Passion, Victoria 6: Hailey's Secret (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  “She told you, didn’t she?” Hailey asked her face still buried against Dillon’s chest. “Didn’t she?”

  “She didn’t tell us, sweetheart. We overheard her telling her husband,” Dillon murmured quietly. “She asked him to keep an eye out for you and make sure you were kept safe.”

  “I’m sorry I scared you, honey,” Chance sat down next to his brother and Hailey. He placed a tentative hand on her lower back and began to rub her in gentle soothing circles.

  “S’okay,” Hailey mumbled her face still buried against Dillon’s chest.

  Hailey couldn’t believe that she felt safe in his arms. She’d never been held with tenderness or gentleness until Simone had held her while she’d cried. She’d liked that, too, but this was so different. She could feel the hardness of Dillon’s muscles beneath his warm skin and the warmth emanating from his body was almost hot. She’d never felt this warm before and craved more of it. Hailey yearned to stay right where she was, safe and secure in the arms of this man. For some reason she felt like she could trust Dillon, Chance, and Roman. Maybe it was because they were trying to help her, looking after her when she’d been too intoxicated to do it herself.

  Maybe it’s because you’re attracted to them? Can I ever be with a man? Don’t even go there, Hailey. These men are only trying to help you out of concern for a fellow human being. She’d never had that before and wanted more.

  Hailey was tired of being scared and lonely. Maybe if she let her guard down a little, she could accept the help these men and Simone were offering her. She’d never been able to rely on anyone but herself and didn’t know if she could continue being so strong. She felt like she was about to break, but if she let herself lean for a while just maybe she would have the energy to take back control again.

  Can I do that? Can I let these people into my life for a short time and then leave again?

  * * * *

  “Why don’t I get you something for your hangover while I get you a coffee?” Chance asked quietly.

  Hailey raised her face for the first time since Chance entered the room.

  Dillon fell in love then and there, when he saw Hailey’s red-rimmed and bloodshot eyes.

  “Please.” Hailey finally answered.

  “How do you take your coffee, sweetheart?” asked Chance as he stood.

  “White no sugar, thanks.”

  “Are you all right now, Hailey?” Dillon asked as he savored the feel of her in his arms.

  “Yes, sorry,” Hailey replied as she made to move from Dillon’s lap.

  “Ah, don’t be, sweetheart,” Dillon gently helped her to her feet. “Come on let’s get that pain medication into you and some coffee.”

  “Okay.” Hailey followed Dillon.

  Dillon glanced back over his shoulder to see Hailey looking around as she followed him. From the expressions flitting across her face, she liked the house they were renting. She stopped in the doorway to the kitchen and glanced at the chef’s dream kitchen with all the most up-to-date appliances and granite bench tops. The kitchen combined with the dining room was bigger than the bungalow she was leasing and Dillon wanted to ask her to move in with him and his brothers, but knew that if he did she would probably run off again.

  “Come in and take a seat, baby.” Chance walked to the table with mugs of coffee. He placed the cups down and then went back and got Hailey some pain medication and a large glass of water.

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem. What do you normally eat for breakfast, baby?” Chance asked as he leaned against the kitchen counter sipping his coffee.

  “Um, whatever. Actually I don’t eat much,” Hailey replied.

  “Well, I’m not letting you leave until you’ve eaten. Do you like bacon and eggs?” Chance asked as he turned to the refrigerator.

  “Yes, I do.” Hailey half rose from her seat.

  “No, you don’t, sweetheart. Sit down and finish your coffee.” Dillon commanded in a firm voice as he moved to the kitchen to help his brother.

  “Morning,” Roman said as he entered the kitchen.

  * * * *

  Hailey turned and saw a sleepy Roman leaning against the doorjamb to the kitchen. She quickly lowered her head when she realized he only had on a pair of jeans without a shirt. She felt her face turn crimson as she muttered a reply. “Morning.”

  Hailey couldn’t believe how turned on she was, just from seeing Roman’s naked, masculine chest and delineated abdominal muscles. She knew it was desire she was feeling because she’d heard other women talking about it.

  She’d never experienced this liquid molten feeling in her lower abdomen or moisture seeping from her pussy until she’d first come in contact with the three Bartram brothers. It was a strange feeling. She squeezed her legs together to ease the ache between her thighs and hoped like hell they couldn’t hear her panting. She kept her head down, picked up her coffee mug, and gulped down the rest of her drink. She became aware of the silence in the room and was too nervous to raise her head to look at the men. She jumped up from her seat and made for the back door.

  “Hailey, stop,” Dillon called out.

  Hailey hesitated, then began to move again. Her hesitation was enough for Roman to catch up with her and gently take hold of one of her shoulders.

  “Hailey, we would never hurt you. Please, come and sit down, eat some breakfast. It’s okay, sugar. I promise to go and put my shirt on, right away. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable,” Roman said quietly, but looked like he was unhappy with himself for upsetting her. He was frowning but he guided her back to the table then left the room. He was back a few moments later, but Hailey kept her eyes on the table in front of her. He sat down at the table next to her, placed a finger beneath her chin and lifted her eyes to meet his.

  “You have nothing to be embarrassed about, Hailey. Just because I had my shirt off didn’t mean I was going to jump on you.” Hailey realized he was trying to placate her and make her feel comfortable after what they’d heard the night before. She didn’t want any of these kind men thinking she was avoiding looking at them because she was scared of them. In fact they had done everything they could to make her feel at ease when she was nearby.

  Hailey finally lifted her head and looked Roman in the eye. “I know.”

  “You do?” Roman asked and she could hear the confusion in his voice.

  “Here we go,” Dillon said as he placed a plate piled with food in front of Hailey and another in front of Roman. “Start eating before it gets cold.”

  Dillon grabbed the other two plates from the counter, placed them on the table and sat down to eat. Hailey dug into her food and didn’t speak until she had eaten her fill. She was aware of the three men watching her every move but she was too intent on filling her stomach to be too worried about the attention. She never knew when she would have to leave and end up hungry again. She wasn’t about to let the opportunity of eating stop her. When she couldn’t eat another bite, she pushed her plate away.

  “What are you doing today, sweetheart?” Dillon asked.

  “Not much,” Hailey replied.

  “Well, we’re going to check out a few properties for sale. Would you like to come with us?” Dillon asked.

  “If you guys wouldn’t mind me tagging along,” Hailey replied hesitantly.

  She didn’t want to leave. They were all so gentle and caring around her. She craved more of their kindness and the human contact. Since she had been told not to come into work for a week by Connor, she had nothing to do and would love to look at properties with them. Otherwise she would be spending her days alone and lonely with nothing but the TV for company. There was no way she was going to spend the advance Connor had given her on frivolous things. She needed to buy a quilt and food, and she also needed to build up a cash reserve again. If the monster found out where she was, she may have to leave in a hurry again.

  The thought of leaving these three men, this beautiful town, and the caring people she’d met caused an a
che in her heart. Hailey rubbed at her chest and quickly dropped her hand when she saw all three men staring at her chest. She wasn’t scared that they would do anything inappropriate but she didn’t want to draw attention to her assets either. Hailey had clothes that were at least one size too big for her body in the hope of keeping eyes off of her and not being seen as a sexual object.

  “We wouldn’t have asked if we did, baby.” Chance said and reached out to stroke a finger over the back of her hand.

  “Does half an hour give you enough time to shower and change?” Roman looked at the clock on the wall.

  “Yeah, I’ll be ready.” Hailey stood, took her plate into the kitchen, rinsed it and placed it in the dishwasher. “Thanks for looking after me and for breakfast.”

  “You’re welcome, Hailey,” Dillon replied.

  Hailey smiled and felt a whole lot better than she had the night before. She even felt like she had a little bounce in her step. It took her a few moments to work out that what she was feeling was happy. She’d never felt that way before and really liked how it made her feel. What worried her was that she would get used to it and the three Bartram brothers and that she would end up with a broken heart when she had to leave.

  * * * *

  “Shit, I really fucked up, didn’t I,” Roman said when he heard the slam of Hailey’s door.

  “No, you didn’t,” Dillon replied.

  “Yes, I did, Dillon,” Roman contradicted. “She couldn’t even look at me when I had my shirt off. She was as skittish as a horse near a snake. She tried to bolt out of here so fast.”

  “Yeah, she was skittish, but not for the reason you think. I was watching her as she squirmed in her seat and it wasn’t because she was afraid of you. She was scared of what she was feeling.” Dillon smiled.

  “Oh? Oh, are you sure?” Roman asked uncertainly.

  “Yeah, I’m sure. Now, all we have to do is start getting Hailey comfortable around us with our shirts on and off.”

  “You’re a wicked man.” Roman smiled and Chance looked just as happy. It may be slow going but he and his brothers were going to earn Hailey’s trust and when they did, hopefully she wouldn’t be averse to having a relationship with three men.

  * * * *

  Hailey was ready with fifteen minutes to spare. She paced her small living room as she watched the seconds tick by. Her heart started pounding in her chest when a knock sounded on her door.

  “W–who is it?” Hailey called.

  “Hailey, it’s me, Dillon. Do you have an iron I could borrow?” Dillon asked through the door.

  “Sure,” Hailey replied, as she opened her door. She felt her mouth drop open when she saw Dillon standing on her doorstep, shirt in his hand, jeans hugging his slim waist and thick muscular thighs. She couldn’t get over how tanned his chest was and how the muscles rippled beneath his skin as he moved. The man was built!

  “So, can I come in and use your iron, sweetheart?” Dillon questioned.

  Hailey moved back away from the doorway so Dillon could enter. She stood and fidgeted as he scanned the small living space. Clean, neat, but way out of date was the estate agent’s apt description, but she didn’t care. At least she had a roof over her head.

  “This looks cozy.”

  “I…I’ll get the iron.” Hailey almost ran from the room.

  She came back with the iron and handed it to Dillon, expecting him to leave. She watched him as he studied her, through lowered eyelids. She could feel her breathing picking up pace and didn’t know what to do to stop it.

  “You have very beautiful eyes, Hailey. I’ve never seen that color before.” Dillon slowly moved toward her. Hailey hoped he couldn’t see how fast her heart was beating. It felt like it was about to jump out of her chest. Her breath caught in her throat when his eyes wandered the length of her body, then met her eyes with his own once more.

  “I love your lips, sweetheart. Very sexy,” Dillon murmured and slowly lifted his free hand, gently sliding his thumb over her full lower lip. She held her breath and couldn’t seem to look away from his amazing eyes. He took the iron from her hand, turned, and walked out her door.

  Hailey sank down onto her sofa. Her legs felt shaky, too weak to hold her up. She just hoped Dillon hadn’t noticed her gawking at his hot body.

  Chapter Six

  Hailey listened to Dillon, Chance, and Roman talk on the drive to the first property for sale. She heard the enthusiasm in their voices as they spoke of their future plans to set up a horse-breeding stud. Hailey had always loved the thought of being around horses. She had learned to ride when she was in the orphanage and as any young girl would, had dreamed that one day her handsome knight would ride into the orphanage, sweep her up into his arms, seat her in front of him, and ride away with her to live happily ever after.

  Sometimes she wished she could go back to that time, when she was young and innocent, where the only pain was feeling lonely. The pain an adult had to endure was way too deep, too debilitating. She wanted to feel normal, wanted to be able to have a normal relationship with a man. She gave a sigh, knowing she would never experience the loving relationship between a male and female. She was just way too scared of physical intimacy.

  “Are you all right, sugar?” Roman asked from the seat next to her in the back of the truck.

  “I’m fine, thanks.”

  “What was the big sigh for?” Roman asked curiously.

  “I was just thinking of the dreams we have when we’re children and how much reality can change our dreams, our hopes. Sometimes it would be so much easier if we could remain a kid forever.”

  “I understand where you’re coming from, Hailey, but if we remained kids, we would never be able to make our dreams a reality. We’d never know the love a man, or men, and woman can share. We wouldn’t grow wiser from our mistakes, we wouldn’t grow into the humans we are meant to be. The world would be a very different place if we all remained kids,” Roman philosophized.

  Men? Is he trying to tell me something? Do he and his brothers want a relationship with me? Is that why they are taking me out with them?

  “I suppose so, but some of us will never experience any of that as adults.”

  “Well, some might be too scared to reach out and grab life with both hands, when the opportunity arises. But a lot of people would decide not to let any hurt stop them and experience life to its full extent. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be scary, or one of the hardest things someone who had been hurt had to do. A person who has been hurt by someone could close themselves off and hide away, or they could tell themselves it wasn’t their fault and move forward, grabbing opportunities as they arose,” Roman said quietly.

  “Yes, they might, but most people have someone to catch them if they fall or to tell them when they’re wrong, and others might put themselves first and become selfish. Not worrying about the danger they could be putting others in,” Hailey replied.

  “Yeah, and some would trust the people at their back, to help protect them, keep them safe from harm.

  “We’re here, I’m glad you came with us, sugar. It’ll be good to get a woman’s perspective of the houses we’ll be looking at,” Roman winked, unclipped his safety belt and hopped out of the truck when it stopped.

  Chance got out of the passenger-side front door of the vehicle, opened Hailey’s door for her and gave her a helping hand out of the truck. He must have seen the pensive look on her face and tilted her chin up so her eyes met his.

  “Are you all right, baby?” Chance asked.

  Hailey nodded, then she figured she surprised the shit out of him—by the expression on his face—and his brothers when she stepped forward, wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his chest. She hoped Chance couldn’t feel her trembling, but he didn’t comment on her physical reaction but just wrapped his arms around her and held her firmly against him, resting his chin on the top of her head. Hailey savored and relished the human contact with Chance. Besides last night with
Simone and this morning with Dillon, she couldn’t remember the last time someone had just held her and it felt so good she didn’t want to let go.

  She saw Dillon and Roman looking at each other, then back to Chance and her. Both of them were smiling as if they had won the lottery and she pondered over that as Chance’s warmth seeped into her body and her muscles finally relaxed and stopped quivering. From the look on their faces, Dillon and Roman wanted to step forward and hug her as well, but were unsure of her reaction. Hailey decided to be the one to make the move. With a sigh, she unhooked her arms from around Chance’s waist and stepped back.

  “You’re so beautiful, Hailey. Thank you for hugging me. I love to be close to you.”

  Hailey wanted to say the same words back to him but she was so overwhelmed by the affection she felt for the three Bartram brothers a lump had formed in her throat and all she could do was nod. She finally managed to admit to herself that they did want her. Every time they looked at her, she could see the desire in their eyes but seeing it in their gazes didn’t frighten her at all. If it had been any other man, or men, looking at her that way she would have run in the opposite direction, but these three men instilled a trust in her that she’d never felt before. She felt like they were the pieces to a picture which had been missing and the picture was now complete. That didn’t scare her after what Roman had said. She’d come to the conclusion that he was right.

  Hailey had been too busy running and too scared to let anyone else in but now that she was here in Passion, it was like it was meant to be. Instead of just hearing snippets of music and lyrics from a song she was finally able to hear the whole of it. All the words and musical notes were flowing through her and the fear was gone. She was still cautious but was no longer terrified. These three men had done that to her after only knowing them for a short time. How was she going to feel about them after she got to know them better?