by Becca Van
Chapter Two
Shelby’s gaze locked onto Brandt’s tight ass as she followed him out the door. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Cord placed a guiding hand on her lower back, and the heat of his flesh seeped through her clothes, making goose bumps rise up on her skin and causing her to shiver. Every time one of the men touched her, heat and electrical pulses zinged to her breasts, curled in her womb, and shot straight down to her pussy. She had never felt anything like it before and didn’t know if she liked it. In fact, she was pretty sure she didn’t.
After what she had been through in the past six months, the last thing she needed was to get involved in a relationship. She was a mess, and until she had her life back under control, getting involved with someone else would only create more problems. Keep your mind from the two gorgeous men you are going to be working with and concentrate on getting well. You don’t need any more complications in your life, girl.
“Shelby, honey, are you all right?” Brandt asked, frowning with concern.
Shelby looked up and realized she was standing on the pavement staring into space. He had obviously been talking to her, and she had been so lost with her own introspection she hadn’t noticed. Her cheeks heated and she lowered her eyes, trying to regain control.
“I’m fine. Sorry, I was lost in thought. What did you ask?”
“Where is your car parked, baby?”
Shelby frowned at the endearment, even though she secretly liked it. She didn’t know these men and, since she would be working for them, didn’t think it was appropriate.
“My name is Shelby, and my car is just around the corner.” She stepped around Brandt and led the way. Her small car was parked in a parking lot behind the diner and adjacent businesses. Praying they wouldn’t see the hole in the rear window, she indicated her car and pushed the lock-release button. Even though it had been nearly six months since the incident, she didn’t have insurance or the money to fix the window. So she had placed tape over the hole and hoped like hell the cops didn’t pull her over for an unroadworthy car. So far so good. No one had taken any notice of the small hole and cracked glass around it.
As she turned to face the two men, heat suffused her face and body once more. God, they were so hot. Brandt looked to be younger than Cord at about thirty years old. He had the blackest hair she had ever seen. The fading sun caught the strands, making them look almost blue. His eyes were deep pools of an almost aquamarine color, and he was built like a god.
She let her gaze wander the length of his body, shielding her eyes with her lowered eyelashes as she took him in. He stood just over six feet, with broad shoulders, muscular pectorals, and bulging biceps. Her eyes snagged on the ink on his right bicep, and her pussy leaked as she traced the sexy tattoo. She couldn’t see it all, because it went beneath the sleeve of his tight black T-shirt, but oh, how she would have loved to trace it with the tips of her fingers. Even though he was muscular, Brandt wasn’t so pumped that he looked like a bodybuilder. His waist tapered down to narrow hips and sturdy thighs.
Surreptitiously sliding her gaze to Cord, she took him in. She felt like drooling as she perused his length. He was shorter than Brandt by an inch and had dark, chocolate-colored hair with gray eyes. With wider shoulders and slightly more muscle than his brother, he portrayed an air of self-confidence which seemed to tug at her core. Both his arms were covered in ink that ran beneath his T-shirt. His chest and stomach were thicker than Brandt’s, but there wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. The muscles of his abs were visible when he moved, rippling beneath the light material of his tight cotton shirt. Her pussy clenched and creamed when her eyes wandered to his strong, muscular quadriceps and then snagged at his crotch. The man was packing a lethal weapon, and it was fully loaded. Sliding her eyes back to Brandt’s crotch, she saw he was in the same condition as his brother.
Drawing in a deep breath, she turned her back on them and opened the door to her car. As she eased into the driver’s seat, she exhaled slowly, releasing some of the tension which had invaded her body. Shelby was about to turn the key in the ignition, but a hand over hers stayed the movement.
“What happened to the window, Shelby?” Cord asked.
Shit, I should have known they would notice. They were cops for crying out loud, and now they run a security company. They’ve been trained to notice small details. You are such an idiot, Shelby. You shouldn’t have accepted their job offer. Now they are going to probe and question until they get answers.
Shelby didn’t want to answer those questions. She didn’t want to face all that fear again. She was barely hanging on as it was. Bringing the past to the forefront of her mind might be just enough to tip her over the edge.
“Stone,” she lied.
Cord looked at her quizzically. As if he knew she was lying but was deciding whether to press her. She exhaled heavily when he nodded and released her hand. She looked away from him quickly.
“Brandt, you wanna go get the truck and meet us at Quin’s?” Cord asked, and Shelby was grateful he was no longer watching her. She relaxed a little more into the driver’s seat and turned the ignition. To her surprise, her car started without a protest.
Cord moved around the front of her car and got into the passenger seat, moving the seat back to make room for his legs. He began to direct her to his mechanic friends’. Shelby had never been more aware of a man’s presence in such a confined space. She was having trouble breathing, but this time for a totally different reason than before. The atmosphere in her car felt so thick with sexual tension that she swore she could have cut it with a knife. Opening the window, she inhaled deeply the clean country air, held it for a count of three, and exhaled quietly. It was one of the tricks her psychologist had given her, but it didn’t help all the time. At least not in this instance.
Finally, she was able to pull her car into the driveway of the mechanics and quickly scampered from the vehicle before Brandt could open her door. He had been heading toward her with three men in tow, but she wasn’t sure how she would react if one of them were to touch her again. The radiator in her car took that opportunity to hiss and blow some steam.
“Shelby, this is Quin, Grayson, and Pierson Badon. They are going to take a look at your car,” Brandt said.
After the introductions were over and Shelby made it clear to the Badon brothers they were to consult with her about her car before they touched it, Cord and Brandt began to unload her things from the backseat and trunk. It didn’t take them long, since she didn’t have much, but what she did have was hers, and no one was going to damage it. Especially her books. She had two cardboard boxes filled to the brim with her precious reading material, and she grieved over the ones she had had to leave behind. She was glad she had taped the lids closed.
When Brandt reached into the backseat and removed her quilt and pillow, she caught him looking at Cord. It seemed almost like the brothers could communicate without opening their mouths. Just a twitch of a brow and a responsive nod let her know her speculation was correct. God, she so missed the closeness of having a loving family. Tears filled her eyes, and she swallowed audibly around the lump in her throat. Quickly looking away from the two brothers, she reached into her car for her purse.
“Are you okay, little one?” Cord’s voice and heated breath brushed against her ear as she straightened, and he wrapped his arms around her waist.
Oh God. Don’t touch me. Don’t be nice to me. If you do, I’m scared I’ll break.
“Fine,” she replied coldly. “Back off.”
Cord released her instantly, and the heat at her back was replaced by the cooling evening air. She turned around but didn’t look at Cord, and then she handed her car keys over to Quin.
“Are you all right, sugar?” Quin asked.
Shelby narrowed her eyes at him and saw his brothers were watching her just as intently. They looked concerned. “I’m fine.”
“If you ever need anything, Shelby, all you have to do is call,” Grayson stated,
taking her hand in his and giving her a reassuring squeeze.
“Thanks,” she answered.
“Shelby has us. She doesn’t need to call you,” Brandt snapped in a steely voice. He slipped an arm through hers, gently pulling her away from Grayson.
Oh for goodness’ sake, are they going to have a pissing contest?
Pulling away from Brandt, she glared at him. Didn’t the man realize his friend wasn’t coming on to her, he was just offering her a bit of human compassion?
“Brandt, we need to get home so Shelby can get settled,” Cord said and took her hand, leading her to the truck.
He opened the passenger door for her, and she eyed the big step and the seat. She would have had a bit of a struggle to get in, but she wasn’t given the chance to try. Large, warm hands gripped her waist and lifted her. She squeaked, but then she turned her head, her gaze connecting with Cord’s.
“Don’t argue. I was just helping,” Cord said firmly and closed the back door.
Shelby released an agitated breath. God, how am I going to survive living and working with these men? I’m already a bundle of nerves, and the more I’m with them the more I want them.
Pulling on her seat belt, she stared out the window as the two Alcott brothers got into the truck. She shored up her defenses and vowed she would work long enough to pay for her car plus a little spending money and then she would leave without a backward glance. Her sanity and body wouldn’t endure much more.
* * * *
Brandt spent the drive home berating himself for his jealousy. He hadn’t known how possessive he felt toward Shelby until Grayson had offered to help her if she needed it. Shelby had been pissed at his reaction, and rightly so. So was Cord, but no more than Brandt was mad at himself.
When he had seen the bullet hole in her rear window and pointed it out to Cord, he felt first anger and then fear that she had been in danger. He believed Shelby had lied to his brother when asked about the bullet hole, and he had wanted to haul her up into his arms to reassure her she was safe with them.
She was such a sexy little thing, and even though she tried to hide it, her body language as well as her scent of aroused woman let him know she wasn’t immune to him or Cord. But until she was more comfortable, he wouldn’t push her. He didn’t want her leaving before they had a chance to get to know her, because he knew deep down in his heart and soul that he could very easily fall in love with her.
Pulling into the drive, he parked the truck near the verandah so they could unload Shelby’s things. With a sigh he turned off the ignition and walked around to the other side of the vehicle. Cord’s hands on her tiny waist as he helped her down from the truck looked so right, and his cock twitched. She kept her eyes down and wouldn’t look at him, so he waited until his brother stepped back and then Brandt gently tilted her face up.
“I’m sorry, Shelby. I don’t know what came over me. I’m not normally like that.”
Shelby stood studying him intently, and he held her gaze. She must have seen his sincerity, because she gave him a tentative smile and a nod. Brandt exhaled, releasing her, and turned to the bed of the truck for her things. It didn’t take him and Cord long to unload, and when they had her things stored in her room, he showed her around the house. Once that was done, he and Cord left her to unpack and headed to the kitchen.
“What the hell, Brandt. You nearly blew it before we’ve even started!” Cord exclaimed.
“I know. I apologized.”
“You’re going to have to back off, or you’ll scare her.”
“You think I don’t know that? Fuck, Cord, I didn’t even know I was going to go all He-Man.” Brandt reached for the coffeepot and set about making fresh coffee.
“What do you think happened to her back window?”
“Other than being shot at, your guess is as good as mine.”
“That girl is in a shitload of trouble.”
“Yeah, but how are we going to protect her if she doesn’t open up to us?”
Chapter Three
Shutting down her PC and making sure everything was tidy, Shelby double-checked the filing cabinets were locked as well as the filing room. In the past week, Shelby became accustomed to living and working with the two Alcott brothers. She found her job interesting and fulfilling, and she was relieved not to be on the road for the first time in what seemed like forever.
But she was still haunted by her nightmares. She was just thankful that so far she hadn’t screamed and woken her two housemates in the middle of the night. Often she would awaken with her heart pounding in her chest, her body covered in sweat and shaking after reliving the incident.
It was very rare that she was able to relax enough to go back to sleep. Thank God she had brought some of her beloved books with her. She spent the hours until she had to get up reading, but she was so tired she didn’t know how much more sleep deprivation she could stand.
Just as she returned to her desk, Brandt and Cord stepped out of their office. Brandt and Cord spent a lot of time in there, sending out private investigators to follow up leads for their clients. They checked out everything from companies to spouses, confirming or denying their clients’ suspicions of infidelity or illegitimacy, corporate espionage or embezzlement, all from their desks.
“Are you ready, Shelby?” asked Cord.
“Yes, I’m done.”
“Good, let’s go and get cleaned up so we aren’t late,” Brandt advised and took her elbow, leading her out.
Tonight they had been invited to a barbecue over at Brandt and Cord’s cousins’ house, and even though Shelby was looking forward to meeting new people and a change of scenery, she was nervous. The Alcott brothers had told her of the polyamorous relationships in the town, and even though she had no problem with how others lived their lives, she was scared she would say or do something untoward.
When they got back home, Shelby went straight to the kitchen. “Why don’t you two go and shower while I make coffee and finish up the potato salad?”
“Okay. Just holler if you want help with something,” Cord replied, and then he and Brandt headed down the hall.
Shelby put the finishing touches on the potato salad. Once that was done, she poured herself a coffee and sat at the table to sip it. She was only vaguely aware of Cord entering the kitchen again, since she was lost in thought, but when he dropped the mug on the tile floor and it exploded into little pieces, she was transported back to that horrible day.
* * * *
A loud explosion startled her. She was following her mother into the living room after a wonderful meal shared with her parents and her brother, Ian. Her mom was carrying the coffee into the living room. Her father had just risen to his feet to take the tray from her mom, but he never reached them.
Glass exploded all around them, but Shelby couldn’t move. She watched with frozen horror as first her dad, then her mom crumpled to the floor.
“Get down!” Ian screamed. Shelby only stared at him as she slowly realized that her parents’ house was being peppered with gunfire from outside. Ian crawled toward her on the floor, dragged her down, and shoved her behind the sofa. Whimpering with fear, Shelby looked around the room for her parents.
Her mom and dad were covered in blood and stared out of unseeing eyes. Ian crawled on the floor over to her parents with a cell phone clamped to his ear. She could see his mouth moving but couldn’t hear any sound. With tears streaming down his face, he checked her parents’ pulse points, but Shelby knew already that it was too late. Keeping her eyes connected with her brother’s, she reached out toward him, beckoning, needing him close in a world gone so mad that she couldn’t comprehend anything.
Ian inched toward her, crawling along the floor on his belly. He was covered with blood, and even though she was in shock, she knew it wasn’t his. Just as his hand connected with hers, he jerked. Shelby peered from behind the sofa. The evil face stared at her from the smashed window. He kept his gaze focused on her and pulled the trigger. Ian squ
eezed her hand one last time and then let go. The face in the window was gone. A car engine revved in the street. She was alone.
Shelby screamed and screamed and screamed.
* * * *
The mug Cord had been holding smashed on the tiles, almost drowning out the whimper of fear that came at the same moment. Turning toward Shelby, he rushed to her side as she slipped beneath the table. He pulled her into his arms and rocked her, but she was lost in a nightmare. She reached out, but he didn’t know for what, and then she was screaming. The sound was so tortured, so full of animalistic pain and grief, that it tore at his heart.
Brandt came running, bare chested with his jeans barely on, and slid to a halt when he saw Shelby in his arms. He moved behind her and smoothed a hand up and down her back. They were both calling her name.
“Shelby, you’re safe, baby,” Cord crooned over and over
“Darlin’, it’s going to be okay,” Brandt said quietly.
Cord knew the instant Shelby came out of her nightmare. She stiffened in his arms, gave one last sob, and then slumped down against him, her fingers locked in the fabric of his shirt. He was strong enough that there was no danger of dropping her. Cord stood with ease, cradling her in his arms and sitting down on a chair. Shelby continued to clutch at him, and her body spasmed with the occasional hiccup.
“Shh, little one. You’re safe here. We won’t let anything happen to you,” Cord whispered against her ear.
He felt her muscles tauten as she gathered up her defenses, then she eased her head off his chest and sat up.
“I’m sorry,” she said in a tear-husky voice.
Brandt squatted down next to them and ran his hand up and down her thigh. “You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for, darlin’.”
“Look at me, Shelby,” Cord commanded softly and waited for her to comply. When she looked up at him, his heart clenched, and he had to swallow the lump of emotion in his throat before he could continue. “You don’t need to apologize, baby. I’m the one who’s sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
