Van, Becca - Her Ex-Marines [Slick Rock 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  “Rachel, I’d like you to meet our fiancée, Felicity Wagner, and my best friends, Billy and Tom Eagle,” Luke said.

  “Pleased to meet you all. I hope I’m not intruding?” Rachel questioned.

  “No. Not at all. Why don’t you come into the other dining room with me and I’ll get you something to drink?” Felicity asked rhetorically, as she had already wrapped an arm around one of Rachel’s and was leading her out of the large kitchen and into the dining room. “You know, I’m so glad to have female company for a change. Don’t get me wrong, I love my three fiancés, and Nan—our cook—is fantastic, but it will be good to have someone closer to my own age to talk with. What can I get you to drink?”

  “Uh, just a soda will be fine,” Rachel replied. She could have sworn Felicity had said she had three fiancés, but didn’t want to ask in case she upset someone.

  Felicity must have seen her look of bewilderment because she burst out laughing as she handed her a glass of soda. “I’m sorry, Rachel. I’m not laughing at you, but if you could see the look on your face…” Felicity giggled again. “Yes, you heard me correctly. I do have three fiancés. I still don’t think I have my head around it yet either, but I love those three men more than my life. So, how long have you been in Slick Rock? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before.”

  “Uh, I only arrived last night. I decided I liked the look of this small country town, and when I saw the advertisement for a secretary in the window at the diner, I decided to apply for the position. I was hired this morning, and I will be leasing a room with Damon, Tyson, and Sam, until I can find my own place to live.”

  “They are such nice guys. They haven’t been in town that long themselves, but they are so friendly and such hunks. If I wasn’t already in love with my three men, I think I would have chased after those three, myself,” Felicity said with a wicked grin.

  Rachel didn’t know what to say, so she just smiled back at Felicity. She was saved from having to try to find something to say when the six men entered the room. There must be something about country living, because all the men were really tall, sexy, and so handsome it was a wonder they didn’t have a flock of women hanging around them all the time.

  The meal was simple yet delicious. The company was even better. By the end of the evening, Rachel felt as if she had known Felicity her whole life. They just seemed to click. Rachel had watched how attentive Felicity’s three fiancés were to her. They filled her plate with food, made sure she had a drink, and if she looked like she wanted something, it was there within easy reach, placed in front of her by one of her three men. Rachel had never seen the likes of it before in her life. She could see the love and affection the three men had for Felicity, as they continuously looked at her with heat in their eyes. By the time dinner was over and coffee was served, Rachel was so exhausted she could barely keep her eyes open. The last six months on the run were finally catching up with her. She was totally and utterly exhausted. She sat sipping her coffee, hoping the caffeine would be enough to give her a little of an energy boost, enough to see her through the rest of the night.

  She didn’t quite make it. She had no idea when she fell asleep, but the next thing she knew, she was being carried from the car into the house. She yawned, and her heavy-lidded eyes slid open to stare into the eyes of Sam as he carried her into her room.

  * * * *

  “Shh, it’s okay, Rachel. I’ve got you. You’ll be in your own bed in a minute and then you can get a good night’s rest,” Sam crooned to her quietly. He watched as the small woman in his arms snuggled up against his chest and promptly fell back to sleep. He gently placed her on the bed, removed her shoes, socks, and jeans, as well as her sweater. He thought about removing her T-shirt and bra, then thought he’d better not. He didn’t want their little woman embarrassed and uncomfortable around him and his brothers. He paused as that thought popped into his head, then shook his head slightly and bent back to the task of lifting Rachel and placing her beneath the covers. When she was tucked up nice and safe, he left the room in search of his brothers. They needed to talk seriously about the small woman who had just entered their lives. He just hoped his brothers were on the same wavelength that he was on.

  Sam found his brothers in the kitchen sipping from mugs of coffee. He walked over to the coffeepot, poured himself a cup, and sat down at the table across from his brothers. He could feel them looking at him, but he ignored them both for a moment as he took the first few sips from his mug, trying to gather his thoughts. He finally looked up at his older brothers to see the expectant looks on their faces. They knew him too well. He hated that they knew what he was going to say or what he was feeling before he had the chance to voice his opinions.

  “Spit it out, Sam. I can see the cogs turning in that brain of yours from over here,” Damon stated.

  “I want her. I want her to be our woman. I think I started falling for her the moment she stuck her head out the front door this afternoon. I don’t want her to leave. I think she could be the woman we have been waiting and looking for. Even though she’s afraid, I can still see the fire burning underneath that caution and humor, which she uses as a front. She is so sexy, and her eyes… My God, I could drown in those eyes when she looks at me. So, what do you think?” Sam asked with trepidation, looking from Damon to Tyson and back again.

  “We’re with you on this, little bro, but we are going to have to be patient. She’s such a skittish little filly, which she has every right to be. We’ve also seen the fire in her eyes when she thinks we’re not looking. We like her, as well, and apparently Felicity is a really good judge of character. If the way she took to Rachel on their first meeting is any indication, then I would say that, besides being lonely and scared, Rachel is definitely the woman for us,” Damon said.

  “How the hell are we going to get her to trust us? We need for her to open up with us so we can begin to court our little woman. And God knows what she is gonna think about us wanting to share her between the three of us,” Tyson stated with a frown.

  “It didn’t seem to bother her about Felicity having three men. In fact, I caught her watching the way Tom, Billy, and Luke pandered to Felicity’s every need before she even voiced what she wanted. At first she looked confused, but as the night wore on, I could have sworn I saw her looking at Felicity with envy. I think our little baby would love to have the attention of three men,” Damon replied with a grin.

  “Let’s give her a few weeks to settle in and feel comfortable before we start to make a move on her. The last thing we want to do is scare her off and have her running again. We need her to stay here where we can keep an eye on her and protect her. She’s had enough to contend with in her life recently. She needs to stop feeling so skittish around us. I think we should touch her as much as possible so she gets used to us, but if she looks too uncomfortable or is about to bolt, then we’ll need to back off. What do you two think?” Sam asked his brothers.

  “I think it’s a great idea. What about you, Damon?”

  “I’m in. I think we should start tomorrow.”

  Sam looked at his brothers with a grin. If the wicked smiles his brothers gave him in return were any indication of the one on his own face, he knew they were all looking forward to wooing their little woman.

  Chapter Four

  Rachel walked back toward the side door of the office building, cursing herself for forgetting her cell phone. She was halfway back across the parking lot when she heard a screech of tires and then three dull pops. She watched in horror as one of the detectives from her precinct, who had been heading to his car, fell down to the ground. Blood was seeping out of the detective’s chest and pooling beneath his body. His eyes were wide open, but she knew he no longer saw anything. His expression was totally blank. She whipped her head around, horrified to see her boss’s face as he sped past her in a strange car. Rachel forgot all about her cell phone, turned, and ran. She was in her car and speeding away from the scene in moments. She made it to the Police Commissioner’s offices, but didn’t remember driving. Her body was shaking so hard it was a wonder she hadn’t had a car accident. She surged through the office doors, screaming at the top of her lungs for the officers on the counter to summon the Commissioner and paramedics. Her teeth were chattering, she felt a cold sweat break out over her body, and her throat was feeling sore and raw from screaming and crying.

  “Rachel, wake up.” The loud voice penetrated her subconscious mind.

  Rachel jerked upright, her eyes snapping open, another sob escaping from her mouth. She stared into the faces of three concerned males crowding around her bed. They were each touching her on the arms and legs, trying to calm her fraught nerves as she came out of the horrors she had just relived in her nightmare.

  “Are you all right, baby?” Damon asked as he sat down on the side of the bed, taking one of her hands in his.

  “Yes. I’m fine, thanks. Sorry,” Rachel rasped out.

  “You have nothing to be sorry for, sugar,” Tyson said as he crawled onto the end of the bed, stroking her thigh through the bedcovers.

  “Do you want to talk about your nightmare, darlin’?” Sam asked.

  “No! Um, no. I’m good,” Rachel replied, averting her eyes from the three men studying her intently. She had just noticed they were all bare-chested, and even though she was still trying to shake the effects her nightmare had left behind, she would have had to be dead not to notice the three sexy, brawny male bodies on display since they had only taken the time to pull their jeans on.

  “Do you think you’ll be able to get back to sleep, sweetheart?” Damon asked, a frown marring his brow.

  “Uh, yeah. Maybe. I don’t know,” Rachel replied, twisting her fingers together in agitation.

  “Why don’t you pull on a robe and we’ll make you a hot drink? I think some herbal tea would be better than coffee at this time of night. We’ll meet you in the kitchen, sugar,” Tyson stated as he rose then left the room, his brothers at his heels.

  Rachel sat up in bed staring at the empty doorway. What the hell was she going to do? The three men were bound to ask questions. Questions she wasn’t sure she should answer. Even though her gut was telling her she could trust these three men with her life, her head was advising her to be cautious. Rachel sighed as she got up and put on her robe and headed for the kitchen. She would decide what she was going to do later, when she had gotten to know the three Osborn brothers better. Until then, she figured playing her cards close to her chest was the safest and wisest thing to do.

  Rachel entered the kitchen to find all three of the brothers seated around the large timber dining table. She took a hesitant step forward then stopped as they all turned toward her. She was so nervous she didn’t know what to do. She stood in the doorway of the room clutching her hands together.

  “Come and take a seat, Rachel. Tyson made you some chamomile tea. That should help settle your nerves down, hopefully enough so you can sleep some more,” Damon said.

  Rachel walked over to the table and took a seat at the far end, away from where the three brothers were sitting. Apparently, her choice of the furthest chair wasn’t lost on the three men watching her because she saw them frown, but was thankful they were too polite to say anything. Rachel picked up the mug of tea, took a sip, grimaced, and set it down again.

  “Thanks for the tea, Tyson,” Rachel said gratefully, hoping he hadn’t seen her expression when she had tasted the tea.

  She lifted her head to stare at Tyson when he roared with laughter. The sound coming from deep down in his belly had Rachel’s pussy clenching and her clit throbbing. His hazel eyes were sparkling with merriment, and he had dimples next to his lips. Once he finally had his mirth under control and his laugh was down to a chuckle, he looked over to Rachel.

  “Well, thank you, sugar, but I know damn well you’re struggling not to throw that tea down the sink.”

  “Sorry, I was trying not to be obvious,” Rachel replied with a smile.

  “Darlin’, your face is so expressive we can nearly read you like a book,” Sam stated with a smirk.

  Rachel froze. She felt the blood drain from her face, and she feared she would pass out for a moment as her head swam. She wanted to leap up and run, but fear had her frozen to her seat.

  “Rachel, look at me,” Damon commanded. “You have no need to be afraid of us, baby. We would never hurt you. We would protect you with our lives.”

  Rachel could see the three Osborn brothers were trying to portray relaxation in their poses. She’d seen Sam take a deep breath and heard him let it out slowly. She knew they were trying to put her at ease and knew she was being ludicrous. She took a deep breath of her own and raised her head to look at the three men.

  “I’m not afraid of you,” Rachel stated quietly, her gaze never wavering from the three men in front of her.

  “It may not be us you’re afraid of, darlin’, but something is scaring the shit out of you. Do you want to talk about it?” asked Sam.

  “I think I would like to get to know you better, before I reveal all the secrets in my closet.”

  “Fair enough, but just a word of warning, sweetheart. Don’t try and run, because there is no place you can run to where we won’t be able to find you. We need to know you’re safe, Rachel. We feel a connection to you, and I know you feel that connection, too,” Damon said, giving Rachel a look so heated she nearly fell off her chair.

  Rachel had to rub her thighs together to relieve the ache in her pussy. Not that it did much to relieve her throbbing, dripping pussy, but she’d had to try anyway. She must have squirmed a little in her seat, because the looks the three Osborn brothers were giving her went from heated to downright volcanic in the blink of an eye. Their lascivious grins were all too knowing for her liking. Rachel quickly lowered her eyes, picked up her mug, and took a gulp. She nearly choked on the foul-tasting tea, jumped up from her chair, and was in the kitchen pouring herself a much-needed and better-tasting cup of coffee.

  “You won’t be able to sleep if you drink that, sugar,” Tyson called over to her.

  “I won’t be able to sleep anymore anyway, so I may as well drink something that doesn’t taste like day-old dishwater. Why don’t you three go back to bed? There’s no point in all of us losing sleep. Besides, I’ll just go read for a while. Good night. I’m sorry I woke you.”

  Rachel could feel the three Osborn brothers watching her and couldn’t help the naughty extra sway she put into her hips. She usually wasn’t one to tease, but for some reason she couldn’t seem to help herself around those three sexy men.

  * * * *

  Rachel was up and about before any of the men. She was showered and dressed, feeling fresh in slacks and shirt, her hair tied back in a braid. She had a fresh pot of coffee already brewed and had started fixing bacon and eggs before she heard movement down the hall. Wary, she looked up and gave a smile to Sam and Damon as they sauntered into the kitchen, heading straight for the coffee. She looked back toward the door, wondering where Tyson was. Damon must have seen her curiosity.

  “Ty will sleep in this morning since he has to be at the hotel until late tonight. So don’t worry about breakfast for him, baby. You know you don’t have to cook for us all the time. You’re leasing a room from us, Rachel. We didn’t hire you to be our cook or housekeeper.”

  “I know, but I like cooking. I haven’t had much of a chance to cook recently.”

  “As much as we don’t expect you to cook for us all the time, darlin’, feel free to do so whenever you want,” Sam stated, and Rachel heard him take a deep sniff then groan loudly. “I can’t remember the last time someone cooked me bacon and eggs, darlin’. You’re going to spoil us if you keep this up.”

  “Well, I’m not promising to cook all the time, but I will definitely do my share,” Rachel replied with a smile as she served up the food.

  They sat around the table in companionable silence, the only sound clinking silverware on plates. Rachel had served herself a portion a quarter of the size of the men, but they still finished before she was done. Since she hadn’t been eating regular meals, she was satisfied long before her plate was half-empty. She pushed the remnants of her breakfast aside and picked up her coffee mug, cradling it in her hands, the warmth seeping into her cold, nerveless fingers. She was still not sure if she had done the right thing by getting a job in the Slick Rock Sheriff’s Office, but she didn’t have much of a choice.

  “You don’t eat enough, baby,” Damon said, eying her half-eaten meal. “You hardly ate anything last night either. You’re going to need to keep your strength up to deal with all the office work Luke and I have for you.”

  “I’m fine. I’ve eaten enough for me. If I get hungry later, then I’ll get something else to eat,” Rachel stated then gulped down the last of her coffee.

  She stood and began clearing the table, thankful when Sam and Damon rose to help her. They had the kitchen set to rights in no time. Sam surprised her by giving her a kiss on the cheek before heading out to work, throwing a “Thanks for breakfast” over his shoulder. It took her a moment to compose herself, and then she followed Damon out the door and slid into the passenger seat of his sheriff’s vehicle. He held the door open for her, and she watched as he rounded the front of the car and got in the driver’s side. Considering the size of the town and lack of traffic, Rachel was surprised it took them fifteen minutes before Damon was pulling up in front of the sheriff’s office. Rachel was unbuckled and out the door before Damon could get around to her. He met her on the sidewalk, placed a hand at the small of her back, and guided her up the steps. They both reached for the door at the same time. Rachel’s hand was enveloped by Damon’s over the door handle, and she waited for him to pull away. She looked up at him when he didn’t.

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