Isabel knew if she got in the car, she’d be dead by morning, or at least praying for death. If she screamed, the worst he could do was hit her or kill her quickly. She’d take her chances.
The moment the cold leather moved off her mouth, Isabel shouted louder than the night at her house. She caught a glimpse of the fist just before she heard a sickening crunch against her face. Her world faded to black as popping erupted nearby and someone shouted her name—a familiar, loving someone.
* * * *
He was in love with her. Dale hadn’t attempted to discern his feelings for Isabel until tonight when he’d wondered why in the hell he’d fucking flipped when she approached another man on the dance floor. Grinning quietly to himself, he knew no woman had ever made him jealous or act so barbaric as to throw her over his shoulder. Hell, he played the game, and jealousy was not permitted or it would void the whole purpose of the chase, the fun, and the moving on to the next piece of ass.
Yet, with Isabel, he didn’t want the game and he couldn’t move on. There was only her, and around her, he felt whole and complete. The game ended for him, and Isabel was his prize.
Dale gazed at her exotic face as she slept, peacefully and unaware of the rage in the house.
He and Brad plotted her attacker’s painful death, pacing and drinking through the night. Someone had hurt her. The killer had found her and laid his hands on her.
Shaking with a violent urge to tear the motherfucker apart, more bloodthirsty than he’d ever thought he’d feel, he turned back roughly and accidently kicked something from under the corner of her bed.
Her dancing duffel bag fell over, peeking out from under the bed skirt, and as he reached to straighten it, he noticed one item that didn’t fit in with the shoes, body sprays, or make-up bag. A lone sheet of paper, crinkled, as if tossed in there carelessly.
He snatched it out and read the typed words.
I AM WATCHING YOU. WILL YOU BE NEXT?
That fucking dog is dead. This bastard will pay.
Holding the letter, he rose and glanced at the beautiful woman on the bed. Why hadn’t she told them about this? Well, probably because she hadn’t come to trust them yet. Why would she? They had been overbearing pricks to her, but still. They’d told her they’d keep her safe.
Moving closer to Isabel, he bent over and brushed a soft kiss on her forehead. Then he walked away, reaching for his cell phone in his back pocket and swearing he’d do what he could to earn her trust. Without it, what chance did they have to protect her? Or of her falling in love with them?
* * * *
Brad took a swig of the whiskey bottle, finishing the last drop, and placed it next to his gun. He looked at his watch and squinted. It was getting harder to see, but it was just past lunch on Sunday, and neither he nor Dale had slept through the night.
“Cleaning the gun?” Dale took a seat on the lounger next to Brad.
“Yeah,” Brad replied, rubbing his eyes.
“I’ll put it back in your truck. I don’t think you should be messing with a loaded weapon right now.” Dale cleared his throat. “Nothing on the surveillance tapes. The man’s good. He knew where the cameras aimed. I gave my contact the note I found in her room. I don’t know why the hell she kept that from us, but they’ll run it for prints and DNA.”
“If we hadn’t taken so long—”
“Or if I’d taken her home the second I saw her there. Or if we hadn’t had sex. Or if we’d left right after. Don’t do this, man. She’s here and she’s alive. We’ll get the fucker.” Dale had told him all this sometime in the night, but it didn’t matter. She was still hurt.
Brad and Dale had left the meeting and found the office empty. Dale decided to check the monitors to see if he saw her and recognized her walking across the parking lot. When they saw a man dressed in black crouched low sprint after her, they shot down the stairs and out of the club.
But they hadn’t been fast enough. They heard that chilling scream, saw the fist in the air, and Brad wanted to kill. They saw the gun in time and dove when he fired. That gave the attacker the time he needed to get lost in the dark. Brad and Dale had unfortunately parked along a line of trees, which was where Isabel also parked.
Dr. Ely, a good customer and friend, had checked on her as soon as they got her home and again this morning. The news hadn’t changed. Concussion. She needed rest. Call when she awoke.
In the meantime, Brad was passing the time planning all the ways he would make the man beg for death.
“I’m in love with her.”
It was three seconds before Brad grasped the meaning of Dale’s words. “Please. Your idea of falling in love is going on a third date.”
Dale looked out to sea, the sunny day allowing a grand view of the vast ocean. “It’s real. But I won’t tell her until you admit you’re in love with her, too.”
Brad choked. “What? Then you’re an asshole for not ever telling her.”
Dale sighed. “She won’t hurt you. I know it like I know you’re my best friend since high school.”
“You’re delusional,” Brad muttered, shaking his head.
“And you’re a stubborn prick. She’s the best thing that will ever come into our lives, and you’re going to let her walk away.”
Brad stood then, glaring at Dale, who followed suit. The fact she’d refused him until they all spoke just wasn’t enough to share feelings he wasn’t ready to admit he had. All that had proven was that she was faithful and could be the one.
“Women just can’t love two men, Dale. You’re in some hedonistic dream world. Get over it. She’ll want marriage. Children. How in the hell will that work with two of us?”
His friend looked at him as if he were some sad little child. “You don’t know what Isabel wants. I don’t either. But I know this. I see the way she looks at us. I see the way you want to be with her. Not just for a good fuck—but to be with her. I’ve known you too long, man.”
“Then you know when to leave me alone.”
“If you can’t tell her you love her, if you won’t let her choose what she wants, then you need to let her go when this is all over.”
Brad huffed and headed for the doors. “Fuck you, man.”
Dale followed close behind. “I’ll kick your ass if you hurt her like all the others.”
Brad turned back. “Well, why don’t you try, Dale.”
Dale expected the first punch and ducked, but Brad landed a hard uppercut on his jaw. Dale came back with a hook to Brad’s face and then Brad came back to tackle Dale. Dale, however, used Brad’s own strength against him and pulled him into the pool, splashing in with him.
Brad broke the surface. “Fuck, man, what the hell?” he sputtered as Dale came up and swam to the wall.
Dale leaned his head back in the water, closing his eyes to the noon sun. “You needed to cool down and sober up.”
Brad pulled himself out of the water, feeling a hundred pounds heavier with soaked jeans plastered to his legs. “I could never hurt Isabel. I broke up with women in the past before they fucked me over, yeah. If that hurt them, then I accept responsibility. But I’d die before I’d cause Isabel any pain.”
Dale squinted at Brad. “Then tell her you love her.”
Brad shook his head, not ready to admit what he couldn’t understand. It was enough that he felt something. Enough, he wanted to wake up with her every morning and live just to see her smile. Any more was just too complicated.
“I’m going to dry off and check on her.”
He had to admire Dale, if not believe that he loved Isabel. It wasn’t often now that they argued, but it’d been a long time since they’d traded fists. And that had been over childish shit back in their high school days.
They met in high school in Chicago. Brad had been the star quarterback, and Dale had been the new kid in school. Dale earned an offensive linebacker spot so they played alongside each other too much for their comfort. There was too much rivalry, both on the field proving who was
tougher and off proving who could get the most ladies.
It wasn’t until the last ten seconds of the final game of their second year of playing football together that things changed. Brad chose, at the last second, to run the ball himself for a touchdown after his runner was blocked. Dale tackled the other school’s player, barreling down on Brad as Brad reached the goal line. Brad’s six points won them the game, and when he found Dale on the ground after the tackle, he helped him up and shook his hand. That sealed their friendship.
Their rivalry over women, though, continued. And as Brad peeled off his soaked pants now, he chuckled, remembering how he’d watch playboy Dale win all the girls with his sweet charm. What he admired most was how Dale always respected the ladies. He didn’t cheat, and he didn’t make them any promises. Brad had come to loathe cheaters and liars after his experience with his own mother.
Brad just went through women, and as the relationships built, he’d end them. He hated the old “afraid of commitment” label. Maybe that was correct. But it was better than the alternative, of loving someone who would just end up leaving anyway. He saw what it did to his father, and he swore long ago he wouldn’t suffer the same fate. His father had done a damn good job raising him and Bailey, but he’d never been the same. He disconnected, lost friends, and never found joy again outside of his two children.
Brad pulled on a clean pair of jeans and headed for the stairs. He glanced through the living room doors and noticed Dale was not in the pool. When he walked in Isabel’s room, he found her blinking and looking up at the ceiling.
Brad rushed to her side and took her small hand in his. “Hey, it’s okay, sweetheart. I’m here.”
He sat next to her on the bed and smiled when she focused her tired eyes on him.
“You must have quite a headache. I’ll bring you some soup Dale made so you can take something for the pain.”
She licked her chapped lips, and his chest swelled when she pulled the corners up into a faint sweet smile. “Sounds good,” she whispered, licking her lips again.
His hand reached out to gently caress her forehead and the uninjured side of her face. The left side had a small purple and red bruise along her cheekbone that made him sick to his stomach. He could see her head snapping, her limp body falling to the ground. Her attacker’s days were numbered.
Isabel glanced at his bare chest. “Do you ever wear a shirt in the house?” she asked in a rough whisper.
Brad grinned. “Do you want me to?”
Delicate eyes rose to his. “No.”
He leaned down to drop a kiss on her forehead, choking back something powerful in his chest. “I’ll be back with food and some lip balm, too.”
He walked out, knowing his life had changed. The need to protect her, to have her look at him every day the way she did now, to see her smile, was more potent than the urge to breathe. There will be no one else. There will only be Isabel. He wasn’t ready to accept anything he felt as more than a deep want. But Dale was wrong. He could not, would not let her go.
* * * *
“I’m just so glad you’re okay. I didn’t hear from you for too long, chica,” Nik scolded over the phone.
Isabel smiled and leaned back on the plump pillow Dale had propped on the lounger.
“I know. I should have had Dale or Brad call you, but they’ve been too busy spoiling me.”
Her friend sighed. “As well they should, so I forgive you. But I need to see those brutes and knock some sense into them.”
“For what?”
“For what?” Nik shrieked. “For not letting you come up for air, that’s what.”
Isabel burst out laughing, ignoring the instant pain that shot up her head. “Oh, stop. You are guilty of setting me up on terrible blind dates that never made it past an appetizer lunch. So now you need to let me have my fun.”
She could hear her friend chuckling. “Listen, chica, I never meant to make you run into the arms of two men. But then, if you’re happy, I take full responsibility.”
“For what?”
“For you getting banged by two studs. Lucky bitch.”
Nik’s giggles were infectious, and Isabel joined her.
“But, Isa? Be careful.”
“I am.”
Nik sighed. “No, I mean, careful not to fall in love with one, unless you know he feels the same, and the other one’s okay with it.”
Isabel was no longer smiling. She opened her eyes to the beach ahead. Night fell fast, and there were only a handful of people farther down the water’s edge to her right. The pool lights automatically clicked on, casting a romantic glow across the patio.
“I’m afraid falling in love is just not a possibility,” she said softly.
There was a pause on the line. “Why not?”
Isabel sighed. “Come on, Nik. These guys share women—they run a sex club. I’m just enjoying them while I can, no expectations.”
“Are you trying to tell me they aren’t capable of falling in love with you?” Nik asked sarcastically.
“Them? Fall in love?” Isabel snorted. “The odds are higher that this killer is already in jail. Brad is arrogant, and Dale’s a playboy. There’s no room for them to love anyone. They want women, and they want their freedom. Love to them is a burden.”
“Well, Isa, I disagree. I think they just haven’t found the right woman—until you. Why else would they stop their lives for you? To feed you, to change your sheets, to do your hair? Are you kidding me, your hair? If they were such womanizers, they would have been out with their catch of the week and hired someone to take care of their burden.”
Isabel scoffed. “They’re bound to some promise they made, I told you. They’re honorable, which is to be admired, but that’s all it is. I’m a promise they have to keep.”
Her friend was silent for a moment. “You’re in love with them,” she accused softly.
“What?” Isabel chuckled nervously. “No, I’m not. You don’t know what you’re talking about. Seriously, two guys? No.”
“You’re going to have to tell them, Isa.”
A swoosh behind her made Isabel jump, and she turned to see a shirtless-with-hip-hugging-jeans Dale close the sliding door and step on the patio.
He noticed the phone in her hand. “Oh, I’m sorry, please finish.”
Isabel didn’t mind the interruption. It was actually perfect timing. “No, it’s okay. Please stay. Nik? I’ll call you tomorrow.
“They need to know,” she said quickly.
“Ciao, love,” Isabel said, ignoring her friend, and hung up the phone.
Flustered from Nik’s assertion, she blushed when Dale plopped down on her lounger by her feet. She flushed hotter when she remembered she only wore a long T-shirt and panties. She tugged on the edge of the shirt to where it would at least reach mid-thigh.
Damn, but these men looked handsome, even with faint marks on their faces. While Brad had brushed her hair yesterday and Dale changed her sheets, they told her, in answer to her question about what had happened, that it had been while wrestling as exercise.
She didn’t believe that, but she wasn’t going to press. Especially if she knew it had been about her. But why would it be? She was just a sex toy to them.
“How is she?” Dale handed her a glass of Amaretto.
Isabel had refused any more pain pills since they’d knock her out for hours. So she’d had the liqueur instead, which always worked to ease any aches and pains. She took a sip now and wondered why he looked at her so intently that it made her squirm.
“She’s good. Misses her dancing students but says her cousin’s new in-laws are hilarious. She’s been skiing up in Ontario and trying to keep busy since I told her not to come back until this is all over. I figure she’s safe up there.” She took another sip, hoping she was right.
Dale leaned his elbows on his thighs and looked out toward the beach before turning back to her. “You’re safe here too, Isabel. I’m sorry we weren’t there with you when—”
/>
Isabel sat up and grabbed his hand. “That wasn’t your fault. I should have waited like you told me.”
Dale shook his head. “No. You’re our responsibility.”
She threw him a grateful smile. “And you’re taking really good care of me. Feeding me, helping me move around, running my baths. It’s actually a bit much. But I’m not the curious little girl on the other side of the fence anymore.” The moment the words left her lips she regretted them. Maybe he didn’t catch that last bit.
Those chocolate eyes shined mischievously. “So you do remember spying on us!”
She groaned and closed her eyes. “Yes, how could I not?”
Dale was chuckling while heat crawled up her cheeks. “So how old were you?”
He wasn’t going to let her off that easily. “From the time I was eleven to sixteen.”
“How much did you see?” he asked slowly, as if remembering something he wished she hadn’t seen.
She wiggled her eyebrows.
It was his turn to close his eyes. “Oh, no. Don’t tell me we traumatized you, please.”
She was giggling now. “No, no. I just saw a hug here or a kiss there. Nothing wild and shocking. I guess you were smart enough to do that behind closed doors.”
“Oh, thank God. Otherwise, I’d feel like a pervert.”
Isabel smiled wide, for the first time feeling very comfortable around one at least. “So, your mom taught you to cook. Tell me about your dad.”
His eyes turned distant, and a sad grin touched his lips. “He was amazing. He loved my mother and was a tough criminal attorney in Chicago where Brad and I are from. When we found out about the cancer, it was—oh, man.” He shook his head, as if that might remove some of the painful memories.
“My mom and I just grew tighter after that. I’m an only child, so I took care of her, and she spoiled me. She also taught me how to treat women. I learned to worship them from my dad, but my mom showed me how to take care of them. Well, my dad left me some money that I saved. Brad and I came to play football on a scholarship at the University of Miami, and I put the money from my dad into this house.”
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