She loosened the death grip she had on his other hand and nodded. Her breath wafted warm on his lips a second before she leaned closer, kissing him and then resting her forehead against his cheek. “You smell good. Clean...and...”
“And what?”
“Sexy?” she murmured hesitantly, as if she was afraid she’d lose her courage before she could get the word out.
“Thank you. Do Troy’s arms still make you nervous?”
She shook her head. “Not now.” She opened her mouth to speak but then closed it and shook her head.
“It’s okay, Jess.” Troy murmured. “If you tell us, it might help.”
It took a long pause before she spoke again, her gaze darting around the room until finally settling on his. “T-Trevor Dornan would sneak up on me in the dark, after I’d fallen asleep. I’d try to stay awake while he was there because he seemed to delight in how much he scared me. He’d grab me...and do what he wanted to me. And when he left, I couldn’t sleep for fear of him sneaking up on me if I drifted off. He was sneaky like that.”
“No sneaking going on here,” Troy murmured as he loosened his hold and slid one hand down her forearm, over her hand, and stilled the nervous bouncing of her knee. Her smile was slight, but she turned so she could see him and then surprised him with a peck on the cheek. When he turned his face, she tipped her chin up and kissed him lightly before he could make a clever remark.
“Why did he pick you to abduct? Did you ever find out?” Tank asked, utilizing a skill he’d picked up in the military for gaining information. If she felt comfortable with them, he could discover what he needed to overcome. The idea of her abductor enjoying sneaking up on her wasn’t necessarily a novel approach, but it was a trigger they needed to be aware of in the present. If the cold intensified her insecurity, then he’d do his best to keep her warm.
“During questioning after his capture, he told detectives he met me in a club, that I’d teased him and I was a snotty bitch. The thing is I’d never been to that club. He had me confused with someone else. The only thing we had in common was that we fit his physical criteria for the woman he wanted to ‘bring home.’ He told one of the arresting officers that he wouldn’t have kept me in chains for long. Just until I was ‘broke’ to stay at home and do his will.”
The glint of anger in Troy’s eyes as she spoke was offset by the gentleness with which he touched her and kept her talking.
“He thought you’d eventually stay? Willingly?” Troy asked.
With a dry chuckle and a nod, she replied, “According to Trevor, it’s what his father did, only he chose a woman he already knew who was...biddable, according to him. His mother did what she was told. It was a different time back then, I guess, and the area they lived in was remote. She must’ve felt so alone.”
When she shivered again, Troy glanced at Tank over her shoulder and gave him a nod that encouraged him to act. “If you’re comfortable with it, I’m going to hold you in my lap, Jess.” She opened her mouth to reply but hesitated, and Tank took the chance, gathering her close and lifting her onto his thighs. “I can tell you’re still chilled, and I’d feel better if I knew we were helping.”
“It’s fine. I’m...You’re just big is all. I feel a little like I’m sitting in Santa’s lap.”
“Lucky for you that you’re on our ‘nice’ list,” Troy quipped as he inched a little closer. “Doing okay, Jess?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Good. Can I have one of those kisses, like the one you gave Tank earlier?” he asked as he enclosed her backside from behind so she was practically enclosed in their body heat.
She met him halfway, turning her face to him and relaxing into the kiss, her hand tightening in Tank’s grip before releasing him and lifting both hands to touch Troy. Tank’s dick tightened behind his fly, pinching uncomfortably, as she emitted a soft moan.
Troy extended the kiss until they both were breathless, and then he whispered, “I don’t want you to strain your neck, keeping it turned like that. Why don’t you turn on Tank’s lap to face him, and then you can kiss us both, hmm?”
Her nerves didn’t keep her from complying, and he wasn’t about to interrupt her fun. With a word she could call a halt to their makeout session, no matter how hard he got. If she trusted them enough to go for it, he’d keep a careful watch to make sure she didn’t get in over her head.
Turning to face Tank, she turned one way and then the other, and he grinned as he wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted her body so she wouldn’t have to stand. A little giggle slipped out of her as she twisted her legs, but her levity was cut short as she spread them and straddled him.
A pink blush filled her cheeks, and she bit her lip as she braced her hands on his chest and accepted the pure sexuality of her position. Nothing platonic about having her spread like that with her pussy pressed against his engorged cock, with the only thing separating them just a few layers of denim and cotton knit. She wriggled to get situated, lifting slightly. His dick twitched as she settled against him and made a soft oohing sound.
“That’s so...Is this okay?” She suddenly rolled her brown eyes as if she was frustrated with herself and then gazed directly at him. “Thank you for being so patient. It’s not like I’m a virgin or barely know you. I feel as if I need permission to feel good...or sexy.”
“Then give yourself permission, Jess,” Tank said, doing his best to deny the urge to roll his hips and press his cock against the sweet heat he could feel through their clothing.
“Thank you,” she said to Troy as he selected a music channel on the satellite system and set it at a low volume.
“Anything else I can do to help you relax?” Troy murmured as he leaned in to kiss her shoulder. He didn’t allow her to hesitate over his question. He just held her gaze as he slowly peeled the stretchy shoulder of her knit top down enough to lay slow kisses along her shoulder. Her eyelids slid closed, and Tank sat motionless as she hovered between them. She reminded him at times of a skittish doe. If they were careful, she would eventually let them pull her close without having to watch for signs of panic. He relished the challenge as she moved in his lap, arching her back and shuddering as Troy followed the trail of kisses back to her neck. Her movement pushed her breasts outward, as if lifting them to tempt him where he sat motionless.
From down the hall, a scream rent the air, shattering the quiet sensuality of the moment. “Maaaamaaa!”
Jessica cringed and released her grip on his neck as she began extricating herself from his lap. “Oh, no. Not her, too.”
“What do you mean?”
She shook her head. “Nightmares. I’ve had a lot of them in the past. I worry that she may be picking up on mine.”
“Mama! A bad man! A bad man!”
In a heartbeat, Jessica’s expression morphed from one of concern to ferocity as she scrambled barefoot down the hallway, with them hot on her heels. The protective beast inside him reared up as Bella screamed again, and he grabbed Jessica as she reached for the doorknob. He thrust her into Troy’s ready arms and burst through the door. The room was clear.
Bella turned where she was standing in her bed, clutching her pillow, her blankie, and her teddy bear to her chest. She screamed again as the light from the hallway blinded her, and she lunged into the corner of the bed farthest from him.
Shit! Dial it down a notch. You’ll make it worse.
He flipped on the light switch and stood aside as Jessica rushed into the room and gathered a sobbing Bella into her arms. The words tumbled from her so fast even Jessica couldn’t understand her.
When the ranch dogs started barking outside, Tank turned to Troy, and he nodded before running out of the house. Tank peered out the window as porch lights came on at the main ranch house and the other large cabin where a number of the hands lived dormitory style. It’d begun to rain, and he saw two figures running as they neared the cabin before veering toward the creek. It was a good thing Troy was the one chasing because he was
the sprinter in the family.
“It was just a nightmare, baby,” Jessica crooned to Bella, the whole time gazing at him with eyes that told him she knew the truth. “Just a nightmare.”
Not wanting to frighten either of them, he said, “It’s probably just kids up to no good.”
Jessica cast him a doubtful glance as she gathered Bella up in her arms and said, “You’re safe right here with me, baby.”
“No! It was a scary man, Mommy!”
Jessica’s face grew pale, and her gaze was distant, but instead of panicking, her lips firmed and she said, “We’re going to keep you safe, Bella.” Her gaze was steady on Tank as she added, “Tank and Troy are going to help me. You’ll see. Nothing bad is going to happen to you. Nothing.” The set of her jaw told him that she might even kill to protect her little cub. He was beyond angry at whoever had shattered the peace of this night, but he was damn proud of his woman as she showed her resolve.
“Come into the living room for right now until Troy comes back, okay?” he murmured as he made sure the bedroom window was locked tight and then closed the curtains, which were normally left parted.
He heard voices from outside as Jess followed him down the hall after refusing to let him carry Bella, who was still snuffling and sobbing, clutching her pillow, blanket, and teddy.
The sound of boots stomping on the porch startled them, as well as the sound of raised voices, and then Troy poked his head in the front doorway. “I need you out here for a minute. You okay, Jess?”
“Yes, what—”
“I just need Tank for a minute, honey.”
After making sure her back door was locked and the outside lights were on, Tank nodded at her and pointed at the couch. “I’ll be right outside, baby. If you hear so much as a mouse squeak, you holler and we’ll be right here. I’ve got to see what’s going on.”
“Okay.” She took a seat on the couch they’d been sitting on earlier, Bella holding tightly around her neck.
Outside on the porch, Tank was met by a rain-soaked and mud-spattered Troy. Gathered by his shirt collar in Troy’s grasp was an equally bedraggled stranger. Troy gave the man a little shake and said, “Tell him who you are.”
Chapter Twelve
The man rubbed one hand across his mud-spattered face and then held both hands up as he squinted at them. “I’m Brian Dornan. I swear I come in peace.”
Troy tightened his grip and felt the way his captive was trembling. It did nothing to dampen the urge to give him another shake. Fury that the little girl he secretly thought of as his own had been terrified, as well as her mother, had propelled him in his pursuit, and he’d been surprised that the guy hadn’t fought back when he’d tackled him to the ground. He’d been ready for a fight, ready to defend his girls.
With a lethal gleam in his eyes, Tank said, “You come in peace? You damned son of a bitch, you come in peace? What the fuck were you doing peeking in bedroom windows if you come in peace?” His knuckles crackled as he tightened his hands into fists, and he looked as though he wanted to get his hands around Dornan’s neck.
“I was looking for the right house. There’s so many buildings that look like homes on this ranch I wasn’t sure which one she was in. I wasn’t looking in bedrooms like some damned Peeping Tom. I just wanted to make sure I had the right house. I didn’t want to cause a big commotion.”
“You failed. Now what the fuck do you want?” Troy muttered before giving him a slight shake.
“To warn Jessica.”
“Yeah, right. That’s why you’ve been calling her repeatedly on the phone? So you can warn her?”
“Yes! Can I talk to her? She needs to know—look, could you let go of my collar so I’m not strangling? I won’t go anywhere, and like I said, I’m not here to hurt anyone, just want to warn her.”
Troy released his hold with reluctance. “It’s unlikely Trevor Dornan will ever get out of prison, so why go to all this trouble?”
“It’s not my brother she needs to be worried about—”
“Tank?” Jessica called, and he realized she was peeking out through the door which she’d cracked open. “What’s going on?”
Tank reached for the doorknob to keep her from opening the door farther and also to keep Dornan from seeing her and Bella, who was also peeking out.
Dornan lifted his hands and said, “I swear I’m not here to do any harm. Search me. I’m not carrying any weapons.”
“How did you get here?” Troy asked as he shoved him up against the house to pat him down.
“My truck is parked at the creek about a half a mile down. Security is pretty tight in here, so I just found a spot and hiked in through the creek. Got caught in the barbed wire to prove it to you,” he added, gesturing to the tears in his sleeves and his pants. Troy could see that the tears were fresh and knew the source because he’d helped install the barbed wire barrier to keep cattle out of the creek and topped with razor wire to impede intruders.
“Tank, Troy is soaked to the bone, and so is...he. If you want to bring him in so you all can dry off, that’s fine. I know nothing can happen to me if you’re with me.”
“Damn straight, darlin’,” Troy said with a grin before shaking his head. It was good to hear that from her lips. “But I think it’s best that we take him back to our place, to talk.”
“Then I’m coming with you.”
Tank groaned and shook his head. “Jess—”
“I want to hear what he has to say. I’m ready for this all to be done, and I want to know why he’s been calling. Please come in. The sooner he says his piece, the sooner he can leave.” She cast a glower at Dornan as if to assure him he’d be leaving alone, and Troy admired her spunk.
“Okay, Mama Bear,” Troy said and then looked at Tank. “What do you think?”
Dornan couldn’t weigh more than one hundred and fifty pounds soaking wet, so Tank nodded and proceeded in while Troy double-checked inside Dornan’s jacket and jeans pockets for weapons.
Still holding tight to Bella, Jessica went to the utility room and came back with an armload of towels for the two men to dry off with. Tank directed Dornan to the kitchen table where he could sit without damaging any upholstery with his soaked clothing.
A knock came at the front door, and Troy hastened to open it. As he’d guessed, it was Chance and Clayton Carlisle and Gil James, the Rockin’ C Ranch foreman.
“Everything under control here?” Chance asked while peeking in past Troy’s shoulder. Troy respected a ranch owner who remained vigilant of the comings and goings on his property.
“We had an unauthorized visitor. Looks like we’re going to have to re-examine ranch security around the creek. He says he hiked it.”
“What’s he want?” Clayton asked, and the unasked question was evident in the furrow of his brows. Why were they questioning him in Jessica’s house instead of at their house?
“He wants to talk with Jessica. He scared the hell out of Bella when she caught him peeking in her bedroom window.”
“Damn. Is that what this was about? He’s the one who’s been harassing Jessica?” At Troy’s nod, Chance said, “Have you called Hank yet?”
“Not yet. We want to find out why he’s here first.”
Clayton said, “We’ll leave you to handle it, then. If you need us, just call, tonight or at any other point in the future. Jess, you and the little one okay?” he called out.
“Yes, Clayton, we’re fine. Thank you for checking on us.”
Clayton met Troy’s gaze and then patted the firearm he was cradling, a twelve-gauge shotgun. “If you need us, we can stay just in case there are any other visitors coming around uninvited.”
Chance nodded, raising an eyebrow as he said, “For that matter, I think it’d be safer for everyone if y’all moved both ladies to your place. You’ve got the security monitors over there. I know you can monitor the cameras and intrusion detectors from your smartphones, but your house is also a little more secure, isn’t it?”
Troy chewed his lip to hide a grin, but Tank maintained a serious expression. They all knew the men had gone out of their way to make sure Jessica’s place was just about as safe as it could be, just short of setting it up with alarms that would rival any in a bank. With all the high-tech functioning of their security system, they knew anytime a bunny rabbit went hopping past her place.
Clayton took off his hat and poked his head inside so he could see Jessica. “Sweetie, that’s an order, okay? They can protect you and Bella better from there.”
“But I—”
“I insist, okay? I know Lydia would, too. Let these two talk with the guy and you gather up your gear. The rain’s supposed to be clearing off soon.”
“Oh, all right. I hate to disrupt everything, though.”
Chance said, “You’re not a disruption. You and Bella are family, Jess, don’t you know that?”
The men left, with an assurance from Gil that he’d be available at a moment’s notice if they needed him.
Looking from the front window to the one over the kitchen sink, Dornan said, “Uh, you might wanna hold off on going outside where you’re vulnerable until after I’ve told you what all you need to know. No disrespect intended.”
Jessica bedded Bella down on the couch and then went back into the kitchen and sat where she could keep an eye on both her daughter and Dornan. “Okay, start from the beginning. Why have you been calling me?”
Jessica didn’t sit for more than a few seconds before she set about making a pot of coffee. Dornan bore a fair resemblance to his brother, and Troy could see from the way she kept wringing her hands and trying to crack her knuckles that he made her nervous. To his credit, Brian wasn’t as shifty-eyed as his ferret-faced brother.
He seemed to be gathering his thoughts as he put his hand on the back of his neck and then nodded in resolve. “Ms. Bright, I understood why you didn’t want to take my calls, after what all Trevor did...to you. And I don’t blame you for not trusting me. After all, he’s my brother. I was calling and calling because I kind of knew you wouldn’t want to meet me in person. I’ve got a good, secure job, and I try to not take off of work unless it’s really important. Otherwise, I’d have been here sooner. My original reason for calling was because I have something that belongs to your daughter—
Operation Ginger Avenger Page 13
