by Becca Van
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, baby. I’ll go and get the food ready while you soak. Yell if you need me. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Misha relaxed in the hot water, sighing as the soreness in her muscles began to dissipate. After a while, she thought she’d better wash because her belly was getting louder and louder. She’d just finished getting clean when Clay returned to help her. Fifteen minutes later, she was dry, dressed in a pair of his clean boxer shorts and a T-shirt. Her teeth were brushed, her hair was brushed, and her arm was back in the sling. She almost felt normal again.
Clay dumped her clothes into the laundry hamper, clasped her hand, and led her toward the kitchen. The tantalizing smell of chicken noodle soup drifted to her nose as soon as she entered the kitchen.
“That smells so good.” She pressed her left hand over her angry, empty belly.
“Take a seat where you want, Misha, and I’ll bring over the soup and sandwiches.”
She decided to sit at the dining table instead of the counter. As soon as she sat, Clay was there with a large bowl of soup and a plate stacked high with turkey salad sandwiches.
“Thank you.” Misha picked up the spoon, dipped it into the soup, and lifted it to her mouth. She groaned as flavors burst on her taste buds. “This is delicious. Did you make it?”
“No, Spence bought it before he headed into the office.”
“I wondered where he was. What time will he be home?”
“If it’s a slow day, just after five.”
Misha nodded and concentrated on her food until she’d had her fill. Clay ate through the pile of sandwiches and even went back for another bowl of soup. There was no way she was even going to try and keep up with him. One bowl of soup and one sandwich was more than enough for her.
“How’s the wrist?” Clay leaned back in his seat when he’d finished eating.
“Sore.”
He stood and hurried over to a container on the counter. He removed a box of pills before getting a glass from the cupboard and filling it with water. “Hold your hand out, Misha.”
She held her hand out palm up and Clay pushed the pills into her hand. “The doctor at the hospital said you can take them as often as you need as long as you don’t exceed the recommended dose.”
She put the pills on her tongue and swallowed them down with a sip of water. Clay began collecting the dishes to rinse and put in the dishwasher. After starting a pot of coffee to brew, he came and sat down beside her again.
“You never did say if you forgive Spence and me for not telling you about Smith.”
“I do.” Misha reached over and covered the hand he had resting on the table. “I was angry at first, but after you explained why you hadn’t told me about him, I knew I didn’t have any right. So, yes, I forgive you and Spence for not telling me.”
Clay turned his hand over and laced his fingers with hers, before lifting her hand to his mouth and kissing the back of it. “Thank you, baby. You have a forgiving heart.”
“No, just a loving one,” she said quietly as she stared into his gorgeous eyes.
“You love me?” he asked in a hoarse voice.
“Very much.”
“Misha—” Clay scooted the chair back, released her hand, and lifted her from her seat and placed her over his thighs. “You have no idea how happy you’ve just made me.”
She palmed his cheek with her left hand. “Yes, I do. When I heard you and Spence talking at the hospital, at first I thought I was dreaming, but then I asked you and you both confirmed I hadn’t been. If I hadn’t been so full of drugs to dull the pain and had been able to stay awake, I would have told you then how I felt.”
“I love you so damn much, baby.” Clay lowered his head, kissing her wildly, hungrily, passionately, and she kissed him back with just as much fervor. She groaned with disappointment when he broke the kiss but snuggled into his chest as he held her close. Misha hadn’t expected to find love out of such violent adversity, but she had and she was going to hang on to it with both hands. Spence and Clay were her life, the very air she breathed, and now that she’d found them and fallen head over heels in love with them, she wasn’t letting them escape.
* * * *
Spence had just seen Clay off to work when he heard Misha stirring in the bedroom at the end of the hall. Clay had told him that Misha had said she’d loved him and hoped, now that he was spending the day alone with her, she would tell him, too. He raced down the hallway but stopped when he was outside the door. And after taking a deep breath, he entered the bedroom. His shoulders slumped when he saw the bed was already empty, but when he heard the toilet flush he walked toward the bathroom. She looked sexy as hell with her black hair tousled from sleep, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes hazy.
She glanced over at him and smiled. “Hey.”
“Hey, honey. How’s the pain level?”
“Bearable.”
“That’s good to hear, sweetheart.” Spence moved up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. His heart flipped with joy when she sighed and leaned back against him.
“I need to brush my teeth.”
“I’m not stopping you.” He nuzzled his nose against her neck.
She giggled. “That tickles.”
“When you’re better I’m going to find every little ticklish spot on that sexy body and torture you.”
She gave him a mock frown as she reached for her toothbrush in the holder. “You’d better not.”
Spence grabbed the toothpaste and applied it to the bristles and watched her brush her teeth. She didn’t seem to be self-conscious about doing something so mundane and natural, which gave him hope. Hope that she cared for him as much as he cared for her. After she rinsed her mouth and wiped it on the towel he handed her, she turned around so that she was facing him. His cock twitched and began to fill with blood when he felt her hard little nipples brush against his chest. She rested her cheek on his pec and sighed before tilting her head back and meeting his gaze. “I haven’t thanked you or Clay for taking me in and taking care of me, so thanks.”
Spence cupped the back of her head. “You don’t need to thank us, sweetheart. We love you and need to be here for you.” Spence held his breath as he watched emotion deepen the blue of her beautiful eyes.
“I love you, too, Spence. So much, and I’m sorry for making such a fuss over Phillip.”
“You don’t need to apologize for how you felt, Misha, but just know that Clay and I would never betray your trust or hurt you on purpose. We’re men, and suck at relationships, so we are going to fuck up from time to time. If we do something that pisses you off, tell us. Okay?”
“I will and the same rule applies for you guys.”
Spence nodded just before he kissed her. She opened to him immediately, swirling and twirling her tongue around with his, before they rubbed together. By the time he ended the kiss, they were both breathing heavily, and he was as hard as a rock, but he wasn’t about to take things further until he knew that the love of his life was on the road to recovery.
* * * *
By sheer chance, he’d spotted her being carried out of the hospital in the arms of one of the sheriffs. He followed them at a discreet distance. A mile away from the ranch, he pulled over and parked his car amongst a copse of trees on the side of the road, out of view.
He walked without any hurry toward the ranch, knowing the other lawmen were already at the sheriff’s department or asleep after doing night shift. It had been so fucking easy chatting up an office assistant to find out the six men’s schedules. He was no stranger to town and he had another wife, so as far as other women were concerned he was no threat, but he also knew how to get women’s attention when he wanted it. If he had a mind to, he was good at luring women to his side as well. The stupid sluts fell for a wide smile or a sexy look. They never seemed to pick up on the fact that their sultry looks and slutty ways turned his stomach.
He was also a master of disguises
and could change his appearance whenever he liked. It was amazing how people looked right past you if you slumped your shoulders and made sure to never meet their gazes. A lowered head never seemed to draw attention and that was the way he liked it. His disguises were so good even one of his wives had walked straight past him without taking a second look. His many faces were familiar around town, as were his aliases. A chuckle formed in his chest at how gullible his women were. Neither of them had ever questioned his lies about having to work out of the area on contracting jobs.
Little did they know, he was the biggest threat of all, and he would be making his move very, very soon.
* * * *
Misha was starting to get bored. It had been a week since she’d been run off the road and she wanted to get back to work. Her wrist no longer hurt that much and she only put it up in a sling when it began to ache, which was usually at the end of the day. She’d loved spending alternate days with Clay and Spence while she was recovering and she fell more in love with them every single day. She’d also gotten to know Dawson, Kent, Tanner, and Cooper and liked them all.
Dawson had been the one to find and arrest Phillip Smith and the bastard was now behind bars charged with attempted murder and awaiting the trial.
The FBI profiler had visited once to make sure she was okay, but had made excuses to leave not long after. Tanner and Cooper hadn’t been able to take their eyes off the woman, and though Misha had wanted to pull her aside and go to bat for her men’s friends, she hadn’t. It was none of her business and she wasn’t about to stick her nose in where it wasn’t wanted. But if she was ever asked for advice, or one of the other guys ever wanted to talk to her, she would be there for them. She’d gone from losing her only friend to a serial killer to finding love as well as a family and friends. She would cherish each and every moment she had them all in her life.
She was sitting on the front porch waiting for Spence to come out and drive her to the doctor’s. She was getting her stitches removed today and couldn’t wait, because they were itching something fierce and driving her crazy. So was the plaster cast, but that wouldn’t be coming off for another five weeks.
She turned when she heard footsteps coming her way and smiled when she saw it was Tanner. He always portrayed such a happy-go-lucky persona, at least when Jasmine wasn’t around, but Misha knew it was all a front. She caught the other four men watching her, Spence, and Clay together and knew they were all lonely. If Janice had still been alive, she might have tried to hook her up with Dawson and Kent. She mentally shook her head. Janice had been so cynical about men after her ex-fiancé had skipped out on her. She’d been secretly engaged before getting her high school diploma and her supposed fiancé had dropped her the second they’d started college. From then on, Janice had started playing the field. Misha knew it was because her friend had been hurting, but over time the pain had left her eyes and Janice had really started having fun. She missed her friend so much.
“Why the sad face, Misha?” Tanner asked when he stopped at the bottom of the steps.
“I was thinking of Janice.”
Tanner glanced away and nodded. “The pain will get easier to deal with and will go, but that empty hole will always remain.” His words told her so much. Tanner had also lost someone close to him.
She stood, hurried down the steps and hugged him. “Thank you.”
His arm came around her and he gave her a quick squeeze before stepping back. “You getting those stitches out today?”
“Yes, if Spence will hurry his ass up.”
“Hold your horses, woman. I’m a coming,” Spence said as he came out the door.
“So’s Christmas,” Misha retorted cheekily.
“Shit! So it is. I hadn’t even thought about the festive season.”
Tanner nodded. “Every year seems to pass faster and faster.”
“Yeah.” Spence sighed as he met Tanner’s gaze. “You need anything?”
“Nope, just needed a walk and some fresh air before hitting the sack.”
“Sleep well, Tanner.”
He nodded and pointed at Spence. “Take care of her or I might just steal her away from you.”
“You wish.” Spence slapped Tanner on the back, clasped her hand, and led her over to the truck. He lifted her in and made sure she had her seatbelt on before closing the door and then walked around to the driver’s seat.
Misha waved to Tanner and turned to face Spence. “He and the others are all so lonely.”
“I know, sweetheart.” Spence met her gaze briefly before turning back to the road. “Clay and I were, too, before we met you.”
“I hope they all find wonderful women they can fall in love with and who will love them in return.”
“I do, too, honey. I do, too.”
It didn’t take long for the stitches to be removed. She and Spence stopped at the diner to buy some lunch, and then headed to the sheriff’s department. Spence nodded to Dawson and Kent as he led her through to Clay’s office. Misha waved at them with her casted arm and smiled. They grinned back at her.
As soon as they entered the office, Misha wanted to turn tail and run. Jasmine and Clay were standing in front of a wall that had photos of naked dead women taped to it and one of them was Janice.
Chapter Sixteen
Clay spun away from the wall covered with photos of the serial killer’s victims when he heard a strangled sound.
He cursed up a blue streak and rushed over to Misha but thankfully Spence was right behind her and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his body, his fingers threading into her hair and pressing her face against his chest.
“Fuck!” Clay growled. “I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t realize what time it was. I would never have let you come into this office if I had known you were already here in the building.”
“Come on, sweetheart. Let’s go to the lunchroom.” Spence hugged her shoulders and led her out of Clay’s office.
When Clay glanced over at Jasmine, he could see concern in her gaze.
“Will she be all right?” Jasmine asked.
“I’m not sure.”
“One of these women was her friend. Janice Judson?”
Clay nodded.
“Go.” Jasmine pointed toward the door. “Make sure she’s okay.”
“They bought enough lunch for all of us. Join us,” Clay said as he moved toward the door.
Jasmine glanced toward the entrance and grimaced. Clay expected a refusal but the FBI profiler surprised him and nodded, before moving toward him.
Clay’s gut was churning with guilt and anxiety, which only got worse when he saw that Misha was in Spence’s arms and there were tear tracks on her cheeks. She sucked in a deep breath as she stepped out of Spence’s embrace and wiped her face with the back of her hand.
“Misha.” Clay hurried over to her and pulled her into his arms. She leaned against him and hugged him back before straightening again.
“I’m okay.”
“You sure, baby?”
“Yes, I know you didn’t mean for me to see that. You’re just doing your job, so please don’t feel guilty.” Misha caressed his cheek and then grabbed his hand, tugging him toward the table where Spence had been setting out the food.
“Hi, Misha,” Jasmine greeted as she sat on the far side of the table.
“Hi, Jasmine. What are you doing this weekend?”
Jasmine glanced toward the door when Dawson and Kent entered the room but quickly averted her gaze back to Misha’s. Clay bit his cheek to stop the smile tugging at his lips from emerging. Jasmine’s eyes glazed over and a dreamy expression crossed her face as she stared through Dawson and Kent. Clay didn’t need to ask who she was thinking about. Usually Jasmine kept her expressions stoic, but this time the yearning on her face was plain enough for everyone in the room to see who she was thinking about. Tanner and Cooper.
Whenever Tanner, Cooper, and Jasmine were in the same room, or even the same vicinity, the sexual
tension was so thick he could almost cut it with a knife. Although they tried, Cooper and Tanner couldn’t keep their eyes off of the no nonsense, stubborn Jasmine. He wondered how long they were going to dance around each other before one of them made a move, but it was none of his business. However, he was sure once the fireworks began it was going to be one hell of a show.
“Hey, beautiful.” Kent smiled at Misha before leaning down and placing a kiss on her forehead. He clasped her chin and tilted her head slightly to inspect the small pink scar just above her right temple. “The doc did a neat job.”
Clay scowled at Kent but his friend ignored him before moving around the table to sit beside Jasmine. Dawson just nodded at everyone before taking the other seat next to the profiler. When he glanced her way and saw the dreamy expression on his face, Dawson’s lips twitched.
Everyone was quiet as they ate, but Clay caught Misha giving Jasmine surreptitious glances.
“Jasmine?” Misha met the other woman’s gaze. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“Oh, sorry. I have a lot on my mind.” Jasmine cleared her throat and ducked her head when her cheeks started to turn pink.
“We’re going to have a barbecue this weekend. Please say you’ll join us.”
“Uh.” Jasmine met Misha’s gaze before looking at Spence and then Clay. Clay could practically see the wheels turning in her mind as she tried to think up an excuse to refuse the invite.
“Are you scared of us?” Dawson asked, breaking his silence. Clay had to bite the inside of his cheek so he wouldn’t burst out laughing. His friend was baiting Jasmine into going to the barbecue on his friends behalf.
Jasmine turned to glare at Dawson. “Not likely,” she snapped.
“So you’ll come to the barbecue,” Kent ordered with a smile and wink. “Saturday.”
Jasmine rolled her eyes and then met Misha’s gaze again. “Thank you. Do you want me to bring anything? What time do you want me there?”