Choices [Slick Rock 19] Read online

  Slick Rock 19

  Choices

  Twenty-two-year-old Jaylynn is heartbroken when she sees Brax, Ajay, and Cael Rhodes bring a woman home with them, and decides to leave. Jaylynn ends up in Slick Rock, Colorado working at the diner, and while she loves the people and the work, she’s so lonely, she starts working twenty-hour days.

  Brax, Ajay, and Cael choose to move when a Marine buddy contacts them and tells them about his hometown. Their pleasantly shocked to see Jaylynn in the diner and when she collapses, they’re determined to take care of her. The Rhodes brothers aren’t about to let Jaylynn escape since they’re attracted to her, and they begin to court her in earnest.

  Jaylynn can’t resist the men she’s fallen in love with. But an obsessed nemesis follows her to Slick Rock and manages to abduct her.

  The Rhodes men aren’t going to give up until they have Jaylynn back where she belongs, safe in their arms.

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

  Length: 68,168 words

  CHOICES

  Slick Rock 19

  Becca Van

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  CHOICES

  Copyright © 2018 by Becca Van

  ISBN: 978-1-64010-921-6

  First Publication: January 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.

  If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book or print book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at

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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

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  About the Author

  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

  Landmarks

  Cover

  CHOICES

  Slick Rock 19

  BECCA VAN

  Copyright © 2018

  Prologue

  Twelve months ago.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

  Jaylynn Freedman turned from packing her car and straightened. She cursed under her breath when she saw one of her deceased brother’s Marine teammates storming toward her. Jimmy Appleby was very familiar to her. He and the other members of her brother’s team had been coming over to their house for years. However, she wasn’t about to let him talk to her that way. She was a grown woman of twenty-three and didn’t need or want to take shit from anyone. She crossed her arms beneath her breasts and raised her chin. “What does it look like I’m doing?” she asked facetiously.

  Even though she wanted to back away or sidestep to put some space between her and Jimmy, she stubbornly held her ground and met his gaze steadily when he leaned his hands on the frame of the car, blocking her in.

  Jimmy was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling rapidly as if he’d just finished PT. He shifted his gaze beyond her and peered into her car. There were a few boxes of things she and her brother had accumulated over the years, but since it had been just the two of them for almost ten years, and her brother had been away on missions on a regular basis, they hadn’t needed much. She was thankful for that now, although at times she wished they had had more. Her clothes and other odds and ends were already stored away in suitcases in the trunk. She’d been hoping that she wouldn’t encounter anyone before she’d made her escape, but apparently it wasn’t meant to be.

  “Are you getting rid of some of Seb’s things?” Jimmy asked as he brought his gaze back to hers. His angry expression softened for a moment. “You should have called me, baby. I would have helped you deal with this stuff.”

  Jaylynn shoved at his chest, but he didn’t budge an inch, which wasn’t a surprise since he had to outweigh her by a good hundred pounds and topped her by five or six inches. It was like trying to move a brick wall. “I’m not your baby and never have been. Move out of the way, Jimmy.”

  He shook his head and took a step closer. She had to crane her neck to keep their eyes locked. Jaylynn wasn’t about to let this arrogant prick intimidate her, even if she was shaking on the inside.

  “You haven’t told me what you’re doing?”

  She glanced toward the open front door and tried to remember if she’d gathered everything. If she had to, she would leave in a hurry. The only furniture she and Sebastian had been able to afford after the bank had foreclosed on their parents’ house after they’d been killed, was secondhand furniture from yard sales and thrift stores. She had no qualms about leaving it all behind if necessary.

  Right now, she wished that the men who’d been helping look out for her since she was fifteen were home and not away on deployment. Brax, Ajay, and Cael Rhodes had been instrumental in her teenage years’ upbringing. She’d idolized them from near and afar for nearly ten years, but they had never treated her any way beyond being her brother’s kid sister. She’d been thinking about moving away for six months and the decision had been clinched when she’d seen the Rhodes brothers bringing a woman into their home. Jaylynn had been devastated. It felt as if her heart had been ripped right out of her chest. On top of the grief she was still feeling since her brother had died in action, it had all gotten too much.

  Hence the stuff in the back of her car.

  She’d given her landlord four weeks’ notice and had to be out of the rental by tomorrow. She had no idea where she was going, but she didn’t care.

  Jaylynn just needed to get away from it all.
From the grief, the memories and the heartbreak. She felt as if she was teetering on the edge of a total breakdown and something had to give, but she was determined it wasn’t going to be her.

  A new place and fresh start was supposed to be as good as a holiday. At least she hoped it was.

  She blinked when Jimmy grasped her chin in a firm grip. He wasn’t hurting her per se, however, his clasp wasn’t comfortable either, but if he put any more pressure on her chin, on her skin, she might end up with bruises.

  “Answer me, baby,” Jimmy demanded in a hard voice.

  Jaylynn could tell he was getting angrier by the second. His fingers dug a little harder into her flesh and her bones began to ache, but she wasn’t about to plead with him to let her go. She wasn’t sure what to tell him because she was worried he’d end up losing control of his temper and she didn’t want to be on the receiving end of whatever he decided to dish out. One punch from him could do permanent damage, or end up killing her. He was a trained Marine and could probably snap her neck without any effort.

  “What’s it got to do with you, Jimmy?” Jaylynn decided to go on the attack, hoping to get him off balance. Maybe if he was frustrated enough, he’d let her go and turn away. She’d already set the house key in one of the kitchen drawers like she’d been asked to.

  There was nothing left for her here, in Fort Worth, Texas. Everyone who’d been important to her was gone. Things were just that and could be replaced easily enough over time. People—mothers, brothers and fathers weren’t irreplaceable. “You’re not my fucking brother or father. Let me go and fuck off.”

  His fingers gripped her so hard she nearly moaned, but she swallowed the sound back down. Just as she was about to shove at him again, he slammed his mouth down over hers. The kiss wasn’t pleasant in any way, shape or form. In fact, it was so brutal, he was smashing her lips against her teeth and she felt the flesh tear. Blood dripped from her split lip and down over her chin.

  Jaylynn knew it was time to fight.

  She pushed against his toned chest as hard as she could, but it had no effect. She shifted her hands to his arms and raked her nails down his skin, scoring him as hard as she could. He growled as he drew back and when she saw the cold fury in his eyes, she began to quake in earnest. He wasn’t going to let her get away with hurting him. He wasn’t going to let her get away at all.

  His large hands were cruel on her shoulders as he tugged her against his big frame. She gasped when he combed his fingers into her unbound hair and grasped the tresses at the back of her head so tightly, it hurt her scalp. His other hand moved to her breast and he squeezed so firmly she was sure she was going to be left with bruises.

  This time when he slanted his mouth over hers she tried to keep her mouth closed, but she cried out with pain when he bit down hard enough into her lower lip to draw more blood.

  Jaylynn knew it was useless to fight him and relaxed into his embrace. The grasp he had on her hair and breast loosened, and he lessened the brutality of his mouth against hers. When he shoved his tongue in between her teeth, she had to consciously stop herself from gagging. His tongue was slimy and made her feel sick to her stomach. He released her hair, caressing over her shoulders and down her side toward her hip. She remained pliant while she allowed him to kiss her, but she didn’t kiss him back. She was waiting for him to become complacent and when he did, she was going to make her move.

  When he pulled her against his erection, she realized he wasn’t going to stop. He was starting to get aggressive again. He grabbed one of her ass cheeks and squeezed and then he shifted his hips away from hers, and shoved his hand between her legs. Tears of fear and anger burned the back of her eyes, but she pushed the terror aside and latched on to her fury.

  When Jimmy shifted on his feet and he spread his legs wider, so he didn’t have to bend down too far, Jaylynn inhaled through her nose, loosened her muscles even more and lifted her knee up hard and fast.

  He released her immediately and as he bent over at the waist cupping his crotch, she brought her knee up again. This time as hard as she could under his chin.

  He howled with pain as he fell backward onto his ass.

  Jaylynn dove into the driver’s seat of her cheap car, turned the key in the ignition and squealed the tires as she reversed out of the driveway. The back door of her car, which had still been open, slammed shut after she put the vehicle in gear and pressed her foot hard down on the accelerator.

  “You’re going to pay for that, bitch,” Jimmy screamed. “You can run, but I’ll find you.”

  The last thing she saw before she careened quickly around the corner was Jimmy on his feet, hunched over with his hand on his junk and blood dripping from his chin.

  She’d escaped with hardly a mark, other than the torn flesh inside her mouth and she’d gotten the upper hand on a trained Marine.

  Jaylynn smiled for the first time since she’d been informed her brother had died, ignoring her throbbing lip.

  She could hear his voice so clearly in her head, it was like he was sitting right next to her. “I’m so proud of you, sis.”

  Chapter One

  “I’ve found her car,” Brax said as he glanced up from his laptop, meeting each of his brothers’, Ajay’s and Cael’s, gazes.

  “Finally, a lead.” Ajay smiled. “We’ve been looking for Jaylynn for twelve fucking months. Where is it?”

  “She sold it for far less than it was worth.” Brax sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “She was paid cash.”

  “Did she buy another car?” Cael asked.

  Brax shook his head. “No.”

  “What the fuck?” Ajay shoved his chair back, stood and began to pace.

  “I don’t get it,” Cael said. “Why? Why would she just up and leave without telling us she was moving. Why did she leave behind all the furniture? Why didn’t she leave a fucking forwarding address? Why didn’t she leave us a note?”

  Brax shrugged, hoping to keep his anger and sorrow from showing on his face. He hated not knowing where Jaylynn was, hated that she was out in the world all alone. He and his brothers had kept an eye on her whenever her brother was away on a mission and they were home. She’d brought so much joy to their bleak lives and now she was gone.

  The only scenario he could come up with as to why she’d left without any word, was that she was in trouble. His stomach knotted, and his gut churned. For the first time in his life he wished he’d been home instead of fighting in a never-ending war in the Marines. If he and his brothers had been there for Jaylynn they could have helped her, kept her safe.

  Hindsight was a wonderful or an evil thing. Right now, he couldn’t decide which one. He, Ajay and Cael had been talking about retiring and settling down for nigh on twelve months. Maybe if they’d made a decision sooner, they would still be honoring their promise to her brother, Sebastian, and taking care of her.

  Brax felt useless and since he’d never felt that way before he didn’t know how to deal with such an emotion.

  He and his brothers had moved into the rental across the street from Sebastian and Jaylynn just after their parents had died in a car accident. Seb was the reason they’d moved to the quiet Fort Worth neighborhood in the first place.

  They’d been sharing a dining table at the base and had been talking about finding a house away from the inner city. Seb had piped up and told them about the house across from him which had just been put up for rent. The rest was history.

  Cael had been the first of them to meet Jaylynn. Whenever they’d been home, she’d followed Brax and his brothers around if she hadn’t been busy studying or doing chores. She’d brought laughter into their lives when he was sure his heart had frozen into a block of ice and grown colder each time he and his brothers had been on missions. She’d brought humor back into his world and lightened the darkness on his soul. He’d missed having that and had looked forward to hearing her joy over the simplest of things.

  Now he wasn’t sure he’d ever get the chance.
He’d never forget the moment he looked at Jaylynn with new eyes. She’d just turned twenty-two and she’d been wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top. He’d known when his brothers saw her in that outfit they were attracted to Jaylynn, too, but they’d all kept their distance from her as much as possible while still watching over her. They hadn’t been about to make a move on her even though she was over the age of consent. She was still their friend’s sister.

  Although Brax knew there was nothing he could do unless Jaylynn contacted him or his brothers, he was never going to give up looking for her. He just needed to know that she was all right, that she wasn’t in trouble of any kind. He wasn’t going to be able to settle until he knew what had happened to her.

  Cael pulled his cell phone from his pocket when it dinged. When Brax saw the smile on his younger brother’s face he hoped whatever the message was, was good news. They could definitely use some. Cael met his gaze and then Ajay’s before glancing down at his phone. “Nash Sheffield. Says he’s heard we’ve retired and wants us to get in touch.”

  Brax nodded and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Call him now.”

  Cael pushed the call button and then the speakerphone.

  “Cael, is it true?” Nash answered the call. “Did you and your brothers finally hang up your weapons?”

  “You’re on speakerphone. Brax and Ajay are with me. Now, Nash, you know a Marine never puts his gun away.” Cael grinned. “But the answer to your question is yes.”

  “Hi, guys,” Nash said.

  “Hi, Nash,” Ajay and Brax said simultaneously.

  “Do you have any jobs lined up? Have you decided what you want to do now that you’re just normal American citizens?” Nash asked.