by Becca Van
“What about your feet, darlin’?” Kent met her gaze when Dawson stopped outside the open door.
“They’re fine. Just a few little cuts and nicks from the glass.”
“Did he tell you to stay off of them?” Dawson asked as he lowered her to the seat. When she glanced away, he had his answer. He sighed loudly enough for her to hear his frustration as he helped her put her seat belt on and then closed the door. Kent was already in the driver’s seat, so he jumped into the front. They were five minutes into the trip home when he glanced into the back. Bella was sound asleep with the side of her head resting on the window.
He hated that she’d been hurt. In fact, finding her scared and bleeding had anger surging into a tight ball in his chest. However, he was also really glad to have an excuse to bring her home with him and Kent, and for that he felt like a total asshole.
“She doing okay?” Kent asked as he glanced in the rearview mirror. He mustn’t have been able to see her properly, because he leaned up a bit before glancing over at Dawson.
“She’s asleep,” he said.
Kent nodded. “Good thing from what I saw. That cut on her hand was so fucking deep it looked as if it was almost to the bone.”
“Yeah.”
“Who do you think was skulking around her place?”
“Do you really need to ask?” Dawson scrubbed a hand over his face when he heard the anger in his voice. “Sorry.”
“Hey, don’t apologize. I’m just as pissed as you are.”
Kent slowed the truck and took the final turn toward their ranch. He glanced at his phone when it vibrated with an incoming text from Coop. Went to the sister’s boyfriend’s place to question him. The smarmy bastard acted all innocent, but I have a feeling he’s our man. Nothing I can do without any evidence or catching him in the act. If he was there and he drove, the asshole was smart enough to garage his vehicle so we couldn’t feel the hood for heat. Sorry.
“That Coop?” Kent asked as he parked the truck close to the stairs leading to the veranda and the front door.
“Yeah.”
“Did he get anything?”
“Not a fucking thing.”
“Do you think this bastard could be our serial killer?” Kent asked as he unclipped his seat belt and opened the truck door.
“I wouldn’t put anything past that fucker.”
“Why do you think he’s hassling her?” Kent opened the back door opposite to where Bella was sleeping.
“I don’t know, but I don’t like it.”
“Me either.” Kent climbed into the back, unhooked Bella’s seat belt, and then gently pulled her away from the door until she was leaning against his side.
Dawson opened the door, bent down, and lifted her into his arms. She whimpered in her sleep and then sighed as she nuzzled her cheek against his chest. She felt so good, so right in his arms, and he loved the way she curled into him subconsciously. That gave him hope that she would consent to being in a relationship with him and Kent. Dawson nudged the door closed with his hip and strode up the stairs. Kent raced around him after locking the truck, then unlocked the front door before pushing it open and stepping aside.
“We putting her in the master bedroom?” Kent asked after closing the front door and following him down the hallway.
“Yes.”
“I’ll pull the covers back.”
Dawson waited for Kent to pull the covers back before gently placing Bella on the bed. Since she was still dressed in her clothes, they only covered her with the sheet. Dawson flicked the light to the adjoining bathroom on, partially closed the door so the light wouldn’t wake her, and then headed out to the kitchen with Kent following him. He glanced at the clock to find it was already after midnight.
“Is she supposed to take more pain meds later?” Kent asked as he handed Dawson a bottle of beer.
Dawson popped the top and took a deep slug. He was tired after the wonderful day they’d spent with Bella at the festival, but he was also excited about having her in their house for the first time. He just wished it was under better circumstances.
“I didn’t think to ask. I had to distract her when she went to pay the doctor’s bill.”
Kent nodded as he sipped on his beer. “Let me check her purse.”
“She’ll be annoyed if she finds out you went rummaging around in her stuff.”
“Don’t care,” Kent replied. “I’d rather have her pissed at me than for her to be in pain.”
Kent left the room and then came back carrying Bella’s purse. He opened it up and peered inside before glancing back at Dawson with a perplexed look on his face.
“What?” Dawson quirked his brow.
“Why the hell do women feel the need to carry so much shit around with them?”
Dawson chuckled. “If I knew the answer to that, I could probably solve the world’s problems.”
Kent grinned and nodded as he upended the purse onto the kitchen counter. His gaze locked on to the small bottle of pills, and then he picked it up. He squinted as he read the prescription dosage. “Take two tablets every four hours. Maximum dose of eight in a twenty-four-hour period.”
“Assuming the doctor gave her something while attending her injuries, she won’t be due for any more for another three and a half hours,” Dawson said.
“I hope she sleeps through the night. I hated seeing her so pale and in pain.”
“Me, too, but what I hated more was seeing her so scared.”
“I know.” Kent drained his beer bottle before putting it into the recycle bin. “I wish we had something to arrest that bastard with.”
“I do, too.” Dawson turned to meet Kent’s gaze after depositing his empty bottle into the recycle bin. “We should head to bed. We’re both going to need to keep our wits about us with Bella in the house.”
“You are so right.” Kent laughed humorlessly. “Every time I set eyes on her, I have to stop myself from pulling her into my arms, and from kissing and touching her.”
“I hear ya.” Dawson turned out the kitchen light and walked with his friend toward their bedrooms. “We can’t just pounce on her though.” Dawson and Kent had left the master bedroom unoccupied, hoping to share it with the woman of their dreams. It had felt right to have Bella sleeping in that room. He hoped that she would be more than happy to move in with them and spend her life with him and Kent, after she got to them better. He wanted her in his life permanently.
Kent nodded. “See you in the morning.”
“That you will.” Dawson entered his bedroom and closed the door. He immediately opened it again until it was only half-closed. He wanted to be able to hear Bella if she woke up before morning. He wasn’t sure she was going to remember where she was, since she was doped up on pain medication.
* * * *
Bella rolled onto her side as she surfaced from sleep and then moaned when she placed her hand under her cheek. She swallowed the bile in her throat and took deep, even breaths to circumvent the nausea in her stomach. Her lids fluttered up, and she closed them again when the pounding in her head intensified. It wasn’t her hand that was making her feel ill. It was the hammering pain inside her skull.
When saliva began to pool in her mouth, she knew she was going to have to move, and fast. She flung the cover aside, set her feet on the floor, and yelped when she stood. Her feet were so damn sore she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to walk to the bathroom, but she didn’t have any choice. Not if she didn’t want to have to clean up a mess.
She aimed for the partially opened door and blinked with confusion at the unfamiliar surroundings, but she didn’t have time to ponder where she was. She quickly stumbled and limped her way across the large bathroom to the door on the other side of the room, then sank to her knees as she raised the toilet seat and spewed her guts up. Tears streamed down her face as her stomach muscles convulsed each time she heaved until she had nothing left to bring up.
She kept her eyes closed since the light only seemed t
o compound the pounding in her head, and just as she flushed the toilet, she heard movement behind her.
Bella whipped her head around and then moaned as she used her stitched hand to cover her burning eyes. She’d only gotten a glimpse of the nearly naked man coming toward her, but it had been more than enough to have that sexy image burned into her retinas for all time. If she wasn’t feeling like she’d been on a weeklong alcoholic binge, she would have no doubt been ogling the broad, muscular, bare chest with drool running down her chin.
“Shit! Are you okay, baby?” Dawson asked as he helped her to her feet.
Bella nodded, and then groaned and wished she just answered verbally, because then maybe her head wouldn’t feel as if it were about to explode.
She stumbled forward and careened right into Dawson. Her hands landed on his warm, rock-hard, bare chest. He lifted her into his arms and carried her toward the sink before sitting her on the counter.
“What’s going on?” Kent asked as he entered the bathroom.
“Bella’s sick.”
“Is your hand hurting, darlin’?” Kent asked as he came closer.
Dawson handed her a toothbrush with toothpaste already on the bristles. Bella opened her eyes to mere slits and held her finger up in a gesture for more time. She brushed her teeth, tongue, and the inside of her cheeks before spitting and rinsing her mouth. Kent wrapped her hand around a glass that had a small amount of mouthwash in it. She swished and gargled and rinsed again.
“What made you sick?” Dawson asked.
“Migraine,” she replied in a croaky voice.
“Do you have any medication for that?” Kent asked.
“Not with me.” Bella sighed with frustration. She hadn’t even thought about the newly filled prescription she’d gotten Friday afternoon after she’d finished work, because after her scare, she’d had other things on her mind.
“What about the pills the doctor gave you for the pain in your hand? Will they help?” Dawson asked.
“I think so. I hope so.”
“You help Bella back to bed,” Dawson said. “I’ll get the pills and some water.”
Kent scooped her up off of the counter and into his arms. Even though she was in pain and still feeling sick, she loved how he smelled and found herself inhaling through her nose over and over again.
“Here we are, Bella.” Kent lowered her to the bed. “Do you want to get out of your clothes?”
Bella wanted that desperately, but she wasn’t sure she could manage by herself with her hand all bandaged up and throbbing along with the beat of her heart. She’d never been naked in front of a man before, and though she was a little shy, she didn’t really have any hang-ups about her body. Plus, she would still have her panties and bra on, which was more than some women wore at a beach.
“Yes, please,” she whispered.
“Just let me get your sleep shirt, darlin’.” Kent was already moving away from her. She heard him rummaging around and then squinted at him when he dropped the shirt on the bed beside her.
“I have your pills, baby.” Dawson kneeled at her feet, cradled her hand in his, and dropped two pills into her cupped palm. She popped them into her mouth and, when she felt a glass being held to her lips, opened her mouth and took a gulp before swallowing the pills.
“Bella wants to get out of her clothes.”
“Okay,” Dawson said in a raspy voice.
Bella wondered about the change in his voice, but when she felt hands on the hem of her shirt, she pushed it from her mind. She lifted her arms and sighed when the shirt was tugged up over her head.
“You’re going to have to stand up so we can get your jeans off, Bella.” Dawson stood, gripped her upper arms, and helped her to her feet. She tried not to cringe when her sore feet took her weight. Strong, warm, gentle fingers tugged at the button on her jeans and then lowered the zipper. She shivered when thumbs hooked into the waistband of her jeans before pushing them down over her hips.
She wavered on her feet and reached out to steady herself. Her palms landed on Dawson’s muscular chest, the tips of her fingers curling into all that male flesh.
“You can sit down now, darlin’,” Kent said.
She sank to the mattress with a sigh and glanced up at them from her half-open eyes. She found Kent staring at her lace-covered breasts and looked down to see what he found so intriguing. Heat rushed into her cheeks when she saw how her nipples were hard and poking against the black lace.
Dawson eased the sleep shirt over her head. “Put your arms in the sleeves, baby.”
“In a second,” Bella said before tugging the front of the shirt down so that her breasts were covered, and then she unhooked and removed her bra before slipping her arms into the sleeves. Like most women, she hated wearing a bra to bed. They were downright uncomfortable with the underwire pressed hard against her skin.
“Okay now?” Dawson asked.
“Yes, thanks.”
“Lie down, darlin’.” Kent placed a hand on her shoulder and pressed her down to the mattress. Dawson lifted her legs and swung them around until she was lying in the middle of the bed on her side.
“Are you still feeling sick?” Dawson asked.
“A little.”
“We shouldn’t leave her alone,” Kent said.
“I’ll be—” Bella didn’t get to say “fine” because Dawson spoke right over the top of her.
“I agree. Would you mind if we slept in here with you, baby?”
Her heart flipped in her chest, and if the pain meds hadn’t already started to do their job, she probably would have started panting, too. Her half-open lids got heavier, and though she tried to keep them open, it was a losing battle. “I…don’t…mind.”
The mattress dipped on either side of her, and she sighed when both men scooted closer to her. Kent eased his arm beneath her neck and head and, as he wrapped it around her, pulled her closer still. She rested her head on the crook of his arm and shoulder and sighed once more as her muscles began to relax and her body got heavier.
Dawson spooned her from behind with his arm encircling her waist. They gave off a lot of heat, and because she felt safe, protected, she let go and drifted back to sleep.
* * * *
“She’s asleep,” Kent murmured as he scraped his chin over the top of her head.
“Good. I hate seeing her like this. Sick and in pain.”
“Did you know she got migraines?” Kent lifted his head to meet Dawson’s gaze.
“No.”
“I hope she doesn’t get them often.”
“Me, too. I was so scared when I heard her throwing up. I had no idea what to do.”
“Seems to me you did all right. Thank God she had those other pain pills. I didn’t even think to ask if she was on any medication when I was packing her things.”
“Don’t beat yourself up, Kent. I didn’t think of it either.”
“I hope she feels better after some sleep.”
“Yeah. I was hoping we could take her out to lunch tomorrow.”
“She probably won’t feel up to it with her hand and all,” Kent said.
“I figured. Maybe we should have a barbecue instead. We’ll invite Misha, Clay, and Spence. Tanner and Cooper will be working, but we can save them some food for later.”
“Good idea. Bella will probably feel more comfortable with another woman around.”
“That’s what I was hoping, too.”
Chapter Seven
Bella really liked Misha. They just sort of clicked, and she felt as if they were going to be great friends.
“I can chop up something.” Bella grabbed a clean knife and moved toward the chopping board.
“Bella, go and sit down,” Dawson ordered.
“But I—”
Dawson dropped the spoon he’d been using to mix the potato salad, turned, and took the knife from her hand before passing it to Kent. He lifted her into his arms, walked around the counter, and plonked her onto a stool. “Don�
�t you dare move from that spot.”
Bella’s hackles rose. She stuck her tongue out and, while glaring at Dawson, began to pant like a dog.
Misha rolled her lips inward as if trying to stifle a smile but ended up bursting into laughter.
“Don’t be a smart-ass.” Dawson pointed at her.
“Don’t be an asshole,” Bella shot back.
Misha choked as she giggled. Bella met the other woman’s gaze and rolled her eyes.
“We’re just trying to look after you, darlin’,” Kent said as he pulled the meat from the fridge. “You’re injured and you were sick to your stomach last night with the migraine.”
“Oh. You get migraines?” Misha asked.
Bella nodded.
“You poor thing.”
“I don’t get them often.” Bella shrugged.
“How often do you get them?” Dawson asked as he covered the potato salad.
“Only when I’m really stressed.”
“From what I’ve heard you have a lot to be stressed about.” Misha met her gaze. “I’m sorry about your sister.”
Bella blinked the tears back and nodded. “Thanks. I’m sorry about your friend.”
Misha was the one blinking this time. She glanced over at Clay and Spence. “Our guys will get the bastard. They’ve promised me they won’t give up until they do. Which reminds me. What’s Jasmine doing today?”
“I don’t know, honey,” Spence answered. “We asked her if she wanted to come, but she said she had things to do.”
“She’s the FBI profiler, isn’t she?” Bella asked.
“Yeah.” Misha shivered. “I don’t know how she does it. Trying to get into a psychopath’s head and trying to think like him would give me nightmares for life.”
“Me, too,” Bella agreed and then gnawed on her lip when she remembered hearing a rumor that Misha had been taken by the serial killer, but had thankfully gotten away. She wanted to ask about it but didn’t want to upset the other woman.
Misha must have seen the wheels turning in her head. “Out with it.”
Bella shook her head.
The men had loaded themselves up with platters of meat, barbecue utensils, and a bottle of beer each before they headed out to the back deck and the grill. Misha sighed when the glass door closed behind them.