“I don’t think she likes it,” he says.
“Of course, she does,” I admonish. “She’s like any girl — she just doesn’t want to be in a big bed all by herself.”
I move from my seat on the couch and find a nice spot on one of the giant, plush pillows Daniel has unpacked into the great room of his penthouse. I lean back against the hearth and pat the dog bed next to me, and Mabel takes a good sniff around the spot, turns three circles, then settles in with her head hanging over the edge so she can rest her snout against my knee.
Trigg picks my glass of Pinot from the coffee table and comes my way. “If girls don’t like being alone, mind if I join you?”
“I’d love that,” I tell him with an inviting grin.
Trigg’s eyebrows perk up, and a tender smile spreads over his lips. He takes a seat behind me on the hearth, his strong legs straddling my sides. I drape my arms over his knees, relaxing back against him.
The pop of kernels hitting a metal lid sounds from the kitchen, and I watch Jude’s muscles flex as he shakes the pot of popcorn. They haven’t left me out of their sight in the last few days. Even though I know it’s the impending mission that has us all clustered together, I like it. I like having all of the guys right here, in one place. I like the togetherness. It feels right. I’ve found myself wishing that we could somehow connect all of the penthouses so there are no more separate apartments — just one big space for all of us to share.
Tonight, the guys are each in their own version of pajamas. Daniel’s very debonair this evening, wearing a satin suit version of pajamas, looking like a dashing Hollywood heartthrob from another era. Trigg has on a pair of baggy yoga pants, and Jude is sporting a pair of old Marine sweatpants and a bare chest. His twin is also shirtless, in just a pair of drawstring flannel pants. At least Gunner has any clothes on at all — he’d emerged from the elevator stark naked, proclaiming he was in his PJ’s. Daniel threw a pair of silk boxers at him, and that’s all he’s wearing, and I’m tickled at how little the thin material is hiding.
After a brief trip down to my apartment to grab some clean clothes and restock on toiletries, I’m now wearing a soft cotton camisole and matching shorts. They’re more cute than sexy, but that’s okay for the mood this evening. What I want more than anything right now is to just spend the rest of the night in giant snuggle, like kittens all curled up together in a warm, cozy pile.
It’s not just me looking forward to settling in for a quiet night. We’re all ready to collapse. Even Gunner is looking a little fatigued as he muscles the last of Daniel’s furniture to the outskirts of the great room, opening up a large space which is quickly filling with a grand selection of pillows, bedrolls, throws, and blankets Daniel ordered online and had delivered to the penthouse.
I watch as the guys shift the pillows around and spread out the blankets, making a nest of sorts in the center of the room for the six of us — a cuddle nest, as Gunner called it. The phrase makes me smile with joy inside, but the sweetness of the thought is short lived. I’m trying not to dwell on somber thoughts about what we’re facing, but the stakes are huge, and I know it’s weighing on all of us.
Tomorrow morning, all this will be on the line.
Everything I’ve come to love.
The guys are feeling it as well. They’re all staying busy in their own way to mask it, but they’re just as nervous as me. Behind me, Trigg leans down, resting his cheek against my temple. I meet him halfway, reclining against his chest and nestling into him as he wraps one arm around me.
Gunner unloads all the furniture cushions into the center of the floor alongside Daniel’s collection of blankets and pillows. It’s a last-minute assortment, but it will do for tonight. None of us want to retire back to our own spaces, and this is going to be the best option we have for all spending the night together. My stomach flutters, and warmth infuses me. It’s not even sexual, though Lord knows having all these men to myself is pretty damn hot — I’ve resigned myself to being in a near-constant state of arousal all the time, just from being around these sexy creatures. They don’t even have to try to turn me on.
But tonight, the warmth I feel is from the reality of them all being here with me. The thought of waking up in a sleepy, groggy mess in the center of them all. And it’s the strength I feel in our togetherness. And we need all the strength and courage we can get right now.
Jax helps Gunner line up the cushions and tuck blankets around them to create a massive mattress of sorts, and Gunner plops down right in the center of it as soon as it’s ready. He makes a kissing sound at Mabel and pats his chest, prompting the group mascot’s tail to thwap uncontrollably. She gets up and trots over to Gunner, laying her head on his chest as she curls up against his side. He waggles his eyebrows at me next and pats his chest again.
I smile at him. Mabel does look quite comfortable. I tilt my head up to Trigg. “Want to test out our new six-person bed?”
“Absolutely.” Trigg lifts the wine glass out of my hand and helps me stand. “Ladies first.”
I shuffle to the center of the room, trying to ignore the ache in my bones from sitting too long at the computer the last few days. I make eye contact with Jude as I go. He’s divided the massive batch of popcorn into three huge bowls on the counter, and he’s melting an entire stick of butter now to drizzle over top. He knows the way to my heart. That subtle smile of his works wonders as well. I return his gaze with a tender smile of my own then move my attention to Gunner. He’s reaching up for me, and I accept his hand and use it to steady myself as I lower onto the pile of pillows and cushions. Stretching out across the makeshift bed, I lie down and rest my head on his big chest, my body perpendicular to his. Trigg joins us, handing me the wine glass before lifting my ankles and sliding underneath, my feet propped on his stomach.
It might just be a temporary arrangement, but our little nest is surprisingly comfortable, especially with these guys joining me. I wiggle my butt and let out a big sigh of contentment. A girl could get used to this.
Jax and Daniel unfurl a couple of soft blankets for us to cover up with. Daniel picks up a thick down comforter and offers it to me. “It’ll probably be cold on the floor.”
“Or there’s this,” Jax counters, holding out a plush microfiber blanket.
I reach both my hands. “In keeping with the theme of what we’ve got going on here, I’m not choosing. I’ll take both.”
The guys get an amused look. It’s hidden better under Jax’s beard — which is filling in rather nicely — but it’s still in his eyes and the corners of his lips. I lay the silky microfiber against my skin, relishing in the luxury of it, and then layer the down comforter on top so I’ll have the warmth as well. Not that I’ll be in much need of it, not with the body heat I’m about to be surrounded with.
His task done, Jax takes his place at my side, using Gunner’s firm abdomen for his pillow. Gunner wraps an arm around me, laying his hand on my stomach, and Jax intertwines his fingers with mine as we lay side by side.
Daniel offers blankets and more pillows to everyone else, getting us all as comfortable as possible in his great room. From my spot on the floor, I see the three massive bowls of popcorn hovering over me, then Jude’s arms as he hands out our late-night snack.
“So, which one is it going to be?” Jude asks. “B-rated horror flick, or B-rated martial arts flick?”
Gunner tilts his head to Jude. “Can we find a martial arts one without captions? I don’t know if I can handle reading all the lines tonight.”
“I don’t know,” I say with a joking tone. “Scary movies make the girl cling to her date. I thought all guys knew that.”
“Scary movie has my vote,” Jax says, that smile in his eyes again.
“Me, too,” Trigg agrees with a wink.
“I’ll third that.” Daniel settles cross-legged on my other side, his knee brushing against Gunner’s arm and my ribs.
I use his leg as a resting spot for my wine glass, laying my wrist
on his thigh. “We have you out-voted, Gunner. So, what’ll it be? Girl terrorized by chainsaw murderer, or girl hunted by creepy swamp beast?”
“I’ll see what I can find.” Jude pulls up a wingback chair and sits in a spot that overlooks us all.
I gesture with my eyes toward the last bare spot of bedding. “Don’t you want to come join us?”
“I will,” he assures me. “But I’m really liking this view right now.”
That smile on his lips is so slow and soft, it makes me really wish he were down here with me right now. I’m addicted to that warm smile he’s been showing me more and more of lately. But I know what he’s thinking. He’s Major Turner, and it’s the night before a mission. He’s looking down at his team — his family — and I can see it in his eyes. He loves every last one of us. Right now, I’m understanding him very much. Not just the love that fills this room, but how hard it is to put something like this into words. The pride and adoration that makes our hearts skip a beat. And the worries and fear that we might lose it all.
Our eyes lock, one corner of his mouth turns up higher than the other, and rush of emotions pass between us without any words. He sees how scared I am, even though I’m putting on a brave face. And I see the thoughts that he’s been silently battling, the ones that terrify him. But I also know he sees the love I feel shining right back at him.
Gunner breaks my focus on Jude. “Dude,” he says, lifting his head to look at Trigg. “Remember that training exercise when we were at Parris Island? The one where no one knew where the hell you were?”
Trigg tips his head back with a hearty laugh. “Oh, yeah. Red Team was pissed. Whenever any one of them got within fifty feet of the flag, I’d pick them off.”
Gunner’s rumbling laughter vibrates through to me. “And Corporal Snyder was trying to convince the Sargent that you’d cheated and left the course to get to higher ground.” He rolls his head back to look at Jude. “You still have that picture of The Swamp Thing, Chief?”
“Sure do.” Jude’s smile is small, but it makes his eyes light up. “Framed it and put it in my penthouse office.”
“The Swamp Thing?” I ask.
“We went out on this training mission one night,” Gunner says, “and there was this little marshy area. No one wanted to go near it, because we’d been told these bastard-sized alligators were out there.”
“Plus, it was wide open,” Trigg adds. “There was no fucking cover — not even a goddamn tree near it. I had to approach it from behind and slog all the way through the center then lay there for five hours.”
I blink at him. “You waded through a swamp filled with alligators?”
“Crawled,” Trigg corrects. “On my forearms. And it’s crocodiles that hunt large prey. Alligators are more picky; they go for smaller animals. I was fine.”
Gunner rumbles with laughter again. “You were not. You were so wrinkled when you finally slogged out of there — you put prunes to shame, man. And you were cleaning mud out of your ass crack for days.”
Trigg tosses a handful of popcorn at his roommate. “And your offers to scrub me down in the shower were appreciated, but not needed, thank you very much.
“What?” Gunner grabs a stray piece of popcorn and tosses it into his mouth. “You had algae everywhere, man. I was just trying to help.”
“Speaking of swamps, here we are,” Jude says. “On demand. The original.”
I turn my head to the gigantic screen over the fireplace. “Oh! I’ve never actually seen the original Swamp Thing.”
“Don’t expect to be scared,” Daniel says. “CGI was still a crazy new thing back in 1982, and most action flicks didn’t use it. I bet it looks pretty hokey now.”
“It looked pretty hokey then,” Jude says, his eyebrow raised.
“Dude,” Gunner says. “You must have been like ten to be able to remember it coming out. I wasn’t even born then. You are so old.”
Jax reaches a hand between us and gooses Gunner in the ribs. “We didn’t watch it in the theater, asshole. It’d been out a while by the time we were old enough to watch it.”
“Whatever, dude. You’re still old,” Gunner counters.
Jax leans up on his elbow and narrows his eyes at Gunner threateningly. “Hey, that black eye’s gone,” he says. “Want another?”
Gunner flips Jax off, but there’s a grin on his lips. “Don’t talk during movies, old man. It’s rude. Didn’t they teach that back in your day? Or did it not matter, because all the films were silent?”
Jax reaches behind his head and flips Gunner in the nuts, and the big guy lets out a huff and grabs his privates. I hold my wine up high to keep from spilling as the two men verge on a wrestling match.
“Boys!” I admonish, but I’m laughing, too. “How do you even have any energy right now?”
Gunner wraps his arm back around me. “You rev me up, foxy lady.”
Trigg groans. “Seriously, Gunner, you need to work on your pick-up lines.”
Daniel uses an app on his phone to turn off the lights in the room, and Jude begins the movie. I giggle right away at the cheesy intro. This is going to be good. All of it. The popcorn is perfect, the movie is corny, and I’m encircled by my guys. Jax curls onto his side, joining Gunner in wrapping me up with his arms. Trigg nestles into the cushions further and begins rubbing my feet. Daniel grabs a pillow and lays at the perfect angle for me to run my fingers through his hair, and he closes his eyes.
Jude pulls his chair up closer so he’s right behind where Gunner lays. He leans over and runs a gentle hand across my forehead and down my cheek before sitting back, his legs spread wide. There’s that serene calm on his face again, and it settles the nervous butterflies in my stomach. I know these guys will go to the absolute end with me. I’m not sure what will happen tomorrow, but I know these men will fight until their last breath if they have to.
The room is dark except for the flash of light from the TV, and the eerie sounds of our eighties horror flick fill the room. The warmth of the blankets and the soothing touch of the guys is quickly putting me into a coma.
It’s only a matter of minutes before my eyelids begin to droop. My grip on the stem of my wineglass loosens, and Jude leans over, taking it from me with an easy smile. With my fingers grazing through Daniel’s hair, Gunner’s big arm around me, Trigg stroking my shins, Jax’s hand in mine, and Jude watching over us all, I’m in heaven, and my heart is fuller than I ever imagined it could be.
“I love you all,” I say, just before my eyes go shut and sleep finally claims me.
4
Emma
“I’m really going to enjoy working with you again.” Jeremy’s words are whispered just for me, but that lying face of his is all smiles for the small press gathered in the lobby of BHC to capture the moment.
A secret elation rises inside me, and I want to tell him that he’ll regret saying that very soon. But I have no intention of tipping him off, so I swallow it down in order to give a tight-lipped and not very convincing smile to the reporters. It’s beyond words now, anyway, because soon he’ll be headed to prison. I just want to be there when they’re slapping the handcuffs on him, because that’ll be better than anything I could say. A picture truly worth a thousand words.
I can’t resist sharing one of my plans, though, speaking softly, with a smile for the reporters still on my lips. “Before this day is out, I’m going to punch you right in the fucking throat,” I promise.
Jeremy tenses for a second. He knows I’m dead fucking serious and that I’d like nothing more than to tear him apart with my bare hands given the chance, but he recovers quickly for the watchful eyes of the media. He laughs, tipping backward with the motion, as if I’d just shared the most hilarious inside joke.
A moment later, he steps forward and claps his hands with finality. “Okay, folks, that’s all for now — it’s time to get the paperwork signed. You can use the down time to jockey among yourselves for who gets the exclusive interview with Miss Collins, w
herein she’ll detail the revolutionary software BHC will be bringing to the world of internet security.”
The reporters continue to rifle off questions as Jackass guides me out of the lobby of the BHC corporate offices. Security guards step into place to keep the press from following us toward the elevators. I can’t help but notice there seems to be an ample presence of large men, clad in uniform gray shirts with firearms at their hips — just as Agent Theo warned us about. It makes my heart pound, seeing the amount of firepower that’ll be standing between me and the guys, should things go wrong. I hope no one has to draw a single weapon and I’ll be back outside, heading home with all five of my guys before the hour is up.
Jackass is watching me carefully as we step into an elevator. I stuff down my nervousness and play it off as annoyance. “Jesus Christ. You didn’t need to bring in the extra security for this. I was ready to hand the damn program over back at the park.”
A cocky smirk comes over his lips as Jeremy thumbs the up button on the row of elevators. “Oh, we’re not worried about you, cupcake. We know you like to take it laying on your back. But we aren’t taking any chances. Something tells me they aren’t too far away today.”
My heart is racing at his word as I fear that they’ve made us, but I manage a scoff. “What are they going to do? Raid your office? You really are a paranoid asshole.” I shake my head then give a shrug. “But, I guess if I’d done as many illegal and unethical things as you have, I’d be feeling pretty twitchy about watching my back, too.”
I almost jump when Trigg’s voice whispers in my ear. “Don’t lay it on too heavy.”
The guys numbed my ear canal in order to plant the tiny earpiece as deeply as they needed so it couldn’t be detected, and I can’t even feel it halfway down my neck, but I haven’t gotten used to how eerie it is to literally have Trigg inside my head. If I could talk back to him, I’d tell Trigg that laying it on heavy is exactly what Jackass responds to.
Jeremy turns to me, his innate need to defend his inflated ego kicking in, just as I’d hoped. “You can call it paranoia or whatever you want, but the rest of the world knows it as due caution, Emma. If you’d practiced it all those years ago, you wouldn’t be in this position now, would you?”
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