by Leah Brooke
* * * *
Erin had finished bagging an order when an awareness she never quite understood overtook her senses.
The back of her neck prickled, but the clenching of her insides gave the warning an erotic edge.
Promising herself that she wouldn’t look at them, she forced a smile and waved a friendly good-bye to one of their regular customers. “Have a nice day.”
Erin glanced at Rachel, her stomach pulse tripping at the combination of amusement and alarm in Rachel’s eyes.
Recognizing Jared’s watch out of the corner of her eye, she rounded the counter, brushing past him to join her sister. Keeping her voice low, she helped Rachel refold panties. “They’re just trying to intimidate me. They’re still pissed off because they think I had a thing with Wes. Assholes. All men are assholes.” She looked up with a grimace. “Where the hell are the customers when you need them?”
Rachel glanced up. “Erin, Reese is on his way over.”
“I’m ignoring him.” Erin started to turn, yelping when Reese wrapped an arm around her thighs and lifted her over his shoulder with a speed that left her dizzy.
“You can try to ignore me, but I don’t think you’ll have much luck.” He slapped her ass, making her yelp again.
“Reese! Put me down.” She glared at Jared and Duncan as Reese strode past them, not giving them the satisfaction of kicking at them as she had in the past.
It only amused them.
Erin didn’t speak when Reese walked out the back door, biting her lip when he continued across the parking lot to their SUV.
He unlocked the back door and opened it before easing her from his shoulder to hold her against his chest and climbing into the back seat with her.
After sliding to the center of the seat and settling her on his lap, he closed and locked the door before lifting her chin to stare into her eyes. “It’s time to get a few things settled.”
Erin gulped, unnerved by the erotic intent glittering in his eyes. “I don’t feel like talking to you right now.”
Reese smiled. “You’ve made that abundantly clear.”
Something in his tone sent a tingling chill up her spine, but it was the look in his eyes that totally disconcerted her.
Stunned, she felt him unfasten her jeans with a sense of unreality. “Reese?”
Reality slammed into her again with a vengeance when he yanked her jeans down to her knees. “I’m mad at you, and even if I wasn’t, I’m not fucking you in the damned car!”
“Really? That’s what you think this is about? Interesting.”
Alarm set in when he flipped her to her stomach. “Damn it, Reese!”
She pushed against the seat to get up, but a hard arm at her back made it impossible. Sucking in a breath when his other hand flattened on her ass, Erin began to struggle in earnest. “What the hell are you doing?”
The hand on her ass moved, seeming hotter than it had been just seconds earlier. “I think you know the answer to that. You deserve it for not telling us that you might be in danger.”
Fisting her hands against the wave of desire, Erin turned to look up at him over her shoulder. “Are you kidding me? That’s what you’re pissed off about?”
Reese lifted her shirt out of the way and resumed his caress. “That and the fact that you went to Cramer’s hotel room alone.”
Insulted, she tried to slap at him, her position not allowing her to get the leverage she needed. “You asshole!” Her next attempt to get up earned her a sharp slap on her ass, the resulting surge of arousal pissing her off even more. “Reese, damn it! I wasn’t going to have sex with him.”
How could he possibly think that?
“Don’t you think we know that?” He slapped her ass again. “We know you, Erin. We trust you, apparently a hell of a lot more than you trust us.”
Her bottom stung, the heat quickly spreading in a way that had her squirming against him.
“Then why the hell are you doing this? Damn it, Reese. Someone could see me.”
Another slap landed. “Do you think I would do this where someone could see you? And I’m not paddling your ass because I thought you would fuck Cramer. I’m spanking you for putting yourself in danger. Cramer grabbed you, Erin.” His hand came down on her already warm ass, heating it even more.
“Ow! Your Neanderthal brothers spank me. You never do. How can you do this to me?”
Reese had always been the most even-tempered of her husbands, so she’d never expected something so extreme from him. “After watching another man grab at you and hear him talk about how the two of you belong together, I wasn’t in a particularly good mood.”
Another slap landed, and he began to caress her ass again, spreading the heat in a way that ignited the heat at her slit.
Turning her over, he gathered her against him, burying his face against her neck. “Christ, when I saw him touch you, I wanted to kill him. When I thought you might want to go away with him, I wanted to die.”
Stunned at the emotion in his voice, Erin slid a hand into her hair. “Reese, it’s okay.”
Lifting his head, he stared down at her, his eyes glittering in the fading light. “It was not okay. And then you had the nerve to give me attitude all day.” Sliding his hand between her thighs, he stroked her clit. “That wasn’t very nice.”
Erin gulped, sliding her hand down to grip the front of his shirt. “You were insufferable and didn’t trust me.”
Need clawed at her, the friction against her clit making it swell and burn.
Reese slowed his decadent caress, fisting a hand in her hair to lift her slightly. “I was furious that you kept something so important from us and met a man in his hotel room, something you’d better never do again.” Bending, he touched his lips to hers, brushing them back and forth. “You never keep anything from us. The fact that you did scared me to death. And then you met him alone. He touched you.”
She tried to lift herself to increase the pressure against her lips, but the hand in her hair tightened, preventing her from kissing him. “Damn it, Reese! I went because I wanted to know why the hell he was still here. It didn’t make sense, and I was handling him until you three showed up.” The knowledge that he could toy with her or send her over on a whim had her words spilling out in a rush. “Damn it, Reese. It’s hard to concentrate when you’re doing that.”
Chuckling, he bent to kiss her, lifting his head again far too soon to stare down at her. “Good to hear. I need this from you.” Applying a light pressure, he leaned her back with a hand fisted in her hair and stroked faster. “You should have let us deal with him.”
“I c-can deal with my own p-problems.”
His eyes narrowed to slits, glittering dangerously. “But now that you’re our wife, we deal with them. You’re ours, Erin. You’d better start getting used to that.”
His tone deepened.
Became gravelly.
Staring into her eyes, he increased the friction on her clit. “How you can’t know how desirable you are is beyond me. There’s nothing sexier or more arousing than making a strong woman fall apart in your arms.”
Her clit burned hotter, the tingling sensation spreading quickly as the pleasure exploded.
Her body tightened when it crested, and squeezing her eyes closed, she clung to Reese, crying out against his chest.
Every nerve ending in her body came alive, filling her with a sense of wonder. “Reese! Oh God!”
Feeling his lips in her hair, she pumped her hips, riding the waves of bliss.
She never got used to the pleasure.
She never got used to giving herself over with such ease, nor could she understand how her husbands managed to strip her of her defenses as if they weren’t there.
Reese groaned. “Yeah. Like that.” He slowed his strokes, dragging out the pleasure until her clit became too sensitive to endure more.
With his cock pressing against her side, he groaned again and gathered her close. “Damn, you excite me.”
&nb
sp; Lifting her face for his kiss, Erin forced her eyes open. “So what are you going to do about it?”
Chuckling, he accepted her invitation, deepening his kiss before breaking off abruptly with a curse. “Fuck. I’m not taking you here.” He slid a hand over her ass before slapping it lightly again. “No more meeting men in hotel rooms.”
Erin poked his chest. “You and your brothers are too over-protective.”
After pulling her jeans up and fastening them, he gathered her close again. “We have a lot to protect.” Opening the door, he slid out, set her on her feet, and kissed her again. “It’s your fault for being so cute.”
“Cute? Cute?” Her smile fell when Reese stilled. “What?”
But she already smelled it.
Smoke.
He rushed to the back of the truck, looking out toward the back of the lot and across the street where their furniture store stood—smoke pouring from the windows.
“Fuck! Get inside.” He whipped around again when Jared and Duncan came crashing through the back door, both men leaping over the stairs and rushing toward them as they stared in the same direction.
All three men sprinted toward the store, looks of horror on their faces.
Erin watched them race away, her heart in her throat.
They’d built every piece of furniture in their store by hand.
Each piece was unique, and they spent hours creating the most beautiful furniture she’d ever seen.
They loved what they did, and their furniture was always in high demand.
Thinking of all that beautiful furniture destroyed made her stomach hurt.
The sight of flames licking at the roof brought tears to her eyes.
Relieved to see the manager and their two employees standing across the street, visibly upset, Erin breathed a sigh of relief when her husbands came to an abrupt stop next to them just as a fire truck pulled up. Ace and Linc pulled up on either side of the street and jumped out of their cars, immediately shouting orders and clearing the area.
Her fathers-in-law came rushing by with her mother-in-law in tow, the looks of horror on their faces making the situation all the more real.
Ben Preston pointed toward the back door of the lingerie shop, eyeing both Erin and Isabelle. “Both of you, get inside. Now!”
Watching the fire, Isabelle approached, her face pale. “I can’t believe this.”
Erin put her arm around the older woman and tried to speak, but nothing came out except a croak. Swallowing heavily, she shook her head. “Neither can I. How did this happen? They’re going to be devastated.”
Taking her arm, Isabelle nodded. “I know. Come on. We need to get inside.”
She could barely hear her over the sounds of the sirens of more fire trucks approaching and the shouts of the residents of Desire rushing to the scene.
Isabella shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears. “You’re right. This is going to devastate them.” Wiping away a tear, she sniffed. “Come on, Erin. Let’s go inside. I want to see the babies. All this noise is going to scare them.”
Erin nodded, sliding a hand in her pocket with the intention of calling Boone. “I’ll be there in a few minutes. I think I left my cell phone in the SUV.”
She watched her mother-in-law make her way to the back door of the store, tears in her eyes when she turned to look back at the fire.
Running a hand through her hair, Erin looked back, as well, her gaze sliding to her husbands.
Although they had their backs to her, she could tell by their posture that they were furious.
Two more fire engines arrived, along with an ambulance, the noise deafening.
She wanted to go to them, but they started toward the back of the building, probably to check on the warehouse located behind the store.
Watching them until they disappeared around the side of the building with Linc and Rafe, she blinked back more tears.
She didn’t see Ace but would bet money that he was still there, barking out orders and taking charge.
Knowing Boone and Chase would want to know, she looked away, anxious to call them and get back inside.
Just as she reached for the door handle, she saw her phone on the ground and reached out to pick it up. A hand closed over her shoulder, and something hard pressed against her back.
A gun.
She froze, her heart pounding with fear, her senses sharpening.
“Hello, Erin.”
Although his voice had deepened over the years, she recognized it at once.
Taking a deep breath, she straightened and turned, fighting to hide her fear as she faced a man who’d aged twenty years in the last five.
His hair had turned gray, matching the stubble on his face, and he looked and smelled as if he hadn’t showered in days.
Swallowing heavily, she lowered her gaze to the gun in his hand. “Hello, Nelson.”
Chapter Ten
Erin looked toward where her husbands had been standing, but she had to face the truth.
She was on her own.
“They’re gone. I figured burning down their store was one way to get them away from you.” His cold smile sent a chill down her spine. “Nice distraction for the whole town, don’t you think?”
Surreptitiously looking around for the FBI agents who were supposed to be following Nelson Stark, Erin studied him, looking for any weakness.
“I assumed you’d be long gone by now. I figured you’d left the country.”
He stood only an inch or two taller than her and had been slightly overweight the last time she saw him, but now appeared thin and gaunt.
Weak.
The fire in his eyes and the gun he held pointed at her chest told her he was far more dangerous than he appeared.
“I can’t very well leave without my money. You took it, and I want it back.”
“What?” Stunned, she gaped at him, wondering if he’d gone insane.
“Don’t play games with me, bitch. I managed to hide almost seven million. It’s gone.”
“I didn’t take your money.”
“Liar.” He gripped her arm, pressing the gun against her side. “Wes Cramer told me that you knew where I’d hidden it. How did you know?”
Erin blinked, finally understanding Wes’s visit to Desire. “Wes Cramer told you that I knew where you’d hidden the money you stole?”
She hadn’t suspected Wes capable of such treachery, but John Ritten had seldom been wrong.
Wes Cramer was involved up to his eyeballs.
“Seven million dollars. So much money.” He smiled faintly. “I had to buy two of those army surplus duffel bags to hold it.”
His expression hardened. “I dreamed about those duffel bags the entire time I was in prison. I dreamed about digging up those drab green bags and showing them to my wife. We would have left the country with more money than we could ever spend. Live on a beach somewhere and never have to worry about money.”
Nelson Stark pulled her against his side, pulling her with him as he made his way across the asphalt to the shadows behind the small group of trees lining the parking lot. “My wife didn’t believe me and wanted a divorce. Cramer promised to dig it up and give Carol a million dollars of it so she would be secure until I got out. When he went to get it, it was gone. Gone! You fucking bitch! My wife divorced me because of you.”
Suddenly everything made sense.
Her former boss had suspected that Wes took the money Nelson had hidden, and now she knew why Nelson had told him where it was hidden.
He wanted to provide for his family.
Wes’s phone call and unexpected visit were nothing more than his attempts to get her away so Nelson couldn’t find her.
She wondered briefly if Wes had intended to kill her to keep his secret.
Nelson would never have found out that Wes was the one who’d stolen his money because Wes would keep the blame placed on her.
Nelson pressed the gun harder against her side, the pain excruciating. “A f
riend of mine went into your shop. She’s pretending to browse, but she has a gun with her.”
Erin gasped and tried to pull from his grip, but he tightened his hold and pulled her along to the side street away from the parking lot, pressing the barrel of the gun against her side so hard she gasped in agony. “No!”
His grip tightened, his strength surprising. “She’ll use it on your sister and the brats that are in there unless you come with me and get me my money.”
He jerked her to a halt behind a dumpster and slammed her against the brick wall with enough force to knock the wind out of her. Gripping her jaw, he pressed the back of her head against the brick while poking the barrel of the gun harder against her ribs. “You’re going to get my money for me, and if you hesitate, I’m going to have my friend take that kid of yours until I get all that I have coming to me.”
Hiding a wince when the gun pressed harder against her already sore ribs, Erin blinked back tears of fear for her family. “I’m sure you’re going to get everything that’s coming to you.”
Pulling her away from the wall and back against him, he dragged her toward the side street, heading toward a nondescript mid-sized car. “I know what you’re thinking, and that’s not going to happen. Once I get my money, I’ll disappear. No one will find me.”
“You’re wrong about that.”
The deep baritone commanded attention, and when Nelson swung around with Erin in front of him, she looked down at the gun in Ace Tyler’s hand, which commanded even more.
“Ace!”
Ace nodded once, not taking his eyes from Nelson. “Erin. Looks like you’ve got a friend.”
She knew she had to take a chance and spoke in a rush. “There’s a woman in the shop with a gun. She’s going to take the baby if I don’t—”
“Shut up, bitch!”
Pain exploded at her temple, her knees buckling and stars dancing behind her eyes.
Ace shouted something, the rage in his voice getting through to her even though the words didn’t.
Blinking several times to clear her vision, Erin looked into Ace’s eyes, struck by the powerful combination of fear and fury in them.