by Becca Van
“Not as much as you got,” Dawson griped.
“You snooze you lose.” Kent sauntered back to the table with a grin on his face.
Bella’s laughter waned to the occasional chuckle as she wiped the tears of mirth from her cheeks.
Dawson scraped the last of the food into his bowl, and when he sat down next to Bella, he eyed what was left in hers. She must have seen him looking, because she pushed it toward him. “Are you sure you don’t want it, baby?”
“Oh yeah, I’m full.”
He and Kent made short work of their second helping, and then they began to gather up the dishes. “I love seeing you laugh, baby. It makes me feel happy.”
“Me, too.” She smiled. “I guess I haven’t had much to smile over lately.”
She reached for an empty bowl, but Dawson grabbed it before she could. “Sit and relax, Bella. Finish your wine. You cooked so we get to clean up.”
“I can help.”
“No, darlin’,” Kent called from the kitchen as he began to rinse the dishes. “Rest.”
“So, you never answered my question.” Bella sipped her wine.
“What was that?” Dawson frowned.
“Where did you learn to cook?”
“Oh, sorry. My mom was a firm believer in a man being able to look after himself. Apparently, my dad was lost as soon as he entered a kitchen. She vowed then and there that any kids they had, whether they were boy or girl, would know how to cook, clean, do laundry, and anything else that needed to be done in a house.”
“She sounds like a wonderful person.”
Dawson nodded. “She was.”
“She’s…”
Dawson sighed. “Yeah. She died of breast cancer not long after my dad lost his life serving as a soldier.”
“I’m sorry.”
Dawson shrugged. “It was a long time ago.”
“What about you, Kent? Do you know how to cook?” Bella asked.
“Just the basics, but that’s enough to know I won’t ever starve.”
“You could always stock up on frozen dinners.”
Kent shuddered and frowned at her. “Have you ever tasted that stuff? It tastes just like cardboard.”
“You’ve tasted cardboard?” Bella grinned.
Kent smiled. “You’re a smart-ass.”
Bella giggled. “You could always get takeout.”
Kent loaded the last dish into the dishwasher and then straightened. He half turned toward her and patted his stomach. “I’d be as big as a house if I ate takeout all the time.”
Bella burst out laughing again. Dawson roared with laughter, too. His friend had spoken with a falsetto voice, just as a woman would have.
“You’re too funny,” Bella gasped out between laughs.
Dawson chuckled occasionally as he wiped the counter down. “Didn’t know you were so in touch with your feminine side, bro. Is there something you want to tell me?”
“Fuck you!” Kent retorted.
“Ah, no thanks. You’re not my type.” Dawson couldn’t stop smiling. Bella had gone off in another fit of giggles, and she was bent over clutching her stomach. He just hoped that he and Kent could make her laugh at least once a day for the rest of their lives.
* * * *
“Thanks.” Bella took the mug of coffee Kent passed her and settled back into the sofa. Dawson sat on one side of her and Kent sat on the other. She met Kent’s gaze. “Are your parents still alive?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know who my parents were, darlin’.”
“You were an orphan? That must have been hard.” She reached out and threaded her fingers with his.
“You don’t miss what you’ve never had,” Kent replied without any inflection, but Bella could see the yearning in his gaze. He might believe what he said, but he craved love just like any other person. She was lucky because she’d known both of her parents. Even though she’d lost them when she was young, she’d been old enough to have memories of them together with her and Maria. They’d had some happy times, and from the affection she’d heard in Dawson’s voice when he’d spoken about his deceased parents, he had, too.
Her heart ached for Kent, but she didn’t feel sorry for him and he wouldn’t want her to. She wanted to shower him with the love and affection he’d missed out on as a child, and she wanted to start right now. She opened her mouth to tell him what he meant to her, but ended up licking her lips instead. She had no idea why she was holding back, but it didn’t feel like the right time for any declarations yet. She just hoped that she didn’t regret not speaking up when she had the chance.
Kent winked at her and then turned the TV on, using the remote. He flicked through channels until he found a football rerun.
“Do you like sports?” Dawson asked.
“I love watching baseball.”
Kent sat up higher in his seat. “You do?”
“Yes.”
“Any particular team you root for?” Dawson shifted until he was sitting side-on, facing her more directly.
“I like watching the Cubs when they play at home, but I love the Colorado Rockies.”
“When we have time, maybe we could all take a weekend away and see a game?” Kent suggested.
“Really?” Bella bounced in her seat. “I would love that. I’ve never seen a live major league game.”
“Then it’s definitely on our to-do list.”
Bella finished her coffee and then snuggled up next to Dawson. She glanced over to Kent and, when she saw him smiling at her, held her hand out toward him. He scooted across the leather seat, clasped her hand, and settled with his hip and thigh pressed against hers. She was so happy and content. She loved her house, but she wouldn’t lose sleep if she had to sell it. When she realized where her thoughts were wandering, she pushed those dreams aside. While Dawson and Kent wanted a relationship with her and had asked her to stay in their home with them, the invite had only been because they were worried about her safety. It wasn’t as if they were asking her to move in with them on a permanent basis, although she would jump at the chance if they did.
One step at a time, Bella. You’re already seeing the figurative white picket fence. Next you’ll be picking out wedding dresses and thinking about babies. You don’t even know if they like kids, let alone want them.
That was where she and Maria had differed. She didn’t begrudge her sister’s decision to never marry and not have kids, especially after her sister had a hand in raising her after their parents died. Maria had to put her college degree on hold and find work just so they could survive when their parents had died. She swapped her course to correspondence, and her poor sister had spent many a late night studying and working to the early hours of the morning only to have to get up after a few hours’ sleep and head to work. Maria had never complained, but Bella had sometimes felt like a huge burden on her sibling. That was one of the reasons she’d struck out on her own as soon as she could, and she was glad she had. Maria had had a few years of freedom without the responsibility of a younger sister to take care of, and she’d had some fun living it up on the weekends.
Bella just wished she’d never given Brett Taylor the time of day, or encountered the psychopath who’d snuffed out her life when it had only just begun.
She pushed her sorrowful, disconcerting thoughts aside and enjoyed being ensconced between Kent and Dawson.
It felt right, like home being with them, and she hoped that nothing jeopardized their new relationship, but there was a small knot of dread in her stomach that just wouldn’t go away, no matter how hard or how often she tried to shove it out.
Chapter Fourteen
Bella stared at the empty bed and wondered if she’d done something to make Kent and Dawson turn away from her. After they’d finished watching the game on TV, they all headed to bed at the same time. She’d been surprised when both men gave her a light kiss on her lips and then entered their own rooms.
She thought back over the evening but couldn’t pinpoi
nt anything that would have made them mad with her or keep their distance. She loved being snuggled up next to them on the sofa as they cheered on the game, and though she really had no clue about the rules or which player was which, she hadn’t cared. All she’d cared about was being close to them. Her heart had sped up when Kent turned the TV off, and when she’d been outside her open bedroom door, she’d turned to face them. Both of them had given her soft smiles and even softer kisses and, after telling her good night, disappeared into their own rooms.
Bella sighed with dejection as she prepared for bed. After changing into one of her comfortable boy shorts and tank sets, she brushed her teeth and washed her face and then stood staring at herself in the mirror. She didn’t see anything out of the ordinary except maybe how her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were bright with expectation. Had Dawson and Kent been turned off by the eagerness in her gaze? She shook her head. They’d been the ones to push for a relationship, but maybe after their first round of lovemaking they had changed their minds. Yet when they’d arrived at her small house earlier in the day, things had almost gotten out of hand. What the hell is going on?
A horrid thought flashed into her mind, and she tilted her head up to see her nostrils. She’d sneezed a couple of times earlier that night, and although she’d blown her nose, she thought she may have missed something. When she looked there was nothing hanging out or anything that she could see that would be off-putting.
The dejection changed to pique. Bella had looked forward to a night of making love with Dawson and Kent, and now they were turning away from her? Well, she was going to put a stop to that. She wanted them in her life, which meant she definitely wanted them in her bed, and she wasn’t going to let them push her away after they’d asked to be with her.
Bella lifted her head, straightened her shoulders, and stormed out of the bathroom. She came to a sudden halt as she tried to think of a reason they wouldn’t be in the mood to have sex. They’d spent most of the day at another crime scene where another woman had been found murdered. She didn’t want to envisage what they’d seen in her own mind, but maybe seeing such violence had gotten to them. They were caring human men, after all.
She walked over to the partially open door and shoved it wider. They’d both served in the Rangers, and now that there was a psychopath murdering women, that had to bring back all the bad things they’d seen while fighting in a war. Did they suffer from nightmares? Did they have PTSD?
There was only one way to find out, and she might be able to help them get out of their heads enough so that they could sleep.
Bella inhaled deeply and then took the couple of steps down the hall, stopping outside of Dawson’s room. The bedside light was on, but she couldn’t see him anywhere. That was until the door across his room opened and Dawson came striding out of the bathroom, a cloud of steam swirling around him and towel wrapped low around his waist.
Her mouth dried up as she eyed his magnificent muscular shoulders, pecs, torso, and abs. Her gaze trailed down the line of hair that started at his belly button and extended to the edge of the towel and beyond. She couldn’t miss the way the material twitched as his cock began to get hard or the way his erection pushed the towel out as his shaft filled with blood.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
Bella shook her head and licked her lips as she tried to get her lust-filled thoughts under control. She finally managed to pry her gaze from his towel-covered cock and lifted her eyes to meet his.
“Why—”
“Why what, darlin’?”
Bella shrieked and spun around, her heart slamming hard and fast against her sternum. She hadn’t even realized that Kent was behind her. He’d scared the shit out of her.
“I’m sorry, Bella, I thought you knew I was here.”
She shook her head, her hand pressed near the fluttering pulse point at the base of her neck.
“What were you going to say, baby?” Dawson asked as he came up behind her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pressed his chest against her back.
Bella shook her head and then decided to ask the question that was bothering her most. She lowered her gaze to Kent’s feet. He’d also just showered and was similarly attired as Dawson, with a towel around his hips. His hair was still damp and there were drops of moisture on his skin. She wanted to lick those beads of moisture off, but she licked her lips instead.
Kent took a step closer, and then he palmed her cheeks between his hands, lifting her gaze back up to his. He stared into her eyes so intently she felt as if she was totally exposed, that he could see right into her heart and soul. As she watched, his blue eyes changed from concerned to burning within the blink of an eye. The heat in those blue orbs should have set her shorts and tank to smoldering until they fell right off of her body.
“Bella, what is it, darlin’?”
“Did I do something wrong?” she blurted out before she could stop herself. She glanced sideways, away from Kent’s avid gaze, but she met his eyes once again when he began stroking the skin of her jaw and neck with his thumb.
“What could you have done wrong, baby? Why would you think that you had done something?” Dawson asked close to her ear, causing her to shiver.
Bella loved the deep timbre of his voice. It changed with his emotions, and from the huskiness she was hearing in his tone, right now he was as aroused as she was. While she’d seen his erection growing under that white towel, she hadn’t been really sure it was because of her. She’d begun to think that it was an involuntary reaction to any female. She mentally shook her head and pushed that thought aside because she knew that wasn’t true. It was just her vulnerability right at this moment coming out, and she felt guilty for even thinking it.
“Why didn’t you join me in my room, in my bed?” she asked so quietly she wondered if they’d heard her.
“Bella.” Kent lifted her gaze back to his. “We thought you were too tired. You were almost falling asleep on the sofa. Dawson and I don’t want you to ever feel pressured to make love to us. We’re not mind readers, sweetheart. You were yawning so much at the end, and you could barely keep your eyes open.”
“Did you think we didn’t want you, baby?” Dawson asked as he pressed his front tighter against her back.
Her breath hitched in her throat when she felt the hard ridge of his erection against her lower back. Her belly quivered as butterflies of excitement took up residence in her stomach. Her areolae ruched into tight circles and her nipples hardened. Her clit began to throb and her cunt moistened with desire. It took her a second or two to respond to Dawson’s question with a nod.
“Bella, we’ll always want you, darlin’.” Kent leaned down and rested his forehead against hers. “You are the sexiest woman I’ve ever met. How could we not want you?”
“Do you want us, baby? Do you want to make love with us?” Dawson asked against the skin of her shoulder and neck. He was licking and nibbling on her flesh, and she was getting more aroused each time she felt his lips, tongue, and teeth on her body. She was so hot for him and Kent that her insides were melting. She needed them so much she began to shake.
“Yes.”
Kent lifted his head from hers and smiled at her, but it was the hunger in his eyes that had her heart pounding in her chest. He released her face and stepped back. She was about to reach out for him when she was swept up off her feet. She met Dawson’s famished gaze as she looped an arm around his neck. When she saw the ravenous intent in his eyes, goose bumps erupted over her skin and she began to tremble with need.
He carried her into her bedroom and then lowered her to the floor. Her legs felt so weak with hunger she had to lock her knees so she wouldn’t fall at his feet.
“Do you trust us, baby?” Dawson asked as he smoothed a hand down her arm and then laced his fingers with hers.
“Yes,” she answered emphatically without any hesitation.
“Good. We’re going to make love to you together.”
Bella swallowed l
oudly around the nervous constriction in her throat. She’d heard about anal sex but hadn’t given it any thought because she hadn’t imagined herself having sex with one man, let alone two. While she was more than a little anxious, she wanted this. Wanted to be with both of them at the same time. She could see and feel how eager and excited they were at the thought of making love to her together. Bella just hoped that she liked it, because she didn’t want to be a disappointment to them. And that wasn’t the only thing that was worrying her. She was also worried about feeling pain and being so intimate with them. She’d heard that anal sex could be painful, but she was willing to at least give it a try.
* * * *
Kent nodded to Dawson. He could see how nervous Bella was. They needed to get started before she freaked out and changed her mind. Dawson snagged an arm around her waist, bent down, and covered her mouth with his.
He relaxed a little when Bella moaned, went up on tiptoes as she hooked her arms around Dawson’s neck, and kissed him back. He loved seeing how responsive and passionate she was. He’d had a taste of that and wanted more. He just hoped that she liked having them making love to her together. Although he and Dawson had both had sex with her, Kent felt as if she wouldn’t be theirs until they had her between them. He had no idea why, but gave a mental shrug. The why didn’t matter. What mattered was that they took their time to prepare Bella so they wouldn’t hurt her. He wanted her writhing between them and begging.
Dawson lifted her from her feet without breaking the kiss and then carried her to the end of the bed. He dropped his towel to the floor and then sat on the end of the mattress, taking Bella with him. She moaned as they kissed hungrily and Kent moved up behind her. He smoothed his hands over her shoulders and then down her sides. He wanted to strip that sexy little sleeping outfit from her body, but he didn’t want to break up her and Dawson’s passionate kisses.
Deciding the best way to go about getting what he wanted was to rip it from her, he snagged the straps at her shoulders and tugged. The thin straps gave way easily, and then he gripped the hem at one side and pulled firmly. The material tore apart and he flung the ruined top aside. He was about to tear her shorts off, too, but she broke her kiss with Dawson and glanced at him over her shoulder.
