by Lori King
“That would be fantastic. Maybe we can work on them in a day or so when you’re feeling more rested. I will gladly accept the help.” His wide smile sent a wave of pleasure through her, and she picked her fork back up to finish eating happily.
She listened to their chatter, feeling better about the whole situation. If she was actually able to help them out, then it wouldn’t feel so much like she was mooching off of them. It was interesting to her, that the three brothers shared everything. Their home was an interesting combination of their three personalities, and it made her feel very comfortable sitting there eating breakfast in just a T-shirt.
“Why don’t you have any family pictures?” The words fell out of her mouth, and all three men froze and turned their attention her direction. She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as she realized that her question clearly invaded personal territory. “I’m sorry, that was rude.”
Noah cleared his throat before answering. “When we moved here, we agreed to leave them packed in a box in the hall closet.”
Her eyes flitted from one brother to the next. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude in your business.”
Tyce reached across the countertop to take her hand in his, and he pressed a kiss to her palm. “It’s not intruding, love. We just don’t talk about it much. Our mom died about five years ago from breast cancer, and we lost Dad a little over three years later to a heart attack. We don’t put pictures up because none of us have admitted to ourselves that they are both gone.”
She nodded in sympathy. “I’ve never had a family to speak of, but I would imagine that the grief of losing them would be overwhelming. Thank you for answering, but feel free to tell me to mind my own business if I overstep again.”
The men exchanged quiet glances before they each gave her a reassuring smile, and they resumed their conversation. They laughed a lot when they talked, and she liked the warm sense of camaraderie they shared. It felt like she was a piece of their puzzle, and she almost pinched herself to remind herself that this was not a dream.
She felt her eyes getting heavier now that she had food filling her belly. Xavier caught her fork as her relaxing grip released it by accident and looked at her sympathetically.
“All right, Sid, now that you’ve eaten, you have to get to bed. You’re worn out.” He got up and moved to her side, holding his hand out to help her from her seat. “Let’s go, I’ll tuck you in.”
Her eyes widened, and she stared at him warily. A thousand variations of “tucking you in” raced through her mind, and she started to panic. His gaze narrowed as she hesitated, and his nostrils flared in frustration, but he didn’t speak. He just stood there with his hand out, patiently waiting for her to make up her mind.
She glanced over at Tyce and Noah, who had stopped eating to watch. They both looked on with concern and something else. Maybe they pitied her for being frightened of Xavier. It got under her skin. She didn’t need pity from them. They promised not to push her, and yet she was still resisting their help. It was no wonder Xavier was irritated with her. Looking back up at Xavier’s blue eyes, she smiled hesitantly and then placed her small fingers in his large hand. A quirk of his lips was the only indication that he was pleased with her decision, and he tugged her from her seat until she was following him back down the hallway.
He led her directly into his room, and when she was standing next to his bed, he turned and slid his hands under her armpits, lifting her until she sat on the edge of the bed. She squeaked in shock, but didn’t resist him. He stood in front of her, just slightly between her knees, but as tall as he was her eyes were still level with his chest. She wondered for a second if it was as firm as the rest of him. A red-hot blush crept up her cheeks from the direction of her own thoughts, and she swallowed hard.
“Thanks. I’m okay now,” she mumbled quietly.
“We’re going to rotate our shifts so that one of us is always with you, Sid. I have to do some things at the bar tonight, and Noah has a shipment coming in early again, so Tyce will be staying home today, and he will bring you in to the bar for work later. If you need anything, please tell him, okay? Anything at all.” He brushed her hair away from her face as he tilted her head back to look into her eyes. He looked so sincere, and his touch was so gentle that she wanted to sink into him.
“You guys don’t have to do that—”
“We know that, but we want to. I get it that you aren’t ready to share your secrets with us yet, but my instincts tell me that this ex of yours is dangerous. We will do everything in our power to take care of you and protect you, so just sit back and let us. Okay?” he said as he stroked his finger up and down her cheek. Her eyes drifted shut, enjoying the soft caress, and without meaning to she turned her face and kissed his palm. His sharp intake of breath startled her, and she realized what she had done.
“I’m sorry!” She shifted backward onto the bed, pulling her legs up underneath her until she knelt on her knees.
“Don’t be. I like it when you touch me.” He paused, and she could see the desire in his eyes. “I am kind of hoping that you will be doing it more often.”
She blushed at his gentle smile and finally smiled back tentatively. “Well, I better get some rest.”
“We’ll go tomorrow to get you something different to wear when you’re not at work. As much as I appreciate the way you look in Tyce’s T-shirt, that won’t work forever. I’m going to take your clothes with me so that we can wash them. When you get up, you will have a clean outfit to put on.” He bent close, and her mouth went dry. He was going to kiss her, and she was surprised to find that she wanted him to. Only inches from her lips, he stopped and stared into her eyes. He waited. She finally realized that he was waiting for her to come to him. He wanted her to kiss him, or tell him to go away. Indecision filled her body, and then she saw hurt flash in his eyes as he started to stand again.
“Wait!” she gasped and then reached out to pull him close again. She started to brush a soft kiss on his cheek only to find his full lips against hers. Her eyes slammed shut, and she sighed into his mouth as they both sunk into the kiss. His lips were soft but firm on her, and he stunned her with passion. She could feel his tongue and teeth teasing her own, and she whimpered softly. His hands wrapped confidently around her narrow waist, and he pulled her up higher onto her knees so that she was flush against his body.
She couldn’t resist arching against him to find the friction her body burned for. His tongue battled with hers for dominance, and her fingers skated their way up his neck to the back of his head to pull him deeper into the kiss. She could feel his heat in every pore of her skin, and she ached to wrap her legs around him. She settled for his hands sliding down to cup her ass cheeks, and then he pulled her thighs apart slightly. The bulge behind his zipper fit perfectly into the notch of her thighs, and she moaned loudly as her wet clit swelled to meet the rough denim. The scrape of his metal zipper against her sensitive skin was like ice water dousing her passion. She jerked back with the realization that she was completely naked under the T-shirt and with just a slide of the zipper he could have been inside of her.
Xavier lifted his head to look at her. His blue eyes were swirling with pent-up passion, and his cheeks were slightly flushed. He looked good enough to eat, and she was starving.
“Shit. I’m sorry, Sid. I didn’t mean for that to happen again,” he said, pulling his hands away from her body.
“Stop, don’t apologize. It’s okay…I mean…I wanted you to kiss me. I know I shouldn’t, and I promise it won’t happen again, but I’m not sorry it did.” She couldn’t look at him as shame nearly overwhelmed her.
“Wait a second. I’m not sorry I kissed you, baby. I’m sorry I pushed you into it. You rattle me, woman. I seem to have no control where you are concerned, and I’m not sure that I like it much.” The roughness of his voice caused her to flinch, but when she looked up, he was grinning at her. “Keep kissing me like that, and I guarantee I won’t let you out of my sight
for the next couple hundred lifetimes.”
He laughed and went to the dresser across the room. Pulling out some fresh clothes for himself, he headed for the bedroom door. “Go to sleep, baby. Tyce will wake you in a few hours.”
With that, he pulled the door shut behind him, leaving her aroused and confused. She settled onto the pillows and smiled when she inhaled Xavier’s spicy, masculine scent on the pillow. Her body was so turned on that even his fragrance caused her pussy to clench with need. She drifted off to sleep moments later, thinking about the three men that could hurt her emotionally more than Robert ever had physically.
Chapter 6
Tyce stared at the delicate creature in the massive bed. She was absolutely dazzling with her blonde hair spread out over the pillow and her lips parted in sleep. He would give an arm to have her wake and beckon him to join her in that bed. Instead he sat on the edge next to her and ran his fingers over her arm softly.
“Sidney.” He kept his voice quiet so that he wouldn’t startle her. “Love, you need to wake up.”
She moaned and stretched, her muscles thrusting her breasts up toward him. His fingers and tongue itched to explore those delicate peaks, but he held himself in check. When she didn’t wake further, he ran his open palm down her shoulder and arm to her wrist. His fingers encircled her wrist gently, admiring how delicately she was built.
“Sidney,” he called, and finally her sexy brown eyes opened part of the way to look at him in confusion.
“Tyce?” she groaned as she struggled to find her way out of sleep. He could see it when she remembered where she was. Her eyes registered sorrow and fear and finally anxiety.
“Yeah, it’s me. I hate having to wake you up, but we both have to work this evening,” he said with a frown and a playful pout.
She groaned. “I feel like I just went to sleep.”
“If it’s too much for you, love, I’m sure I can call Kara in to cover for you,” Tyce said, suddenly worrying that asking her to pull her shift at the bar after the traumatic events overnight was heartless.
She shook her head vehemently. “No, no, no. Kara was looking forward to having tonight off. I’ll be okay. What time is it?”
“Almost five, why?”
“Fuck a duck! I’m supposed to be there at five!” she gasped, scrambling from under the covers and flashing Tyce a peek of the curve of her ass where her T-shirt rode up.
He reached out, tugging her off-balance so that she fell into his lap before she could escape into the bathroom. “That’s one of the benefits of living with the bosses, love. If you’re late, I know just who you can talk to, to get out of trouble.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her and nuzzled her ear gently.
She giggled, and then huffed, “I’m not sleeping with the boss to get out of being late, so please let me go. I need to get dressed. I’ll be ready in ten.”
“Minutes?” he gaped at her, trying to comprehend that any female could get ready in ten minutes.
“Yes, Tyce. Ten minutes. Now shoo.”
She waved her hands in a get-lost gesture as she rose from his lap. Following her lead, he stood, but he remained in place knowing that he was far too close to her for comfort. “Are you sure? You’re probably still tired. I could help you get dressed if you need me to…”
Sidney tsked at him, but didn’t step away or look frightened, so he took a chance and ran his finger down her arm. Her small shiver pleased him and lit something dark within his soul. If he wasn’t careful, Sidney Rowe would own him, body and soul.
“All right, Sidney, I’m going, but holler if you need anything. I’m just down the hall.” He spun on his heel and took off out of the bedroom, trying to slow his racing heart. He wanted her with every fiber of his being, but the more he was around her, the more he realized he wanted her for so much more than her body. This ladies’ man wanted a specific lady, and he didn’t know how to convince her to take a chance on him.
“Sidney! Oh my God! I just heard what happened to your car! Are you okay?”
Sidney smiled back at Anna Pine as the pretty brunette vigorously embraced her when she entered the bar thirty minutes later. “I’m okay, Anna. It was my car, not my person.”
“I heard that someone did it on purpose. Who would have done something like that?” Anna asked, pulling back to meet Sidney’s eyes. The concern Sidney saw on the young woman’s face was heartwarming. It was so nice to have people genuinely care about her.
“Honestly, I haven’t talked to the Sheriff yet, so I’m not sure what happened. I’m sure he’s doing everything he can to figure it out, though,” Sidney said as she tied her apron around her waist just below her naked belly button. The tiny crystal there glinted in the neon lights behind the bar, and Sidney reached down to adjust it before meeting Anna’s slightly slanted brown eyes again. “Really Anna, I’m okay.”
Anna’s mouth opened like she wanted to say more, but a customer’s sharp whistle interrupted her. “We’re not done chatting, girlie. I want to know why the hell you were living in your car, and why you didn’t trust me to tell me so that I could help you. After closing you’re having a margarita with me, and a good old-fashioned girl’s chat.”
Sidney giggled at the frown line that lifted between Anna’s perfectly curved eyebrows and waved her off. She would be happy to share a margarita with Anna, but that was all she was going to share. Anna Pine was a gorgeous woman. She was half-Korean, and her almond-shaped eyes and dark hair gave her an exotic beauty. At only twenty-four years old, Anna was a college student who lived in a two-bedroom cottage with a roommate. She was adorably sweet and occasionally naïve, but Sidney loved her and cherished her as a friend. Between Kara and Anna, she felt like she finally had girlfriends she could lean on. It had been more than a year since she last had a girl’s chat. Robert had nixed all of her girlfriends for one reason or another. Tonya was too stuck up. Lisa was too needy. Dallas was too fat and ugly. One by one, Robert berated and belittled her female friends until they stopped coming around altogether. It was humiliating to the women as well as Sidney.
A glimmer of guilt flashed through Sidney’s psyche at the thought that Robert could very well be in Apache Crossing, planning a way to get his nasty hands on her right now. If that was the case, every person she came into contact with was at risk. It was a terrifying thought, and it was all too real for Sidney.
Shaking off her shivers of discomfort, she threw herself into her work, flirting and chatting with the customers like nothing major had happened in the last twenty-four hours. She caught many of them throwing speculative glances her way, and a few even asked if she was all right, but no one questioned her further.
As the night progressed, she realized that the customers were afraid to ask her questions, because everywhere she went she had a bodyguard. At any given moment at least one of the three Dawson brothers was within arm’s reach of her. When she was at the bar, Xavier stood at one end, with his arms crossed and his icy gaze surveying her body just as much as the room around them. When she was working the floor, Tyce was nearby, seemingly mingling with friends and chatting with the few regulars visiting, but she could feel his eyes on her body almost nonstop. And then there was Noah. Precious, sweet Noah, who latched onto her like a tick on her ass the moment she stepped into the hallway or back stockroom. He sat with her in the lounge during her fifteen-minute break, chatting about regulars and the bar, and he helped her find what she was looking for in the stockroom before she could even explain what it was.
The three brothers were like her personal Secret Service, but they were an epic fail at the secret part. Instead of feeling watched, and controlled, she felt cherished and protected by all three of them. It was genuinely sweet that they cared enough to want to take care of her. She tried not to think about the fact that they were as watchful as Robert was, because the way they did it told her that she still had the freedom to stop it. With Robert, there was no freedom, period.
By the end of the night, she was relaxed and e
njoying her work. The customers were tipping well, instead of a live band, the jukebox in the corner was rocking some great music tonight, and she was looking forward to another good night’s sleep in Xavier’s fantastic king-sized bed. Of course, she was kidding herself if she didn’t admit that what she really wanted was some more time with the three men without all of these other people around. She was feeling more and more confident about her desirability as she took into account the way they all looked her over like a tasty bit of prey.
When Xavier finally shooed the last customers out the door, Sidney sighed with relief and rubbed the middle of her back with her fingertips, arching to stretch the muscles. A large, masculine hand covered both of hers and began massaging the muscles in the curve of her back around her own fingers. She moaned softly and let her head tip backward. It wasn’t until she realized that Anna was standing on the other side of the bar, gaping openmouthed at her, that she put a stop to the impromptu massage and turned to find Noah behind her with a smug smile adorning his face.
“Hi, honey, how are you doing after your shift? Tired?” he asked quietly, running his hand up her arm and caressing her bicep.
“I’m okay. I’m really tired though.”
“Damn. I knew we should have let you sleep tonight. There is no way you got enough rest after everything that happened. I’ll help you clean up so that we can get you home and in the bathtub,” he said, pressing a quick kiss to the top of her head.
Her body flushed and tingled at the mental image of Noah climbing into the bathtub with her. She could almost feel his strong arms around her waist, pulling her backward into his lap, and she bit her lip to keep from begging him for it.
“Actually, I promised Anna a drink after work. She wants a little girl time. Is that okay? I’m sure she can drop me off at the house when we’re finished, if you three want to head on out.”