by Brynn Paulin
He moved fast and hard. She met him shove for shove. A strange desperation propelled her. A need for him. A need to show him how special, how arousing, how perfect she found him.
With a deep groan, Jamie stiffened over her and his groin thrust forward one last time, pushing deep as he empty himself.
“Sweetness,” he gasped, panting unevenly.
“Mmm…” she mumbled, still caught in the overwhelming sensations of his loving. She hugged him, her cheek to his. Nothing—no one—was like this. Jamie could plug into her soul and give her everything she needed. This was supposed to be one week with no strings. Even with the talk of connection to Jamie, she was still supposed to leave in a few days. How would she be able to do it?
These last days, belonging to the O’Keefes… She’d never fit in so easily. She’d never felt so needed. Or desired. Even by Antonio, but he didn’t desire her. He wanted to own and subjugate her. She was a thing to him.
“You okay, love?” Jamie murmured, kissing a path along her neck. He slid over to lay beside her then cuddled her close.
There was a big difference between belonging and being owned, she decided as the warm glow of his caring blanketed her. She liked belonging to the O’Keefes—especially to Jamie. Staying here had been the right decision, but it was a decision that would alter the rest of her life. Nothing else would come close. She’d never forget Daly, Wyoming or the special men she’d met here.
* * * *
“Look at this.”
Sandwiched between David and Jamie in a booth at Leena’s, Rayna looked at the ad Patrick indicated while they waited for their lunches. Jamie’s arm lay behind her shoulders, a casual sign of possession. Still, David played his fingers along her thigh, rousing her rarely dormant desire for these men. She might spend most of her time with Jamie and be emotionally connected to him, but the other three men continued to send her pulse racing—something Jamie didn’t seem to mind.
“Mail order brides? Seriously?” she asked Patrick.
“Might be a way to get women out here,” he said.
Beside him, Sean snorted. “Right and how are you going to introduce the ménage and sharing ideas to the lucky girl?”
Patrick pulled the paper back in front of him and lifted it to peruse the page again. “This isn’t one of those pay for a bride from Romania kind of things. It’s like a dating service. American girls. They come here, check you out, decide if they want to stay—”
“Rayna has a better idea,” Jamie interrupted. “How did you put it, sweetness? Daly, the Mecca of Men?”
“How would that work?” David asked.
She shrugged. “We build a tourism plan. Make Daly desirable to outsiders—especially women who might be looking for a change from the rat races and dead-end dating of the big city. You’d need to implement changes here, but mostly you just need good advertising to the rest of the country. Personally, I’d suggest treating it a lot like a trip to a dude ranch or Club Med. Visitors come in and they stay at O’Keefe’s Bed and Breakfast, but in addition to that, they have an itinerary planned out for them—with free time built in of course.”
Patrick took her hand and kissed her knuckles, shooting a ribbon of arousal through her. “Lady, where have you been all my life? Can I be your first customer?”
The other men laughed.
“This is what she does,” Jamie supplied. “She’s a tourism researcher in North Carolina.”
“And developer by the sound of it,” David added.
“All part of the job,” Rayna murmured.
Patrick set aside his paper. “Do you think it could work?”
“Well, yeah,” she said. “The faster the pace gets in cities, the more people are drawn to Smalltown, USA. A certain sector of the population anyway, and that’s who you’d key into. Certainly, by the time a good tourism professional finished with Daly, there wouldn’t be any place more small town than here. The ultimate secluded destination. And by ‘good’, I mean someone who’d tweak, not give the place a huge facelift.”
“Sounds good to me,” Leena replied as she came to the table with their meals. “But where would you start?”
“Usually it has to be presented to a town council.”
“That’ll be a tough sell,” Jamie laughed. “All you’ll need to say is ‘I have an idea for getting women to come to Daly’ and they’d okay the proposal.”
“We’re not that easy,” David retorted, reaching around Rayna to smack Jamie.
“You said O’Keefe’s Bed and Breakfast,” Sean said.
“Just an example,” Rayna replied. “It’s a big place, but you guys live there and you’d need someone to run it.”
“We couldn’t live there?” Sean asked.
“Well sure you could. You have plenty of space. What are there? Ten bedrooms?”
“Yeah, five on the second floor and five on the third,” Jamie told her. “Plus we own much of the land surrounding the house and the garage. We can build.”
Excited by the prospect, they chatted about the idea for the rest of lunch. Rayna got a glimpse of how friendly—and nosy— people of Daly could be, too. Saturday seemed to be the day for visiting Leena’s, and cowboys galore stopped past the table, many of them listening in to the conversations for a spell and giving their opinions. Before he and Sean left to get supplies from the city, David nudged her and laughed that they wouldn’t need that meeting after all. The whole of Daly would know about the idea before nightfall and he didn’t doubt he’d start getting phone calls to see when the project would start.
“You are a big hit,” Jamie chuckled as they walked back to the house with Patrick.
“Me?” Rayna asked. “I was just talking. Besides, I have a shoe in. I have a vagina.”
“And there wasn’t a flaccid cock in the place,” Patrick added.
“Geez, Trick,” Jamie exclaimed in amusement, giving his brother a shove.
“Just sayin’, Jay. Just sayin’.”
Rayna shook her head. “You two…”
“But you want us,” Patrick teased.
“Mmm…of course. What woman wouldn’t want two green eyed, black haired, drool-worthy Irishmen whispering sweet nothings to her in their tantalizing brogues?”
“So we’re just sex objects?” Jamie laughed.
“Especially you, Jamie. I respect Patrick.”
Patrick hooted. “Yer a cheeky lass, ye are. I like it.” He swatted her on the rear with his magazine then gave her a peck on the temple. “Bring some of that cheek to bed tonight, and think about that plan of yours. I want a woman just as special as Jamie’s.”
Leaving her speechless, he sauntered off to his truck to head out to one of the ranches for his Saturday poker game.
Just as special as Jamie’s? She turned to the man in question, and he gave her a small smile. “Ignore, Trick,” he said. “He’s an ass.”
“He’s sweet, and very cool about your possession of mouth privileges.”
“Speaking of…” Jamie said. He leaned in and kissed her lightly. “Yeah, I’m a lucky guy.”
“What he said…” she trailed off, shifting uncomfortably.
“About having a special woman. Just ignore him. He was speaking out of turn. Hopefully someday, there will be a woman in my life—someone who’s adventurous and will occasionally include the other men in our sex but who’s committed to me.” He paused, shook his head then sighed. “That’s all bullshit.”
That startled her, and she stared at him.
“About someday and all that,” he said. “I can’t deny what’s going on between us is special. Neither can you. And I know as soon as you get your car and the bank problems ironed out that you’re on your way out of here. But I want you to stay. I know it’s fast—”
“Really fast,” she murmured. It was true. This was all so fast, and she couldn’t deny her attraction either.
“Couldn’t you consider it? Try us out. Try me out.” His hand shoved through his hair, and he let out a frust
rated sound. “Hell, I don’t even know what you’re thinking, if I’m totally out of line or even what’s your ideal?”
“I thought I knew. But after this week, I’m completely rethinking things.” She looked down the street. The mid-afternoon sun shone brightly and a slight breeze sent a burst of dust swirling down the quiet road. Two older gentlemen had come into town, and Leena had set up a table for them on the wide sidewalk outside her place. Rayna almost laughed when she saw they were playing checkers. The local sheriff was in front of the police station washing the building’s windows. Leena’s guys, as she called them, were setting up chairs outside the bar, getting ready for Saturday night—and it would be ‘hopping’ according to Sean.
The police cruiser was parked in front of the police station, but otherwise there were no vehicles and no traffic noises. It was just a lazy day on Main street. So quiet and still and unbelievably peaceful.
And Jamie wanted her to stay here. Could she do that? She’d left everything behind, and she wasn’t going to anything in Oregon. But…could she stay and live in this town in the middle of nowhere, an hour from anything? Even more, could she live in the sort of relationship he wanted?
There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that he wanted her as that woman he described—the one who was his but that he shared. That certainly wasn’t the fairytale partnering she’d been raised on. It was different, and despite her tenderness for Jamie, it made her hot. She couldn’t help her attraction for the other three.
Lord, she wanted to say yes. Wasn’t this what she’d agonized over earlier? The thought that dogged her with every step as her desire grew stronger—that she wanted to stay here with them? And wasn’t that a sign? That her need was growing rather than waning. Jamie had wormed his way inside her heart when she hadn’t even been looking. Geez, a relationship had been the absolute last thing on her mind.
“And what are you thinking?” Jamie asked quietly. It struck her how strong he was. She’d known—he had to be to deal with what had happened to him—but he had a deeper strength that appeared when he faced possibly unfavorable responses.
“I’m thinking…I’m very tempted.” She smiled. “Let’s go inside and you can tempt me some more. I like when you wander around the house and work in your office without your shirt on.”
“Um, sweetness, I don’t wander with my shirt off.”
“You should.”
The phone was ringing when they entered the house. Jamie grabbed it from the table near the door. “Hello… Yeah, just a sec,” he said, holding the phone out to her. “For you.”
“Hello?”
“Rayna?” Kelsey’s frantic voice came over the phone.
Rayna’s stomach lurched at the panic in her friend’s voice, afraid she already knew. Antonio trouble. “What’s wrong, Kels?”
“I got your account straightened out. Management fired him, Ray. This morning. You’re not the only one he’s done this to. As soon as they heard… They just fired him on the spot. On a Saturday! Security escorted him to his desk and then to the door. He doesn’t know I told them. He thinks it’s you, and he’s furious. Scary angry, Ray. Like he could kill someone.”
Rayna sank into the wall, icy terror dripping through her despite her resolve to stay calm. “He doesn’t know where I am.”
“He knows. At least, I think he does. He must have been watching your account. Went in and flagged it again right before the bosses called him into a meeting. I think that’s what tipped them off. They were watching, too.”
She started to shake, and Jamie pulled her into his arms.
“Watch your back,” Kelsey warned before they hung up.
“He knows where I’m at,” Rayna whispered as she hung up the phone. She pulled from his embrace. “I’ve gotta get out of here.” She was halfway to the stairs before she stopped. “I can’t. My car—”
Jamie was beside her immediately and enfolded her in his arms once more. “It’s okay. Remember? I promised no one would hurt you here. No one’s going to touch you.”
She nodded her head, but he obviously realized she didn’t believe him. Antonio was good at hurting people and not getting caught. Even when cornered, his slick lies got him out of trouble.
“Rayna, listen to me. First, this might be Smalltown USA, but it’s also home to a bunch of the most macho, tough guys you might meet. Nothing your ex can toss this way is more than they can and have handled. Second, this is Smalltown USA. Antonio’s not getting into town without a lot of people noticing—especially if they’re on the lookout. You couldn’t be safer.”
“Great. The nymphomaniac with the psycho ex-fiancé. I sure make an impression.”
“Hey,” Jamie lifted her chin to look at him, and she blinked back the tears that threatened. “No one thinks that,” he said. “I heard several guys today talking about how lucky the O’Keefes are, and how they wish a sweet, pretty girl like you had landed on their doorstep instead of ours.”
“That’s nice,” she replied, still shaking as she held onto him. She wasn’t so sure everything would be fine. If she hadn’t been terrified of Antonio, she wouldn’t have run from town. She wouldn’t have been crossing the country to get as far from him as she could. She wouldn’t be here.
“Rayna,” Jamie pleaded. “You’ve made me trust you. Now you trust me.”
He kissed her nose as her guilt settled in. It wasn’t fair of her to refuse the same thing she’d made him give her.
“I’ll try,” she promised. Nonetheless, she knew she’d do anything she needed in order to keep him safe.
Chapter Six
When Jamie was injured, word had spread through Daly like wildfire. He hadn’t been able to come home immediately, but the community had gathered around him like a protective hedge. Their energy and support had strengthened him on days when he’d thought he might die. Some had traveled overseas with his brothers to visit him. Some had visited when he’d been strong enough to be transferred to the States. More had visited when he’s been moved to the hospital that served Daly and the surrounding communities. Cards and phone calls and small gifts had bolstered him and urged his recovery.
Even deformed as he was now, they accepted him. He was one of theirs. It was outsiders he didn’t trust. Outsiders who shied away from him. Outsiders who made him feel self-conscious and doubt his worth.
Rayna had never made him feel that way. She’d accepted him from the first minute. People here didn’t trust immediately, but they trusted Rayna. They saw her for the wonderful woman she was. Jamie didn’t have a single doubt Daly would rally around her.
After sending her upstairs for a bubble bath—which she protested as a clichéd and sexist method of calming overwrought women—he made a few phone calls. David and Sean immediately turned around to head home and Patrick abandoned his weekly game. The sheriff went on alert.
Jamie knew word would travel. Anyone spending time in town would be on alert for strange cars that were doing more then just getting gas or driving through. This Antonio jerk wouldn’t just sneak in. It was impossible.
Relatively sure of Rayna’s safety, Jamie checked the locks on the back door and all the ground windows. Once his brother and cousins were home, he locked the front door, wishing they had an alarm system, but in Daly it was just unnecessary.
A few minutes later, Rayna came downstairs wrapped in a fluffy pink robe and smelling of lavender. Jamie pulled her to sit on his lap on the couch. The other men took seats around the room.
“Tell us about Antonio,” Jamie urged. “What’s he done?”
“We can tell he’s a slimebucket,” Patrick added. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t be terrorizing you by screwing with your bank account access and disconnecting your cell phone.”
“He’s violent,” she confessed. “There were little things I ignored or excused at first. Never physical things he did to me or other people. Just a maniacal streak I didn’t recognize. Looking back, I realize he was verbally abusive at times. I didn’t recognize that either. I
just thought we were arguing. But he was hurtful in the things he said. I felt so stupid when I found out that that’s one of the first warnings of an abuser.”
Jamie stroked her back. “It’s not like they wear signs.”
“It was after we got engaged that things escalated. He wanted to script my every move, know where I was at and what I was doing at all times. Sometimes he got rough, but he didn’t hurt me. Then one night, he beat the crap out of me. I reported him to the police and broke it off.”
“Asshole,” Patrick ground out, his fingers white on the arms of the chair where he sat. Sean and David were similarly tense. Jamie just continued to stroke her back. He lowered his forehead to her shoulder so she wouldn’t see how enraged he was.
“He kept calling,” she told them. “Apologizing, pleading, telling me how awful he felt and how he hadn’t meant it. He wanted me back. He was so convincing, but I kept saying no even though I wondered if I was making a mistake. When he couldn’t get me to say yes, he got violent again. He stalked me, did little things to make my life inconvenient or to scare me. He broke into my house the day before I left. I called the cops but he still managed to knock me around before they got there. He threatened to hurt me bad. The police called it a domestic dispute and hauled him away, but I knew he’d be out the next day—which I was right about according to Kelsey. So I packed up and ran in the dead of the night. And now he’s been fired. I know he’s coming here, and I know he intends to do something bad.”
“Over my dead body,” Jamie growled, finally looking at her and letting her see how serious he was.
“Don’t say that,” she whispered.
“He’s not hurting you,” he vowed.
“Damn straight,” Sean said. “Let him bring it on. He can find out what it’s like to have the shit kicked out of him.”
“No,” she protested. “I don’t want him anywhere near any of you. I need to leave. I need to go somewhere where he can’t find me. He’s not going to stop. You might teach him a lesson this one time, but he’ll just regroup and come up with something else. He thinks I’m his, and he’ll be damned if he lets anyone else have me—that’s what he told me.”
