by Becca Van
Justin leapt lightly atop the fallen tree and looked back at Chet and Roan. Narrowing his eyes on Chet, he ordered, “Don’t come back until you’ve got your wolf under control. The last thing we need is for you to break down her door and claim her without her consent.”
“I wouldn’t do that, Justin.” Chet felt his lips lifting, baring his teeth in annoyance. “Fuck, why do you think I told her to go to her room and ran outside?”
Justin bounded down the other side of the log. Roan cleared it in a flying leap that sprayed dead leaves behind his back paws. Though out of sight, Justin’s answer came to Chet loud and clear.
“Because I had to do the same thing, and so did Roan, and we haven’t even kissed her yet!”
Chapter Six
Sam leaned back against the door and groaned quietly. What the hell had she been doing? The image of Chet looking at her breasts just before he sucked a nipple into his mouth heated her face with unparalleled desire. She couldn’t believe she had let the man kiss her and nearly fuck her up against a wall, for God’s sake.
When she had looked up into his eyes they had been a glowing gold color. The sight had awed her and also made her more than a little nervous. She’d never seen anything like it before. When he had growled at her to lock herself in her room, she had been too dumbfounded to question him. Easing away from the door, she moved to the bed, removed the robe, and slid between the sheets. It was going to be a long night.
Just as her head settled on the pillow, she flinched at the sound of a wolf howling into the night. That sound made her heart clench. It was so full of sadness and loneliness, she wanted to get dressed, go outside, and comfort the animal.
Get a grip, Sam. The only thing you would get if you could even find the wolf is dead. He would eat you for his dinner.
Pushing her whimsical thoughts aside, she sighed and closed her eyes. She hoped the man who had been watching her from the car hadn’t been Gerard Long. It was probably just a coincidence, but she’d been too nervous to take any chances. Maybe he had lost her trail or finally come to realize that she really wasn’t interested in him. That man scared her more than Peter had, and that was saying something.
Sadness engulfed her as she thought of the child she had lost. Even though she had only carried her baby for two months, grief would still rear its ugly head and swamp her from time to time. She’d hardly had any time over the last six months to think of her loss, but being around the three Domain brothers made her dream the impossible. Her thoughts were so convoluted she didn’t know where her own mind was. She pictured herself cradling a baby against her chest while she fed it and the three sexy brothers watched her. The image was so real in her mind that she could smell their unique scents and nearly feel the weight of her child against her skin.
Tightness took hold of her chest, and tears tracked down her cheeks. Pain wracked her as she thought of the baby she had lost and would never be able to hold, love, or nurture. She hadn’t even known whether her fetus was a boy or a girl. Pushing a fist against her mouth to stifle her sobs, she cried for her loss. The loss of never being able to hold her baby in her arms or to smell the sweet scent of her child or to have the opportunity to guide him or her into adulthood. She would never know the joy of looking into her baby’s face, seeing it smile at her with the unconditional love only a child could give.
Burying her face into her pillow, she sobbed, great wracking sounds of grief. She’d really only cried once, and that was the day she had lost her beloved child. Trying to keep a roof over her head and then holding off Peter’s friends and colleagues had taken all her concentration. But for some reason, being with these men brought it all to the forefront of her mind, and she couldn’t hold her emotions in another moment. She cried and cried and cried, oblivious to her surroundings.
She heard a faint click but was too caught up in her own grief to take much notice. Warmth penetrated her skin as hands lifted her and then surrounded her. She was pulled into comforting arms. When the tears finally slowed and the pain receded slightly, she became aware of the fact that she was totally naked in the arms of the three Domain brothers. She hid her face against Justin’s chest, knowing how ravaged she looked after such a crying jag, but sighed with contentment at being surrounded by all three men. She was sitting sideways on Justin’s lap with Roan at her back and Chet close to her front. Chet was looking at her with such worried concern as he rubbed a hand up and down her arm in soothing strokes. Roan was rubbing her back while Justin was stroking her hair.
“Shh, it’s okay, little one, everything will be all right,” Justin murmured.
Sam was only spasmodically hiccupping now but was thankful for the reassurance these three men offered her. Roan reached out and took her chin gently into his hand, tilting her head up and away from her protective haven.
“Do you want to talk about it, sweetness?”
“N−Not yet,” Sam replied in a voice husky with tears.
“Why don’t we all go to the kitchen and get a drink?” suggested Justin.
“O−Okay.”
“Here, let me help you with your robe, darlin’.” Chet began to put it around her body with Roan and Justin’s help.
“It’s your robe.” She inhaled his masculine scent.
“Yeah, but it looks so much better on you, darlin’.” She looked up to see him smiling down at her.
When she was covered with the sleeves rolled back so she could see her hands, Sam smiled at the three men. She was about to follow Roan to the door, but Justin scooped her up into his arms and carried her.
“I can walk, you know.”
“I know you can, honey, but I love the way you feel in my arms.” Justin smiled down at her.
“What do you want to drink, darlin’?” Chet asked as Justin sat down at the kitchen table with Sam seated across his thighs.
“Tea, please.”
“Lean back and relax, Sam.” Justin helped her get comfortable so he could support her back with his arm and shoulder. Roan sat down across from her, and when Chet had finished making the drinks, coffee for them and tea for her, he sat on the chair next to them.
They sat in companionable silence until she had drunk half her tea, and then Justin spoke.
“Talk to us, honey. Tell us why you are so sad.”
Sam couldn’t keep quiet anymore. She needed to purge what she had kept bottled up inside so it wouldn’t destroy her, so she began talking.
“I married young, at the tender age of eighteen, and had planned to go to culinary school, but that never happened. My husband didn’t want to waste money on me, so I put my plans on the back burner.
“Peter Strom, my husband, had opened his own insurance business, and we needed money to live until he was established. So I worked at whatever I could to pay the rent.
“I was so in love with him, or thought I was, that I would have done anything to support him. We were happy for the first twelve months, or seemed to be, and he worked hard trying to make a success of his business. Then he began to turn spiteful.” Sam paused and finished off her tea. She looked to Roan and Chet, and they looked at her encouragingly.
“Go on, honey,” Justin said and stroked her hair.
“He never had anything nice to say to or about me, and since he was six years older than I was, I thought I was somehow lacking.
“He started picking on the way I dressed, the way I wore my hair, and the curves of my body. He used to tell me I was ugly and my boobs were too big. Little by little he chipped away at my self-esteem until I had nothing left inside but emptiness and bitterness toward the man who was supposed to love me.
“Peter started coming home late every night, and when I questioned him he became so furious with me, I backed off and tried to soothe him instead. In the end I was glad he didn’t come home until the early hours of the morning, because I had become so afraid of his mood swings and temper that I was scared he would take it out on me.” She took a deep breath and fidgeted with her mug.
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br /> “Do you want another tea, darlin’?” Roan asked.
“Please.” She handed over her empty mug and clutched her now-empty hands. Following Roan with her eyes, she continued.
“When he was home he would criticize everything about me, even what I cooked him for dinner. Peter’s business failed. He found another job with a large insurance company, and I thought he would be happier without the worry of the business hanging over his head. Ha, what a joke. Even though he had a job, he stopped contributing to the running of the household, and I had to take on a second job just to make ends meet.
“One day six months ago, he arrived home before me. I was two months pregnant, but I still had worked for eight hours at the local supermarket ringing up groceries and then worked another six hours in a bar serving drinks. My feet and back were aching, and I was so tired I could barely keep her eyes open. I knew as soon as I opened the door that Peter was home. Feeling the thick tension in the air, I headed straight for the kitchen, trying to avoid him. Just as I finished my glass of water, I knew he was there, standing behind me. The hair at my nape stood on end.” Sam paused, reached out for the mug of fresh tea Roan handed her, and sipped.
“Thanks,” she said and took a deep breath. Her body was tense, and each of the men with her offered her comfort in some small way. Justin was still stroking her hair and Roan reached for her free hand and enveloped it in his, while Chet sat close and rubbed her shoulder.
“He grabbed me by the hair and dragged me into our bedroom, causing me to cry out with pain and fear. Pushing at him to get him to release me was utterly futile and only further exacerbated his rage. He cursed me and threw me at the bed, and when I tried to scramble away from him, he pinned me in place. Then the accusations began.
“He accused me of having an affair, of running around behind his back, spreading my legs for every male in the city. If the notion hadn’t been so ludicrous, I would have laughed. When was I supposed to have found the time or energy to go cavorting around with other men when I worked two jobs? And I realized after a moment I had actually asked that question out loud.
“Peter didn’t reply. Instead he started hitting me. He cursed me for holding him back and told me he hated my guts. He was smart about his abuse. He didn’t hit my face where any of the bruises could be seen. It didn’t matter anyway, because I didn’t leave our home for three days. After punching me in the stomach and chest, he packed up his belongings and then left the apartment without a backward glance or care for my condition.” Her breath hitched on a sob, and she closed her eyes for a moment to regain control.
“We’re with you, honey. You’re all right now,” Justin said quietly and rubbed her back.
“It took me thirty minutes to make my way into the bathroom, and I stood under the warm water in the shower crying my eyes out as I lost my newly formed baby. I collapsed to the floor with such agony and grief. How long I spent sitting on the floor of the shower I have no idea. I only remember the cold water finally penetrating my pain-filled heart and body, and I literally crawled from the cubicle. I existed in a catatonic state of grief and pain for days on end, but I finally came to terms with my loss, pulled myself together, and began to live again.”
Roan moved from his chair and began to pace the kitchen. She couldn’t see his eyes as his head was lowered, but she could see the muscle in his jaw ticking, and his fists were clenched.
Chet’s body had hardened with tension, and he was gripping the edge of the table with his fingers so hard that his knuckles were white. She wasn’t prepared to look at Justin but wondered why they were so angry. She was the one who had been abused and lost her baby, not them.
“I know I should have gone to seek medical help, but I was so humiliated at what my husband did to me, I didn’t see anyone. It took me three days to be able to move without hunching over, and by that time I had lost both my jobs.
“I eventually sought out medical attention and was told I was lucky that my reproductive organs hadn’t been affected by the attack. Of course I told my doctor I had been mugged, since I didn’t want to see sympathy or pity in those kind eyes.
“Peter sent me divorce papers and our divorce was finalized in quick succession. What I didn’t realize was that my husband had spread the word amongst his seedy work colleagues at the large insurance company he worked for, saying that I would spread my legs for anyone.
“I found another job and was working in a small café, barely earning enough to pay the rent, and the door knocking started. I was so scared to find strange men standing outside my apartment door leering at me until I slammed the door closed in their faces. After questioning one man about why he was at my door, he apologized for harassing me and he told me what Peter had done.
“Most of the men must have received the message, because in the end I just didn’t bother to answer the door at all. But there was one man who kept persisting, and I was scared by the cold, evil look in his eyes. He introduced himself as Gerard Long, and every week after that, without fail, he would pound on my door until I called the police on him. Things were quiet for a while, but then he started up again.
“Only this time he somehow managed to get ahold of my phone number and used to whisper all the nasty things he wanted to do to me through the phone. He was such a sick individual and he scared me so much that I packed up my stuff, ended the lease on the apartment, and left town.
“I worked from town to town, state to state, until I arrived in Aztec,” she stated emotionlessly and took a deep breath. Now that she was finally finished, she was totally exhausted and emotionally drained. Her eyelids were too heavy to keep open, and she snuggled into Justin and gave up the fight.
* * * *
“Fuck. Our little mate has been to hell and back,” Justin said quietly, careful not to wake his precious bundle. He rubbed his cheek over the top of her head and inhaled her exquisite citrus-peach scent.
“If I ever get my hands on her ex, I’m going to rip him apart,” Roan said in a deep growl.
“I can’t believe…Why…? Fuck!” Chet exclaimed in anger.
“I don’t know. But we have to protect her. One of us is to be with her at all times,” Justin commanded. “I don’t care how much she argues, she isn’t to be left alone.”
“Do you think the guy who was watching her at the motel is the one who’s stalking her?”
“We won’t know for sure until we run a check on Gerard, which we’ll do first thing in the morning. For now I think we should get out mate into bed. She needs to rest. She’s so tired she has dark smudges under her eyes.”
“You’re right. Let’s take her to my room. At least with her cuddled up between us we’ll know if she has nightmares or doesn’t sleep through the night. Besides, I want her next to me,” Justin explained as he rose to his feet and carried her to his room, careful not to jostle Sam too much and wake her.
He gently placed her in the middle of his large bed, and his brothers helped him get the robe off her, and then he slid in beside her. Roan got in on her other side, and Chet lay across the bottom of the mattress.
“Tomorrow night I get to sleep where you are, Roan,” Chet said firmly.
“Only if Sam doesn’t put up a fuss over sleeping with us,” Roan replied quietly.
“I won’t,” Sam whispered and rolled over into Justin’s embrace. “I feel safe here.”
Justin smiled and looked down at Sam. She had her head resting on his shoulder and her arm over his chest. As she slid back into sleep, her breathing deepened and evened out once more. Roan moved up close to her back until he was spooning her. Chet was probably touching one of her legs or feet. It was a wolf trait to want to be touching the people they loved, especially their mate.
She was such a tiny little thing compared to him and his brothers, but she felt so right being here, in his arms. She trusted them. That was a good start. He just hoped after they told her what they were she would still feel the same way about them.
* * * *
Today was her first day to start work at the Aztec Club, and even though she looked forward to earning money and being financially independent again, she was too comfortable to want to move.
“Morning, honey.” Justin’s deep cadence broke the silence. “How are you feeling?”
Sam lifted her head and squinted through sleep-heavy lids, her gaze connecting with his.
“I’m good.”
“Glad to hear it, sweetness. Do you want some coffee?” Roan asked from behind her and nuzzled her neck.
“That would be nice.”
“Why don’t you go take a shower, darlin’, and by the time you’re done the coffee should be ready,” Chet suggested.
“Hmm-mmm, sounds good.”
“What do you usually have for breakfast, honey?”
“Just coffee.”
“Well, that’s going to change starting now,” Justin stated firmly. “You need to start your day off right, honey. Come on, up and at ’em, daylight’s burning.”
“Okay,” Sam replied and shivered when the covers were pulled away from her body. Shit! I’m naked, when did that happen? Then she remembered her crying jag and telling these three men about how she had ended up in Aztec. She had fallen asleep on Justin, and he had carried her to his bed. He must have removed her robe so she would sleep more comfortably.
“God, you’re sexy, darlin’,” Chet said in a deep, gravelly voice.
“Uh, thanks.” She felt her cheeks heat.
“You don’t need to be embarrassed, sweetheart. Your little body is beautiful and perfect,” Roan rasped.