The American Soldier Collection 18: This Cradle Won't Fall (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever)

by Dixie Lynn Dwyer

  “My brothers say we need to take this chance.” He stared into her eyes and stroked her cheek, holding her gaze so intensely she gulped.

  “That I need to take a chance on you. I don’t know what’s going to come of this. I don’t. But I know how I feel when you’re near. When I get here early to work, I wonder when you’ll arrive. At night while I’m in bed, I think of you,” he told her and she lowered her eyes and felt her cheeks warm, uncertainty filling her heart.

  “I know that probably scares you. It will take time but we aren’t going anywhere, Vye. Just know that.” He stared at her lips and this time when he cautiously lowered, she didn’t pull away. Instead, she pulled him closer, and things got hot and heavy fast.

  * * * *

  The sight of her body, that backside in the skirt she wore today and the dip in her blouse that revealed all cleavage, did something to Pierce. Then her scent attacked his senses, and he wanted more. He wanted closer. Now here he was kissing her tenderly, yet wanting to do more exploring. She moaned into his mouth and he slid his hand along her ass and used the other one to cup her breast. She pressed her tongue deeper into his mouth in response. They were moaning. He was groping her, and then Lou walked into the room.

  Pierce pulled her back and away from the printer and then felt her tighten up as Lou joined them. Pierce pulled from her mouth and she gasped for breath as he suckled against her neck and her cleavage. Lou cupped her cheek.

  “Goddamn, baby, you look gorgeous,” he said and pressed his mouth to hers. Pierce squeezed her breasts harder and she gasped, pulled from Lou’s mouth, and covered her chest with her hand.

  “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” he asked her.

  “I…um…oh, God, what am I doing?” she asked and pulled away and fixed her top, but kept her arms crossed over herself.

  “Sweetie, it’s okay. I get it. That was my fault completely. Are you okay?” Pierce asked.

  She worried her bottom lip and looked at Pierce and Lou.

  “We shouldn’t have—”

  Lou and Pierce shook their heads.

  “Don’t,” they both said, and apparently the tone of their voices and that intimidation she felt caused her to start walking back and away from them.

  “Jesus, baby, don’t look at us like that. We aren’t him. We would never hurt you,” Lou said and slowly walked toward her.

  She shook her head.

  “I need to finish up and then head home. Did you need anything else done in the office today?” she asked and Pierce shook his head.

  “I’ll fix the printer, but know this, Evonna. We want you in our lives, and we’re here for you no matter what. You’ll get over the fears you have by letting us in,” Pierce told her firmly and then walked toward the printer and started to fix it.

  Vye walked out of the room.

  * * * *

  Vye fed Benny, watching him suckle against her breast. Her emotions were all over the place, and especially after she went online and read about lower arousal and sex drive after birth and while breastfeeding. As she read more and more articles, because she worried about what was right for Benny and for herself, she realized, even though she was done healing and could be intimate if she wanted to, that it was common for a woman’s sex drive to be absent. She was fine with that. She didn’t have a husband, and she wasn’t interested in being intimate with anyone. But then how was it she was so aroused when Pierce and Lou had kissed her today?

  How could she want to feel more of their touches, their caresses, when her focus should be on Benny and on healing emotionally?

  She felt regretful, unattractive, and simply not sexy because she’d just had a baby a little more than two months ago, but here she was being pursued by multiple men. Did she really want or need a man or men in her life? For what? To make her feel like her life could only be complete and a success with a man in it? Her head was pounding. She liked all five McCann brothers for many reasons. Was it fate that they were the ones to rescue her and deliver Benny that night? She didn’t know and she didn’t much want to believe in fate or that it would make her go through pain, abuse, and fear like she had in order to get here to Salvation.

  She made her own fate, by the decisions she made and by the route she chose. Salvation was her second chance at a better life for her and Benny and she couldn’t screw that up. It didn’t matter that apparently the McCann brothers’ kisses, caresses, even small, comforting touches seemed to put her in that other category of feeling sensual so soon after birth, unlike most mothers. Maybe that article was trash. She needed to be smart here. Of course she found the five men to be sexy, mysterious, and a totally intimidating turn on. They were gorgeous, mysterious, and women had fantasies about men like them. Hell, they could get any woman they wanted. They’d probably had so many lovers, considering their ages. Why would they want some twenty-three-year-old woman who’d gotten beat up and knocked up by her abusive ex-boyfriend? An ex-boyfriend who more than likely was trying to find Vye anyway? That brought more tears to her eyes and a bit of anxiety.

  She looked down and stroked Benny’s cheek. He was finished and sleeping as she eased her breast from his mouth and adjusted her top. She looked down as he slept and then looked at the deep cleavage of her breasts. She thought about Pierce’s touch as he kissed her. Then as Lou kissed her and Pierce roughly massaged her breast, causing some milk to leak out. It’d shocked her. Embarrassed her. Thank God he hadn’t noticed.

  How could she let them kiss her and touch her like that when she was a mommy and had no right engaging in anything that could lead to more trouble for her? After all, they were some sort of elite soldiers. Men who had capabilities that apparently made men come to them for training and for advice. The men were impressed with the McCann brothers and the training facility was getting busier and busier. She hadn’t even snuck by one of the training rooms to see them instruct. The thought of what they looked like in action, teaching hand-to-hand combat, brought on that tingling feeling in her core. She would think her body, her pussy would want to guard itself from future penetration and abuse. Not with those five men. No, it seemed even though Vye was lactating and cradling a six-week-old in her arms, her body had a mind of its own.

  Well, she wasn’t going to get caught in another potentially dangerous, and bad-decision relationship. Five men? Was she out of her mind? She didn’t care about the town rules. She’d find a loophole. She would talk to Ford directly if need be but she would find one. The worst thing she could do right now was get involved with a group of men.

  No, she had to be strong. Men wanted control and they wanted sex. They looked at women as an object, as someone they could have power over and use. She’d been used, abused, and made to feel like shit and a failure. She was a single mom and that was her position. She needed to resist the McCann men in every way and just be friends. This guardianship nonsense wouldn’t apply to her. She was in control of her life and of her destiny. She would make her fate happen her way. She had to be strong. Benny is my focus. Benny.

  * * * *

  Tex was heading to the bank when he noticed the platinum blonde standing on the sidewalk talking to Phillip Chase. He recognized Evonna immediately, and she looked good. Really good. She wore a pale blue sundress that pressed tight against her body. She looked thin. A lot thinner than she’d been a few weeks ago. His concern for her health grew deeper. Her breasts pushed against the top that curved out, indicating how well-endowed she was. She had a bag in her hand and Phillip Chase was pointing at a piece of paper, standing too close to her and the baby stroller. A jealous feeling hit him hard and he parked the truck, got out, and headed that way.

  Phillip was a businessman and he owned an investment agency and firm in town. He was smiling, and as the wind blew, Evonna’s long hair pushed in front of her. As she held the paper and her bag, Phillip reached out and pushed her hair gently back over her shoulder. At this point he was feet away and noticed Evonna step back and then shyly move her hair to the side. She than
ked Phillip for the paper she held and gripped the stroller.

  “There you are. I thought we were meeting at the café,” Tex stated and walked right up to her, placed his arm around her waist, and kissed her cheek. She looked shocked. He winked and bent down to see Benny, who was wide awake and smiling as he spoke to the baby.

  In between, he looked up at Phillip who had a stunned expression on his face and then a scowl.

  “Hey, Phillip,” he said and stood up, going back to Evonna. “What’s going on?”

  “I was just talking to Evonna about college and an online program that could assist her in achieving her goals,” he said and winked at her, then looked right at Evonna’s breasts.

  Tex placed his hand on her shoulder and pulled her against his side.

  “That’s great. She has a lot of options, especially with everyone’s help, including my brothers and mine. We’ll take care of her. Don’t you worry. Well, we need to go. We’re meeting the others.” He tipped his Stetson and then gave her hip a squeeze.

  “Thank you for the information, Phillip,” she said.

  He nodded at her but gave Tex the evil eye. Tex felt triumphant. Evonna may be resistant to him and his brothers taking care of her and soon becoming her guardians, but he would be damned if any other man or men tried moving in on her. She was young, in need of good men to care for her, guide her, and help her get through tough times, and he and his brothers were the ones to help her.

  She needed time. It was understandable and talking to her more about her bad experience would assist each of them in getting closer to her and understanding her fears. They, of course, had fears, too, but one crazy, raining night and a hell of a storm, brought Evonna and Benny into their lives. That wasn’t something they took as coincidence or just being good Samaritans. She was meant to be their woman, and these feelings he had, possessiveness, protectiveness, and jealousy at seeing other men flirt and want her, just solidified she was meant for him.

  “You didn’t need to do that. Phillip seemed like a nice guy,” she said as they walked down the sidewalk in town. He tipped his hat at a few older women walking down the street smiling and looking at him walking with Evonna.

  “He’s okay, but you looked a little uncomfortable, especially when he touched your hair, never mind stared at your chest,” he told her and eyed over the dress she wore. She looked beautiful.

  “I can handle men, Tex. I don’t need a babysitter or bodyguard. I don’t understand why a woman can’t fend for herself in this town. Don’t you think women are capable?” she asked, sounding a bit angry.

  “Honey, a woman is capable of whatever she sets her sights on achieving and accomplishing. No one is saying that. It’s more of a respect, a support that we’re offering.”

  “It’s more than that. I’m not stupid.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked. She stopped, pulled the stroller under the shade of the tree and looked up at him.

  “It’s going on three months living in this town, getting to know the rules, as Ford likes to refer to them. Men walk around here picking a woman, not even knowing anything about her, just going by her looks, if she’s got trouble or is needy, and it isn’t right. How can that be right, and what if a woman has had enough with men and just wants to live on her own and take care of things on her own? It isn’t allowed?”

  He squinted at her, at the fire in her eyes and in her tone, and it just aroused him more and made him feel more attracted to her and her strength.

  “It’s more than that. Let’s sit,” he said and she moved the stroller toward the bench and they both took a seat. They watched people walking by and he looked at her. She just stared at him and looked frustrated.

  “I’ve lived in this town all my life. My brothers and I left for service, did crazy shit, but it was in Salvation we found peace and comfort. For lots of reasons, Evonna. Lots.”

  “Like what? Friends? Family?”

  “Yes, but, well, when we did come back we stayed alone. Despite wanting to be back and see everyone while we were away. I know that probably makes no sense, but it’s important that you know my brothers and I went through bad times. We’ve risked out lives, have been stabbed, shot, and nearly killed more times than I personally would like to remember.”

  “Oh, God, really?” she asked and placed her hand on his forearm. He placed his hand over hers and brought it on top of his lap, but then looked away. She didn’t pull back. She let him hold her hand.

  He looked at her.

  “I’m not perfect, honey. I’m older, I know, and perhaps you’re not interested in me because of my age, but my brothers are good men that could care for you and—”

  “What? Are you kidding me?” she asked and he squinted at her.

  She turned slightly, her legs crossed and one of her hands under his and the other over it.

  “I’m scared, Tex. I’m scared for a whole lot of reasons. I’m sorry I can’t accept this guardianship thing. I do want you to know that your age, your experiences, are not what holds me back from accepting a relationship. I’m just not ready. I’m not whole, Tex,” she said and then swallowed hard.

  “What do you mean not whole?”

  She took a deep breath and exhaled.

  “I’ve made so many mistakes and went from being on the run, feeling like life was over and that I had no future, no happiness, to then feeling like I could survive and make it if I were strong enough and tough enough. I don’t know who I am right now. It’s hard to explain, but it’s like there are two halves of me. One that prays, dreams, hopes that I can keep Benny safe, succeed in life, and provide for us and not make any mistakes again. Then there’s the other side. The scared one. The one that worries about Bunny’s dad hunting me down and hurting me or Benny. The side that knows I made stupid mistakes. The first was giving up on me and my abilities, my dreams of graduating college and working in a professional career.”

  “That’s normal, Evonna. Hell, people makes mistakes all their lives, but it’s what they learn from those mistakes that helps them to achieve their goals and maybe not make so many more mistakes as they go on living.”

  “I don’t know that, though. I mean, you saying it or someone telling me that is one thing, but there’s a fear inside. It affects decisions in regards to emotions, attractions, whether or not liking someone is a smart move at this point in time.”

  “You are attracted to each of us though?”

  She looked away and then looked back up into his eyes.

  “Yes.”

  He nodded.

  “We’re attracted to you, too, and we’re willing to take our time, to let you get to know us, and get comfortable with us.”

  “I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready, and that isn’t fair to you and your brothers.”

  “Maybe you need to do a lot less thinking, and more living, and just let things happen. Stop worrying about what could go wrong, and maybe things will go perfectly right. It’s something I’ve learned to do, and life is a lot less negative and stressful.”

  She eased back against the bench and he did the same. He turned his body slightly and brought her hand to his lips. They held gazes as he kissed her knuckles.

  My God, she’s so young and beautiful. What am I thinking? I feel so old.

  “You’re the oldest of your brothers, right?”

  He nodded.

  “You’re like their leader? What you command or order, they do?”

  “Not in life, only in the field, and more often than not, we work in sync. Always have and it’s what made us so good at what we did.”

  “You say what you did as if you’re done doing that kind of work.”

  “We are. Things have changed,” he said and looked away from her.

  “How?”

  He turned toward her as she sat forward. He reached over and up toward her face, cupping it.

  “A gorgeous, sweet woman, and precious little baby dropped into our lives, and suddenly we wanted more, started seeing things in a
different perspective.”

  He saw the tears fill her eyes.

  “You think it was fate, like people say? That we were all meant to find one another?” she whispered, voice cracking.

  “I don’t give power to fate. Never did, but something brought you into our lives, Evonna, and I’ll do whatever it takes to prove to you that my brothers and I can make you happy, not control your life or take it over.” He stroked her jaw and stared at her lips.

  “You think I’m worth all that?” she asked, and she looked so emotional—so needy, sexy, beautiful, and all woman.

  “Honey, there is no question there. I’m the one who fears I’m not good enough for you. That I’m too old, too experienced in life’s negatives, and the danger I’ve surrounded myself with for so long.” She shook her head.

  “I like that you’re older and more experienced. You have this commanding way about you. Your brothers do, too.”

  “We’re used to being in charge. In shooting from the hip and speaking our minds.” She smiled.

  “Kind of like right now?” she asked.

  He licked his lips and she stared at them, looking so serious. “You like me shooting from the hip, darling?” he asked and continued to stroke her jaw and inch closer.

  “I like your honesty.”

  “How about my touch, and being this close?”

  “It makes me nervous.”

  “Scared?”

  “No.” He pressed his lips to hers gently. As much as he wanted to deepen the kiss and pull her into his arms and make out with her, he knew she needed slow. They were making progress.

  He eased back and she followed, gripped his shirt, and looked at him, eyes slowly opening, lips wet and parted.

  “Goddamn, woman, I’m trying to go slow.”

  She licked her lips and shyly looked away. He eased back on the bench and kept her close, then took her hand and placed it onto his lap.

  “So, what does the rest of your day look like? Any plans?”

  They heard the sirens and then saw the people walking closer to the roadway. As the fire engines sirens echoed around the town, the trailer behind them came into sight.