They turned to see Ricky approaching the table.
“Hey, Scar. What’s going on?”
“You tell me. Damn, Amelia, you look beautiful in that dress.”
“She sure does. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this station so busy all day,” Felicia stated as she joined the conversation.
“Thank you so much for helping out on such short notice today, Amelia. You’re such an angel.”
“It was no problem, Felicia.”
Amelia bent down to grab her things.
“This is Murphy and his brother Ricky Haas. Murphy, Ricky, meet Felicia,” Amelia said then placed the strap of her purse onto her shoulder.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Same here.”
When Amelia looked up, Felicia was staring at Murphy and Ricky and then she actually winked. It was obvious that she found both men attractive. Who wouldn’t? But for some crazy reason, that upset Amelia.
I’m jealous. Why? I made the decision to not get involved with anyone in the military or anyone who fights or boxes. That covers the Haas brothers. So why are my nipples hard, and why does my belly feel queasy?
“Ready, Amelia? I promised to walk you to your car then help you move today,” Murphy said then tipped his hat at Felicia.
Amelia gave the woman a look, and of course she didn’t even notice Amelia. She was looking Murphy over.
“I bet you could lift some really heavy boxes with muscles like yours,” Felicia stated.
In her mind, Amelia imagined telling Felicia she had something on her lip, then she would whisper the word drool. But she wouldn’t. It wasn’t her business if the woman was making a complete ass out of herself. Plus, when Amelia looked at Murphy, he seemed to read exactly what was going on. Ricky, however, was his cool suave self. “Pleasure meeting you, Felicia.”
“Same here,” Felicia responded.
“Bye,” Amelia said and as she began walking away, she felt Murphy’s hand against her lower back, guiding her through the small crowd.
She directed Murphy toward her car. Ricky came up on her other side.
She was both annoyed and nervous. Annoyed that she felt jealous and nervous because Murphy and Ricky were flanking her on either side and were quite large.
She walked closer to her car, which just happened to be parked under the shade and in the corner of a parking lot behind a large black SUV.
She reached into her purse and pulled the keys out.
“Well thank you for walking me. Perhaps you’d like to go back and mingle a bit?” she said as she unlocked the door. Murphy pulled it open.
“I said I would help you move. Are you headed to Regan’s?” Murphy asked in such a hard tone she wondered who the hell he thought he was.
“Yes,” she replied, looking up at him.
“Good. We’ll follow you,” Murphy stated. Ricky winked at her before he reached for the door handle of the SUV parked right beside her car.
Did they park next to her on purpose?
Amelia got behind the wheel and tried starting the engine. It turned over a few times, and just as Ricky opened his door and she cursed her old hunk of junk, it started. She banged her hand on the steering wheel.
“Thank you, God! Please let this car last a few months. Once I save some money, secure this job and the apartment, then I can get something better.”
* * * *
“So what do you think?” Ricky asked Murphy as they followed Amelia’s car to the condominium complex. He felt nervous and unsure about this. By the expression on Murphy’s face, something serious went down in the park today. His brother’s hands gripped the steering wheel tight and he could practically see the white of his knuckles.
“Okay, what’s the deal? Something go down before I got there?” Ricky asked.
Murphy remained straight faced.
“We should have Brody check over her car. It sounded like the starter was going. What if she’s coming home from work late and gets caught all alone on the side of the road? Then what?”
Ricky squinted his eyes at Murphy. His brother was as tough as they came. He was the oldest, the biggest, and Ricky was certain that he never saw Murphy act like this. Whenever Murphy was around Amelia, his Mad Dog personality showed more than anything. It was like he was in military, protective mode. Ricky just wasn’t sure about his brother’s feelings. Sure, he was attracted to Amelia. Ricky saw the two of them standing close, Murphy towering over her with his fingers holding her chin. Instead of being jealous, Ricky felt aroused, excited, yet, scared.
He and his brothers kept to themselves and didn’t date. So why was he thinking about sharing Amelia with them? Why was he hoping to talk her into it? Especially since he was the one with the hang-up about his scars?
He swallowed hard.
“Did you hear me? I think Brody should check her car over for her. Call him. Tell him we’ll be there within the hour.”
Ricky pulled out his cell. “What was going on between you and Amelia when I showed up along with her friend from work?”
“Nothing. What do you mean?”
“Don’t tell me ‘nothing.’ I saw the way you were staring down at her face, watching her lips, wanting to taste her. You held her chin and she just stood there looking so innocent and beautiful.”
Murphy gave his brother a mean expression.
“You don’t know what you saw. She challenged me. I challenged her back. It was stupid and it won’t happen again.”
“Challenged you? How so?”
“Will you stop with the fifty questions? We were just talking. There were all these guys showing up and buying raffle tickets from her. When I got there, there were half a dozen cowboys surrounding her.”
Ricky felt his temper rise as he scrunched up his eyebrows and turned toward Murphy.
“Were they bothering her? Did you get rid of them?” Ricky asked.
“Big Jay was with me. We both went over, then Duke, Grace, and Sandman with the baby came over.”
Ricky nodded his head. Every time he thought about some other man looking at Amelia, trying to flirt with her, never mind touch her, it filled him with rage. He wanted to hit something. The attraction, the possessiveness came out of nowhere. Like a fucking Mack truck, he was instantly possessive. It seemed that Murphy was feeling the same way.
Murphy pulled up next to Amelia’s car as she parked in the parking lot.
* * * *
Amelia noticed Regan’s car in the corner and Galen’s truck a few spaces down. She prayed that they were in the middle of something as she dialed Regan’s cell number. Regan said they were going out. Were she and Galen inside, in bed together? Oh shit!
She frantically dialed again as Ricky stood by her door. She put up her finger, indicating for him to hold on a second as she pretended to talk on the phone and the damn thing kept ringing. It was the third time she tried calling and she wished she had Galen’s number. Amelia was about to hang up.
“What’s wrong?” Regan asked, sounding out of breath.
“If you have your man in there, may I suggest getting dressed, making the bed, and pretending to be cooking something. Your brothers are here to help me move.”
“Fuck!”
Amelia heard Regan scream and she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Stall them. Oh God, do whatever you have to. Please, Amelia,” she begged then disconnected the call.
Amelia felt the instant anxiety slowly release since she got through to Regan, but one look out of her window at a scowling Murphy and she was shaking.
Slowly she got out of the car. She looked around the area and saw a walkway that led to the gardens. It would be obvious that she was stalling if she suggested walking that way.
“Is everything okay?” Ricky asked as he closed her door for her.
“Yes,” she whispered, staring up at him and Murphy. They were so tall and handsome, yet they looked hard, almost unemotional. Well not totally unemotional. But the Haas brothers sure had “pissed off”
and “untrusting” down pat.
She walked really slow. So much so, that Murphy stopped to stare at her.
“Are you okay? Something hurting?” he asked with concern. She was embarrassed. Damn, Regan. You knew I would be back by noontime or so.
She smiled up at him. “I guess I’m a little stiff from standing all morning. Sitting in the car was the only rest I had gotten. I must be out of shape.”
Ricky stopped her, took her hands into his, and held her arms out as he looked her body over. “Amelia, you look to be in perfect shape to me.” He winked and she blushed. She knew she did. She felt her hot cheeks followed by a wave of heat. Ricky was so good at this.
“I bet you say that to a lot of women. Pretty smooth, Ricky, but I’m not biting.” She pulled away and began walking, then reminded herself about moving slowly.
As they entered the front entryway, Amelia saw Will and Paul, the two men who lived there, too. They had talked to her yesterday about hanging out this weekend.
“Hi, Amelia,” Paul said then looked up at Murphy and Ricky, almost in shock and disappointment. Paul and Will were really nice guys. They weren’t military, boxers, fighters, dominant men, but instead very calm, kind of boring, and worked in business and accounting. They were safe, so she felt comfortable. But she realized, neither man affected her like the Haas brothers.
“Hi, Paul. These are two of Regan’s brothers. They’re helping me move to the cottage today.”
“Hello,” he said to Ricky and Murphy who looked annoyed, as usual, as they stood there a moment. This would buy her some time.
“So you’re definitely moving? Damn, Will and I were hoping to talk you into going out to Casper’s with us tonight.”
“Oh, I just heard about that place from friends of Murphy’s. I guess it’s a great place.”
“She can’t go out tonight. She has plans,” Ricky stated very abruptly and Amelia was shocked. Who gave him the right to make a comment?
“I don’t think I can go tonight, and tomorrow I have a party to attend. Perhaps next week?”
Paul looked at both Murphy and Ricky then back at Amelia.
“You have our numbers. Call us if you can do Saturday. I’d offer to help you move, but it looks like you have enough help,” Paul said with a little bit of attitude.
“I don’t have too much to move. If I can make it tonight, I’ll definitely call you later.”
“Really?” Paul asked as Ricky and Murphy stared at her.
“Yes. If you don’t hear from me by five, then know I got caught up in moving. But I’ll call you tomorrow to make plans for next week.”
Paul smiled. “Great. Good luck with the move. Nice meeting you, Murphy and Ricky,” Paul said then walked out of the building.
Amelia turned to watch him go until the elevator doors opened.
Then she walked into the elevator, sure that Regan and Galen were decent and pretending to cook something for lunch. She was starving.
The moment the doors closed, Ricky started. “You’re not seriously interested in that guy are you?”
Amelia looked up at him. “He and his brother are nice. They work in the business offices next to the hospital.”
“They’re not your type at all,” Ricky stated.
“Excuse me, how do you know what my type is?” she asked and then looked toward Murphy, who stared straight ahead. She noticed the vein by his temple pulsating. Then she felt Ricky’s hand on her waist. The next thing she knew, he was holding her in his arms, and his thick, hard muscles were hard against her. He cupped her cheek and half her head with one large hand.
She gasped as he stared down into her eyes. She was shocked at the intensity in them and how easily he held her.
“Do they make you feel sexy and beautiful when they look at you? Does your heart race, like it is right now?”
She grabbed his arms as the elevator stopped, the bell sounded, and the doors opened. She sensed Murphy moving and she panicked that he would get to the apartment door.
“Ricky,” she started to say.
“They’re not for you.” He lowered his mouth to hers.
He kissed her deeply, devouring her soft moans, tasting every inch of her mouth. In her mind she knew she should stop him. Push him away. Not get caught up in lustful thoughts that would only end in disaster. But he was such a good kisser. Plus, his hands were magnificent and so was his body. She felt his thigh press between her quivering thighs and she moaned into his mouth as the thick, ironclad thigh connected with her oversensitive pussy. When she felt him move his hand down her hip and to her ass, she panicked and pulled from his mouth.
She was gripping his shoulders best she could, but he was so much bigger.
“Please, you have to stop. You shouldn’t have done that,” she said, out of breath.
He squeezed her harder against him. She felt the long, thick, hard, ridge of his cock against her belly.
“You feel that? You know you’re attracted to me, just as I am to you. That’s the difference. Paul and his brother, whomever they are, can’t compare.”
Ricky’s dominance and control should not be turning her on right now. That was her problem initially with Mano. His aggressiveness and possessiveness made her feel loved and wanted. It wasn’t love. It wasn’t pure and neither would this be.
She pushed him away.
“I can’t get involved with you. I won’t. It would never work.”
“You don’t know that. My brothers and I would treat you right, Amelia.”
She shook her head. “Stop. Your brothers aren’t interested. I’m not interested in that type of relationship.”
“You were going to go out with Paul and Will. Don’t lie. I can spot a liar from a mile away,” Murphy stated firmly as Ricky slowly released her.
She straightened out her dress and tried to step out of the elevator but Murphy stared at her in such a way that she froze in place.
“I’m too fucking old for games. Flirting can get a woman in a heap of trouble. Trouble she may not be able to handle.”
She was instantly pissed off. Big surprise there. Mad Dog Murphy did it to her every time. The nerve of him. He made her feel like a child being reprimanded by an adult. She jumped as Ricky placed his hands on her hips from behind.
“Let’s get this move started and then we’ll start talking about you and I going on a date.”
As they walked down the hallway, she felt the anger building. This was so typical of a military man…well, men. Give orders, make demands, and expect the woman to just comply.
She pulled out her keys then looked up at Murphy and Ricky. Murphy looked about to explode and Ricky was smiling as he looked her over with hungry eyes.
Her damn fingers were shaking as she unlocked the door. Before she opened it, she looked at them.
“Neither of you have the right to give me orders. I said I’m not interested, Ricky, and, Murphy, I can flirt with whomever I damn please.” As she went to open the door, Murphy covered her hand and the doorknob as he used his other hand to grab her around the waist. He stared down into her eyes and he looked determined.
“I catch you flirting again, Amelia, and I’ll toss you over my knee, spank that sassy, sexy ass of yours, and stroke your wet pussy until you come, calling my name.”
Holy mother of God!
His words, the tone of his voice, and the feel of his hands pressing against her ass, inches from the crack, made her almost moan. Her cheeks felt red and warm and she was sexually shocked.
“Test me, sweetheart. Please, test me and I’ll do it.”
She felt Murphy’s hand tap her ass then move off of her as he stepped back.
The loss of his touch hit her harder than she wanted to admit. The man was such a hard-ass, disciplinary, sex god. It wasn’t fair. There were two of them against her. She was so screwed.
Amelia took a deep breath and opened the door. Her wet panties reminded her of Ricky’s and Murphy’s effect on her with every step she took.
<
br /> “Hey, you’re finally here. We were waiting for you,” Regan said in greeting.
Amelia felt embarrassed and hoped that Regan couldn’t tell that she was sexually aroused right now.
Murphy and Ricky looked at Galen who stood by the counter in the kitchen.
“What is he doing here?” Ricky asked.
Amelia took the opportunity to make an excuse to leave. She needed to breathe. She needed to recover from that assault of sorts in the elevator and outside the door. How the hell was she going to keep her hands to herself and halt any attempt by Ricky and Murphy to make another move on her?
“I’m going to go change and then throw some last items into the boxes. I’ll be back.” She hurried from the room. After a glance at Murphy, she imagined him touching her the way he threatened to. And it was a threat. He didn’t want her going out with Paul and Will. He was trying to stake a claim, but she had fallen for that once before. The heartache and loss wasn’t worth the excitement and pleasure. She needed to set some rules and deny this attraction. A man, or in this case, men, who demanded possession and dominance meant trouble.
A hit from men as big as Ricky or Murphy would hurt. She should know. Mano was only an inch or so shorter and fought for a living. The thought brought tears to her eyes and made her heed caution.
Remember Mano and Escala. Remember, these type of men can not be trusted.
Chapter 6
Murphy didn’t know what had come over him. Amelia got under his skin like no one else ever could. She was a secret weapon the government could use to infiltrate any male out there. Even the toughest and he thought of himself as pretty damn tough. Not ever had any woman made him so emotional. One minute he was filled with rage and the next filled with hunger. He wanted to kiss her like Ricky had. He wanted to pull her into his arms, devour any feelings of denial she may have, and explore every inch of her. The woman had a sexy, curvy body. She was not skin and bones, but softness and muscle. He didn’t look at her and think he could break her, yet every part of him wanted to cherish her, caress her, make love to her. But the attraction, the desire to have Amelia was so strong. It was shockingly instant. And even now, as she unpacked what little belongings she had and bent over to lift things up, he couldn’t stop his mind from imagining bending her over that couch and fucking her from behind.
The American Soldier Collection 5: The Greatest Fight of All (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 7