by Faye Avalon
The breath hitched in her chest and her blood ran hot. Too aware of Tynan, she kept her gaze firmly on Nathan, who raised his eyebrows.
“How long have you been here?”
“I’m surprised you have to ask,” she said with mock sweetness. “I would have thought this would tell you everything you need to know about my whereabouts.”
She held up the tracker she’d found in her bag while searching for her keys. “Who do I have the pleasure of thanking for intruding in my personal life this time?”
She hoped Nathan admitted to it, because if Tynan did, she’d have to look at him, and her heart was already beating too damn fast. She was painfully aware of him at the best of times, but when he stood there stark naked and mouthwateringly masculine, she wasn’t sure her nerves could take any more assault.
In unison, the men shrugged into their jeans, both going commando. It was Tynan who spoke first. “If you’re not going to be reasonable, you have to expect that we’d take matters into our own hands.”
Feeling a trifle safer now his essential man parts were covered, Naomi looked at him. “I think I’m being perfectly reasonable, thank you. By the way, your man is still outside waiting for the all clear from you.”
“I’ll see to it.” Nathan tapped his forehead in salute and left the kitchen.
“I assume it was your bright idea to plant an illegal device in my bag?”
Tynan went to the sink and poured himself water. “It’s for your own good.”
Tynan couldn’t know it, but his words were like knives plunging through her center. Reminding her of all those years when her father had uttered those very words and she’d had no choice but to succumb to his wishes. Well, no more. Choices were hers to make now, and good or bad, she would own them, fight for them.
“I’m the only one who makes the decision about what’s good for me.”
Tynan didn’t appear even remotely fazed. “Then maybe you’d prefer we made this a Council matter. Get Enoch involved. Perhaps he’d be able to talk some sense into you.”
As he’d no doubt anticipated, the possibility of that happening instantly overrode her protests. If it came before the Council of Principals, her grandfather would find out. Worse, her proclivities for adventurous sex would be revealed to all.
“Bastard.”
Tynan’s eyes gleamed. “Which leaves one option, doesn’t it, sweetheart? You suck it up.”
“I’m not a child you can boss around and talk to however you please.”
Tynan slammed the glass down on the worktop. “Seems to me that’s exactly what you need, because right now you don’t seem to grasp the severity of a situation which could put you at risk.”
As Naomi launched herself forward, Nathan stepped back in. “Okay. Why don’t we all calm down here?”
“I am calm.” Although her heart thumped painfully against her ribs, her blood stormed through her veins, and—damn it—her hormones raged as Tynan’s male scent flooded her nostrils.
It stirred up memories…
“Look, Tynan doesn’t like the necessity of having to put a tracker in your purse any more than you do, okay?” Nathan smiled. “He just wants you safe. We both do. Maybe we should have told you, I get that. But Ty’s right about you having to let us do what we think best. If not, there won’t be any option but to call that Council meeting.”
Bloody blackmailing bastards.
She took a moment to steady herself, knowing that she was well and truly over a barrel and that any further argument would prove futile. “I don’t want that.”
“Then let’s all sit down and talk about this like sensible adults.”
With some reluctance, she sat, ignoring Tynan, who took a seat diagonally across from her at the oblong table.
Nathan poured coffee. “This whole thing would be a lot easier on everyone if you’d move in with one of us.”
“I’m not doing that.” She held up her finger as both men made to protest. “Think about it from my position for a moment. If it was one of you going through something like this, how would you feel being tracked and monitored and told to move out of your home?”
“Wouldn’t be turning cartwheels,” Nathan muttered and glanced over his shoulder at Tynan. “She has a point.”
“Maybe.” Tynan shrugged but kept his eyes on Naomi. “What’s certain is that things can’t stay as they are. There is another solution.” He held her gaze. “You let me move in with you.”
No way in hell. She couldn’t afford seeing Tynan walking around with his shirt off any more than necessary. “This is getting ridiculous.”
“This whole fucking argument is ridiculous,” Tynan steamed.
Nathan laughed. “You keep getting under his skin like this, and he’ll need another run to cool down.” He placed a hand on Tynan’s shoulder. “Why don’t you go take a cold one, bro?”
“And let her wheedle her way into twisting you around her finger while I’m gone? No way. You’ve got two options,” Tynan said, pointing a warning finger at Naomi while his nostrils flared. “One, you move in with me. Two, I move in with you. That’s the deal. No further negotiation. So pick an option and let’s just get the hell on with it. Do as you’re fucking told for once.”
A red haze shimmered in front of Naomi’s eyes, and her chest squeezed. She took a couple of steadying breaths so that when she spoke, her voice was even. “Do as I’m told? Really?”
She saw the moment he clicked in. Saw the apology in his eyes. He of all people knew just how much she’d done what she was told, and how she’d been under the influence of her bully of a father. Not that he could ever know the full extent of it.
He stepped forward. “I know this is difficult, but it really is for your own good.”
For your own good.
The words shot her backward in time, piercing the core of the independent woman she’d become through years of hard work and a fierce determination to bury the past.
“I’m sending you away for your own good, girl. You’ll do as I say or face the consequences. I can ruin that boy just as I can ruin you. What will you do if I throw you out to fend for yourself, eh? You’ve brought shame on me. Shame on this family. You’ll go to your aunt’s until you give birth to that bastard growing in your belly.”
She stood, the sudden weight in her chest threatening to engulf her. “I suggest you take that shower,” she advised Tynan. “When you come back, don’t expect me to still be here and taking any more of your crap.”
She made a grab for her bag, but Tynan’s hand shot around her wrist. He pulled her up sharp against him. For long moments, they stared at each other. Without warning, she was back to that night on the moor, lost in Tynan’s penetrating gaze and the dreams of what she had hoped lay before them. Dreams of her first time with the man she wanted, the man she had longed for. The man who filled her with a need that had entrenched itself so deeply in her soul. Suddenly she wanted to weep for what she—what they—had lost.
Only the sound of Nathan clearing his throat broke the spell, and Naomi shrugged out of Tynan’s hold.
“There is another option none of us has yet considered,” Nathan said with humor in his tone. Coming to stand next to them, he slipped his hands in his pockets and planted his feet. He looked from one to the other, waiting until they focused on him. “We all move in together.”
Utter silence met his suggestion, until Naomi huffed. “Are you out of your mind?”
“Far from it. It makes perfect sense. We all move in together. One big happy family. That way, one of us can always be available if you need us. Since Ty’s place is being renovated, I suggest you both move in here. I’ve got four bedrooms, which means we can all have our own space. The house is big enough for the three of us.”
True enough. The house was certainly big enough to accommodate a very large family with room to spare.
“We’re secluded out here,” Nathan continued, “and the security is excellent. We’ll know if anybody comes within a thousand feet of the house.”
Again true. And, because it made excellent sense, Naomi wondered if she should at least consider it. Despite having initially agreed to compromise, Tynan had made it clear he wasn’t about to let things carry on as they were until they’d figured out what, if any, threat was involved.
The only drawback to Nathan’s suggestion was Tynan. She wasn’t entirely sure if her rapid heartbeat and thundering circulation were due to the fact Tynan had acted like a complete jerk ordering her around, or if it had more to do with his still-shirtless state. Maybe if he’d just secure the catch on those hip-hugging jeans, it would help her to focus better.
“Well?” Nathan asked when nobody spoke.
“Makes sense,” Tynan agreed, although his expression didn’t correspond with his statement. “We’d need to draw up a schedule. Make sure we all keep to it.”
Since he turned his narrow-eyed glare on Naomi, she felt her temper spark anew. “If you mean to imply that I won’t—”
“Okay, okay.” Nathan held out his hands, palms up. “Why don’t we stop hedging around what’s really going on here?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
Nathan ignored Naomi’s protest. “What’s really going on is that the two of you are frustrated and horny as hell. It’s blurring your judgment and focus.”
“I don’t—”
“You,” Nathan said, pointing a finger at Naomi. “You want to know what it’s like to experience a threesome. And you”—his finger moved to Tynan—“you need sex, period.”
“Fucking hell—”
“For some damn reason, you’ve put yourself on the wagon where women are concerned, and it’s about time you jumped right off and got the hell on with it.” He stroked his finger down Naomi’s cheek. “You want adventure, sugar. There’s nothing wrong with that. So, here’s what I suggest.”
Naomi swallowed. She already knew what he was about to suggest, and her entire body went hot at the thought. She couldn’t even look at Tynan, her gaze focused on his chest. It heaved in and out, making the muscles expand and contract, and hiking her already heightened blood pressure in the process.
“If you’re suggesting what I think you’re suggesting, you’re out of your fucking mind.”
At Tynan’s disgruntled tone, Naomi’s heart sank. He couldn’t have made it any clearer he wasn’t on board. That it would be another mistake. She swallowed again, resisting the urge to close her eyes against the harsh rejection that would come if Nathan continued to push.
“Give me one good reason why it wouldn’t work?”
Oh God. Nathan was intent on making Tynan spell it out. Well, she wouldn’t cower, and she wouldn’t give Tynan the satisfaction of knowing his rejection meant a damn to her. Which meant she had to find her voice.
“I’ll give you a good reason,” she said, angling her chin into the air. “How about I’m not interested?”
“Come on. A threesome with the two of us? Men you know and can trust? It has to be preferential to seeking out strangers and putting yourself at risk.”
Naomi’s hand flew to her throat, and she stroked shaky fingers over her collarbone. She had a feeling that particular indiscretion would follow her wherever she went. Perhaps for the rest of her life.
“The way I see it, we get to tick off all the boxes in one fell swoop.” Nathan lifted a few strands of Naomi’s hair and let it slip through his fingers. “We get to keep you safe. You get to experience a threesome. Ty gets laid.”
Heat pooled between her legs, and she could no longer hold back the image of Tynan’s hands on her. The way he’d feel beneath her hands. Unbidden, her gaze slipped back to his chest. Muscled, gleaming, hard. She imagined all that firm, rippling flesh beneath her fingers, sliding against her palms…
Hell.
“So what do you say?”
“I say you’re fucking bat crazy,” Tynan offered. “You can’t arrange sex by numbers, for God’s sake. Just because, to your mind, it solves a series of problems.”
“Don’t go getting all high and mighty on me, bro. You’ve been sniffing around Naomi since your voice broke. Every time you two come within spitting distance of each other, everyone in the vicinity has to step back in case they get hit by the sexual sparks flying around.”
Now she met Tynan’s gaze. Had he really never told his friends about their disastrous sexual encounter a decade ago? Hadn’t he bragged that he’d bagged himself a virgin, then had his friends thump him on the shoulder and commiserate that the female had been frigid and unresponsive?
Whatever. It didn’t change the fact that he wasn’t up for the idea. That he no longer wanted her. Calmly as she could manage, she addressed Nathan. “You’ve got that a bit skewed. It’s not sexual sparks flying around, it’s pure and utter dislike. And it’s mutual.”
“No,” Tynan said and folded his arms across his chest. “That’s where you’ve got things skewed, sweetheart.”
Naomi might have taken heart from his protest, but the imperious tilt of his chin and his sharp tone indicated he had an equally negative assessment of Nathan’s statement.
Mirroring him, she folded her arms. “You’re saying the dislike is not mutual?”
“Not if current developments are anything to go by.”
She frowned. Was there another man alive who could push her buttons as fast and deep as Tynan Galloway? “Current developments?”
“You keep falling into my arms,” he said with a sneer. “Seem comfortable enough there, and then you back off like a frightened…”
His voice trailed off, and all she could think was that she’d been right about him thinking badly of her after they’d had sex. He remembered her as a naïve virgin who wasn’t ready to play with the big boys. Exactly as she’d feared.
She tightened her arms across her chest, as if to protect herself from the humiliation of knowing she’d been right. Angry with herself, and him, she pushed it further. “Go on,” she prompted when he remained silent. “Like a frightened what? Don’t hold back on Nathan’s behalf. I’ll bet he’d be happy to compare notes. Set you straight. No doubt he’ll confirm that I’ve improved over the years.”
Tynan ground his jaw, indicating her taunts had hit home.
“And may I point out that you’re the one grabbing me and kissing me in the first place. Why is that exactly? Want a share in the action, that it? You think maybe you’ll try me on for size again, just for the hell of it?”
Her face burning, she snatched up her bag and headed for the hallway. She had to get out of there so she could get air into her lungs, so that her throat muscles would relax and she could swallow.
Nathan stood, blocking her exit. “I’m not entirely sure what’s going on here, but I suggest you two get it sorted right now. I’m heading for a shower. When I get back, we’ll talk about this calmly and coherently.”
Naomi thought to plow right through Nathan and barge her way out of the house, but he would simply follow her. There was no reasoning with Nathan when he had the bit between his teeth. Besides, perhaps he was right and it was time to sort this out with Tynan once and for all.
Without another word, Nathan left, whistling softly as he headed down the hall.
She held her bag to her like a shield, winding the shoulder strap around her palm for want of something to do with her hands. The silence was deafening in the spacious kitchen. Neither of them moved for what seemed an eternity, until Tynan went to the coffeepot.
From the corner of her eye, she saw him fill two cups. He brought them to the table and, after placing them down, held out a chair for her. She wasn’t sure she could sit, the energy inside her was so pent up. All she really wanted to do was pace. That, or get the hell out of there and be away f
rom Tynan’s intimidating presence and all the feelings that had been stirred up between them.
Since the latter wasn’t an option and pacing would only wind her up some more, she sat in the seat Tynan offered, annoyed when he pulled up the chair beside her instead of across the table like she’d expected him to do.
“You think I told Nathan about us.” His voice was quiet, reasoning. “You think I’d do that?”
She didn’t. Not really. But Nathan had likely joined the dots by now, thanks to her outburst. “He said you were sniffing around me. Which is code for getting between my legs, isn’t it? You can’t blame me for assuming you gave him and Caleb chapter and verse after what happened.”
“What happened between you and me was private. It’s not something I’d share with anyone else. Fact of the matter is, I have been sniffing around you. Ever since my voice broke.” The flash of his sexy grin nudged away the raw edges of her anger. “That’s about the truth of it.”
She couldn’t help herself. “You said what happened between us was a mistake.”
“It was.” He shrugged. “You weren’t ready, and I pushed.”
“That’s not how I remember it.”
“Maybe time has distorted both our memories.” He reached out and covered her hand with his. The contact made her stomach jump. “It might be time to set things straight.”
“By having sex?”
He nodded, the slow slide of his thumb across the back of her hand setting her nerve endings alight.
Her feelings were all over the place, but central to them was the knowledge that if she agreed to have sex with Tynan, she’d be stepping onto very treacherous ground. Already he’d stirred up feelings inside her that she’d thought long since buried. How much worse would it be if she deliberately opened herself up to him again?
She wasn’t sure she could do it. But, damn it all to hell and back again, it was tempting in the extreme.
“You know,” Tynan said breaking into her thoughts, “Nathan might have a point.”
“About what?”
