by Becca Van
“Hey, Crystal, how are you feeling?” Alec moved further into the room.
Crystal closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them again when she heard the deep Scottish brogue. She loved the sound of Alec’s voice and could have spent the whole day listening to him. Pain pierced her head again and she slammed her eyes closed before finally remembering to answer Alec’s question. “Like shit.”
“I’m sure you’ll feel a lot better after you’ve had some sleep, sweetheart. We’ll take you home to our place and you can get some rest.”
When she heard footsteps coming closer she lifted her lids to see Duncan walking closer as he spoke. His brogue was a little thicker than Alec’s, and his voice was a little deeper. Even though her eyelids were heavy and didn’t want to stay open, Crystal wanted to keep looking at the two gorgeously sexy men, but fatigue finally won out and her lids closed again. She was so tired now she couldn’t work out what Duncan was saying.
She could still see them both in her mind’s eye—Duncan with his deep brown hair and eyes, the T-shirt he was wearing stretched to capacity over his bulging pecs and biceps, and his strong, thick thighs encased in black denim. And then there was Alec. Alec had a lighter shade of brown hair, and his eyes were brown with flecks of green in them. He was just as muscular as Duncan but a little taller. His black T-shirt was also stretched across his massive chest, and he was wearing dark-blue jeans.
She licked her dry lips and tried to work out what Duncan had said. Since a jackhammer was beating inside her brain as if trying to hammer out from the inside, it was hard for her to concentrate. When she got her brain into gear, she opened her eyes again, but it was a struggle to keep them open. “I don’t even know you.”
“You’re in the country now, darlin’. We would help anyone in need,” Alec said.
Crystal was in too much pain and too tired to argue. Besides, she couldn’t seem to think of anything else to do, and the thought of having these two men looking out for her while she recovered clinched the deal. She was just going to have to trust Doc and take his word for it that they were trustworthy. He was a kind, elderly gentleman and when he had spoken to her she could hear the sincerity in his voice as well as see it in his eyes. Surely an elderly medical professional and a local would know whether these two men had good characters. She wouldn’t normally do something so impulsive, but she couldn’t think of anything else to do.
“Okay,” Crystal managed to answer before she drifted down into slumber.
* * * *
“Now, I want you two boys to take real good care of this little lady. I want you to wake her every two hours, make sure she knows who she is, etcetera. She might be sick again. The pain in her head had her stomach a might upset. Keep her fluids up and don’t leave her alone for the next forty-eight hours. Of course, if you have any problems, call me.”
“Thanks, Doc,” Duncan replied as he carefully scooped Crystal up into his arms. Her warm, soft body felt so right cradled up against his chest. She felt like home. He carried her out the door to their SUV. He never wanted to let her go again.
“She’s the one, isn’t she, Dunc?”
Duncan looked down at the beautiful woman in his arms and felt a lump form in his chest. He was thirty-five years old and had never, ever felt like this with any other woman. He wasn’t naïve enough to think himself in love with her yet, but he had been around the block once or twice and knew that he needed to explore a relationship with Crystal Parrish more than his next meal. He felt possessive and protective of her already and was going to do everything he could to keep her in his and his brother’s life. There was no way in hell he was letting her get away before they could explore what could be. Since the moment she had crashed into their lives, he’d known she could be the one woman meant for them.
There had to be a way to convince her to stay with him and Alec. She was so goddamn beautiful, if they let her get away she would be snapped up in an instant. Although he didn’t know if she was in a relationship, he didn’t think so. If she had been, she would have asked him, Alec, or Doc to call someone for her, but she hadn’t.
That was another thing that worried him. Why hadn’t she asked one of them to call her family? Did she even have a family? Was she all alone in the world? If that were the case, then she would never be alone ever again.
He wanted to know everything about her. She was absolutely stunning, and if he had his way he would take care of her and make sure she didn’t do a thing while she was recovering from the accident. He looked forward to getting to know Crystal Parrish while he and Alec looked after her, and hopefully she would feel attracted to them and want to find out more about him and his brother, too.
Chapter Two
Crystal felt so warm and comfortable. If it weren’t for the fact that her head felt like a hammer was inside her skull, pounding to get out, she knew she would be sleeping the night through. She moaned as she moved. Her body was one big, massive ache, and she was as stiff as a board. Her shoulder and chest hurt, and she couldn’t figure out why.
“Wake up, darlin’. What’s your name?” a deep, accented voice asked.
Crystal cracked an eyelid open and stared at the face looming above her.
“Who…? Alec?”
“That’s right, darlin’. Now tell me your name,” Alec demanded.
“Crystal Parrish.”
“Good, lassie. Now I’m gonna help you to sit up a bit. You need to drink some water.” Alec placed an arm beneath Crystal’s shoulders and helped her to a half-sitting position. He held a glass of water to her lips and let her take a few sips.
“How’s the pain in your head, sweetheart?” asked another deep, accented voice.
Crystal turned her head toward the other voice, winced when the bass drum in her skull pounded, and frowned with concentration. “Duncan?”
“Aye, sweetheart. How’s the head?”
“Pounding like a bitch.” Crystal’s eyes were beginning close once more. She felt both sides of the bed sink down and forced her eyes open. Alec and Duncan made themselves comfortable on top of the covers beside her. “What are you doing?”
“We’re keeping an eye on you. Doc didn’t want you to be left alone for the next forty-eight hours. We don’t want to risk leaving you alone in case you’re sick,” Duncan replied.
“Oh,” Crystal replied, her eyelids becoming too heavy to keep open as she slipped into slumber.
* * * *
Crystal woke to sunlight kissing her face with warmth. She sighed, stretched, and forced her heavy lids to open. She had a slight headache and was feeling decidedly groggy, but her need for the bathroom made her move. She flung the covers aside and gasped with embarrassment as she noticed the large T-shirt covering her body. The only thing she had on underneath was a pair of panties. She covered her face as her cheeks flamed, knowing Duncan or Alec had seen her practically naked, but she was glad to not be sleeping in her clothes. She never liked to do that, and the two times she had she’d woken up feeling like she was being held in a straitjacket. For some reason, she always managed to twist her clothes around her body.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed and clutched the mattress as everything became distorted with her quick movement. She took a few deep breaths and let them out again. Once her vision cleared, she slowly got to her feet and walked across the room to the door on the other side. She was nearly at the door when she heard the bedroom door open. She swung around, her vision swimming and dizziness assailing her once more. She couldn’t see a thing, didn’t know which way was up, and knew her wobbly legs were about to collapse beneath her.
“Whoa there, darlin’. What are you doing out of bed?” Alec swept Crystal up into his arms.
“Bathroom.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll get you there.” Alec inhaled noisily, exhaled, and inhaled again. She wondered if she was too heavy for him.
“I could have made it on my own. Put me down. I’m too heavy.”
“Are you
kidding me? You don’t weigh anything more than a minute.”
“Then why were you breathing heavy?”
“Oh! I, ah…I was smelling you. You smell good enough to eat, darlin’.”
“Are you for real? I probably smell like a gymnasium.”
“No you don’t.” Alec lowered her to her feet but kept his hands on her waist until she was steady. “Can you manage by yourself, darlin’?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I just got a bit dizzy when I moved too fast. Thanks, Alec.” Crystal waited until he closed the door behind him, did her business, and then washed her hands. When she looked in the mirror over the sink, she squeaked, closed her eyes, and then snapped them open again. She was a complete mess. Her hair was a mass of knots and standing out wildly around her head. There was a large egg and bruise near her right temple. It looked like she had two black eyes from when the airbag had slammed into her face, and she was as pale as a ghost. She flinched with pain when she moved to dry her hands on the hand towel. Glancing at the door and debating on how much time she had before Alec came to check on her, Crystal decided she needed to see the rest of the damage. Carefully lifting the T-shirt up to her neck, she gasped at the dark, vivid bruise between her breasts. No wonder she was hurting so much. Lifting the shirt a little higher, she was pleased to see that although her shoulder was sore, there was no bruise marring the skin. With a sigh, she dropped the T-shirt and walked back over to the door.
Alec was sitting on the side of the bed when she came out. She wanted a shower in the worst way but didn’t know if she had the strength to stand up for too long just yet, and she didn’t want to ask for help since she didn’t know the two men well enough. But then she decided she couldn’t wait another minute. She needed to feel clean again.
“Feeling better, Crystal?”
“Yeah. You didn’t happen to get my purse and luggage out of my car, did you?”
“We got your purse. Duncan’s gone back for your luggage now, darlin’.”
“Oh, good. I’m dying for a shower. Do you think it would be okay if I used the shower?”
“Crystal, you don’t have to ask. Just treat this place like your own home. You can do whatever you want, darlin’. Just promise me something first?”
“What?”
“If you need any help with anything, give me a yell. All right?”
“Okay, thanks, Alec. I don’t know what I would have done if you and Duncan hadn’t come along.”
“Fate, darlin’. It was meant to be. Now, I’ll get you a clean towel. Feel free to use anything you need. There should be spare toothbrushes under the sink.”
“Thanks again, Alec.”
“No problem, darlin’.” Alec winked and gave her a sexy grin.
Crystal smiled back, ducked back into the bathroom, and closed the door. She stripped out of the borrowed T-shirt and her panties. She turned the shower on and sighed as the warm water cascaded over her head and aching body. She washed her hair and body and then just stood, leaning against the cool tile walls. Her energy was totally gone. She didn’t think she even had the energy to turn the shower off. The warm water had sapped the remaining strength from her. Her legs began shaking as she struggled to lock her knees, to keep herself standing. She whimpered as her foggy brain registered the fact she was about to fall.
A large, muscular arm banded around her waist and Crystal found herself being hauled out of the shower and up against a hard, masculine body. She was vaguely aware of another set of hands drying her off with a towel. One of the men dried her hair then wrapped it up in the towel. Her body was rubbed down briskly, and then she was floating once more. She felt another T-shirt being pulled over her head and arms, and then she was placed on the bed and covered up again. She drifted off to sleep moments later.
* * * *
“Lucky you checked on her, Alec. She could have injured her head again if she’d fallen and connected with the shower frame.”
“Yeah, I know. Shit! I should never have left her alone. I want Doc to come out and check on her again.”
“I called him while you were tucking our sweetheart under the covers. He should be here any minute. In fact, I think I hear him now. You stay with Crystal. I’ll go and let Doc in.”
“Okay,” Alec replied as he sat on the edge of the bed. He smoothed a finger down her pale cheek. He could practically feel Crystal reaching into his chest and grabbing his heart with both of her hands. She was such a small, delicate, little thing, so soft and warm. She had a body any man would get hard over. He wanted to be able to keep her under lock and key and give no other male the opportunity to hit on their woman. But what he most hoped was that Crystal wouldn’t be averse to getting to know him and Duncan and having a relationship with them. He’d never been drawn to a woman the way he was to Crystal and he had a feeling that she could be it for him, and hopefully Duncan, too.
Alec pushed his thoughts aside and rose from the bed to give Doc room to check Crystal over. He and Duncan stood off to the side. There was no way they were leaving the room. They had both been horrified at the marks marring Crystal’s flesh. She had a large, long contusion between her breasts, which he knew had come from the seat belt as it held her into her seat before the car had impacted with the tree. She also had bruises on her arms and legs, plus the large discoloration and knot on her forehead. He wanted to be able to take away her pain, cocoon her within the warmth of his body, and never let go.
Doc looked up from examining Crystal and motioned the two men from the bedroom with his head. He took the lead, entering the kitchen, and then helped himself to the pot of coffee warming on the hot plate.
“She’s all right. She probably just overdid it, moving around too much, too fast. Let her sleep for no more than four hours and wake her up again. Make sure to wake her up through the night every four hours, just to make sure she’s still alert and coherent.”
“Thanks, Doc. I appreciate you coming to see her,” Duncan said gratefully.
“You won’t thank me when you get my bill, son,” Doc said with a twinkle in his eye.
“We don’t care about the money. I just wanted to make sure Crystal was going to be okay,” Alec replied.
“I know you two have been looking for a woman of your own. Just give that little girl in there some time to heal.”
“We will.” Duncan walked Doc to the door. “Bye, Doc.”
“Bye, son.”
Duncan found Alec standing in the bedroom looking at Crystal as she slept. She looked so peaceful with one of her hands tucked up beneath her cheek, her small body curled up in the fetal position. He indicated to his brother to follow him from the room, so they could talk without disturbing their guest.
“How about we make some soup up for lunch? Hopefully Crystal will be awake by then and wanting something in her stomach,” Duncan suggested.
“All right, I’ll start chopping vegetables. Do we have any chicken stock left?”
“There should be some in the freezer. I’ll get the stock and put it into the pot to defrost, and then I’ll help with the vegetables.”
“I’m feeling kind of lost at the moment. I needed something to do, other than staring at that angelic face in there. Do you think she’ll stick around, Dunc?”
“I hope so, Alec, but don’t get your hopes up just in case.”
The two brothers worked in companionable silence until they had a pot of chicken and vegetable soup simmering on the stove. They made another pot of coffee and sat down to wait for their guest to awaken.
Chapter Three
Crystal woke to a delicious aroma of food wafting to her nostrils. She inhaled deeply and snickered as her stomach growled. She couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten. She saw her small suitcase on a chair by the door, rose from the bed cautiously, and sighed in relief as her head behaved. Her headache was finally gone, and the only symptom she had was a bit of fuzziness and lethargy. She pulled some clean clothes from her bag, dressed in her favorite pair of jeans and T-shi
rt, and then walked down the long hallway barefoot.
Crystal loved the feel of smooth, cool floorboards beneath her feet. She hardly ever wore shoes if she didn’t have to. She got to the kitchen and looked at the shiny, new, stainless-steel appliances any woman would dream of having. She caught movement out of her peripheral vision and turned her head to see Duncan and Alec sitting at a large timber table drinking coffee. She moved further into the room toward the coffeepot.
“Crystal, how are you feeling?” Alec jumped up from his chair, moving toward her.
“Much better, thanks.”
“Take a seat, darlin’. I’ll bring a mug to the table for you. How do you drink your coffee?”
“White, no sugar.” Crystal headed to the table.
“Hi, sweetie, I’m glad to hear you’re feeling better.” Duncan pulled a chair out for her and saw her seated comfortably.
“Thanks. Me, too.”
“Are you hungry, darlin’?” Alec sat down beside Crystal, effectively placing her between him and his brother. She liked the way it made her feel to be sitting between the two handsome men. They had taken such good care of her, and now that she was feeling better she couldn’t help but notice how good-looking they were. She gave a mental sigh and tried to get her wakening body to behave. Her breasts felt swollen and heavy. Her nipples had puckered and her pussy was getting wet. It took her a moment to remember what Alec had asked her.
“I’m starving. I can’t remember the last time I ate.”
“When you’ve finished your coffee, I’ll get you a bowl of soup and some rolls,” Duncan said.
“Thank you. Both of you. I don’t know what I would have done if you two hadn’t come along.” Even she heard the slight hitch and the emotion in her voice. She took a deep, steadying breath and slowly released it.
“Where were you headed to, Crystal?” Alec asked.
