“Why?” she wailed. “You don’t know anything about me. I’m a total stranger. I have…issues. I worked for a mobster for God’s sake, and didn’t even know it! And people are trying to kill me! Why would you offer to take all that on? Why do you even care what happens to me?”
Ash raised his head and the three brothers looked at each other. Then Simon started speaking. ‘Okay, darlin’, listen up, ’cause I’m gonna tell you why we care what happens to you. We grew up in a lovin’, polyamorous household with a mom and two dads and an older sister. The three of us have always been very close, often knowin’ what each other was thinkin’ or about to say. And we’ve known from the time we were teenagers that we all wanted what our fathers had. A woman we could all love, cherish, treasure and protect. A woman who was lovin’ and generous and adventurous both in and out of bed. A woman who was beautiful without always having to fuss with her hair or check her make-up or obsess over her figure. The minute I saw you this mornin’, all disheveled and dazed, your eyes swollen from cryin’ and heavy with sleep, I knew you were the one we’d been lookin’ for.” He gave a little laugh, just shaking his head. “So I took your photo with my phone and sent it to Ash and Caleb with the caption, ‘I’ve found The One.’”
“And we both texted back, “Who is she, where is she and how soon can we meet her?” Ash said.
“We nearly drove to the diner to horn in on breakfast with you and Simon,” Caleb chimed in. “But we didn’t want you to think we were stalkin’ you.”
“So that’s what all that messing around with your phone was all about,” Kylie said, turning her head to give Simon an accusing glance. “You were taking pictures of me and discussing me with your brothers.”
“I was merely showin’ them how adorable you are,” he defended himself, feigning a wounded look. His phone rang and they all turned to look at him. He took it out of his pocket and thumbed on the speaker. “Rafferty.”
“Hey, Honcho, Sam Olsen. Finally got a chance to look at that little Honda p. o. s. we towed in.”
“And?”
“Not good. Engine’s blown. New one would cost more’n the car’s worth. Plus the undercarriage is completely rusted through. It’s a wonder she hadn’t put her foot through the floorboard.” Sam Olsen sounded completely disgusted. “One good jolt and the seat will be skidding along the highway. If that happens at sixty miles per hour, it would not be a pretty sight. It’s a death trap.”
“Okay, Tool. Thanks for lookin’ into it. I’ll bring her by in a little while to clean it out, then you can go ahead and junk it.” He hung up. Nobody said a word.
Kylie didn’t even realize she was crying until a sob wrenched from her throat and, for what seemed like the hundredth time in twenty-four hours she dissolved into tears.
Geez, you’ve got to stop bursting into tears at every little setback! Where’s your backbone? Why have you suddenly turned into this spineless wuss?
Because these have been so much more than just little setbacks! I can’t take any more! This thing with my car is the last straw! The absolute last straw! “Herkimer’s gone,” she wailed.
“Who’s Herkimer?” Caleb asked.
“Her car,” Simon answered.
“She named her car?” Ash, this time.
“Doesn’t everybody?”
“Go ahead,” Kylie sniffled. “Make fun of the poor, stupid girl driving the rust-bucket car.”
“We’re not makin’ fun of you, darlin’,” Simon assured her. “In fact, I been thinkin’ of namin’ my own car. How does Snodgrass sound to you?”
Kylie couldn’t help it. She laughed and the somber mood was dispelled.
“Still,” Caleb pursued. “Why were you drivin’a rust-bucket car old enough to be an antique?”
“I-I just never thought about it. I was so focused on saving enough money to put as a down-payment on a house, I-I—”
Without saying a word, Caleb somehow managed to get his brothers to get off the couch and give him room. Simon moved to one of the chairs, Ash perched on the end of the coffee table, his computer in his lap. Caleb swung his legs up onto the couch and leaned back against the overstuffed arm, nestling Kylie’s head on his shoulder and holding her like a child, stroking his hand up and down her back, just letting her sniffle and hiccup as she struggled to get her sobs under control. Until she was utterly drained and limp as a rag doll, slumping on top of Caleb’s hard body, feeling safe and protected in his sheltering embrace. Within minutes her breathing evened out and the brothers let out a collective sigh.
“Fuck,” Simon swore, keeping his voice low. “I was afraid that was what he was gonna say. Like she needs this on top of everything else she’s been through. Damn thing’s older than she is, for chrissakes.”
“That’s okay,” Ash said, “she’s got us now. We’ll look after her.”
“She’s had a pretty rough time of it, that’s for damned sure,” Caleb said, lifting his lips from where they’d been pressed against the top of her head. “We’ll have to get her a car eventually, but since she can’t drive at the moment, it’s not urgent.”
Simon smiled. “I have a feeling she’s going to fight us tooth and nail over that.”
“Then we’ll have to be very persuasive. What else did you find out from Jason, Ash?”
“She’s all over the news in Philly. Speculation is running rampant over her background, her involvement with the mob, her disappearance. The police investigation, if there even is one, seems to be focused entirely on her. To say nothing of leaking like a sieve. I don’t like it.” He began typing, his fingers flying over the laptop’s keys. “What did she say the names of those two detectives were? The ones who interrogated her?”
“Bullard and Angelino. Why?”
“I’m asking Jason to look into them. Something about the way they lit into her just doesn’t seem right.”
Ash looked over at his brother, reclining on the sofa with Kylie draped over him looking soft and sweet and adorable. “You okay like that? Or do you think we should wake her?”
“Naw, I’m good. Let her sleep. I mean, she lost her job, her boss was murdered, she lost her boyfriend, her house blew up. She’s had a rough couple of days and I guess losing her car was just the absolute last straw. All in all, I think she’s handling it pretty well, though, don’t you?
“At least she’s not cursing and screaming and pitching a fit,” Simon said.
“Oh, she is on the inside,” Kylie chimed in, making everyone laugh. “Don’t worry, guys. I’ll rally. Eventually. It’s all just sort of overwhelming right now. I’ve had Herkimer since I was sixteen. The Goodmans bought him for me right after I went to live with them. He was more than just a car to me. He was…freedom. I loved him more than I loved my own father.” Her lips twisted. “Of course, that wasn’t hard to do, considering I absolutely hated my father.”
Caleb’s lips quirked. “You were never tempted to trade it in for something newer? More reliable?”
“Herkimer was reliable,” she insisted. “He always got me from point A to point B without any problems. Trading him in would have felt like…betrayal, somehow.” She spread her hands helplessly. “I know you don’t understand—”
“Trust me, baby, we understand perfectly.” Caleb patted her back. “Your car represented stability to you, something permanent. To lose that, especially when the rest of your life is in total upheaval, must be devastating.”
She settled against him. “You do understand,” she said on a note of wonder. “And you don’t think I’m crazy. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Are you okay? You feel like tellin’ us more of your life story?”
“It’s boring,” she warned.
“You just let us be the judge of that,” Ash said. “You said you broke up with a boyfriend?”
“Hah!” She sniffed. “Brad. Brad Sullivan. He moved in with me two months ago. I’d never lived with a man before. My father would have had a cow! In fact, looking back on it now, I think
I did it sort of as an act of defiance. A symbol that I am my own woman, living my own life, free of his influence. Brad owns a restaurant in Philly and has a cooking segment on a local talk show. I was…I guess you could say I was his guinea pig. He tried out new recipes on me. At first I wondered why he chose me. I mean, he was really good-looking, sort of a ladies man, flirted with everyone else but me. Now I think he chose me because…well, because he figured I liked to eat. I mean, he didn’t seem all that interested in me when it came to…um…you know…”
“Sex?” Caleb interjected, watching the fiery red blush creep over her cheeks. God, that’s so adorable! When she didn’t answer, he said, “Kylie.” Just her name, nothing else, his quiet voice catching her attention as no loud noise would ever have done. “In this house we value honesty above all things. Please don’t be afraid to be truthful with us. You can tell us anything.”
She cringed. “Not sex things!”
“Especially sex things. We want to know everything that turns you on, gives you pleasure, and makes you burn for more. We also want to know everything that hurts you or turns you off. In short, we will discuss sex things with you all the time. You’ll just have to get used to it, sugar.”
Ash palmed her cheek. “Everyone has desires, Kylie. Everyone has passions, and fantasies. The need to explore our sexuality is a powerful drive in each of us. There is nothin’ shameful or degradin’ or humiliatin’ in that. And certainly nothing sinful. Unfortunately, most people suppress those yearnin’s and wind up missin’ out on the greatest pleasure a human bein’ can experience—a soul-deep connection with another person.”
“Well…I-I did happen to mention to Brad once that I’d always wondered what it would be like to have someone…you know...tie me up…”
Caleb laughed. “Oh, baby, if that’s what you want, have you ever come to the right place. We can’t wait to tie you up. To see your legs spread wide for us, open and drippin’ with need for us. To smell your arousal as it perfumes the air around us. To hear your voice, hoarse with passion as you beg for us to take you, to make you ours. We can’t wait to touch you with our hands, our lips, our tongues…our cocks.”
Kylie’s breathing quickened. Her stomach did a nose dive. Holy shit! He had actually said that! And it hadn’t sounded stupid or hokey or like it came from a bad porno movie. No, indeed. It had sounded…intimate, oddly poetic. Like it was something he wanted to experience as intensely as she did. It had sounded like a promise, one he intended to keep. She squirmed.
All her adult life she had ruthlessly suppressed her sexuality. Afraid, in spite of ten years of therapy, that her father had been right after all. That deep inside her there was a slut and a whore just waiting to burst out and drag her straight down into Hell. The decision to let Brad take her virginity had been a practical one, not one based on passion or emotions, although that hadn’t made his insensitive treatment of her or his ultimate betrayal any easier to bear. That’s why she couldn’t afford to lower her walls and expose her innermost self to these three guys. Already the connection surging between them was so powerful, she knew that if they ever treated her callously or decided they didn’t want her, her heart would be shattered. Quite likely beyond all hope of recovery.
“Jesus, Caleb,” Simon said, “scare her away, why don’t you?”
Caleb leveled a look at his brother and hiked an eyebrow. “Somehow, bro, I don’t think ‘scared’ is what Kylie’s feelin’ right about now. Is it, Kylie.”
She bit her lip. Caleb’s deep, rumbly voice had a way of reaching right down inside her and demolishing all her painstakingly erected defenses. She’d never had any trouble before telling little white lies to protect that deep, inner core of vulnerability she’d kept hidden from…well, everyone. But these three men were like a wrecking ball, demolishing her shield, shattering her defenses, leaving her naked and exposed. Unable to find her voice, unable to look at them, she just gave a slight, negative shake of her head.
Ash leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “We want to know all your fantasies, Kylie. Because we want to spend the rest of our lives makin’ them come true. We want to devote ourselves to worshippin’ you, adorin’ you, givin’ you unendin’ pleasure.”
She raised her gaze to his, outwardly still, her eyes wide and unblinking. But inwardly her thoughts and reactions were ping-ponging all over the place. People just didn’t talk like this. At least not the people she knew. Yet these three men seemed completely comfortable discussing such intimate things. It should have made her feel embarrassed. It should have sent her into a panic. There were, after all, three of them and only one of her. How was that going to work? But somehow it didn’t seem to matter, because instead of being embarrassed or panicked, she was more aroused than she’d ever been in her life. And she didn’t know how to deal with that. What was she supposed to do with all these sensations that were clawing away at her composure, threatening to burst through her skin?
Placing her hand on Caleb’s chest, she levered herself up so she could see his face. Caleb Rafferty. All three brothers were confident, masculine alpha males. Handsome, with strong, square jaws and rugged features. But of the three of them, Caleb was just, somehow…more. More size, more presence, more power. He was definitely more autocratic, which probably made him the best choice for sheriff. He was also harder, edgier, more…raw. Yet, his touch, his voice, his words were so tender they made her feel things she’d never felt before. They made her feel accepted. Valued. Even cherished. Oh, yeah. A girl could definitely get used to this.
“I think we got sidetracked,” Ash said, settling back onto his perch on the edge of the coffee table, which was really an enormous leather ottoman, big enough for three or four people to sit on. “What happened after you called the police?
“They took me down to the station to make a statement. But those two I mentioned before, Detectives Bullard and Angelino? They were awful, hovering over me, getting right up in my face, accusing me of murdering Mr. Moretti, of cooking the books, of stealing money, anything they could think of. They kept leaving me alone for long periods of time, but every time I tried to leave, a uniformed cop outside the door told me I couldn’t.’ She shook her head. “I was there until eleven-thirty yesterday morning. I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was go home and fall into bed.
“When I finally dragged myself into the house, I heard a noise in the bedroom. I was concerned because Brad hadn’t been feeling well the night before, so I thought maybe he was sick in bed.” Her smile was wry. “He was in bed, all right, but not because he was sick. I gave him and Fiona thirty seconds to get out.”
Ash chuckled. “Sounds like you were pretty pissed.”
“I was, although more at myself for wasting time and effort on him than at him for cheating on me. So, I spent the rest of the day clearing his stuff out of my house. By eight o’clock I was exhausted, so I laid down on the couch—couldn’t bring myself to sleep in the bed he’d been cheating in. I was half asleep when the news came on. When I heard my name, I bolted upright. I was mentioned as a possible witness to a mob hit! They had my picture up there, plain as day. How did they get my picture? I decided that first thing the next morning, I would pack a bag, close my bank accounts and leave town. It never occurred to me that the next day was Sunday and the banks would be closed. If it had, I would have left right then and there. But then, it also never occurred to me that someone would toss a bomb through my bedroom window in the middle of the night either.”
A stricken look crossed Ash’s face. “Jesus, baby, if you’d been sleeping in your bed instead of on that sofa…” He didn’t complete his thought, unable to contemplate the possibility that she’d have been lost to them forever. He’d only known her for a few hours, but it felt much longer, as if he’d known her for a lifetime.
Kylie grimaced. “I know. If it hadn’t been for Brad’s betrayal, I would be dead. I owe my life to a good-for-nothing, two-timing cheat.” She pushed against Caleb’s chest in an attempt to sit up.
He just pulled her back down. She tried again. “Caleb, please, I need to get up.”
“Gimme a second here, sugar. Don’t wanna let go of you just yet. Been waitin’ for you for most of my life.”
Ash got up from the coffee table. “You’ve hogged her long enough. It’s my turn.”
“I’m the oldest,” Caleb argued, but he knew when he was defeated. Letting out a huge sigh, he sat up slowly, turning his body to plant his feet firmly on the floor, being careful not to bump Kylie’s feet against anything. Before lifting her off his own lap and depositing her in Ash’s, he placed his fingertips against her jaw and turned her head toward him.
“Look at me, sugar.” Lifting her face to his, he leaned closer. “Keep your eyes on mine.” Slowly, so slowly she felt as if they were moving through molasses, she watched his face descend toward hers, coming closer and closer, until their mouths were touching in a gentle, exploring kiss that made her belly clench, spilling a fresh torrent of hot cream out between her legs.
As she stared into the turbulent depths of his ocean blue eyes, she felt like she was drowning, about to go under for the third time. She’d never kissed anyone with her eyes open before. It was exhilarating. And terrifying. Because the depth of the passion and hunger in his eyes was something she’d never encountered before. And it told her what he wanted of her. What he needed from her. Her submission. Her surrender. Her total capitulation. But that wasn’t the part that terrified her. The part that terrified her was the fact that she knew she was going to give it to him. To all three of them. How could that be? This might be her one and only chance to experience anything this intense in her entire life. And she wasn’t going to let that chance slip through her fingers. No matter how terrifying the possibilities were.
Gently, Caleb feathered his lips back and forth across hers, a light, ephemeral touch, almost like the fluttering of a butterfly’s wing. “Jesus, Kylie, you’re so fuckin’ sweet. I could kiss you forever.” His breath blended with hers, became hers as he twisted his head, parting her lips, claiming them, seeking entry with his tongue. He closed his eyes, reveling in the taste of her, the scent of her, the feel of her against his questing mouth.
Passion's Fury (The Doms of Passion Lake Book 2) Page 8
