by Becca Van
He’d heard that the Rhodes brothers had relocated to another state, but he hadn’t known where. He should have realized that those fuckers would follow his woman to wherever she was. Those assholes had always hung around Jaylynn and her brother.
A red haze of fury colored over his eyes when one of the pricks wrapped an arm around her shoulders as another of the bastards held her hand. Thankfully, he was quite a ways behind them, and he was wearing a Stetson to shield his face from the sun and mirrored sunglasses. If they turned and spotted him, hopefully having his face in shadows and the shades over his eyes would be enough of a disguise so they didn’t recognize him. Plus, they wouldn’t expect him to be in Slick Rock
When the quartet stopped in the middle of the street Jimmy moved closer to the hardware shop window and made it look as if he was perusing something through the glass, but all the while he kept his gaze on his woman and those motherfuckers from his periphery.
He almost smiled when she pulled away from them and crossed her arms over her chest. Of course, he couldn’t see her face but from hers and their body language, they were arguing about something.
He almost took a step toward the pricks when they backed his woman into a wall and surrounded her, but he clenched his fists instead. Whatever was going on had to be good for him. If she was angry with those fuckers, he would more than likely have a better chance to court her attentions his way. Not that he really cared. She was just angry with him over some imagined infraction.
Jaylynn loved him as much as he loved her and knew they were meant to be together. She was just playing hard to get, but he’d tame all that willfulness away once he had his hands on her.
He rubbed his hands together when they started walking again. Two of the assholes tried to hold her hands again, but she wasn’t having any of their attentions. She jerked away and hurried ahead of them.
The assholes glanced at each other with puzzled expressions on their faces. He could have told them they didn’t stand a chance in hell of courting her when it was him she loved.
Jimmy meandered down the sidewalk at a leisurely pace, keeping distance between them, peering with feigned interest into shop windows every now and then so it didn’t look as if he was watching his woman and the three bozos. They entered the diner and as much as he would have liked to go in there just to fuck with their minds, he decided keeping a low profile was in his best interests. After gazing about, he spotted the cafe diagonally across the street and after checking for traffic, crossed the road. He’d order an early dinner and once they were finished eating at the diner, he was going to follow them. When he knew where Jaylynn and the bastards were holed up, he could reconnoiter later and make some plans.
He’d brought his black-market sniper rifle with him as well as a few other weapons and necessary items.
While he was eager to get to his woman, he’d learned to be patient when he was serving as a Marine. Even though he begrudged wasting more time, time that would be better spent taming his woman to be biddable and obedient, he couldn’t just go all gung-ho and make a move before he was ready. Tipping his hand would fuck up all his chances of getting what he wanted. The Rhodes brothers were Marines like he was, and he suspected they were also black ops soldiers. There’d been a few rumors flying around Forth Worth base to that effect, but of course, with everything so hush-hush, he’d never had the rumors confirmed. Not that he gave a fuck.
He was just as good as they were, if not better.
After ordering his pizza at the counter, he took a seat next to the window and kept an eye on his girl.
* * * *
Even though Cael chatted with his brothers as they waited for their lunch order, he kept a close eye on Jaylynn. She’d hardly said a word since they’d surrounded her on the street and she kept her gaze lowered.
He wished he knew what was going on in that pretty little head, but he wasn’t a mind reader. He’d thought that he and his brothers had laid all their cards on the table before they’d made love with their woman, but it seemed there were still quite a few issues to iron out.
Cindy took their orders after enquiring what they wanted to eat and then hurried away after making sure they all had coffee.
Cael’s gut was knotted up and while he wanted to grill Jaylynn, he didn’t. There were too many people about and he didn’t want anyone else knowing their business. Plus, Jaylynn was and always had been a very private person and he knew she’d be pissed if he started a deep and meaningful conversation in the diner. She’d be mortified if the conversation turned into a heated debate. He had a feeling he and his brothers were walking on eggshells right now and one wrong step would send Jaylynn scurrying away. He gazed over at Ajay and caught him frowning in Jaylynn’s direction, and he wasn’t the only one. Brax was trying to be surreptitious as he gazed at her from the corner of his eye.
Cael was determined to have every misunderstanding sorted out before nightfall. He just hoped that Jaylynn didn’t decide to leave in a fit of pique.
* * * *
“Jaylynn, how are you feeling?” Violet asked as she hurried toward their table. “I didn’t expect to see you in here so soon. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Hi, Violet. I’m fine. Apparently, I just had that flu virus that’s been going around.”
“You still look tired and pale.” Violet glanced at the guys before looking back at her. “Are you sure you should be up and about so soon?”
“I’ve just been to see Dr. Phoenix Carter.” She shrugged.
“And?” Violet asked.
Jaylynn sighed with frustrated resignation. The women were becoming more and more like the men, badgering her until she answered, even though she didn’t really want to.
“He’s given me a week off work.”
“Scoot over,” Violet said.
Jaylynn shifted toward Brax and hoped he’d move over so she wouldn’t be plastered against his side. She wasn’t sure she could deal with the physical attraction while she was in so much turmoil. And yet there was no way to deny how her body reacted whenever she was close to or thought about Cael, Brax, and Ajay. She loved them so much and it was just natural for her to lust after them, too.
“Why do you hate that so much?” Violet asked as she clasped her shoulder.
She shrugged. “I need to work, Vi.”
“I get that. I really do. What I don’t get is why you were working everyone else’s shift as well as your own? Are you in financial trouble?” Violet whispered.
“No,” she answered just as softly. “I don’t want to talk about it, Violet.”
Vi nodded. “Okay, but just know that I’m here if you ever want to talk about what is going on with you. All right?”
“Yes, thanks.”
Violet stood. “Feel better, Jaylynn.”
“Thanks.” She swallowed around the constrictive lump in her throat and blinked back the tears in her eyes. She’d never normally been quick to tear up, but she was so tired and emotional lately. Hopefully after another good night’s sleep, she’d have her feelings under control again.
* * * *
Brax glanced in the rearview mirror and mentally cursed when he couldn’t see Jaylynn’s face. She’d been quiet, too quiet at lunch, hardly speaking unless asked a question and then her replies had been one-word answers. He hadn’t missed how she’d been whispering with Violet and while he wished he’d heard what they’d been talking about, his hearing wasn’t that great. While serving as a Marine, he’d fired weapons, as had the rest of the team, as well as been close to explosions and other loud noises. While he wasn’t deaf, he now had a hard time filtering out background noise when there was a lot of it and the diner was a prime example.
The chatter and clank of cutlery on dishes had been too loud for him to hear the women’s conversation and from the way his brothers had been frowning, they’d been having the same problem. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to give Jaylynn privacy to talk to her friends, because normally he wouldn’t have batte
d an eye over the way they’d been whispering. However, since there was something going on with Jaylynn, he’d been curious and hoped to get an inkling as to what was going on in her mind. Although he had a pretty good idea already, he’d just wanted his supposition confirmed.
He slowed the truck and pulled into the garage after the door came up remotely and turned off the ignition. Jaylynn’s deep even breathing filled the cab and he realized she’d fallen asleep. “Let’s get our woman inside and into bed. We can talk to her when she wakes up.”
Ajay and Cael nodded.
Ajay and Brax got out of the truck while Cael carefully lifted Jaylynn into his arms and then maneuvered them both out the open door. Brax opened the internal door and led them inside and took the lead toward the bedroom. He and Ajay pulled the covers down and Cael lowered her to the mattress. She sighed and rolled onto her side before curling up into a small ball. Cael removed her shoes and then pulled the cover up over her body.
Brax nodded toward the door and followed his brothers out. He pulled the bedroom door almost all the way closed and hurried toward the kitchen.
“Thanks,” he said as he took the beer Ajay handed him, popped the top and took a sip.
“You think she’s scared?” Cael asked, scrubbing a hand over his face.
“I don’t think, I know.” Brax sighed.
“We told her what we wanted with her.” Ajay pointed his beer bottle in Brax’s direction. “Why would she be scared of that?”
“Everyone she’s ever loved has died, left her. She’s scared that if she loves us, too, that we’ll die,” Brax explained.
“Shit!” Cael leaned against the kitchen counter. “I understand why she’d feel that way, but we’re safer than we’ve ever been now that we’ve retired from the Marines.”
“Do you think she’ll be able to handle us being cops?”
“She’s tough and as long as we’re always aware of our surroundings and alert while we’re on the job, we shouldn’t have any trouble staying safe,” Brax said.
“I’m glad she fell asleep,” Ajay said. “She was having trouble keeping her eyes open but was fighting the fatigue and would never admit that she was exhausted.”
“I don’t think she totally trusts us yet,” Cael said. “If she did, she wouldn’t be holding back. She used to just blurt out anything she was thinking, but not anymore. I hate that she’s closed that part of herself off, or holding it back.”
“We all do, Cael, and while I think you’re right about the trust issue, it’ll come,” Brax said. “It’s going take time for her to get used to us being around again.”
“And if she doesn’t?” Ajay asked.
“Doesn’t learn to fully trust us and open up?” Brax quirked a brow.
Cael nodded and sipped his beer.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Brax answered. “We can’t borrow trouble before we’re facing it, because if we do, we could end up fucking everything up.”
“We need to get her talking, Brax.” Ajay drained his beer and then put the bottle in the recycle bin.
“You think I don’t know that?” He sighed with frustration and ran his fingers through his hair.
“She’s not leaving us,” Cael snarled.
“You’re right. She’s not,” Ajay agreed.
“We have at least a week to work on her and gain her trust.” Just thinking about Jaylynn walking out the door nearly brought him to his knees. His brothers were right. Jaylynn wasn’t going anywhere and tomorrow morning, or hopefully sooner, they were going to sit down with her and talk things through.
“Do you think she’s going to wake up for dinner?” Cael asked as he walked toward the fridge.
“You can’t be hungry.” Ajay squinted at Cael. “You just ate.”
Cael glanced at his watch and then met Ajay’s and Brax’s gazes. “I could eat.”
“You’re unbelievable.” Ajay snickered as he took the ingredients that Cael passed him.
“You’re both just as bad. We need to keep our strength up to deal with our woman. Once she stops hiding, she’s going to keep us on our toes.”
“I fucking hope so,” Brax said.
“What are we making?” Ajay asked as he and Cael started to chop and dice.
“If I remember correctly, Jaylynn was always partial to our chicken and vegetable casserole.” Cael smiled.
“She was more than partial.” Brax chuckled. “She was obsessed with it.”
“That’s because she couldn’t figure out what our secret ingredients were.” Ajay laughed.
“There isn’t anything special about Dijon and wholegrain mustard,” Cael said.
“What about the mixed herbs and the paprika?” Brax asked.
Ajay shook his head. “Nah, it’s probably the chicken stock and the sour cream.”
Brax didn’t think it was any of those things. He had a feeling that Jaylynn liked the casserole so much because it tasted good, was healthy and she didn’t have to make it. Whatever it was, he and his brothers would make it for her as much as she wanted. He loved the appreciative sounds she made while she ate food they’d made for her.
Brax was glad that the atmosphere wasn’t as fraught with tension as it had been. He liked seeing his brothers laughing, smiling and having a good time. He hoped that once they got through to Jaylynn and she realized they weren’t stringing her along, and they wanted a lifetime with her, that she would want that, too.
She was his heart and soul, the love of his life, and he wasn’t willing to let her walk away again.
Chapter Thirteen
Jaylynn knew she wasn’t alone as soon as she surfaced from sleep. She could feel Brax, Ajay, and Cael watching her and while she wasn’t sure if she should let on she was awake, she quickly dispelled that idea. She’d never been a coward and wasn’t going to start being one now.
She forced her eyelids up and inhaled the wonderful aroma of coffee.
“Hey, baby.” Brax, who was sitting next to her with his back against the headboard, stroked a finger down her cheek. “How are you feeling?”
She covered her mouth when she yawned and then shoved up so that she was leaning against the headboard, too. She blinked the sleep haze from her eyes and gazed at Ajay and Cael before looking at Brax again. “I’m good. What time is it?”
“Seven a.m.”
She frowned. “I slept the whole afternoon and night through? I’ve never done that before. Well, besides when I was sick.”
“You’re still recovering from your illness and exhaustion, honey.” Ajay was propped against the headboard on her other side and he handed her a steaming mug of coffee.
“Thanks.”
“We need to talk, sweetness,” Cael stated resolutely.
Jaylynn lowered her gaze and sipped at her coffee. She needed a kick, so she wasn’t so fuzzy minded. She had a feeling this…discussion was going to be intense.
After drinking half of her coffee, she felt more alert and hoped her brain wasn’t still sluggish. She gazed at Cael and nodded. “What do you want to talk about?”
“We want to know why you’re scared of this relationship,” Ajay said in a calm low voice.
Jaylynn jerked and was glad that she’d drunk enough coffee so it hadn’t sloshed over the rim of the mug and burnt her. She should have known that Ajay, Cael, and Brax would get right to the point. They’d always been like that and although right now she was feeling vulnerable, she was glad they were. There was never any second guessing with them. They always said what they meant. She cleared her throat and lowered her gaze to the quilt. “I’m scared,” she whispered.
Brax took the mug from her hand, placed it on the bedside table and then laced his fingers with hers. “We know you’re scared, Jaylynn, but of what?”
She tugged her hand from his and wrung her fingers together. “What if this doesn’t work out? What if you all find someone else you want to be with?”
Ajay grasped the hair at the back of her head and turn
ed her gaze toward his. He leaned down until he was so close he was blurry and out of focus. She could feel his breath puffing against her cheek. “What kind of fucking question is that? We’ve already told you we want to have a lasting relationship with you. Another woman isn’t going to turn our heads, Jaylynn. We want to be with you and only you.”
“How can you know that?” she cried out. “I’m just me, Ajay. There are a lot of other beautiful women in this country. I’m no one special.”
“Sometimes you make me so fucking angry.”
She closed her eyes when he pressed his forehead to hers and swallowed around the emotional constriction in her throat. She hated making any of them angry and while they’d said they wanted a relationship with her, she was scared of laying her heart on the line. Would they laugh in her face if she told them she loved them and had done so for years? Would they even believe her or still think she was a silly schoolgirl with a childish crush? She wasn’t sure she could handle them looking at her with sympathy, especially if they didn’t return her feelings.
“Back off, Ajay,” Brax ordered.
She sighed with relief when Ajay released her hair and moved away. They were all so much older than her. Brax was thirty-five years old. Ajay was thirty-three, and Cael thirty-one. Jaylynn hadn’t turned twenty-five yet, and while sometimes she felt as if she was eighty, other times she felt so young and inexperienced.
When she felt the mattress dip she opened her eyes to see Ajay rolling to his feet. He started pacing and running his fingers through his hair with agitation.
“Why do you think we asked you to have a relationship with us, baby?” Brax asked.
She glanced at Cael and quickly averted her eyes when she saw how angry he looked. His jaw was clenched so tight the muscles on either side were flexing. Brax cupped her cheek and brought her gaze up to his. She drew a deep ragged breath and answered his question. “Because you feel responsible for me. Because Sebastian asked you to look after me.”
