by Avery Gale
When she drifted back to herself again, Joelle realized she was sitting on someone and panicked. She flailed inside the cocoon of the blanket, trying to free herself from its confines. Strong arms banded tightly around her and she heard Brant’s voice, “Settle down. I’ve got you, minx. Here, drink some of this.” She hadn’t managed to open her eyes yet, but she felt the straw he pressed against her lips. Taking a big drink, she was surprised by the tangy taste of orange juice. “Good girl, now relax for a few minutes. I just want to hold you—can you do that for me?” Joelle tried to nod her head but wasn’t sure she’d succeeded. Letting everything fade into the background once again, she let go and slid into the darkness.
Ryan Morgan handed his cousin a beer then settled into one of the chairs facing the sofa where Brandt sat with the beautiful redhead he’d punished—if that’s what you wanted to call it. Nate had explained the circumstances and Ryan understood Brandt’s strategy, but he and Big had laughed about the effectiveness of a punishment that involves an orgasm so intense it probably registered on the Richter scale.
He’d met Joelle Phillips at a party when he worked for Templar Enterprises Group’s Security Division. Even though they’d been formally introduced, he had only gotten to speak to her briefly—but she’d certainly made an impression. He’d planned to call her after that first meeting, but work obligations had made it impossible. Who would have ever imagined Miss Formal, Heiress to Phillips Pharmaceuticals would be into the kink scene?
“You’re early.” Brandt never had been one to beat around the bush, a trait shared by most Special Forces operators. But, in Brandt’s case it could easily be a genetic trait—yeah, we Morgans aren’t typically known for being suave. Ryan didn’t answer, he just nodded in agreement and grinned. “Christ, I don’t know why I didn’t think about you and Big being friends.”
Big was walking behind the sofa and smacked the back of Brandt’s head. “Watch it Star Boy, that badge doesn’t give you the right to disrespect me in my own club.” Ryan snorted a laugh, it was this sort of comradery he’d missed these last few months as he’d finished up his Residency. His classmates had been nice enough, just young and naïve. They’d also been cutthroat competitive, something that had grated on Ry’s nerves. After years spent working as a part of a team—where your life depended on every member’s success, he’d had little tolerance for their games. Ryan didn’t regret the time he’d devoted to serving his country, he’d benefited from the experience in more ways than he’d probably ever know. But he’d seen a lot of the worst the world had to offer and those experiences had a way of changing a man.
Brandt rolled his eyes at Big’s comment. “Hell, I know why you’re waiting to go up to Pine Creek.” Ryan started grinning like a fucking loon and Brandt knew he’d nailed it. “Just so you know, they left last night. Did Dad know you were holding back?” Ryan wanted to laugh out loud, he and his uncle had been talking at least once a week for months. Ryan loved his Aunt Patsy, but damn she could steamroll the most stubborn among them. Ryan wanted to view the town and medical facilities without being subjected to the family dynamo’s hard sell techniques.
“You aren’t the only one who called me about Doc “Slow” wanting to retire—and when I find out which one of you gave that crotchety old fart my phone number, there’s going to be hell to pay.” Ryan knew the elderly doctor hadn’t told any of his patients the real reason he was planning to retire, and Ry had promised he wouldn’t share the grim diagnosis Doc had gotten a few months back. Nodding toward Joelle, Ryan asked, “So, tell me how a world renowned medical researcher like Joelle Phillips ends up in a kink club in Montana?”
Ryan became aware of several things at the exact same instant. First, Joelle was no longer snoozing, he’d seen her muscles stiffen at his question. Second, neither Brandt nor Big appeared to know what the hell he was talking about. And third, his cousin was fucking furious—although Ryan wasn’t entirely sure why. Phoenix stepped up behind Brandt as Ryan asked the question, his eyes going wide. Ryan was betting Brandt’s younger brother knew more about Joelle than the Sheriff—and wasn’t that going to go over like a lead fucking balloon? Real smooth, man. Hell, no wonder my residency mentor kept saying my bedside manner needed work.
Chapter Four
Brandt saw Phoenix in one of the club’s many mirrors when he stepped up behind him. At Ryan’s question, his younger brother’s eyes widened in guilt and he’d attempted to meld back into the shadows, but Brandt wasn’t having it. “Don’t even think about it, little brother.”
Phoenix’s muttered, “Fuck” was all he needed to hear. Obviously, his little brother already knew all or part of what Ryan just said—it was unlike one of his brothers to keep something like this secret, so Brandt was more than a little interest in his explanation.
The woman in his arms also reacted to Ryan’s comment letting him know she’d recovered enough to realize there was trouble brewing. He leaned down, speaking against her ear, “I know you’re awake, minx. You might as well open those pretty gray eyes. I’m interested in hearing the answer to Master Ryan’s question myself.” Her eyelids fluttered open, her apprehension easy to see. Under different circumstances, Brandt might have enjoyed seeing her uncertainty, but as it was—he wasn’t happy to know she was so unsure of his reaction she looked like she was a half second from bolting.
Nate leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees and spoke softly, “JoJo, I can only think of one reason I shouldn’t kick you out of my club for lying on your application—are you in danger?” Joelle seemed to instinctively recognize what Brandt and Ryan both already knew, the cold tone of Nate Ledek’s voice was not something she should ignore. The man had deadly accurate instincts, stories about the former SEAL’s “calm before the storm” awareness were legendary among the club’s members. Many attributed his ability to sense what was coming to his Native American ancestry, but Brandt had always believed Nate’s true gift was his ability to read people. He understood their motivations, so he was better prepared to predict their behavior—and his quick assessment of the current situation was proof of how easily Nate could see through smoke and mirrors.
Joelle sat up still clutching the blanket around her and glanced between the three men she could see. “Can we talk about this upstairs? This isn’t a conversation I’m comfortable having out in the open. And I’d like to get dressed first, also.” Brandt agreed, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t reluctant to let her go at the door of the women’s locker room. Her defeated expression and the complete lack of affect in her words worried him—the last thing he wanted was for her to run.
“Come straight up to Nate’s office, minx.” When she didn’t meet his gaze, he used his fingers to lift her chin. “Don’t even think about trying to skip out on us. Nate will have already seen that coming and you’ll only get yourself into trouble if you try it.” When her breath hitched, he knew he’d been right. “I’m guessing you think you’re brave by handling whatever this is by yourself. But, sweetheart, sometimes the bravest thing you can do is ask for help.”
He leaned forward and kissed her on the tip of her nose. “Don’t forget that, minx. Now scoot. You’ve got five minutes. If you aren’t in Nate’s office on time, we’ll be looking for you. And three former SEALs will be damned hard to hide from.” He pushed the door open and turned her before giving her tender backside a sharp swat. Smiling to himself at her gasp, he headed upstairs.
Ryan stood when Brandt walked through the door. “Hey, man, I’m sorry. I had my head up my ass after watching the scene.” Pushing his fingers through his short hair in frustration, he shook his head. “Listen, before she gets up here, I want to tell you what I’ve heard. Word in the medical community is Joelle Phillips made a major discovery related to cancer treatment, but she was shut down by the Phillips Pharmaceuticals Board of Directors. Several of those board members have major holdings in companies who would take a big hit if her discovery becomes public. The last I heard no one knew where she
was.”
“Until now.” Joelle’s soft voice sounded from the door, how she’d managed to enter without them hearing her was anybody’s guess. Jesus, three fucking former Special Forces operatives in the room and a medical researcher gets the drop on us? When Ryan gets settled in Pine Creek, we need to spend some time training. Brandt hated the thought of losing his edge, the world was changing in ways most Americans couldn’t fathom, and letting down his guard wasn’t anywhere in his plan.
Perhaps it was presumptuous to assume Ryan would decide to take over for Doc, but Brandt didn’t think so. And judging from the way his cousin’s eyes softened when he looked at Joelle, he and Ryan were going to be reviewing a conversation they had several years ago very soon. One night after sharing a ménage scene in their favorite Berlin kink club, they’d both lamented how difficult it was going to be to keep a woman happy given their post military career choices. Ryan planned to return to finish the last of his medical training and Brandt wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement. Both of their choices would keep them away from home more often than not, making it difficult to maintain a happy home life.
When Ryan suggested sharing a wife Brandt had laughed out loud, but Ryan’s reminder about their friends Kent and Kyle West’s parents had made him reconsider. The more they’d discussed it, the more plausible it had seemed despite the obvious cultural problems they anticipated. The entire conversation came back to Brandt in the span of a few heartbeats as he watched Ryan step forward and clasp Joelle’s hands between his own. “Joelle, I want to apologize for how poorly I handled things downstairs.”
Brandt was relieved to see the lost expression she’d had when he’d first looked up, fade as Ryan spoke. “Please don’t worry, I should have known this would happen at some point. I’ve enjoyed the anonymity longer than I’d originally hoped I would be able to. Although I have to admit, I didn’t anticipate being outted in this particular venue.” His heart stuttered at her attempt to make light of the situation because it was easy to hear the sadness in her voice. A BDSM club was supposed to be a safe place to be yourself and tonight’s disaster had stolen that from her.
Brandt stepped forward, turning her so she faced him. “Don’t. Don’t try to cover up your sadness with humor, minx. Not only is it not working, but it’s only going to increase your anxiety and piss off the Doms in the room.” He saw the moment she realized the truth of his words, her gray eyes darkened and her gaze dropped to the floor. Brandt tilted her chin up, hoping he could help her strike a balance between being open and honest while also staying respectful to herself as well as the men in the room since they were all intent on helping her.
After settling on the soft leather sofa, Master Nate handed her a bottle of water, his unspoken order clear. Joelle took several gulping drinks before recapping the bottle and setting it on the low table in front of her. She was grateful for the few seconds it had afforded her to get her thoughts in order. She didn’t want them to think she was hiding her feelings or that she was in denial. Looking at Brandt, she spoke deliberately. “I understand, and I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but you have to remember I was raised by a father who didn’t suffer weakness well. He was loving, but he didn’t believe coddling served any purpose. Fear and uncertainty were seen as weaknesses that needed to be concealed or they’d be used against you.”
She hated seeing the looks of sympathy on their faces, this was exactly why she rarely opened up to anyone about her father. It would be wrong to say he didn’t care about her—he absolutely did, in his own limited way. Joelle counted her blessings every single day because her life could have certainly been far different had her father chosen to leave her in the care of boarding schools like so many of her friends’ parents had done. Instead, he’d taken an almost fanatical interest in her education, assuring her success was what you earned not what you inherited.
Phoenix was the one who finally broke the uncomfortable silence. “Why don’t you tell us how you ended up in Pine Creek? And sweetheart, you need to make sure it’s the whole story and not the abbreviated version you told me when you wanted the upgraded security system installed.” Joelle knew without asking Phoenix had done his homework. Damn, he probably knows more about me than I do.
Looking at the four men watching her, Joelle had a flash of the old movies where glaring spotlights were pointed at a woman tied to a chair. The intense lights blinding her to the deep, mysterious voices barking questions from beyond her view. They might not be shouting their inquiries, but their body language told her they intended to wring every detail from her. Taking a deep breath, Joelle started by explaining exactly what her position at Phillips Pharmaceuticals had been, and how important the research element had been to her personally. Having lost her mother to cancer as a young child, Joelle had been driven by the desire to prevent other kids from suffering the same loss.
“I’ll spare you all the chemical details, but the important thing is the formula showed remarkable potential from the very beginning. And by the time I’d refined it, the results were truly astonishing. Best of all it’s almost entirely organic so the number of people who won’t tolerate the treatment it will be a fractional sample.” She paused for a few seconds trying to refocus on the story because her emotions were starting to get involved. The potential for her discovery was so enormous, Joelle honestly had trouble understanding how the board could ignore the social responsibility accompanying a discovery of this magnitude.
“At what point did you share your findings with your father and the board?” Phoenix asked a question she suspected he already knew the answer to. But, she was grateful he’d brought her focus back to recounting the facts. It was so easy to get bogged down in the emotional quagmire of the board’s rejection, and going down that road wasn’t going to help.
“The results were well documented before I shared them. There wasn’t any question but that we’d found a formula that could change the entire landscape of cancer treatment. To be honest, I was completely blown away by their response. Sure, I knew there would be factions of the medical community that wouldn’t be thrilled. After all, we’re talking about a multi-billion dollar industry. I wasn’t naïve enough to think there wouldn’t be huge financial implications. But I was completely unprepared for the vehemence of their reaction.” Her dad had supported her but in the end, the board’s demand she scrap the project remained. “Of course, I tried to make it appear as though I’d accepted their decision but truthfully I’m not a very good actress.” Glancing at Nate, she grimaced. “As you may have already noticed.”
Joelle felt her cheeks heat in embarrassment, and they felt like they’d been set on fire when Master Nate chuckled. But his words warmed her heart, “Darling girl, being genuine is a blessing. It’s only a curse when you try to lie to yourself and those around you. Don’t ever try to change who you are.” She nodded her acknowledgment of his words but knew if she spoke there would be no way to contain the emotion.
The entire evening had been a roller coaster ride and she could feel the crash coming—and she certainly didn’t want to hit bottom in front of these men. “I know this conversation isn’t finished, but the truth is I’m not sure I can finish it tonight. It’s been an emotional day, and I need to step back and regroup.” Looking at each man individually, she noted the differences in their expressions and she was pleased they weren’t trying to mask their feelings. Nate looked at her like a concerned older brother, it was remarkably similar to the look she’d seen in Phoenix’s eyes during their collaboration on her security system. Tonight Phoenix’s look was more compassionate as if he sensed how close she was to an emotional edge.
But it was the similar looks on Brandt and Ryan’s faces that sent blazing sexual heat coursing through her system. She remembered meeting Ryan at a party several weeks before the debacle that sent her life into a tailspin. He’d had the same look in his eyes that night, but he’d been working so they hadn’t been able to act on their mutual attraction. They’d only sp
oken briefly, but had managed to exchange contact information. From what she heard later, he’d left the country a few days after the party for an assignment in England, and before he’d returned she’d fled. There was definitely something unfinished between them, the attraction was undeniable, but it was also unsettling because she would be lying to herself to deny her attraction to Brandt.
Brandt’s intensity was a force in itself…something a person had to experience to really understand. Their sexual chemistry was off the chart, but it was his underlying air of protectiveness that called to her. She’d seen it time and time again in his dealings with the citizens of Pine Creek. Despite his gruff exterior, everyone she’d met seemed to respect him. They’d all cited his military service, but there were also added tidbits about how he’d gone out of his way to help someone. Hell, she’d heard all about the hometown hero before they’d even met. She’d half expected him to be dressed in some sort of superhero costume and his entrance heralded by a dramatic sound tract. The day he’d walked in to the drug store in faded jeans, scuffed boots, and a flannel shirt, Joelle felt as if the air in the room had suddenly become electrified and she hadn’t even been introduced to him yet.
The resemblance between Brandt and his brothers was strong enough that she’d been fairly certain he was one of the Morgan brothers. But, since she hadn’t met them all at that point, she wasn’t certain which one he was because he hadn’t been in uniform. But as she watched him walk toward the counter where she was standing, the afternoon sun backlighting him, everything inside her went still. His eyes were locked on hers, and even though she didn’t know why he was there, Joelle knew at that moment he was going to be important to her in some way. Even now, thinking back Joelle remembered how strongly she’d been attracted to him, and how the air around her had seemed to sizzle in anticipation as he approached her.
