STORY EXCERPT

Amelia wiped the tear from her eye and wished she could confide in Susan. To go back to New York and have Susan hold her and tell her it was going to be okay. Though Susan wasn’t her mother, she was the closest thing Amelia had to family. She was alone in this world, and she’d used that to push herself to create her own life, her own traditions, and perceptions of life, yet had still wound up being a victim. Her eyes felt full, and as she drove onto the side road leading to Corporal’s, she heard the pop and felt the car pull to the right, nearly hitting another car passing her going the other way. She pulled to the right and onto the shoulder. Her heart was pounding. She was so scared. Had someone shot at the car? Was someone trying to hurt her because of Cavanaugh? He’d mentioned being careful getting into her car. Oh God, please. Please.

The tears fell, and she put the car in park and looked around. The seconds felt like minutes as she waited for the worse to happen, but when nothing did, she regained her sanity and realized that Cavanaugh had her mind so fucked up with fear she was a nervous wreck. She got out of the car and looked down. A flat tire. “Are you kidding me?”

She knew what to do. Her first thought, though, was to call someone and get help, but then she was a mess right now. Tears in her eyes, frustration circulating through her veins, and she started to get things ready as she processed her life. She popped open the trunk and pulled out what she needed. Getting that tire out was going to be a pain. She didn’t work out much. She really should. She should train like Kai and North and even April. She wondered if April would be at Corporal’s tonight. She hadn’t seen her since the hospital. She traveled some and worked from her home on the beach for multiple companies doing some kind of freelance work in banking and finance or something.

She exhaled and bent down into the truck to try and grip the tire and felt her skirt lift. She’d reached back to push it down when the sound of a diesel engine came closer, and then a truck stopped. A big, black pickup truck. Her lip quivered, and the doors opened on either side, and fear gripped her once again. Were these men enemies of Cavanaugh? They came into sight, and she gasped. She recognized one of them immediately. They were friends of Mike’s. She’d seen the driver at the hospital when North was there. He was six feet four, with brown hair and blue eyes, and was mean. Fogerty was his name. She turned and gripped the car. Fogerty narrowed his eyes at her as he looked her over from head to toes. So did the other two guys.

“Amelia, right?” Fogerty asked, and she nodded.

“What happened? Flat tire?” the other guy asked. He licked his lips, looked at her, and then walked to the side of the car. The third guy stepped closer.

“I’m Dell. I don’t think we met before.” He looked at her chest then into her eyes. These men were all big and muscular and totally intimidating.

“Did you call one of the guys for help?” Fogerty snapped at her.

She shook her head. She couldn’t even speak. And she was still gripping the car. Fogerty and the other two now stood right in front of her.

“We’ll help you.” Dell stepped toward the car, and she gasped.

“I can do it. You can leave. I’m fine.” It all came out in a rush, without hesitation between sentences.

“Don’t be scared. We know Mike and Afina,” Dell stated.

The other guy cleared his throat. He was just as tall and big but had a bit of scruff along his cheeks. He seemed uncomfortable with her obvious show of fear. She was such an idiot. She needed to get a grip. They weren’t serial killers or hit men.

“I’m Watson.” The guy in front of her put out his hand for her to shake.

She looked at it and swallowed hard then reached out to shake his hand hello, and she told herself she would be okay. They were friends of Mike’s, and they weren’t enemies of Cavanaugh or friends of his either. When their hands touched, she hadn’t expected the surge of attraction. He must have felt it, too, as his eyes narrowed and he once again looked over her body. She pulled her hand away.

“The tire is in here. If you could get it out, I can do the rest.”

She gasped as Dell lifted the tire right out, bounced it, and then he rolled it to the side. Fogerty was already grabbing the jack, and Dell eyed her over.

“You look nice. You heading someplace specific?” he asked.

“Nowhere,” she lied. She didn’t know these men, and she didn’t like the instant attraction she felt either. She was shaking so damn hard and trying not to show it.

“Damn, these lug nuts are rusted over. I can’t even get them undone,” Fogerty said in that deep commanding tone he had. She looked toward Dell and Watson.

“Let me try,” Watson said and bent down.

“If I can’t get it, what makes you think that you can?” Fogerty said to Watson.

“Everyone knows that I’m stronger than you,” Watson said to Fogerty.

“I’m the strongest. I should try,” Dell added, and the three of them started to bust on each other.

She stood there listening, feeling shocked and amused. For three hard-core, intimidating men, they were arguing like children. Fogerty kept that hard expression with his arms crossed in front of him as he stared at Watson trying to use the tire iron and failing. A small smirk appeared and disappeared quickly, and then Dell was there.

“Let me. You both are idiots.” He bent down, and Watson stood up and rubbed his hand on his jeans.

“Rusted out good. No way those are coming off.”

They were good-looking men, and as she stared at them, she realized that she would never be able to have a relationship with any man ever again. Men like these could be controlling and do some serious damage to a woman her size. That fear came back again then doubled at Watson’s words.

ADULT EXCERPT

Watson was entirely too turned on right now. Amelia didn’t even seem to know how sexy and hot she was. As she lay here under the counter, her tank top lifted, revealing her tan skin and a bit of the floral tattoo on her hip, he swallowed hard. His eyes roamed up her body to her breasts, full, larger then he’d thought they were, and some water was still sitting there from the spray. He took advantage of the situation and now had one knee between her thighs and his hands over hers tightening the pipe. He looked down, and she stared at him, lips parted, and he knew things were not going to go slow.

“Thank you, Amelia,” he whispered and lowered down, his hands on her hips, and he kissed her belly. She tightened up.

“Watson,” she whispered.

He pulled back, and she wiggled her way out of the cabinet, but then he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. He couldn’t resist. She looked so good and smelled incredible. He ran his palm up under her ass, and she straddled his waist. With ease and use of his strong leg muscles, he knelt on one knee and then lifted up to a standing position. He placed her ass on the counter, and he ran his fingers through her hair, cupped her head, and thrust his tongue deeper into her mouth. She moaned, and then he pulled back, lifted her tank top up and off of her, and tossed it. He stared at her breasts and the wetness from the water and licked along her skin.

“Watson, oh God, please, we have to slow down.”

“Can’t.” He licked up along her neck and suckled hard.

She moaned and gripped his shoulders. He maneuvered his hands around her back and unclipped her bra. She gasped.

“Watson, oh God. I don’t believe this is happening.”

He shook his head and gave her a firm expression. “Arms up,” he ordered, and her eyes glazed over. He pulled off her bra and then cupped one breast and suckled on the nipple. He tugged and sucked hard.

“Oh, Watson.” She rocked her hips.

“Goddamn, Watson,” Dell said, and he was there too, cupping her other breast and then kissing her lips as he pinched her nipple.

“My turn,” Fogerty demanded in a deep, hard tone that made Amelia shake.

Watson felt it, and he was so turned on right now. He released her breast and gave her a wink. He stepped from between her legs, and Fogerty was there. He held her gaze, slid his palm up under her bare breast, and stared at it.

“More than a handful. So smooth and soft, you’re an angel, Amelia.” He pressed his mouth to hers. Watson watched Dell and Fogerty taste from her breasts, her lips, and then Fogerty lifted her up into his arms and against his chest.

“We’re going to spread you out and do a little exploring, honey.”

“Fogerty, we shouldn’t. I’ve done too much with the three of you already. I hardly know you, and there are things going on in my life. I can’t do this right now.”

“Stop. Remember what I said about letting go and not thinking about anything but feeling?”

She nodded, but Watson wondered what things she was talking about and had concern over whether she was involved with someone else or if there was trouble attached to her. She definitely was shy.

She gripped Fogerty’s cheeks between her palms. Tears were in her eyes.

“I’m scared to let go right now, Fogerty. As much as I feel, and as deeply so soon, I’m afraid. I’m in no position to be intimate with you.”

“Why is that?” he asked then changed his mind. “No, forget it. Nothing matters but how we feel and what we all want. You feel it too. You want us, want more of how we make you feel.”

“I don’t know if I can have sex with you.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

The tear escaped her eye.

“Someone…someone hurt me,” she whispered, and her voice cracked.

Watson felt instantly sick to his stomach and mad. So angry that he stepped closer and cupped her cheek.

“Who? When?” he asked.

“Not too long ago. Things aren’t over yet.”

“You mean you’re still involved with him?” Dell barked at her.

“No, no, I’m not. It’s complicated because he hurt me so much, and I can’t move on. Well, I thought I couldn’t move on and that there was no end to the loneliness and the pain, but then you three came along, and it’s like nothing else matters, but I’m not whole. I don’t know how to explain it. I’m ruining this.” She tried to wiggle from his arms.

“No. This is right, and we can make you feel good and to forget about the pain he caused you,” Fogerty said, obviously not wanting to let her go, and he walked her to the stairs and right to his bedroom.

Watson glanced at Dell as they followed, and he could tell that Dell was angry and concerned as well. There was more to Amelia than they knew right now, but it obviously didn’t matter because they all wanted to make love to her and claim her.

* * * *

Fogerty was feeling way too much. He had questions, and he wanted answers, but he wanted Amelia to be his. He wanted to share her with his brothers and protect her from this guy, whoever he was and however he seemed to be able to control her still. It was obvious she was battling between wanting them and giving in to the desire and still maybe feeling vulnerable and emotional about what had happened to her. He would get his answers, but first, he wanted to prove to her that real men knew how to love a woman right.

He set her feet down on the rug and reached for her shorts. She gripped his wrists. He shook his head. “Put him out of your head. We’ll deal with that later. Right now my brothers and I are going to show you how real men love their woman.” He undid her shorts and pressed them and her panties down as tears hit her eyes.

“Oh God,” she said, panting.

“Easy, baby. Nice and slow. We won’t ever hurt you. Never,” Dell said and stepped in behind her and kissed her neck.

She closed her eyes, and Fogerty lifted her foot to step from her sneakers and shorts then the other, and then he lifted her thigh high and slid fingers to her cunt.

“Fogerty!” she cried out and came. Just like that, she came.

“Sweet. So fucking responsive and sweet for us. You’re going to be our woman, Amelia,” Watson said, and he and Dell began to undress her the rest of the way. Then Watson kissed her lips as Fogerty stroked her cunt.

“Your body knows, baby. It will learn our touch, our caresses, and our cocks.” He pressed a soft kiss to her belly. Everything meant so much. Every kiss, every touch, ever gaze of their eyes, it all was overpowering to Fogerty, and he knew this was different and real.

“Condoms, do we need them?” Watson asked.

“Oh God, maybe you should. If you’re active. I was only with—“

“Shhh. No name, no talking about him or mentioning him. You are ours.” Fogerty nipped her breast as he thrust his fingers faster.

“Oh!” She came again.