by Leah Brooke
The love of his life had a huge heart, and loved hard—sometimes too hard—which made her amazingly vulnerable.
God, he loved her—and had fallen even deeper at the realization of how much she was willing to give up for him, and the lengths she would go to protect him.
Those who threatened anyone she loved found themselves facing a fierce lioness, much to their regret.
He glanced at the television as she flew past it again, but didn’t want to look away from his wife for long. Each time she turned, he caught an enticing glimpse of the curve of her breast, her beading nipples pressing at the soft material.
His cock seemed to get harder each time she turned, and he tormented himself with thoughts of what he planned to do to her once she wound down.
She was in a temper, and he hoped that tonight he could finally get to the bottom of whatever bothered her.
His beautiful wife, in a temper, could be very distracting.
She kept glancing toward the closed door, as though expecting Hoyt to come through it any minute, even though he’d gone to the club in order to give Jake some time alone with Nat. “He’s impossible! He’s so damned arrogant. He’s even worse than you and I didn’t think that was possible.”
Jake raised a brow at that, saying nothing.
Nat didn’t even glance at him as she continued to pace back and forth across the foot of the bed. “Who the hell does he think he is? Trying to tell me what to do. What to eat. How to dress.”
Hiding a smile, Jake set the remote control aside. “He told you what I’ve told you a million times. You have to eat lunch, especially when you rush out of here in the morning without eating breakfast. He told you to make sure that you had some protein to keep your energy up, and to make sure you stay hydrated so you don’t get those headaches. And he told you not to forget your scarf.”
Nat waved a hand in the air negligently, and continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “He’s being unreasonable. He leaves money for me on the kitchen table like I’m a prostitute! How can he get mad because I didn’t borrow money from him last week instead of you?”
Amused, Jake raised a brow. “You borrow money from me?”
Pausing only long enough to glare at him, she turned again, her breasts jiggling just enough to make his cock jump. “Why the hell would I go to him for money?”
“Because he wants to be family, Nat. There’s nothing wrong with him making sure you have enough money on you.”
With a snort, she turned to pace the other way. “Why would I ask him about the funny noise my car’s making? He doesn’t know my car the way you do.”
“Sure.” Jake didn’t bother to hide his smile. “Why would you ask someone who’s been taking cars apart and putting them back together ever since he was fourteen to check out the noise in your car?”
Spinning again, Nat glanced at him, looking a little more unsettled. “Okay, I could have asked him to look at it.” She paced in silence past the bed two more times before shrugging again. “I could have asked him to pick up some milk and eggs from the store, but I figured he would get caught up with that virus he’s working on and would forget.”
Raising a brow, he turned the television off and tossed the remote aside. “Yeah, I’m sure a man responsible for leading dangerous missions and training SEALs would have trouble multitasking, and remembering something as complicated as buying milk and eggs.”
Meeting her glare, Jake raised a brow, saying nothing as he waited for her impressive temper to cool.
Damn, she excited him.
A contrary woman, she’d been a joy to him since he married her.
A soft-hearted woman who did her best to show only toughness to the rest of the world.
A woman who liked to be in control, but reveled at having that control stripped from her in the bedroom.
Her steps slowed, the anger in her voice fading, and the hurt becoming more apparent with every word. “Every time Hoyt and I have sex, we fight.”
Unsurprised that she blushed when telling him that, Jake eyed her steadily. “No. You don’t. That’s part of the problem. You don’t trust him enough to fight with him. You trust him with your body, but not with your heart. You find a reason to get offended at everything he says as if you’re scared to let him too close.”
Nat shrugged, looking away. “He left before for something more exciting because he didn’t like small-town living.”
“And you’re afraid he’s going to do it again. I understand that, but he’s already told you how important being with his family is to him. You’re scared, Nat, and it’s going to take time for you to trust him to stay, but he loves you.” His heart ached for her.
He ached for her.
Her eyes shot sparks as she whirled and began pacing again. “Things like bills, yard work, and sitting at a computer could never hold a man like Hoyt. He’s going to get bored sooner or later, and he’ll be looking for a way out.”
He knew his wife well—too well for her to hide her fear and hurt from him. Crossing his legs at the ankle, he folded his hands behind his head and winced when his cock jumped again. “We’ve talked about this, Nat. If I believed that he wasn’t serious about this, or that he would leave, I’d never have agreed to this relationship. You’re keeping him at a distance out of spite and fear. You want to make him pay for leaving, and hurting you, and you want to make sure he doesn’t get close enough to do it again. I’m afraid it’s too late for that, baby. You’re in too deep already.”
Nat shrugged, pausing at the foot of the bed, not meeting his gaze.
Careful to keep his expression blank, Jake crossed his arms over his chest. “So the years we’ve had together mean nothing to you?”
As he’d expected, she whirled to face him. “What? I never said that.”
Watching her carefully, and thankful that she seemed genuinely surprised by his claim, Jake shrugged. “Well, you seem obsessed with making him pay for the fact that he wasn’t here all these years as if you’ve been miserable since he left.”
She slapped the bed close to his feet. “Don’t try to put words in my mouth. I never said that!”
Holding her gaze, Jake held out a hand. “Come here.”
Hesitating, she blew out a breath. “Jake, I’ve been happy with you. Damn it! I knew this was going to happen.” She started pacing again, flashing another glimpse of the soft curve of her breast as she turned.
To his surprise, she stopped, wrapping her arms around herself in a protective gesture that ripped his heart out. “I’m not like these young girls that have two husbands. How the hell am I going to be able to hold both of you? Hoyt’s probably going to leave, and I’m fucking this up so bad that I’m going to lose you, too.”
Worried now, he straightened, sitting up. “Baby, come here.”
Turning away, she hugged herself and walked away. “I don’t need to be held, Jake.”
Yes, you do.
“Too bad. I need to hold you.” Gritting his teeth when she ignored him, Jake rose, taking a step toward her, purposely injecting ice into his tone. “I told you to come here.” Hiding a smile at her shiver, he waited, knowing what she needed probably better than she did.
Her eyes flashed with anger and need as she approached, her nipples beaded tight and pressing against her cotton nightgown.
Anger and need—a delightful combination.
Sitting on the edge of the bed again, he drew her onto his lap, tucking her head under his chin. He ran his hand up and down her arm, and sat there with her in companionable silence, a silence he knew she needed in order to settle.
“You’ve got yourself really worked up tonight, don’t you?” Turning his head slightly, he kissed her hair, playing with her fingers and the gold band he’d placed there over twenty years earlier. “Do you really think you’re being fair to Hoyt? To yourself? To me?”
Tightening his hold in anticipation of her reaction, he held firm to prevent her from jerking away and began to rub her back.
�
��What?” Nat pushed at his chest, leaning back to glare at him. “How can you ask if I’m fair to Hoyt? I talk to him—”
“Barely, and when you do, you snap at him.”
“I have sex with him.”
“You’re still trembling from your orgasm when you start pushing him away.”
“Fuck you.” Sitting up, she tried to jerk away from him, cursing when he unbalanced her and pressed her back against the mattress. “Let go of me. Jake, you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!” She shoved at his chest, the edge of panic in her eyes telling him that he was right. “I can’t push Hoyt away any more than I can push you away.”
The hurt in her eyes tore at him. “No, you can’t. We both love you too damned much.” Smiling at her look of shock, he ran a thumb over her soft lips, amazed that after all these years, she still had the power to excite him more than any woman he’d ever known.
So soft. So sweet. So full of life.
He could spend the next hundred years with her and it wouldn’t be enough.
Not nearly enough.
Pressing her thighs apart to settle into his favorite place on earth, he met her look of outrage with a smile. “Settle down.”
Squirming against him, and making his cock throb with the need to plunge into her, she tried to kick at him. “You’re both assholes. Let me up, damn you!”
He raised her arms above her head, gathering her wrists in one of his hands. The flare of desire that darkened her eyes gave her an unfocused look, a look that always made him feel ten feet tall. “You’re trying your best to push Hoyt away because he’s getting too close.”
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
Jake cupped her breast, massaging gently. “Yes, you do. You’re making excuses and that’s not like you. You’re afraid of letting him get close.” Holding her face between his hands, he stared into her eyes. “Don’t, baby. Don’t do that to us. It hurts me, it’s hurting Hoyt, and it’s eating at you.”
“I’m not doing that.”
“Yes, you are.” Smiling, he brushed her lips with his. “But, I know that Hoyt loves you and he only wants what’s best for you. He’d die for you, Nat. I trust him with my most valuable possession. You have to trust him, too.”
Releasing her face to slide his hands under her, he smiled when the door opened and her eyes went wide. Assuming it was Hoyt, he smiled, his smile falling when she stiffened, her eyes filled with horror.
She screamed his name, the fear in her voice chilling.
Spinning, he caught a glimpse of two masked men rushing toward them. “What the fuck?” He started to jump from the bed, keeping his body between hers and theirs, horrified at the sight of the guns in their hands.
He covered her body with his, desperate to protect her, and started to turn just as one of the gunmen rounded the bed and came toward him from behind.
Before he could get to his feet, pain exploded in his head.
Terrified for his wife, he silently screamed her name, reaching for her as his vision blurred.
Everything dimmed. The last thing he heard as everything went black, was the hysterical cries of his wife screaming his name.
Chapter Eighteen
Hoyt sipped his beer, watching in amusement as Hunter and Remington Ross mercilessly teased the submissive who’d spent the last hour trying to get their attention.
“You ready for another?”
Glancing at Bill Savage, the club’s soft-spoken bartender, Hoyt allowed a small smile. “Not yet. Thanks.”
He liked the new bartender, a quiet man, whose size alone intimidated most people. With a barrel chest, huge tattooed biceps, and a shaved head, he had a mean look about him that served him well in his new position.
Several inches taller than Hoyt, Bill doubled as a bouncer at times, and usually didn’t have to do more than give a potential troublemaker a warning look in order to keep the peace. He adopted a cold, flat look in his eyes that tamed even the most belligerent badasses.
He didn’t talk any more than necessary, listening more than participating, and always watchful.
Hoyt amused himself by watching him, always surprised that such a large man could move so fast without appearing to rush at all, making drinks with the ease of long practice. Once he caught up with the orders, he wandered back to where Hoyt sat just as he finished his beer.
Gesturing toward Hunter and Remington, Hoyt pushed his glass aside, smiling his thanks when Bill replaced it with another. Raising his voice slightly to be heard over the voices of the crowded bar and loud music, he leaned closer. “I don’t remember ever seeing Hunter and Remington so intense before.”
Bill wiped the already spotless bar. “Yeah.” He glanced at the brothers before turning back to Hoyt. “I haven’t been here for long—but I understand that most of the men who live here figured that the kind of women who would want to actually live in Desire were a dying breed. Not many women would put up with the old-fashioned ways.”
Hoyt thought of Nat and her independent streak, and realized just how hard it must be for her at times to have not one, but two men now watching over her. He thought about the arguments he’d had with her over the last week about not coming to him when she needed something. “Yeah, we can be a little overbearing at times.” Curious, he smiled. “Why did you move here?”
Bill shrugged. “I like the old-fashioned ways. I believe a man’s responsible for protecting his woman, and that a woman deserves respect.”
Hoyt took a sip of his fresh beer, glancing at where Hunter and Remington had a naked blonde sandwiched between them. “We only want what’s best for our women. How the hell do they expect us to protect them if we don’t know what they’re doing, and we don’t maintain some kind of control?”
Thinking of the way Nat looked at him in passion—the softness of her supple body as she melted against him—he wanted to fight demons for her.
Glancing at Bill, he shrugged. “They’re so damned delicate, it scares the hell out of me.”
Inclining his head, the bartender’s lips twitched in the closest thing to a smile Hoyt had ever seen from him. “Yeah, but for such tiny things, they sure as hell pack a punch. I’ve seen grown men taken to their knees. My bosses included.”
Hoyt smiled. “I’m one of them that’s been taken to his knees a time or two.” He took another sip of his beer, glancing toward the Ross brothers again. The woman between them cried out in pleasure, writhing under their hands.
Shaking his head, Hoyt sighed. “Man, their father sure as hell did a number on them, didn’t he? How they hell can they possibly think that just because their father was an asshole, they’d be the same way?”
Bill took a long pull on his bottled water, recapped it and set it aside with more force than necessary. “I heard that their father beat their mother for years, until he finally beat her to death. That’s got to be a hell of a thing to get over. I can’t believe they’re afraid that they’re the same way. It just doesn’t make sense.”
Hoyt took another sip of his beer, finding it hard to believe that Hunter and Remington could still believe that. “I know that everyone’s talked to them until they’re blue in the face, but they won’t listen to reason. Christ, look at them. They’re not even undressed yet. It looks like they plan to keep her busy for a while.”
Bill allowed another small smile. “Lately, they’ve been going through two or three at a time.” His smile fell, his eyes going hard. “They seem almost desperate. I wish I could have a few minutes alone with their father, but he’ll never see freedom again.”
“Bastard.” Hoyt took another sip as he glanced at the men again. “I know what it feels like to want like that. I sure as hell hope they find a woman they can love.”
“And one who loves them.”
Alerted by something in Bill’s tone, Hoyt glanced up at him as he took another sip of his beer, but Bill’s closed expression didn’t invite questions.
Respecting the bartender�
��s privacy, Hoyt looked at his watch, inwardly groaning to see that he still had more than an hour to kill before Jake expected him home.
As Bill walked away to serve another customer, Hoyt considered the many ways his life had changed since coming to Desire.
No one had ever been waiting for him at home before, nor had anyone ever expected him home at a certain time.
His home had never smelled like cinnamon and vanilla.
The niggling at his nape had him looking up at the mirror, a little surprised to see Lucas, Devlin, and Caleb from Desire Securities coming through the doorway and heading right toward him.
Devlin paused next to him, gesturing to Bill for three beers. “Jake told us we could find you here. Do you mind if we join you?”
Hoyt shook his head, glad for the company, but inwardly stiffened at their somber expressions. Wondering if it had anything to do with the bank robbery, he got to his feet. “Let’s get a table.”
Caleb glanced toward Hunter and Remington. “Christ, they’re here more often than not now.”
Lucas nodded, his lips thinning. “Yeah, they are. We’ll all sure as hell be glad when the two of them settle down.”
Devlin dropped into his seat, a beer in each hand. Handing one to Lucas, he sighed. “That’ll never happen. They’re too set in their ways and too scared of hurting a woman to ever allow themselves to be alone with one. They think they’re just like their father because they both have tempers. They’re scared to death of ever having a woman in their lives and hurting her. So, the only time they ever have sex is here. Having an audience gives them security. They know that no one here will allow them to mistreat or hurt a woman. Here, they can relax and enjoy themselves.”
Thinking about Natalie, Hoyt paused with his glass halfway to his mouth. “But no intimacy.”
Lucas inclined his head. “I don’t know if either one of them even knows the meaning of the word.”
Gripping his glass, Devlin leaned forward. “Neither one of them would get within a mile of intimacy.”
With a beer in his hand, Caleb dropped into the seat next to Hoyt. “Something’s got to give with them soon. Their bar fights are legendary. They have so much anger in them over what their father did.”
