Dream Life Read online

  

  Slick Rock 20

  Dream Life

  After finding her mother and stepfather stabbed to death in their home, Shyann Bowler’s scared. When the police tell Shyann her stepbrother is the murderer, she’s terrified. With her life in turmoil and her heart full of grief, she applies for a job as head librarian in the town of Slick Rock, Colorado and packs her things as soon as she’s hired.

  Raiden, Brigg, and Tane Tremaine have been trying to get the beautiful Shyann to go out with them for weeks, but she doesn’t seem to want anything to do with them. However, Raiden isn’t about to give up. He finally manages to get Shyann to have lunch with them and just as they’re leaving the diner, the three brothers save her from being injured by an out of control truck.

  However, things aren’t as they seem. When the Tremaine brothers realize that their woman is in danger, they aren’t about to let her out of their sight. Nevertheless, no amount of protection can save her from a crazy man.

  Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Western/Cowboys

  Length: 67,674 words

  DREAM LIFE

  Slick Rock 20

  Becca Van

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  DREAM LIFE

  Copyright © 2018 by Becca Van

  ISBN: 978-1-64243-082-0

  First Publication: March 2018

  Cover design by Les Byerley

  All art and logo copyright © 2018 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

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  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  My name is Becca Van. I live in Australia with my wonderful hubby of many years, as well as my two children.

  I read my first romance, which I found in the school library, at the age of thirteen and haven’t stopped reading them since. It is so wonderful to know that love is still alive and strong when there seems to be so much conflict in the world.

  I dreamed of writing my own book one day but, unfortunately, didn’t follow my dream for many years. But once I started I knew writing was what I wanted to continue doing.

  I love to escape from the world and curl up with a good romance, to see how the characters unfold and conflict is dealt with. I have read many books and love all facets of the romance genre, from historical to erotic romance. I am a sucker for a happy ending.

  For all titles by Becca Van, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/becca-van

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Dream Life

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Epilogue

  Dream Life

  Slick Rock 20

  BECCA VAN

  Copyright © 2018

  Prologue

  Fear skittered up Shyann’s spine as she stepped over the threshold to her parents’ home. The silence was eerily pregnant and full of terror. She’d just finished her shift at the library and had been looking forward to spending some time with her mom and stepdad as they prepared and cooked dinner. Her stepbrother, Danny Bradley, was expected to come for dinner around seven. She used to look forward to his visits since they’d gotten on so well, but lately Danny had changed. He’d become more reserved and hardly ever spoke anymore. There was also something about his eyes that gave her the creeps. He watched Shyann and her mother with such cold calculation she was beginning to dread him coming over. She suspected he was doing drugs, but she didn’t know for sure. However, his erratic, aggressive behavior was a sure sign as was the feeling of certainty in her gut.

  Shyann pushed her thoughts aside as she skirted the entrance alcove and stepped into the living room. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. While she wanted to spin around and run for her life, she pushed her trepidation aside, mentally berating herself for letting her imagination run away with her. After taking a fortifying breath, she headed for her childhood bedroom, intent on changing out of her work clothes so she could help get dinner ready. She didn’t live with her mom and stepdad anymore, but she kept some clothes in her old room for convenience. Sometimes she’d stay over on the weekend on the rare occasion to spend time with her parents. They were always so busy that didn’t happen very often.

  When she was midway down the hall she stumbled to a halt, covering her mouth and nose when a horrid metallic scent assailed her olfactory senses, trying not to gag. The urge to run was strong, but she was frozen to the spot. She was trembling with terror and cold to the bone, but she was perspiring as her flight-or-fight instincts kicked in.

  Without conscious thought she took a step forward and then another and another, until she was just outside her mom and stepdad’s bedroom. The door was almost closed, which was unusual because unless they were sleeping their bedroom door always remained open.

  Shyann drew in a deep ragged breath through her mouth, her hand still covering her lips and nose. Finally, she found the gumption to step forward and push the door open.

  Her scream of grief and horror was muffled by her hand as her knees buckled. Her ass hit the floor with a loud, painful thud, and bile burned her throat. So much blood. The walls, ceiling, bed, and carpet were drenched with the red life essence of her mom and stepfather.

  Shyann didn’t remember moving because everything after that was a haze.

  She had no idea how she made it to her en-suite bathroom where she vomited violently until her stomach muscles hurt. She must have found the wherewithal to function as usual but didn’t remember rinsing her mouth or brushing her teeth, but the minty fresh taste on her tongue told her she had.

  The next time she was cognizant, police were everywhere. She didn’t know if a worried neighbor had heard her screaming or if she’d called the law herself.

  She was only twenty-two years old, and everything she’d held dear, the only people she’d ever loved and could depend on were gone. Murdered by some sicko for no rhyme or reason.

  Her life as she knew it was over.

  Chapter One

  Raiden sighed as he took another sip of beer. He couldn’t get Shyann Bowler out of his mind, and from the way his brothers were frowning and sighing every now and then, they couldn’t either. He glanced at Brigg when his brother rubbed the back of his neck, before looking at Tane as he scrubbed a hand over his face.

  He and his siblings had tried to engage the sexy woman in conversation when they
’d been invited to a barbecue a few months back, and while Shyann had answered any question put to her, they’d been one-word responses.

  He’d caught sight of her a few times in his travels while working, as well as when he and his brothers had some downtime, but every time they saw her and made a beeline for her, she’d lowered her head, a blush staining her cheeks, and hurried in the opposite direction.

  He’d asked Jaylynn and Enya about her, but neither of the women knew much. Or if they did, they were keeping closed mouth about the woman he, Brigg, and Tane wanted to have a relationship with.

  “What the hell are we going to do?” Brigg asked.

  “About what?” Tane quirked an eyebrow, but from the knowing look in his eyes, his brother knew exactly what Brigg was talking about just like Raiden did.

  “There’s nothing we can do.” Raiden leaned back in his chair, sighing again.

  “Fuck that.” Brigg scowled at him.

  “What are you planning, Brigg?” Tane asked. “You can’t force the woman into something she doesn’t want.”

  “Who said anything about force?” Brigg snapped. “We need to find out where she works and hangs out. Then we try and appear wherever she is and hope she gives us the time of day.”

  “She’s elusive as a slippery eel,” Tane said.

  Raiden nodded in agreement. Shyann wasn’t supermodel gorgeous, but she was damn pretty in his mind. She had the shiniest, silkiest-looking long black hair he’d ever seen. She was of average height at around five feet six, and while she was slim to the point of almost being boyish, she still had curves. Her hips were slightly rounded, and her breasts looked quite large on her willowy frame. Her legs were toned and long, and he could just imagine how they’d feel wrapped around his waist. He quickly pushed his carnal thoughts aside when his cock started to fill with blood. She had the greenest eyes he’d ever seen, but there were shadows in their depths. He wanted to ask her what had made her so sad, but realized if he did, she’d likely tell him to mind his own business.

  It was Friday night. After a long work week, he and his brothers usually hung out at the diner or the restaurant attached to the motel, but he was tired and wasn’t in the mood for socializing. However, if he knew where Shyann was, he wouldn’t hesitate to change his mind.

  When he’d seen Shyann walking down the street late yesterday afternoon, the urge to follow her had been nearly too strong to resist, but the poor woman had already been through enough and he hadn’t wanted to frighten her. She’d been hurt by the stupid fuck who’d been after Jaylynn. He, Tane, and Brigg had been furious over her injuries. If the sheriffs and deputies hadn’t taken that fucker out, Raiden wouldn’t have hesitated to hunt the bastard down before ripping his head off his fucking shoulders. As far as he was concerned, anyone who hurt someone weaker than themselves should be locked behind bars for life.

  Tane glanced at his watch, stood after draining his beer, and carried the empty bottle to the recycle bin. He turned to face his brothers. “I don’t know about you two, but I’m starving. We don’t have much left in the way of food, and there’s no way in hell I’m wanting to cook after we go shopping. I’m hoping the diner won’t be too full yet.”

  “I agree,” Brigg said as he stood. “Are you coming, Raiden?”

  Although he wasn’t in the mood for chitchatting, he couldn’t be bothered cooking either. He nodded as he rose, dug the keys to his truck out of his pocket, and followed his brothers to the front door.

  Minutes later, they were on the way to Slick Rock.

  * * * *

  “This is my dream job. I’m lucky to have it,” she told herself.

  Shyann sighed with exhaustion and rubbed her gritty eyes. She’d been working so hard over the last couple of months and late into the night over the past week. The new Slick Rock library had once been a church and had been sold off. The mayor had bought the place and, after it had been refurbished, placed an advert for a librarian. The sign had been hung out front the day before, and the library was due for the grand opening on Monday. It was Friday night, and while she was tired, she was also starving. She’d worked through lunch trying to get everything finished so she could have a couple of days’ rest.

  She’d jumped at the chance of moving away from the horrid, grief-filled memories of her hometown of Athens, Ohio. She’d been working for the Athens Public Library for a total of eighteen months, but the last six had been the hardest time of her life.

  Even now she still woke up screaming, crying, and covered in sweat, but after being assaulted a few months back, the nightmares had become a regular occurrence. Instead of enduring the past horrors once a night, she was reliving that fateful day at least twice every night.

  Shyann was so consumed with survivor’s guilt and anger, she tried to keep to herself, but it was becoming more difficult to keep others at arm’s length. Enya and Jaylynn had been so good to her, and she liked them a lot, but she also had a feeling the two women were also trying to matchmake.

  She’d never forget how uncomfortable and embarrassed she’d been when she’d been invited to the barbecue. She’d been seated between two of the Tremaine brothers, with the other one close by. They’d tried to converse with her, but Shyann had never been bothered with the opposite sex before. Studying and working had taken up all of her spare time, plus she’d never found someone who’d set her heart racing in her chest.

  After what had happened to her parents and the pain of the loss that still lingered, Shyann wasn’t sure it was worth even contemplating getting involved with a member of the opposite sex. It would hurt way too much if her heart became tangled in an emotional web and things didn’t work out.

  And yet she found herself thinking about the Tremaine men at the oddest times and regularly.

  No matter how hard she tried to get them out of her head, it seemed that they were permanently etched on her brain.

  It had been difficult to keep her gaze away from Raiden, Tane, and Brigg Tremaine while at the barbecue, and yet she’d found herself watching them from the corner of her eyes, continuously.

  Just thinking about those three men had her heart flipping, her breathing escalating, and her palms sweating.

  She’d never forget seeing them walking out the back door. She’d literally stopped breathing.

  Brigg Tremaine was the tallest out of the three brothers, standing around six feet five. She guessed him to be in his low thirties. His sandy blond hair had been long enough to touch the collar of the blue shirt he’d been wearing. His blue-green eyes had been covered by sunglasses, but he must have seen or felt her watching him, because he lowered the glasses down his nose and peered at her over the top of them. He’d smiled and winked at her, and she’d quickly lowered her gaze to the ground when she’d started blushing. Brigg was solid with muscles, and while she found his bulk attractive, she’d also been intimidated.

  Shyann suspected that Raiden was the eldest of the three brothers. While all three of them had similar familial features, there were enough differences for her to easily know who was whom. Raiden had lighter blond hair than Brigg. He was also a couple of inches shorter than Brigg but by no means short. He was approximately six feet three inches tall, also with green eyes.

  Tane looked as if he was a few years younger than Raiden and was the shortest of the three at about six feet, one inches. He had golden blond hair, gray-green eyes, and the longest eyelashes she’d ever seen. Shyann thought it was a waste for a male to have such amazing eyelashes, especially when some women did anything and everything they could to lengthen their own.

  It wasn’t their handsome appearances that had intimidated Shyann but the air of authority the three brothers wore comfortably like a second skin. While she hadn’t been overly self-conscious, Shyann wasn’t full of confidence like the three Tremaine men seemed to be.

  And after what had happened eighteen months ago, her self-assurance no longer seemed to exist.

  Shyann was scared to the point of paranoia, but
she had good reason to be.

  When she realized where her thoughts were heading, she quickly pushed her uncertainties aside. Work had become her only anchor, her safety harness, and she latched onto it like the lifeline it was.

  After placing the last book on the shelf, she walked through the aisles, making sure everything was set up for Monday morning and the library’s first day of business.

  Shyann was excited about being the manager of the library, since she’d only been an underling in Athens, and she was looking forward to working with whomever the mayor had hired to help her out.

  She expected Monday to be busy since fliers had been sent out to all the local residents in the mail as well as stapled to lamp posts and taped in shop windows. Shyann just hoped that she and her aide were going to be able to cope with the influx.

  When she’d finished walking through the aisles, Shyann went behind the service counter, logged out of the computer, and shut it down. A smile curved the edges of her mouth as she hurried toward the front door and the security alarm. There was no need for her to worry about the back door because she’d locked that after she’d received the last delivery of books this morning.

  She didn’t care if anyone thought her overly cautious, but she wasn’t about to be caught unaware from someone sneaking in the back. A shiver of fear skated up her spine, and the hair on her nape stood on end. She shuddered as goose bumps raced over her skin, and warily glanced about the empty building. When Shyann realized what she was doing, she mentally rolled her eyes and took a deep fortifying breath. There was no way he could possibly know where she was because she’d taken every conceivable caution she could think of before leaving Athens.