of course, but I think he does. He held onto me longer because of that, savoring the moment. That’s why the police managed to get to me while I was still alive.”
“What a fuckin’ horror,” Zane said. “I can’t even begin to reckon what it was like for you.”
Memories of footsteps in gravel and duct tape tearing sent a bolt of anxiety through her. “He never really hurt me in the three days I was held. Not like the others. Still, it was weeks before I could sleep again. And I still have the nightmares.” And thankfully, other dreams where men an awful lot like the pair beside her burst in and saved the day.
“I’m so damned sorry, Lana,” Jayson said somberly, running his thumb along the back of her hand. The soft touch sent sparks of something urgent up her arm. “I’m sorry we weren’t there to protect you.”
“No one can protect me,” she said. “Not even the police.”
“The two officers you mentioned,” Zane said. “He killed them tryin’ to get to you?”
She nodded. “The police notified me immediately when he escaped. They posted two officers in a car across the street, but I knew it wouldn’t be enough. I was already packed to leave town when I had a weird urge to glance out the window. I was just in time to watch him cut the first man’s throat. That intuition was the only reason I got away. I grabbed Sage and ran. I was scared of what he’d do to her if I left her there.”
“Sick son of a bitch,” Jayson spat. “He won’t get to you here, Lana. I swear it.”
“How can you promise that?” She eyed him. “He found me once on the road already.”
“How?” Zane asked.
She shook her head. “I’m not sure. He knew my other car, for one thing. That’s why I got rid of it and bought that junker outside. I think he knows how to trace credit cards, too, so now I use cash for everything. I paid someone for a new identity so he couldn’t track me by name. Then I left the state.”
“You ain’t really Lana Smith,” Jayson said.
“I am now. I left the woman Jonathan Tyson wants behind. I don’t want her name anymore. Or her life.”
The three of them sat in silence, and she felt the weight of her story pressing down on the room. She sat there stone still, wondering whether having spilled her secret made her feel better or worse.
“Don’t you have family somewhere?” Zane asked. “Someone worryin’ about you?”
“Not anymore. My parents died, and I’m an only child. I didn’t go back to the real estate agency after the kidnapping, either. I told them I needed time off. Although I’m sure they know I’ve left town by now. The police probably went to the agency to find out if anyone had seen me.”
Jayson erupted off the bed and made a beeline from the room.
“Where’s he going?” she asked.
“Channelin’ his anger into somethin’ useful, I reckon,” Zane said. “Hopefully he’ll set the front door to right for the time bein’.”
“How?”
“If he slides somethin’ heavy in front of it, no one can get in or out that way. We’ll use the back door when we need to leave.”
Leaving. There was that controversial term again, the one she only liked to entertain when visitors weren’t volunteering to do it.
Zane shifted his body, and without thinking, she shot her hand onto his thigh to keep him there. Touching his leg so possessively touched off a hot, intimate flush, and she pulled away.
“Sorry,” she said. “I just feel a little shaky.”
“I ain’t goin’ anywhere.” The soothing drawl somehow calmed her. “In fact, now that we know what’s goin’ on, at least one of us should stick around as much as possible.”
“Oh, but,” she began, stopping when he held up a hand to stop her.
“Don’t,” he said, shutting his eyes for a moment. “Don’t say it ain’t necessary. Let us help you, Lana. We were meant to.”
She was pondering those words when he pointed to her pendant. “There’s a reason you wear a wolf as your talisman. Wolves are strong, loyal, and fiercely protective of their mates.” He glanced up and caught her staring at his eyes, the way the gold specks looked almost iridescent in the lamplight. “You’re drawn to wolves because they touch somethin’ deep inside. You know they’re meant to be part of you.”
His proximity, those eyes, the conviction in his words, all of it combined to cast a spell as powerful as any charm she could conjure. Her gaze fell to his mouth, tracing the contour of his full, brownish-pink lips. They glistened slightly, as if he’d recently licked them. Just the thought prompted her to do the same.
He ran his fingers lightly on her jaw and sent a trail of fire shooting through her. “I told you that you ain’t alone anymore. We ain’t gonna let you come to harm.”
She glanced down. “Because you want me.”
He tipped her face up to his. “Because I want you to be safe.”
Her eyes found his and held them, and the remnants of fear in her stomach took off with the butterflies already in flight. Lana had been leaning closer to Zane without realizing it, and unable to resist the experiment, she did something she’d never done before. She kissed a man first.
Their lips met with only a soft, tentative introduction, but the jolt blanked out everything else. No more bad dreams, no more killers on the loose. No more loneliness. There was just Zane, tasting of wild nights and tender whispers in a lover’s ear. She felt his shiver of surprise, heard his deep, almost silent growl of male need, and he gave into her for a moment before pulling back.
“Lana,” he
said softly. “I don’t think we should. You’re feelin’ unsteady.”
“Kissing you makes the last six months vanish. Please, Zane. Just make it stop for one minute.”
The glimmer in his dark eyes sparked like flame while he took her face in his hands. He claimed her mouth, and a white flash ignited in front of her, painting a blank canvas over every dark moment. She ran a hand along the sleeve of his sweater, feeling the contrast between the soft knit and the hard muscles beneath. And this time, it was Lana who meekly let her tongue flick out in search of Zane’s. Finding his sent warm, damp need between her legs.
He stiffened immediately, sliding his arms around her and pulling her closer.
“Well, ain’t this just irony’s bitch?” came a voice from the doorway.
They broke off as Jayson strode in, his narrowed eyes fastened on Zane.
“You chewed my ass up one cheek and down the next for makin’ a move on her behind your back. Now I ain’t gone five minutes before you’ve got her in bed kissin’ her.”
Lana felt a stab of guilt, but Zane just grunted. “We ain’t in bed, we’re sittin’ on a bed. And it might interest you to know she kissed me.”
Now Jayson’s eyes flicked to hers. “Is that a fact?” The teasing tone was back. He leaned closer. “Since when did our fancy lady get so free with her lips?” He backed away with a smile that faded when he looked at Zane. “You realize you’re takin’ advantage of a lady in a weak moment.”
“I’m not weak,” she snapped.
Zane stood up. “Don’t forget you’re talkin’ to your alpha.”
Jayson stood his ground. “That don’t mean I ain’t got a voice in this pack.”
“Damn straight you got a voice,” Zane said. “A loud, annoyin’ voice that needs a rest.” He turned to Lana just as she was stifling a yawn. “And so does she, I reckon.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, glancing at the clock on her nightstand. “It’s almost two in the morning.”
“We best let her get some sleep,” Jayson said. “And by ‘we,’ I mean you.”
Zane glared at him. “Did you get the house secured?”
Jayson stepped back and snapped to attention with a zippy, sarcastic salute. “Yes sir, master alpha sir!”
Lana quirked a smile, but Zane rolled his eyes and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” she asked, wincing at the ridiculously needy whine in her tone.
Zane turned back. “We’ll sleep in the livin’ room. But don’t worry, we’ll take turns stayin’ awake. In the mornin’, we’ll fetch supplies to fix the door.” He shot Jayson a look. “And by ‘we,’ I mean you. My shift starts before the hardware store opens.”
“I got a meetin’ in town tomorrow,” Jayson said. “Manny might take me on part time.”
Zane scowled. “Damn, that’s right.”
“Damn?” Jayson asked. “Don’t you mean, ‘Hot damn, Jayson’s gettin’ a job’?”
“I wasn’t figurin’ on us both leavin’ her alone.”
“I’ll be fine, really,” she said. “I’m sure he’s hundreds of miles from here. I don’t need to be babysat twenty-four hours a day.”
“I reckon not.” Still, Zane didn’t look too thrilled. He glanced at Jayson. “You want first watch?”
“Um, Zane?” Lana asked quietly. “Would you mind sitting with me for a while? Just until I fall asleep.”
Jayson shot her a look. “That must have been some kiss.”
She glowered at him. “I asked if he’d sit with me, not have his way.”
“This is because I took things too far with you today, ain’t it? You want him to protect you from me.”
“Of course not.”
Although she didn’t trust herself around Jayson, it was true. He seemed a lot more aggressive. Then again, she had been the aggressor with Zane. Maybe she couldn’t be trusted with either of them.
“Hang on a minute,” Zane said, putting his hands on his hips. “Just exactly how far did you take things?”
“Uh,” Jayson said.
“You told me you kissed her.”
Lana felt her face go hot when he looked at her. “It was nothing,” she said.
“Nothin’?” Jayson folded his arms. “I think I’m offended. You liked it way better than nothin’ while I was doin’ it.”
“Doin’ what?” Zane asked.
“I just touched her is all,” Jayson said. “When things got too hot to handle, she called it off and I stopped like a gentleman.”
“A gentleman.” Zane snorted. “Maybe it is a good idea if I stay in here.”
“Why, so you can touch her instead?”
“So she can get some sleep without you actin’ like a horny teenager.”
“And who’ll keep an eye on you?” With his arms still crossed, Jayson sat down in the rocking chair.
“You’re both going to stay in here?” Lana asked.
“Seems fair, don’t it?” Jayson replied.
Maybe he was right. The men would keep each other in check, and she wouldn’t be as inclined to do something foolish.
“I guess so.”
“Fine,” Zane said. “No use arguin’. Let’s get her settled.”
He helped her get back under the covers, and she left room for him beside her. Switching off the lamp darkened the room somewhat, but light from the hallway let her see well enough. He kicked off his boots at the foot of the bed and smoothed the quilt down to sit on top of it. He put an arm around her, pulling her to him, and she snuggled against his chest.
Not since her father had cradled her as a child had she gone to sleep this way, and the feeling of it enchanted her. She breathed him in deeply and listened to his heart, which was racing a little. So was hers. Still, her eyes felt heavy, and she closed them while he stroked her shoulder. Jayson sat quietly, although she could hear the chair creaking while he rocked in it.
“Is the door safe enough for tonight?” she asked after a while.
“I pushed that heavy wood cabinet in the hallway in front of it,” Jayson said. “Ain’t no one comin’ in that way.”
“Just sleep,” Zane whispered.
Sleep with two sexy men in her bedroom? Good luck with that, she thought. Sure enough, Lana took forever to start to drift. Her breathing fell into a slow, regular pattern, however, and she kept her eyes closed. After some time, she heard Jayson whisper.
“I think she’s asleep.”
The chair creaked as he got up, and his footsteps came closer. She left her eyes shut, too comfortable to move.
“She looks like the sweetest angel to ever fall from heaven,” he said from close to Zane’s side of the bed. “And the two of you look so right together it makes me ache. Bad.”
There was utter silence for a moment, and then a muffled sound and a light smack that sure sounded like a kiss. Without moving a muscle, she slowly cracked one eye open. Jayson was bent over Zane, all right. She couldn’t see the kiss without twisting her head upward, but she watched Jayson’s hand slide down Zane’s chest to land on his zipper. She felt Zane flinch, and she could tell his other hand was moving.
His heart began picking up in rhythm, as did hers. The sound of their faint, concealed moans and their mouths joining stoked a throb in her clit. Warmth crept between her legs, and she worked to stop from squirming.
Jayson broke away and knelt beside the bed, and she closed her eyes tight so he wouldn’t catch her watching. Zane’s belt buckle clinked softly, and his zipper came down with a deliberate slowness no doubt meant to keep her from hearing. Zane’s heart was drumming louder, and not long after, he went completely stiff and sucked in a stifled gasp.
There was no way she could stop herself from looking, so she peered through her eyelashes. Jayson’s head was bent over while he took Zane’s cock in his mouth. Zane was grabbing the man’s head, pushing him down.
Good God, even this tiny, clandestine view of them was hotter than anything she’d imagined. Could she really lie still an
d fake sleep when her body was humming for attention?
Lana knew absolutely nothing about giving a guy oral sex, but she could tell Jayson was trying not to be noisy about it—and that it was growing tougher the more turned on the men got. Zane was absolutely rigid, his breaths coming harder and faster and his legs shifting vaguely on the quilt. Jayson was busy bobbing his head up and down, so she opened her eyes wider to watch him. She couldn’t see much, just the top of his head. Jayson’s jeans were unzipped next, and she heard him tugging them down.
Zane’s other arm was jerking a little now, and she guessed it was because he was stroking Jayson’s cock. Her clit was pounding with each beat of her pulse, and sweat made her gown stick to her body. One of her hands was lying right alongside her, close enough to reach herself, if she dared. She let it creep a millimeter at a time until she could press it against her mound.
Without warning, Jayson’s head came up, and their eyes met. His were glowing with golden fire in the dim shadows of her room.
“You ain’t sleepin’,” he said, and she jerked her hand back.
Zane shifted and covered his bare erection. “I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have started in.”
“It’s all right,” she said, glancing at the golden fire in the men’s eyes. “I don’t mind.”
“You don’t,” Jayson said with clear skepticism.
“I’ve never seen anything like it before,” she stammered.
“And that’s okay with you?” Zane asked.
She glanced at him shyly. “It’s definitely taking my mind off things.”
Jayson made a move toward her, but she scooted back. “I wasn’t suggesting I’d get involved, mind you.” She stopped at the far edge of the bed and sat with her arms wrapped around her knees. “I’ll just be over here, all quiet and out of the way.”
“She wants to watch,” he said with a smolder. “I got no problem with that.” He snapped on the lamp. “You got a problem with that, master alpha sir?”
“Stop callin’ me that and do what the lady says. Finish suckin’ me off.”
“That ain’t quite how she put it,” Jayson said, but he was already shrugging off his shirt.
Disorderly Cowboys [Lone Wolves of Shay Falls 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 8