Kidnapped at the Gun Show

by Lavender Daye

  Feeling her relax, he eased out of her body and left the bed to get rid of the condom and clean up. When he returned a few minutes later, he found Sara curled up next to Riley, sound asleep.

  “I think you wore her out,” Riley whispered.

  “She looks comfortable,” he replied. Riley raised a brow in question, and Kale understood. “Not a problem. I’m glad she’s accepting you.”

  Kale eased onto the bed and snuggled up alongside Sara. The late-morning sun worked hard to filter through the frosted glass but made little headway. He watched Riley play delicately with Sara’s hair. He was already falling under her spell, as Kale had suspected he would. With a little time, Sara would happily belong to both of them.

  Chapter 9

  Sara woke up alone, the lingering scent of hot men surrounding her. She was completely naked, and the covers were neatly tucked in around her to keep her warm. Images flashed through her head, memories of Kale and Riley touching her, making love to her. The way her body had neglected to follow her brain’s order to resist. The way her traitorous brain had given up so easily and let her body run her life. The way she’d given in and let her body climax over and over, until she couldn’t protest because the pleasure was too much to fight off.

  Whoa. Time to get her head together and figure out what she really wanted.

  Kale was the first man she’d truly loved, and now that they’d worked out the circumstances of their breakup, she wanted a life with him. But he and Riley were a package deal. Her major issue had been that she couldn’t sleep with both of them.

  Oops. Since she’d done the deed with both of them—at least, she thought she did. Her memory was a little vague—she couldn’t use that as an argument.

  Wait.

  She hadn’t agreed to sleep with both of them. Had they coerced her with sex?

  The dirty dogs had some explaining to do, and it better be good or she’d be out the door and on her way home, even if she had to walk all the way to Dallas in the snow.

  Sara threw the covers off and dug through her little suitcase to find some clothes. Damn Emma and Paige. They hadn’t packed much in the way of angry clothes, just sweet stuff. Settling for a pair of ribbed tights, a long skirt, and a pullover sweater—at least she’d be warm—Sara left the bedroom to find the guys.

  They were spread out on the couch watching a movie, mostly watching things explode, and didn’t notice her arrival until she walked over and beaned Kale with a pillow.

  “Hey, baby. Did you have a nice nap?”

  “You jerk. You said you wouldn’t force me.”

  “Hold up, honey. What are you talking about?”

  He looked innocent, but his sweet face had a way of melting her heart, and she wasn’t ready to let go of her outrage. And then there was Riley. He turned off the television and stood, waiting. He was just as guilty as Kale.

  Sara fumed. “I woke up naked, with warm male indentations on both sides of me in the bed. You took advantage.”

  “Sara, take a deep breath.” Riley didn’t move, didn’t try to approach her, but his smooth voice and deep cadence calmed her. A little.

  “Yes, we both cuddled with you. My fault if you want to blame someone. I just wanted to be close to you.” He moved closer, one small step at a time. “Kale made love to you. I watched.”

  “And touched,” she said. “I was there. I remember.”

  “Then you remember that I didn’t come inside you. And you should also remember that afterward, you cuddled into me. Not the other way around.”

  “I did?” Damn. Had she forgotten something so important?

  Kale put his arm around her waist. “Yes, you did, honey. I came out of the bathroom, and you were wrapped around him, fast asleep. He was keeping you warm and comfortable while I was away from your side.”

  “Oh.” Now she just felt foolish. Her brain was fuzzy from the powerful orgasm they’d given her, the first manmade orgasm she’d had in years. They were both watching her, waiting for the apology she owed them. Damn it, when was she going to learn to think first and yell afterward?

  “Sorry. I can’t keep my head straight today. Too many new situations.” Sara settled on the edge of the fireplace hearth, absorbing the heat of the low flames before releasing a slow sigh.

  “Too many emotions, maybe?” Kale asked, the warmth of his voice reaching out to her as much as the heat from the fire.

  “I think so.” She refused to admit anything more. They were both too anxious to get her complete compliance.

  “Maybe a little food will help. We already had lunch, but you need to eat.” Riley took her hand and led her into the kitchen. “We had sandwiches, but if you want something hot, I can fix you up.”

  He looked so good she just wanted to eat him up, and wasn’t that a thought worth exploring. Riley’s dark eyes were warm, sparkling with a hint of mischief she should be worried about, and his body language shouted “come and get me.” And Lord if she didn’t want to. But her brain was finally working again, telling her to slow the hell down.

  “A sandwich sounds good, but I can make my own. Go on back to the movie.”

  “Nope.” Riley turned on the oven and started pulling containers out of the fridge. “Sit. I’m on it.”

  She sat, her elbows on the table, and watched poetry happen around her. He was obviously at home in the kitchen, moving to music of his own as he reached for ingredients and created a masterpiece of a sandwich. He set the open-faced creation on a baking sheet and slid it into the oven.

  “Two minutes,” he said, leaning in close to kiss her quick.

  Sara stood and took his face in her hands, drawing him back to her mouth. She wanted to be the aggressor, just this once, and kiss him silly. She took her time, pressing her lips to his, feeling the firmness beneath her mouth, catching the vibration of his low growl as he opened to her. He was letting her have her way, and she enjoyed the moment.

  But it was only a moment.

  Riley swept her away, his arms coming around her, pulling her against his hard body and deepening the kiss until they were both breathless. Then he set her back in the chair and took her lunch out of the oven without missing a beat. He added crisp lettuce and set the masterpiece before her, along with a glass of water.

  “Eat, sweetheart. You’re going to need your strength.” He sat across from her, making her nervous as he watched her eat.

  “This is delicious. Thanks.”

  He nodded, smiled, tapped his fingers on the table, and got down to business, lawyer mode engaged. “Tell me about these employers you need to speak to the district attorney about.”

  “I don’t know what to say. All I did was answer the phones. I took orders, mailed packages, billed customers once or twice.”

  “Do you remember the names of any of the customers?”

  “No. I don’t remember any names.” All she remembered was that the names on the billing register were unpronounceable.

  “Why do you think the DA wants to talk to you, Sara?” Riley asked.

  “I think there was something illegal going on in the shop, but I don’t know what. All I know is the store closed without warning and I was left with a few angry clients, no job, and no paycheck.”

  Riley reached across the table and took her hand in his. “I’m sorry this happened to you, Sara.”

  “Thanks.”

  His fingers tightened around hers. “From this moment, I’m your attorney of record. Don’t say anything to anyone about your employment without me present. In fact, don’t say anything unless you and I’ve already discussed it.”

  “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

  “I believe you, sweetheart, but a few leading questions could get you in trouble. I plan to keep you safe and with us.”

  “I’m beginning to think I can handle this—”

  His lips twitched at the corners, at direct odds with his attorney persona, and it made Sara smile, really smile, for the first time since she’d lost her job.
/>   “Are you smiling about my counsel or about our relationship?” he asked.

  “Maybe a little of both. It might take me a little while to get used to all this.”

  “Hey,” Kale said, joining them. “Weather report says the roads are clearing and the temperature should be above freezing by midmorning tomorrow.”

  Riley nodded. “Looks like we might make it to Dallas tomorrow afternoon, Sara. You’ll make your appointment.”

  “Good. I want to get it over with.”

  They spent the rest of the day curled up on the couch watching television, and Sara realized there were worse things in the world than being warmed by a big man on each side.

  Chapter 10

  Sara breathed a sigh of relief as they pulled into the parking lot of her apartment complex. Driving through the back roads of East Texas had been harrowing, since ice was still visible in most of the shady spots. She was riding with Riley in his SUV while Kale followed in his truck. Once they hit the outskirts of Dallas, they dropped Kale’s truck at his hotel and all rode together to Sara’s apartment.

  She was beginning to feel the effects of testosterone overload and couldn’t wait to get out of the truck and into her own space. There was little hope she’d be allowed to stay by herself, but she was willing to beg. She just needed one night by herself to figure out what to do about their proposal, such as it was.

  Last night had been a repeat of the afternoon experience, she and Kale having sex while Riley watched. There was something strangely erotic about having a voyeur, a mingling of senses and experiences which left her tingling in ways she hadn’t expected.

  Kale took her hand, and Riley carried her small bag up the steps. She was fishing in her purse for the keys when both men stopped on the landing.

  Her door was wide open.

  A look passed between Kale and Riley, an unknown code she didn’t understand, and Kale pulled a gun from somewhere under his coat.

  “Where—”

  Riley laid a finger across her lips and led her back down the stairs, his arm tight around her waist. They stood under the stairs until Kale called Riley’s name. With an arm wrapped around Sara’s waist, Riley escorted her up the short flight of steps to hear Kale’s report.

  “Ransacked.”

  Sara wanted to cry. Her furniture, though not worth much money, had been lovingly refurbished by her father before he died two years ago. Now it was in pieces strewn across the floor. The television and stereo were destroyed, and her laptop was gone. “Why would someone do this? Nothing I had was worth much, even at a pawn shop.”

  Kale thumbed through his phone, turning his back, probably calling the police. Riley tugged her deeper into the apartment.

  “Why don’t we fill a suitcase with essentials and get out of this mess. We’ll have the complex manager replace the lock.”

  Sara looked around, not really seeing anything she would miss from this place. The few wooden pieces her dad had given her were destroyed. Nothing else mattered.

  In short order, Riley had her bags packed and ready to go. Between the two men, they’d taken care of everything, including notifying the police and the apartment complex.

  * * * *

  Sara came awake slowly, blinking and trying to figure out where they were. The last twenty-four hours were a blur of well-proportioned men in domination mode. Two particular men, who had slipped past her barriers and become her significant others.

  Plural.

  Strange as it may sound, she was getting used to the idea of two men instead of the traditional one man, one woman relationship. Not that she’d shared her thoughts about a relationship with either of them. Their egos didn’t need stroking. In fact, there’d been several times in the last two days when Sara’s desire to deflate a male attitude had been carefully squashed. But the day would come when she felt comfortable enough to stand against one of their demands.

  It just hadn’t happened yet.

  “Where are we?” she asked, turning to face Riley’s silhouette. The peaks and valleys of his profile looked oddly statuesque, as in “cut from stone,” the faint green tint of the dash lights doing strange things to his skin tone.

  “Almost home.”

  Nowhere near enough information, but expected from Riley. He was a man of few words unless he was seducing her. Or convincing a district attorney to back off. Watching him work was like watching a tsunami take over a small country. The man was unstoppable. A force of nature. Hers.

  Damn, possessive wasn’t a word she would have applied to herself three days ago.

  “Can you be more specific, counselor?”

  “Are you being a smartass on purpose or accidentally?” The humor in his tone started a pilot light somewhere in her body, and she couldn’t decide if she wanted to let it flare or tamp it down. A full night’s sleep, alone, might help her put things in perspective but was unlikely to happen. Neither of them had demanded sex, or even expected it, last night, but she’d been surrounded by them, anyway.

  “Just fishing for information, Riley.”

  “We’ll be home in about half an hour. Are you hungry? There’s a restaurant not far from the house and we can pick something up.”

  “I guess.” Truth be told, she wasn’t hungry. The thought of food just aroused the butterflies in her stomach. The last few days were a blur of highs and lows and strange discoveries, and the closer they got to Riley’s house, the more her nerves tightened.

  Everything would change when she walked into his house. Their house. She wasn’t even sure whose house it was. Would it be hers? More than the issue of the house, Sara was unsure about the relationship she was walking into.

  How could she manage a relationship with two men when she’d never been able to keep a weekend affair viable? And they were nothing like the few men she’d dated in the last year or so. Kale and Riley were both sexy as all get out, with a sensuality she was afraid she couldn’t keep up with.

  Riley closed his phone. “Kale’s hungry, too. We’re stopping in about ten minutes at a little place we like. Good barbeque. Do you like barbeque?”

  Sara smiled at the sudden furrow between his brows, like it had just occurred to him that she might equate barbeque with dog chow. “Yes.”

  “There’s much I need to learn about you, Sara.” Riley smiled, reaching across the console to rub her arm. “Be patient with me. I’m a fast learner.”

  “I’ll try.”

  They drove in silence for a few minutes. Sara watched the dark landscape fly past the SUV and wondered how she would feel tomorrow. Variations on a theme crowded her mind, each one a little more or a little less lascivious. Oversexed wasn’t a word she’d use to describe herself, and she already knew the men she was with would expect a certain kind of lover. One who knew how to please them. Maybe she could find an Internet site offering online classes in ménage. Or a psychology site on male bonding and relationship building.

  Riley tugged on her fingers to get her attention. “What’s going on in that pretty head?”

  He smiled when she turned to face him, and Sara felt her skin heat, knowing he could read her so easily. “Nothing, really.”

  He lifted her fingers to his mouth and kissed them with a simple brush of his lips. “You don’t need to hide from us, Sara. Kale and I want you to feel comfortable. We won’t push.”

  “I don’t know what you expect of me. I’m out of my league, and it’s a little scary.”

  He turned into a parking lot and turned off the truck as Kale pulled in next to them. “It will be whatever we make it, the three of us. Relax and let it happen.”

  Kale opened her door and leaned in for a quick smack on the lips. “Hey, darlin’, did I interrupt a serious conversation?”

  “She’s worried about our expectations,” Riley told him.

  Kale grinned, offered her a hand to get out of the truck, then kept her next to his body. “We expect to make you happy. And when you’re happy, we’re happy.”

  Shoving at hi
s chest, she laughed. “It can’t be that simple. Nothing is without conflict.”

  Kale dropped a quick kiss on her lips. “True, but when you care about someone, you work it out.”

  Riley walked around the truck. “Let’s get dinner and get home. It’s late, and we’re all tired.”

  “Yeah, let’s get some sleep and talk about this in the light of a new day.”

  There wasn’t any point in arguing. They were closing ranks on her, something she would have to put a stop to or she’d be lost in the testosterone cloud every time they disagreed. Tomorrow, she’d try a divide-and-conquer strategy. For now, go with the flow was the order of business.

  Riley and Kale took their places, falling in on each side of her as they walked into the restaurant, each one touching some part of her body. Kale’s arm was draped around her shoulders, and Riley held her hand. At least she’d never get cold, since the heat coming off the two men could warm a metal camper in December.

  “What would you like?” Riley asked when they stopped at the counter. The menu was on the wall, a huge list of the restaurant’s regular fare consisting of barbequed meats along with combination platters and side dishes.

  “You order while I read,” she said, her eyes skimming the offerings for something simple and nutritious. Listening to them recite their choices, she decided she could eat for a week on what they’d ordered. It got quiet, and she realized they were waiting on her.

  “Salad, please.”

  “Oh, come on, honey. You need more than a few greens to keep your body working.” Kale pulled her into his side.

  “I’m not a big eater, Kale.”

  He nodded at the man behind the counter, then Riley chimed in, adding a serving of roasted chicken and three desserts. Sara stepped away from Kale and crossed her arms.

  She waited.

  It took a few minutes for the men to notice her stance. Brows rose, but they didn’t get too close.