by Becca Van
Dusty double-checked that everything was off and followed his brothers out the door. He could already taste the beer on his tongue and even though he tried to get Roxy out of his head, it was impossible.
They had been working with her for over eighteen months and even though Dusty and his brothers had continued dating in the beginning, he’d wanted to have her in his arms and bed from nearly the start. Not once had she indicated that she was attracted to them and she seemed so shy most of the time. They only time she seemed to come out of her shell was when she was in a cockpit.
Maybe he should ask if he and his brothers could co-pilot with her after she got her full hours. He smiled at the thought of sitting next to her in such a small space for hours on end, but shook his head as he vetoed that idea.
Roxanne was smart and she would know something was up right away. He didn’t want to scare her off by making her think they didn’t have any confidence in her abilities. That was the last thing he wanted to do. She was the best damn pilot he’d ever seen. She had surpassed all of her colleagues with her test scores and every simulation she had ever done. He wouldn’t baulk if he ever had to put his life in her hands, at least when it came to flying an aircraft.
The only person he knew of that could match her with her test marks and simulator scores was him and his brothers and they had been flying for a hell of a lot longer than she had.
Dusty and his brothers were triplets and the only difference between them was a small variance in their heights and physiques as well as their eye color. He was glad of that because it made it easier for others to determine who they were speaking to. It was also unusual for identical triplets to have that dissimilarity but he didn’t care.
He and his brothers were real close and had all joined the military right out of school. They’d received their further education while being paid to train. It was the only way they were able to get ahead since their father had been killed on a mission overseas. There was no way they wanted their mother working two or three jobs to pay for their tertiary education when they wanted to follow in their father’s footsteps anyway.
Dusty pushed his thoughts aside and followed his brothers out to their truck. It had been a long day and it had taken everything out of him not to give Gerard “Asshole” Miller a dressing down. But he figured if Roxy could put up with the fucker and keep her mouth shut then he should, too.
She was a very smart woman and even though she was shy he guessed she wasn’t into confrontations. Maybe if he and his brothers could get her to go out with them they could give her the courage and confidence to stand up for herself.
“We headed to the Fifth Precinct?” Booker asked as he climbed into the front seat.
“Yeah,” Dusty replied. “I don’t feel like cooking tonight. I thought we could grab dinner and a couple of beers. Not unless one of you want to do the honors.”
“Hell no,” Stefan said from the backseat.
“I’m starving.” Booker reached over and put his seat belt on.
Stefan grunted. “You’re always hungry.”
Booker turned in his seat so he could see Stefan. “I’m a growing man.”
“Boy more like it,” Dusty replied before turning back to the front.
“Have either of you noticed the people involved in the ménage relationships that frequent the Fifth?” Dusty asked as he pulled out onto the road and headed back to the town center.
“Yeah,” Stefan said. “Should we bring Roxy there when we ask her out?”
“We have to get her to agree first,” Book replied. “And I don’t think that it is going to be easy.”
“How do you figure that?” Stefan leaned forward.
“In all the time she’s been working at the San Angelo Regional Airport, have you seen Roxy go out with anyone?” Dusty glanced in the rearview mirror and met Stefan’s eyes for a moment before looking back at the road.
“She’s a very private and quiet person,” Stefan said. “Just because we haven’t heard anything or seen her with anyone doesn’t mean she hasn’t been out on a date.”
“I hope that’s the case,” Booker said. “But I hate the thought of her with anyone else.”
“Me, too.” Stefan sighed. “It’s been over twelve months since we’ve dated anyone.”
“That hasn’t stopped the rumors,” Dusty stated.
“What rumors?” Stefan asked.
“The ones about us preferring tall busty blondes.”
Booker glanced over at him from the passenger seat. “Don’t forget the ones about us having any woman we want.”
“I heard about the blonde one,” Stefan said. “But who the hell started the other one?”
“One of the other pilots,” Dusty answered. “He was trying to get one of the air hostesses to go out with him and she said she’d rather go out with one of us and wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole.”
“Shit.” Stefan sighed. “Do you think Roxy heard any of that?”
“I’d be on it,” Dusty said. “She gets on with most of her work colleagues no matter what their career choice is. I’ve seen her talking and laughing with the janitor. That woman makes friends just by being alive.”
“Then why is Captain Dickhead giving her such a hard time?” Stefan asked. “Don’t worry about answering that I already know. He’s jealous because she runs rings around him and she’s a woman. A young one at that.”
“There you go.” Dusty parked the truck in a space outside the Fifth Precinct Hotel before turning off the ignition and getting out. Booker and Stefan joined him on the sidewalk.
Booker grabbed his arm as he took a step toward the hotel entrance. “Isn’t that Roxy’s car?”
Dusty looked toward where his brother was pointing and saw the small four-door sedan and then nodded. Tension seeped into his muscles when he realized that Roxy was around here somewhere probably meeting up with someone. He just hoped that she wasn’t out on a date. He didn’t think he could stand it if she was here with a man.
He spun around on his heel and headed inside.
Jealousy and dread filled his gut when he saw Roxy sitting in the far corner of the room with a man. He clenched his fists and ground his teeth and prayed like hell he wouldn’t do anything to make a fool out of himself.
Chapter Two
“Has security been beefed up at the airport?” Andrew asked.
“Why?” Roxy asked her brother. “Have there been terrorist threats?”
“No, but you can never be too careful. One of my colleagues was at San Angelo Regional not long ago and gave a list to management to fix a few things.”
“I can’t think about stuff like that all the time, Drew. I’d be a basket case if I did.”
“Shit, Rox, you can’t walk around with your head buried in the sand. Especially after 9/11.”
“I don’t.” Roxy sighed. “I’m always careful and diligent when I’m working but I can’t be on alert all the time.”
“Yeah, I guess. Sorry, sis, comes with the territory.” Drew took a sip of beer and glanced about the room.
“I suppose you’ve learnt to be vigilant all the time, but you can’t even relax anymore, Andrew. Even now you’re scanning the room.”
“Habit.”
“Are you ever going to get out?” Roxy asked. “Are you always going to be in the CIA?”
“I love my job, honey.”
“I know.”
“Have you decided what you want to order for dinner?” Drew asked changing the subject. She decided to allow him a little leeway for now but hoped that one day soon he would decide he’d had enough of living with danger.
“The grilled chicken and vegetables. What are you having? Oh wait, don’t answer that.” Roxy tapped her chin. “Let me guess. Steak, medium rare, fries, and salad.”
Drew laughed and met her eyes before looking around the room again. The smile slipped from his face and she knew he was in agent mode. She loved her older brother, a lot, but she hated that he never seemed
to relax. She didn’t bother to follow his line of sight because she was confident that if there was any trouble he would protect her. Also, because the place was full of cops.
The Fifth Precinct Hotel was the local watering hole to the San Angelo Police Department as well as the firehouse and locals. The place was nearly always packed and even though she didn’t go out that much, she loved the atmosphere here. There was such a friendly camaraderie, the food was great, and the service was fast.
Andrew turned back to face her but Roxy knew that he wasn’t really seeing her. He was looking at something or someone from the corner of his eyes. “Don’t look yet, but when I tell you I want you to check out the three dudes on your nine. They have been looking at us since the moment they walked in and none of them are happy.”
“It’s probably you’re ugly face that got them riled up,” Roxy goaded and although she tried not to smile she couldn’t stop her lips from turning up.
“Brat. Okay, now.”
Roxy glanced to her left and sucked in a breath when she saw the three hot Milan brothers. Her face heated and she knew she was probably turning red.
Drew leaned back in his chair and stared at her. She lowered her eyes when she couldn’t hold his scrutinizing gaze any longer. “Now, there’s an interesting reaction. Who are they?”
“My trainers,” Roxy whispered.
“Why are they angry with you?”
“I have no idea.”
Andrew muttered something under his breath and Roxy thought she heard the words “I do” but she wasn’t about to ask him to repeat what he’d said. She knew from experience that trying to get information from her brother was like trying to pull teeth. It came from working with the CIA and having to keep secrets from her and anyone else he knew. But what pissed her off the most was how good he was at getting her to open up. She hated the way he talked to her and she found herself spilling her guts and knew how the criminals he interrogated must feel. She wondered if he used his charm on them the way he did on her or if he threatened violence. Not that she really wanted to know the answer to that.
He was her brother and her only living relative. She loved him very much and would give him her last dime if he needed it.
“How long have you known them?” Drew asked.
Roxy frowned as she thought back. “Around eighteen months.”
“What did they do before they became trainers?”
“I think I heard someone say they were in the military. Probably the Air Force.”
“Hmm.” Drew pulled his cell from his pocket. “What are their names, honey?”
“Andrew John Crowe, you put that damn cell phone away,” Roxy all but shouted. She knew her brother was about to contact someone in his office to run a check on them, but she wasn’t going to allow him to do any such thing. She glanced about when she noticed that the noise in the hotel had died down and saw that people were looking at her, including her trainers, and boy did they looked pissed. She lowered her head and her voice but continued to speak to her brother. “You aren’t at work right now and you have no need to check up on anyone. Besides you’re being a phubber.”
“A what?”
“A phubber.”
“What the hell is a phubber?” Drew asked as he placed his cell on the table.
“A phubber is a rude, unsociable person who plays with their cell while out with others.”
“You just made that up,” Drew accused.
“I did not. Look it up on the Internet.”
Drew reached for his cell and Roxy quickly grabbed it and shoved it in her purse.
“Give it back, Roxy.”
“No.”
Drew stood up, leaned over the table, and just as he reached for her purse a large hand grabbed his wrist and slammed it down onto the table.
Roxy gasped and looked up into angry blue-green eyes. “What are you doing?”
“Is this man trying to hurt you, Roxy?”
“What? No. Why would you think that?”
“He was reaching for you,” Dusty said as he released Andrew’s wrist but kept his eyes on her brother.
“He wouldn’t hurt me. I took his cell phone and he tried to get it back.”
Andrew rose to his feet and eyed Dusty up and down. Roxy held her breath and hoped the two men wouldn’t end up having a go at each other. The place was full of cops and they could both end up getting arrested for disturbing the peace.
“Who the hell are you?” Drew barked his question.
“Dusty Milan. Who the hell are you?”
“Andrew Crowe.”
Roxy decided she needed to do something to diffuse the tension and reached into her purse, grabbed Drew’s phone, and handed it back to him.
“Thanks, sis.”
“He’s your brother?” Booker asked as he came to stand beside Dusty.
“Y–yes,” Roxy said and glared at him before turning her glare to Dusty. “Do you have a problem with that?”
“No,” Dusty replied. “Quite the opposite.”
She had no idea what he meant by that and hated the way his answer deflated her angst so quickly. She lowered her eyes to the table and wondered why they had been so aggressive toward her brother. Couldn’t they see that they had been mucking around?
When she looked up again it was to see Drew staring down all three of the Milan brothers. After a few minutes the men smiled at each other. Roxy sighed. She never would understand men and their egos. She felt like they’d just had a silent pissing contest and all of them had declared it a draw.
Her mouth dropped open when Drew shifted on his feet, offered his hand to first Dusty, then Booker, and finally Stefan. Each of them shook and nodded and then all eyes turned to her. Roxy raised her eyebrow in query to her brother but he just smirked and then to her embarrassment she heard words coming from his mouth she never would have expected to come from his lips.
“Why don’t you join us? Are you eating here? Have you ordered?”
“Thank you,” Booker said with a smile and then said. “Yes and yes.”
Roxy drew in a breath and stared at her brother. She’d never known him to be so sociable before and wondered what the hell he was up to.
“Scoot over, sis.” Drew wiggled his fingers and pointed to the middle of the curved bench seat.
Roxy didn’t want them joining her and Andrew, but she would look like a real bitch if she said so, so instead of voicing the “no” on the tip of her tongue, she slid along the seat. She tensed when Booker and Dusty slid into the booth type seating on opposite sides and shifted until they were sitting so close to her she could feel their body heat. Stefan walked back to their previous table, grabbed the three bottles of beer and brought them over. He and Drew sat down then they all clinked their bottles together.
She picked up her glass of wine and took a sip, sighing with relief when the cool liquid soothed her dry throat and mouth, before glancing around at the four men.
Drew cleared his throat. “Roxy told me that you three are her trainers. How long have you been doing that?”
“Three years,” Stefan answered.
“What did you do before this job?” Drew met her gaze before looking away again.
“Air Force,” Booker said.
“So you were fighter pilots?”
“Yes,” Dusty replied.
“Why did you get out?”
Stefan leaned back in his seat and took a swig of beer before answering. “We got sick of traveling.”
Drew nodded. “Understandable. What made you join up?”
“Our dad was a Marine. He was killed in action and we wanted to follow in his footsteps. Plus we didn’t want our mom working three jobs to pay for our education,” Booker explained.
“By joining up, which is what we wanted to do anyway, we got a free education, too.” Stefan glanced at Roxy and winked.
She lowered her gaze while running the tip of her finger around the edge of her wine glass.
“What do you do?” Dus
ty asked.
Roxy’s head shot up and she wondered if Andrew would answer. He was a CIA agent and he didn’t go around telling anyone what his job was. It was a secret, even she knew that. It could be dangerous for her brother to admit to what he did. She had no idea what he did or where he went and knew better than to ask, but sometimes she really worried about him. If any of the criminals he tracked ever found out about him he could end up being killed. Aside from the dangerous situations he no doubt found himself in, she had learnt to keep her feelings about his work hidden and just prayed that he would always be safe. There was no way she could ever ask him to give up his career.
Her brother loved his job and how he helped put criminals and terrorists behind bars. She wished he would find a special woman and settle down to a less dangerous job but she didn’t think that was going to happen anytime soon. Her brother was thirty-five years old and as far as she knew had never had a serious relationship.
Roxy sighed because she was twenty-seven and she hadn’t ever had one either. Sometimes she felt like her biological clock was ticking but her goal had been to get her pilot’s license before she even thought of settling down.
Ever since the first time she’d been on a plane with Drew when she was a kid she’d dreamed of being able to fly one herself. She’d never forgotten the thrill of takeoff and landing. She’d vowed then and there that she wanted to become a pilot too. It had been her goal for so long and she hadn’t let anything of anyone stand in her way. Her dream was so close and by tomorrow she would have enough hours to get her full license, but first she’d have to go through the test. She wondered if one of her current trainers would do the testing. She hoped not. Although she was familiar and comfortable with them as her trainers, she wasn’t comfortable around them as a woman.
Every time she was close to them her body responded to their masculine sexuality. There had been so many times she had wanted to walk up to each of them and kiss them until she was breathless, but that wasn’t appropriate behavior so she’d tried to keep her physical awareness of them hidden.
Drew’s quiet voice drew her from her introspection. “I’m an agent.”
