Hailey's Game
Page 46
There was nothing she could do but yell her own curses at the lot of them. They became more profane and high pitched as the shrill wail of sirens wobbled into screams. The police, and if one of the four numbskulls still bloodying up her floors didn’t get his ass into her room to untie her hands, she’d come back to haunt all four of them right after she died of embarrassment.
That’s when time performed its most infamous trick and almost stopped. Eyes trained on the door, she could hear every second pass in the beating of her heart. She could also hear the squeal of breaks, the pounding of heavy footsteps across her porch, the new symphony of male voices that added themselves to the chorus and still nobody came.
She could hope and pray they’d forgotten all about her, but Brett shattered that faint aspiration with an accusation that made her flinch.
“He was raping my sister.”
I’m going to kill him. Bad enough that he and Mike invaded her bedroom so rudely or that they beat the crap out of her men, but now she’d have to explain it all to the cops.
“They have her cuffed to the fucking bed and she’s screaming no!”
It would have to be a painful death.
“Go and see for yourself.”
Very, very painful. Hailey unleashed that sentiment on the head that popped through the hallway door to glance down in her direction. “Get your ass out of my house, Killian, and you take that baboon-brain brother of mine because I swear to God—are you listening to me?” She screamed the last part at him when he disappeared with a smirk. “And nobody else better be sneaking a cheap look, either!”
“Um, Hailey?” Killian’s shout didn’t hide the laughter bubbling underneath. “Uh, somebody got to take a look or who is going to undo you?”
“Send Kyle!” Silence greeted that demand and she waited, straining to hear Kyle coming forward. “Killian?”
“Uh, yeah. Brett says Kyle can come, but his dick can’t leave the kitchen, so you sure you want Kyle?”
“Now, Killian!”
“But Brett—”
“Tell Brett anything he takes off my boyfriend I’m going to take off him.” Again silence greeted her, but this time it was broken by a hard thud. “Killian?”
“Okay, Kyle’s out.”
“What?”
“He’s passed out,” Killian yelled back an explanation that still left it up to her to figure out what had happened. “You want Brett to knock Cole out, too?”
“Don’t let him do that!”
“Uh, Hailey? Given his size, there isn’t much about letting Brett do anything.”
“You have a gun.” So did she, but Hailey couldn’t reach it.
“Like I’m going to shoot my buddy.” Killian laughed outright at the very idea.
“Well then cuff him.” God, did she have to tell the man how to do his damn job. She might shoot his ass, too.
“Why’d I do that? After all, he’s not the rapist.”
Hailey let forth a litany of profanity that cursed every descendent Killian had or ever would. It still didn’t get her anywhere. They argued it around one bend and back through another before finally Brett roared down the hall at her. He did a better job with the profanity, and the threat that he’d becoming down that hall if she didn’t start behaving had everybody agreeing the best answer would be to call in Patton.
Patton meant adding to Hailey’s humiliation by including all three Davis brothers in the night’s high drama. Cole and Kyle probably lived through the night only because Killian had the sense of mind to drag them down to the police station before it became a five against two fight. Not very fair, especially with Kyle dreaming of daisies.
The only time a two against five fight was even fair when it was her and Patton against all five arrogant asses they called family. All she had to do was endure another half hour wait until her friend came to Hailey’s rescue. Time went back to playing its old tricks and warped everything around her until she felt at least ten years older by the time Patton came charging into her room.
Hailey knew exactly what thoughts lurked in her friends mind with those twinkling eyes and full-on grin. Just the idea brought a growl to Hailey’s chest. She wasn’t in the mood. Not that Patton ever cared. She gave her friend points for holding it in until she shut the bedroom door.
“Oh, my God, Hailey.”
“Will you just undo these damn cuffs and spare me the commentary,” Hailey snapped. “I am so not in the mood.”
“Well, you better get into it,” Patton retorted, coming around the side of the bed. She pulled the sheet with her, giving Hailey at least that little bit of dignity back. “Because you got two full-size jarheads pacing through what used to be your living room, preparing for the fight.”
“This is bullshit.” It felt so good to lower her arms and get some blood back to her fingers. Hailey worked the feeling back into her hands as she glared at Patton. “I wasn’t doing anything I should have to explain to anybody. Hell, Brett is the one who should be explaining himself, busting in like gang-busters. Will you look at my window?”
“I see.” Patton tossed Hailey’s jeans at her, along with a pair of underwear she snatched out of the drawer. Hailey didn’t wait to put them on, tired of feeling so naked.
“It just isn’t fair, you know?” Hailey tugged her jeans up her legs under the safety of the sheet, only bothering to stand at the last minute so she could button them up. Accepting the T-shirt Patton handed to her, she let the sheet fall to the floor as she continued complaining. “Things were going really good here. It was like everything was finally falling to place and now,” Hailey gestured to the window as she sat back down, “I just can’t win.”
“So stop playing,” Patton suggested, settling in beside Hailey. “Killian told Chase that Kyle and Cole had been taken to the police station, but I imagine they’ll be released soon enough.”
Hailey’s shoulders slumped. “After I give a statement.”
“After you fail to file a report,” Patton corrected. “Only Brett is crying rape and not even that numbskull believes it. He’s just being a dick because he’s your older brother, and he can get away with it.”
“That’s the part that’s not fair,” Hailey mumbled. She could grow up, but she could never outgrow her brothers.
“Well,” Patton sighed. “I see an open window and a long walk to Kyle’s and Cole’s in your future.”
Hailey glanced at the window, tempted, but it would just be another game. Besides, Brett would show up on Cole’s doorstep and it would round two of the night. She really didn’t want her brother knocking both her men out in one night. Though it probably would stop Cole from using this incident to claim the title of King once he got over being beaten up by her brothers. Brett and Mike could pretty much take anybody they wanted, especially fighting together. There was probably only one person in all of Pittsview who could beat them.
Smiling at Patton, Hailey stood up. “Nah. I’m going to walk out that door right there and explain to the police that I expect my men to be released and released immediately. Then I’m going to explain to my brothers that they aren’t to be using my fiancés as punching bags, that they are to use doors and use them properly, and that this is my life and what I do with it is not open for comment. I’m going to set them all straight.”
“Yeah?” Patton smirked. “Good luck with that.”
“Thanks.” She would need it.
* * * *
Kyle watched the patrol car’s tail lights disappear into the night. He owed Killian big time for letting Brett clock Kyle while he was cuffed. It violated the rules of fair play. While there may be no rules during the fight, there sure as he were rules after. Like being clobbered by two deputies on top of Mike. Mountain of a man he is.
Kyle had never had any beef with Brett and Mike before, but they made his short list tonight. It didn’t matter what he’d been doing to their sister. That might have bought them a punch or two, but the trouncing had gone a little too far.
&nbs
p; “Give it up, man,” Cole nudged him. “It’s been a long night, and tomorrow we have to get our truck and our woman back from those trolls without getting plummeted a second time.”
With one last dark glower at the end of the road, Kyle started shuffling up the driveway behind Cole. “You think it’s going to be easy to get Hailey back? Because I’m thinking she just got handed two very big weapons in this war.”
“They might be big, my friend, but we’ll find a something even stronger on our side.” Cole appeared more worried over the fact that the front door was locked than the two apes guarding their princess. For as cool as he sounded, Kyle could read the tension in Cole as he got angry at the door. He kicked it and then immediately winced, bending slightly at the waist. “Damn those assholes!”
“I think I left the backdoor open,” Kyle offered, completely understanding Cole’s frustration. Shoving off the porch railing, he left Cole to follow as he curved back around the house and up the drive.
“You know everybody warned me,” Cole muttered. “Everybody said they were as big as mountains, but—damn, Kyle. How the hell are we going to get around them?”
“We’ll think of something,” Kyle assured him, not sure what it was they’d think of. At least the backdoor knob turned easily in his hand. “See, open.”
“Thank God for little mercies,” Cole grumbled, following him into the kitchen. “I could go for a nice long soak in Hailey’s steam shower right now, but I guess the best I’m going to get tonight is a hot towel wrapped around just the worst spots. Hey, man, are you listening to me?”
No, and Kyle didn’t intend to take the time to answer. A piece of blue, dark blue, edging around the entrance from the living room into the dining room caught his eye. It stood out against the hardwood floor as a beacon out of place. Lulled by curiosity through the dining room, Kyle blinked in the sight of a pair of jeans discarded on the floor.
Cole could have done it if he’d been half the size. Those were women’s jeans, and they matched the pair of female sneakers kicked off by the side of the front door. Breaking into a grin, he followed the trail to the tiny T-shirt puddle in the hall. No bra, but a pair of pink panties hung from Cole’s bedroom door knob. Just the sight filled him with such satisfaction. He hadn’t been sure earlier when Hailey put on his ring. Given her rash and competitive nature, she could have done it for all the wrong reasons. Only the right ones would have led her back to here tonight.
“I guess we don’t have to figure out how to go around those jackasses, huh?” Cole’s smug comment snapped Kyle back to the moment as he realized Cole had followed. More than follow, he shoved past Kyle, apparently not interested in savoring the moment.
He should have because the moment Cole opened the door Kyle’s romantic illusion popped. Like in his fantasy, Hailey was there where nothing more than a sheet, but true to her own nature she didn’t wear a come-hither smile. Instead, she blasted them the second the door opened.
“I’m not having six kids.”
Kyle didn’t know exactly what to say to that, but thank God. He cast Cole a smug look only to break into a real grin at the one Cole shot back. They might not agree on everything, but they were thinking alike right now.
“And I’m not cleaning up after you two. If you want somebody to wash your underwear, hire a maid.”
Cole went right and Kyle went left, both shedding their clothes as Hailey continued down a list she’d obviously spent too much time building.
“And this house isn’t going to do, not without a major remodel. I cannot bathe in that bathroom on daily basis. Of course, we can’t stay at my place because that’s now infested with brothers, so we’re just going to have buy or renovate. And I expect my own room, something with a solid wood door, and at least three dead bolts for when you piss me off.”
On and on she went, working herself up as they stripped down and crawled into bed. She even managed to sound grumpy as Cole snuggled her into his chest. This wasn’t the first time Cole had taken the dominating position. Kyle let it slip, giving Cole his moment, for now.
Snuggling into her back, Kyle nuzzled his way through her hair to her ear to whisper, “Hailey?”
“Yes.” She actually sounded scared and hesitant.
“Shut up.”
She did for a moment, but Kyle didn’t mind it so much when she whispered this time. “I’m sorry my brothers beat you up. I won’t lie and say that they feel sorry for it, but I did set them straight.”
“Really? And how did you do that?” Cole didn’t sound particularly convinced that she handled her brothers. Kyle hoped she hadn’t because he had some handling he wanted to take care of. That thought got lost, though, when Hailey answered, back to sounding mousy.
“Well, I told them that I loved both of you and that we were going to make a life together and they could either be a part of their nieces’ lives or they could go suck a lemon. Then I walked out.”
Kyle couldn’t keep from squeezing her tight, feeling the warmth of her confession clean down to his soul. “I love you so much, princess.”
“That goes double for me,” Cole grunted, jerking her back closer to him.
Not discouraged, Kyle made Hailey giggle with a quick tickle. “Does this mean we get to tie you up whenever we want?”
Hailey cast a mischievous grin over her shoulder. “Maybe.”
“No maybe about it, princess,” Cole snorted. “Unless either of you forgets we still have a competition to settle.”
“I didn’t forget.” Hailey did that rubbing thing, grinding her ass against Kyle’s rousing cock while arching her breasts into Cole’s chest. “And maybe we should start over from the beginning, Cole. I think you need the practice.”
THE END
www.JennyPenn.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I live near Charleston, SC with my two biggies, my dogs. I have had a slightly unconventional life. Moving almost every three years, I’ve had a range of day jobs that included everything from working for one of the world’s largest banks as an auditor to turning wrenches as an outboard repair mechanic. I’ve always regretted that we only get one life and have tried to cram as much as I can into this one.
Throughout it all, I’ve always read books, feeding my need to dream and fantasize about what could be. An avid reader since childhood, and as a latchkey kid, I’d spend hours at the library earning those shiny stars the librarian would paste up on the board after my name.
I credit my grandmother’s yearly visits as the beginning of my obsession with romances. When she’d come, she’d bring stacks of romance books, the old fashion kind that didn’t have sex in them. Imagine my shock when I went to the used bookstore and found out what really could be in a romance novel.
I’ve worked on my own stories for years and have found a particular love of erotic romances. In this genre, women are no longer confined to a stereotype and plots are no longer constrained to the rational. I love the ‘anything goes’ mentality and letting my imagination run wild.
I hope you enjoyed running with me and will consider picking up another book and coming along for another adventure.
Also by Jenny Penn
Cattleman’s Club: Patton’s Way
Tasty Treats, Volume 1: Rachel’s Seduction
Sea Island Wolves: Mating Claire
Sea Island Wolves: Taming Samantha
Tasty Treats, Volume 3: Claiming Kristen
Deception
The Cowboys’ Curse: Sweet Dreams
Tanners’ Angel
Jamie’s Revenge
Available at
BOOKSTRAND.COM
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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