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

  She walked around the front of the truck and then stopped in front of Roman. His expression remained stoic but she could see the yearning in his eyes. Hailey took a deep breath and then moved until her body was against his. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest. When his arms came around her she sighed with contentment.

  Hailey felt connected to all three of these men somehow. She felt almost as if she’d come home. “Thank you, all of you.”

  “What are you thanking us for, Hailey?” Roman asked.

  “For being so nice. For helping me out and taking care of me. For opening my eyes and making me look at things from another perspective.”

  “You’re welcome, honey. I would do anything for you.”

  Hailey drew back and met Roman’s gaze again. She could see the sincerity in his eyes but underlying that honesty was another emotion she couldn’t define. She stepped away from Roman and looked toward Dillon. He was standing not far away with a smile and an eager look on his face. He didn’t say anything but opened his arms wide and waited. Hailey didn’t hesitate to step into his arms. She heard Dillon sigh and then she hugged him around the waist. How long she and Dillon stood there cuddling each other she had no clue, but it didn’t really matter.

  “All of us would do anything for you, Hailey. If you ever need anything or just want to talk we’re here for you. Okay?”

  “Okay. Thank you.” After a while she drew away and shifted from foot to foot, unsure what to do now. With a last glance and smile over their shoulders at her, Dillon and Roman led the way up to the veranda surrounding the large, worn farmhouse.

  Hailey glanced at Chance before taking another step away from him and had to look away when she saw the look in his eyes. The emotion she saw on his face, in his eyes, literally took her breath away.

  His gaze held such heat as he looked at her and even though she would normally have been scared at seeing that look in a man’s eyes, she still felt no fear. All three of the Bartram brothers had looked at her as if she was desirable but not once had she felt like she was in danger from them. They’d taken care of her and were still trying to. Not one of them had looked at her with pity in their eyes. Compassion, yes, but never pity. But there was also something else there and the only word she could think to describe the emotion was love. She’d seen that look in Dillon and Roman’s eyes, too, and even though she was probably being fanciful or imagining it, it made her feel really good. She felt special and worthy for the first time in her life and wanted to go on continuing to feel that way. Why was it that these three men made her feel so much? Was it because they were helping her or because of the attraction she felt for them?

  Hailey had never expected to feel again. She’d been numb inside for so long she’d thought she’d never experience emotions other than fear. These three men were slowly waking her up and even though it was frightening to feel so much she knew it was long over time to try and put the past where it belonged. In the past.

  But how could she do that when she knew the monster would come for her again and again and again. She took a ragged breath and pushed thoughts of the scary beast away. He had no place right here or right now. He didn’t deserve to win over and over. He’d won once and that was one time too many. It was time to take control of her life and experience living rather than keep running. She even thought that she may be ready to experience full intimacy, making love, but only with these men. She was healing quickly because of Roman, Chance, and Dillon.

  Roman had shown her a different way to think about what had happened to her. Maybe two more steps and she would be ready for sex but she wasn’t going to rush too far ahead. A few steps at a time were all she was brave enough to take.

  Hailey’s body was aching for more of their hugs and touches. Her heart was yearning for their compassion, their caring.

  Chance and his brothers were such handsome, strong, rugged, yet gentle men. Her eyes devoured his physique as he turned away from her, but she couldn’t contain a sob of happiness and desire when he glanced back at her over his shoulder. Another sob escaped and she hurried the three steps toward him and threw herself into his arms. She reached up with two hands, grabbed his hair, and pulled his head down to hers. She placed her lips on his and gave him a closed-mouth kiss.

  Hailey felt a little inept as she tried to kiss him but she’d never kissed a man before, not by her own free will. She had no idea what to do and hoped she wasn’t making a complete fool of herself but she needed this. Needed to show at least one of the men how she felt. But even that was a puzzle to her. She desired them, cared for them, wanted to touch them and be touched in return, but wasn’t sure if it was because she had feelings for them, which she did, or if it was because she was grateful that they were yanking her back into the land of the living.

  Maybe it was a combination of all of the above. They’d gained her trust quickly and she had feelings for them but hadn’t quite worked out what those feelings were. She would figure it all out eventually. The more time she spent in their company, the more she grew to like them and care for them.

  * * * *

  Chance wanted to take control of the kiss, but hesitated, not wanting to scare Hailey away from her first attempts at affection, seduction. He slid his lips over hers, slowly, still letting her have control. She gave an audible gasp and pulled away.

  “Sorry, I don’t know what came over me.” Hailey lowered her eyes to the ground, her cheeks turning a cute crimson hue, and she backed up a few steps. His heart broke for her and he so wanted to show her how much he cared but he was frightened of scaring her off, but his heart filled with hope. She’d hugged them all and let them hug her in return. Didn’t that mean she wasn’t afraid of him and his brothers? She’d kissed him, not the other way around. Did that mean she was beginning to care for them, too?

  “Hailey, please don’t be embarrassed. I love being hugged and kissed, baby. You can do that to me anytime,” Chance said in a quiet, sincere voice. “Come on, let’s go look at the house.”

  * * * *

  Hailey preceded Chance into the empty farmhouse. It was sad that someone had lost their home due to circumstances beyond their control, but at least whoever it was still had their lives.

  She liked the house instantly. It needed to be renovated inside and out, but the house was enormous and the foundations looked solid. There were six bedrooms, three bathrooms, a huge kitchen, as well as a study, a butler’s pantry, and beautiful oak timber floorboards. She could envisage the kitchen with the latest appliances, new cupboards, light fixtures, and a fresh coat of paint. She heard the murmur of her men’s voices as she wandered about the house.

  Wait! When did I start thinking about the Bartram men as mine?

  She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She was such an idiot. As if they would ever want her permanently. She had way too much baggage and even though they looked at her with hunger, they were probably just being nice to her because she was alone. Hailey pushed her thoughts aside for now. They had asked her to come looking at the houses and wanted her opinion, so she concentrated on taking everything in.

  “What do you think about the house, sweetheart?” Dillon asked as he came upon her in the kitchen.

  “Oh, Dillon, it’s fantastic. It’s so large and roomy. It would be so easy to get lost in here. I can just imagine what it could look like,” Hailey said enthusiastically.

  “Yeah, me, too. Let’s go look at the out buildings,” he suggested, holding a hand out to her.

  Hailey didn’t hesitate, she stepped forward, placed her hand in his and they went outside. She breathed in the scents of the pine, eucalyptus, and gum trees, as well as the clean, crisp air. She walked with Dillon in companionable silence until they entered the barn.

  “Wow, this is bigger than the house,” Hailey said. “I can imagine more horse stalls on the other side as well as the ones already here. You could have an office at the end to run your business from and another small room over
there for saddles and stuff. You’d need to put in a sprinkler system and an alarm. I can just imagine the scent of hay and horses in here. It would be so much nicer than breathing in smog from a big city. Oh, sorry. Listen to me rambling.”

  “I love listening to you, baby. You convey a mighty clear image. I could see everything you said.” Dillon squeezed her hand and smiled down at her.

  “You could?”

  “Yeah. Come on, let’s see what else is here.” Dillon tugged on her smaller hand and led her from the barn.

  There was a hay shed quite a distance away from the barn and house, as well as a corral attached to the barn, and fenced-off paddocks close by. There was an overgrown vegetable patch at the rear of the house and the veranda went around the whole house. Hailey could just imagine herself sitting out on the veranda after working in the garden all day, watching the stars sparkling in the sky as she sipped a cool drink.

  “So what do you think, Dillon?” Chance asked as he stepped out on the veranda.

  “It’s good, but I want to see a few more places before making a decision. We have three more to look at and then I think we should grab some lunch in town,” Dillon suggested.

  “Hey, that sounds good to me. As long as you’re paying, bro,” Chance smiled when Hailey laughed out loud for the first time in a long, long time. She was happy and it felt good to be able to laugh again. Maybe she had found a place to call home after all.

  But then that insidious dread which was buried down deep in her gut and mind rose its ugly head and she tried to curtail the shiver of trepidation trying to overtake her. But she wasn’t about to let that monster spoil her good mood, so she pushed her fear and horror aside, determined to enjoy the first fun and lighthearted day she’d ever experienced.

  * * * *

  Dillon, glanced at his brothers when Hailey began to laugh and saw the gleam in Chance’s and Roman’s eyes and then turned back to watch the way her whole face lit up as she chuckled with joy. She threw her head back and let loose for the first time since they had met her and the sound of it was so beautiful, it filled him with happiness.

  The rest of the morning was spent driving and looking at properties for sale. Hailey liked them all, but told them the first one was still her favorite. Dillon and his siblings took her to the café in Passion, where she had left her cardigan that morning not so long ago. The four of them sat back and enjoyed a quiet lunch, discussing all the properties, weighing the pros and cons of each.

  “Which property did you like the best, sweetheart?” Dillon leaned back in his chair after finishing his lunch.

  “The first one was the best, I think, but you guys are the ones wanting to buy, so you have to do what’s best for you and the business you want to set up.” Hailey smiled. She looked so comfortable and relaxed, as if their presence was a normal occurrence in her life. After the way she’d been so scared and skittish around him, Chance and Roman, Dillon liked seeing they’d made some small progress with her, and wanted to savor each moment.

  He could still feel her slim arms around him when she’d hugged him. He’d felt such joy at her making the first move to touch him and his brothers. He wanted more of the same but decided it was best if Hailey was the one to make the moves. He’d seen the desire in her eyes when she cuddled with each of them but there was a yearning so deep down inside her for human contact he wanted to hold her and let her know he would care for her for the rest of his life. But he wasn’t sure she was anywhere near ready for that. He’d seen the same happiness on his brothers’ faces when she held them, too, and when she tried to kiss Chance, he’d been a little jealous. Not of his brother or the affection Hailey had been bestowing on him, but jealous that she hadn’t tried to kiss him or Roman, too. He just hoped his time would come soon.

  “Hmm, I liked the first one as well, but the third one had less work needed on it and the price was better,” Chance said.

  “Yes, it was, but the house was smaller and there were no outbuildings. If you add the cost of renovating a house and having to build your outbuildings, too, you’ll probably find it works out to be more expensive. Plus the first one had way more land, the corrals were already built, and the paddocks looked to have new fencing,” Hailey said.

  “Wow, you should have been a real estate agent, baby. You took everything in, didn’t you?” Roman said.

  Dillon felt his chest fill with pride at Hailey’s logic. Hailey flushed but looked pleased by the compliment. After they had finished up at the café, he drove them all back home.

  “Do you want to hang around and watch a movie, sugar?” Roman asked as he helped Hailey out of the car.

  “Only if you have nothing better to do.”

  “Come on then, you can pick out what we watch,” Roman led Hailey inside by the hand.

  Hailey picked out a movie and sat in the far corner of the sofa. Dillon, Chance and Roman sat on the large sofa, making sure not to crowd her. She was so relaxed her eyelids began to droop.

  “Hailey, why don’t you come and sit between Roman and me. If you put your head down on my lap and you drift off you won’t fall sideways and hurt your neck.” Dillon suggested.

  “Hmm, okay,” Hailey whispered as she slid along the sofa when Dillon got to his feet. He sat down in the corner, where she had been and put her head on his hard thigh. He loved that she trusted him and his brothers enough to relax with them. That was a good sign. Wasn’t it?

  “Swing your feet up onto my legs, sugar, so you’re more comfortable.” Roman patted his upper thigh.

  Hailey didn’t hesitate. She curled up on her side with her head resting on Dillon’s lap and her legs over Roman’s. She was fast asleep a moment later.

  Dillon, Roman, and Chance didn’t bother watching the movie, they sat and stared at the beautiful woman curled up asleep on the sofa and on them. She slept through the end of the movie and kept right on sleeping. Dillon and Roman didn’t want to move, they wanted Hailey to get as much sleep as she could. She needed to recover from the exhaustion she was suffering from. She looked much better, but still had dark smudges beneath her eyes.

  She moved restlessly a couple of times. Dillon looked down to see her eyeballs moving rapidly beneath her closed eyelids. She was dreaming. She whimpered as she moved again. Dillon smoothed a hand down the side of her cheek, trying to calm her frantic mind.

  All of a sudden she bolted upright, her eyes opened, as she screamed a loud, bloodcurdling, pitiful sound full of pain, betrayal, and fury. Dillon wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap. She fought him the whole time, kicking, screaming, scratching, and punching, until finally his crooning and rocking seemed to penetrate her subconscious mind. She began crying. She soaked his shirt as she sobbed her heart out, bringing tears to his and his brothers’ eyes as they witnessed her remembered pain and horror.

  She finally looked up, tears still coursing down her cheeks and clinging to her eyelashes. “Please, make it stop. I can’t stand it anymore. I don’t want to relive it over and over again. I just want it to stop,” Hailey said in a tortured voice.

  She stood up and stepped away from the sofa and turned to face all of them, scrubbing at her eyes and face. Dillon didn’t know what to do without scaring her more. He wanted to hold her in his arm for the rest of his life, and seeing her in such pain caused his heart to ache. The hardest thing he’d ever done was sit on that sofa not knowing how to take her pain away or have her wrapped up in his arms while she moved away from them. Dillon clenched his teeth so hard he could feel the muscles ticking in his jaw and wondered if he’d snap a tooth as he ground them together.

  Hailey looked embarrassed about her nightmare and wouldn’t hold his or his brothers’ gazes. When she began to walk toward the backdoor he let her go. Chance and Roman looked ready to pounce but he shook his head to stop them. Hailey had had a big day and needed to sleep more. He wished he could get her to stay in their house but knew she would probably protest so he didn’t ask her to stay. She’d had an emoti
onally challenging day and needed to think things through. He just hoped that she continued to open up with him and his brothers more and then finally let them into her life.

  He wanted the whole nine yards with Hailey, as did his brothers. They wanted marriage and kids, but Hailey needed to face her demons first. Not literally but emotionally. If anyone was going to fight her monster head on then it would be him and his brothers. There was no way in hell he was letting that sick fuck anywhere near Hailey. At least not if he could help it.

  Chapter Seven

  Hailey opened the door to her place seconds after Chance knocked. She looked really tired and he was concerned that she’d probably had another disturbed night of sleep, but even with her looking weary she was so damn beautiful. He and his brothers hadn’t seen her at all yesterday. Every time Chance went into the kitchen, he found himself staring toward her bungalow and hoping for a glimpse of her. His brothers had done the same, but as much as he and his siblings had wanted to go over and ask her to visit them, they had decided to give her some space. She gave him a small smile and looked at him expectantly.

  “We’re looking at some more properties today and thought you might like to come along.”

  “I would love to.” The smile she gave him this time lit up her whole face. Chance had to clench his fists so that he wouldn’t reach out for her and pull her into his arms. “When are you leaving?”

  “Whenever you’re ready, honey. You might want to bring a cardigan or jacket. It looks like the weather will change this afternoon. We may even drop into the Triple R farm and visit Simone, Sam, Connor, and Griff. They’ve invited us over to go horse riding.”

  “Doesn’t Connor have to work?”

  “No, he’s taking the night off to spend with his wife.”