by Lori King
“Sounds to me like you’re scared. Judging by the way you’re lumping the men together, and the current status quo for relationships around this town, I’m going to guess that they want to share you. Are you running because you’re scared that these men want you, and you don’t know how to handle that, or because you can’t handle a ménage? What if they actually turn out to be great guys that you could build a future with?” Darcy grinned at Sidney’s shocked expression.
For a couple of moments Sidney just sat there, processing Darcy’s words. A ménage was exactly what they implied that they wanted. Tyce said that they wanted to keep her safe and help her, but that could mean a battle with Robert when he finally caught up to her. She couldn’t risk that the men would turn her away when they found out about everything she had left behind in South Carolina. She just couldn’t handle all of this.
Darcy stayed silent, watching Sidney process her emotions. The bell for the kitchen dinged, and she walked over to the line to pick up Sidney’s food. Setting it down in front of her, she handed her a roll of silverware.
“I don’t know about you, but if I had more than one person wanting to love me, and they were good people, I wouldn’t run away. Ask yourself one question, doll. Can you walk away and live the rest of your life knowing you didn’t even give them a chance?” Darcy said with a meaningful look.
It surprised Sidney that a complete stranger had just hit the nail on the head. She ate her food in silence as she pondered her intense reaction to the Dawson brothers. Every time one of them looked at her, she wanted them. It was almost like a craving that she couldn’t get rid of. How long would it take her to forget them? Could she honestly walk away from them, or was she fooling herself?
“Thank you,” Sidney said, and she knew that Darcy understood the double meaning in the polite response.
She focused on her food, trying her best to block out thoughts of the Dawson brothers and Robert so that she could eat in peace. The food was fantastic, and her stomach growled loudly as the first bites settled. It had been awhile since she let herself indulge in a full meal, and she was full quickly. She was just pondering ordering a slice of pie when she heard a commotion at the kitchen door and looked up to find Darcy and two other employees running to the diner windows.
“Oh my God, I wonder what it is that’s on fire. Did you call 911, Dale?” Darcy’s voice was high-pitched and anxious, and it drew Sidney over to the windows to see the excitement.
Looking past the trio, she could see flames shining brightly in the dark night, and they were in the direction of the park. Sidney gasped when she realized that it was coming from where her car was parked.
“Oh my God! My car! That’s my car!” She ran out the door of the diner but came to a dead stop at the edge of the park. Her small sedan was completely engulfed in orange flames. Everything she owned was in that car, including the money she had left, and her cell phone. All she had now was the money in her pocket from the night’s tips. She was stuck here in Apache Crossing now without any options. It would take her months to earn enough money to buy a new car, and by then Robert would have caught up to her.
Her knees buckled, and she found herself kneeling in the grass, watching her escape plans burn. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and the pressure in her lungs threatened to suffocate her. She stayed in that spot until a fireman arrived and made her move. He lifted her by the armpits and helped her walk back across the street to a safer spot before leaving her to go back to the burning vehicle. She was surrounded by a small crowd of people who watched with her, but she had never felt so alone in her life. She could hear the conversation around her, but it was hollow and muffled. She couldn’t process anything right now.
When the fire finally burned itself out, a sheriff’s deputy approached the people watching from the parking lot to ask if anyone knew whose vehicle it was. Darcy directed him to where Sidney stood solemnly watching the commotion as tears still trickled down her cheeks. She was able to verify all of the information that they needed and complete her statement, but her body remained numb and cold. She felt no emotion, just emptiness. She listed all of the items that she had in the car in a monotone voice, with the echo of loss ringing in her ears. When they finished the deputy paused, watching her, and then patted her shoulder.
“Is there anyone you would like me to call for you? Someone to come and pick you up maybe?” His tone was probably the same one that he used with small children, but she didn’t react.
“No. No one,” she said softly, and then a thought hit her, and she reached into her back pocket and pulled out a business card. As the deputy turned to walk away from her, she stopped him. “Wait, yes there is. Can you call Tyce Dawson and tell him that Sidney Rowe needs help?”
The last thing that Tyce expected was a phone call from the sheriff on behalf of Sidney, but he didn’t hesitate when he hung up the phone.
“Xavier! Noah! We’ve got to go!” he yelled as he left his bedroom and headed to the front door.
“What’s wrong?” Xavier asked from the living room. Noah stepped out of his room, pulling a shirt over his head. For the three military men, it was nearly instinctive to be alert and tense in a moment, and Tyce knew that they were reacting to the tone in his voice.
“That was Joey Ruiz over at the sheriff’s office. They called for Sidney. All I know is that her car burned up in a fire, and she is stuck at The Bop,” Tyce said as he jerked on his boots and dropped his cowboy hat on top of his long hair.
“I’ll drive,” Xavier said while he and Noah both pulled on their own boots. As a trio they all headed out the front door and piled into Xavier’s SUV. Concern and worry were almost palpable as they drove as fast as the law would allow, trying to get to their woman. Tyce was stunned that Sidney would call him when she needed help, but he was also filled with delight. He promised himself to keep it slow and give her time to realize that she had done the right thing by calling him.
“How did they have your number?” Xavier asked from the front seat, and Tyce turned his head until he met Xavier’s midnight-colored gaze in the mirror.
“I gave it to her last night after I found her in the shower. Well, actually I stuck a card with my number on it in her pocket. I’m trying not to get my hopes up, but I’m relieved that she called us,” Tyce said, his breath tightening in his throat. Apprehension kept his nerves on end, but he tried to calm himself. He didn’t want to upset Sidney if she had already been traumatized tonight.
Tyce, Xavier, and Noah whipped into the parking lot of the restaurant, and all three men exited the huge SUV, heading directly toward Sidney. She swallowed hard as her heart jumped at the view. Three sexy men stalking toward her with fear and concern on their faces was mind-numbing. Her own personal cavalry had come to the rescue. Xavier’s blue eyes were hard, but she could see the barely concealed desire rippling under the surface. Tyce looked worried, and his gaze scanned her from head to toe before turning to look at the wreckage of her car across the street. Noah’s eyes held hers for a moment and he smiled reassuringly.
“Are you okay, love?” Tyce reached her first and pulled her into his arms, brushing a kiss on her forehead. She nodded against him. Inhaling his masculine scent, she let out a heavy sigh, and all of her muscles relaxed now that they were there.
“I’m sorry, Tyce, but I didn’t know who else to call.” Her voice cracked, and she drew in a shaky breath. She hated that she was showing weakness in front of them, but she had no strength left in her body to fight the wave of bleakness that overwhelmed her.
“Hush, Sidney. You have nothing to be sorry for. You did exactly what you should have, baby.” Xavier’s arms went around her from the back, rubbing gently against her belly and lower ribs. His head dropped to place a gentle kiss on the tendon between her neck and shoulder, and she shivered, remembering with the last time she was in between Tyce and Xavier. After a moment Tyce released his hold on her hips, allowing Noah to take her into his arms. Now Xavier and Noah held her, whil
e Tyce continued to grip her hand tightly in his, giving her silent comfort. Tears began to slip down her cheeks again, but this time the tears were a release of sorts. She was able to let go of the overwhelming feeling of despair that she had been swamped with just minutes ago, because they were there to take the burden.
“You can always call us…for anything. We will be there no matter what.” Noah’s voice was full of emotion, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to examine it too closely right now. This was the closest to safe she had ever felt in her life, standing in the circle of their arms.
“Do you know what happened yet?” Tyce asked quietly, and she shook her head no. She was surprised at the sense of emptiness she felt when Xavier and Tyce both released her into Noah’s hold alone.
“Stay here with Noah, Sid. We’re going to go talk to the deputies,” Xavier said, and she just nodded, sinking deeper into Noah’s warm embrace. He was so solid and comforting that it would be easy to pretend none of this night had ever happened. She wished she could just start over, but when she started to think that way, she realized that she didn’t know where she would start.
The desire that Tyce put in her belly reminded her that she was still a woman, and she didn’t want to give that up. She didn’t want to start over before she left Robert, because Robert was no good and would have eventually killed her anyway. She didn’t even want to start over before she met Robert, because if everything had been different, then she wouldn’t have met her guys. Her heart jumped when she realized that she had just mentally claimed them. Clearly, exhaustion was getting to her, because they hadn’t even offered her more than a wild night of sex and their protection. Fear swamped her, and her breathing became shaky again. Robert would kill her if he found out that she wanted the Dawson brothers or, even worse, kill them.
She turned her head to watch Xavier and Tyce talking with the sheriff and his deputy. The fire was completely out now, and they were investigating its cause. How could a parked car just go up in flames? She hadn’t had anything even remotely flammable in it, and her keys were in her pocket so there was no way she left it running. She watched the two men as their faces grew dark with anger. In the back of her mind suspicion tickled at her brain. What if Robert had tracked her down already?
“What’s wrong?” she asked them when they came back to her and Noah. She was now wrapped in Noah’s arms with her back against his chest and his arms tight around her waist. She leaned her head back on his shoulder, enjoying letting someone help keep her standing. His strength seemed to soak into her bones and give her a boost.
“Let’s get you home first, baby. Then we can talk about it,” Xavier said, and he pulled her to his side. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a soft kiss on her temple before he started walking her toward his car. That little kiss said more about his feelings for her than she cared to admit to herself yet, but she felt pleasure fill her soul.
“Ummm…wait. I, uhhh…I can’t…I mean…” she stuttered, coming to a standstill. She fidgeted, looking at anything but the three men.
“What is it, honey?” Noah’s voice made her all tingly, and she looked up into his pale-blue eyes. He was so concerned that she couldn’t stop her own mouth.
“I don’t have a home. I only have a car. Well, I only had a car. I was sleeping in my car, damn it. I had everything I brought with me in there. Now I don’t have anything. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry to drag you into this mess I call my life.” Tears ran down her cheeks again as she exposed her secret. She saw the three men soften and look at her indulgently. They exchanged a glance between the three of them before they all surrounded her. She was swamped with their warmth and encouragement. They didn’t think less of her because of her admission like she had expected them to.
“We know that, Sidney, and I already told you that you have nothing to be sorry about. I meant that we’re taking you to our home. You are going to move in with us,” Xavier said gently, but when she hesitated, he grabbed her hand and pulled her the rest of the way to the SUV. “It’s not negotiable, woman. You need rest, and you need to trust someone else to take care of you for right now.”
He lifted her up into the backseat, and Noah jumped in on the other side next to her. She was still resisting Xavier’s hands as he tried to buckle her seat belt.
“What do you mean? I can take care of—” she argued.
“Let me take care of you, Sidney, please?” The soft, pleading tone of Xavier’s voice cut her off, and she stared at him. He leaned in, and she thought for a moment he was going to kiss her. Her breath caught in her throat, and she felt her belly tighten into a ball. Then he was clicking the latch on the belt and shutting her door. She blinked as she watched him move around to the driver’s side.
Noah reached across the seat and pulled at her arm until she was leaning against him. She let her eyes close as Tyce and Xavier piled into the front seats. They drove in complete silence, but the tension in the truck was tangible.
Sidney had no idea what to say to them. She had basically told them to fuck off the last time she spoke to them, and yet when she needed help they had been there. She had taken the chance to trust them, and they had her back. It rocked her world on its axis, and she couldn’t seem to focus her thoughts. Her head was pounding, and her stomach felt slightly queasy. Resting against Noah’s broad chest, she drifted to sleep listening to the gentle rhythm of his heartbeat.
Noah couldn’t believe his luck. He was holding the woman of his dreams in his arms. It seemed like there was no better place to be than where he sat this very moment. He let his thoughts drift back to their first meeting while he enjoyed her warmth against his chest.
Walking into the bar to greet his next interviewee, he had felt dejected and irritated. Spending a full week fielding applications and interviews had left him cynical about ever finding another sane and competent bartender to work the evening shift. When Austin had pointed Noah in Sidney’s direction, indicating that she was his next appointment, he couldn’t restrain his inner hound dog from growling with delight. She sat at the bar, nervously swinging her long, slim legs while her fingers twisted a napkin into hundreds of tiny pieces. She swept her hands through her shoulder-length blonde locks and then wrapped her arms around herself in a protective manner as she shifted her gaze around the bar, taking in every corner of the room. She looked lost, ready to bolt, and he felt the gravitational pull of the earth under his feet shift as her rich, brown eyes met his.
Introducing himself, he could hear the desire in his own voice and just prayed that she didn’t. He returned her hesitant smile, shaking her hand. He had to clear his mind to keep from reaching out to pull her tight against him, and soothe her nerves.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Dawson, and thank you for taking the time to meet with me.” Her eyes darted around as he settled them into the manager’s office to conduct the interview.
“It’s Noah, please. Can I ask if you’ve ever bartended before?”
“Yes, I bartended for about two years back in South Carolina.” She answered his question, but he was disappointed that she didn’t elaborate.
“South Carolina? Really? What brought you to Texas?” His curious question seemed to make her tense even more. It wasn’t an extremely personal question, and he couldn’t stop wondering why she seemed so defensive.
“I just needed a change. Look, I’d be happy to do a trial shift to prove I can handle it.”
She held her ground, refusing to give him any more information. Interesting, he thought to himself, okay we’ll play it her way for now, business only.
“We run a pretty tight staff here, so usually there are only one or two bartenders working the bar and the floor during your shift. Have you waited tables before?” he asked.
“I can handle it. I prefer to be behind the bar, but I need the job, so I will do whatever you ask,” she replied. Noah’s cock started to thicken as dozens of dirty ideas flooded his mind about what he could ask her to do. His eyes drifted
over her white T-shirt, taking in the fullness of her lush breasts above her slim waist and curvy hips. He took a deep breath and shifted the paper work on the desk to distract his traitorous body before responding.
“Well, we need someone that can do a little bit of everything around here. Where did you say you tended bar in South Carolina?” He tried to look nonchalant when he asked the question, but she wasn’t buying it. Crossing her arms around her waist defensively, she leaned back in the chair as if it to put more distance between the two of them.
“Here and there. Like I said, I would be happy to work for a night so that you can test me. I really need the work, and I could start immediately.” She chewed her lip apprehensively as she waited for his response.
If he let her do a trial run, he might be able to glean a little more information from the other employees at the end of the night, plus she wasn’t walking out the door so that he wouldn’t ever see her again just yet. “Yeah, I think a trial run would be a good thing. Do you have any references that you want me to have?”
“No.” Her answer was firm, but evasive. This time she stared directly into his eyes, just daring him to challenge her. She was clearly not going to be giving him any more information about herself in this first meeting.
“It doesn’t pay a lot, but you get to keep all of your tips. We work rotating shifts so that no one gets stuck here every single Friday and Saturday night.” When she didn’t say anything, he continued. “My brothers and I own this place together, and we try to be fair, but we don’t put up with bullshit either. Xavier handles the security, and the bar. Tyce takes care of our entertainment and events, and I cover the personnel and inventory. Don’t hesitate to come to one of us if you need something. We have a couple of rules that aren’t negotiable. Dishonesty isn’t tolerated, period, and personal lives should stay personal. Any boyfriends or lovers should keep their distance while you are working.”
