by Maxene Novak
“There isn’t much to do,” Lorie told him. “I’ve already contacted the employees and given them their schedules beginning tomorrow. As of right now we have four kids slotted to move here over the next two weeks. The first will be here tomorrow if you want to be around when he arrives so you can meet him, although I must warn you he had had a very rough life so far, and he’s especially mistrusting of men, so don’t be offended if he won’t interact with you at all.”
“I understand that,” Clay said, “but I would like to be here even if I need to stay in the background so I don’t upset him.”
“Okay. Well, let me tell you a little about him. His name is Paul...” Lorie went on to tell Clay everything she’d already told Spencer about Paul.
This time around she was able to keep her composure. Spencer wasn’t sure he could say the same about Clay. Clays eyes went wide the minute she told him about Paul’s mother being a prostitute and addict. When she told him about Paul being molested he started wrestling with his tie like it was suddenly too tight. When Spencer saw a sheen of sweat break out on Clay’s forehead he was out of his chair and around the desk in no time.
“Clay, what’s wrong? Are you feeling okay?” Lorie was up as well trying to get Clay to tell her what was wrong. Spencer didn’t need Clay to say anything. He could tell enough simply by Clay’s reaction to Paul’s story. Spencer had seen enough victims in his years as a detective to know that Paul’s story reminded Clay of his own and right now Clay was reliving whatever nightmare he’d experienced as a child. When Clay’s eyes drooped shut Spencer leaped forward and caught him as soon as he fainted, keeping him from falling to the ground.
Spencer bent down and picked Clay up in his arms. He remembered that there was a bedroom just down the hall from Lorie’s office, and he headed in that direction. “I’m taking him to lie down,” he told a worried Lorie. She nodded and followed close behind him.
He laid Clay on the bed and moved to stand back up but Clay grasped his shirt. Spencer couldn’t bear seeing Clay like this. This beautiful man who was normally so confident and arrogant reduced to a broken child. Spencer didn’t try to pull away from Clay’s hold, instead he curled up on the bed beside Clay and pulled him into his embrace. He brushed Clay’s hair back off of his face and placed a kiss on his forehead. “You’re okay, baby. I’ve got you.” Spencer wasn’t sure why he’d used that term of endearment but it felt right, especially in that moment with Clay lying vulnerable in his arms.
Spencer felt the bed dip and looked to see Lorie getting settled on the other side of Clay. Lorie wrapped her arms around Clay from behind and reached for Spencer’s hand, lacing their fingers together. She kissed Clay on the back of his neck and whispered in his ear loud enough that Spencer could still hear. “We’re hear, Clay. Spencer and I have got you. We aren’t going to let you go. We aren’t going anywhere.” She met Spencer’s eyes and he could see the question in her stare. She was hoping that she was right. That he was as committed as she was to staying to Clay. Spencer nodded and squeezed her fingers to let her know they were on the same page.
Lorie put her face in Clay’s neck and Spencer laid his head down on the pillow keeping his eyes on Clay. He’s never felt this protective over someone. Sure he had wanted to protect people all his life; that was why he became a cop. This was different though. Seeing Clay in so much pain made his chest hurt and his heart break. If there was any way he could take Clay’s pain away he would. He would take it into himself if it meant Clay wouldn’t have to experience it ever again. Whatever this was between them it might have only begun recently, but he knew right then laying in that bed holding a broken Clay that he was in deep with both of the people lying in bed with him. Something about the two of them made him feel alive. He knew he would do anything to protect them. He didn’t know how it could work, but he prayed that the three of them would find a way to make whatever was going on between them work.
CHAPTER NINE
Lorie
Lorie didn’t know the details of the relationship between Spencer and Clay, but when she saw how Spencer held Clay and tenderly kissed his forehead promising he had him she knew something beautiful must be happening with the two of them. Something inside of her urged her to join them and try to offer whatever comfort to Clay that she could. Lorie had suspected that Clay had been through something as a child to prompt his passion for helping children, but she knew without a doubt that whatever had happened to him was a lot worse than she’d expected. Judging by his reaction to Paul’s story, she was terrified that Clay and Paul might have a lot in common.
She felt Clay’s breathing even out and knew he’d finally fallen asleep. Tucked in behind him with her hand linked with Spencer’s, she felt more at home than she had ever felt in her life. She wanted these men and she didn’t want to have to choose. Knowing that they both held affection for her, and clearly for each other, she hoped they might be able to figure out something that would make them all happy. Lorie was so comfortable lying there with Spencer and Clay that she must have fallen asleep. When she woke up their positions had altered and it was Clay who now held her. Spencer was still pressed close to Clay’s back with his arms around Clay. He had his hand on top of the arm that Clay had wrapped around Lorie and Spencer’s fingers were intertwined with Clay’s. It was dark outside and when she glanced at her watch it was seven in the evening. She hated to disturb Clay and Spencer, especially knowing how upset Clay had been before he finally dozed off, but she still had things to do. She couldn’t lay there all night when she had Paul coming to move into the home the next day. That might have been what Clay had said this room was for but she hadn’t brought any of her things here and she refused to wear day-old clothes when she met Paul tomorrow.
Lorie rubbed her hand gently along the two men’s arms hoping to wake them up slowly and calmly. She was pretty sure they hadn’t planned to stay there all night either. Hell, who was she kidding...nothing about the three of them lying in that bed together had been planned. “Clay, Spencer, wake up.” Lorie’s voice was soft and low. She didn’t want to use her full voice and startle them awake. She felt Clay squirm but he only moved in closer to her and made a low groaning sound with his face pressed into the back of her neck. It made her smile, but didn’t stop her from continuing to wake them. She shook their arms, which resulted in both men groaning, so she lifted their arms and rolled over so that she was facing them. Seeing the two men holding each other while they slept nearly took her breath away. She had thought they looked beautiful dancing together at the ball but that had nothing on seeing them like this. Her heart swelled looking at them both and she wished that she could wrap them up and revel in the feeling forever. Lorie leaned over them and placed her hand on Spencer kissing him on the cheek first, then moved back to do the same to Clay. She sat up and looked down at them as both Spencer and Clay blinked their eyes opened and looked at her. Clay looked back and saw Spencer behind him then looked back up at her. Lorie smiled at both of them. “While waking up in bed with the two of you is definitely a plus in my book, we should probably get up.”
Clay sat up and leaned back against the pillows and headboard of the bed and Spencer sat up beside him. A wide smile stretched across Clay’s face and he crossed his arms. Lorie could practically feel the cockiness radiating off of him. Why had she said that she liked waking up with them?
“If you thought waking up with us was great, I could think of much better things for you to do in bed with the two of us than just sleep.” Clay raked his eyes over her upper body.
Lorie shook her head no, “Not in this bed. This is a home for children, and none of that will be happening here.” Lorie didn’t miss the fact that Clay had defaulted to his normal act of bravado and sexual innuendos the minute he was awake. She knew what he was doing. He was trying to brush his reaction to the things Paul had been through under the rug so that she wouldn’t ask about it. He was safe for now. Eventually she hoped he would open up and talk about whatever had hap
pened in his past to cause his earlier reaction, but she wouldn’t push him now. She’d worked with enough abused children to know pushing only caused them to shut you out more and that was the last thing she wanted to happen with Clay.
Spencer threw his arm behind Clay and chose to join the conversation then, “Notice she said we couldn’t do the things you’re thinking here, not that we can’t do them.”
“I did notice that,” Clay agreed. Lorie rolled her eyes, but her gaze was drawn back to the two men. She noticed that Spencer was rubbing his thumb in slow circles on Clay’s shoulder. It was a small but intimate gesture, and it made her smile. “Maybe we should take her back to my house,” Clay added. As soon as the words left Clay’s mouth Spencer’s stomach growled and the three of them broke out laughing.
“Maybe we could just grab some dinner instead,” Lorie suggested.
“I could eat,” Spencer said, rubbing his tummy with the arm not wrapped around Clay’s shoulders.
“Alright, let’s go eat,” Clay agreed. They all climbed out of bed and straightened up their clothes. “Why don’t the two of you ride with me,” Clay suggested. “I already have a reservation for dinner since Lorie and I had a date planned this evening. I’ll just add one more to it.”
“So, are you saying you’ll add me on as the third wheel?” Spencer asked Clay. His posture had gone ridged and the tone of his voice told Lorie he didn’t like that idea one bit.
“No,” Clay walked right up to Spencer and got in his face, “I’m saying that now there are three of us going on this date instead of two.” To emphasize his point Clay leaned in and planted a quick, but firm, kiss on Spencer’s lips.
Spencer’s smile was small when Clay pulled back, like he was trying hard to suppress it but failing. “Okay,” Spencer said, “then let’s get out of here. I’m starving.”
“I just need to lock my office and make sure my computer is logged off,” Lorie told them. Both of them followed her to her office. All of the files she’d been reviewing were still out on her desk and she worried for a moment that being in her office and seeing the files would remind Clay of Paul’s story and trigger him again. Instead, Clay made his way right over to her desk and started putting the files back together neatly while she logged out of her computer. She took the files from him and locked them in her desk before grabbing her purse so they could go. Clay took her hand and walked her outside while Spencer set the alarm and followed behind them.
Clay made a call to the restaurant on the way to let them know he would need another setting added to his reserved table. “No,” Clay spoke into the phone, “I want to keep the reservation for the same table. I just need you to add a seat for one more. We’ll be there in ten minutes.”
Lorie thought it was odd that the restaurant apparently wanted to give them a different table just because they had one more person coming for dinner, but she just let the thought roll off her shoulders without saying anything. Just like Clay had said over the phone they pulled into the restaurant parking lot ten minutes later. They were eating at an upscale restaurant that Lorie never would have imagined she would ever go to called Arianna’s. Clay pulled up to the door and they were immediately greeted by a valet. While Clay gave the keys over to the valet Spencer got out and opened the door for Lorie. Lorie took his hand when he held it out to her and stepped out of the car. Spencer kept her hand in his as the three of them walked inside.
They didn’t even make it all of the way to the hostess station before the young lady behind the podium walked out, flipping her hair over her shoulder with her chest pushed out, and smiled at Clay. “Mr. Hale, it’s so wonderful to see you this evening. Shall I show you to your usual table?”
Lorie wanted to gag at the way the girl was batting her eyelashes at Clay. Did she not see that he was with someone? As soon as she thought it she had to laugh at herself. Of course the hostess wouldn’t think Lorie was with Clay; not with her standing there with her hand held tight in Spencer’s. When Clay answered the hostess Lorie saw the confusion clear in her eyes. “Not tonight. I have a private room reserved for the three of us.”
Clay turned to Lorie and Spencer and ran his hand down Lorie’s upper arm in a clearly intimate manner. When his hand met hers he smiled at her and squeezed it briefly before letting go and turning back to the hostess. The look on the girl’s face was priceless and Lorie had to cover her mouth to hide the grin she couldn’t hold back. It was all she could do to keep from laughing out loud. Lorie was pretty sure that the girl was going to wind up with whiplash if she didn’t stop trying to look back and forth at the three of them. When her eyes locked with Lorie’s, Lorie saw the girl’s lip draw back momentarily in a look of disgust before she apparently thought better of it and straightened her face back out. Lorie’s smile fell and she took a step towards the girl. Apparently Spencer had noticed and felt Lorie’s body tense because he tightened his grip on her hand and leaned into her to whisper in her ear, “Just ignore her.”
Lorie looked at him and glared, but Spencer just chuckled softly and placed a quick, chaste kiss on her lips. When he straightened back up Lorie couldn’t keep the smile off of her face. The hostess finally got herself together and had someone escort them to their table. Lorie was confused when they walked past all of the tables out on the floor of the restaurant to the back where they were escorted into a closed off room. When the door was opened, Lorie’s breathe caught. The room was dimly lit by twinkling lights that were wrapped around a lattice on the walls, and there was a beautiful stone fireplace on the back wall with a warm fire adding to the ambiance. There were red roses woven through the lattice as well as a beautiful arrangement of red roses on the table surrounded by candle light. Lorie was beginning to understand why they’d asked Clay if he wanted to reserve a different table when he called on the ride in to say there would be three instead of two. Everything about this room was romantic and secluded. This was a room you reserve for someone you were dating, not just a dinner with friends. She had a feeling that they had never had anyone request this room for a dinner for three before. The table’s size supported her thoughts as well since it was clearly intended as a table for two. It was a small round table perfect for a couple to sit across from each other while they shared a romantic dinner. Tonight it was set for three, each setting an equal distance from the next.
Clay pulled a chair out for Lorie and once she was situated Clay and Spencer took their seats. The waiter offered them the house wine and Clay ordered a bottle for the table. They looked over their menus while they waited for him to return. Spencer and Clay both ordered steaks and Lorie ordered the salmon.
“This is something else,” Spencer said while looking around the room. “I bet you had the staff’s minds swimming when you told them this was going to be a dinner for three.”
Clay smiled. “They did sound a little confused over the phone.”
“It’s very romantic,” Lorie said.
Clay reached out and squeezed Lorie and Spencer’s hands. “That was the point.”
The waiter brought in their food and Clay released their hands to allow room for their plates to be placed on the table. As soon as Lorie took the first bite the flavor exploded in her mouth. She closed her eyes as she chewed and moaned, “This is delicious.” When she opened her eyes both Clay and Spencer held their forks full of food midair and their hooded eyes were locked on Lorie. “What?” she asked just before she put another bite in her mouth.
“If you keep moaning like that we’re going to find out just how private this room is,” Spencer practically growled at her. Lorie let her hand fall to the table as her heart skipped a beat before it began trying to beat its way out of her chest. The air in the room suddenly felt ten times thicker.
Clay smirked at her, “Breathe, love.”
Lorie took a deep breath and shook her head at the two men. “What am I going to do with you two?” When both men glanced at each other and mischievous smiles spread across their faces, Lorie laughed and
held up her hands before they could share the wicked ideas she could see running through their minds. “Okay, okay. Clearly that was the wrong thing to ask you two right now.” On either side of her they took one of her hands in their own and lifted them up to their mouths, planting soft kisses on the back of her hands with a wink.
The three of them laughed and then they finally went back to eating. After a few minutes of silence while they enjoyed their meals, Spencer looked up at Lorie. “So Lorie, what made you become such a strong advocate for children in need?”
“Making small talk after that heated moment before?” Lorie gave him a half smile.
Spencer shrugged, “This is a date, right? I want to get to know you better; both of you,” he looked at Clay with a small smile.
Lorie nodded and smiled. He had a point. Typically dating was what people did to get to know each other better. “My best friend, Heather, became an orphan when we were growing up. Before that her life wasn’t anything that a child should have to deal with.” Lorie put her fork down and took a deep breath. Even though it hadn’t happened to her, knowing what Heather had been through when they were kids made her heart hurt. “Her parents were junkies so she spent most of her time at my house even before they died. She was fifteen when she came home from school and found them both dead from an overdose. When my dad found out, him and my mom didn’t hesitate to open our home up to Heather and we became her foster family. My parents were disappointed that neither Heather or I had come to them sooner to let them know about the situation Heather was living in with her parents, but she had begged me not to. Since she was with me so often I thought she would be okay.”