by J. M. Madden
The past month and a half had been hell. Difficult jobs, nasty owners. Nothing was working right. It seemed like everything she touched broke. Most of the mechanical work she had turned over to Harold and her part-timer, a kid named Jesse. It positively aggravated her because she loved working on cars. It was soothing to her. Normally. She was out of sorts tonight, though. It was why she had been underneath the Honda, looking for an oil leak. Trying to carry her share of the load. Holding her hand out of the water, she grumbled. It could probably take a couple of stitches. Stretching her fingers out made the cut across her palm gape open. It circled around the meat of the ball of her hand. Pretty nasty actually. And it was starting to hurt.
Her eye throbbed with every beat of her heart. For some reason it hurt even more when she looked in the bathroom mirror and saw how nasty it was.
Shit. Just what she wanted to do, go to the hospital on a rainy, crappy, discombobulated night. Wonderful.
Violet was stretched to the breaking point when she finally got home four hours later with ten brand-new stitches in the palm of her right hand, but no concussion and no fractures. She had a monster migraine, brought on by the stress, the pills they gave her at the hospital and the pounding rain. When she pulled into the shop parking lot it was a struggle to even park the car and turn off the ignition. Totally spent, she leaned her head against the steering wheel and passed out.
*
RORY GASPED, FISTS clenched on the steering wheel. Horns blared as he pulled to the side of the rain soaked road, almost hitting a mailbox. The sports car lurched and stalled as he let off the clutch in his agitation.
“What? What’s wrong?” Alessandro asked him drowsily, sitting up in the bucket seat. They were on their way to Kentucky. And Violet. Alessandro had fallen asleep a couple hours ago.
Rory shook his head, trying to pinpoint what it was. “I can’t feel her. She was in distress earlier and now I can’t feel her.” Panic began building in his chest, in the hollow spot where he normally felt her. What had happened? He breathed through the panic, letting his faint magic build inside his center. Trees swayed and wind blasted against the windshield as the wildness around him recognized him and fought to reach out and consume him. Projecting what he wanted, he tried to coerce the wild magic east toward the last spot he had felt her. Driving the car as they were would take hours to get there. He needed to know she was fine now.
Long, heart-stalling minutes later, he received a response to his quest. The magic had found her and had cocooned her in love and safety. Rory realized that she had lost consciousness. That was why he had lost track of her.
Alessandro was shaking him roughly by the shoulder. Rory opened his eyes.
“I’m fine. She’s fine.”
“Dios mio!” his Italian lover exclaimed. He spewed out a bunch more Italian words Rory faintly knew but didn’t understand. Catching his flailing hands, Rory pulled Alessandro to him, hugging him fiercely.
“I’m fine, ‘Sandro. I’m sorry I scared you.” Running kisses over his lover’s cheek, he pulled back. “I couldn’t feel her any more. For some reason, she’s passed out in her car. We have to get there.”
Alessandro didn’t argue and Rory loved him all the more for it. “Okay, caro, move—let me drive.”
Rory hopped out of the car in the pouring rain and hurried around to the passenger side. In no time Alessandro had them racing through the night, following the lightning striking to the east. There were some advantages to being involved with an ex-Formula One driver.
What would have taken them at least four more hours with Rory driving Alessandro trimmed down to two and a half. Even that time included a quick stop for gas in Indiana. For the first time Rory cursed his Fae ancestry, which made flying in the air away from the touch of the earth extremely uncomfortable. They could have been in Kentucky in an hour rather than the seven it took to drive from St. Louis. Alessandro had been right to urge him to come out when he did.
Rory was grateful Alessandro took over but he wondered about it too. Where was this meekness coming from? This wanting to be dominated and directed? Normally he was the strong one, the guiding one. It came naturally to his nature and his heritage.
Finding Violet had shaken everything about him. He couldn’t remember ever being this out of sorts.
When they pulled into the garage parking lot and found Violet still slumped in the driver’s seat of her truck he was even more shaken. Magic surrounded her, keeping her safe. With a few words of acknowledgement Rory eased through it.
They were drenched within seconds of exiting their own car. Alessandro produced a golf umbrella and shielded them as Rory slowly, gently pulled Violet out of her truck and into his arms. He clutched her to him in desperation, feeling her breath against his neck. Tears coursed down his face unchecked. He’d thought for sure she’d been stolen from him. When he couldn’t feel her heart, her natural magic coursing through him, it had devastated him. Even now the echo of the pain clashed through him jarringly.
Violet never roused as they turned to the shop. Alessandro had the foresight to grab her keys from the ignition and let them into the office, then relocked the door behind them. Darting up the stairs, he opened the doors and turned on lights in the apartment. Rory angled himself carefully through the doorjambs, careful not to bump her. His stomach clenched as he saw her for the first time in the light.
A mish-mash of purple colors covered her swollen eye. It wasn’t completely swollen shut, but almost. The purple continued under her eyes, betraying her tiredness and fatigue. Rory could tell she had lost weight since he had last seen her too and guilt ate at him. He should have made an effort to come back sooner. To take care of her. Her right hand was swathed in bandages as well, obscuring the injury. As he watched her fingers curled into his chest hair.
Sandro had turned down the bedclothes and stood ready with a towel and warm washcloth. While Rory held her Sandro blotted her face gently and cleaned some blood off her fingers, then blotted her dry. Moving to her other side he tugged on her boots, unlacing the dirty things and tossing them in the corner.
“Put her on the bed. We’ll take her clothes off and get her in her gown.”
Rory did as he was directed and let Sandro guide him in moving her body, exchanging her jeans, t-shirt and plain cotton bra for the silky, feminine nightgown that had been on the corner of the mattress. Violet never made a sound or opened her eyes the entire time they were tucking her in. They positioned her on her left, uninjured side.
Rory dropped to the side of the bed in relief and just watched her sleep. The knot in his gut began to ease.
Shaking his head, he looked up at Sandro. “I’ve never been that worried in my life.”
Resting a hand on his shoulder, his partner nodded in agreement. “I know. You scared me as well. I think we got here just in time though. She needed us.”
Nodding, Rory rubbed at his tired eyes.
“Come, caro, I think she wouldn’t mind us sleeping next to her. Holding her in the night.”
Without a word Rory stood and stripped off his clothes, everything except his boxer briefs. Sandro did the same. Both men crawled in on opposite sides, Sandro scooting his bottom into her front, and Rory spooning them both from behind. Once again he felt tears start in his eyes at the thought of losing her. Hell, them. Wrapping his arm around her, he snugged her into his lap then tugged Sandro in tighter. Leaning over, he met Sandro’s lips over top of Violet. He slept better that night than he had in weeks.
Chapter Four
‡
VIOLET WAS EXCEPTIONALLY warm. Reaching out a hand, she shoved the comforter off, trying to get some air. It was difficult to move though. What was up with that? The room was just beginning to gray with morning, telling her it was almost time to get up.
She froze as the bed moved beside her.
Sitting up, she strained in the murky light to see who was in bed with her. There was a lump to her left and an even larger lump to her right.
/> The previous night’s craziness began to tumble back at her when she scrunched up her face in confusion and gasped in pain. Oh yeah, the wrench. Pulling her hand out from beneath the covers she surveyed the bandage. And we can’t forget the fan blade. How the heck had she gotten up here to bed, though?
As if in answer the larger lump moved again, drawing her attention. Double ringed green eyes blinked up at her sleepily. A slow, sexy smile spread his lips.
“Good morning.”
Violet thought her memories of what had happened that day had been exaggerated in her mind, but as soon as she heard Rory’s sleep roughened voice she knew they hadn’t been. Desire tightened her nipples under the silk of her nightgown. Wait. How the heck did she get into her nightgown?
Firming her spine, she sat up and away. Her movements pulled the comforter away from Rory’s body. Catching movement to her left, she was unsurprised to see Alessandro smiling brilliantly at her, even with his eyes mostly closed. “Mmm, cara, how are you this morning?”
Trying not to panic Violet struggled out of the tangle of blankets and nightgown, crawling on her knees down the bed. She almost tumbled off the edge when she fumbled over a pair of big feet under the comforter. Standing, she crossed her arms over her chest and turned back to lay into the two uninvited men in her bed.
Absolutely nothing came to mind though when she saw the two of them staring at her in curiosity. Rory had propped himself up on his left elbow and Alessandro had done the same, only on his right. The two of them were positioned mirror image of each other. And it was damn distracting. Stunningly beautiful, actually. There were too many bunched muscles and sexy, sleepy looks to count. Her escape had pulled the sheet and comforter down the bed, and both men were exposed to their legs. Violet was glad to see that both men still had underwear on, kind of, but not so happy to see the erections tenting the underwear. Shaking her head, she tried to shake off the building desire as well but it wasn’t working. Her body was betraying her once again. Clenching her teeth, she tamped it down. She needed answers more than sex right now.
“What the hell are you two doing here? And in my bed, no less.”
Rory sat up to face her, making the bed groan with his weight. In the half-light, his chest seemed to stretch miles across. Even relaxed as he was his muscles were bulging, making her mouth water. The taste of his skin had been phenomenal. She remembered that with a startling clarity.
“We found you passed out in your car. Sandro used the keys and I carried you in here. Your clothes were wet from the rain so we changed you into the nightgown on the bed.”
Those few sentences told her a lot but he had not exactly answered her question. “Okay, great. What are you doing in Kentucky—Pickerington in particular?”
Glancing at Alessandro, who shrugged slightly, Rory stared at her for a long moment. “We came back to see you.”
Weakness poured through her and Violet was afraid she was going to pass out. Rory must have sensed something as well because he was at her side instantly, a hard hand gripping her elbow. Violet pulled away sharply.
“I’m fine.”
Turning, she escaped to the bathroom to give herself some breathing room and because she desperately had to pee. Once her business was done she braced herself against the vanity and looked at her face. It was horrible. She had had black eyes before but this one beat all others. Purple ran from her temple to her chin and there was a tiny cut at the corner of her eye where the wrench had landed. Looking down she realized her arms were still greasy from working last night. She thought about taking a shower. No, she didn’t want to give them the impression she was doing it for them. She settled for washing up in the sink.
Indecision worried at her. What was she going to do with the two of them? Had they actually come back to see her like he said? Or were they just horny and knew where to come to have an easy lay? Is that what he had meant? Anger swept through her as she remembered how Rory had looked at her before he walked out the door last time. Did he actually think she would just spread her legs for him again only to be pushed aside once he had blown his nut? Nope, not gonna happen.
Sandro had been remorseful when he left, but she knew for a fact he would follow Rory’s lead.
Grabbing her brush she forced it through her tangled hair, pulling it back into a band. Looking around she found her robe on the back of the door. It was too warm for the thick terry cloth but it was more concealing than just the gown.
Snatching open the door, she stomped back out to the bedroom.
Rory had lain back down on the bed but he was staring at the doorway as if he had been waiting for her to come out. Sandro was still on his elbow but he had shifted closer to Rory so that he could run his hand up and down his arm. It looked to Violet that he was trying to soothe Rory.
Clearing her throat, she stopped just inside the room. “I appreciate what you did for me last night. I think you guys need to go now though.”
Rory sat up and swung his tree-trunk sized legs to the side of the bed. Heavy auburn brows lowered over his unhidden eyes. “Violet, we need to talk. Please sit down.”
He made the mistake of motioning to the bed beside him and Violet felt renewed anger roll through her.
“No, I will not sit down. I’m not repaying what you did for me with sex. As enjoyable as it was I’m not willing to be your little backwoods Kentucky lay whenever you happen to be driving through. You need to go.”
Rory’s brilliant green eyes blazed in anger. “That’s not why we helped you,” he snapped. Sandro sat up and rested his hand on Rory’s back, trying to calm him. Rory shrugged him off as he stood up directly in front of Violet. “We helped you because we had to. There was no way we could have left you out there. Hell, it’s why we came to Kentucky. We weren’t passing through as you put it—we were coming to see if you were as affected by that night as the two of us were.”
Violet was speechless. Had they actually come to Kentucky to see her? Rory made it sound as if the past six weeks had been as hard on them as it had been on her.
Stepping into her space, Rory made her look up at him. “I’m sorry we left the way we did. But I didn’t know what to do. You knocked me for a loop.” He tried to smile, but it came out more as a grimace. “I don’t react well to emotional stuff. Ask Sandro.”
Alessandro broke into laughter and Violet couldn’t help but lean around Rory to look at him. “Ach, caro, you have no idea how difficult you are,” he agreed. Sitting up, he told Violet, “It is true, bella. He has been very upset since we were here.”
Frowning in confusion, she turned away from Rory and walked to the window. Dawn was just beginning to break to the east. Everything had turned lush and green from the rainstorm last night. The middle of August was usually very dry in the bluegrass state, but this year it had been especially rainy.
Main Street had just a few cars on it. Looking down, she saw they had driven the black Ferrari she had been waiting weeks to see coming into the lot.
“Get dressed,” she told them, “and I’ll make some breakfast.”
In the kitchen, she pondered what they had told her as she started grabbing eggs, cheese, and milk out of the fridge. The chance they were telling the truth was probably slim to none, but she couldn’t help but be at least a little hopeful. She was glad to know that she wasn’t the only one who had had a tumultuous month and a half.
Over the long weeks she told herself she was going to find out more about them if they ever came back. Even if she had wanted to look them up she had no information on where to start. Hell, she didn’t even know their last names or where they lived, just that they’d stopped at the shop several times and were the best lovers she had ever had, hands down. Her pussy was tingling just from seeing them in their undies. Well, the erections had probably helped too.
There was a deeper connection she was trying to understand as well, but she couldn’t be sure what it was. It felt as though she had been destined to meet them. She scoffed at the ridiculous t
hought. Sounded like something fanciful her grandad would have told her.
Rory was the first one to come out, as she had known he would. He was the dominant of the pair. Glancing around her kitchen, he settled carefully on the stool on the opposite side of the counter from where she was cooking. Once again he was dressed impeccably, but still upscale. No suit, but still stylish in Ralph Lauren slacks and a button-down shirt. He had run his hand through his hair, straightening it. But he hadn’t dug the wrap-around shades out yet. Violet considered that a victory on her part, because she could see his eyes and what he was feeling. At their first meeting she had thought Alessandro was the emotional one, but the more she watched him she had a feeling that Rory felt things more deeply than his partner.
God, his partner. It was obvious they were a committed couple. Even if she was interested in a repeat performance, would the dynamic work between the three of them?
The questions were beginning to drive her bonkers. It was time for some answers.
“So, where are you guys from?” she asked, beating eggs into a pan. “What do you do? Fill me in on all the questions I should have asked before I let you screw my brains out weeks ago.”
Rory’s hard lips tipped up in a full smile. It was the first time Violet had ever seen it and she found herself pausing to take it in. When it slowly faded away she wanted more.
“Well,” he rumbled, voice especially rough from sleep, “we are from the St. Louis area. I have a business consulting firm I run from downtown.”
Alessandro came out of the bedroom then looking rumpled and cute. Dragging a matching stool out he plopped down beside Rory, planting his elbows on the counter. Violet moved to the coffee machine to get it ready. Sandro looked like he could use a cup. She smiled, realizing she’d adopted Rory’s contraction for Alessandro.
“Sandro here is a professor at Missouri State. Art appreciation.”
Somehow Violet knew that the job suited him perfectly and she smiled even more.