Elite Dragoons 2: Nicole's Military Men (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  Rand plumped the pillow for her, helped her to lie down and then lifted her legs up onto the bed. He walked around behind her and she heard him suck in a deep breath.

  “What?”

  “You’re going to have quite a bruise back here,” Dalton answered. “The skin between your shoulders is red but I can already see blue coming through. I’m going to put an ice pack on for a while and then I’ll put on some cream to bring out the bruising faster, but first I have to make sure that fucker didn’t fracture any of your bones. I’m sorry, Nicole, but this will probably be painful.”

  Nicole held her breath when Dalton began to press on her skin to feel her bones and even though it wasn’t pleasant and did hurt, it wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be. Rand had moved back around to her front and was watching her face carefully so she made sure not to grimace or gasp as Dalton examined her.

  “Nothing’s broken but you’re going to be sore for a while. Don’t go doing anything strenuous and rest up until the soreness has gone.”

  “It’s not that…”

  “You’ll do everything Dalton tells you to,” Rand said in a firm voice.

  Nicole was about to tell him it was only bruising but didn’t get the chance because at that moment Ty and Brom burst in through the door.

  “How is she? What did that prick do?”

  “I’m…”

  “Her skin is red and is going to bruise. Dalton’s about to ice it and then he’s going to put on some cream to help with the bruising.”

  Nicole looked over her shoulder at Dalt when he placed the wrapped ice pack on and she rolled her eyes. She could see he was trying very hard not to smile or laugh as Rand continued talking about her like she wasn’t even there.

  “She should spend the next couple of days in bed,” Ty said. “That way she can’t hurt herself further.”

  Nicole began to get her dander up at the way they were trying to run her life. She was only a little bruised and it wasn’t like she had any broken bones, for God’s sake.

  “No!” Nicole said loudly so that the three men would hear her. “There is no way I’m spending the next two days in bed. I’m perfectly fine.”

  Ty, Rand, and Brom all turned to stare at her and she knew they weren’t about to back down. She could spend the next half hour arguing with them and not change their mind so she didn’t bother to reiterate her exclamation. There was always more than one way to skin a cat. Letting them think they had the upper hand would be less stressful for her, but there was no way she was going to stay in bed because of a little bruising.

  The men talked about the ranch quietly while the ice pack on her upper back did its work. The pain had already lessened and she glanced at the clock on the wall to try to figure out how much longer she was going to have to lie still. Just as she was calculating the time that had passed in her head, Dalton removed the pack and then applied some cream to the area. Once he was done, he washed his hands and headed toward the door.

  “You can get dressed now, Nicole. If the pain gets too much, or your muscles stiffen up, come back and see me.”

  When the door was closed, she went to sit up, but she needn’t have bothered. Rand, Ty, and Brom all rushed over and helped her up until she was sitting on the side of the bed with her legs hanging up above the floor.

  Ty stood in front of her with Rand at his side and Brom stood behind her on the other side of the exam bed.

  “Let me help you, baby.” Before she knew what Ty was talking about, he pulled the cotton hospital gown down her arms and threw it aside.

  Brom began to hand over her bra but hesitated a moment. “I don’t think you need this, sugar. The elastic and clasp will be uncomfortable on your injury.”

  “I can’t go…” Nicole started to reach for the bra with every intention of putting it on but Ty grabbed it, folded it up and stuffed it into his jeans pocket.

  “No. You don’t need it, Nicole. Give me her shirt.” Ty took her shirt from Brom and then helped pull it over her head.

  She was getting a little sick and tired of the way they were ordering her around and deciding things for her. She wasn’t a child who didn’t know her own mind and couldn’t make her own decisions.

  “I’m not a baby,” Nicole snapped as she pushed her arms into the sleeves of her shirt. When she was covered, she slid off the bed and landed on the floor. Rand and Ty stepped back to give her room and without looking at them she headed toward the door.

  A hand on her shoulder stopped her and she turned around. Ty gripped her chin and stared into her eyes. “Believe me, Nicole, we’re very aware that you aren’t a baby. You’re all woman.”

  The heat in his gaze made her body respond. Her breasts swelled, her nipples hardened and her clit began throbbing, but she wasn’t about to let him or his brothers know how much they affected her, so she took a couple of steps back and once more headed for the door. She was thankful that they didn’t stop her as she hurried down the hall toward the kitchen where she could hear Sara, Prue, and May talking.

  The aroma of food cooking assailed her nostrils and she inhaled deeply. It had been quite a while since breakfast and she was getting hungry.

  “Are you all right, honey?” May asked when she saw her.

  “Yes, thanks, May. I’m fine.”

  Sara rushed over and gave her a gentle hug. “We heard what happened. Are you sure that bastard, Abe, didn’t hurt you?”

  “I’m just a little bruised, nothing too drastic.”

  “I’m glad Dalt and Whit got to you before that asshole could do more damage.” Sara scowled. “If they hadn’t fired that prick, I would have.”

  Nicole shrugged and walked over to the large urn-like kettle and made herself a coffee. Just as she sat on a stool on the other side of the counter, Ty, Rand, and Brom entered the room.

  “What are you doing in here, baby?”

  Nicole mentally rolled her eyes because it was damn obvious what she was doing, but instead of answering what she thought of as a rhetorical question she slid off the stool and skirted the kitchen counter. “Do you want something to drink?”

  The three Bayhard brothers shook their heads but continued to watch her. She turned her back on them and faced May. “What can I do to help?”

  “There’s no need…”

  Ty interrupted May, “You aren’t going to help with anything, Nicole. You need to rest.”

  “I am resting,” she snapped. “It’s not like I’m outside wrestling with the cattle.”

  Sara snickered and Prue covered her mouth trying to hide her smile. May’s expression didn’t change, but there was a twinkle in her eye and she gave Nicole a wink.

  “How long before dinner is ready, May?” Ty asked.

  May glanced at the clock on the oven. “About half an hour.”

  “Perfect,” Ty replied.

  He took the mug from her hand, placed it on the sink then turned her around to face him. Nicole let out a squeak of surprise when she was lifted off her feet and up into his arms.

  Looping an arm around his neck she asked, “What are you doing?”

  “You were told to rest and I’m going to make sure you do just that.” Ty carried her from the kitchen and into the living room. Instead of putting her down on the sofa like she expected him to, he sat down and took her with him, so that she was sitting on his lap in the middle of the couch.

  “Look,” Nicole removed her arm from around Ty’s neck and lifted her gaze to his. “I appreciate that you are looking out for me but it isn’t necessary.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, baby,” Ty cupped her cheek when she went to turn away. “Everything about you is our concern.”

  When she tried to get up again, Ty wrapped his arm around her waist and held her firmly and she knew she wasn’t about to get away from such a determined man. So instead of fighting him she settled back into his arms, placed her head on his chest, and closed her eyes. Rand and Brom sat down on either side of her and Ty and the men began disc
ussing the sex slave case they were still working on. She tried to concentrate and listen in, but her mind began drifting. She felt so warm and safe surrounded by their heat and didn’t want to leave Ty’s embrace.

  Nicole wondered if the three Bayhard men were ever really going to trust her and tell her about their enhanced abilities. Now that she thought about it she decided they weren’t going to make love with her until they talked to her. There was no way a relationship like theirs, with one woman and three men, could work if they didn’t totally trust her. That made her begin doubting her decision to be with them. She had learned to care for them deeply over the last couple of months and she began to question their level of commitment to her, especially since they weren’t willing to talk with her.

  “What’s wrong, sunshine?” Rand asked.

  She opened her eyes to see him studying her intently and frowning at her. “I think I made a mistake.” Nicole sat up on Ty’s lap and then pushed to her feet and began to pace. She peered into the kitchen and saw that May, Sara, and Prue were talking and weren’t taking any notice of her and none of the other men had come back inside as yet. Dalton had gone back out after treating her and hadn’t returned.

  When she turned to face the three men their expressions were stoic but she could see the anger in Ty’s eyes and uncertainty in Rand’s and Brom’s gazes.

  “What are you talking about?” Ty bit out through clenched teeth.

  “You don’t trust me so I don’t think starting a relationship is such a good idea.”

  “What?” Ty yelled and then sighed as he scrubbed a hand over his face. “Of course we trust you. What makes you think we don’t?”

  Nicole didn’t answer but raised an eyebrow and hoped she wouldn’t have to spell it out for him.

  Rand rose to his feet and walked up to her side, just as he opened his mouth, the other members of the Elite Dragoons began entering the house for dinner. “This isn’t the time or place to talk. After dinner we’ll go back home and discuss your issues as much as you want. Okay?”

  Nicole gave a slight nod and then spun around and headed for the kitchen. She didn’t care what they thought but she was going to help May and the other women serve the food and she was also going to help clean up after they’d eaten. She may have come across as a delicate little flower when they had first rescued her on that dark terrifying night when she’d had to hide in a storm drain—suffering claustrophobia and having to hide in such a tight, dark space had caused her to be a shaking bundle of nerves—but she was so far away from being fragile it was laughable. Those three Bayhard men thought they knew her and maybe they did to some extent but they still had a lot to learn about her. She’d gone along with them for too long but now it was time to dig her heels in and stand up for herself. If she let them run roughshod over her and she agreed to start a relationship with them, then it would be doomed from the start. She was made of much sterner stuff than that and it was about time her men found out what she was really made of.

  Chapter Seven

  Brom watched Nicole help May and the other women serve the food and hoped Ty wouldn’t be an ass by telling her to rest. At first he had been just as stubborn as his brother and wanted her to rest, but then he figured Nicole knew her own body better than anyone and if she was in pain she wouldn’t have offered to help out in the first place. He’d been on pins ever since Nicole had made her statement, “I think I made a mistake,” and then went on to explain how she didn’t think they trusted her.

  He could see where she might come to that conclusion, but it was so far from reality. He and Rand had been trying to talk Ty into telling her about their enhanced skills, but for some reason their stubborn-assed brother was scared of her reaction. Now the shit had hit the fan and he hoped they could convince her that they trusted her implicitly, that it was their own fears that had held them back from being completely open and honest with her.

  Plus, Nicole was finally coming out of her shell and he liked what he was seeing. He’d always known that she wasn’t a malleable woman and had some fire buried deep down inside her, but for some reason she’d tried to keep that part of herself hidden. Did she think they weren’t man enough to handle her passion? If that was the case then he hoped that he and his brothers would get to show her they were the right men for her. But he wasn’t so sure she was going to let them have a relationship with her now. Hopefully after they had all sat down and talked, told her about their abilities and laid their cards out on the table she would accept them for who they were.

  He rubbed his chest when pain shot through his heart. He didn’t know if he could survive if she left them.

  Brom loved Nicole with his whole being, his heart and soul would be shattered if she didn’t give them a chance to see where this thing could go between them. First they had to open up with her and hope like hell she didn’t look at them differently. Although he didn’t think she would, she’d virtually let them know she knew about their skills, but how much she knew was another question. Would she look at them like they had two heads when they told her of the empathetic abilities, or how they could connect to her just by touching something she’d touched?

  He glanced at Ty when Nicole began to help clear away the dishes after everyone had finished eating. When Ty’s eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth, Brom gripped his arm and shook his head. Ty looked at him angrily but then he sighed with resignation and leaned back in his chair and watched Nicole flit about.

  Brom could see that even though she was a little stiff, she didn’t look like she was in any pain. As much as he knew Ty only wanted to keep her safe because he cared for her, as did he and Rand, his older brother had to realize that Nicole was an adult and could look after herself for the most part.

  When the women were finished in the kitchen, Nicole walked out of the room without looking at any of them. She knew they had been watching her as she had looked up a few times and met each of their gazes. What annoyed Brom the most was that when she did meet their eyes, he hadn’t been able to work out what she’d been thinking.

  Ty was the first to get up and stalk out of the room. Brom hoped that their woman was headed back to their house, because if she wasn’t, he could see his older brother asserting his dominance again and slinging her over his shoulder.

  Brom looked at Rand and then both of them stood and hurried out after Ty and Nicole. She wasn’t in the living room with the others so he presumed she had left the house. Once outside he took a deep breath and scanned the area. Ty was leaning against the porch rail and staring toward the corrals. Brom turned his head and saw that Nicole was leaning against the wooden fence post to the corral where Abe had attacked her. He hoped she wasn’t remembering that incident. He didn’t want her feeling bad over what had happened, since none of it had been her fault.

  Deciding to take the bull by the horns, Brom took the steps down and walked across the yard until he was standing behind her. He knew she knew he was there as her shoulders bunched with tension. Moving in closer, he slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her back up against his front. She felt so right in his arms and he never wanted to let her go. He breathed in her light vanilla fragrance and felt his heart fill with contentment at having her in his arms.

  “Are you okay, Nic?”

  She sighed and relaxed against him before answering, “Yeah.”

  “Are you hurting, sugar?”

  “Other than being a little stiff and slightly sore, I’m fine.”

  “That’s good to know. Do you think you’re up to talking with us?”

  Nicole turned and even though he loosened his arms he didn’t let her go and ended up with his hands on her hips. She looked up and met his eyes. “I’ve been waiting for you and your brothers to talk to me for a long time. I’m more than ready to hear what you have to say.”

  “Good,” Brom released her hips and took one of her hands in his. “Let’s go back to the house where we’ll have some privacy.”

  Brom glanced over to Ty
and Rand, who were still on the verandah, and gave them a nod, before he began to lead Nicole back home. Neither of them spoke as they walked and once they were inside, instead of getting right down to the nitty gritty of things, he led her to the kitchen and set about making coffee.

  When the coffee was made he carried the mugs on a tray into the living room while Nicole sat on the sofa. He handed the cups out. Ty sat in an armchair off to the side and Rand had already taken a seat beside her. Brom took the cushion on her other side.

  “There is something we should have told you a while ago,” Ty began and then sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. “I wanted to tell you, but I was worried you would look at us differently.”

  When Nicole opened her mouth to speak, Brom leaned over and placed a finger over her lips. “Listen to us first, sugar. When we’re done talking then you can ask all the questions you want. Okay?”

  Nicole nodded and he removed his hand but instead of putting it back on his thigh he gripped her free hand. Rand moved in closer to her side and slung an arm over her shoulders, giving her a gentle squeeze.

  Ty cleared his throat nervously drawing all of their attention again. “My brothers and I, as well as the rest of the Elite Dragoons team, were approached by the head of the military over eighteen months ago. We were considered one of the best teams in service because of our extensive training and high success rate on our missions. Even though we are considered Marines, we have also trained with SEALs, Rangers, and Green Berets.

  “Anyway, the powers that be explained that they wanted to use us for government experiments that would make us better than ever before. Although we did have the choice to decline, after talking to the rest of the team, we all decided we would volunteer and accept their offer. None of us had anything to lose if something went wrong, but we were told of the success with a previous elite team and were eager to begin.”

  Ty glanced at Rand and nodded. Rand took over the explanation. “We were injected with a cocktail of drugs that even our medic Dalton can’t pronounce and then we went through a lot of tests and some preliminary training. The test proved that the program had been successful.”