by Becca Van
Sally blew out a breath and then met Will’s gaze before she swallowed nervously and nodded.
“Do you forgive me, Sally? We’d never ever hurt you, baby.”
“Okay.” Sally shivered.
“When was the last time you had a full night’s sleep?” Rick asked.
“Over four years ago.”
“No wonder you look so tired, sweetheart. If you like we can make an appointment to see a doctor tomorrow. Maybe get a prescription for some sleeping tablets?” Frank rubbed his hand up and down her calf.
“No. No drugs,” Sally almost shouted. “Sorry, I just don’t … My brother …”
Rick caressed a hand up and down her back and then rubbed in circles between her shoulder blades. She whimpered and pressed back into his touch and he realized that she was so tense her muscles were in hard knots.
“Would you like me to give you a massage, love?” Rick held his breath as he waited for an answer. Although he wanted to touch and caress her all over, if she agreed to a rubdown he would make sure to keep his touch platonic. They needed to gain her trust if they wanted to have her in their lives permanently, and if that meant taking things slow, that’s what they’d do.
She met his gaze and gnawed on her lower lip with indecision.
“I promise I will only massage the knots from your back, love.”
“Would I need to take my shirt … off?”
“Not if you don’t want to.”
Sally sighed and then nodded.
Rick helped her to her feet and after Will and Frank tugged the covers down, he helped her climb up onto the bed. She eyed Will and Frank before meeting his gaze again.
“Will you all stay with me? Please?”
Rick’s heart soared with hope. If she was asking them to stay with her, then she must trust them even if it was only a little bit. If he and his brothers played their cards right, they might just end up having Sallyanne in their lives forever.
He crawled onto the bed, making sure to keep the desire from his gaze. “Lie down on your stomach, love.”
She nodded and then held the bottom of her sleep shirt down as she positioned herself onto her belly. Will and Frank moved to the sides of the bed and got up beside her. She immediately reached out for and grabbed one of each of their hands, clutching them in her own small pale ones.
Rick shifted so that he was straddling her hips and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. “Try to relax, Sally, while I try to massage the tension from all those tight muscles.”
“I’ll try,” she whispered and then closed her eyes as she turned her head sideways onto the pillow.
Rick began to gently dig his fingers into the knotted tissues of her shoulders and smiled at his brothers when she moaned. He knew that wasn’t a moan of desire but one of relief. Hopefully by the time he was done, her muscles would be lax and she wouldn’t be feeling any more pain.
Will glanced at Sally and then met Frank’s and finally Rick’s gazes. “So what do you think about me becoming a sheriff?”
Rick knew that Will was hoping Sally would relax even more as they talked about their lives and mundane things. He thought it might just be working when he heard her sigh softly. He continued to work on the taut muscles, moving along her spine where the ropes of tension seemed to be the worst. He kneaded and caressed from the base of her skull to the top of her ass, but not beyond. There was no way in hell he was going to scare her by touching a private area without a sign that she wanted him to.
“I think Luke would jump at the chance to have you on board. You wouldn’t need to go through any of the training because you’re a retired SEAL. You’d probably need to brush up on the law side of things and take a test, but I can see you fitting right in,” Frank said.
“I was hoping you’d say that. Rick, what do you think?”
“I know that Remy, Giles, and Brandon will be sad to see you go, but we can cover any work you had going on. We like to stay busy, as you know, but I agree with Frank. You’d make a great deputy sheriff.”
“You would,” Sally said as she opened her eyes and smiled at Will. “I can just imagine you striding down the street in your uniform with a gun strapped to your hip … Oh!”
Rick grinned at Will and Frank when Sally quickly closed her eyes and blushed. He thought that maybe she was attracted to Will and hoped like hell she was just as attracted to him and Frank, too.
“You like that idea, huh, baby?” Will stroked a finger down her cheek and Rick’s smile grew wider when he felt her quiver beneath his fingertips. He nodded and winked at his brother as he pretended to shiver to show them her reaction to them, and they smiled back.
They had a week before Sallyanne had to show up at the hotel to start working and Rick intended to do everything he could to court her. He wanted her body, but most of all he wanted her heart, because she already had most of his.
* * * *
Sally cursed mentally and wished she could retrace her steps and keep her mouth shut. She hadn’t meant to blurt out the image she’d had in her mind of Will in a sheriff’s uniform but she couldn’t take it back now. She kept her eyes closed and tried to keep the moans in her chest from escaping her lips.
Rick’s fingers were like magic, searching for and kneading all the pain and tension from her tight sore muscles. What surprised her, however, was how safe she felt with them, and after only a few short hours. Of course she couldn’t help getting upset when one of them yelled, like Will had earlier, but deep down she knew that these three men would never do anything to physically hurt her. At least, not on purpose.
However, the most amazing thing was how her body was responding to their nearness, the heat of their bodies, and the scents wafting from their warm skin. The combination of their natural manly musk and the colognes, deodorant, or bodywash was so enticing she couldn’t help but breathe in their aromas, time after time.
Her breasts felt fuller and her nipples were hard and aching, but that wasn’t all. She could feel moisture covering her pussy lips and wondered if her panties were damp. Sally shifted her hips and tried not to grimace when the wet material of her undies stuck to her wet folds.
“What’s wrong, love?” Rick asked, his fingers stilling. “Did I hurt you?”
“No. It feels so good,” she sighed and this time when his fingers dug into a particularly stubborn spot along her spine, just above her ass, she couldn’t contain her groan.
She had no idea how long Rick had been massaging her and though it felt as if hours had passed by, she didn’t want him to stop. She could literally feel all the tension draining from her body and felt as if she was sinking deeper and deeper into the comfortable mattress. Her eyes felt heavy even though they were closed and she wasn’t sure she could pry them open even if she wanted to.
“Is the pain lessening, baby?” Will asked and then kissed the top of her head.
“Yeah,” she sighed.
“Do you think you could sleep now, sweetheart?” Frank asked as he caressed the back of her hand.
“I don’t know. I want to, but…” Sally hoped they understood what she said because her tongue felt thick in her mouth and she thought she may have slurred her words.
“Do you want us to sleep with you, love?” Rick asked as he stopped digging into her flesh and began to rub his hands up and down her back over her night shirt. “We could hold you in our arms and keep the nightmares away.”
Sally wanted that so much. It had been so long since she’d been held and they were all big and strong, as well as badass SEALs. Maybe if she was safe in their arms she would be able to sleep the night through. Plus, it was time she pushed her own boundaries. Time to find out if she wouldn’t freak out being surrounded by big, muscular men. She needed to stop thinking about what had been and start looking forward.
It was going to be hard and she knew it wouldn’t happen overnight, but she needed to take control of her future if she wanted to have one. She hated that Angelo had taken her innocence from h
er and that he’d hurt her, but if she was going to try to live some semblance of a normal life, she needed to put the past where it belonged.
In the past.
“Yes. Please?”
“Roll onto your side, baby,” Will directed after he scooted down the bed and lay down.
Rick shifted from over her legs and she rolled over to face Will.
“Come here, Sally.” He held an arm up and she maneuvered until she was pressed against the side of his body with her head resting in the crook of his arm and chest. He wrapped that arm around her shoulders and stroked her neck.
“Can I hug you, too, sweetheart?” Frank asked as he moved closer.
“Yes,” she whispered. Her body tensed for a moment when Frank pressed his chest to her back, but she relaxed when she inhaled his sandalwood scent.
The mattress near her feet dipped and she lifted her head to see Rick standing and turning toward the door.
“Rick?”
He turned back and met her gaze. “Yeah, love.”
“What are you doing?”
“I was going to go back to my room.”
Sally licked her dry lips. “I want you to stay. Please?”
“Are you sure, Sally?” Rick took a step closer to the bed. “I don’t want you to feel crowded, to make you feel uncomfortable.”
“You won’t. You don’t.”
“Then I’d be happy to stay with you, love, but you need to tell us if we do something to scare you, okay?”
“Okay, but it’s strange.”
“What is, sweetie?” Frank combed his fingers through her hair and massaged her scalp. She moaned and sighed. It felt so damn good, she wished she could ask him to do that to her forever.
“I feel safe with you all.”
“That’s good, baby. I just hope we can keep your nightmares at bay.” Will kissed her forehead and cheek.
Sally stared at his lips before quickly closing her eyes as heat suffused her cheeks. She’d been wondering what those lips would feel like against hers, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to find out.
“Me, too.”
Rick tugged the tucked in sheet from under the mattress and climbed onto the bottom of the bed before covering himself with the quilt. His big, warm, gentle hand cupped her ankle and the bottom of her shin, and she sighed with contentment for the first time in such a long time.
Maybe there was light at the end of the tunnel after all.
Chapter Eight
Angelo eyed the man who was waiting for him in the dark alley. He signaled to his second when he was sure that the cop hadn’t brought anyone with him.
“What’s so fucking important that you had to meet at four in the fucking morning?”
“There’s been a hit on your name,” Officer Paul Brush said as he shifted from foot to foot nervously.
“So?” Angelo leaned against the brick wall and crossed his arms over his chest. The cops all looked into him at one time or another but they could never pin anything on him, not until that bitch had pressed charges. He had friends who were employees on the force and a couple of them were fairly high up. Those fuckers came to him for their weekly supply and he paid them to keep their mouths shut or to lose any evidence if the cops on the straight and narrow found anything to charge him with.
“Grant said to tell you the hit came from the sheriff’s office in a small rural town in Colorado.”
Excitement surged and he pushed up from the wall. “And?”
“A Sheriff Luke Sun-Walker from Slick Rock has been digging into your background.”
Angelo nodded and rubbed his chin. “Tell Grant to get me all he can on the sheriff and the town.”
“Will do.” Officer Brush nodded. “Do you have my stuff?”
Angelo dug into his pocket and pulled out the small plastic bag full of white powder. He tossed it to the officer but made sure that it fell short. The dick went down to his hands and knees just like the dog he was and as soon as he had the bag, opened it and shook a line out on his hand before inhaling it.
Angelo turned away and when he came up beside his second, met his gaze. “I don’t trust them. Find out what you can.”
“Yeah, boss,” Ramon said as he opened the car door and shut it once Angelo was in the passenger seat.
Angelo rubbed his hands together and tried to keep the excitement running through his blood at bay. Things were looking up. The only reason a cop in a small rural Podunk town would be looking up his name was if that bitch had ratted him out. Again.
Now he knew where she was, it was time to go and fetch her.
Angelo rubbed his hard dick as he imagined her on her knees as he fucked her mouth and throat. He groaned when his cock leaked pre-cum. No other woman but Sallyanne Darwin had done it for him and if he had his way, and he always did, she would be doing it for him again.
* * * *
Frank had never been so content or happy in his life. He’d woken up with Sally glued to his side and her arm slung over his waist. He could have laid in that bed all day long just savoring her in his arms. She’d slept peacefully in what he knew was the first time in a very long time, surrounded by him and his brothers. When she’d grown restless or whimpered in her sleep, all three of them had instantly woken and caressed her arms and leg until she’d been soothed and settled back down into a deep sleep. He’d wished a time or two that she’d been naked so he could feel more of her skin against his, but knew it was probably better that she’d had a nightshirt on.
He’d caught her eyeing his chest and his brother’s chests but he’d refrained from commenting on it in case she’d been embarrassed. Will and Rick had risen early to shower and get ready for work but Frank had stayed where he was. Remy, Giles, and Brandon would understand his absence once they’d explained why he wasn’t at work. Add in the fact that he got to spend the day with Sally and he was one happy man.
Sally sighed and shifted her thigh over his before rubbing her foot up and down his calf. He caressed a hand up and down her back as she began to awaken. Her foot stopped moving and she quickly pulled her leg from over his before she lifted her head to peer up at him with blurry eyes.
“Hey, sweetheart, how are you feeling?”
“Good.” Sally sighed before propping her sharp little elbow on his chest and resting her head in her hand. “Where are Will and Rick?”
“They had to go into work for a few hours.”
“Oh.”
Frank bit his lip to stop the smile forming. She’d sounded really disappointed that his brothers weren’t here and his heart filled with warmth. She was getting used to them. Hopefully with each day that passed, she would come to care for them and want to stay.
“Are you hungry, Sally?”
“Yes.” She smiled and then rolled away from him before rising. “I can’t remember the last time I was this hungry.”
Frank shoved the covers aside and stood. Sally’s eyes roamed over his chest and lower before she seemed to realize what she was doing and jerking her gaze up to his face. He stretched his arms over his head and yawned, purposely flexing his muscles, and nearly laughed when her eyes perused his body again, glad that she liked what she saw.
“Why don’t you go have a shower, sweetheart? By the time you’re done I’ll have breakfast ready.”
“Sounds good. Thank you.”
Frank lowered his arms back to his sides and moved toward her. He palmed her cheek and met her gaze. “You don’t have to thank me, sweetheart. I like taking care of you.”
When Sally didn’t respond but just continued to stare into his eyes, he caught a flash of heat in her pretty green orbs and couldn’t resist taking a taste. He slowly bent toward her, giving her ample opportunity to stop him or move away, but she did neither of those things. He breached the last couple of inches between their mouths and brushed his lips over hers a couple of times before drawing back. With a last stroke of her cheek with his finger he turned and headed out. When he got to the door and looked back at her
over his shoulder he saw her touching her lips with the tips of her fingers, a dreamy smile on her face.
Things were definitely looking up for him and his brothers. He just hoped none of them did anything to betray the trust they were beginning to earn from Sallyanne.
* * * *
“That was delicious, thank you. I ate way too much.” Sally leaned back into her chair with a satisfied smile. Frank had made her an omelet with bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and cheese. It had been light and fluffy and so filling. Now that her belly was full she felt sleepy again which was strange because she’d had more sleep the night before than the whole week that had gone by. When she glanced at the clock, she couldn’t believe that it was after noon. She must have slept like the dead after Will, Frank, and Rick had joined her in bed. She’d never felt so safe and secure but guessed having three Navy SEALs looking out for her had set her mind at ease.
Sally drained the last of her coffee, stood, and began to gather the dirty dishes.
“You don’t need to do that, Sally.” Frank rose from his stool at the counter and gathered more dishes.
“I know. I want to. You … and your brothers have all been so kind. The least I can do is help out, especially after that great omelet.” She smiled at him and paused at the unfamiliar tugging at the corner of her mouth. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a reason to smile. The pain and numbness in her heart waned a little more.
“You should do that more often.” Frank put the dishes on the sink and stroked a finger down her cheek.
“Yeah,” she agreed. “I guess I haven’t had much to smile about.”
“We’d like to change that,” Frank said.
“What?” Sally frowned.
“You haven’t realized that my brothers and I are attracted to you?”
Sally’s breath hitched and her heart thundered in her chest. She couldn’t deny that she was attracted to him—Will and Rick, too—but she wasn’t sure she could have a relationship with a man. Angelo Perez had stolen more than her innocence from her. He’d stolen everything, including her ability to feel. The frown deepened as she thought that over, because although it had been true the last four years of her life, she was starting to come alive again.
