by Becca Van
Cal and Fletch came closer and then squatted down next to her.
“Tabitha, we are very attracted to you,” Cal said, and her heart stuttered in her chest. “We were the moment we saw you curled up on the floor in that clinic in Frenda.”
Fletch reached out and threaded his fingers with hers. “We have been waiting for you for a long time, baby. We hated having to leave you in the care of others after we saved you and your colleagues from those rebels, but we had orders to follow.”
“All our other team members are involved in ménage relationships, Tabby.” Law caressed her chin. “I’ve never seen people look so happy and in love. We want that sort of love and commitment, too, and we think that you could be the woman we have been waiting for.”
“Me?” Tabby asked breathily.
“Yes, you.” Cal rubbed a hand up and down her lower thigh. “You feel it, too, don’t you, kitten?”
“Yes.” Tabby couldn’t lie to them, not after she had just let Cal and Fletcher kiss her.
“That’s a good thing, love,” Fletch said. “We won’t push you or rush you, but we want to explore this attraction between us more.”
“Are you willing to let us get to know you better, baby?” Law asked.
“But how…” Tabby hesitated, not sure how to ask the questions rolling around in her mind without offending any of them.
“You don’t need to hold back with us, Tabby cat.” Cal ran a finger down her nose and smiled at her. “You can ask us anything you want.”
“Won’t you get jealous of each other?”
“No,” Law answered. “I loved watching you kiss my brothers. It was a real turn-on, baby. The only thing that would be better is if I get to kiss you, too.”
Tabby could see the sincerity in his eyes. He wasn’t jealous at all. In fact, his eyes were glazed over with desire, and he hadn’t kissed her yet. She looked at Cal and then Fletch and saw that they weren’t envious that Law had her sitting on his lap. They looked just as excited as she felt.
“I don’t have much experience,” Tabby whispered and looked away when she felt her cheeks heat.
Cal gripped her chin between his thumb and finger and turned her head back to meet his gaze. “You don’t need to worry about that, Tabby. What we really want to know right now is if you are willing to be with us?”
Tabby wanted that more than anything. These three men got to her like no other before them, and she wanted to know what it would be like to have them in her life. And even though she was a little wary that things wouldn’t work out and she would end up brokenhearted, the yearning to be with them all negated any fears she might have.
“Yes,” she finally answered and shifted in Law’s lap when Cal and Fletch nearly singed the skin off of her body with their heated, hungry stares.
“Good,” Fletch whispered. “We won’t rush you, love, but we want you to tell us if you ever feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed in any way. Or if you just don’t like something we do. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Law palmed her cheek and locked his gaze with hers, and tilted his head. He did that often and she really loved that little quirk. “I really need to kiss you right now, baby. Will you let me?”
Tabby nodded, and Law smiled at her right before his mouth covered hers. She kissed him back with all the hunger and need humming through her veins, and by the time he removed his mouth from hers, she was ready to beg him to touch her, make love with her. In fact, she wanted all three of them kissing and making love to her, but she wanted to get to know them more before things became more intimate.
Law lifted her and placed her on the edge of the mattress, and then all three men stood up and headed toward the door. Law turned back to look at her from over his shoulder and winked at her before his gaze shifted to the sofa and he pointed at the bundle on the seat.
“There are some clothes for you, baby. Why don’t you get dressed and come out to meet everyone?”
Tabby nodded and then waited until the door closed before dropping the towel and getting dressed. The clothes were a little bigger and longer on her smaller frame, but she didn’t care. She was just grateful to have something to wear.
Even though she was all for the four of them getting to know one another and becoming intimate, she was also worried about their mission.
From what she’d gathered, they expected trouble to follow them, and she didn’t want to be the reason to distract them from being safe.
Chapter Six
It was only 6:00 a.m. and already the kitchen and dining room were a hive of activity. Fletch glanced over and smiled at May as she bustled around the kitchen getting breakfast ready with help from Sara, Nicole, and Prue.
There was a lot of tension in the air, and he noticed that Ty, Rand, and Brom were missing. He expected that they had only just gone to bed after keeping a vigilant watch all night long.
He looked toward the door to the living room when he heard several clips of ammunition being inserted into weapons and waved at Thorpe, Adam, and Hunt just before they disappeared. The Lathan brothers were all decked out in their Kevlar vests and packed full of armaments.
The Elite Dragoons team leaders were sitting near the end of the massive dining table sipping on their mugs of coffee and talking quietly, but from the expressions on their faces, Whit, Dalt, and Hay were having a very in-depth and serious conversation.
Fletch was getting sick and tired of the waiting and wished that their CO, Tony Sullivan, would call telling the team that he had all the names of the people involved in the Japanese underworld sex slave ring, but until that happened there wasn’t much they could do.
Then he wondered if their team leader had contacted Tony in regards to Tabitha’s kidnapping. He moved closer to them and waited for them to finish their conversation. Whit looked up at him, and Law and Cal sat down close by.
“What’s on your mind?” Whit asked.
“We may have another problem,” Law said and then began to explain how he and his brothers had rescued Tabitha and the two doctors from the rebels in Frenda, Algeria. Whit sat up straighter in his seat and then glanced at Dalton and Hayward. “You think someone’s leaking information from the head office?”
“I don’t know,” Law answered.
“It could just be a coincidence,” Cal said.
“What is your gut telling you?” Dalton asked.
“That there is more to this than meets the eye,” Fletch said, and Law and Cal nodded their heads in agreement.
“Let me give Tony a call.” Whit stood up and pulled his cell phone from the clip on his belt. “Did he know who you were sent in to rescue?”
“He did,” Law replied.
“Damn. I don’t like this one bit.” Dalton scrubbed a hand over his face and then looked at all of them. “Do you think she’s a plant?”
“No,” Cal answered emphatically. “She was scared out of her mind both times. Plus we were able to connect with her when we went to rescue her from Miles City. We can feel her emotions, too, and we don’t even have to lower our shields.”
“Thank fuck for that. The last thing we want is another Yvonne Butters,” Hay whispered and glanced toward Prue. Law knew that Hay was making sure Prue hadn’t heard him talking about that woman. She had told her men that she never wanted to hear that name again after the way the bitch had used Prue to infiltrate their ranch.
“Ain’t that the truth,” Law muttered and glanced up when he saw Tabby standing in the doorway uncertainly.
Cal beat him to his feet and hurried across the room to Tabby. His brother took her hand in his and then pulled her further into the room. He stopped and introduced her to the other women and then guided her across to the large dining table and seated her next to him where he proceeded to introduce her to the his team leaders.
She replied quietly and shyly to all the Hellos and then Whit nodded to them and headed from the room. Law knew that he was going to call Tony to advise him of a possible leak so he could keep an
eye on things from his end.
Fletch got up out of his chair and asked if Tabby wanted a cup of coffee and how she drank it, and then he hurried to get her a cup. Tabby was quiet, and Cal wondered if their declaration of wanting a relationship was playing on her mind. He also wondered if she was going to change her mind. It was a big step to take, agreeing to be with three men. Cal hoped that she wouldn’t ask them to back off.
“Are you all right, kitten?” he asked in a near whisper so none of the others would hear him.
“Yes.” Her reply was just as quiet.
“How long have you been working in the hospital, Tabby?”
“A couple of years.”
“What about the aid work?”
“That was the first time. I don’t think I’ll ever be brave enough to do that again.” Tabby shifted nervously in her seat and clutched her fingers together.
Cal pried her hands apart and then threaded his fingers with hers. “I don’t blame you at all for that, kitten. That was pretty scary, huh?”
“Yeah, so was being kidnapped by those Asian men.” She looked up at him, and he saw the tears in her eyes. He released her hand, scooted his seat back, and then lifted her by the waist and settled her on his lap. Tabby looked around, as if apprehensive about being seen so close to him.
“Don’t worry about them, kitten. All the members of our team and their women don’t mind displays of affection.”
“Is that what this is?” Tabby asked a little breathlessly.
“Damn right it is.” Cal leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “I hate seeing you upset, Tabby cat.” He held her tighter and was pleased when she relaxed against him and sighed. She looked up and thanked Fletch when he brought her coffee over, and then his brother took the seat right next to them.
“Did you grow up in Miles City, love?” Fletch asked.
Tabby took a sip of her coffee and shook her head. “I grew up in Boise, Idaho.” Cal looked into her beautiful blue eyes and saw the sadness in their depths. He wanted to take away that pain, but first he and his brothers needed to get to know everything they could about her. She was special. He knew it in his heart the first time he’d seen her in Algeria. He just hoped that they could make a relationship with her work.
Cal didn’t doubt his and his brothers’ abilities to make her happy, but he was worried that they would overwhelm her. They were all big men and she was such a tiny thing, and he was a little concerned that she would be daunted by their sizes and their sometimes hard-ass ways.
“What made you move to Miles City?” Law asked from his other side.
“My dad died when I was a kid and my mom took off when I was fourteen.” Cal squeezed her in an offer of comfort when her breath hitched. She paused to clear her throat when her voice cracked with emotion. “I reported her disappearance to the police, but they couldn’t do anything when she left voluntarily. I was put into foster care and moved from place to place nearly every six months.”
“Shit! That must have been terrible,” Law said.
Tabby nodded. “I couldn’t stand living that way, so as soon as I finished high school I applied to a few colleges and the first answer I got was from Miles City. So I accepted to be a student there, packed up my stuff, and moved right away. I’ve been in Montana ever since.”
“I’m sorry, kitten. That must have been real hard on you,” Cal said.
“It was, but I got through. I concentrated on my studies and graduated.”
“Your dad would be real proud of you, love.” Fletch leaned over and kissed her temple.
“Thank you.”
“You don’t have any brothers or sisters, baby?” Law asked.
“No,” Tabby sighed. “My parents didn’t think they’d ever have a child. My mom had some problems, and even though she and my dad had been trying to have a baby, they sort of resigned themselves to not having kids. Three months later my mom discovered she was pregnant. Even though they never used protection, there were no more babies.”
“I’ll bet they doted on you,” Cal said and was glad to see Tabby smile.
“Yeah, they did. My mom used to say I had my daddy wrapped around my little finger.”
“I’ll just bet you did, baby.” Law leaned forward and kissed the top of her head.
Tabby shrugged. “I was too little to remember because he died when I was four. My mom was never the same after that. She just sort of closed herself off from everything. Even me.”
“Some people can’t cope with losing a loved one, Tabby. I think your mom would be proud of you, too,” Law said and squeezed her hand.
Tabby nodded and looked away when tears formed in her eyes.
Cal held her close and inhaled her feminine scent. He loved holding his Tabby cat in his arms and never wanted to let her go. She was a very loving and nurturing person. She would never have become a nurse or volunteered to be an aide worker if she hadn’t been. He just hoped that he and his brothers could get her to direct her loving heart their way.
May, Sara, Nicole, and Prue started bringing the platters of food over, and when Tabby jumped up to help, May placed a hand on Tabby’s shoulder and smiled at her. “You stay right where you are, honey. You’ve been through an ordeal and need to rest to recover.”
“I’m fine, May, but thank you. I can help.”
May shook her head. “Not today, honey.”
Cal looked up when she palmed his face and couldn’t help but nuzzle into her hand. “Do you have any more brothers and sisters? And what about your parents?”
“No more brothers and no sisters. Our mom passed away a couple of years ago after a long battle with cancer, and our dad was killed while serving our country when we were just kids.”
“I’m sorry. That must have been real hard on you and your mom.”
“It was, but our dad had life insurance so she was able to pay off the house. Of course, she worked to pay the bills and put food on the table, but she didn’t have to work two jobs or anything.”
“That’s good,” Tabby said. “What made you all join the military?”
“Well, our dad being in the Marines was a good influence, plus we wanted to be able to make a difference to keep our country safe,” Fletch said.
“You know, you all amaze me. You all have put your lives at risk to keep our country and the people in it safe. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Tabby, but we don’t want or need your thanks. We were only doing what we felt was our duty and what was right for us,” Cal said.
“We loved being in the Marines, baby.” Law smiled at her. “It gave us the discipline we needed when we were young men and made us feel like we were making a difference.”
“You are all such good men,” Tabby said.
“We can be real hard-asses, too, kitten,” Cal declared.
“That doesn’t surprise me. You’d have to be tough to do your jobs.”
Cal relaxed a little at her acceptance of him and his brothers. Maybe having a relationship would work out after all.
Tabby got off Cal’s lap then nudged Fletcher over to the empty chair beside him, and they started filling their plates and ate their breakfast.
He only hoped that whoever was involved in the Japanese underworld sex ring didn’t make a move on them or the ranch before they had time to establish more of an emotional connection with Tabitha.
He hated that he and the rest of the team had to sit on their hands and not take those fuckers watching them out, but an order was an order and they had to follow their CO’s commands.
Cal understood why Tony wanted them to wait. If they took those bastards down, they would just send in more criminals. Tony wanted to be able to take the assholes out all at once. If he and his team had to fight for days on end, they could become tired and sloppy and someone could get killed. It didn’t matter that they had enhanced skills and more stamina and strength than the average man. They were still all too human, and mistakes weren’t an option, especially now that they
were so close to wrapping this mission up.
* * * *
Tabby held Cal’s hand as he led her down the porch steps and guided her toward the barn. Fletch and Law were with them. Law was walking in front of her, and Fletch was on her other side. All the men had pistols strapped to their thighs and carried automatic rifles, as well as wearing Kevlar vests.
Law had handed her a vest to wear, too, and she was surprised by how heavy it was. It didn’t fit her properly, but that didn’t really matter. What did matter was that they were all protected on their torsos in case someone shot at them. Tabby was a little nervous about being outside, but she was also really turned-on seeing all three of the men decked out in their military stuff.
She noticed a few ranch hands around, and they were also all armed and wearing the protective vests. They were only allowed outside for a short time, and she wanted to see the horses in the barn. Not that she’d really had anything to do with animals before, but she’d never seen one up close and personal.
Law held the small side door open for her and ushered her in. It took a few moments before she could see properly after being out in the bright sunshine. She blinked a few times then walked slowly over to the stalls. There had to be at least ten horses in the barn, and there was still enough room for another ten. A pretty brown horse caught her eye, and she moved toward it cautiously so she wouldn’t startle it. She lifted her hand and placed it near the horse’s nose to let it sniff her. After the horse had her scent she petted it and then giggled when the animal lipped her forearm.
“This is Dusty Rose,” Cal said from behind her and pressed his front to her back. Tabby couldn’t prevent the shiver of awareness racing up her spine from showing in a shudder. “God, you smell good.”
Cal leaned down, placed his nose against her neck and inhaled deeply. It took everything inside Tabby not to turn around and fling her arms around his neck. She wanted to kiss him again. She wanted to kiss all of them and run her hands over their muscular bodies and feel the hard steel beneath all that warm flesh.
Hands landed on her hips, and she nearly moaned at the sensation. The heat from Cal’s hands spread out from her hip bones and right down to her needy, wet pussy. Her internal muscles clenched and cream dripped out onto her panties.