by Lori King
“Never, honey,” he murmured, kissing the top of her head. Just like that, relief skittered through his chest, and an unusual feeling of rightness filled him. He wouldn’t pick anywhere else in the world to be at this moment. They stood like that for another minute, both just enjoying holding the other. Finally he pulled away. “We’ve got to get moving, Sid. I want to get you something sparkly to wear with that phenomenal dress.”
“You’ve already given me enough, Noah.” She resisted as he pulled her toward the jewelry department.
“That’s not possible. I could give you the moon, and it wouldn’t be enough,” he said softly. The pleasure in her beautiful brown eyes was enough to make his cock thicken in his slacks, and he adjusted his stance when they reached the glass counter.
They browsed around, looking at various pieces, but she kept refusing to try anything on. He would show her pieces he liked, but she would blush and stammer, never admitting to liking them but resisting telling him that she didn’t like them. They managed to become separated as they browsed, but Noah kept seeing her blue dress swish in his peripheral vision, so he knew she wasn’t too far.
Finally, he realized that she wouldn’t ever pick anything for herself, and he found a stunning pendant in the shape of a musical note with a large sapphire centered in it, and sapphire stud earrings to match. It was perfect, and it would sit perfectly at the top of her cleavage, drawing the eye. He asked the salesgirl to wrap it up for him, and then glanced around for Sidney.
She had managed to drift away, and he didn’t see her anywhere. His heart began to pound when he realized she wasn’t in the jewelry department anymore, and he had no idea where she was. A flash a fear shot through his brain. Her ex was after her, and Noah had promised to protect her. He couldn’t protect her when he didn’t know where she was.
Sidney walked back toward the jewelry department, hoping that Noah had given up on his quest to find her a gift. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate the gesture, but she was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed by the brothers’ generosity. They barely knew each other, and the three men were already willing to spend a small fortune on her just for the hell of it. It was unsettling to say the least.
When she left South Carolina, her only intention had been to run as far and as fast as she could, to just get away from Robert Wicks and everything in her current life. Greenville was a symbol of a depressing childhood, a lonely young adulthood, and a miserable lack of love in her adult relationships. It all came down to a sense of being completely alone in life. She had never actually felt like she was wanted just for herself until she met Noah, Tyce, and Xavier Dawson. When they looked at her, she felt powerful enough to rule the world. It was a potent feeling, and she didn’t know how to handle the emotional roller coaster.
If Robert was the one that set her car on fire, she needed to run now and lead him away from the Dawson brothers. But leaving would mean giving them up, and after only a few weeks of knowing them, she already felt like they were a necessary part of her life. They said they wanted her and that they would protect her, but it wasn’t fair to force them to carry her burdens. She needed to face the situation with Robert head-on if she was even considering starting a life with her men.
Sidney froze in place at the edge of the jewelry department as the idea of being in a permanent relationship with three men really took root in her brain. Even giving into the men and having sex with them hadn’t made her feel reassured that this kind of relationship could work. Now that she was by herself, she had time to chew on it, and suddenly she felt like a fool. She couldn’t even keep one man happy. How was she going to keep three satisfied? What if she upset one of them, would the others stand behind him, waiting their turn to punish her? Xavier’s threat of a spanking tickled her brain, and she felt nauseous.
Her eyes landed on Noah’s face as he came toward her. He looked angry and frustrated. Her knees grew wobbly, and her stomach dropped. This was it. He was upset with her for some reason, and he was going to blow up on her.
“Where have you been?” he demanded as he reached for her.
She let him wrap his arms around her, but she remained stiff, unsure of how to react. “I was looking at the perfume in the counter. I’m sorry, is everything okay?” Her voice cracked, giving away her fear.
“No, I was just worried when I turned around and you were gone. I’m not angry, so stop looking at me like you’re scared of me.” He paused to look at her. “I would never hurt you, you know that, right?”
She hesitated, and his deep-blue eyes flashed with sadness, and she felt ashamed of her reaction.
“I just…Noah, I’m sorry. I guess I’m just…I don’t know, I’m used to a man that used fear to keep control of me. When you looked so upset I—” Her words drifted off at the hurt on his face. She hadn’t intended to hurt his feelings.
“We need to go on out to the car. Xavier and Tyce are probably already there,” he said, and he took her hand gently in his to lead her toward the front doors.
His woman had been flushed with pleasure when she emerged from the dressing room with those rednecks. All three of them had been in the women’s fitting room with her. What kind of perverted lifestyle had Sidney gotten into? Robert Wicks felt his fury and possessiveness beating inside of his chest like some sort of creature attempting to escape. Sidney Rowe was his fiancé, his property. Clearly she needed a reminder.
He watched her as she wandered away from the pretty boy she had been talking to. She looked confused, and a frown puckered her brow. Hmm. Perhaps the grass wasn’t quite so green on the other side of the fence, he thought to himself with a soft chuckle. For a moment he considered grabbing her arm as she moved closer to the clothing racks he was standing behind. He could grab her and get her out the front doors before those cowboys could blink, but then they would surely ask questions about where she went. Security would be contacted, cameras would be checked, and he would be seen forcibly removing her from the store. That wasn’t an option. He would not let her ruin him like that.
She had already very nearly ruined him by getting pregnant. He had no intention of ever breeding her, but if he ever decided he wanted a child he would give her permission to get pregnant. He was livid when he found out that she had gotten pregnant without clearing it with him first. The nerve of some people was just reprehensible. A few well-placed jabs and he had taken care of that particular problem. It was just his luck that she had run crying to the hospital. She had never done that before, and before he could get her out of there, the doctors started asking all sorts of stupid questions.
When she came home, he figured she had learned her lesson, but much to his dismay she had taken off instead. What was she thinking? Didn’t she realize that he had a career and friends at home? He couldn’t just run after her whenever she got the whim for a vacation. He would make sure that she learned the lesson this time.
Taking a deep breath, Robert stepped back into the shadows of an employee exit until Sidney passed by. Soon, he promised himself, soon he would have the stupid bitch back in his possession, and she would get the picture really fast that he wasn’t ever letting her out of his grasp.
Chapter 9
She followed Noah out to the parking lot numbly, at a loss for any words that might reassure him. She had been scared of him, and she couldn’t deny it. She had anticipated the painful interaction that would have happened if it was Robert and not Noah in front of her. In that moment a realization of her own deficiencies hit her. Noah deserved a woman who wasn’t damaged. Sidney Rowe wasn’t just damaged, she was decimated.
Her heart held no real trust for men, and she wasn’t sure that she knew how to love anyone. She hadn’t ever experienced real bared-to-the-soul love, and she had no role models to speak of. How would she ever be able to give Noah what he really needed?
They reached the truck in a matter of moments, and the other two were waiting for them. Tyce greeted her with a kiss on her temple, and Xavier gave her a quick one
-armed squeeze around her waist before helping her into the backseat of the SUV to sit next to Noah yet again. This time, though, he didn’t reach for her. Instead he kept his distance literally and figuratively.
The ride to the restaurant was only a few minutes, but Sidney could feel the change in the mood. Noah was quiet and wouldn’t meet her eyes. He was hurting, and she wasn’t sure what to do to fix the mess she’d made. When they were seated and had placed their food order, Xavier finally grabbed the bull by the horns.
“Okay, what happened between you two?” he asked, and Sidney could feel the blood drain from her cheeks as her gaze darted to Noah and then to her lap where her fingers shifted restlessly.
When neither one answered him, Xavier gave a big sigh. “You’re going to have to tell us at some point. Tyce and I need to know what happened in order to help fix it. Noah, you’re the one that said this would only work if we communicated with each other.”
That got Noah’s attention and his blue eyes shifted to look at Sidney. She couldn’t keep her eyes on his, because she didn’t want to see the anger and disappointment that he was feeling. “It seems that Sidney is scared of me,” Noah said softly, and Tyce chuckled.
“What? That’s ludicrous! No one would be scared of Noah,” Tyce said before Sidney could respond. His words made her bite her tongue. Why couldn’t they just understand that she didn’t trust anyone and it wasn’t personal?
“What did you do to scare her?” Xavier asked Noah calmly.
“Nothing!” The words snapped sharply out of Sidney’s mouth before she could stop them. “I had a momentary flash of nerves when Noah got upset with me. I won’t deny that I felt fear, but I can’t seem to stop myself. You couldn’t possibly understand, because you have never had your life lived for you. You guys have never had anyone treat you like you’re less than nothing. You’ve never had someone who hits you just because you looked like you needed a punch in the face. You’ve never been tied up naked in the dark and left cold and alone for hours on end. You don’t know what’s inside of me. My heart is poisoned. I can’t be what you want, because I’m broken, damn it!”
Silent tension filled the air, and the shock, disbelief, and pure fury on all three male faces was enough to rip away Sidney’s defensive armor. This time, though, the tears didn’t come. She just sat in front of them feeling completely empty, cold, and vulnerable.
“If I ever get my hands on that asshole, I will kill him,” Noah said softly, and Sidney’s eyes flew up to meet his in shock.
“Wh–What?” she mumbled in confusion. She had expected anger, but not anger at Robert. Surely they were angry at her for failing to be what they wanted. There was no way they would be able to understand why she was reacting so irrationally.
“Baby, we hate what he did to you, and that makes us hate him enough to want to murder him. I would do anything to take that pain away from you and carry the burden myself,” Xavier said, and his voice cracked with emotion.
“You aren’t broken, love. I’m sorry that you see yourself that way. You made a mistake and picked the wrong man. It wasn’t your fault that he was an abuser, and you shouldn’t feel guilty for carrying that fear. But at some point you are going to have to trust someone,” Tyce said. There was a wet sheen to his eyes, and his jaw was clenched tight.
“I’ve trusted you three more than anyone else, but I’m still scared,” she whispered.
Xavier reached across the table to take her hand, and he brought it up to his lips. “Considering the nightmare you lived through, it’s justified. Just please don’t ever think that one of us would hurt you. We want to love you and protect you. We will do anything necessary to earn your trust.”
She smiled at the sincerity in his voice and words. “I know that. Deep down I know that. And Noah, I never meant to hurt you. I’m not scared of you exactly, but I haven’t ever seen you three angry either. In my brain anger equals pain, so when you were upset with me my mind jumped to fear automatically.”
Noah nodded, still looking a little forlorn. The waiter took that moment to bring them their dinner, and they all began to eat.
“I still have a present for you, Sidney,” Noah said after they had all basically finished their meals. His smile was genuine, but the distance still lingered in his eyes. She hated that she put that doubt in him, but she couldn’t help it.
“You’ve given me enough. Dinner was wonderful, guys, thank you,” she said, trying to encompass the whole table in her smile.
Noah reached into his pocket and pulled out a jewelry box. It was larger than a ring box, and it was covered in dark-blue velvet. He set the box next to her plate, and she reached for it with shaking hands. When she opened it her heart jumped into her throat. The musical-note pendant was stunning, and she didn’t know what to say. She sat frozen for a few moments, staring at the jewelry in astonishment.
“Do you like it?” Noah said hesitantly, and all of the air in her lungs rushed out on an exhale.
“I love it,” she whispered without looking up. Gently she pulled the necklace from its satin-lined home and held it up in front of her for the others to see. The light caught the sapphire in the middle, and it sparkled like blue fire. It reminded her of Tyce’s eyes, so deep blue they were almost bottomless.
“Let me help you put it on.” Noah stood and came around behind her to clasp the necklace around her throat. After it was secured he pressed a kiss on the side of her neck and took his seat again before passing another smaller box to her. “Here are the earrings to match.”
“I don’t know what to say, Noah. It’s beautiful, thank you,” she said, reaching her hand out to take his. The pleasure in his eyes warmed her soul, and she was happy to see that he seemed to have let go of his earlier frustration.
“It looks amazing on you, Sid,” Tyce said, running a finger over the delicate gold chain.
“It’s perfect with that dress,” Xavier added, and when she caught his gaze, she could see the light of desire. A ripple of pleasure and desire went through her body, and she shifted in her seat.
“Thank you all. You’ve spoiled me rotten today, and I don’t feel like I’ve done anything to deserve it,” she said, slipping the earrings into her earlobes.
“All you have to do is be you, baby. We love you just the way you are,” Xavier responded, and she stopped breathing.
Did he just say the word love? Was it possible to fall in love with someone this quickly? Surely he didn’t mean it the way she took it. Her brain was racing through all the different meanings for Xavier’s words when he reached across the table to take her hand.
“Stop. Stop overthinking this. Let us in, Sidney. You’ve already trusted us enough to call when you needed help, and you gave us access to your body. Now take the chance, and trust us with your heart. I promise you won’t regret it,” Xavier said, holding her hand in his.
She never would have expected to hear such a heartfelt plea from the oldest of the Dawson brothers. Xavier was the one who was normally so staid and serious. He was the kind of man who kept the women around him at a distance. But here he was, opening himself up to her and willing to take the risk on letting her into his heart. So why did she find it so hard to reciprocate?
“I’m trying, Xavier. I hope you all know that I do trust you, and I do care about you. I’m better with actions than words, so it will take time. I’m sorry, but I can’t give more than I have inside of me,” she replied, lifting her chin in challenge.
“Good. I like the sound of that. More actions than words,” Tyce said as Noah and Xavier smiled broadly at her. “I believe that concludes our romantic dinner. Now we can take you home and get you naked, love.”
Sidney’s mouth dropped open when all three men stood, and Noah reached to take Sidney’s arm and help her stand as well. They were serious! Just like that they had shifted gears from pleading for her affection to horny, lecherous desire. She started giggling, and that only made them all smile wider.
“I guess I can’t
argue. After all, you did buy me clothes, jewelry, and dinner. I don’t suppose I’ll get dessert?” she said playfully as she tucked her arm through Noah’s and let him lead her to the door.
Xavier bent to whisper next to her ear. “I’ve got that covered. I promise you’ll get dessert, Sid.” His seductive tone zipped over her skin, causing her nipples to tighten into sharp points and her pussy to grow moist.
She saw Tyce pay the bill out of the corner of her eye as Xavier and Noah whisked her out to the SUV and settled her comfortably in Noah’s arms in the backseat. The tension from earlier was gone, and the men were once again in a jovial, flirty mood. They joked with each other and teased her as they made the trip back to their home.
She had to bite her lip several times to hold back moans of delight as Noah had caressed her back, hip, and thigh on the ride home. He was never inappropriate and gave her no reason to believe that he had even a single dirty thought in his brain at the time, but that didn’t stop the lewd thoughts from crowding her own head. By the time they reached the front door, Sidney was a mass of nerves and a ball of desire.
When the car finally stopped in their driveway, Tyce got out and opened her door, reaching for her waist to lift her from the seat. His thumbs brushed the undersides of her breasts, and a sharp gasp slipped from between her grinding teeth. He froze, watching her face, and then a slow, wicked smile crept over his face.
“Well, well, well. Our baby is feeling a little needy all of a sudden, huh?” he asked loudly. His hands slid down her ribs around to cup her ass, squeezing gently.
She nodded and bit her bottom lip. She felt Noah press up against her back and bend to suckle on her neck as Tyce kissed her forehead. “Not out here, honey. Let’s take it inside, and we’ll make sure all of your needs are taken care of,” Noah said, nudging her forward with his hips.
Sidney followed Tyce and Noah into the house, with Xavier bringing up the rear. She had barely set her purse on the end table when Xavier was spinning her into his arms and wrapping his body tightly around her. His mouth descended on her in a powerful kiss that made it hard for her to think.