STORY EXCERPT

“Are you all right?” said a very masculine voice.

Eva was used to hearing deep, male voices. What she wasn’t used to hearing was the tenderness in his tone.

Forcing herself to turn to her left, she studied the blond man with the strange gray eyes. He hadn’t wanted her to come with them. At least, not at first. But now, he seemed genuinely worried for her. She nodded. So far, nodding or shaking her head were the only ways she’d responded. Speaking had often gotten her into trouble.

He has kind eyes.

Finding a man with kind eyes was a difficult thing to do. Maybe an impossible thing to do.

Her gaze jumped to the other blond man driving the pickup. He was the one who had helped her out of the building without catching anyone’s attention. He’d done his best to help her without touching her, offering her clothes then keeping his gaze away as she’d dropped the coat and tugged on the oversized men’s T-shirt and drawstring sweatpants. Strangely, she’d trusted him from the very start, as much as she could trust any man, and her trust in him was growing.

“Have we introduced ourselves?” asked the man sitting next to her.

The man driving caught her gaze in the rearview mirror. “Shit. I totally forgot.”

The man in back chuckled. She liked the sound of it.

He offered her his hand. “I’m Ryder Talbot, and that’s my brother, Laric.” He dropped his hand when she did nothing more than stare at it. “Now tell us. What’s your name?”

How many times had she been told to never tell anyone her name? At times, she’d had to remind herself of her name, saying it in whispers so no one else would hear her. The other girls had been able to talk amongst themselves whenever they dared to do so, but she’d never been kept close enough to them to join in. Not that she would’ve dared. Big Poppa would’ve been very angry if she had.

She turned back to stare out the window again. Where was Big Poppa now? A shiver made her tremble. Was he already searching for her? He’d gotten a call a short time before the two men had found her. Yet instead of taking her with him, he’d shoved her inside the closet and closed the door, warning her to stay quiet. She’d tried to be silent, had clapped her hand over her mouth, but when she’d heard the shouts and commotions downstairs, she’d been afraid that Big Poppa would somehow blame her. The bruises from the last beating hadn’t yet faded.

Bruises followed with claims that he loved her. Was that love? Did Big Poppa love her?

“You really need to buckle up.” Laric glanced over his shoulder. “It’s not safe.”

“Give it a rest, bro. She’ll buckle up when she wants to.”

She’d gotten into the pickup willingly, but when Laric had tried to reach around her to fasten the buckle, she hadn’t let him, alarm taking over.

“Are you hungry?” Ryder asked. “We could go through a drive-thru and get a burger. Some fries and a milkshake, too, if you want.”

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten a hamburger. Her mouth watered thinking about the juiciness. Big Poppa had to be in a very good mood to allow her more than a small plate of meat and potatoes. He’d told her that he didn’t want her to get fat. That then she’d be even more worthless than she already was.

Oh, but how she longed for a burger. And fries! Salty fries followed by a cold chocolaty milkshake would be as close to Heaven as she had ever come. Could she say yes? Did she dare?

“No, sorry, we can’t. Not with those bruises. She’d draw too much attention.”

She jerked her gaze to Laric, hating him for dashing her dream of a chocolate milkshake. Oh, and the fries! Hot and crispy with lots of salt, just the way her mamma used to eat them.

“Sorry,” he repeated. “But we can fix you something really good once we get back to the ranch. Maybe not a milkshake, but I think we have some ice cream. How about that?”

“Until then, here’s some water.”

She couldn’t resist taking the bottle of water Ryder offered. After gulping several swallows down, she wiped her mouth. Could she trust these men? Who were they, and why were they trying to help? At first, she’d thought that Big Poppa had sent them to fetch her, but they were too nice to be the men who worked for him. Those men had hard eyes and even harder hands.

“Listen, you can trust us.”

She looked at Ryder’s gray eyes and wondered if he was lying. More than likely, he was.

“What’s your name? You can tell us that, right?”

She looked down, a rush of emotions swirling inside her. Something about them drew her to them. They were different in a way she couldn’t quite understand. Suddenly, she blurted out, “Where are we going?”

“To our ranch.” His gray eyes darkened. Dark blond stubble covered his strong jawline. “To our home. You’ll be safe there.”

Safe from what? From Big Poppa? Or from the others that had made Big Poppa hide her in the closet? Fear took her again. She shouldn’t have let them take her. Big Poppa would be angry if he came back and found that she’d gone. She’d never known any other man besides Big Poppa.

I have to get back before Big Poppa does.

“Do you know a man they call Big Poppa?”

She gaped at him, her fear growing stronger, becoming too strong to handle. She couldn’t let them take her. If they knew Big Poppa, then they’d know he would be furious with her.

I have to get back. Now.

Taking hold of the handle, she shoved her body against the door and jumped out of the car.

ADULT EXCERPT

“I know what you are.”

When Eva brought her attention back, they both looked like she’d punched them between the eyes. She’d struck a nerve and decided to strike it again. They were hiding something, and she wanted to know what it was. “I know what you are,” she repeated.

“You do?” Laric frown, worry in his eyes. “How’d you find out?”

She hadn’t really known, but he’d just confirmed her suspicions. Because Big Poppa and his men treated her as non-existent, invisible most of the time, she’d overheard things, learning about the men Big Poppa both hated and feared. The police. The FBI. He’d used other names, cutting names for them, too, but she knew the correct words. Yet, she couldn’t talk about Big Poppa. Couldn’t tell them how she’d figured out what they were. Who they worked for. At least, not directly. “I just know.”

Ryder cleared his throat. “I can’t believe you didn’t mention it earlier.”

“I was hoping you’d tell me.”

The men were quiet for a moment before Laric said, “And what do you think about it? About us?”

“I don’t know. I mean it’s what you are, so what am I supposed to do except accept it? Especially now that you want me to stay on the ranch.”

“Really?” The amber in Ryder’s eyes grew stronger. “Are you saying you’ll stay with us?”

She placed a finger against the laugh lines next to his right eye. “Your eyes are getting more amber in them.”

He took her hand and brought it away from his face. “Does it scare you?”

“No.” She didn’t understand how their eyes could change, but it didn’t frighten her. Instead, it intrigued her.

“And you’re really okay with what we are?” Laric gave a slight shake of his head.

“I am. What you are will keep me safe. Right?”

“You bet. Safer than anyone else could keep you.” Ryder grinned. “We were wondering how to tell you, but now that you know, it makes things a whole lot easier.”

She was safe. She knew she was. Yet, she couldn’t fight the uneasiness that suddenly swamped her. “But what if Big Poppa finds me? What if his men come and take me away?” Trembles flowed through her. She’d rather die than go back to that life.

Ryder wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close as tears began to stream unbidden down her cheeks. “Hey, didn’t we just tell you that we’ll keep you safe?”

“Y-yes,” she whispered. But knowing it in her head was a lot easier than knowing it in her heart. Fear had an easier time creeping into her heart.

Ryder wiped away a tear. “We’ve got you, baby. You have to trust us.”

Laric rubbed her back in slow, comforting circles. “No one will ever hurt you. Not with us around.” He smiled, trying to make her feel better. “I mean, who can protect you better than us?”

“No one.” They wanted her and had said as much. Although they hadn’t told her that they loved her, it was enough.

Do I love them?

Yes, her heart answered.

Yet her mind warned her to be careful. Lifting her face to Ryder, she wiped away the tears and kissed him.

I know what love is now. This is love.

She kissed him with every beat of her heart. She kissed him with every thought. She kissed him with every part of her soul.

And, amazingly, wonderfully, he kissed her back.

Laric whispered behind her, telling her how long they’d waited for that moment. He promised her the moon and stars and everything in between. He vowed he’d keep her safe and make her happy. And as he did, he removed her clothes, slowly, gently.

“You are more than I ever dreamed of.” Laric’s voice was filled with awe as he skimmed his gaze over her naked body.

“Sexy isn’t a good enough word,” declared Ryder.

His perusal of her body made her blush, and heat flowed through her to flame her cheeks. They’d been so nice to her, but the compliments, the way they adoringly stared at her was almost too much for her to handle.

Ryder lay her down on the blanket then eased back to look at her. His eyes, the amber still there, glowed with emotion. He smiled, not his usual dimple smile, but one that spoke from his heart, giving her all that he was.

Laric tugged off his shirt, tossed it aside, then began unbuckling his belt. “Are you sure, darlin’? We don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do.”

“You tell us to stop and we will,” added Ryder. “Even if it’ll tear us apart.”

She placed one hand on Laric’s arm then the other on Ryder’s. “I want this. Please. I want this more than anything.” She hadn’t realized it until now, but she’d been waiting, too. Keeping herself safe from other men until she could find the man, the men she was meant to have.

“You’re a virgin.”

Laric wasn’t asking. He was confirming what she’d already told him. Yet, in doing so, he was asking her again if she was sure. “Yes. But I won’t be after you make love to me.”