Stormy Desire [Desire, Oklahoma 12] (Siren Publishing Menage Everlasting)

by Leah Brooke

  Chuckling, Caleb reached for his water. “Yeah, but once she gets the first one, she’s gonna be a brat because she wants another.”

  Folding his hands over his plate, Lucas held her gaze. “I don’t think that’s gonna be an issue.”

  Stormy shrugged, her sarcastic smile provoking the image of her bare ass over his lap. “Of course not, because I’m leav—”

  Stormy stopped abruptly, stiffening at the beeping sound coming from the panel close to the back door. Before she could do more than draw a breath, Devlin yanked her from the chair onto the floor, covering her body with his.

  Nat hit the floor about the same time, Hoyt’s expression a stone mask as he laid over her.

  Lucas and Caleb had already run out the back door, and both Hoyt and Devlin held guns in their hands.

  The beeping continued, another alarm adding to it.

  Devlin cursed and met Hoyt’s gaze over her and Nat’s heads. “The second alarm. They’re about fifty yards out.”

  Hoyt nodded once, his eyes hard and cold, but his hand moved gently over Nat’s shoulder. “Stay right here. Don’t you dare move until one of us comes back for you.”

  Nodding, Nat reached for his hand. “Please be careful.”

  Stormy’s breath caught at the look that passed between Hoyt and Nat, the depth of their love for each other stunning.

  Hoyt bent to kiss his wife’s hair. “Always, baby. I’ve got a lot to live for. Stay right here.”

  Devlin lifted himself off of Stormy just as Hoyt rose and another alarm sounded. “That’s coming from the woods. Stay here with Nat, Stormy.”

  Hating that she missed his warmth and the sense of safety she knew she couldn’t allow herself to get used to, Stormy lifted her head and found herself staring into Nat’s eyes, wide with fear. Reaching out, she touched the other woman’s hand, raising her voice to be heard over the alarm. “It’ll be all right.”

  Stormy rose to her knees, stiffening at the sound of gunfire. “Stay down.”

  Keeping as low as she could, Stormy got to her feet and peered out the window, her breath catching at the sight of Caleb and Lucas pressed against trees as a car sped toward them.

  The exchange of gunfire and the sounds of other alarms going off made it impossible to hear whatever Nat shouted at her, but judging by Nat’s look of stunned horror, it was a shout to stay down.

  Shaking her head, Stormy looked out the window again. “I’ll be fine. Just stay down.” She would never forgive herself if something happened to any of them. Grabbing her gun from the drawer, Stormy watched from the window.

  No matter what Devlin said, she wasn’t about to hide on the floor instead of helping them.

  Watching Lucas step out from behind the tree, she held her breath as he fired off several shots, impressed that he didn’t even jerk when a bullet struck the tree next to his shoulder.

  She heard gunfire coming from the left, and frustrated that she couldn’t see who was firing, Stormy raced for the back door.

  Looking out the screen door, she stilled in horror when she saw a man she didn’t recognize peek out behind one of the trees, lifting his gun and pointing it in Lucas’s direction.

  Knowing that calling out to Lucas would distract him, she threw the door open and raced outside, lifting her gun to fire.

  Seeing her, the man turned and, to her relief, shifted his aim from Lucas to her, firing once.

  She instinctively ducked and barely had the chance to take in his dark hair and ice-cold eyes as she crouched and lifted her gun again, knowing she had only a split second to aim.

  She squeezed the trigger, her bullet hitting the tree behind him just as another shot rang out, hitting the man in the arm holding his gun.

  Glancing to her right, the direction the bullet had come from, she saw Caleb racing toward the other man, who took off in the opposite direction—a direction that would take him right past her.

  She took off toward the trees to cut him off.

  Staying close to the trees, Lucas’s would-be shooter kept glancing behind him at Caleb, shifting his gun from his right hand to his left.

  Caleb ran faster than she’d expected, closing the distance between him and his prey more with every stride.

  Still, she was closer.

  Gunfire, combining with the sound of a car crashing, came from the side of the house, but Stormy kept her attention on the shooter.

  Realizing he’d dropped his gun, she breathed a sigh of relief and kept running, alarmed when their target put both arms in front of him.

  Not knowing if he was holding his injured arm or reaching into his waistband for another gun, Stormy pumped her legs, racing for him, adrenaline and fear for Caleb adding to her speed.

  She heard Caleb yell something to her, but she couldn’t hear him well enough to understand him.

  The shooter slowed, and his struggle to remain on his feet after tripping on one of the tree roots allowed her to gain on him.

  Just as she closed in on him, he abruptly turned toward her, rage distorting his features.

  Seeing that he didn’t hold a gun, she tossed hers aside, not giving him the opportunity to take it from her.

  Ignoring Caleb’s desperate shout, she leapt at the other man, managing to knock him off balance and sending both of them to the ground.

  He reacted faster than she’d expected for his size, getting to his feet just a heartbeat after she did.

  Instead of going after him, she waited for him to come for her, determined to use his rage and weight against him.

  Balancing her weight, she saw him look back at Caleb before giving her his full attention.

  With a snarl, he leapt at her, and using his own momentum and weight, she went down again, using her legs to flip him over her to land hard on his back.

  He came up swinging, but Stormy was ready for him, ducking his punch and moving in to deliver her own to his stomach before quickly stepping out of his reach.

  Filled with pride that it took him a few seconds to catch his breath, she delivered a roundhouse kick to his face.

  Blood spurted from his nose, and with a growl, he leapt toward her again, but the booted kick to his balls stopped him dead in his tracks.

  With a howl of pain, he dropped to his knees and then to his back, cursing a blue streak.

  “You fucking bitch! I swear to God I’m gonna hurt you so bad you’ll beg me to kill you.”

  Caleb skidded to a halt next to her, with Lucas just a few steps behind him.

  Running her forearm across her brow, she looked up as Caleb and Lucas positioned themselves between her and her assailant.

  When the other man started to get to his feet again, Lucas bent and closed a hand on his shoulder, his eyes on Stormy. “I wouldn’t.” His gaze narrowed and hardened. “Are you okay?”

  Grinning, Stormy nodded and went to retrieve her gun, tucking it into her waistband. “I’m great. How about you?”

  Lucas blinked, seeming surprised by the question. “Me? Of course I’m all right.” His lips thinned. “Your arm’s bleeding.”

  Surprised, Stormy looked down to see a small amount of blood on her sleeve and shrugged, meeting Caleb’s grin. “I must have ripped a stitch. Don’t even feel it.” She looked around, unable to see either Devlin or Hoyt. “Are the others okay?”

  “They’re fine.” A muscle worked in Lucas’s jaw, and with a sharp jerk, he lifted the other man to his feet. “Get inside.”

  It was Stormy’s turn to blink. “What?”

  The man Lucas held lunged for her. “Fucking bitch.”

  “Shut up, Ricci.” Caleb turned slightly, punching the other man in the face, effectively knocking him out.

  “That was Dominic Ricci?” Pleased that she’d managed to get the best of a man who killed people with little disregard, Stormy grinned. “Not so tough after all, is he?”

  Lucas sighed, shaking his head. “Christ. Now we’re gonna have to carry him.” Straightening, he stepped toward her, gripping her arm wh
en she would have moved away. Lifting her sleeve, he grimaced. “Ripped at least two of the stitches out. Get in the fucking house. Now.” Glaring at Caleb, he stripped off his T-shirt and tied it around her upper arm. “Why the hell didn’t you shoot him?”

  “Scared to death of hitting her. Didn’t know what the hell she’d do.” Caleb grinned, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “Did you see her?” He leaned close and kissed her hard on her lips. “That was incredible.”

  Lucas grunted and turned her toward the house, slapping her ass. “Get inside. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  Still riding high on adrenaline and victory, Stormy stuck her tongue out on him. “Kiss my ass.”

  Without hesitation, Lucas closed the distance between them, wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her despite her struggle, and pressed his lips to her bottom. Setting her on her feet, he ran a hand over the place he’d kissed, meeting her glare with a raised brow. “There. Now get inside. Now, before I paddle that well-rounded ass.”

  Caleb’s laugh stopped abruptly when the man on the ground moaned and started to sit up. “Shit. Come on, asshole. Let’s go join your friends.” Helping the other man to his feet, he winked at Stormy. “You did real good, baby. I’m proud of you.”

  Stormy watched Caleb lead the other man toward the side of the house before looking up at Lucas again. She wanted desperately to argue with him, but the lingering fear in his eyes gave her pause. She took a deep breath and grinned up at him, amused that his eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You weren’t scared, were you?”

  His lips thinned, a muscle working in his jaw. “The thought of tying you to a chair sounds more appealing by the minute.”

  With her hands on her hips, she faced him squarely. “I do know how to take care of myself. I’m sure that must be a new concept for you.”

  Just then, Hoyt came out the back door, his arm firmly around Nat. He held her closely, touching his lips to her hair in a loving gesture, closing his eyes in what could only be relief.

  Lucas grimaced. “You know nothing.” He fell into step beside her when she started across the yard.

  She knew he expected her to go into the house, but she wouldn’t relax until she saw Devlin and assured herself that he hadn’t been hurt. “What do you like best about being a Dominant?”

  The question slipped out before she could stop it, something she found happening more and more often as her curiosity and attraction to them grew.

  “Control.” He paused at the back steps, frowning at Nat. “You okay, honey?”

  “I’m fine.” Shaking her head, Nat looked at Stormy. “Almost had a heart attack when she ran outside, but I’m glad she’s all right.”

  Holding Nat close, Hoyt shot Stormy a hard look, but his words were for his wife. “If you ever did anything that stupid, I’d be real tempted to beat your ass.”

  Nat cupped his cheek, turning Hoyt’s face to hers with a grin. “Really? How tempted?”

  Her apparent attempt to distract him from his obvious fear for her seemed to have worked.

  Shaking his head, he blew out a breath. “Christ, you really are a brat.”

  Lifting her chin, he stared down at her, his gaze intense. “Go back inside. I’ll be in as soon I can. Ace is on his way with two of his deputies. I’m sure Jake has heard something. Call him and let him know you’re okay and that we’ll be on our way back as soon as Ace and his men get here.”

  * * * *

  Lucas walked with Stormy to the corner of the house, reaching out wrap his hand around her uninjured arm to pull her to a stop. “That’s close enough. You can see Devlin from here.”

  “How did you know that’s what I wanted to do?”

  Devlin and Caleb each held their guns pointed at the four injured men sitting on the ground in front of them.

  Devlin’s head whipped up, his relief at seeing Stormy obvious. His eyes widened when he took in the small amount of blood on her arm, lifting a questioning brow at Lucas.

  Shaking his head, Lucas indicated that she was all right, looking down at Stormy. “Your eyes always give you away.”

  Still reeling from her playful grin, Lucas stiffened at the worry and affection that shone in her eyes when she looked at Devlin and Caleb.

  Jealousy gripped him by the throat, an unsettling sensation that tightened his gut and made him even more irritable.

  “Go in the house with Nat. I’ll be there in a minute to change your bandage.”

  Hoyt stood over the men, his hands on his hips, his look daring one of them to get up. “Go ahead and take care of her. We’ve got this.”

  Inclining his head, Lucas turned Stormy toward the house, pleased to see that she hadn’t lost any color. “Be right back.”

  If anything, her face reddened, her gaze lingering on his chest before lifting to his. “You don’t have to do this. I can do it.”

  The need to see for himself that she was all right, and to get his hands on her, had him shaking his head. “No.”

  She was the sister of one of his best friends.

  He was supposed to protect her, not allow himself to get distracted with thoughts of making her his.

  He was a man who prided himself on his control, a control she seemed to shake with very little effort.

  Her eyes held a curiosity he wanted desperately to satisfy, her gaze lowering to his lips as she licked her own.

  His cock stirred, his need for her clawing at his control.

  Knowing what she’d endured in the past infuriated him and made the fact that she’d been injured even more unbearable.

  She had a spunk that delighted him, but her impulsiveness and independence had already given him more than a few bad moments.

  His heart still hadn’t recovered from seeing her running across the yard in pursuit of a man who had to outweigh her by a hundred pounds.

  Stormy paused on the top step and turned, her hands on her hips. “Stop scowling at me. He was going to shoot you. What was I supposed to do, stand there and watch? I couldn’t yell out to you because I was afraid I would distract you.”

  “Caleb was behind me and had him in his sights. We all have each other’s backs, Stormy. You’re used to doing things on your own, and it keeps getting you hurt. We won’t stand for it.”

  Stormy gaped at him. “Won’t stand for it?”

  “That’s right. Did you call anyone?”

  “What?”

  “How the hell do you think they knew where to find you?”

  Her red face told him everything he needed to know.

  “You called your client, didn’t you? You used your cell phone, and she traced it.”

  “I didn’t call her. How do you know they didn’t follow Hoyt?”

  “Hoyt wouldn’t allow himself to be followed.”

  Her eyes went hard, and she stared at his shirtfront.

  “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  “I might have to put up with your bossiness, but my thoughts are my own.”

  Taking the next step, he crowded her, gripping her chin and lifting her face to his. “Just for a short time.” He ran his thumb over her bottom lip, savoring its softness. “I can already tell that you’re hiding something—a call to someone you don’t want me to know about.” His grip firmed when she would have pulled away. “One day, very soon, you’re gonna realize that I know more about you than you know about yourself. Now, who did you call?”

  “Leave me alone.”

  “Not a chance.” If others hadn’t been around, Lucas knew they’d already be in bed, her legs spread wide and his cock seated to the hilt.

  Maybe then he’d feel close enough.

  Nat appeared at the back door. “Lucas, why don’t you let me change Stormy’s bandage?”

  Lucas took a deep breath, wondering why one woman could tie him in knots with such ease. Deciding that they both needed to cool off, he nodded, giving Stormy a warning look while reaching out to whip her gun from her waistband.

  “Hey!”

/>   Pleased at her indignation, Lucas smiled, suddenly in a better mood. “Fine. Thanks, Nat. If she tries to come outside, let me know.”

  Stormy gasped. “I’m not a damned child, Lucas, and I’ll be damned if I let you treat me like one!”

  “Careful, little girl. I’d need very little provocation to put you over my knee.”

  Lucas turned and walked away, chuckling at the curses coming from behind him as Nat giggled and hustled Stormy into the cabin.

  Whistling, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number he knew by heart.

  Pausing next to the others, he smiled when his call was answered on the second ring.

  “Logan, it’s Lucas. We’re claiming your sister.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “You look pale. Are you okay?”

  Stormy turned from the window to look down at her arm and the fresh bandage Nat had just taped before meeting her worried gaze. “I’m fine, Nat. Thanks.” She looked back out the window to see Ace and two other men, men just as large as he was, loading the handcuffed men into their SUVs. “It looks like it’s over.”

  Nat tucked everything back into the first aid kit and leaned over the sink to look out. “Yes. Damn, doesn’t Hoyt look sexy as hell? With that gun tucked into his waistband. That swagger. That hard look in his eye. Hmm. I just might have to attack him on the way home.”

  Stormy couldn’t tear her eyes from Caleb, who stood with his back to the others, holding her gaze as he made his way back to the house. “What? Oh. Yeah.”

  Her pulse tripped, the intent in Caleb’s eyes sending white-hot need through her.

  “Does it hurt?”

  Taking a shaky breath, Stormy smiled and nodded. “God, yes.”

  She ached everywhere and knew that only Caleb, Devlin, or Lucas could satisfy the hunger raging inside her.

  Lucas.

  She’d thought he hated her, but there was no denying the need in his eyes.

  She wondered, though, if he would act on it.

  Whipping her head around, Nat frowned and followed her gaze. Laughing softly, she shook her head and closed the lid on the first aid kit. “Yeah, I know that feeling well.” She touched Stormy’s arm. “Please don’t hurt them.”