Given

by Ashlynn Monroe

  She hadn’t thought of that. After the debacle with Max, she hadn’t planned to have more than one of them with her at a time, but Mal had a good plan. Damon would have his turn, but she’d have someone there, giving her more than a harsh painful moment of hell. In an ideal world, she’d never have to go to Damon’s bed, but nothing about this world was ideal.

  “I like the way you think, funny man,” Krista said, smiling.

  Mal smiled back and the dark mood lifted. They walked, holding hands, the guard a forgotten shadow at their backs. A loon cried and Mal pointed out the bird as he landed on the lake, rippling the clear water.

  “He’s beautiful!” Krista cried.

  “This place has become much more beautiful in the last couple of days.” Mal brushed a lock of hair behind Krista’s ear. He pulled her closer. The sun reflected off the lake, making his blond hair glow with a golden sheen.

  She sighed as his lips descended. She liked his honesty. She wasn’t the love of his life, but she was something important to him, and that was good enough for her. He wasn’t the love of her life either, but she liked him, and if she could give him some kind of comfort, then it made the insanity of their situation bearable.

  His hand stroked the back of her neck and he deepened the kiss, stroking the inside of her mouth with his tongue. His other arm locked tightly around her back, and she placed her hands on his shoulders. There was something so wonderful about feeling the breeze and smelling the freshness of the lake that she let herself become lost in sensation. No thoughts, only feelings ruled her. She felt Mal’s erection pressing against her hip.

  He suddenly backed away, clearing his throat. “I’m sorry.”

  “Oh, don’t be sorry, Mal,” she whispered, moving forward to touch his cheek gently. He grasped her hand and turned his face into her touch, kissing her palm. Then he let go of her hand and stepped away.

  “I don’t want to just use you, Krista. I don’t want to demand that you immediately go to my bed, but I don’t know if I can stop at just a kiss, so I need to cool off.”

  He gave her no warning before he dove into the lake. She cried out in surprise and anxiety.

  The guard materialized out of the bushes and hurried to her side. “Are you all right, Miss?”

  “Mal jumped in the lake,” she replied, feeling like an idiot. When her funny man finally surfaced, she let go of the breath she’d been holding. “You scared ten years off my life, I thought you’d drowned. You were under forever.”

  Mal laughed. “I needed something cold. Want to join me?”

  “No. I can’t swim, and I don’t think I’d like the cold water. Aren’t there snakes in there?”

  “Yep, and it’s right between my legs. Come on in and I’ll show you my pet python.”

  She couldn’t help it. He was funny. Krista laughed, shaking her head. “It would serve you right if a crocodile showed up and bit your python in half!”

  “Don’t worry, baby, no crocodiles in Minnesota. My python is completely safe.”

  “Look out, sir!” the guard shouted, drawing his gun. Krista screamed and jumped away from the armed man.

  The gun fired, and Mal screamed with pain. Krista’s eyes widened as Mal grabbed the snake that had bit him by the tail and flung it away. The guard hadn’t fired in time. A water moccasin had bitten Mal’s shoulder.

  “We have to get him to a hospital!” Krista shouted. The guard pushed her back when she tried to go to the water’s edge to help her friend.

  “Stay back, Miss, there may be more.” The guard helped Mal out of the water. Krista and the guard helped Mal to the house.

  “What’s your name?” Krista asked the guard.

  “Timothy Jordan. I’m sorry I wasn’t fast enough, Miss.”

  “Please call me Krista. This wasn’t your fault.” She turned her attention back to Mal and held him tighter. “I’m seeing a pattern of epic failure in your spontaneous antics.” He didn’t look well, and that made her nervous.

  Mal had the nerve to grin. “You laughed, and I didn’t manhandle you in the great outdoors. The way I see it, success. Damn, my shoulder hurts.”

  “Timothy, could you get him to the car? I’ll grab him some dry clothes and tell the boys. We have to get him to the hospital.”

  “You can’t go Miss—Krista. It’s too dangerous. In the chaos of the emergency room, there is too great a chance you could be attacked or taken.”

  “I want to make sure he’ll be okay.” Krista glared at the guard.

  “You really care?” Mal sounded awed.

  “Yes. Blockhead. I don’t want you to be alone at the hospital.”

  “I really screwed up my night. They better not plan to keep me for observation.”

  “I don’t think you should go raising your heart rate with venom in your blood. Think of something nice and calming.”

  “Can’t, sex is on my brain.”

  They were close to the house, Krista ran ahead while Timothy took Mal toward the large garage.

  “Guys! Mal’s been bitten by a snake! We need to get him to the hospital!” Krista screamed as she ran toward Mal’s room. She went upstairs and opened his dresser drawer. Pushing aside an ancient Playboy, she managed to find him dry socks and underwear. In another drawer, she found pants and a t-shirt.

  “What’s going on?” DeAnthony asked, concern heavy in his tone.

  “Mal jumped in the lake and a water moccasin bit him. We have to get him to the hospital.”

  “You aren’t going anywhere, but I’ll ride along.” He took the clothes out of her hands. “It’ll be okay,” he said.

  She could see the anxiety in his face as he rushed out of the room and through the patio doors. Krista stood at the large windows and watched him running toward the garage. The adrenaline crashed in her system and she sat down on the floor, her clothes damp on the side she’d used to help Mal to the house; she started crying.

  Braxton came into the dining room. “What happened?” He looked worried.

  “Mal jumped in the lake, and he was bitten by a snake.”

  “What kind of snake?”

  She cried harder. “Water…moccasin…shoulder.”

  “That idiot. Where is he now?”

  “Timothy and DeAnthony are taking him to the emergency room. He said he’d call.”

  “Come here,” Brax ordered, helping her off the floor. He held her as she cried. When she’d let out her worry, she looked up into Brax’s handsome face. His blue eyes were dark. “It wasn’t your fault, Kristannie.”

  “I know. Nothing goes right for him, does it?”

  Brax sighed. A small grin curved his sexy, full lips. “Mal is wonderful, but he doesn’t tend to learn from his mistakes. He thinks with his heart, seldom his head. The moment he calls, I’ll give you the phone.” She nodded. “Let’s get you into some dry clothes. Something came for you while you were fighting snakes at the lake.” She raised her eyebrow. “Your clothing order, or I guess I should call it ours.”

  She smiled. As worried as she was about Mal, she’d never had a whole box of clothing, not since she’d been a very little girl. Brax carried the extremely large box upstairs. He set it on her bed and took his pocketknife out, slicing the packing tape carefully.

  “Here you go, a whole wardrobe.”

  Krista dove into the box. When she’d unpacked everything, she frowned.

  “What’s the matter, not what you expected?”

  “No, it’s wonderful, but…”

  “But what?”

  “We forgot underwear, bras, and socks.”

  Brax laughed. “I don’t want to see you wearing our underwear. I think we can get some of those things locally. A few stores still carry that type of stuff. You also had a list of toiletries that no one has gotten yet. I’ll call DeAnthony on his cell and see if he can pick up a few things on the way home.”

  She nodded. Brax took his cell out of his pocket. “Hey. You there yet?” Brax said into the sleek, touch screen smart phone
. “Ah, mmm, yeah.”

  These sounds weren’t telling her much about Mal’s condition. She bit her lip, watching Brax’s face for any signs things were bad.

  “Okay. Hey, before you come back, could you go get those things on Krista’s list?” There was a pause and he frowned. “I’ll email it.” He stood listening. She watched anxiously, wishing she could hear. “Okay. See you later.” Brax slid his thumb across the screen, hanging up and locking the device. “Mal will call you when they get him settled. He’s going to be spending the night.”

  She felt irrational disappointment. She realized she’d wanted to give her funny man a special night.

  “Hey, cheer up. Would you stay with me tonight?” Brax asked.

  She was surprised. He’d been a bit distant since they’d shared the amazing sex. “I thought you were mad at me.”

  “Why would I be mad?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t seen you much since the other night—morning.”

  “I’ve been busy on my new novel. You’ve inspired me.”

  “Really? Things just feel off between us. Maybe I’m being foolish.”

  He looked down and frowned. “Okay, I might be a little jealous too. I’m also pissed at myself for letting Damon hurt you. I thought he’d make things right once he had you alone, but he didn’t, did he?”

  “No, he didn’t. Mal had a great idea, bring a second in next week. I don’t want to be alone with him again.”

  “Who will you ask?”

  “You.”

  “Okay.” Brax smiled. He typed something into his phone then put it in his pocket.

  “What was that, a sex reminder?” Krista giggled.

  “No, your underwear request. I emailed that list you made, good thing I put it in my phone. I added socks, bras, and underwear. I took a guess on your sizes, hope he brings a receipt.”

  She giggled at the idea of one of her men walking up to the returns counter to exchange women’s underwear.

  Brax helped her put away her new clothes. She chose a plain, purple t-shirt and jeans. Her undergarments were fine, so she kept them on. She changed her clothes and Brax watched her, his eyes darkening. She realized she liked knowing he wanted her. Even if she was the last woman on Earth, at least for these men, she could see his genuine attraction to her. The afternoon sun shining in the window illuminated him. Fancifully, she thought he looked like a dark angel. He was handsome, but there was more to her feelings than just liking the way he looked.

  They went downstairs. Max and Jared were watching a movie. She and Brax joined them and filled them in on Mal’s losing battle with the snake.

  “Well, we need to replace Timothy,” Max stated. “The man’s clearly a bad shot if he missed the snake.”

  “He did hit it, just too late to keep it from biting Mal,” Krista defended the guard. “I like him, so I hope you change your mind.”

  Max grunted, dropping the subject of firing the man.

  “Speaking of employees,” Jared said, “your companion is coming tomorrow. He holds a culinary degree and his resume states he’s an accomplished painter. His name is Lee Young.”

  She nodded, still unsure about the companion thing. “Cool. It’s weird, hiring a friend.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be happy to know you. Give it a try.”

  “I will. Thanks for doing that, Jared.”

  “We’re all footing the bill,” Max added.

  “Thanks, Max, to all of you. I’m lucky to be here.”

  Max grunted. “It’s not Thursday yet, maybe you’ll change your mind.”

  She put her hand on his. “I know you won’t hurt me.”

  Max frowned, but placed his hand on top of hers. She felt Brax tense. Jared didn’t look too happy either. She and Max pulled away at the same time, realizing they were creating tension. The phone rang, causing her to jump. Her emotions were on high alert after everything that’d just happened. Brax grabbed the house phone from its base. Max pressed pause on the DVD player.

  “Hello.” After a brief pause, Brax frowned, asking, “Are you sure that’s best?” Another pause and then he nodded. “All right, if the doctor okays it. Hang on and I’ll let you talk to Krista.” He handed the phone to her.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, gorgeous, I’m going to make it home. Doc said I’ll live,” Mal said with weariness in his voice.

  “Are you sure you shouldn’t be in the hospital? I won’t make you wait a week, I swear. Don’t do anything foolish. I hope you don’t plan on any more dangerous antics,” Krista scowled.

  “The doctor gave me the okay to come home. We’ve just got to wait for my discharge and then we’ll be stopping at the store for you. It might get a little late.”

  “I’ll wait for you in my room if you get back after supper. Just don’t do anything counterproductive to the doctor’s orders.”

  “I won’t. I’m sorry about the way today turned out. I was hoping to spend time with you, just the two of us.”

  “Well, next time don’t let your python invite friends,” she replied, chuckling.

  The men in the room gave her a strange look, and she laughed even harder. Brax’s scowl pierced her with guilt and she stopped laughing. She realized he was not going to get the night with her he’d been hoping to have. Even if she’d rather be with him, it was Mal’s night.

  “See you soon,” she said to Mal.

  “See you tonight, sweetheart. I promise, my python doesn’t bite.”

  Laughing once again, she hung up. “Funny man is coming home,” she told the men.

  “I think he should remain in the hospital for observation,” Jared replied. The young doctor-in-training didn’t look happy. “He’s so damn stubborn.”

  Jared hit the play button on the DVD player remote. The movie began again. They watched the World War Two drama in silence. Brax put his arm around her, and both Jared and Max shifted uncomfortably. Max took her hand again. Jared pouted on the other end of the “L” shaped sofa. Krista hated the tension, but after a few moments, everyone seemed to relax again. The movie was almost finished when Damon joined them, sitting next to his brother in silence. He didn’t look at Krista or the men who were touching her.

  “Supper is ready to be served,” Steve said, popping his head into the room.

  Krista felt a massive relief to have an excuse to flee the tension. She was the first one up and out of the room. Steve almost ran in his haste to be away from her when she started for the dining room.

  “I’ll be having one of those paid companions here soon, so you don’t have to worry about your job,” Krista told the housekeeper.

  “Thanks,” Steve replied, but he was still rushing away.

  She sighed. Nothing was ever easy, not even befriending the only person she knew whom she didn’t have to sleep with or wasn’t paid to like her. Then she remembered her email. Maybe one of her teachers had replied to her.

  The meal was delicious as usual. She and the four remaining men enjoyed Steve’s bounty of roast beef, vegetables with cream sauce, and cheesy potatoes. He’d baked a strawberry pie, another of her favorite desserts. Strawberries were out of season, each meal she ate since arriving had certainly cost a fortune.

  “Jared, could you help me with the internet? I want to check my email.”

  “Yeah, no problem. I’m almost done.” He eagerly scooped the last of his pie into his mouth. “Want to go now?” he said around the mouthful, but she was still able to understand him.

  “That’d be awesome.”

  They went into the game room and he grabbed the wireless keyboard after turning on the computer sitting next to the big screen TV. He turned on the screen and she watched the welcome message pop up. After a moment, he hit the browser and began typing. When he had her email pulled up, she took the keyboard.

  “Do you want me to leave?”

  “It’s up to you. I doubt they’d reply back with anything so personal you can’t see it.”

  He shrugged. “I’ll
give you some privacy. See you later.”

  When he left, she clicked on the inbox. She only had one email. It was from Miss Neal.

  Dearest Krista:

  I miss you, my dear girl. You’ve always had such a good head on your shoulders, I’m sure you’ll be able to navigate your new home life. Just remember to show them your heart and you’ll find a balance. I remember when I was in your shoes, I wish now I hadn’t held myself back and expressed the different levels of emotion the experience created. They may have chosen to keep me if I’d given them who I really was instead of being afraid of them seeing the real me.

  I have some sad news. Cina has run away. She was never as realistic as you, my dear, and being alone here took a toll on her that we didn’t see until it was too late. I hope she is safe, wherever she is. If she returns, I will give her your email address. I can only pray she is unharmed. She doesn’t know how dangerous the world really is now. I believe she’ll attempt to go to her family, we have watchers keeping an eye on her father and brothers, but she hasn’t gone to them as far as we can tell. We need to get her back into the safety of the facility. If she contacts you, please help us convince her to come home. Her Giving Day is not so far off.

  I wish you the best, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. I can’t wait to hear you’ve become pregnant and found a secure home. If you have a daughter, know I will look out for her as if she was my own.