by Tara Rose
She reached for him, but that brought back the pain. He took her hand and held it, gazing into her eyes with nothing short of adoration. “I love you, too, Eve. I should have told you that.”
“It’s okay now,” she whispered, gazing at him and then Phil. “I’m okay. I’m with you both. I want you both. Forever. Please don’t leave me.”
Phil brushed a finger along her face. “You just try and get rid of us, Eve Rydell. Just try it. We both love you so much, and we both want you with us. I don’t care what we label it, as long as we’re together.”
“Yes,” she whispered. “That’s all I want.” She was crying so hard now that she could barely see them, but she struggled to blink away her tears. She wanted their faces in focus. “What happened to me?”
Phil brushed the wetness off her cheeks and gazed at her tenderly. “The truck flipped over. Clay Martin is dead. Shot at the scene.”
His voice chilled her to the bone. Had he shot him? Did she really want to know?
“Tommy shot him,” said Knox. “Martin had a gun, Eve. He crawled out of the truck, bleeding all over the place, and then he pulled it on us. There was nothing Tommy could do.”
Eve swallowed hard. It was probably better that she never know exactly what had happened. “You were there, too?”
Knox nodded. “I was riding in the cruiser behind Tommy’s.”
“How hurt am I?”
“Your left arm is broken but nothing else is fractured. They’re waiting to take you for a head CT right now. You have a huge gash on one side and a goose egg under it.”
“I jerked the wheel. He tied my wrists but it was done in a hurry before he backed out of Rowena’s driveway, and I got loose.”
Phil smiled. “Good girl.”
“Phil, how did he know who I was? He called me by name and mentioned Rowena’s as well.”
“He was hiding in the mountains. He came back a few weeks ago and we tracked him through two stolen vehicles, but one was found and the other was never seen again. We thought he was gone.”
Sick fear washed over her. She had to know. “Was it a silver Toyota?”
Phil and Knox exchanged a glance. “How did you know?”
She told them about the car she’d seen behind Wendy’s, and then she told them about the man she thought she’d seen the night she’d walked home from Rowena’s house. “I’m so sorry. Please don’t be upset with me.”
Phil shook his head. “I’m not upset, Eve. It wouldn’t have changed anything even if we’d known. I kept a few things from you, too. He broke parole and was spotted in town driving a Grand Am. Knox and Nash told me about it because the car had a Wyoming plate. We found the car, along with a victim of his, but he left no DNA. The silver Toyota had been stolen the same day down near Durango, but we had nothing linking him to it.”
“Until the car was spotted at the old ranger station,” said Knox. “The same place where Trace Coleman was eventually found.”
“Who spotted it?”
“Mason Ruiz.”
“I don’t know what to say.” If she’d said something, they might have caught him sooner.
“Eve, don’t blame yourself,” said Knox. “Even if you’d told us, it wouldn’t have changed anything. We wouldn’t have looked for the silver car up there.”
“I suppose that’s true.” She grabbed their hands, one on each side. “What about the power? Did he do that?”
Phil shook his head. “Computer malfunction at Notus. It’s fixed already. Pure coincidence. We think the reason Martin was so unorganized in his kidnapping of you was because he merely took advantage of the darkness and thought the power outage was the chance he’d been waiting for.”
A wave of nausea passed over her. “He was after me to get back at you.”
Phil nodded.
“Why didn’t Van and Rowena’s security system go off?”
“It did. But all the cops were out looking for the stolen truck.”
“But it’s over now, right?”
“It’s over.” Knox stroked her hair. “And now you have us both in your life, and we have you.”
“It’s going to be all right, Eve.” Phil smiled down into her face. “I promise you that.”
* * * *
On the second Friday in November, eight days after Clay Martin had been shot and killed on State Highway 13, Eve knelt in front of Phil and Knox, on the main floor of Indulgence. Her left arm was in a cast, so her two Doms helped her to her knees. She glanced up at them, smiling, her heart full of love.
Nash, Ian, and Angela were there. So were Carma, Mateo and Blaine. Felicity, Maverick, and Kane had joined them, as had Summer, Dalton, and Wes. Even Van and Rowena were there.
Knox stepped in front of her and asked her to hold up her right hand. She did, while Phil held onto her shoulders from the side so that she didn’t lose her balance. Knox slipped a two-carat diamond ring on her finger. It was nearly identical to the one she’d accepted from Phil almost two months ago.
They’d decided that while only one of them could eventually marry her in a legal ceremony, rather than wear a collar as subs traditionally did, Eve would have two engagement rings, one on each ring finger. They planned to buy wedding bands for both as well one day, and both men would also wear a wedding band.
“Eve, I love you. I suppose I’ve loved you for a very long time and just never realized it. I want you with me forever. Will you accept this ring, as a symbol of not only my love and my pledge to be your lover, your husband, your best friend, and your Dom, but as my promise to always love you, cherish you, and protect you?”
Eve took a deep breath so she wouldn’t cry, and gazed into his eyes. Knox had always been there, in the background, practically invisible, but he wasn’t any longer. He walked tall, he had more work now than he could handle, thanks to Nash spotting his finished mural at the hotel and finally hiring him to paint murals all over his mansion, and he was hailed as a hero in the town. “Yes, I accept your ring, Sir. I love you, and I will love you, obey you, and cherish you as your wife, your best friend, your lover, and your sub for the rest of my life.”
Knox leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips, and then he moved aside so that Phil could stand in front of her. She couldn’t lift her left hand, but Phil reached down and took hold of it. “Eve, I love you. You’ve already agreed to be my wife, but I ask you again, in front of all our friends. Will you marry me? Will you live with me as my wife, my lover, my best friend, and my sub? I promise my love, my protection, and to cherish you always, for the rest of your life.”
She gazed into Phil’s eyes. He’d saved her life, literally. Twice now. He was her whole world, and she couldn’t think of a more perfect way to spend it than with him and Knox as her Doms, her best friends, and her most perfect lovers.
“Yes, Sarge, I will marry you. I love you, too. I will be your wife, your best friend, your lover, and your sub. I will love, cherish, and obey you for the rest of my life.”
Phil leaned down and kissed her, and then he helped her stand up and pulled her as close as possible with the cast in the way. From behind her, Knox hugged her as well, and then they were surrounded by everyone cheering, clapping, and congratulating them.
Eve grasped a hand from Phil and Knox each, and gazed at them in turn, totally and completely in love. Her life was perfect now. She had everything she needed, right here with both her sexy Doms, and she’d spend the rest of her life making sure they each knew how much she loved them.
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tara Rose loves to write about small towns and the quirky people that inhabit them. You’ll find engaging characters, budding romance, intrigue, and plenty of hot, steamy ménage sex within the pages of her books. You never really know what goes on behind closed doors, but her books will take you there, and leave you panting for more.
When she isn’t writing, Tara spends time with her husband—her real-life hero. She loves to cook, collect antique pottery, and she
will read just about anything. Tara also plays the cello, and loves decorating her house for Christmas.
For all titles by Tara Rose, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/tara-rose
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
