by Becca Van
“What time do you head to the shop, baby?” Walt asked after swallowing.
“Talia and I usually get there around eight so we can set out the display case and make sure everything’s ready before we open the doors.”
“Damn.” Walt leaned back in his seat.
“What?” she asked.
“We’re on the early shift and start at seven. I was hoping we’d be able to give you a ride into town.”
“What time do you finish?” she asked.
“Usually four,” Dirk answered then continued on, “but I have a feeling we’ll be doing some overtime since we’re down on staff.”
“Are some of your colleagues out with the flu that’s making the rounds?” She quirked a brow.
“Yeah.” Emmet rubbed at the back of his neck. “We also have a few deputies on leave.”
Jodi shrugged. “I don’t need you guys to ferry me around. I can drive myself as long as you don’t mind me borrowing one of your trucks.”
“Can you drive a stick?” Dirk asked.
“Yes. When I was having driving lessons, the instructor I chose didn’t own an automatic. Plus, I thought it was a good idea to learn car with gears so I’d have a choice on the car I chose to purchase. It’s good to have options and not be stuck without any selections. I’ll be careful. I promise.”
“I’m not worried about my truck, sweetie. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t taking on more than you could handle. You can borrow my truck whenever you want.”
“Thanks.”
Katie stopped by their table. “Do any of you want more coffee?” She held up the full coffee pot. “Can I get you anything else? Some dessert maybe?”
“No thanks. The food was delicious.” Jodi shook her head and patted her belly. “I’m so full I’ll be rolling out of here.”
“We’re done, too, Katie. Can you please bring the check?”
“Sure.” Katie rushed away and was back moments later with the check.
“Are you ready to go home, love?” Emmet asked.
“Yes.”
Dirk slid from the booth on one side and Emmet on the other. Jodi scooted across the seat, grasped Dirk’s hand when he offered it, helped her to her feet, and guided her toward the door.
As soon as he stepped outside, the hair on his nape prickled before standing on end. He gazed about looking for the threat but didn’t see anyone watching them or anything untoward. He put the feeling down to paranoia and worry about what had been and was still happening to his and his brothers’ woman.
He hated that she was in danger and they couldn’t do anything about it even though they were in prominent positions to do so.
Dirk hoped that either the fuckers had found their prize, or that they’d given up, but he had a feeling they hadn’t seen the last of the bozos who’d been scaring their woman. Sometimes, he just wished that they’d come at them head on so he could fight them and arrest them. But so far, all the assholes had done was terrorize an innocent woman. Were they too cowardly to fight someone their own size?
He wished he knew who these bastards were. If he did, then he and his brothers and the other deputies could rally around and keep an eye on them. If they so much as breathed wrong, he’d have them locked behind bars before they could blink.
* * * *
Jodi dropped onto the sofa as soon as they got home. While she knew she should have taken her clothes to the laundry and put them into wash, she couldn’t seem to drum up the energy. Which was strange because though she was tired, she was also wired.
It had been a harrowing day, but she was still so unsettled. She couldn’t get her mind to stop circling around, and every time she thought about someone invading her home and going through her things, her skin crawled. She felt dirty and wanted a shower, but she couldn’t seem to make herself move from the sofa.
Even her lingerie draw had been pilfered through. Of course she knew washing them would clean them, she didn’t want something someone else had touched against the private parts of her body.
She wished she had some spare cash to go out and buy herself some new underwear and clothes, but she didn’t. There was nothing she could do but wash her clothes, and when she was wearing her lingerie she was going to have to try and keep her mind off the stranger’s hands who’d been pawing over them.
“What’s wrong, sweetie?” Dirk asked as he sat beside her.
“Just thinking,” she prevaricated, then quickly changed the subject when he frowned at her. “I think I’ll go and have a shower.” Before he could say anything, she shoved to her feet and hurried toward the bedroom. Once behind closed doors, she rubbed at her bare arms trying to rid herself of that creepy crawly feeling she’d gotten since walking into her rental home.
She walked toward the bathroom, stripped off after turning the water on, and stepped in under the hot stream.
Jodi grabbed the sponge, poured a generous amount of shower gel onto it, and started scrubbing, but no matter how hard she washed, the skin crawling feeling wouldn’t dissipate. Tears threatened but she ruthlessly pushed them back. She’d done enough crying today and over the last few days, and her tears weren’t going to change anything.
She had no idea how long she stood in the shower washing, but by the time she was done, she didn’t feel any better and her skin was pink from her harsh treatment. The flesh on her arms was red and abraded in some areas and she hoped that her men didn’t notice.
She stepped onto the bathmat, dried off, then wrapped the large towel around her nakedness and moved to the vanity. Without meeting her gaze in the mirror, she combed her wet hair of tangles, brushed her teeth, and dried her hair with the hairdryer, which had been in one of the cupboards.
Once she was finished, she slowly walked back to the bedroom pausing in the doorway when she saw all three of the Kyson men sitting on the bed waiting for her.
Emmet held his hand out toward her and without thought she hurried over to him and twined her fingers with his.
“What the hell?” Dirk growled.
She looked at him, and when she saw he was staring at her arm, heat suffused her cheeks.
Walt must have followed the direction of his brothers gaze and saw what Dirk had seen, because he clasped her wrist in his large hand and lifted her arm closer to his face. “How did this happen, baby?”
More heat seared into her cheeks as her blush deepened. She lowered her gaze to the floor and shrugged as she tried to think of something to say and change the subject.
Emmet pressed on her hand gaining her attention. “Talk to us, Jodi.” He tugged her closer, snagged an arm around her waist, and pulled her between his spread legs. Before she could step back and yank her hand from his, he lifted her from her feet and into his lap. He held her chin between his finger and thumb, brought her eyes back to his, and waited. When she saw resolve in his gaze she knew he wasn’t going to let her get away without answering.
She’d worked out pretty quickly that Emmet and Walt were the more authoritative of the three men. Dirk was the flirt and more easy going than his brothers most of the time, but he could be just as domineering and determined if he thought it was necessary.
“Jodi,” Walt said warningly.
“I felt dirty, okay?” She mentally winced when she heard how strident her voice had become.
“Explain!” Dirk demanded.
She blinked rapidly when her eyes burned, but thankfully, she had her emotions under control quickly. “They touched my things,” she cried. “They pawed through my bras and panties, all of my clothes. Just thinking about wearing clothes that some stranger has had their hands on makes my skin crawl and makes me feel sick.”
“Shit!” Emmet embraced her with both of his arms, wrapping her in his heat, his strength and his comfort. “We should have thought of that, love. I’m sorry we didn’t think of how you’d feel. We should never have taken you back there.”
“I needed to be there, Emmet. I needed to be there to sort everything out and
help clean up.”
“You don’t ever have to go back there again, baby,” Walt stated. “We’ll get your other things after work tomorrow. Okay?”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank us, love.” Emmet rubbed his chin on the top of her head. “You’re our woman and we’ll do anything and everything we can to make sure you’re happy and taken care of.”
His words melted her heart, and though she was still feeling unsettled, she leaned into him, soaking up his warmth and protection.
“I think you should have an early night,” Dirk suggested.
“I agree,” Walt said. “Why don’t you crawl into bed and go to sleep?”
Jodi nodded, trying to placate them since they were concerned for her, but she didn’t think she’d be falling asleep anytime soon. After being in her house, all the fear she’d been keeping tamped down was on the surface, and she was worried she was going to end up having nightmares.
That was, if she even managed to fall asleep.
What she really wanted to do was make love with all three of her men at the same time, but she wasn’t sure they’d agree if she suggested it.
Right now, they seemed more intent on coddling her. That frustrated the shit out of her.
Chapter Fourteen
“If she keeps worrying all the time, she’s going to end making herself ill.” Emmet sighed. He, Walt, and Dirk had left the bedroom after tucking Jodi into bed. He hated that he and his brothers hadn’t picked up on how violated she’d felt. They were deputies and her boyfriends, as well as trained Marines. None of them had picked up on her body language or her anxiety. He felt contrite over that, and his fuck up caused his heart to ache. He rubbed at his chest as he sipped his beer.
“Maybe we should talk her into taking some more time off,” Dirk suggested.
“I think she uses work to keep her mind off the situation,” Walt said. “For now, we leave things as they are, but if she starts looking more tired, we’ll have to step in.”
“After we get her washer, dryer, and other things from her house, we should stop at the women’s apparel store and buy her a new wardrobe,” Emmet said.
“We can do that on our lunch break.” Walt frowned. “All we need to do is look at what size she wears, visit the shop at the start of our meal break, and get the assistants to pick out what she’ll need.”
“That’s a great idea,” Dirk said.
“I agree, but I think we should take a photo of our woman, too. We don’t know shit about what colors go with what or how to mix and match things the way a female does. I once overheard a red-haired woman bitching about a pink top her boyfriend had bought her as a gift. She told the friends she was with that everyone knew a strawberry blonde couldn’t wear that color.” Emmet grinned when his brothers stared at him incredulously. “Hey, I’m just repeating what I heard. I’m with you guys and have no fucking clue, but I did peek at her as she walked passed and I have to agree. The pink top she’d been wearing to ‘please her man’ made her look pale and sick.”
“I didn’t think I’d ever see the day,” Walt said.
“What?” Emmet asked.
“My youngest brother getting in touch with his feminine side.”
“Fuck you, old man.”
“Keep your voices down,” Dirk said. “You don’t want to wake Jodi up.”
“Do you think she’s even asleep?” Emmet asked.
Dirk shrugged. “I hope she is, but I doubt it. She’s been quiet and restless since we left her place.”
“Do you think we should have put something on her arm?” Walt asked. “Her skin was pretty raw in places.”
“Fuck!” Dirk stood. “I feel like I’m a fish out of water. I feel like we’re all walking on eggshells with her. I’m worried I’ll say or do the wrong thing, piss her off, and she’ll leave.”
“You’re not the only one, Dirk,” Emmet said.
“She needs to talk to us more,” Walt stated. “She’s so used to being on her own, she keeps things to herself.”
“She does, but she hasn’t known us that long, either, Walt,” Dirk said.
“We need to give her a little more time.” Emmet drained his beer. “We don’t want her to feel as if we’re controlling assholes by demanding she tell us what’s on her mind all the time. I’m hoping she opens up of her own accord in the not too distant future.”
“And if she doesn’t?” Walt asked. “We’ve let her get away with keeping things locked inside, and she’ll baulk or get pissed when we try to pry stuff out of her.”
“Fuck!” Emmet growled. “Why couldn’t we be attracted to a sweet, abideable woman who has no trouble telling us her feelings and thoughts instead of a strong, independent woman?”
“Would you really want someone like that?” Dirk asked.
“Hell no!”
“Me either,” Walt said.
“There’s no way either of you would put up with a woman who talked your ear off and never let you get a word in edgewise.” Dirk grinned. “Neither would I. Jodi Regan is a stubborn, brave, independent, sexy woman. She’s perfect for us.”
“Yes, she is,” Walt and Emmet said at the same time.
Emmet stepped toward the doorway. “I don’t know about you two, but I’m going to bed. I need to hold our woman in my arms and if she’s still awake, I’m going to give her an orgasm, or two, or three. Getting her out of her head and relaxed should be enough to tire her out and fall asleep. But first, I’m going to rub some antibiotic cream into her arms and then I’m going to give her a massage.”
“And we’ll be right there with you,” Dirk said as he followed Emmet out of the kitchen.
Emmet grinned when he heard lights being switched off and knew Walt would have checked to make sure all the doors and windows were locked. As Emmet walked through the living room, then down the hallway toward the bedroom, he tried to remember if they had any massage oil in the cupboards under the vanity. He and his brothers had bought several bottles of scented lotion in the hope that they’d meet the woman of their dreams, so they’d do in a pinch if there was no massage oil. He hadn’t bought any oil himself, but either of his brother might have.
He rubbed his hands together and pushed the bedroom door wider. It was dark, but his gaze immediately went to the small bump in the middle of the bed where Jodi was lying.
Although he hoped she was awake so he and his brothers could make love to her together, if she was asleep, there was no way in hell he was going to wake her up. She needed her rest after such a tiring day.
* * * *
Jodi heard the door being pushed open then the rustle of clothing and someone entered the bedroom. She stayed still with her eyes closed, but she was sure her men would work out she wasn’t asleep pretty quickly since her breathing wasn’t deep. She’d tried falling asleep, but with her thoughts spinning around in circles, she couldn’t relax enough to drift off.
She’d decided to lie still, and when her guys were asleep, she’d somehow manage to get out of bed without disturbing them and sit out in the living room. Though she knew she should just stay where she was and hope that sleep eventually claimed her, she knew from experience it wasn’t going to happen. A switch was clicked on and light spilled out from the bathroom, but she kept her eyes closed. There was more rustling, and she knew by the sounds that all three of her men were in the bedroom.
The mattress dipped on either side of her and toward the end of her bed near her feet. She was curious about who was where, but she didn’t want her men worrying about her more than they already were. She’d seen all three of them watching her with concern, and though she’d tried to hide the turmoil roiling in her gut and making her mind whirl, she wasn’t sure she’d succeeded. She didn’t want them worrying about her since there was nothing any of them could do. What she hated most was that she felt so helpless, so useless, which she suspected her men were feeling, too. Until whoever was playing games with her came at her head on, she couldn’t figh
t her nemesis. Not that she was looking forward to that, either.
Jodi had no idea how to fight, but if it came down to her trying to protect herself, she hoped she’d be able to at least try and defend herself. For all she knew, she was one of those people that froze in the face of danger, but she wouldn’t know one way or the other until she was in such a situation. While she hoped and prayed that never happened, she felt as if it was inevitable. She was scared, exhausted, and angry all at the same time.
“We know you’re awake, baby,” Walt said as he stroked a finger down her cheek. “You can open your eyes now.”
She opened her eyes, blinked a couple of times to adjust her sight, and met his gaze.
“I wasn’t trying to pretend I was asleep, Walt. I just thought it prudent to keep my eyes closed in the hope I’d be able to get some shuteye.” She sighed as she sat up, pushing her hair away from her face while tugging the sheet up to cover her nakedness.
“You don’t need to hide from us, sweetie,” Dirk said. He was kneeling on the bed near her feet, then he grasped the sheet and tugged, ripping it from her hands and yanking it to the bottom of the bed.
“Lie back down, love,” Emmet said from her other side.
Jodi gazed at him, sighed then scooted back down the mattress.
Walt squeezed some sort of cream from a tube then handed it over to Emmet, who did the same. Then they each clasped hold of her wrists and began rubbing it into her forearms.
“What’s that?” She frowned.
“It’s an antibiotic cream,” Walt said. “We don’t want you getting an infection.”
Dirk caressed her leg. “The next time you’re feeling violated, sweetie, come to us and we can help you. I’m sorry we didn’t stop to think about how being back at your home would affect you.”
Jodi shook her head. “You have nothing to apologize for. I should have told you how I was feeling, but I’m so used to dealing with everything by myself.” She glanced at each of them and sighed. Walt was clenching his teeth. Emmet was frowning, and Dirk was rubbing at the back of his neck. She hated that she’d upset them even if that hadn’t been her intention. “Please don’t be angry with me. I’ll try and do better and talk to you all, but it’s going to take me time to get used to all this.”