by Jane Jamison
Although he’d seen her on her ATV, her golden hair flying out behind her as she raced down the trails, he’d never realized just how beautiful she was. Long, blonde hair streamed around her shoulders like a golden waterfall. Her full breasts pushed at her T-shirt. The light in the camper behind her floated around her, making her seem like a goddess descending from the sun. She was curvy in all the right places, and his mouth watered thinking about how his tongue would skim over her flesh. Some people would say she was too heavy, but as far as he was concerned, she was the perfect size. He checked with his brothers. Judging by their hungry looks, she was the perfect size for them, too.
She lifted the rifle just enough to prove a point. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
Her voice, albeit tinged with fear, was like a song sung by the birds in the trees. There was a melodic lilt to it that dove down into him, grabbed hold of his heart, and wouldn’t let go. It wasn’t until Wick nudged him in the ribs that he remembered he was the one who was supposed to talk.
He adopted his most charming smile and stuck out his hand. “Name’s Paul Shiloh. This one”—he jerked his head toward Wick—“is my brother Wick. The other one is my youngest brother, Shane. Wick’s thirty, and Shane is twenty-eight.” He didn’t need to see his brothers’ expressions to know that he sounded like an idiot. He was rambling. But what did they expect when a man spoke to his mate for the first time?
She frowned and, for a moment, he saw recognition in her eyes. Taking short sniffs, he could smell the sexual attraction on her. She was already getting hot and heavy for them, and she didn’t realize why. But he knew why. She was sensing the connection, too.
Then she seemed to shake it off. “I don’t care who you are. I don’t know what you’re doing here. And I want you to leave.” She jerked the barrel of the rifle at them. “Now.”
“We don’t mean you any harm.” He didn’t get the impression that she was afraid of them, but that she was simply leery, cautious, like any sensible woman would be. “It’s just that we were wondering what you’re doing parked on our land.” Totally not what he’d planned to say, but there it was.
She blinked, obviously caught off-guard. “This is your land?”
“That’s right. This is the Broken Bone Ranch. This is our ranch, and you’re squatting on it.” Inwardly, he cringed. What was he saying? Why was he challenging her? At the very least, he wished he hadn’t sounded so harsh, much less accused her of doing something illegal.
Shane let out a low growl, so low Paul doubted she could’ve heard it. It was a warning to Paul to watch his words. “Not that we mind. Still, we’d kind of like to know why people are taking up space on our land.” Shit. He wasn’t doing any better. She’d rattled him, making him keep babbling like an idiot.
“Are you running me off?” Her voice held a hint of worry.
And the verbal diarrhea kept coming. “You had to have known someone owned the land. Still, you didn’t bother checking. Why?”
Any hint of worry was gone in the combative glint in her eyes. “I didn’t have time to ask. So? Are you running me off or not?”
He wondered how feisty she could get. She had to be brave to have come out in the middle of nowhere by herself. At least, they’d assumed she was by herself. So far, they hadn’t seen anybody with her.
Damn it, I hope she doesn’t have a boyfriend. Or, worse, a husband.
He and his brothers had talked about the possibility of their mate being with another man. Worse, a fiancé. Or, even more horrible, a husband. They hadn’t liked to think about it, but they’d come to the conclusion that if she was already involved, then they’d still tell her who they were and that she was their mate. She’d have to make the decision to either go back to her current man or stay with them. Would she choose to leave? Or would the connection urge her to leave him for them? He sure hoped so. If not, he’d live a long, lonely life.
Damn. Don’t let her have a child, either.
If she and her man shared a child, then it would be a different matter. For the sake of the child, they’d back off without telling her about them. They’d commit themselves to a life of misery without her. His gaze jumped behind her, searching for someone else in the camper. He almost sighed out loud when he didn’t see anyone.
“Are you still taking the lead?” asked Wick. “Because if you are, you’re doing a piss poor job of it.”
“Answer her question, man,” urged Shane.
Paul met her gaze and almost couldn’t manage to get the words out. “No. We’re not asking you to leave. We’d never ask you to leave.”
“Then why are you here? And how did you know I was on your land?” At last, she cradled the rifle instead of keeping it pointed at them. Her eyes narrowed. “Have you been spying on me?”
His first impulse was to admit it. Thankfully, he ignored that impulse. “Of course not. We just happened by and saw the camper.”
Shit. What the hell is wrong with me?
“You three were just wondering around? Out here?”
“Yeah. Sure.” He tried to act as though what he’d said was the most natural answer in the world.
She didn’t believe him. He could see the suspicion in her eyes. Besides, he’d been told often enough that he was a lousy liar.
“Okay. Fine. But if you’re not kicking me off the land, I have things I need to do.”
He couldn’t let her shut the door. Not yet. He couldn’t bring himself to not bask in the glow of her beautiful face a little longer. He flattened his palm against the door, keeping her from closing it. Fear splintered across her face then was followed quickly by anger. She repositioned the rifle again, pointing the muzzle directly at him.
“Take it easy. Like I said, we don’t mean you any harm.”
“Then you’ll let me close the door.”
She was beautiful when she was angry. Her oval face, rounded and soft, tightened. Her full lips narrowed into a line. “Still, it’s not safe for a woman to be out here all by herself. You are all by yourself, aren’t you?” Could he get any more obvious? But then, he didn’t care as long as her answer was the one he hoped to hear.
She hesitated before nodding. “I am. But that doesn’t mean I can’t take care of myself.”
Wick chuckled. “I don’t doubt that one damn bit.”
Shane put his arm around Paul’s shoulder. “What my older brother is trying to get at is this. It’d be a lot safer for you to park your camper closer to our house. In fact, we have an extra bedroom you could use. And a nice hot shower, too.”
“Not to mention a good breakfast the morning.” Paul heard Wick snort. Not that he could blame his brother. Paul had never made breakfast for anyone except himself. Shane was the cook in the family. Even then, that wasn’t saying much.
She relaxed—a little. “Thanks, but I’m fine just where I am.”
“You never told us why you’re here,” said Paul. They’d figured out that she was chasing something, but that something was still unknown. “And you never told us your name.”
The corners of her mouth lifted upward. “No. I didn’t.”
Yet she wanted to tell them. He could sense her warming to them. But what could’ve brought her to Forever? Not that he’d seen her in town and he hadn’t heard of any visitors, either. Had the connection truly brought her to them? Or was it merely a coincidence that they’d found each other? Whatever the reason, the connection was there and growing stronger by the minute.
“Oh, so you’re a woman of mystery,” added Shane.
Her gaze scanned his brother. From the way she slid her tongue over her lips, she liked what she saw. “No mystery. I’m just a private person is all. Thanks for stopping by, but good night.”
Once again, she started to close the door. And once again, he stopped her. “Aw, come on. You know you want to take us up on our offer. What woman would want to sleep in a camper when she could sleep in a soft bed?” He made an X over his heart. “You have my word. We won’t bothe
r you.”
Unless you want us to.
He could sense his brothers’ wolves rising to the surface. He could sense their need growing as strong as his. If they let their wolves have their way, they wouldn’t care what she had to say. They’d take their mate as wolves had always done in the past. But the men they were wouldn’t take a woman that way. Not against her will. No matter how much they wanted her. No matter how much his cock was beginning to stiffen.
Once again, she shook her head. Thankfully, her focus stayed on his face. “No, thank you. I’m perfectly happy where I am. If it’s still okay with you for me to stay here. It’s okay, right?”
He got the impression that she wanted him to keep asking her to stay closer to their house. Perhaps she knew she’d feel safer, but was too proud to back down. So he asked again. “Look, I can understand why you wouldn’t want to stay in the same house with three strange men, but it only makes sense for you to move your camper closer. That way you’ll still have your privacy, but you’ll have access to more creature comforts.” He smiled, trying to coax her more. “Plus, we’ll sleep easier knowing you’re safe.”
She was thinking about it. Her hesitancy said as much. At last, she relented. “Well, I guess since you’re allowing me to stay on your land it’s only fair that I should do as you ask. But if I move closer to your home, you promise to respect my desire to be left alone?” She narrowed her eyes. “No means no in every way and in every thing.”
“Absolutely,” interjected Wick a little too enthusiastically.
“We’ll help you get everything moved, too,” added Shane. “Give us the keys and we’ll load the ATV in the back of the truck right now.”
She took a while to answer, giving Paul hope. “Okay. I’ll move closer to your home. Unless it’s far away. I need to be in this area.”
Why? What are you searching for?
But Paul didn’t dare ask. Not when she’d just agreed to park her camper close to their home. Pushing her wouldn’t be wise. Still, he had to hold back a big grin. “It’s not that far. We’ll get you there in no time. Once we get you set up by the house, we can even feed you a little dinner. How’s that sound?”
He knew he’d made a mistake as soon as she started shaking her head. “No, no. I don’t want any dinner. I just want to be left alone. If you can’t leave me be, then I’m staying right where I am.”
Shane whacked him in the arm. “Don’t pay attention to him. We’ll stick by what we promised.”
Paul’s neck stiffened as he waited for her response. If he’d blown it by offering her dinner, he’d catch hell from his brothers. The thing was, if he’d blown it, he deserved to catch hell. “There’s only one thing you have to do.”
She cast him a suspicious look. “What’s that?”
“Tell us your name.”
She pulled in a long breath, apparently relieved. “I’m Tasha Harden.”
“It’s good to meet you, Tasha Harden.” Real good. “So? Are we moving you or what?”
Again, she took her time to answer then finally relented. “Fine. I’ll get things ready to roll inside while you guys handle my ATV.” She snatched up the set of keys off a nearby table and tossed them to Shane. “Load ’em up, boys.” Then, with a grin that might have stilled Paul’s heart from the brilliance, she closed the door.
* * * *
Tasha eased the curtain aside on the camper’s window enough to peek out. The lights were still on in the men’s house, most of them on in the second-story rooms, but it was still early yet. Groaning, she turned the curtain loose and forced herself away from the window.
True to their word, they’d moved her camper closer to their house and had then left her alone. She’d sat in the camper for a while, wondering about them. Worse, she’d sat in her camper, wishing they’d break their promise to give her privacy.
Had she made a mistake by accepting their offer? She still couldn’t believe she’d taken them up on it. Yet, as soon as she’d opened the door, she’d felt a compulsion to make them happy, to please them in any way she could. The feeling was similar to the way she’d felt when she’d seen the three wolves, except there was an underlining sexual tension. She’d been attracted to men before, but she’d never wanted to rip any man’s clothes off and take him as soon as she’d met him. She’d never hungered for a man without him saying a word. But she had for these men. It had taken everything in her power not to put the gun down and invite them inside.
What was it about them? They were different in that they were the best-looking men she’d ever seen, but that wasn’t the reason. Their broad shoulders, strong arms, and powerful legs weren’t the main reason she’d accepted their offer. Not even their thick hair and glistening eyes were responsible. No, it was the way in which they’d held themselves. As though they commanded the entire world. They were more than confident. They were mesmerizing men who should be immortalized on monuments. Silently, inexplicably, she’d known they exuded a knowledge that few men possessed. Sure, she found them attractive, but more, she found them almost irresistible.
Almost irresistible was scary as hell.
Which is why she should’ve turned down their invitation. If she’d spent any more time with them, they almost would’ve gone away. Even now, she paced back and forth in her small camper, fighting the urge to go into the house and beg them to take her.
She had to keep herself in check. She hadn’t come to find men. She’d come trying to find her mother. Until she did, she couldn’t let herself be distracted, no matter how sexually compelling these men were.
She had to do something to get her mind off the men. If she didn’t, she was bound to do something she’d regret. Grabbing a bottle of wine, she poured herself a stiff drink, then downed half the glass.
Something I’d regret? How could any woman regret having those men between her legs?
She took another drink, this time straight from the bottle. Flopping down on the small bench-like seat, she glared at the door and willed herself not to open it.
What the hell is wrong with you? Think about your mother.
Yet images of the men came back, like fantasy men from her dreams. Another drink followed the last until she realized she’d consumed half the bottle. Her head swam, her sight growing blurry.
Shit and double shit. What have I gotten myself into?
* * * *
“You really didn’t need to do this.” Tasha surveyed the spread of food on the kitchen table. When Shane had shown up earlier, she hadn’t been able to turn down the offer to have breakfast with the men. She was hungry, yes, but she was hungry for more than food. But it would only be food that she’d have this morning. At least, that was what she kept telling herself.
Shane waved her into a chair. “This is what we do every morning.” He looked at the scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and hash browns as though trying to understand what she thought was unusual.
“You eat all of this every morning?” Her gaze scanned over the men, taking in their shredded bodies. “How do you keep in shape? If I ate like this every morning, I’d be as big as a house.”
I am as big as a house. At least a small one.
As though he could read her mind, Wick offered her a plate then handed her the bowl filled with scrambled eggs. “First off, you’re perfect exactly the way you are. Secondly, it wouldn’t matter what size you were. You’ll always be beautiful.”
It was tough to decide which one she loved more at that moment. The aroma of delicious eggs or the delicious man standing next to her? Unable to say thanks, she smiled it instead. “This really smells great. So who did all this cooking?”
Paul took a seat next to hers and began loading up his plate. He piled food on top of food, and she wondered how any one person could eat all of it. “That would be Shane. What he doesn’t cook well, he makes up for in quantity. We have big appetites. Go on. Don’t be like all those other girls. Eat everything you want. We like a woman who knows how to chow down.”
&
nbsp; Could she ask for anything better? Three handsome-as-hell men who want to see her eat? Were they normal? Or did they have some kind of food fetish?
Still, she took him at his word and motioned for him to pass the hash browns. “I’m sorry I was less than friendly last night. It’s just that, you know, a woman alone and all that.”
Shane plopped yet another bowl of food, this time a plate of fried potatoes, onto the table. “Don’t worry about it. We’re just glad you decided to move your camper. We wouldn’t have felt right leaving you out there alone.”
“Why? Is Forever a dangerous place?” She hadn’t expected a scary answer, but when they didn’t answer straight away, it threw her. “It’s not, is it?”
“No,” answered Wick. “But then again, is any place in the world perfectly safe?”
He had a point. Still, was he holding something back?
Paul swallowed a big helping of food. “How about you tell us why you’re out here now. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you seem like a city girl. You don’t strike us as the kind of girl that would go camping by herself in the middle of nowhere.”
She shouldn’t have accepted their offer of breakfast. She should’ve known the questions would accompany the food. “Like I said last night, my business is my business. I have my reasons for being here, and I don’t think I need to spill my guts to all of you.” She stuck her fork into the hash browns then slid them into her mouth. She almost groaned in ecstasy. If they didn’t think Shane’s cooking was terrific, then what would they think of her cooking?
She stopped chewing as realization struck her. Why am I thinking about cooking for them?
“But you have to admit that a woman out in the middle of nowhere all by her lonesome isn’t being a very bright girl.” Wick shrugged at Shane’s glare. “I’m just saying what we’re all thinking.”
