by Becca Van
“We need to get you to the hospital, sweetheart,” Brigg said. “You’re going to need some stitches.”
Tears welled and rolled over Cindy’s face. “I can’t afford to go to the hospital, Brigg. I’ve just changed jobs, and I don’t know if I have any health insurance.”
“Don’t go worrying about that now, honey,” Tane said. “I’m sure everything will work out.”
Grant stepped back out of Cindy’s line of sight and gestured to himself and then to Shane, Curt, and finally to Jake. He knew exactly what his brother was asking and didn’t need to hear the words. He nodded vigorously. Grant gave a chin lift as did Shane, and Curt gave a nod, too.
When Brax and Tane carefully lifted Cindy onto a stretcher and then carried it and her to the ambulance, Jake fisted his hands so tightly his knuckles ached. He wanted to get into the back of the van and go with her, but since he wasn’t a relative and he and his brothers weren’t in a relationship with her, he didn’t stand a chance. Nonetheless, he walked toward the back of the ambulance and said, “We’ll be at the hospital soon, honey.” He frowned when Cindy didn’t respond and wondered if she’d heard him, but that didn’t matter.
Nothing was going to stop him from being there for her.
Jake and his brothers wanted a relationship with her, and though she’d rejected a dinner invitation earlier that day, he wasn’t about to give up.
Cindy was perfect for him and his brothers. They were just going to have to show her how perfect she truly was.
* * * *
“Curt, go and get the truck,” Shane commanded and then tossed the keys to his brother. His gut was one big massive knot of anger. He couldn’t believe some random drugged-up motherfucker had tried to rob Cindy, held her at gunpoint, and shot her. Thank fuck she’d fought back because he’d hated even contemplating what could have happened to her if she hadn’t. The man who’d attacked her was so high on drugs, he was crazy.
Shane had planned to slowly woo the shy Cindy into his and his brothers’ lives and their beds, but he wasn’t going to pussyfoot around any longer. After she was examined and fixed up, she was going to need help, and they were just the men to do it. There was no fucking way he was letting her go home alone.
He was going to take her back to their place so they could look after her. What he really wanted to do was hold her in his arms to reassure himself that she was all right.
“Thank fuck you all heard what was going down,” Cree said. “We’ll get the bastard into a cell and meet you at the hospital.”
Shane nodded, waved, and stepped out onto the road just as Curt pulled the truck to a stop. He and his brothers got into the vehicle, pulled their seat belts on, and sat tensely as Curt drove.
Minutes later, they were walking into the main entrance to the small hospital.
Shane glanced at the nurse behind the reception desk, but he didn’t bother going to her to ask where Cindy had been taken. Instead, he changed directions and pushed through the double doors to the emergency area. There were only about ten curtained beds in the large room, but when he saw only one of the beds had the drapes pulled, he headed that way.
“I’m so glad you didn’t get hurt worse, Cindy,” Dr. Axel Raymond, one of Enya’s husbands, said.
“Me too,” Cindy answered.
She sounded so fucking exhausted, Shane couldn’t wait to see her any longer. Instead of just barging in and invading her privacy, he peeked through the gap in the curtains, to make sure she was decently covered, and when he saw that she was, he held the drapes aside and stepped toward the bed.
Cindy had her eyes closed, and from the tear tracks on her face, she’d been crying.
“She okay?” he mouthed to the doc.
Axel nodded, and then shrugged. Shane wanted to grill the man but held his tongue. He didn’t want to upset Cindy more than she already was. He gritted his teeth when he saw the line of stitches over her ribs. Axel had a magnified light pointed toward her chin and was currently sewing her flesh up. She kept her eyes squeezed tightly closed until Axel had finished suturing her skin back together. “All done. You can open your eyes now.”
“Not sure if I can, Doc. The drugs you gave me are working well. All I feel like doing is curling up in this bed and going to sleep.”
“You can if you want to,” Axel said.
“No.” Cindy sighed. “I don’t know how I’m going to pay for my treatment. If I stay longer, I’ll just end up owing more.”
Shane was glad that she wouldn’t have to worry about that. Grant was taking care of the payment at present.
“I’ve written out a prescription in case the pain gets to be too much, but they will make you drowsy. Don’t go driving or operating any heavy machinery if you take any of those. Over-the-counter medicine will help a bit. Keep the stitches covered and dry. You can still bathe, but just take a bit of care. Come back and see me in seven to ten days so I can remove the threads.”
“Thanks, Doc,” Cindy said as she opened her eyes. She gasped when she saw him, and her cheeks flushed with pink. “Uh, hi.”
“Hey baby, how are you feeling?” Shane clasped her hand and entwined his fingers with hers.
“Like I’m floating on a cloud.” She giggled and then covered her mouth.
Shane smirked. It looked like Cindy was feeling very happy from the medication Axel had given her. He and his brothers had met Drs. Axel Raymond, Camden Brown, and Phoenix Carter a few times when they’d gone to the diner. Their wife, Enya, was part owner of the diner and an amazing pastry chef.
“I don’t want you staying alone right now,” Axel said. “Do you have a friend that can come over and stay with you?”
Shane was aware of his brothers standing near the end of the bed. He gazed Grant’s way and quirked a brow. He was relieved when Grant nodded, letting him know he’d taken care of all Cindy’s medical expenses.
When he heard her sniff, he turned to look at her again. The tears in her eyes broke his heart. He was just about to ask her if she was in pain, but she began to speak. “No, there’s no one. I’m all alone since my mom and sister moved away.”
“She can come home with us,” Shane said.
Cindy whipped her head around toward him, moaned, and closed her eyes. When she lifted a hand and placed it over her forehead, he realized she had a headache.
“I don’t need—”
“Cindy, you need someone to watch over you. While you don’t have the signs of a concussion, you were unconscious and need to be watched. You can come and stay in our spare room if you want. I know Enya would love to take care of you.”
Shane scowled at Axel, but the doc ignored him.
“I’ll be fine,” Cindy mumbled sleepily.
Shane bent closer to her ear. “We have a spare room you can have all to yourself. You don’t want to end up back in the hospital, do you, baby? Think of the added expense. If you come home with us, you won’t have to worry about how you’re going to pay the bill.” He felt like a real asshole for using her lack of money to cajole her into agreeing to come home with him and his brothers and hoped he didn’t end up getting bitten in the ass. However, he wanted her in his house, arms, and bed, and he would use any means necessary to get his way as long as they weren’t nefarious.
“You’ll be safe with us, Cindy. I give you my word.”
“’Kay,” she whispered, just before her breathing deepened as she fell asleep.
“I hope you know what you’re doing.” Axel crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at him. “Cindy is like a little sister to me and most of the other men in town. I’m warning you now—if you and your brothers hurt her, you’ll be answering to all of us.”
Shane nodded as he locked gazes with the doc. “We want a relationship with her, Axel. We know she’s attracted to us, too, but she’s fighting it. Curt even asked her to have dinner with us tonight, but she refused.”
“She’s sweet and shy.” Axel scrubbed a hand over his face. “There are things you don�
“There won’t be any need to defend her,” Grant said as he took a step forward. “We aren’t going to fuck with her, Axel. We’re not just looking for someone to screw and walk away from.”
“We want the whole nine yards with Cindy,” Jake said.
“We want her in our lives permanently,” Curt stated.
Axel nodded, gazed at the chart, and after making a notation, he spun on his heels and started walking away. He halted and glanced back at them over his shoulder. “Make sure you look after her.”
Before Shane could reply, Axel was gone.
With a gentleness he hadn’t realized he was capable of, Shane carefully lifted Cindy into his arms and carried her through the emergency department and out of the hospital. Even though he could hardly keep his eyes off her, he made sure he watched where he was going so he didn’t trip up and hurt his petite bundle.
Cindy was so fucking small compared to him and his brothers, and he was more aware of his muscles, height, and strength than ever before. Having her in his arms made him feel so manly, so masculine, but it also made him feel a little old. She looked about eighteen, but she was definitely older since she had a teaching degree. She was probably in her early to midtwenties.
He loved the smattering of freckles across her cheeks and the bridge of her small nose. The urge to lean down and kiss each dot was intense, but he just kept walking. Walking was also kind of torturous since his dick was so hard it was aching, but he tried to ignore his lust.
Finally he reached the truck and waited for his brothers to get in. Curt was once more behind the wheel. Grant had shoved Jake to the front passenger seat and then opened the back door for him. After closing the door, Grant raced around the truck and got into the back with him and Cindy.
Shane maneuvered her so that her head was resting on his thigh, and Grant lifted her legs over his.
“Are you all set?” Curt glanced at him and then Cindy.
“Yeah,” Shane said. “Let’s get our woman home.”
Although he hated that she was hurt, he really liked that she was going to be in their house and their spare bed.
Now, all he and his brothers needed to do was try to convince her to stay and that they were the men for her.
He had a feeling that wasn’t going to be as easy as it sounded.
Chapter Five
“Oh God,” Cindy moaned. She was aching all over and felt as if she’d been hit by a truck. Her head was aching, her chin was hurting, and her side was throbbing. All she wanted to do was roll over in bed and go back to sleep, but the incessant pain in her body wouldn’t allow her to.
“How are you feeling, sweetie?” a deep voice asked.
Cindy squinted toward the voice, and clarity returned quickly. She remembered being in the hospital and Axel stitching her up, but everything after that was fuzzy. Blinking a few times helped clear her hazy vision, and she gazed at Grant. He was sitting on the side of her bed next to her hip. Being careful not to turn her head too fast, she glanced about the room and knew she was no longer in the hospital, but she wasn’t in her own home either.
“Where am…” She trailed off as a vague memory of being asked to go home with the Kenny brothers niggled at her mind. Feeling at a distinctive disadvantage lying down, Cindy tried to sit up but winced, groaned, and sank back into the mattress and pillows when a sharp pain stabbed at her side.
“I’ve brought the medicine the doc prescribed,” Jake said as he entered the room.
Cindy looked toward the doorway to see that Curt and Shane were right behind him. She was nowhere near her best, but she didn’t have the energy or the inclination to really care. Her hair was probably a wild tangled mess around her head, and she felt kind of grungy, as if she needed a shower, but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to get to her feet.
However, she wasn’t going to be able to put off trying for long since her full bladder felt as if it were getting fuller by the minute.
“Cindy?” Shane walked closer to the bed, knelt down, and took one of her hands in his.
“I feel like shit,” she finally remembered to answer.
“Where are you hurting, sweetie?” Grant asked.
“Everywhere,” she whispered and closed her eyes when tears threatened.
“Do you want us to call the doc?” Jake asked from where he was standing at the end of the bed.
She heard a rustle and realized that Curt had walked to the other side of the bed to Grant and Shane.
“Open your eyes, baby,” Shane said in a low voice.
With a sigh of resignation, she forced her heavy eyelids up. The blinds over the window had been partially lifted, and she realized it was late when she saw the sun streaming through the window.
Grant scooted closer to her. “Shane and I are going to help you sit up so you can take the pills Axel prescribed. Okay?”
“Okay.” Cindy gripped Shane’s hand tighter and sucked in a deep breath in preparation of the expected pain, and then she held it. She couldn’t believe how gentle they were with her. While she experienced a few aches and twinges, it wasn’t as bad as she’d imagined. Once she was propped up against the headboard and some pillows, Shane handed her a glass while Grant pushed two tablets into her cupped palm from the blister pack.
She put them in her mouth, took a few sips to swallow the medicine, and then guzzled the rest of the water. Shane, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed, too, took the empty glass from her.
“Do you want more water, darlin’?” Curt asked.
Cindy gazed toward him. He was sitting on the bed beside her with his legs stretched out. She swallowed as she eyed his long legs and up higher. A blush heated her cheeks when she noticed that she was staring at the bulge in his crotch, and she quickly looked away.
Her eyes connected with Jake’s. He was standing at the end of the bed, his legs shoulder width apart, his arms crossed over his broad, muscular chest and a frown on his face.
“Cindy, do you want more water?” Grant placed his hand on her thigh and caressed up and down.
“No, thanks.”
“What can we do to make you more comfortable, baby?” Shane asked.
She lowered her gaze toward the covers and gasped when she noticed she was no longer wearing her own clothes. The large black T-shirt was falling off one shoulder, and her bra had been removed.
“Who undressed me?” she asked brusquely.
“Shane and I did, sweetie. We wanted you to sleep comfortably. Your shirt was torn and covered in blood. We thought it best for you to sleep in something loose so you weren’t hurting,” Grant explained.
“We didn’t look, Cindy.” Shane cupped her cheek, being careful to keep his fingers away from the wound in her chin. “We only saw you in your panties and bra, baby. We’d see that if you were at the beach or swimming pool. I didn’t take your bra off until after we had the T-shirt on you.”
She stared into his eyes, trying to gauge whether he was being sincere. He held her stare without wavering, and she sighed with relief.
“I need to get up,” she stated, once more gazing down at the quilt.
Shane and Grant stood, but before she could ask one of the men if they had a robe she could borrow, Shane tugged the covers down and scooped her up into his arms.
“What are you doing?” she asked breathlessly as she tried to tug the large shirt down to make sure her ass was covered.
“I’m carrying you to the bathroom,” he said as he walked to the partially open door she hadn’t seen until now. He nudged it wider as he carried her across the adjoining bathroom, and she took as much as she could in even though she was still feeling a little thickheaded.
It was huge, with four sinks and cabinets taking up one wall of the room. There was a mirror on the wall the length of the vanity. A large, raised spa bath was off in another corner, and next to that was a shower big enough to have a party in.
Shane halted outside another closed door and slowly lowered her to her feet. She clutched at his arm when she swayed dizzily, but she needn’t have worried about ending up on her ass, because he kept a steadying hand on her hip as he opened the door.
“Do you need me to help you, baby?” he asked.
Cindy’s face flamed hotter at the thought and shook her head. She bit her lips to stop herself from gasping in pain. She didn’t care that she was a little wobbly on her feet. There was no way in hell she was having someone watching her do her business.
“I can do it,” she snapped and immediately felt contrite.
She had no idea why she was feeling so irritable. Maybe it was because of the pain she was in. Cindy turned into a shrew when she was sick or hurt. She hated anyone seeing her so vulnerable. She liked being left alone when she wasn’t feeling up to par because that way when she was feeling better, she wouldn’t have to feel guilty over her bitchiness and have to apologize.
Without meeting his gaze, she shuffled away from him, closed the door behind her, and did her business. Bending to pull her panties up proved to be a painful challenge because of the pulling of the stitches in her side, and it also made her chin and head throb more to have it lower than her heart, but she sucked it up.
Shane was leaning against the doorjamb when she opened it, and once more her face flushed. He’d probably heard her taking a pee. Trying to ignore him as best she could, she moved past him toward the sinks and washed her hands. When she peered at herself in the mirror, she grimaced. She looked as bad as she felt. What she wanted to do was take a shower and brush her teeth. While she remembered Axel saying she could bathe, she wasn’t sure she had enough energy to do so right now. However, she wasn’t leaving the bathroom until she’d at least brushed her teeth and hair.
Movement caught her eye, and she glanced up to find Shane standing right behind her and watching her in the mirror. “Do you have a spare toothbrush I can use?” she asked.
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