Armored Hearts [The Town of Pearl 7] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever)

by Dixie Lynn Dwyer

  She looked at his shoulders. Wide, hard, muscular and the black material appeared stretched to capacity. She gulped. There was no fucking way she was leaning on this asshole.

  She grabbed the railing and pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear and took the first step.

  He glanced over his shoulder and huffed in annoyance. Then Fenton turned around and crossed his arms in front of his chest and took each step backwards, watching her painstakingly take each step.

  She was out of breath and nearly in tears halfway down when he cursed and then pulled her very ungentlemanlike into his arms and carried her the rest of the way.

  She had the urge to beat on his chest and call him all sorts of names, but she felt dizzy, tired from walking down a few damn stairs. She was frustrated and it didn’t help that this Fenton character had a piss-poor attitude and definitely was unhappy about her being here. Well so was she. She would rather be in Chicago working, socializing with friends, or even by Aspen’s side as some Russian assholes caused a blood war. It would all be better than relying on this jerk to carry her to the kitchen.

  He would surely flip if she said she lost her appetite and now felt nauseous.

  He slowed his pace and then he inhaled right before he set her down surprisingly gently on the stool by the island in the kitchen.

  “Eggs or cereal?” he asked.

  “Cereal is easier,” she replied and he rolled his eyes.

  “Protein will help you and some carbs, too. You’re too thin. The better you eat the faster you’ll heal. You’ll eat what I make for you.” He turned around and she childishly flipped him the bird.

  She heard someone chuckle and Grey appeared wearing lounge pants and a tank top that showed off some amazing muscles. These men were perfection in the body department.

  She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and then gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, remembering too late about the swelling.

  Grey approached and placed his hand over the back of her chair as he leaned closer to whisper, “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

  He teased her and she almost felt normal for a second but then his eyes roamed over her face and her neck. He suddenly looked taken aback and he walked away.

  “Glad that you’re up and about. Sorry you were greeted by grumpy over here,” Grey said as he started to make the coffee.

  “Fuck you. I saved her sorry ass from falling down the stairs and breaking her fucking neck.”

  Grey appeared shocked and he swung his heard toward India and she felt guilty. Which was incredibly stupid considering she was a grown woman and these men were strangers. Who gave a rat’s ass what they thought?

  Apparently she did as her cheeks warmed and she explained.

  “I didn’t want to wake anyone up. I can’t expect all of you to carry me everywhere.” She felt Fenton’s eyes on her and one quick glance that way and he had one eyebrow cocked upward and an annoyed expression on his face.

  “I could have gotten down the rest of the way, Fenton. I may just have needed a break for a few minutes.”

  “You were about to fall on your face. No walking around on your own, and definitely no stairs. You’re a fucking liability.”

  “Fenton,” Grey snapped.

  Fenton looked at India and then went back to making the eggs.

  “I told you he was cranky in the morning. How did you sleep last night?”

  “Okay,” she said but glanced back at Fenton. The man was so dark and dangerous looking. To know he was a soldier and man who obviously had no etiquette whatsoever warned her to stay clear of him.

  “Maybe you would like to stay downstairs during the day? We have a big library, a movie room, too,” Grey suggested. He seemed very diplomatic and compassionate. She assumed he made a very good deputy. His looks alone probably got women to do illegal things just to have the man touch them and handcuff them. She felt her cheeks warm and her breasts tingle. She found him attractive, just like she found Fisher and the others attractive, too.

  “That would be a nice change. I don’t want to stay in bed all the time. I need to move around,” she said.

  He nodded his head and then took down a mug.

  “Coffee?”

  She nodded.

  “When can I talk to Silas or my friend Aspen?” she asked Grey.

  “You can’t.”

  She turned to see Ford enter the kitchen. He looked her over and then headed toward the coffee maker.

  Ford had a way about him, too. Each of these men had strong characters and being in a room with them put her on edge. No man ever did that to her, never mind five. She hoped that Flynn and Fisher were late sleepers.

  “Why not?” she asked as Ford fixed his coffee. Black, two sugars. His blond hair was wet and slicked back. He wore a blue shirt that made his very aqua-blue eyes stand out. He, too, had some tattoos. Not as many as it seemed Fenton had but enough to be peeking out of the T-shirt he wore. His black pants hugged his muscular thighs and the cowboy boots added to his attractive appearance.

  “It’s not safe for you, India. I’m only to contact Silas in an emergency and using a burner phone,” Ford explained.

  “That means no sneaking on to one of the house phones and calling.” Fenton pointed a finger at her as he placed a plate of eggs and toast down on the counter in front of her.

  “Bacon is almost done,” he added in a grumpy tone.

  “Like I would do that?”

  “You’d get us all killed, sweetheart,” Fenton added and gave her the once-over.

  Instantly her nipples tingled and she gripped a fistful of her shirt and held the material tight. He stared at her. His green eyes made her think a thousand things, and none of them were anything she wanted to face. She felt on edge, interested in him despite his attitude. Or maybe it was curiosity. Either way, she needed to gain her strength and start showing how strong she really was and not weak. She just wished her body would cooperate. She leaned back, ignored the pain, and stared Fenton in the eyes.

  “What exactly are your credentials?” she asked with an attitude, and this time she let her eyes roam over his body.

  Fenton lifted his shirt, exposing the Glock on his waist just as Ford raised his hand as if he would answer her question.

  She was shocked to see the gun. It affected her more than his tight, tan abs. But she was even more shocked to react to it the way she did.

  The flashback was instant, sending a chill over her flesh, making her feel rigid and cold. The room spun, and she grabbed the edge of the granite island. The blunt strike of cold, hard metal. The cursing and carrying on as spittle hit her face. Iakov had held a similar looking weapon against her head as one of the other guys kicked her.

  She clenched her eyes closed and held a hand to her head, turning away and sliding off the stool. The smell of the van. The sweat and men’s cologne filled her senses.

  “India?” Grey steadied her, the concern in his voice apparent as she pulled away and sat back down but wouldn’t look at Fenton.

  She didn’t want to see the gun. She wondered how something so similar could cause such a reaction in her. Her body shook and the fear seemed to overwhelm her as flashbacks of her attack hit her mind. India heard nothing the men said to her. The images were stronger, louder, clear and sharp in her mind.

  She felt Grey’s hand on her shoulder and she shrugged it off.

  “Put it away. Just put it away, please,” she said without looking at Fenton.

  “Jesus. What the fuck, Fenton?” Ford reprimanded and then came over to India.

  “He put it away. He wouldn’t use it on you, India. Fenton is just a bit rough around the edges,” Grey tried consoling.

  “Was that a Glock? Are you guys part of a mafia, too?” she asked.

  “No. We’re retired Special Forces. We do freelance work as hunters, protectors, like in your case. We’ve known Silas for years. Why would you think we were mafia?” Ford questioned her.

  She rubbed her
temple and kept her eyes closed, willing herself to not think about the pain she’d felt when the barrel of the gun was wedged against her head. She was bruised there. She tried to force the memories away. They were so vivid. She was thinking that her life had been normal, happy, typical until that moment when two men jumped out, grabbed her, threw her into the van, and sped off as they closed the door and restrained her.

  She inhaled deeply, her breathing almost too rapid and foreign for her to think it belonged to her. Their scent filled her nostrils and she had to force herself to remember that it was different than Iakov’s and the men that assaulted her. She covered her mouth and nose to will the scents and sensations away. The cologne and masculinity as hands caressed up and down her arms and another set held her shoulders made her feel desperate and out of control. She wanted to run but her body couldn’t do that. India felt the gentle touch to her cheek and then a mumbled curse.

  She blinked her eyes, realizing they were filled with tears and embarrassment shook her. She didn’t want to show fear in front of these men. In front of anyone ever again. Grey’s hazel eyes held hers. The masculinity of his hold and the sincerity in his voice told every inch of her body and her gut that she was safe and he was one of the good guys.

  “One of the men who took you, did he hold a gun like that to your head?” Grey asked.

  She heard the mumbled curses, the scraping of a stool as the legs moved against the flooring. Her heart pounded in her chest, in her ears, as Grey’s deep, authoritative voice surrounded her.

  How did he figure that out? Who were these men?

  She gulped and pulled away from him. She had to be strong. Iakov and Andrei couldn’t get to her here. Why would they? She needed to move on and just forget what happened.

  As her body started to come down from the fearful moment, like some anxiety attack or something, she moved away from Grey. Slowly the pounding and echoing in her ears and head became more bearable and she eased herself closer to the seat. She couldn’t accept comfort, physical protection from men she didn’t know. Not from men who were some sort of soldiers, hired protectors, or even killers themselves.

  She slid onto the stool, her body aching from the bruises.

  “I don’t want these to get cold,” she said and burrowed over the dish of eggs, scooping some onto the fork. The metal clattered against the side of the dish she was shaking so damn hard. Her hand shook as she tried to act unaffected and normal when she was feeling anything but normal. Grey covered her hand with his own. She wouldn’t look at him.

  “You’re safe here. I promise you.”

  She still stared at the eggs and he helped her to take the first bite as she nodded, acknowledging his statement.

  He released her hand and let her finish in silence as they all went about their business, making breakfast and scrapping pieces of bacon as soon as they came out of the frying pan. They joked around. A little. She felt it was done to appease her fear.

  How was she going to handle this without Aspen? She relied on her just as much Aspen relied on India.

  Please let me get stronger and stronger. I can’t be weak. These men, Fenton, will eat me alive.

  She nearly fell off the stool, her heart leaping to her chest as the sound of barking and excitement echoed from the hallway.

  She dropped her fork and turned, her side hitting the counter at the island just as they came into view.

  Three huge German Shepherds came barreling down the hallway and straight into the kitchen.

  Grey stood in front of her, made a signal with his hand, and the three dogs immediately sat down, going from attack killer mode to instant attention.

  It was only then she noticed the hand on her shoulder and another wrapped around her waist from behind. Fenton held her tight as if he were preparing to haul her off the chair. Was he going to feed her to the wolves or rescue her in case they attacked? She didn’t know as she began having trouble breathing.

  “They’re not going to hurt you,” Grey said.

  “Oh shit. We didn’t realize that India was up and in here. Crap,” Fisher said as he and Flynn entered the room.

  The three dogs panted in front of her. They were trying to sniff but Grey was keeping them at bay.

  She liked dogs, but these things were the biggest freaking German Shepherds she had ever laid eyes on. The shock of them coming at her was the last thing she needed.

  She kept her hand over her chest and felt Fenton ease his arm from around her waist to rub her back. Instead of making her feel better, it aroused her and she was shocked. How the fuck could she feel an attraction to Mr. Personality, or to any of these men for that matter?

  She took a few steady breaths as Fenton continued to rub her back.

  “They’re just very protective. We’ve kept them from the house as much as possible since you got here so they wouldn’t disturb your sleep,” Fisher explained, joining them.

  “Magnum, Clint, Charles, meet India,” Fisher introduced them.

  “Hold out your hand to greet them,” Flynn said as he took her hand. She locked gazes with him a moment. The crew-cut blond hair and deep blue eyes made him seem so approachable and sweet.

  She reached out and sure enough the dogs, one by one, lifted their paws for her to shake.

  “Let them sniff you. Get your scent so they know it’s okay for you to be here even if one of us isn’t nearby,” Fenton said from behind her. Although he wasn’t touching her, she felt him behind her. She even felt a bit protected because of him. Every time the man spoke she felt this vibration inside of her body.

  Slowly she eased down off the stool and the dogs sniffed her. Magnum nudged his big snoot under her hand and then licked. She chuckled as she lowered to her knee, a bit wobbly, and all three dogs began to lick and sniff her. One laid his head on her shoulder and whimpered.

  “Well shit, they’re really laying it on thick,” Grey declared and then shook his head. The men were gathered around her as well as the dogs. Their fur was fluffy and they really were quite affectionate.

  “Can you blame them?” Ford asked, eyeing India over. She locked gazes with him and her entire body felt tense and tingled.

  He held her gaze longer than a glance, and she couldn’t help but to think he found her attractive. It was crazy, but she felt the atmosphere begin to shift to a different feeling.

  “They like you, India. That’s good. They’re really good judges of character,” Flynn complimented as he pet the dogs. His forearm brushed against her hip as he bent down close. She glanced at him. He was trim and muscular. He gave her a soft smile.

  “Do you like dogs?” he asked.

  “I always wanted one, but my parents never let Silas and I get one,” she told him as she pet Charles. Magnum nudged her hand for her to give him attention, too, and then Clint rolled over onto his back. She chuckled.

  “Why was that?” Flynn asked her.

  “I think they didn’t want the responsibility for one. They said they were allergic, but they just didn’t want to be bothered.”

  “It’s a shame. Dogs can really be great for children,” Ford added.

  “Dogs can be wonderful for a lot of things, even therapy,” she added.

  She glanced at Flynn and something changed in his eyes.

  Flynn seemed to be the calmest and quietest of the men. She would catch him watching her and it made her feel aroused and yet on edge. She got the gist of who these men were. Trained, guns for hire, retired Special Forces. Was there more to know? Her gut clenched as anxiety, awareness consumed her. The five men were all in the kitchen with her and their three extra-large killer dogs. How could she be any safer? So why was she shaking?

  “There were a lot of strays in Iraq, when we were serving. You remember that black one with the gray eyes, Fisher?” Flynn asked him.

  Fisher stood there with his arms crossed in front of his thick, chest. The man was filled with muscles. His jeans hugged his hips and the dark T-shirt he wore accentuated his pectoral muscl
es and his biceps with the tattoos on them.

  “I sure do. That was a great dog. Showed up every morning for chow time.” He gave a small chuckle that came out like a grunt.

  “That would have been a great dog to take back here with us,” Grey added.

  “Why didn’t you? Is there a law against that?” she asked.

  “Roadside bomb,” Fenton said and looked really pissed off. It was obvious that the circumstances of the dog’s demise upset them.

  “How sad. Was anyone else hurt?” she asked.

  They were all silent, and she had a feeling they lost fellow troops.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

  She held onto the stool as she attempted to get up. The strain on her muscles and especially her ribs made her lose her breath. Both Flynn and Ford reached for her, and when they touched, she was shocked at the attraction she felt.

  They seemed to feel it, too, as they both helped her back onto the stool with the dogs whimpering as if concerned.

  “She’ll be okay, guys. Go to your places,” Ford told the dogs and all three turned around and ran out of the room.

  * * * *

  Flynn didn’t want to release his hold on India. The connection and spark he felt touching her was like nothing he’d ever felt before. It was so crazy. He’d never really reacted to a woman the way he was reacting to India. He’d had his share of women. All of them had. None ever stayed in the same house as them. Maybe that was the difference. Flynn didn’t allow a woman to get close to him. Many clung, or immediately started talking about family and kids. Some just wanted to have sex with a soldier. He used the whole Special Forces title a time or two to get a hot chick in bed. But it was meaningless on both ends.

  This conversation they all just had with India about the dog, about Iraq and the dog’s death, had never been brought up before. Yet, here they were, hanging out in the kitchen with a woman they hardly knew, and they were talking. The craziest part was that it felt right.

  He was getting older. Maybe that was why this felt different? He looked back at India as she sipped from her coffee and Ford talked about the dogs and how well trained they were. Maybe it was simply the fact that India was gorgeous. As a matter of fact, after reading her file, he was pretty sure she was out of his league. Her profile read like some debutant with limos, designer clothing, high-maintenance tendencies and then some. He sure wasn’t cut out to be her doormat.