by Becca Van
When Dusty cleared her throat, he turned his gaze toward her. “I’m sorry I…fainted. I don’t usually do that. I think it was the shock of seeing you change into a bear, as well as everything else I’ve been dealing with.”
Chairs scraped behind them as Airen and Archer stood and then came over to the other side of the counter. They both looked at Dusty with lust in their eyes, and after she glanced their way, she lowered her gaze again.
“You have nothing to be sorry for, sweetness,” Archer said. “Seeing something so out of the ordinary would cause anyone to go into shock.”
Dusty nodded her head.
“Do you want to talk about your situation?” Airen asked. When Dusty flinched, he leaned over the counter and covered her hand with his. “You’re cold.” He frowned before removing his hand from over hers and straightening. “Let me get you something warmer to put on.”
Broden watched his brother rush away, before turning back to face his mate. She looked so scared and forlorn, he wanted to wrap her up in his arms and hold her, but again, he refrained. It didn’t matter that he could smell her arousal or see the way her nipples had hardened into hard peaks. Until he got some sort of go-ahead from her, he wasn’t going to cross that line, because he wasn’t sure if he did, that he’d be able to stop. His whole body was one big, aching, fiery mass of hunger, and only making love and claiming their mate would quench that fire.
Airen entered the kitchen with a thick sweater in his hand, and he passed it over to Dusty. “Do you want me to turn up the heat? Why don’t you have warmer clothes?”
She nodded her thanks to Airen as she pulled the sweater on over the clothes she already had on, and after rolling up the sleeves, wrapped her arms around her waist in a defensive move. Broden was about to ask if she was scared of him and his brothers, but swallowed the words back when she started speaking.
“After my mom and stepdad were killed in a car accident eight years ago, I moved into an apartment with my stepbrother. At first, he seemed fine with having a fifteen-year-old to look after, but a couple of years later, he began to change.”
“How did he change, honey?” Airen frowned.
“He came home angry nearly all the time and started taking it out on me.”
“He hit you?” Broden yelled his question and immediately felt contrite when Dusty flinched. He slowly reached out to grasp her chin and turned her gaze up to his. “I’m sorry I scared you, baby, but please believe me when I say that we would never, ever hurt you.”
“I know you wouldn’t.”
Some of his anger dissipated with her immediate, sincere reply. She trusted them, at least enough to know they would never raise a fist or touch her in any way to hurt her.
“What’s your stepbrother’s name?” Archer asked through clenched teeth.
“What does it matter?” Dusty asked.
“It’s fucking everything. I’m going to hunt down that fucker and teach him a lesson he’ll never forget,” Archer snarled.
“He’s dead.” Dusty’s voice cracked on the last word, and Broden couldn’t stand not being close to her anymore. He needed her in his arms so he could offer her what little comfort he could, but most of all, he just needed to hold her.
He stood, and when she met his gaze, he slowly reached out toward her, conscious of making any sudden movements and startling her again. When he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and bent to lift under her knees, she looped an arm around his neck and buried her face against his skin. He shivered when her warm, moist breath brushed over his flesh, and he tried to ignore the incessant pulsing of his hard cock.
“Do you want anything to eat or drink, honey?” Airen asked as Broden turned toward the living room.
“Coffee, please,” came her muffled reply.
Broden started moving toward the living room and the sofa, hoping that having Dusty more comfortable and in an informal setting, she’d relax a bit. He could feel how tense she was by how stiff she held herself in his arms, but that might have been because he was a stranger to her.
He sat on a cushion and arranged her in his lap so that her ass wasn’t up against his hard dick. The last thing he needed was having her scared of him because he had an erection.
Archer sat next to him on the sofa as Airen entered the living room with Dusty’s coffee. His younger brother glanced at the sofa and then the coffee table. He shoved the large table forward so it was in front of them and closer to their mate. “I have your coffee, honey.”
Dusty sucked in a deep breath and then sat up straight. Airen passed her the steaming mug. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, Dusty.”
“For how long?” Broden asked, trying to keep his anger out of his voice.
“How long what?” Dusty frowned.
“How long did he beat you?”
“Nearly five years.”
“Motherfuckingsonofabitch.” Archer shoved to his feet, moved behind the sofa, and started pacing.
“If that bastard wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him myself,” Airen snarled.
Broden was too angry to voice his opinion. He was worried if he opened his mouth, he wouldn’t be able to stop. He was so fucking furious, he wanted to hit something. Preferably her asshole of a stepbrother.
“I think he got into drugs,” Dusty said.
“That doesn’t mean he had the right to hit you.”
Dusty sighed and nodded. “You’re right, it doesn’t.”
“Tell us the rest, baby,” Broden said once he had his ire under control.
“Luke ended up getting fired from his job, and it was up to me to work so I could pay the bills while trying to get my degree.”
“What was your major, sweetness?” Archer asked as he sat on the sofa again. He reached over and threaded his fingers with Dusty’s.
“Accounting. At least, it would have been,” she replied sadly.
“What do you mean by ‘would have been’?” Airen frowned.
“I was supposed to have sat my final exam just after I ran.”
Broden saw the tears pooling in her eyes and tightened his arm around her waist. “I haven’t even been able to pay off any of my student loans.” Her breath hitched.
“You’ll still be able to get your degree, honey. We’ll make sure of it,” Airen stated emphatically.
When Dusty shook her head, Broden wasn’t quite sure if she was disagreeing with his brother or just in too much turmoil to take his words in. They would come back to that later.
“Finish it, Dusty,” Broden ordered.
“Between going to college, studying, and working I didn’t have much free time. I didn’t even know Luke had started hanging out with the wrong crowd until that fateful night, months ago.” She paused to take a sip of coffee.
“I’d been studying in my room when I heard my stepbrother come home. I realized I had to get ready for work, so I changed clothes and was about to leave my bedroom, but I stopped when I heard voices.” She gulped audibly before continuing, “I heard whoever was with my stepbrother asking where I was, and Luke told him I was probably in my room. I’d never heard that other man’s voice before and was curious, but there was something in his tone that set the hair on the back of my neck on end. The next words out of the assholes mouth confirmed that was I right to be wary.”
“What did he say, honey?” Airen leaned forward and put his hands on her thighs just above her knees. He began caressing up and down over her jeans.
“He said, ‘You better not have been lying to me. The slut better be as hot as you said. If she’s not, I’ll be taking the money you owe me out of your fucking hide.’ I was so scared, I was frozen at first. I had no idea what arrangement my brother had made with his acquaintance, but I didn’t want to hang around to find out.”
“You did the right thing by running, baby.” Broden kissed her on the temple. “You don’t know what would’ve happened if you’d hung around.”
“Actually, I do.” A sob escaped from between h
er parted lips, but there were no tears in her eyes.
Broden wasn’t sure he could handle seeing her in tears again. It had broken his heart to see her that way before.
“Luke must have shown the guy a picture of me, and he liked what he saw. Luke told him that he was going to make a shitload of money off of me.”
“Fucking bastard,” Airen growled.
Broden gazed at Dusty to make sure Airen’s outburst hadn’t frightened her, but from the way her eyes were unfocused and she stared off into space, she was lost in her terrible memories. He wasn’t even sure she was aware that she was still speaking out loud, but guessed from her monotone she wasn’t.
“The guy asked if I had any experience, and my brother told him no, and how old I was. He seemed to be excited over how much money he was going to make selling my body and told Luke that he could consider his debt paid in full. My stepbrother and his ‘friend’ went to the kitchen for food, but when I heard that I was to be taken after they’d eaten, I packed a few things into a bag, grabbed the cash I’d hidden under a loose floorboard and climbed out my bedroom window.”
Broden was clenching his jaw so tightly, he wondered how he hadn’t cracked a tooth. He couldn’t believe that a member of her own family had been going to sell Dusty to pay off a fucking debt. He couldn’t and would never understand how a human being could be so callous and uncaring of another, but he wasn’t really surprised. He and his brothers had seen so many horrible things while serving in the military, and he didn’t think anything would ever be able to shock or horrify him again. Sometimes, he felt as if his heart had been replaced with a block of ice. He mentally shook his head. No, that wasn’t true. When he’d scented Dusty, and then locked eyes on her, he’d felt alive for the first time in what felt like forever. She was his reason for living, and he hoped he got the chance to have a relationship with her.
Broden pushed his thoughts aside and caressed her back. She’d stopped talking, but she still wasn’t mentally in the room with him and his brothers. He glanced over at Archer to see the worry on his brother’s face, and while he was gently rubbing one of Dusty’s hands between both of his, he could see the fury in Archer’s blue eyes.
Airen was panting shallowly as if trying to control his rage and his Kodiak, but he didn’t stop the smoothing motion of his hands on Dusty’s lower thighs.
Broden lowered his gaze to their mate when she started talking again. “As soon as my feet touched the ground outside my bedroom window, I wanted to run, but I needed to see who Luke had been talking to. So, I crawled under the window and listened to make sure they weren’t close and peeked in through the glass. I’d seen the man before, just as he’d said he’d seen me. He and his gang often came into the bar where I worked for a drink. They frightened me, since they were all rough-looking and rowdy, and thankfully, my supervisor always served them himself whenever they were at the bar.
“And then I remembered seeing him sitting with a police officer. Neither man had taken any notice of me while I’d been collecting dirty glasses and cleaning tables, because if they had, I might’ve already been dead.”
“Why?” Broden hissed out through gritted teeth.
“The cop was on the take. I’d seen the asshole who wanted to sell my body hand over a wad of cash.”
Airen took the half-empty mug of coffee from Dusty when she started to tremble and placed it beside him on the table. Broden wrapped both arms around her and rocked her while he hugged her tight. She let out a long, noisy sigh and slumped against him. After a few minutes, her trembling ceased, but she seemed content to stay where she was.
“Do you know the fucker’s name?” Archer asked.
Dusty nodded. “Cutis O’Mara, but he goes by the nickname Irish. He’s the leader of the Tucson Hells Angels.”
“Oh fuck!”
“Yeah.” Dusty nodded and sat up. “Now do you see why it would be best if I leave? This gang has members worldwide. If they find me, no one in this town is safe.”
Broden threaded his fingers into the hair at the back of her head and gently tugged her gaze back up to his. “You’re not going anywhere, baby. You’re going to stay right here where we can keep you safe.”
“But—”
Archer lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it. His cock jerked and leaked pre-cum when she shivered. He bit his lip when he realized that even though she tried to hide it, she wasn’t as immune to them as she would have them believe. Her honeyed-hazelnut perfume grew stronger, and her breathing escalated. When he glanced down at her chest, he mentally cursed Airen for giving her the extra sweater to put on. Not because he didn’t want her warm, but because he couldn’t see if her nipples were as hard as he suspected they were.
He brought his mind up out of the gutter when Airen started to speak. “Dusty, we understand your fear and reservations, but you’ve seen what we can do. All the men living in and around Ambrose are shape-shifters of some sort, and we’re also trained military. We know how to take care of ourselves and will protect you if those bastards find out you’re here.”
“What about Emmy and Pixie?”
“You don’t need to worry about the other women, honey. Their mates will protect them with their lives.”
“That’s what I’m worried about.” A small sob escaped before she could contain it. “Those assholes have the police on their side.”
“Not every police officer in Tucson is on the take, baby,” Broden said. “There are probably only one or two dirty cops.”
“I get that, but who knows who else that bastard has on his payroll? For all I know, he could have FBI agents on his books.”
“I doubt it,” Airen said, “but we do.”
“What?” Dusty asked incredulously.
“Tatum is good friends with three FBI agents. They were in town just after he and his brothers saved Pixie from the murderous cop and doctor out to kill her. It would only take a phone call to give them a heads up. The agents will dig into the lives of the biker gang members and give us all the information we’ll need to protect you,” Archer explained.
“I don’t know.” Dusty gnawed on her lower lip. “What if it never stops?”
“I think you’re wrong, honey,” Airen said. “From what I’ve heard about the Hells Angels, they have their own territories. If one gang encroaches on another’s jurisdiction, it usually ends in bloodshed. Those fuckers are too intent on earning control, power, and the stupid colors.”
“Colors?” Dusty frowned.
“Patches for their jackets,” Archer answered. “Biker’s hold great steed in having a shit load of color on their jackets. They’re trying to prove they have what it takes to lead or do whatever’s necessary to climb the proverbial ladder.”
“Say you’ll stay, Dusty,” Broden commanded in a gentle voice. “Stay with us. Please?”
Chapter Seven
Dusty heard the desperation in Broden’s voice, and her heart melted. These three men were so kind and caring, she wasn’t used to it. For three long years, she’d endured nearly weekly beatings. It had been forever since someone had given her a hug. The last person who’d wrapped up in her arms and love had been her mom. Tears stung her eyes, but she ruthlessly pushed them away. She’d cried enough, and other than making her eyes red and swollen, they solved nothing. Although, she had felt a less tense after crying the last time, since it could also be cathartic.
She was tired of running from town to town and existing hand to mouth. Even though she hadn’t really had a chance to explore Ambrose, what she’d seen, she’d liked. There was a small-town camaraderie you didn’t find in a large metropolitan area. Plus, she felt as if she had an affinity with Emmy and Pixie already. She was very attracted to Broden, Archer, and Airen and was tempted to see if a relationship between the four of them could work. Just thinking about being with three men was daunting, but it also made her hotter than the hottest chili. After hearing what Emmy and Pixie had been through and how their men had saved them, sh
e knew they wouldn’t steer her wrong. There had been so much sincerity in their gazes when they’d been telling her about what good men Broden, Archer, and Airen were, but they hadn’t really needed to. They’d already saved her life once, and she realized they wouldn’t hesitate to do so again, and again, and again.
Her heart was screaming at her to jump in with both feet, but her mind was telling her to run. Dusty had never been a risk taker before, but right now, she wanted to dive into the deep end without looking.
“What’s—” Archer began to ask, but he stopped when she nodded.
The sexual tension in the room grew by leaps and bounds, making it difficult to breathe.
Dusty gazed at each of the men, but quickly lowered her gaze to her lap when the heat in their eyes caused a fiery ache to center low in her belly.
Broden nudged her chin up with a finger and stared deeply into her eyes. “What are you saying yes to, baby?”
“To staying,” she whispered.
“I promise you won’t regret it, Dusty,” Broden said, right before he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.
Dusty gasped when Broden swiped his tongue over her lips, and then she moaned as he delved inside. She’d thought she’d been on fire before, but that had been inconsequential compared to the liquid heat coursing through her veins right now.
Broden tasted so damn good, she couldn’t get enough, and while she wanted to kiss him back, she wasn’t sure what to do. However, the moment he lifted his lips from hers, she felt cold and bereft and wanted to demand that he kiss her again. For the first time in her life, Dusty wished she wasn’t a virgin. She was so out of her depth, she felt as if she was sinking.