Brooke, Leah - Raw Desire [Desire, Oklahoma 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Leah Brooke

She had to get out of here.

  Now.

  Walking down the narrow hallway to the restrooms, she caught sight of the red back door with a lit exit sign over it and fought the urge to run for it.

  Pausing at the door to the ladies’ room, she looked back to see that Dillon had joined Ryder and Devlin at the bar, both of them hunched over Devlin’s laptop.

  Damn it, none of this was any of their fucking business.

  Passing the door to the restroom, she raced to the other door, her heart pounding nearly out of her chest, scared they would came after her any second.

  With her hand on the doorknob, she looked back one last time as she turned the knob and raced into the night.

  Chapter Five

  Ryder’s anger increased with each word he read of the report until he literally shook with fury. He’d been mad before, but usually he could do something about it. In this case, the damage had already been done, and Alison had already taken care of it. Alone.

  But he could make sure it never happened again and that she wouldn’t be alone anymore.

  Scrubbing a hand over his face, he fought the frustration clawing at him. He couldn’t even promise himself that. He found it hard to believe he’d just met her, when he felt as though he’d known her forever. Something with her just clicked with him the way it never had with a woman before.

  She would be leaving very soon, and he didn’t even know why or where the hell she would be going. He had to find out. He had to stop her.

  He had to talk her into staying here in Desire so they could get to know her.

  The knowledge that she had a similar effect on Dillon filled him with a sense of inevitability that couldn’t be shaken, one he didn’t really ever think he’d experience. In fact it grew stronger each minute he spent with her, but this overwhelming need to have her near and protect her that hit him now slammed into his gut with the force of a sledgehammer. Gripping the edge of the bar, he closed his eyes and bowed his head, struggling to come to grips with the emotions battering his system.

  He stilled as the image of Alison’s face when he’d grabbed her outside the hotel flashed through his mind. The fear on her face, the momentary flash of panic in her eyes made more sense now.

  Slapping his hand on the bar, he raised his head slowly and turned toward Dillon, who appeared to be waging his own inner battle. “If I ever get my hands on him, I’m going to show him what it feels like to be defenseless.”

  Devlin nodded in understanding, his demeanor calm, but his own eyes glittered with anger. “I thought you should know. You looked like you were coming on a little strong, and I saw the panic on her face when you and Dillon surrounded her. She was trying to flirt with Michael, but looked jittery as hell when she smiled at him.”

  Dillon finished reading and lifted his head, his eyes flat and colder than Ryder had ever seen them. “How do you know about this?”

  Devlin shrugged. “She applied for a membership at Lady Desire. We screen all applicants thoroughly for Hope and Charity. Ace looks them over, too. The women hang out there, and we don’t want any trouble from strangers.”

  He shrugged, closing the file on his laptop. “It stuck. I’ve thought about it several times since then. I’d planned to somehow bump into her while she was here, just so I could see for myself that she was all right. I’m going to track down a picture of him. I don’t think he’ll ever show up here, but stranger things have happened, and it would be nice to be prepared. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a little tired of being one step behind when women in Desire are being targeted.”

  Understanding the rage and frustration in Devlin’s tone, Ryder slapped a hand on the other man’s shoulder, fighting to get his anger under control before Alison came out of the restroom. “Thanks. Please keep this to yourself.”

  Devlin looked insulted. “I don’t usually spurt out everything I know. Privacy is a big part of our business. I wouldn’t have told you if I hadn’t seen your interest in her. I remembered her. Like I said, it was kind of hard to forget. Ace recognized her and told me about her breaking down earlier, and he had a feeling you two would be watching out for her. I understand she’s just staying in town for a week or two.”

  Ryder wasn’t the least bit surprised that Devlin knew so much. He, Lucas Hart, and Caleb Ward had their own security business and did work for most of the places in town. Even when they had jobs that took them out of town, one of them usually stayed behind. They took protecting the town just as seriously as Ace and his deputies did and would definitely know about a woman they’d already approved for the club.

  She needed him, them.

  How could he let her leave, knowing she might be in danger?

  How could he let her leave when he wanted her so badly he could taste it?

  Devlin jerked his thumb in the direction of the back hallway. “Once you settle down, you might want to go get her. She went out the back door.”

  Dillon cursed and started toward the back. “Ryder—”

  Ryder waved a hand, not waiting for him to finish. “I’m on the front.”

  Grabbing his jacket, he raced out the front door, a niggling little voice in the back of his mind telling him that this woman would completely change his life.

  He was already smiling in anticipation of the hunt when he went through the front door.

  * * * *

  Keeping to shadows and ducking behind trees, Alison worked her way back to the hotel. She’d ended up taking several wrong turns, one which led her down a dark alley. Pausing at the entrance to get her bearings, she saw Dillon and Ryder on the street, obviously searching for her as they headed in the direction she’d realized she should have been going.

  She couldn’t deal with them any more tonight. Tired and emotional, she just wanted to be alone.

  She also didn’t want to face their pity. If they knew what had happened to her, they’d also know what an idiot she’d been, and she just didn’t want to be reminded of it tonight.

  It was none of their fucking business.

  Figuring they would be going to the hotel, she followed them, staying hidden by ducking between cars and trees. She almost got caught a few times when they paused and scanned the area, but managed to duck in time. As they approached the hotel, they turned again, and she hurriedly hid behind a mature tree, trying to quiet her breathing. Her heart beat so loudly in her chest, she feared they would hear it and had to stifle a groan when she accidentally hit her hip on the rough tree trunk.

  Closing her eyes, she fought back the pain, grateful for the lingering effects of the medicine still in her system.

  She waited several minutes before daring to peek out again, breathing a sigh of relief to find them both gone.

  Their truck still stood in the hotel parking lot, huge and shiny under the glare of the streetlights, but she didn’t see either one of them anywhere. Hoping she’d managed to avoid them, she snuck through the front door of the hotel, intent on getting to her room as quickly as possible.

  “Alison! Thank God.”

  She whirled toward the direction Dillon’s harsh shout came from to see both of them turning from the front desk and starting toward her.

  Ignoring the pain in her hip, she turned and raced down the hall, hearing the heavy tread of their boots on the tile floor getting closer and closer as they came after her. “Just leave me alone.”

  Dillon caught up to her first and with a hand on her arm, pulled her to a stop, his hands gentle on her upper arms, but firm enough to keep her in place. “We just want to make sure you get back to your room. Where have you been?”

  Shrugging, she pulled away and dug the key card out of her back pocket. “I got lost.”

  Ryder fell into step with her on the other side as she headed to her room. “Are you okay?”

  “Peachy.”

  Dillon’s warm hand on her back caressed gently, sending a myriad of sensations through her. It provided comfort while at the same time making her nipples pebble as the
electric little sizzles from his touch spread everywhere.

  “Are you in any pain? If you’re going to take another of those pain pills, I don’t want you to be alone.”

  The combination of soothing and arousing at the same time overloaded her already battered system, and she knew she had to get away from them as soon as possible. Shooting him a dirty look over her shoulder, she started to walk faster.

  “I’m not taking any more pain pills tonight. When I do, strange men break into my room.”

  Dillon kept up with her easily, running a hand over her hair. “I resent that.”

  “But you can’t deny it. Look, it’s been a long day, and I just want to get some sleep. Thanks for dinner.” Reaching her door, she kept her eyes averted and stuck her card into the slot.

  Nothing happened. Fumbling with it, she managed to get it in the slot again. Still nothing.

  With a hand at her back, Ryder took the key card from her shaking hands and stuck it in the slot himself. Of course, for him, it worked the first time. “Get a good night’s sleep. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Alison watched in resignation as Ryder opened the hotel door and went inside, tapping the keycard against his hand.

  Dillon nudged her into the room, following close behind. “And if you need a pain pill, call us so you’re not alone.”

  “I’m going to be busy with the seminars tomorrow. If you could just leave a message at the front desk to let me know about my truck—”

  Dillon pulled a card from his pocket. “You start work Monday.” He went to the nightstand desk and used the pen the hotel provided to write something on the card. Turning, he handed it to her. “Our cell phone numbers are on there, too. If you need something, get scared, or are in pain, just call one of us, okay?”

  Shaking her head, she tossed the card onto the dresser. “I really won’t need—” Her words ended in a gasp when Dillon wrapped an arm around her waist from behind and bent, tilting her head back to give her a brief searing kiss before releasing his hold and nuzzling her neck. The bombardment to her senses left her trembling and shaky, and it took tremendous willpower not to give in to the need to curl against him.

  His warm breath tickled her neck. “I won’t leave here until you agree to call us if you need us.”

  She involuntarily tilted her head to give him better access, closing her eyes on a moan when he took advantage of it. Sizzles raced down her neck and shoulders as his warm lips brushed over them, making her nipples tighten and tingle with awareness against the soft material.

  The slow caress of his lips up and down her neck from the neckline of her sweater to her earlobe weakened her knees and made her grateful for the support of the strong arm around her waist pulling her back against him. She trembled as Ryder stepped closer, his eyes flaring with heat and something else she couldn’t identify.

  The hard bulge pressing insistently against her lower back filled her with trepidation and, to her surprise, a rising excitement that she could have that effect on such a man.

  The rush of confidence made her dizzy.

  Ryder reached out to tuck her hair back behind her ear, a totally unexpected gesture. “You don’t know anyone else in town. You need to call us if you need something. We’re responsible for you.”

  Bristling at his arrogance, Alison gave him a dirty look.

  “That’s your fault. You wouldn’t let me talk to Michael at the bar. Oh!”

  Dillon’s teeth sank into her neck, his low growl like little fingers dancing over her skin. “I’m not going to stand by and watch you hit on another man, Alison.”

  Doing her best to appear unaffected, she shrugged. “Nobody told you to watch.”

  Dillon’s hands slid to her breasts in a move that surprised her so much, she froze. “Don’t push me tonight, baby.”

  Lust hit her hard, her breasts seeming to swell in his hands. Amazed at the moisture that leaked from her and dampened her panties, she whimpered in her throat, her breath coming out in choked gasps.

  Caught up in Ryder’s green eyes, she had trouble forming a reply. “I never asked you to follow me to the bar. I can do what I want, and I sure as hell—oh God, sure don’t need, umm, your permission.”

  Ryder lifted her chin, running his thumb back and forth over her lips. “You’re in Desire, baby. You’ll do what we say in order to keep you from getting hurt.”

  Twisting her head, she dislodged Ryder’s hand. “Kiss my ass. I don’t live here. I’m not subject to your archaic rules.”

  In a totally unexpected move, Dillon kissed the top of her hair and released her. “You’re here for now. That’s all that matters.”

  He and Ryder exchanged a long look, one that she couldn’t read, but that made her very nervous.

  Gathering her close again, Dillon wrapped his arms around her and pressed his cheek against her hair. “Do you want to talk about it? And don’t try to pretend you don’t know what I mean.”

  Embarrassed to have something so personal out in the open, she averted her gaze to hide her burning face and tried to pull away from him, but he held firm.

  “No. I want you to forget you ever heard about it. It’s none of your business, or anyone else’s.”

  Even though her kept his hold gentle, she couldn’t escape the hand that swept down to cover her right hip, caressing the scar hidden beneath her clothes. Although he would have no way of knowing the ugliness under his hand, his touch warming it brought tears to her eyes.

  “We’ll let this go for now, but we will discuss it. I don’t know why you’re embarrassed about something that happened to you, but Devlin won’t say anything, and neither Ryder nor I will ever tell your secrets.”

  The sense of security and safety surrounding her brought a lump to her throat, the warmth and strength of Dillon’s embrace difficult to resist.

  She shrugged, attempting to look unconcerned.

  “It won’t matter. I won’t be here long enough for it to matter.”

  Dillon ran a hand down her arm.

  “Yes, you will. Don’t forget about your new job.”

  Ryder looked momentarily surprised before he smiled and nodded. To her enormous shock, he tweaked her nose and smiled playfully. “Don’t go chasing any other men. We’ll see you tomorrow after your seminars. If you’re going to practice on anyone, it’s going to be us.”

  She watched them walk toward the door and hated the thought of facing the night alone. She knew if she asked them to stay, they would, which made it even more difficult to resist asking.

  When Dillon turned the knob and the door swung open, she had a momentary surge of panic and leapt forward.

  “Dillon!”

  She stopped abruptly, taking a shaky breath when he paused, and rushed to get the words out before she lost her courage.

  “If we have sex, I don’t want this subject brought up again.”

  Both turned, sharing a look. Ryder looked like he wanted to say something, but Dillon shook his head.

  Facing her squarely, he nodded once. “We’ll do it your way. For now. We’ll pick you up for breakfast.”

  Chapter Six

  Tightening her hands on her purse, Alison started into the large room where several other women had already gathered.

  Just inside the entrance and to the right, a serious-looking woman sitting at a table removed her glasses and turned to laugh over her shoulder. The accompanying male chuckle had Alison looking up, meeting the amused gaze of the man from the bar the previous night.

  Devlin.

  Damn it.

  She started to step back with the intention of coming back after Devlin left, but the woman turned back, smiling politely and coming to her feet.

  “Hello, I’m Charity, one of the owners. Welcome to Lady Desire. Are you signed up for the seminar?”

  Seeing no way to escape without being rude, Alison sighed and approached the table. “Yes, I am.”

  Charity shot a resigned look at Devlin. “May I see your ID please? I’m sorry,
but he’s here to make sure I check them.”

  Devlin lifted a brow at her sarcasm and grinned. “That won’t be necessary, Charity. This is Alison Bennett. She’s with Dillon and Ryder. I can vouch for her.”

  Devlin held out his hand to her. “Hello, Alison. It’s nice to see you again. Charity’s just mad because we screen who comes in here. It’s for the safety of the women, but none of them want to hear that. Don’t worry. I won’t be staying.”

  “No, they kick us out.”

  Another man approached from the side, a dark-haired man with glittering eyes so dark they appeared to be black, and so handsome she couldn’t stop staring. His gaze lingered on Charity. Frustration, amusement, and some other emotion glittered in his eyes, making Alison feel like an intruder. His hands fisted at his sides as though he fought the urge to touch Charity as he turned to Alison. “Hello. I’m Beau. So, you’re with Dillon and Ryder? I’ve got to give you credit for your courage. Ryder’s a wild card. He keeps everybody on their toes.”

  Both Devlin and Beau had that air of authority about them, that indefinable aura that Dillon and Ryder possessed in abundance, but neither one of them made her insides tighten into knots or made it difficult to breathe the way Dillon and Ryder did.

  The sense of inevitability that she’d experienced ever since she met them became even stronger.

  She wouldn’t, couldn’t let it matter.

  Alison watched in fascination as Charity began to fiddle with items on the table, much to the amusement of both men. She felt sorry for Charity, who seemed to do everything in her power not to look at Beau, her eyes darting around as though searching for an escape. Stepping forward, Alison shook her head, smiling faintly.

  “I’m not with anyone. I’m only in town for a week or two, and I just met them when my truck broke down. Devlin saw me at the bar last night sitting with Dillon and Ryder, but I hardly know them.”

  Beau lifted a brow and shot a look at Devlin, before nodding.

  “If you say so, darlin’. Charity, I finished with the tables. If I catch you trying to lift them again, you know what’ll happen.”