I might not get out of it alive by doing it that way, but at least they might. Knowing they would all survive made sacrificing myself worth it.
The man holding me was standing beside the big man now. They clearly thought they’d won the battle. As others grabbed my guys, I prepared for my big move. As the big man directed the traffic of his men, I felt his grip on me loosen somewhat, his attention divided rather than focused solely on me. This was it. Now or never.
Being a stuntwoman meant I’d choreographed a shit ton of fight scenes. Several similar to this exact scenario, in fact. Maybe TV and reality were very different, but sometimes they crossed paths and bore very striking similarities to each other.
I bent forward and drove my head backward with all the force I could manage. There was a sickening crunching of bone as the hard back of my head connected with his soft and squishy face. The move took him by complete surprise, giving me just enough freedom to squat down and grab his legs, yanking them upward. The man lost his balance, dropping the gun to the side. I twisted around, grabbed the gun and moved over to the big man, the one in charge.
I held the gun against his chest, and everyone in the building stopped moving at once. The silence was deafening after all the gunfire, and I bet you could hear the big man’s heart beating in his chest if you listened hard enough.
I knew one thing about these types of situations— the man in charge only cared about himself. His men were simply minions, pawns on the game board who could be easily replaced. But having him under my control meant the others might stand down. It was risky and probably doomed to failure, but it was a chance I had to take.
And much to my shock, it worked.
The big man called out, “Stand down.” They obeyed.
Boone ran over to Christina and started untying her.
“Get on your knees,” I ordered him, pressing the gun to his forehead as he obeyed.
“Harmless, huh? I don’t look so damn harmless now, do I?” I growled into his ear. “Tell them to let my guys go.”
In the distance, I heard sirens. Someone in Los Angeles must have finally called the cops, or maybe they were headed elsewhere. I wasn’t sure. I also wasn’t counting on them to save us. I’d come to understand clearly that the only person you could truly count on in this world was yourself.
The big man hesitated, so I buried the muzzle of the gun into his scalp. “I said, release my men.”
“Let them go,” he said slowly, then lowered his voice as he glared up at me. “Don’t think this is over.”
But it was over. Boone managed to get Christina untied just as the police swarmed the warehouse. We were no longer outnumbered, they were. I eventually dropped my weapon as officers surrounded us, hollering at me to do just that. I held my hands up in the air. Sometimes it was hard to tell the bad guys from the good ones in cases like this, where people were everywhere and everything was so chaotic, so I did everything I was told to do and did it with a smile. I got down on the ground, showed them my hands, and answered their questions.
In the end, it was pretty easy for them to see what went down. They knew the big man. Apparently his name was Charlie Rossi, and he’d been wanted for some time. No surprise there.
They questioned all of us, and I brought out the box from the storage unit that we had put in the truck and handed it over to them. I wanted to be done with all of it. I wanted to go back to my normal life like none of this had ever happened. I’d take the twelve-hour days jumping through glass or fire rather than everything I’d been through since returning to Colorado. The sooner they took over, the better. Now that Boone was safe, and Christina too, I felt confident everything would be okay.
We talked to the cops for what felt like an eternity, but once we were released, I found my way through the crowd of people and into the arms of the men I loved.
“I’m so sorry,” I told Wyatt. “I hoped to lose you. I didn’t want to drag you into this.”
He kissed me. “I’m just glad it all worked out. I love you and I didn’t want to lose you. I couldn’t have lived with myself if I let it happen and did nothing.”
“I love you too,” I said, hugging him, savoring the feeling of his heart thundering against me before turning to his brother. I punched Ryder hard in the chest. “That’s for tricking me.”
“Sounds like I’m not the only trickster amongst us,” he said, cocking an eyebrow at me.
“Yeah, but you gave me no choice,” I told him. “I had to do something.”
“I should have told you to keep my brother safe, not the other way around,” he teased.
“Now you know better.”
We stared at each other for a long time before I gave in. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him, whispering the words I wanted to say against his mouth.
“I’m just glad you’re okay,” I admitted. “I love you, Ryder.”
“I love you too,” he said.
Boone and Christina hadn’t left each other’s sight since they were reunited. They clung to each other like a drowning man might cling to a life preserver, and it was clear there was something deeper and more meaningful than they were willing to admit to was going on between them. Despite their denials, their relationship was serious. I walked over to them, putting an arm around my brother’s shoulder.
“How did I not see this?” I said, motioning between the two of them.
“You were pretty busy,” Boone said.
“And, well, we were worried you’d be mad,” Christina said, averting her eyes.
“Mad? Why would I be mad?” I asked. “Two of my favorite people, happy? Come on, now.”
“Thank you,” Christina said, taking my hand. “For everything.”
I removed my arm from my brother’s shoulder, my face serious. I licked my lips and looked at my friend. “Hey, Christina, if you don’t mind, can I talk to my brother for a second?”
I remembered everything Ryder had told me— about the drugs, about Lila and him— and the idea that he was somehow tied to the mafia? Well, that shit didn’t sit well with me.
Christina gave me a small smile and said, “Of course.”
I watched her walk over to where Wyatt was sitting, an EMT looking over his wound.
“I bet you want to know how I got tied up with all of this,” Boone said, reading my mind.
“Among other things,” I said. “But yeah, let’s start with that.”
He chuckled, and I had to resist the urge to smack the shit out of him. It wasn’t funny, not in the slightest. But I knew my brother often laughed when things got tough. It was a coping mechanism.
“Well, you knew Daphne and I were close, right?”
“Yeah, I knew you were friends,” I said.
“We were more than friends,” he said, staring down at the ground. “But only for a month or so. Then she started dating Hank, and well, I think you know the rest.”
“Hank killed Daphne, but where does that leave you?”
Boone sighed. “Hank killed Daphne because she knew too much. She found out about his ties to the mafia and knew he was involved in some illegal shit. That pretty much sealed her fate.”
“How do you know all this?” I asked, eyes wide.
“Because she told me the night he killed her. She called me hours before they found her body, and I was the one who told her to go to the cops,” he said.
My heart dropped. “So you were never actually involved with the Mob?”
“Seriously? Hazel, do you honestly think I’d be involved in shit like that?”
“I don’t know. I wouldn’t have thought so, but Ryder told me you used to sell drugs, and all kinds of other interesting shit.”
“It was pot and it was back in high school, but yeah. I’ve been on the up and up for years,” he said, his blue eyes staring deep into mine. “I promised you when I moved to L.A. I was done getting into trouble, and I meant it. And to my credit, I’ve avoided trouble for the most part.”
“But eventually, trouble
just happens to find you,” I muttered.
“I guess it does,” he said, looking off into the distance. We were quiet for a long time before he asked me, “So what’s up with you and Ryder and Wyatt? Like, are you a threesome or some weird shit I don’t want to think about?”
“I don’t know,” I said, wringing my hands. “I’m not sure what we are. I’m still confused about that myself, but I love them both and they both love me, so I guess I’ll see where that takes us.”
“Well, I just want you to be happy,” he said with a grin.
“I’ll be happier once we can go home,” I said.
“I’m not sure I want to stay in L.A. after all this,” Boone said, his smile faltering.
“I didn’t mean our apartment in L.A. I meant home. As in Colorado,” I said.
Boone looked at me wide-eyed and open mouthed. But I had to face facts; I felt the same way about remaining in L.A. I had no desire to stay in the city after what went down, and after spending time at home, I realized just how much I missed it.
It was nice to hear that Boone felt the same way.
“You know, it’s a nice town to start a family in,” he said, nudging my arm playfully.
“Oh yeah?” I chuckled. “Can’t wait for my nieces and nephews then.”
“I’ll get right on that,” Boone said, and there was a hint of seriousness to his voice that made me happy.
Never before had my brother talked about settling down and having a family, but he looked toward Christina with a faint smile. I could read the thoughts as they passed over his face. I had no doubt she was the one who’d changed his mind about all that.
* * *
“Home sweet home,” Ryder said as soon as we stepped through the front door of his place.
After picking up a few things at my apartment, I decided to head back to Colorado straight away. I didn’t want to stay alone, and I think the guys were more than happy to let me crash at their place.
So much so, they even let me bring my asshole cat with me. Bill hissed and growled the entire ride home, but I knew he would eventually get used to living in Colorado. I mean, what choice did he have, right? Besides, he was exchanging a cramped apartment for a large house. I figured it was a step in the right direction for him. The little bastard should have been grateful. I warned him I’d let him out to meet the much bigger cats on the mountain side if he didn’t shape up. He looked at me like he had zero fucks to give.
I’d decided to stay with the guys instead of at my own house since Boone and Christina were also heading that way. I’d let them have our house. Besides, the guys and I had a lot to figure out. None of us had spoken about the night in the hotel room, but none of us shied away from showing affection in front of each other either. When you got that close to death, I think it was expected that you want to show your loved ones how much they meant to you.
But now that we were home and life was getting back to normal, I knew we’d have to address the issue sooner or later.
I needed time to think, so I stepped out onto the back patio alone. Overlooking the mountains, breathing the clean, fresh air, I tried to clear my head. I wasn’t sure how to approach the subject. I heard the sliding glass door open, followed by two pairs of footsteps. My time was up.
Ryder stood to my right, Wyatt on my left. Each of them took one of my hands in theirs. Taking a deep, shaky breath, I started to speak, but Ryder spoke before I could get a word out.
“Hazel, we almost lost you twice now,” he said, turning toward me. “And neither of us can stand the thought of losing you again.”
“I know,” I said softly. “I’m sorry it has to be—”
Wyatt pressed his fingers to my lips. “Let us finish.”
I nodded, and Wyatt continued. “We realize we’ll do anything to avoid losing you again. Literally anything.”
Ryder finished. “Including sharing you, if that’s what it takes.”
“Sharing me?” I stammered. “You mean you’d really consider that?”
“It means you don’t have to choose,” Wyatt said, shrugging. “You can have us both. If you want.”
“Are you sure about that?” I searched their faces, fearful I’d see some sign of jealousy or hurt. Some reluctance on one of their faces. But instead, I saw two men who were absolutely sure about what they were offering.
“We’re not saying it’ll always be easy,” Ryder said. “But it’s worth it to us. As long as you’re okay with it.”
Was I okay with it? I didn’t even have to question myself. I knew in my heart that this was what I’d always wanted. But I’d felt it was too selfish to even wish for, let alone give voice to.
“Yes, of course,” I said, falling into Ryder’s arms.
We kissed for a few minutes, soft, gentle kisses. I never knew him to be the romantic type, but these men never ceased to amaze me. Not wanting to ignore Wyatt, I hugged him, and we kissed passionately. They were so alike, yet so different, and I loved their differences. I loved everything about them.
And I’d never felt happier or more at home than I did in that moment.
“Come on,” I said, holding both of their hands in mine. It was getting late, and we were all tired from traveling and thankful to be home. “Let’s go to bed.”
The two men followed me upstairs. I chose Wyatt’s bedroom since it was the first one we came to, and neither man argued with me. We had several to choose from, to make as our own if we decided to do this long-term, and it sounded like we were.
Wyatt had a king-sized bed that took up most of the room with hunter green bedding and a thick, cozy, down comforter. Perfect, I thought with a smile.
Both men removed my clothing, piece by piece, slowly stripping it away. I closed my eyes and let their hands work their magic over me, savoring the sensation of their fingers gliding over my skin, exploring me. Fingers spreading me open, a tongue finding my clit while another found my lips, strong hands turning my head to kiss him deeply. I could tell from the beard that Wyatt was on his knees and Ryder was at my lips.
My body trembled as Wyatt’s tongue lapped at my wetness. Ryder’s hands moved lower, cupping my breasts. His fingers teased my nipples, sending a wave of pleasure washing over me. My knees weakened, but Wyatt’s hands on my hips held me steady as he continued tasting me.
My toes curled as Wyatt brought me to orgasm, and if it hadn’t been for the two of them holding me up, I’d have fallen to the floor. My entire body shook as I rode out the wave, my hands tangled in Wyatt’s hair as I held him against me, pressing his face into my pussy as I came. His tongue was buried deep inside me, but I wanted more.
I needed more.
I pulled Wyatt up by his hair, begging him. “Please, I need you inside me.”
Ryder lifted me, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He carried me to the bed, laying me down on my back as he towered above me. My strong mountain men stood beside the bed, looking down at me like I was their goddess.
They were both mine.
I didn’t have to choose.
Wyatt undressed for me, giving me a show, while Ryder climbed up on the bed with me. His hands worked at my naked breasts as his mouth touched every inch of my neck. Wyatt’s pants dropped in front of me, and even though I’d seen it before, and experienced him a couple times already, my eyes still widened at the size of his manhood. Long and thick, erect and dripping with precum. He was ready for me, and I was more than ready for him.
But I couldn’t neglect one of my men in favor of the other. I needed to please them both, make sure they both knew how much I loved them and wanted them in my life.
I whispered in Ryder’s ear, “Get undressed.”
Normally, my strong-headed mountain men might not obey so easily, but we all wanted this. Ryder stood up and began undressing in front of me. Wyatt climbed onto to the bed, taking his place, kissing and stroking my chest as I watched Ryder’s little striptease.
I hadn’t seen him fully nude, only felt him against me. He to
ok his time, removing his shirt first, baring his strong chest and arms first. Easily one of my favorite parts of his body. You could tell he spent time with an axe; his upper arms and pecs were solid muscle. A trail of dark hair led down to his abs, a perfect six pack that looked hard enough to do laundry on.
He removed his belt, and the sound of it falling to the floor amped up my desire. So close to getting what I wanted, I thought. So very close to seeing all of him.
His pants slid down his hips, his boxers remained mostly in place, highlighting the outline of his erection.
Such a tease, I thought, squirming on the bed. Wyatt grabbed my breasts, his rough hands rolling my nipples as he held me in place.
Ryder finally peeled his boxers down, his cock popping free, as hard and as strong as I expected from him. He was thick and long, like his brother.
Wyatt released me from his grasp, and I moved to the edge of the bed until my face was even with his erection. Staring up at Ryder with wide eyes, I stroked his member, watching the pleasure roll over his face at the simplest of touches.
I pressed the tip of him against my lips, then parted them, taking him inside my mouth. Ryder’s hands played softly with my hair as I took as much of him inside my mouth as I could. It wasn’t easy; he was so big that my hand had to make up the difference, stroking in perfect timing with my mouth.
Strong hands grabbed my hips and ass and positioned me in doggy style.
“Yes, Wyatt, fuck me, please,” I whimpered.
Wyatt was on his knees behind me as I sucked Ryder’s cock. He grabbed my hips, holding me steady while his erection rubbed against my most sensitive parts. The head of his cock teased my opening before rubbing against my clit.
I writhed, filled with a need that was growing in intensity. Wyatt spread my pussy lips with the tip of his cock, and with one glorious thrust, filled that need completely. I cried out, my mouth still wrapped around his brother’s cock. It still surprised me how big he was as he stretched me open, burying himself deep inside of me.
Ryder stared down at me, his dark eyes devouring me. The way he looked at me, the way both of them looked at me, made me feel like I was the most beautiful woman on the planet. Nothing else mattered in that moment.
Her Mountain Brothers Page 17
