Bound to Them

by Lorna Jean Roberts

  “What?” she asked.

  “I never knew drinking coffee could be so sexy, sugar,” Nash said huskily.

  She took another deep gulp. “Don’t even think about it, I’m already late.”

  Swallowing the rest of her coffee, she placed the empty cup down then stepped around them to grab her bag.

  “I think you’ve forgotten a few things, darlin’,” Nash said quietly.

  “I have?” She felt more human now that caffeine flowed through her system. “Oh, my car. We left it at the site all weekend.”

  Shoot, she hoped nothing had happened to it.

  “What did we tell you about your hair, Crista?” Nash growled.

  Crista raised her hand. She’d been on automatic this morning and had naturally put her hair back in a bun.

  “I can’t leave it down at work. It will annoy me all day,” she explained.

  Nash watched her thoughtfully as the toaster popped. He turned away and buttered some toast. “Go get your hair brush,” he told her.

  “I don’t have time, Nash.”

  “There’s still an hour before the rest of the crew arrive, you have plenty of time,” Quinn interjected.

  “And while I’m doing your hair, you can eat your toast,” Nash told her. “Now go, before it gets cold.”

  His voice held no leniency and, sighing in frustration, Crista stomped off to grab her hair brush.

  Nash pulled out a chair. A plate piled high with toast sat on the table.

  “I can’t possibly eat all that,” she complained as she sat. Nash loosened her hair. “You know that the weekend’s over, right? I can wear my hair how I like.”

  Quinn leaned forward, resting his folded arms on the table. “We had this conversation, remember? None of us are ready for this to be over yet.”

  Her pussy immediately creamed. “I wasn’t sure if you meant that.”

  “Oh, we meant it. Neither of us are ready to let you go, Crista.”

  She swallowed heavily. She could have them longer?

  “How about we talk about this tonight?” Nash asked, running the comb through her hair. Crista closed her eyes as he continued.

  “All right, all finished.”

  Crista opened her eyes and reached back.

  “A braid? Where did you learn to do that?”

  “Well, I did grow up around horses, ma’am,” he replied in his sexy drawl.

  Crista stood and turned, gaping at him. “Did you just liken me to a horse?”

  Nash chuckled. “And I had a younger sister. My mom worked a lot so I helped Amelia do her hair when she was young. Go and check on it.”

  Crista raced into the bathroom. Her hair was now loosely pulled back from her face.

  “It looks really good,” she said as she walked back into the kitchen area. Nash grabbed her, tugging her onto his lap.

  “I’m a man of many talents.”

  Quinn snorted, not looking up from the newspaper he was reading.

  “I still say you ought to stay in bed today. You look like you need another twelve hours sleep,” he stated bluntly.

  “Gee, thanks,” she muttered.

  Crista attempted to rise from Nash’s lap but he wouldn’t let her go. “Eat your toast, darlin’.”

  “I’m not hungry. Can we go now? I want to get there before the rest of the crew arrives.”

  “You can eat it on the way if you like,” Nash said cheerfully.

  “Urgh.” Crista had the ridiculous urge to stomp her foot. “The pair of you must be the most stubborn men in the universe.”

  “Guilty as charged,” Quinn replied.

  “What do you want on your toast? Peanut butter?” Nash asked, reaching for the jar.

  “No,” Crista said quickly. “Plain is fine.”

  Both men frowned but gave in without a word. She sighed in relief. “I need to go. I need to get there before everyone else.”

  “You got that photo of O’Ryan we printed off?” Nash asked Quinn, who nodded and patted his pocket. Quinn handed her the plain toast.

  “Why are you carrying a photo of Andrew around?” she asked as Nash placed her on her feet.

  “We want to show it around, make sure everyone knows to keep an eye out for him.”

  Crista bit back her protest, recognizing the glint of determination in their eyes.

  She took a bite of toast when Quinn gave her a look, then followed him out to his Jeep. Nash walked behind her, both men looming protectively close. A rush of longing overwhelmed her. What would it be like to be with them permanently? Of course, just because they wanted to extend the weekend fun didn’t mean they wanted her forever. She should get that out of her head right now.

  They were amazing, gorgeous, smart, hot and right now they just wanted to protect her from Andrew. Most men wouldn’t care. Most men wouldn’t think twice about leaving her alone, even with Andrew still a possible threat.

  She could not mistake their kindness for anything more. That way led only to heartache. Crista slammed into Quinn’s back. She stumbled back clumsily. Nash grabbed her elbow, steadying her as Quinn swore, his shoulders stiff.

  “Take her back inside,” he ordered Nash.

  “What? Why? What’s going on?” she asked.

  Crista leaned to the side, peering around Quinn’s wide back. She caught a glimpse of his Jeep before Nash tugged her back between them.

  “Oh no,” she groaned miserably, trying to pull herself free of Nash’s hold.

  “Stay still, Crista,” Nash growled.

  “No. Let me go. Oh Quinn, I’m so sorry. I didn’t think he would come after either of you. I’ll pay for the damage. I’ll buy you a new one,” she promised desperately. Even if she spent the rest of her life paying it off, she’d replace his Jeep. She would.

  Quinn turned and she caught another look at his now wrecked Jeep. Someone had slashed the tires. Black spray paint marred the previously pristine purple paintwork.

  Whore.

  Bitch.

  Slut.

  Her eyes filled with tears. Then Quinn filled her vision, his face dark with anger. She braced herself for his temper. She deserved his anger—she’d brought this on him.

  “Crista, look at me,” he said sternly. She raised her gaze tentatively.

  “Jesus, don’t be scared of me. Baby girl, don’t you know I would never, ever hurt you?” Quinn took her into his arms as tears dripped from her eyes and ran down her cheeks. She snorted a little at his words.

  He laughed. “That’s completely different and you know it.”

  Yes, she did now.

  “He wrecked your Jeep.”

  “Yep. He did. Not you. You didn’t do this, unless you’re trying to tell me you snuck out in the middle of the night and keyed my paintwork?”

  She winced. She hadn’t noticed that. “No, but he’s my problem. If you hadn’t gotten involved with me he’d never have done that. I promise to pay you back.”

  “You’ll do no such thing, and if you offer again I’ll spank you right here in front of anyone who walks past, got it? This is not your fault. Besides, it’s not mine, it’s a rental. And I have insurance.”

  “Yes, but—”

  A heavy smack landed on her butt, stopping her protest.

  “Okay, okay.” She gave in with little grace.

  “How’d he know you’re with us? Or which vehicle was Quinn’s?” Nash interjected.

  “He could have been watching us,” Quinn said, his arms tightening around her as though he expected Andrew to suddenly whisk her away.

  Nash snarled, the sound filled with such fearsome violence she shuddered.

  “Shh, sweetheart, you’re safe,” Quinn crooned.

  “Take her back inside,” Nash said, resting his hands on her shoulders. “I’ll check the Jeep over then call the deputy.”

  “No way,” she protested. “I’ve got a job to do. I’ve got to get to the site.”

  Nash turned her, his gaze fierce as he stared down at her.

&n
bsp; “Nash, this is my business. I can’t just shut up shop because some asshole is trying to terrorize me, that’s just letting him win. Besides, won’t I be safer there anyway, with the two of you and the rest of the crew? Although perhaps the two of you should stay away from me.”

  She felt sick at the idea of Andrew hurting them to get to her. “Yes, that would be best. I’ll just get Anita to call a taxi. If you want to leave town I’ll understand.”

  Crista didn’t even get one step away before they were pulling her back, both staring down at her incredulously.

  “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just call us cowards, sweetheart,” Quinn said in a soft, deadly voice. “But let me just make one thing clear. Neither of us are going anywhere. Wherever you go, we go.”

  “You are still our submissive,” Nash told her. “And you promised to let us protect you.”

  Crista took a deep breath. “And if I don’t want that?”

  “You trying to tell me that you don’t want us, sweetheart?” Quinn murmured from where he stood behind her. He cupped her mound. Her pussy throbbed.

  “Quinn, you can’t, someone will see.” She wiggled in his hold, not sure if she wanted to get closer or get away.

  Nash undid the button on her pants before pulling down the zip. Quinn’s hand dipped inside.

  “What did we say about wearing panties?”

  “I thought this was over when I got dressed.” And she’d figured that meant they were over too. How wrong she had been. Quinn pushed her panties to one side and dipped his fingers into her wet folds.

  “You can’t do this, not out here,” she moaned.

  “You didn’t want to move inside,” Nash reminded her.

  “Damn, she’s wet. She’s soaked through her panties.”

  Crista groaned in embarrassment. Quinn swirled his finger around her clit, making her shudder. All thoughts of someone seeing her fled as her world narrowed down to his finger giving her pleasure.

  Then he withdrew. Crista couldn’t hold back her whimper of protest. Nash did up her pants and clasped her cheeks in his hands. She stared up at him through a haze of need.

  “Crista? Do you want to end all this? Or will you trust us to protect you? To take care of you?”

  She slammed back into reality.

  “I-I don’t know.”

  The more time she spent with them, the firmer the web of need they spun around her grew. How would she ever survive letting them go?

  “Please, Crista,” Quinn murmured behind her. “Let us protect you. Be with us. We know you want us. We want you too.”

  “Okay, okay, I guess until Andrew’s caught or until you have to leave, we can continue on.”

  Both men stiffened and she wondered for a moment if she’d made a mistake. Maybe they were hoping she’d turn them down. But how did that make any sense? Before she could puzzle out what had angered them they relaxed.

  “Okay, darlin’,” Nash agreed. “We’ll settle for that.”

  Settle? What more did they want? Too afraid to ask in case she didn’t like the answer, Crista asked another question pressing on her mind.

  “How will we get to the site? And I have to go, I can’t hide from Andrew. That’s letting him win.”

  There was silence then Quinn let out a loud sigh. “All right. Nash, you take Crista on your bike, I’ll wait here for our friend the deputy then get him to drop me off.”

  “Okay. My spare helmet is in our room. I’ll get it and a jacket.”

  Nash ran off. Quinn pulled Crista closer to the building, putting her back against the block wall. He completely covered her front. Crista gulped. They really were taking this seriously.

  “Listen to me. Nash is very protective over those he considers his. We both are. He may seem easygoing, but push him and you’ll find out just how unbending he can get. Don’t do anything to put yourself in danger, Crista. Neither of us will react well if you are harmed.”

  Rather than angering her, his words filled her with warmth. They might not love her, but they cared enough to protect her. They had more integrity and honor in their little fingers than Andrew had in his whole body.

  “I promise.”

  “Be careful with Nash. He’s riding a fine line and we don’t want him stepping over the edge into full-on caveman. He might just knock us both on the head and drag us off to have his wicked way with us.”

  She giggled.

  Nash returned and bundled her up in a jacket quickly. She was roasting hot but didn’t complain. He hopped on his bike. Quinn helped her on behind him.

  “Hold on to him, sweetheart. Don’t let go.”

  She nodded and clasped her arms around Nash’s waist, prepared to hold on for dear life.

  Nash started the bike, which purred loudly, and they were off.

  Crista buried in against his back, too frightened to open her eyes, but when she didn’t fall off after five minutes she risked peering around.

  Scenery sped by and a smile tugged at her lips.

  When they arrived at the worksite, it was deserted. Nash helped her off the bike. Grabbing both their helmets, he held out his hand to her. Crista tucked her smaller hand into his, letting him lead her to the run-down trailer she used as an office.

  “Got your keys, darlin’?” he asked, putting down the helmets. She handed the keys over and waited while he stepped inside first.

  “All good.”

  Crista just shook her head and, grabbing the helmets, walked inside, placing them beside her desk.

  Nash folded his arms and watched her. When she stood and turned, he crooked a finger at her. His eyes, deep and intense, drew her forward.

  “Now we have a little matter of underwear to take care of, don’t we, darlin’?” he drawled before leaning over to lock the door.

  Crista swallowed. “What do you mean?”

  “Undo those pants then turn around and lean your hands against the edge of the desk.”

  “Here?” she squealed.

  “There’s no one else around. Although the longer you procrastinate, the more you run the risk of someone turning up.”

  Oh hell.

  “Pants off,” he ordered.

  With her hands shaking and arousal coursing through her body, Crista hastily undid her pants and turned around to bend over the desk.

  Nash’s arm skated around her, snatching a pair of scissors off her desk.

  “Now these will do just nicely,” he said with satisfaction. “Stay very still, I don’t want to nick you.”

  Dear Lord.

  “Nash, what are you doing?”

  Snip. Snip.

  He cut each side of her panties, then drew them from between her thighs.

  “By rights you should be getting a spanking as well. But we’re tight for time. I’ll make it up to you later.” He helped her pull up her jeans, turning her so he could do them up.

  Leaning down, he kissed her gently. “I’m sorry if sometimes I turn into an overprotective brute, darlin’. When my father left us, I was ten. My sister was seven. I instantly became the man of the house and I took that seriously. I swore I would never be a deadbeat like my dad was.”

  Nash cupped her face, the skin on his palms slightly rough on her cheeks. “I joined the armed forces to earn a living and to fulfill this need inside me to protect. But while I was gone, my sister got caught up with the wrong group of people. I might have lost her forever had Cord not found her. All I’m asking is that you be patient with me, darlin’. I can be overwhelming, I know, and there will be times you want to kill me, but know that I am only trying to do what’s best for you.”

  Tears filled her eyes as she nodded. “I know. But hey, how do you explain Quinn then? I want to kill him constantly.” She smiled.

  “Honey, I’m not even going to try to explain why Quinn is the way he is. I’m pretty sure he was born like that. And he can dig his own way out of any holes he makes. Lord knows, he’s got the muscles.”

  Crista snorted with laughter and le
aned against Nash’s chest. His arms came around her, holding her close. There was so much crap going on in her life right now, but at least for a short time she could bury herself in Nash’s arms and feel safe.

  * * * * *

  Once all the men had arrived, Nash dragged her out of the trailer and, to her embarrassment, called everyone together and explained who Andrew was and why they all needed to keep an eye out for him.

  God, she loved him. Him and Quinn.

  But they didn’t love her and it wasn’t fair for her to burden them with her feelings. They could have anyone. Someone thin and beautiful and courageous.

  She should be grateful for this experience. But she wanted more. So much more.

  Having to say goodbye to them was going to kill her.

  “Should Crista be staying by herself?” Mac asked, frowning. He’d worked for her father. He might be getting on in years, but he was still one of their best men.

  Nash stepped closer, putting his arm over her shoulder. “She won’t be. I’m keeping a very close watch on her.”

  The men laughed and Crista stiffened, taking a step back.

  “Excuse me. Everyone back to work,” she said coolly before turning and walking to her trailer, her shoulders still, her head held high.

  Hands shaking, she poured herself a cup of coffee. The door opened, then Nash stepped inside, shutting the door behind him.

  “What,” Nash asked, “was that all about?”

  Crista snuck a quick glimpse at him and saw the confusion on his face.

  “What was what all about?” she asked.

  “The way you pulled away from me out there then practically ran off.”

  “I didn’t run off and you should be working,” she told him.

  He raised a brow and leaned back against the wall of the trailer. “I’m not leaving until you tell me what I did to piss you off.”

  “Get back to work or you’re fired,” she told him through gritted teeth.

  He grinned. “Fine then, fire me, gives me more free time to hang out here with you, minute after minute, hour after hour.”

  “Urgh. Why’d you make out that we’re more than friends?” she asked.

  “We are more than friends. What’s wrong with everyone knowing that?”

  “Nothing, it’s just that this is only a temporary thing. I thought we’d just keep it between ourselves.”