Protecting Dallas

by Krista Wolf

  Of course I’d worn these things on purpose, before coming downstairs. But they didn’t know that.

  Or maybe they did.

  “Maybe last night was a one-shot deal,” I shrugged casually. “The four of us blew off some steam. Had a little fun.”

  Kane cleared his throat noisily. “A little fun?”

  “Okay, a LOT of fun,” I smiled. “More fun that a poor homeless girl and three Navy SEALS probably should have together. But then again… maybe not. Maybe last night was just what we needed. And maybe it was the beginning of something else.”

  I approached Austin, using one finger to trace a slow line down his chest. His eyes followed like he was in a trance.

  “Something… else?” asked Maddox.

  I nodded and bounced over to where Kane was sitting. “Mmm-Hmm,” I said. “Something cool. Something fun. Something… just between us.”

  Spinning on my heel, I let myself fall into Kane’s lap. His arms slid around me protectively. I squirmed a bit, grinding my ass into his crotch for a few seconds, before bouncing up again.

  “Maybe we’ll even do it again,” I said tantalizingly. “That is, you know… if you guys are into it.”

  All eyes were predictably on me. They crawled up my legs, panned over my stomach. Followed my every bouncy step. Lingered on every curve.

  “Of course we could go back to enforcing your vow. That’s another option.”

  Kane reached for me, but I twisted away. I slid over to Maddox now. Running my hand up his shirt I could feel his heart beating thunderously, deep in his chest.

  “No need to answer now,” I said with a wink. “You guys take some time, think it over. But at least now you know my position. You know where I stand.”

  My ‘position’ had been decided two minutes after slipping out of Kane’s bedroom last night. I could still feel their hands on my body, smell the scent of them on my skin. I could feel them inside me! Spreading me open. Filling me up…

  Pinning me between them. Crushing me…

  There was no doubt in my mind. I wanted it again.

  Deftly I plucked the pan from between Maddox’s fingers. Dumping the burnt mess straight in the garbage, I grabbed a towel and began wiping it out.

  “For now though,” I said, turning my ass on them. “You’d better let me make the eggs.”

  Fifteen

  DALLAS

  The guys disappeared for the rest of the day, giving me time to rest and relax. It also gave them time to process what I’d said, and to think about how they wanted to handle our future, all beneath the same roof.

  The good news was there didn’t appear to be any jealousy, at least outwardly. My biggest worry had been that one or more of them actually ‘liked’ me, and considering what we’d done, might now be resentful of the others. The last thing I wanted was to come between them. Except physically, of course.

  Yet that was always the danger when guys got as close as they were. These men were brothers, in every sense of the word. Brothers fought over things all the time, and I’d vowed it wasn’t going to be like that. If what we’d done was actually going to happen again, there was only way to handle it.

  I’d make myself available to all three of them… or none of them at all.

  The other thing I’d been worried about was them treating me differently because I was Connor’s sister. That in some strange way, bedding me was a betrayal to my brother’s memory. I was glad that didn’t appear to be the case either, because I knew these men loved Connor as much as I did. They respected and admired him enough to dedicate the last year of their lives to protecting me, even after he was gone.

  How could I not love that about them?

  Love.

  It was such a strange word, and one with which I was wholly unfamiliar. I loved my parents of course, and I loved my brother more than any other man in my entire life. But as far as relationships went, I’d never truly felt love before. I’d had short term boyfriends and even a couple of long term ones. Everything from fuck-buddies to friends with benefits to one lucky guy I actually celebrated a two-year anniversary with.

  But it was never love.

  I thought about all this as I soaked in the claw-footed tub, watching the steam slowly wind its way toward the ceiling. The water was so hot I could barely stand it — one more degree and it would scald my skin. That was the way I liked it though. Showers too.

  These guys really loved Connor.

  Absently, I rubbed my brother’s pendant with my thumb. They did love him, and perhaps that was why I was so attracted to them, even beyond the obvious sense. Physically they were gorgeous, each in his own way. Maddox was the blond-maned hot guy I’d always been attracted to, with abdominals I could get lost in for days. Austin was dark and handsome, as clean-cut and beautiful as a man could be. Even Kane, with his size and strength and brooding dark nature had me indescribably drawn to him. The way he’d just seized control had me more turned on than I’d ever been in my life, even before the others had joined in.

  But beyond the physical, I could feel an emotional connection forming there too. An invisible bond between the three of them and myself. A special kinship… all because of Connor.

  I sighed and lifted one leg, running the soapy loofah down over my calf. The guys had turned their noses up at my loofah, immediately upon finding it hanging from the shower spigot. I’d had to explain to them what it was, laughing the whole time.

  They’re so raw, I thought to myself. So rough around the edges.

  Maybe that’s why I liked them so much. I’d dated men… and I’d dated men. The three guys I was living with now were definitely the latter. As soldiers they were polished, disciplined, deadly. But as men…

  As men they were big beautiful lumps of clay, ready to be molded by my overly-eager hands.

  Yeah, right.

  I laughed out loud again in the tub, then wondered if I were going insane. Maybe, I thought. It was definitely possible.

  Then again, when you’d lost as much as I had, in such a short amount of time? You had to take whatever pleasures you could.

  And I oh so planned on taking my pleasures.

  Gradually my thoughts drifted back to last night. What the four of us had done together had been unspeakably hot. It would live in my memory forever; the pale blue shadows, the howl of the sandstorm outside…

  The three musclebound military men, slamfucking you into oblivion…

  Yeah, that too. Definitely that.

  The whole thing had been so dirty, so naughty, so unexpected. And it had been slutty, too. But slutty in a gloriously powerful way.

  They worshiped you. Treated you like a goddess.

  They had, really. All three of them had been dominating yet caring. Strong and insistent, yet gentle where it mattered. They’d taken care of me. Made sure I was alright, all throughout our filthy little act, and they’d brought me off at least four separate times that I could count, to boot.

  I dropped the loofah and let my hand slip beneath the water. It slid down my stomach, my breath catching in my throat as it wandered into the tender valley between my thighs.

  You fucked all three of them.

  Yes, I had. And it was incredible.

  One by one. Two at a time…

  I closed my eyes, picturing how I must’ve looked. Wishing there had been a mirror in Kane’s room, so I could’ve watched myself writhing between them. I wanted a better visual of their bodies clenching and pumping. I needed to see myself being screwed hotly from both ends.

  Lazily I dragged my middle finger up and down my warm slit. Yes, maybe it was slutty. But slutty in all the best ways.

  “Mmmmm…”

  My slow purr of satisfaction echoed against the white-tiled walls. I continued exploring myself, delving deeper. My breathing growing more rapid as the heel of my thumb bumped tortuously against my aching clit…

  BEEP BEEP!

  I sat up at the distant chime of the front door. The double-beep indicating that
someone had come in after successfully entering the alarm code.

  “Dallas?”

  “Up here!”

  Maddox’s voice was preceded by his heavy footfalls on the staircase. Or bootfalls. Or whatever they were.

  “Oh, there you are.”

  I’d left the bathroom door open intentionally. No need for modesty, really. Not anymore. Not after last night.

  Hell, walking around the house in my underwear was back on the menu too.

  My back was to the doorway when I felt his presence. I craned my neck over the edge of the tub and smiled at him upside-down.

  “What’s up?”

  He paused awkwardly, trying not to stare. Then he realized he could stare, and I saw his eyes begin to wander.

  “We uh… we need you downstairs. To talk about stuff.”

  Shit.

  “Is this about last night?” I asked hesitantly. I was hoping against hope they hadn’t changed their minds.

  Maddox thought for a moment, then his whole expression changed. “Oh no, no! Not about that,” he said hastily. “We wanted to talk you about other stuff.”

  “Other stuff…”

  “Yes,” he said, taking a step forward. Damn, he looked good. Smelled good, too. Camos and a white T-shirt. Sharp. Simple. Handsome.

  “It’s about what we found,” he said, his voice sounding suddenly excited.

  My eyes went wide. I reached for a towel.

  “It’s about Connor.”

  Sixteen

  DALLAS

  My hair was still wet as I approached the kitchen table, wearing nothing but a soft terrycloth bathrobe. Little by little, I was acquiring things again. A good robe was just another one of my creature comforts.

  “You umm, wanna get changed or something?” Austin said. He gave me a quick look, up and down. “We can wait if you’d like to—”

  “Nah. I’m good.”

  The three of them were at the table, sitting around a laptop. Maddox had some papers in front of him. Photographs too.

  “Alright,” he said, “so you already know we’ve been trying to figure out who trashed your house.”

  I nodded, scooting forward. It was dark outside, late already. Even so I could hear coffee brewing. I could smell it too.

  Good boys.

  “After the shit-show at your place,” he went on, “we checked the all obvious places for loose ends. Police reports. Ambulance and fire. Austin scoured the hospital records for any signs someone might’ve been brought in injured, maybe with a couple of bullet holes or something equally awesome.” He shook his head. “But no, we got blanked on all of that.”

  “Too bad,” I agreed.

  “Yeah. That was a longshot, but we had to check it. These guys were pros. They had vests and ballistic armor, probably the latest carbon-fiber flex.”

  I had no idea what any of that meant, but I got the gist. I nodded for him to go on.

  “So we went back and reviewed all the surveillance footage,” Austin said, taking over. “The stuff that happened inside the house we obviously missed, because they cut the power from the pole on the way in. But here, check this out.”

  He punched a few keys on the keyboard, and a series of still photos popped out. I recognized them as an outside view of my house. A street view. At night.

  “It was too dark to see much, but we did get a partial license plate.” He pointed at very large, very dark SUV. “Riiiight… here.”

  I squinted hard. I could barely make out anything.

  “I can’t—”

  Austin punched another key, and everything brightened. I could see the dark edges of lettering now. Numbers.

  “It’s a military plate,” said Maddox. “These were military vehicles.”

  I felt a slow, unpleasant pull in the pit of my stomach. My face must’ve gone somber too.

  “So… Connor was killed by his own people?”

  “Well let’s not jump to that conclusion,” Austin said hastily. “All we know for sure is the trucks were military. Based out of Nellis.” He laid down a few photographs. Black SUV’s, exactly like the ones in the surveillance images.

  I was still confused.

  “Kane’s got connections that pulled vehicle logs for us,” said Maddox. “None of these trucks were checked out that night. Which means the logs were scrubbed, or the checkouts were never logged at all.”

  “Which means someone’s covering shit up,” I said icily.

  “Yes.”

  They were silent for a moment, as Kane poured me a mug. He set the sugar and cream down before me, and gave me a spoon.

  “Did I ever tell you you’re the best?” I quipped.

  “No,” he said, sinking back into his chair. “But I assumed as much.”

  Austin bumped him with one leg. Maddox smirked before going on.

  “So now let’s talk about Connor…”

  I stopped mid-sip. I sat up straighter.

  “Your brother’s personal effects disappeared almost immediately after he went missing,” said Maddox. “His phone, his laptop, even his car.”

  “They took his car?” I asked incredulously. “That old thing?”

  “As his next of kin, didn’t you ever wonder what happened to it?”

  I shook my head slowly. “I— I just assumed they trashed it. I mean, it was really old.”

  “Not old,” Kane said, folding his arms. “A classic. You don’t trash a classic.”

  Shit, he looked almost offended. I shrugged again.

  “Anyway, your brother’s phone records finally came in,” said Austin. “More of Kane’s contacts were able to clone a digital copy, backed up just hours before…” He stopped himself just in time. “Before the last recorded instance of use.”

  He pulled out a smartphone and punched it open. It blinked on, and I gasped as I recognized the splash screen immediately.

  It was a picture of Connor and me.

  “Is… Is that his phone?”

  “Yes and no,” said Austin. “It’s a copy of his phone, scribed onto a SIM card, installed into the same basic model.” He slid it my way. “It contains all his information, all his contacts, all his text-messages. All his photos too, in case you wanted them.”

  There was a lump in my throat. I was definitely going to cry.

  “W—Why are you giving it to me?”

  “Because you said you wanted in on this, Dallas. You said you wanted to help us.”

  I swallowed hard, and the tears fell. Somehow this time, it was okay. It wasn’t at all like it was the first time, where I was trying not to show weakness in the face of three practical strangers.

  No, things were very, very different between us now.

  “Take your time,” said Maddox, “and go over everything on that device.” He reached out and closed one hand gently over mine. “Even if it’s hard, Dallas. Even if it hurts. No one knew Connor like you did, not even us. Maybe you can find something we missed. Something important.”

  I looked at him through glassy eyes. There was no pity in his expression now, no placation. Only sympathy. Sympathy and love.

  “O—Okay,” I said.

  They gave me a moment. Kane gave me a tissue. I took both, gratefully, and blew my nose.

  “Finally, you need to know this,” said Austin. “According to your brother’s phone, he’s been out to the desert several times. Out in the middle of the desert, where there’s nothing to see and no one around.”

  I glanced up curiously.

  “And that’s not all,” he continued. “Your brother had been using a military-grade app to track transponder codes. And a pair of those transponders are somehow attached to two out of three of these SUV’s.” He tapped the photographs again. “These vehicles wouldn’t normally have transponders, unless someone like Connor put them there.”

  My coffee stared up at me resentfully, totally untouched. None of it made any sense.

  “These SUV’s have been out in the desert too,” Maddox broke in. “And they
stopped at exactly the same place your brother did, on all the same dates. At exactly the same times.”

  Another span of silence settled over the kitchen. All at once my brows came together.

  “So what are you saying?” I snapped angrily. “That my brother was working with these guys?”

  Maddox actually looked disappointed. “Of course not,” he said. “We all know Connor would never do anything like that.”

  The others shifted, nodding fervently. I felt foolish.

  “Then what?”

  “Just the opposite,” Austin chimed in. “That whatever was going on out there, your brother was observing it. Gathering intel on his own. Maybe even getting ready to give that information up.”

  “Whatever it was,” said Maddox. “We’re thinking Connor was trying to stop it.”

  I felt a chill go through my body. My hands started shaking.

  “And maybe,” Kane added ominously, “that’s what got him killed.”

  Seventeen

  DALLAS

  They left me alone that night, relatively speaking. We stayed in, tore ravenously through some Italian take-out, and probably ate more than our fill. Then we lounged in front of the television for a while, until one by one, each of my gorgeous SEAL roommates retired to bed.

  Well shit, that wasn’t what I expected.

  I was left sitting there on the couch, going over the contents of Connor’s phone. Flipping through every single photo a half-dozen times, going all the way back to nearly two years ago and more.

  Every smiling photograph of him hurt my heart.

  Dammit, Connor.

  For the first hour or so I resented him. He’d obviously underestimated the men who’d killed him. As a man, a soldier, a Navy fucking SEAL for shit’s sake, he above all people knew the strength and value of a team. I hated him for putting himself out there alone, all by himself, in the godforsaken desert.

  Why did my brother have to be the righteous one? Couldn’t he just have left well enough alone?