THEIR VIRGIN CAPTIVE
Masters of Ménage, Book 1
Shayla Black and Lexi Blake
THEIR VIRGIN CAPTIVE, Masters of Ménage, Book 1
Shayla Black and Lexi Blake
Published by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake at Smashwords
Copyright 2011 Shelley Bradley LLC and DLZ Entertainment
Edited by Chloe Vale and Shayla Black
ePub ISBN: 978-1-936596-05-8
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THEIR VIRGIN CAPTIVE, Masters of Ménage, Book 1
Shayla Black and Lexi Blake
Copyright 2011 Shelley Bradley LLC and DLZ Entertainment
Bonus material and excerpts at the conclusion of this book.
Chapter One
Gavin James put down his coffee and looked out over the Dallas skyline. From the top floor of the Black Oak Oil building, he could practically see all the way to Fort Worth. He knew the view well. The same buildings and trees, the same smog hanging over the same traffic jam this time of morning. Even the coffee was the same, just like every other morning. He rose long before the sun, nightmares chasing away any semblance of peaceful sleep. He always gave up and, after a punishing run, came in to the office. His employees thought he was dedicated, but the truth was he had nothing better to do.
His only reason for smiling anymore was the one person he must stay far, far away from. Hannah Craig.
Yeah, you did such a great job staying way far away from her, you idiot. You hired her as your admin. Way to keep the girl safe. She’s a whole twenty feet away from you eight plus hours a day. Good going, James.
The phone ringing on his desk interrupted his nasty inner monologue.
“Hey, bro, I’m going to be a little bit late.” Gavin’s brother Slade yawned as he spoke.
“What a surprise. Another late night at the club?”
Maybe Hannah wasn’t the only one who made Gavin smile. He couldn’t help the way his lips quirked up, thinking about how his brother spent his nights. Spanking women was rapidly becoming a second job for Slade—and he was good at it. Often, Gavin wondered why he didn’t go out with his brothers. Maybe not to the BDSM club they frequented, but dinner would be nice. He’d become so solitary in the last ten years since—
Nope. He refused to think about that.
Gavin forced a cheery tone to his voice. “Did Dex keep you out all night?”
“I did not keep him out,” Dex said as he strolled into the office, proving once again that he was always on time. Of course, he also was the illegitimate child who felt the need to prove he belonged. “Slade managed that all on his own. He found a pretty blonde. Surprise, surprise. When I left the club they were getting mighty cozy.”
Gavin’s brief foray into a decent mood took a nosedive. Slade would have picked a pretty blonde for one reason and one reason only—to pretend she was Hannah. Of all of Gavin’s many reasons for staying the hell away from his admin, the fact that both of his brothers were crazy about her sat at the top of his list.
Who are you fooling? That’s not why you stay away. If you don’t, you know what will happen. You know what you’d do to that girl. You already lost one. Do you really think you deserve a second chance?
Gavin took a deep breath and forced a smile. Dex already believed that he was indifferent. He didn’t want to push his half brother even further away.
Punching the button on the phone, Gavin put Slade on speaker. “Tell me you’re going to make the board meeting.”
Dex snorted and tossed his big body into one of the chairs in front of Gavin’s desk. He crossed one leg over the other, his beat-up cowboy boots poking from his tailored suit. That was Dex. Gavin could force him into a designer suit, but he was never going to lose the cowboy.
“Of course I’m going to make the meeting,” Slade said with a long-suffering sigh. “I’m not late because I partied too hard. I just talked to the blonde. Mostly. Candy? Sandy? I don’t remember. She was nice, but she wasn’t…”
Hannah. Gavin watched Dex’s mouth turn down. He was obviously thinking the same thing.
Slade continued. “It doesn’t matter. Listen, I got a call about the Alaska site. We’ve had a little trouble there. Something’s gone wrong with the infrastructure. I’m going to have to head up there for a few days. I spent the morning calling around to make sure the house is ready for me after the board disperses.”
Gavin arched a brow at Dex, who waved him off. “It’s an engineering problem, not security. I already talked to Mike in River Run. He said it’s been really quiet there. The worst they’ve had is some kids deciding the base office needs new graffiti on the side. They have computer problems, too, but the IT guy is on it. The situation Slade is talking about just needs a little follow-up and supervision.”
Well, at least security was one thing he didn’t worry about. Since Dex had taken it over for Black Oak Oil, that function had been running smoothly.
Gavin grabbed the stack of mail he’d taken from Hannah’s desk, waiting for her arrival in thirty-four minutes. God, he was an idiot. He knew the exact time she would walk in the door, and he waited on her like a dog waiting for a promised treat. Anxiously, he sorted through the mail. It was too early to expect anyone else to be in for meetings, and he had nothing else to do. She was far too efficient. He’d hired her straight off the bus from some no-name West Texas town, never imagining how quickly she would become essential. Sometimes, Gavin even found himself twiddling his damn thumbs because Hannah ran his workload so efficiently.
There was a slight pause on Slade’s end of the line, and then his brother sounded almost reluctant. “Gavin, Dex and I want to talk to you about something. Do you think we could schedule lunch after the meeting?”
The mail was all crap. He could throw most of it away. He came to a large envelope that looked more interesting. Maybe it contained something other than an offer to halve his budget for bulk paper. Gavin sliced his letter opener neatly through the material as suspicion about this luncheon crept into his mind. “About what? Business?”
Dex shifted in his chair. “Not exactly.”
Fuck. He didn’t want to do this with them. “Is this about Hannah?”
Why had he even asked? He knew. His brothers had been sniffing around her since the day Gavin had reluctantly hired her almost a year ago. Somehow, they’d zeroed in on the fact that he wanted her, as well.
“What we want isn’t going to change, Gavin,” Dex said, his mouth a stubborn, flat line. “No matter how much you want it to.”
“She’s an adult.” Slade’s voice was cajoling where Dex went straight to the fight. “She’s smart and capable of making her own decisions. She’ll be fine.”
“She’s what? Twenty-two or something.” Practically a child. At least he kept telling himself that.
Dex leaned forward as if ready to fight if need be. “Gavin, you were running this company at twenty-two, don’t forget. Besides, Hannah is twenty-five.”
A chill raced across Gavin’s skin, and suddenly the room seemed way too small. Hannah was twenty-five. They had just celebrated her birthday not a month before. He’d brought in a cake, and Dex and Slade had thrown her a party. Gavin remembered the jealousy he’d felt as his brothers had led her out of the office. He’d wanted to be there beside her, too, celebrating with Hannah. Holding her.
“If you’re being at all honest with yourself, Gavin, you want what we want. Hannah is not Nikki, and you’re not the same person you were then. You have to let it go and live again,” Slade said. “I’ll be there in ten minutes. We’ll talk more then.”
“Regardless of her actual age, she’s naïve. She’s not ready to take on multiple men or play your games.” Gavin was pleased with how stable his voice sounded when all he could see in his mind’s eye was Nikki’s body laid out on the impersonal slab at the morgue.
Lately in his dreams, Nikki’s body turned into Hannah’s. The image seared itself in his head. He managed to breathe, barely. He had to focus or he would lose it. And he needed to find another job for Hannah. If he kept her this close… No, he just couldn’t.
“Damn it, Gavin,” Slade growled. “When it comes to Hannah, these aren’t games, and we’re not playing.”
Gavin’s heart stuttered. “Give the girl time to grow up.”
He upended the large envelope in his hand and let the contents drift to his desk, hoping Dex didn’t notice his shaking hands.
“Don’t act like it’s all just Slade and me. You’re not fooling anyone,” Dex said. For once, the big cowboy almost looked reluctant to speak. “I see how you look at her. You want her. You care. That’s nothing to be ashamed of. Hell, if there’s one thing both Slade and I understand, it’s how a man can be crazy about Hannah.”
Slade’s voice came over the speaker. “Dex and I have given this a lot of thought. We think it’s time, and all of us need to be on board.”
“Exactly.” Dex leaned forward. “We have a plan.”
“What the fuck?” Anything else they were about to say got lost as Gavin saw what spilled out of the envelope. Photographs of Hannah. He frowned. Ten pictures, all of them of her gorgeous body wearing lovely, lacy creations in soft colors that showcased her plump breasts and gorgeous ass. In one, a shot of her backside, she wore nothing at all. Gavin’s breath fled, and his cock stiffened at the sight.
Dex stood, peering down at the pictures on the desk. “What’s that?”
Gavin had a sudden desire to hide the provocative images. Instead, he glared. At times, Dex had been known to think way outside the box when he solved a problem. Dex had said he a plan. Was taking these pictures a part of it? Or Dex’s immature way of reeling him into their twisted little arrangement?
“Do you want to explain this?” He shoved the least seductive image in Dex’s face.
“That’s Hannah. What the hell?” Dex grabbed the picture.
“What’s going on?” Slade asked, his voice rising in alarm over the phone. “What do you mean by ‘that’s Hannah?’”
Dex stared at Gavin, his face taking on that same blank expression he’d had for the first two years after Gavin and Slade had found him in a foster home. Dex had been the child their father hadn’t planned on or wanted. It had been pure chance that Gavin and Slade even discovered that Dex existed. “You think I would do this?”
His half brother’s indignant tone registered in Gavin’s head, but rage rode him hard. “Do you know what Hannah could do to you if she found out about this? She could call in the cops, and I would let her. And your sick ploy won’t work. You might be able to pull Slade into your perversions, but don’t think you can do the same with me.”
“Goddamn it, Gavin. Why would you say that?” Slade slammed a door, and Gavin knew that his brother was on his way.
Dex practically radiated fury. He was a huge bull of a man, and Gavin thought they were about to have the throw down he’d always suspected was coming. Dex loomed over Gavin, his fists clenched and ready, but then he shut down. Dex’s shoulders relaxed, and his face became a mask of bland politeness. “Listen up, Gavin. The only reason I am not walking out the door right this second is that I want Hannah safe. After I figure out who’s stalking her and make sure he can’t do it again, I’m leaving. You won’t have to deal with this perverse bastard ever again. But next time your rich-boy conscience takes over, don’t you dare come looking for me.”
Gavin looked at the pictures again and realized he’d made several terrible errors. He’d been so concerned about the photos that he hadn’t taken time to really look at the envelope. It hadn’t been addressed to him, but to Hannah herself. There was no stamp on the front. Some bastard had walked right into her office, stood at her desk, and made sure she would receive his “gift”.
Dex flipped over one of the photographs and slapped it on Gavin’s desk with a resounding thud.
You’re mine.
The menacing words had been written in blood-red marker, the color a stark contrast to the white of the photo paper.
“This is not some prank I cooked up to trick you into joining us. You’re really accusing me of becoming a stalker and trying to terrify the woman I love? And yes, I love Hannah. I won’t not say it because you’re too much of a pussy to handle it. I’m going to figure out what’s going on, and when I leave, I intend to take her with me. And you, big brother, can go to hell for all I care.” Dex turned on his boots and strode out the door.
Gavin tried to stop the queasy feeling in his stomach as everything Dex had said sank in.
“What the hell did you do, Gavin?” Slade asked, his voice barely audible over the sounds of traffic.
Gavin bit back the urge to put his head in his hands. He’d utterly mishandled everything. But that was the story of his whole fucking life. “Get your ass up here now, Slade.”
He hung up the phone and couldn’t help but stare at the pictures in front of him. Hannah was in her bedroom, and the pictures were obviously taken from a distance. They had a grainy quality. In most, Hannah was reading or watching television in her tiny bedroom. She wore a nightgown in two of the pictures, but the majority featured her in a lacy bra and barely-there panties. So fucking gorgeous. She hid that body under nearly shapeless clothes and always kept her hair in a ponytail. In the pictures, her rich honey hair flowed down her shoulders in loose curls.
He loved the one where she leaned back on the bed, the phone in her hand and a smile on her face, like she was laughing. Her green eyes were bright, and that smile could light up the whole fucking world. The clock by her bed read ten o’clock. Gavin remembered calling Hannah at just around that time a few nights before. He’d lost an important phone number. She’d teased him about his organizational skills.
This was how she looked when she talked to him? Half-dressed, plump lips welcoming? Fuck, he’d explode next time he had to call her at home.
Gavin flipped the photo over.
Don’t let those perverted brothers touch you. You’re mine.
Gavin shoved the photo aside and surged to his feet. Hannah was in danger, and he’d been getting a hard-on looking at evidence. What kind of man was he?
You know, that voice said. You know exactly what kind of man you are, asshole.
He was a man who had just shoved his half brother aside in one of the cruelest ways possible. He shoved everyone away. Now, he was going to lose everything if he didn’t get his shit straight.
Not this time. By damned, he was going to make things right.
Gavin paced as he waited for Slade, a plan already forming.
* * * *
Hannah Craig stopped and stared as Dex Townsend walked out of Gavin’s office and into the grand reception area she liked to consider her turf. Walked? Dex never walked. He strode. He swaggered. And now he charged out of the office like an angry bull.
She inched back into the hallway to observe him. She’d discovered that all of her men tended to put on a front when they realized she was in the room.
Her men. It was all she could do not to laugh at herself, but that was the way she thought of the James Gang—Gavin, Slade, and Dex. In her fantasies, they were her men, though she would never, ever tell them. But she’d fallen madly in love with them, and all three were way out of her league.
Now one of her men walked straight up to the wall across from her desk and scrubbed an angry hand across his head. He looked back at the door to Gavin’s office as though he wanted to march back in and give his oldest brother a piece of his mind. Something definitely had Dex in a state. His handsome face was a mottled red and yet…she swore she saw a slight sheen of tears in his eyes. With a little huff, he pulled back his fist and put it straight through the wall. The drywall gave without a fuss, merely cracking and sending up a little cloud of dust. Dex yanked on his hand to pull it free.
It was time to bring that man down from whatever had him so mad or he’d start in on the furniture.
“I never did like that wall,” Hannah said softly.
Dex turned, shock obvious on his face. His angry, red flush muted to an embarrassed pink. “Hannah. I didn’t know you were here.”
She smiled at him and walked in as though nothing at all was wrong. Life was what a person made it, her Gran had always said. It was time to make Dex’s life a bit calmer. “I mean it. I’m glad someone finally put that arrogant wall in its place. I’ve slapped at it a couple of times, but it always just stands there.”
He huffed a little laugh. “You’re crazy, girl. You know that, right?”
The tension in Dex dialed down several notches.
“I have no idea what you mean. And you’re one to talk. I’m not the one taking out my frustrations on a wall.”
She set her purse down and looked around for the mail. Nothing. Gavin probably had it. She was going to have to have a discussion with the man about his priorities. A CEO looking at the mail. Hannah sighed. If she let him, he would make the coffee, too. Gavin James was a micromanager. She opened her calendar to get ready for the day ahead.
“Hannah, I’m sorry.”
When she looked up, Dex was in front of her desk, six foot five inches of the hottest cowboy she’d ever seen forced into a business suit. Dex had the broadest shoulders and the deepest chest, but what got her every time was how often he showed off his big heart. He tried to hide it, but she knew he’d helped out more than one employee with money troubles or medical bills.
If she told him what was happening to her, he would move heaven and earth to fix the problem. More than once, the information had been right there on the tip of her tongue, but she held back. Dex had his own troubles, and she could handle hers. She was an independent, strong woman who wasn’t going to panic because some idiot sent her a few letters. And called a couple of times. And had potentially killed her cat.
She forced a smile on her face. “You didn’t hit me, big guy, so no apologies. Do you want to tell me what’s going on with Gavin that has you feeling violent?”
She didn’t want to bring him into her trouble, but she couldn’t stay out of his. Dex and Gavin had a difficult relationship, to say the least. Slade was the bridge between the two, but he wasn’t here, so it was up to her.
Dex took a long breath and then that “aw shucks” smile was back on his handsome face. “It’s nothing, darlin’. Just a small difference of opinion. Put it out of your mind.”
She looked over at the hole in the wall.
He flushed again. “I’ll have that fixed.”
The outer doors crashed open, and Slade rushed in. He was one disheveled hunk of male hotness. His dress shirt hung together by one small button at the hips. The rest fell open, exposing his hard pectorals and giving her a breathtaking glimpse of his ridged abdomen. She damn near swallowed her tongue. His inky hair sat slightly askew. And he looked rattled.
Hannah managed to smile without panting. “You are going to be a big hit in the board meeting.”
He looked down at his clothes as though it was the first time he’d given it a thought. “I was in a hurry. Hannah, are you all right?”
“Fine.”
She picked up the phone, knowing exactly what he needed. This wasn’t her first rodeo, as the folks back in Two Trees liked to say. “Wendy, you have a code blue.”
Wendy, Slade’s admin, sighed. “Which part do I need to replace? Tie? Socks? That man is constantly wearing athletic socks with his dress shoes.”
Hannah looked Slade up and down. He knew the drill, turning in a circle for her inspection. “Nope, Wendy. This is a head-to-toe fixer-upper.”
She hung up the phone just as Slade got a look at her wall. He stared at it a moment before glaring at Dex.
“Seriously? Please tell me that wasn’t Gavin’s head. Where’s his body? Do I need to call 911?” Slade asked the questions with a sarcastic edge, but Hannah heard his concern.
Dex simply shook his head. “No trouble at all. I’m going to call maintenance and get them up here to fix this. Then I have a few things to do. I think I’ll skip the meeting.”
“You can’t skip the board meeting.”
Dex shrugged as he moved toward the door. “Watch me. I have more important things to do. And Hannah, you’re having lunch today with me and Slade.”
She glanced down at her calendar. “I can’t. I agreed to have lunch with Scott.”
“Who the hell is Scott?” Slade demanded.
“He works with the IT teams. He said it was important,” Hannah explained. “I’m sure it has something to do with those installs I’ve been helping to coordinate.”
Both men went very still.
“You’re not meeting Scott anymore. You’re having lunch with us, and we’re going to have a long talk, the three of us.” Dex’s dark eyes held hers for a moment. He was so serious that her heart started racing. When his voice got deep and dark, it made her blood pound.
“Absolutely.” Slade crossed his arms over his chest.
“Okay,” she said. She hadn’t sounded that breathy, had she?
Dex walked out, the doors slamming behind him. Slade shook his head. Even disheveled, he was a gorgeous sight. With thick, dark hair and a face that looked like Michelangelo sculpted it, Slade always made her sigh.
Gavin opened his door and stepped out. He radiated power. Unlike Slade and Dex, there was nothing less than perfect about his appearance. No suit would ever dare to wrinkle while Gavin James wore it.
He nodded grimly at her. “Good morning, Hannah. I need to talk to Slade, but I would like you to stay close to your desk this morning.”
“Of course.” It was an odd request, but one she could handle.
Slade disappeared into his brother’s office. Gavin closed the door, watching her intently until it shut between them with an ominous thud.
And then Hannah was alone.
She reached into her purse and pulled out the number for the private investigator she’d hired two days before. He’d cashed her check but hadn’t returned her calls. Maybe it was time to admit that hiring someone named Vinny who worked out of the back of a tarot reader’s shop hadn’t been the greatest idea. When he didn’t answer, she left another message while e-mailing Scott to cancel lunch. After that, she called the local animal shelters to check if they’d found Mr. Snuggles. Her cat had been gone for days, and Hannah was beginning to fear that she was gone forever.
Her eyes teared up. She was going to have to take action and soon. She felt alone now that her three men were gone. It was a long time until her lunch with Dex and Slade. The office seemed big and empty. She wanted so much to call them back and tell them her trouble.
But why tell the busy men she loved—who couldn’t possibly love her in return—that someone was trying to kill her?
Chapter Two
Slade’s blood pressure rose as he looked down at the photographs in front of him. From listening to Dex and Gavin on the phone, he’d figured out that someone was stalking Hannah, but seeing the sick evidence in front of him was staggering.
Gavin walked around his desk and sank into the huge wingback chair their father had sat in for forty years. Slade would have burned the big reminder of the son of a bitch, but Gavin had kept it, even after he’d completely redecorated the office.
“They were addressed directly to Hannah,” Gavin said, his voice clipped. “No return address. No postage.”
“So this asshole brought the envelope into the building? It has to be an employee. No one can get past reception without a keycard.”
Gavin went pale. Then he flushed with fury. “Goddamn it.”
“Have you looked through the security tapes?” Slade picked up a photo of Hannah lying on her stomach across her bed, a book in her hand. He couldn’t make out the cover, but he’d bet it was a romance. She always had one in her bag. And every copy was battered and dog-eared as though it had been through many a hand before hers. For her birthday, he and Dex had bought her a new eBook reader and loaded it with credit. The look of delight in her eyes had done strange things to his heart.
Now, someone was watching her. Stalking her. And from the messages on the back of several photos, the creep knew how he and Dex felt about her. And, Slade suspected, Gavin too. This threat seemed so surreal, but the proof was staring him in the face. Someone wanted to hurt Hannah.
Gavin frowned. “I don’t have cameras outside my office doors. Maybe I should have listened to Dex about that. I’m sure he’s is in the mailroom now, interrogating the employees.” He sighed. “I think I should call in an outside firm.”
“What happened between you two? He put his fist through a wall.” Slade’s stomach was turning at the idea of some asshole harassing Hannah, but he had to deal with his brothers’ problems, too. Gavin would only be talking about calling in an outside security firm if things had gone terribly wrong between them.
“It’s complicated.” Gavin looked down, a sure sign that he was ashamed of something.
“How about I uncomplicate it for you? You took one look at these photographs and blamed Dex. Because he wants her badly, you leapt to the stupid conclusion that he was desperate or impulsive enough to become a peeping Tom. And his only choice was to call bullshit and walk out. Simple enough?”
Gavin’s gun metal gray eyes flashed back up, but there was a weariness to them that had Slade backing off. “Almost spot on. I thought Dex was using the photos to tempt me into joining the two of you in seducing Hannah. I know you want that, Slade. I can’t do it. I just can’t. Dex took offense to my mistake, and now he says he’s quitting as soon as she’s out of danger.”
“And Dex leaving is all right with you?” Slade wasn’t sure he wanted the answer to that question, but he had to ask.
Gavin clenched his fists. “No, it’s not. Damn it, Slade, he’s my brother, too. I have no intention of letting him walk out because of a misunderstanding.”
“I was listening in, Gavin. Dex didn’t misunderstand. You flat out blamed him.”
Gavin sat back, raking his hand through his thick, chocolate-brown hair. “Okay, I’ll rephrase. I have no intention of losing my brother because I was an asshole. Nor do I intend to allow someone to stalk my admin.”
Slade bit back a smile. Despite the horrors of the morning, he sensed a little progress. Gavin had admitted that he didn’t want to lose Dex. He was still calling Hannah his admin, but that would change, if Slade had his way. “Have you talked to Hannah yet?”
Slade wasn’t looking forward to the conversation. Hannah was going to be terrified when she found out about these pictures. He stacked them, pulling out the least salacious one. They would have to show her so she grasped how serious this was, but he didn’t want to embarrass her.
“Not yet. I wanted to talk to you first. We’ll do our due diligence and call the police to report the threat, but there’s not much they can do unless this bastard has actually committed a crime. They’ll tell her to lock her doors and buy a dog.”
Slade shook his head. “She’s a cat person. I’m sure Mr. Snuggles will be hell on intruders. She’ll purr them to death.”
Gavin frowned. “Mr. Snuggles is a she?”
“Hannah was fifteen when she got her,” Slade couldn’t help but smile. “Apparently, she didn’t think to look for boy or girl parts. The name stuck.”
Gavin threw his head back and laughed. The rich, deep sound filled the room and made Slade realize just how much he’d missed his older brother’s laughter. It had been so damn long since he’d heard it.
Gavin had tears of mirth in his eyes when he came up for air. “She has a transvestite cat.”
“She says Mr. Snuggles is just gender confused.” Hannah loved that damn cat. Slade knew he was going to have to learn to love the little furball, too.
“Such a silly, sweet girl,” Gavin said, his gaze straying to the photos.
There it was, that smile—with a healthy hint of lust—that told Slade everything he needed to know.
“We have to protect her,” Slade pointed out.
“I have a plan, and I hope you’ll back me on it. It should keep Hannah safe and bring Dex back into the fold.”
There was nothing Slade wanted more than that. “I’m listening.”
Gavin hesitated. “You heard Dex say that he would take Hannah with him when he left, Slade. I know how you feel about her. Maybe you need to talk to him. I don’t want Hannah coming between the two of you.”
And just like that, Slade’s cock got hard. An image of Hannah between him and Dex assaulted his brain. She would be so small sandwiched by their bigger bodies. They would have to be careful, but they would get inside her, so deep that she wouldn’t know where they ended and she began.
“Oh, she’s going to be between us.”
Gavin flushed slightly. “That’s not fair to Hannah. She’s not some club bunny for the two of you to fuck and forget.”
Slade wasn’t going to take this crap from his brother. He would never play games with Hannah. He’d known from the moment he’d seen her that she was different. “Dex and I love Hannah. We’re not going to forget her; we’re going to build a life with her. This isn’t some one-night stand.”
“Are you both insane? No one will accept that kind of relationship here.”
“I’m not going to live my life by some societal dictate. And they will accept us. I have a billion-dollar trust fund. Let them talk all they like, but money opens doors. What would be unacceptable for a normal person is merely a quirk for the superrich.” It was a harsh reality.
Slade and Dex had talked this out, hashing out plans over months to get what they wanted and protect Hannah from nasty gossip at the same time. Now if Gavin would just get with the program, their lives could begin.
“That’s an argument for another time,” Gavin conceded. “Now, we have to figure out what to do with Hannah. I was thinking that, perhaps, she needs a small vacation.”
Slade frowned. “There is no fucking way I’m letting her run off by herself.”
“Of course not. But maybe Alaska would be a good place for her now. You did say you have to go see to some trouble there. River Run is isolated, and we own the whole damn town. All three of us can take Hannah and hide out while the security team figures this out.”
It took all Slade had not to fist pump in victory. “Perfect. When do we leave?”
Gavin sat back in his chair. “Today. But I want to be clear. I’m only going to work things out with Dex. I’ll help with Hannah, if the need arises. But that’s it.”
Slade wasn’t fooled. His older brother could lie to himself, but Slade knew the truth. Gavin could more easily monitor the situation from Dallas. Since Slade had always been the go-between for Gavin and Dex, it seemed obvious that Gavin was coming along because he wanted to repair the relationship with Dex…and because he couldn’t stand to let his two younger brothers have Hannah all to themselves.
Slade contained his excitement—barely. “Understood. I’ll make the arrangements. Then we can talk to Hannah.”
Gavin nodded as though happy with the decision. “Excellent. We’ll have to convince her to go, you know.”
Slade would have to convince her of more than just an impromptu trip to Alaska. He was going to have to persuade her—and everyone else—that this ménage relationship could work. To do that, he had to restore peace between Dex and Gavin. Then he had to talk Gavin into sharing Hannah with them. Hell, he also had to convince Hannah that taking on three passionate, dominant men would be a dandy idea.
“No problem, Gavin.” Slade sounded way more confident than he felt.
But as he walked out of Gavin’s office to start planning, he vowed to make it work.
* * * *
Dex parked his Harley about a block away from Hannah’s apartment and started walking. His cell trilled, and he pulled it out of his pocket. Slade. Probably wanting to talk about Gavin. Dex growled. He thought about ignoring it, but did what he always did when it came to Slade. He gave in.
But that didn’t mean Dex had to be nice about it.
“What?”
“Well, I suppose I should be happy you’re using words and not just grunting.”
Dex had no comeback for that. Grunting was a perfectly acceptable form of communication in his book. It got the job done. So did growling, snorting, and just flat planting his fist in another guy’s face. When he found whoever was stalking Hannah, he didn’t intend to give the fucker a nice long lecture.
Slade’s sigh came across loud and clear. “Damn it, Dex. Where are you? You have to set aside this crap with Gavin and get your ass back to the office. Hannah’s in trouble.”
“I know that,” Dex practically yelled into the phone. “I’m going to her place. I want to see if I can figure out where the jerk has been hiding when he does his stalkarazzi thing.”
“Maybe that will give us some clues about his identity. That’s a great idea.”
“Yeah, well, it’s what I do for a living.”
When would his older brothers finally understand that he was damn good at his job?
Dex looked up and down the cracked sidewalks of Hannah’s neighborhood. It was old, with a ton of mature trees, but he’d never liked her living here. Hannah’s apartment was in a rundown fourplex. The paint was peeling, and one of her screens was propped against the side of the building. He’d bet it was the one to her bedroom window, and that fucker had taken it off. Had Hannah not noticed? The nearby tree would be a great place for this scumbag to hide and snap pictures. But what the hell was Hannah doing lying around her bedroom with the shades wide open?
“Look, you do your thing, but be back at the office by one. We’re going to take Hannah to Alaska with us.”
Dex stopped. “We are? Hannah wants to go to Alaska?”
“Not exactly,” Slade admitted. “We’re going to talk her into it. We’ll say it’s a business trip. But we can keep her safe there until the police figure this shit out and nail this guy. I really do have to go up there. I’m the head engineer. I’ll convince her that she needs to take notes or something.”
Dex knew he should stay here. He should be the one running the investigation. Damn, it meant Slade would probably sleep with Hannah. There was no way his brother would have such close access to Hannah and not claim her now that they’d decided she was theirs. But he trusted Slade. “Take care of our girl. You explain that I love her, too, but I need to find the bastard who’s stalking her.”
Hannah’s safety was more important than his dick, though his dick was protesting mightily.
Dex walked up the stairs to Hannah’s apartment. They wobbled under him. Ratty old place. It reminded him of his last foster home. The house had been falling down around them, but his foster father spent every dime on beer, cigarettes, and the lotto.
He was going to get Hannah out of here. She didn’t know it yet, but she wasn’t coming back to this dive. She would come home with him and Slade. Dex refused to accept any other outcome.
“You’re coming to Alaska with us,” Slade said. “Gavin is putting the Lenox brothers on the case.”
“He took me off? Without even consulting me?” Dex stopped right in front of Hannah’s door, his heart sinking to his gut. He’d been hoping Gavin would apologize. Dex wouldn’t accept at first, of course, but eventually he would and agree to stay on as Black Oak’s Head of Security. The fact that Gavin had actually removed him was a blow he hadn’t been expecting—and it was more painful than he’d imagined. It might have been better for all concerned if Gavin and Slade hadn’t come looking for him in that foster home.
Dex thought about that day often. He’d been just about to age out of the foster system. He’d had no place to go one day, then the next, he was moving into this huge mansion with the brothers he’d never imagined he had. Starting over again was going to be hard, but he wasn’t going to hang around to be Gavin’s whipping boy.
There was a long huff from Slade’s end of the phone. “Dude, you’re just like him, you know? Why does your brain always go to the worst possible place? Gavin wants you to come with us. He set this whole thing up to include you. Come on, this is our shot with Hannah. We’re going to talk to her about the pictures when we get to Alaska. We need to break this to her gently, then assure her that she’s safe.”
Dex pondered that. At least if he was close to her, he could protect her. Maybe he and Gavin could work things out, too. Burke and Cole Lenox would definitely track down this scumbag threatening Hannah. “All right. I’ll go. And I’ll pack Hannah some clothes so she doesn’t have to come back here.”
“How are you planning on doing that? Do you have a key to her place?” Slade sounded miffed.
Dex tried the front door. It was locked, but just barely. He gave it a shove, and the door gave way. “I don’t think a gnat needs a key to get into Hannah’s. No freaking security at all. I’m in.”
“I’ll let Burke know he should watch her place and see if we can catch this guy. Do what you need and get your ass back here by one.” There was a short pause. “This is all going to work out. I promise.”
And that was Slade, always the optimist. Dex wasn’t feeling so rosy. What if Hannah didn’t want him? He’d live with that. But damn it, she was going to get his protection. “I’ll see you then.”
He hung up and looked around her apartment. Hannah had never invited him in, and he was wretchedly curious. The place was neat and feminine with yellow curtains hanging in the small kitchen. There was a single coffee mug drying on a mat by the sink and a dish for her cat’s food and water on the floor.
With zero remorse, he went through the mail she’d stacked neatly on the counter, then pressed the button that started her answering machine.
Ms. Craig, this is Brenna from the South Side Animal Shelter. I’m sorry, but your cat isn’t here. I’ll call if I find out anything.
Her cat was missing? Hannah loved that damn feline.
Hannah, it’s Preston. Look, we need to talk. Why would you call HR in? It was one kiss. You were coming on to me, and we both know it. Let’s work this out, just the two of us. What do you say, baby? Maybe over dinner?
Dex clenched his fists. Preston Ward III was fortyish, balding, married, and Black Oak’s dickwad Chief Information Officer. Not a chance Hannah would voluntarily kiss that asshole. He must have forced it on her. Now Dex knew whose name to put at the top of the suspect list—just before he broke the bastard’s face. The machine beeped again and changed to a thin voice.
Hey, Hannah. I—I was, uhm, calling to make sure we’re still on for tonight. I have the part to fix your laptop. It’ll only take an hour. So call me and let me know when I can head your way.
Dex had no idea who that asshole was, but a file folder on her tiny desk caught his attention. He flipped it open, expecting to find some piece of work Gavin had given her, but his eyes turned stormy when he realized he was looking at a police report.
As he read it, his blood started to boil. Hannah wasn’t going to be shocked by the photographs Gavin had found. She already knew someone was stalking her, and she hadn’t bothered to mention that little fact to any of them. She’d just smiled and pretended like she hadn’t received threatening phone calls and letters for the last four fucking weeks.
She’d called the police, who couldn’t do a damn thing. But she hadn’t asked him for help. She knew someone was after her, and she hadn’t even installed new locks on her doors. What the hell was she thinking?
The Dom in Dex took firm control. He’d been gentle with Hannah. He and Slade had intended to introduce her slowly to submission. But when she allowed herself to be in danger? Slow was no longer an option. Hannah needed a firm hand now and was going to get a quick lesson in obeying her Masters.
He stomped into her bedroom and yanked a ragged suitcase from her closet. He tossed in a couple of pairs of jeans and shirts, a bathrobe, some socks, and a pair of sneakers. Dex pushed the bathroom door open and shoved her toiletries into the front pocket before striding back out.
Her eBook reader was sitting on the nightstand. He grabbed it, then opened the top drawer of her dresser. There was a mass of pretty, frilly panties in every color imaginable. Dex shut that sucker fast, gritting his teeth. The one thing Hannah wasn’t going to need for the foreseeable future was underwear. In fact, she’d never need them again if he had his way.
He turned to leave, but paused when he heard a faint little whine. A single, small sound, like a baby sighing. Dex went to the window and opened it. There was that huge tree he’d noticed earlier right outside her bedroom window. The mighty live oak that gave easy access to her window, just as he’d suspected.
This was where the shitbag stalking Hannah sat. The branches were thick and would easily hold a man’s weight. The foliage was dense. A stalker could hide here, and she wouldn’t know.
The thought made Dex violent.
Rawwwwr.
Dex dropped the suitcase as he caught a glimpse of orange fur. Mr. Snuggles. Damn. Hannah’s cat was stuck in the tree. Dex opened the window and leaned out, searching for the cat’s hiding place. He found her clinging to a high branch. Dex sighed as he realized her fur was covered in blood.
Maybe Mr. Snuggles had gotten into a cat fight, which would be perfectly normal. But upon closer inspection, Dex didn’t think so. Someone had tried to hurt the cat, and now she was clinging to life. And probably very terrified.
Dex sighed. He wished he hadn’t taken off his suit coat.
He reached out for the nearest branch and hauled himself up. The cat hissed, but he moved in anyway.
Damn, the things he did for love.
Chapter Three
Gavin was surprised at just how nervous he was when Hannah walked into his office, notepad in hand. She didn’t dress like an executive secretary. Ms. Rogers, his former assistant, had never worn her dark hair in anything less than a professional twist or bun. Her perfectly tailored business suits had shown off her trim figure, which she’d probably spent most of her off time honing. She would have been at home on the cover of a magazine. He could have kept ice frozen on her ass, too.
By comparison, Hannah wore a too-big skirt that couldn’t conceal the erotic flare of her hips and a shapeless blouse that hid even less. Hannah had gorgeous breasts. She wore very little makeup, and her honey blonde hair fell in pretty, loose curls. She was lovely, but never flashy.
Why did his damn heart pound when she walked in the room?
“Hi, Slade. Mr. James. You wanted to see me?” Hannah asked with her sweet West Texas twang.
Thankfully, Slade could at least say words when Hannah was around since Gavin felt incapable at the moment. Slade rushed from his seat to show Hannah to hers. Naturally, it was right next to Slade’s, so close their knees would almost touch, and Gavin was stuck behind his mammoth desk. Alone.
It was where he belonged, anyway.
“Have a seat, love,” Slade said with a smile.
She didn’t seem to mind the endearment. “Thank you.”
She smiled up at Slade. Gavin forced himself not to move. Every instinct told him to get out from behind the damn desk and join them. Hell, he could pick Hannah up and settle her on his lap, and they could conduct this little meeting with his cock pressed against her ass. Maybe then she would start calling him Gavin. Although having her call him Mr. James in that so-sweet Southern way of hers as he rammed his cock up her pussy would be a turn-on, too.
Fuck. He had way more in common with his brothers than he would ever admit. Shifting in his seat because his cock was at full mast, he settled for what he hoped looked like paternal concern. “Hannah, we need to talk about something.”
Her spine straightened, and she held her pen at the ready. “Yes, sir.”
Sir. That would be a good thing for her to call him as he forced her down on his cock. Or she could call him nothing at all, unable to talk because she was so overcome with pleasure.
Or she could be silent because she killed herself after you neglected her. Yeah, that’s more realistic.
“Are you all right, Mr. James?” Hannah sat forward, her eyes wide with worry.
Gavin forced the thoughts from his head. He wasn’t going to act on them. Hannah deserved far better than him. He briefly considered staying behind. Slade and Dex could handle her in Alaska. But if Dex left with Slade now, Gavin knew the chance that he’d ever repair the relationship with his brother would be slim. Damn.
“I’m fine, Hannah. But I do have a problem you can help with.”
Her smile practically lit up the room. “Of course.”
Slade took over, his eyes bright with affection as he looked at Hannah. “We need you to come with us on a little business trip and play our girl Friday.”
She put the notepad down and turned to Slade, delight plain on her face. She really did have a connection to Slade. Though they weren’t touching, Gavin couldn’t miss the attraction that connected them like an invisible thread. “Are we going to Houston? I’ve never been.”
They had an office in Houston, near their refinery. It was a good bet that if they were going on a trip, it would be there. But that wasn’t far enough away from Dallas and Hannah’s stalker for Gavin’s peace of mind. “No. We’re going to our facility in River Run.”
She turned to him. “Alaska?”
Slade was on the edge of his seat. “Yes. It’s beautiful, Hannah. We have a house there with plenty of rooms. The view is incredible. I have to do some work up there, but I think we can find the time to show you around.”
She bit her bottom lip. “How long would we be gone?”
Slade’s gaze found Gavin’s. They hadn’t actually discussed that. In the hours since finding the photos, they’d made a lot of plans. They had canceled the board meeting. They had called private investigators Burke and Cole Lenox. The former Navy SEALs were already talking to Black Oak security about getting the keycard logs and security footage for the last twenty-four hours. Slade had made the arrangements to open the house in River Run and had the corporate jet fueled. Not once had they discussed how long they’d be gone. There had been an unspoken agreement that they would be gone for as long as it took.
“A few days,” Gavin said with the smooth tones of a man who knew how to massage the truth. “You should be home on Sunday night at the latest.”
Once they had her in Alaska and Burke had useful information, they could admit to Hannah why they’d really spirited her away. Until then, he didn’t want her to worry.
She shook her head, blonde hair swinging. “I am so sorry. I can’t be gone that long. I have a bunch of obligations. I’m supposed to have someone over this evening. My laptop is giving me hell.”
“I’ll have IT give you a new one.” Gavin could solve that problem easily.
“I don’t want a new one. I’m used to this one. Lyle said he can fix it, but he’s only free tonight. And I’m supposed to go home this weekend to see my grandma. I’ll tell Wendy to get ready. She would love to go.”
Gavin didn’t like to think about Hannah driving all the way to West Texas in her beat-up Chevy. That car was on its last leg, and most of the road between Dallas and Two Trees consisted of mile after mile of nothing. If she broke down—and the way her car sputtered, that was almost a given—she would be all alone. And it would be easy for her stalker to follow her and possibly drive her off the road.
Gavin’s blood pressure rose with each potential hazard he imagined.
“We don’t need Wendy,” Slade insisted. “We need you.”
She shook that off with a wave of her hand. “Trust me, Wendy has ten years’ seniority on me. She’ll be great. And she loves to travel. I’ll give her a call. How long does she have before the plane leaves? She’ll want to pack a bag.”
“Hannah.” Gavin tried to hold his temper in check. “The plane leaves in less than an hour. We’ve already placed your name on the passenger list with the FAA. And don’t worry about packing a bag. We’ve taken care of everything.”
Slade’s hand came out to cover hers. “It’s going to be fine. Your grandmother will understand. You can call her when we get there.”
Hannah pulled back. “I can’t just up and leave.”
Gavin forced a placid smile on his face. “It’s going to be all right. Let’s talk about your other responsibilities, and we’ll make sure they’re handled.”
The door to his office came open with a crash. Gavin looked up, ready to yell at the intruder.
“Dex?” Slade stood, staring with his mouth open. “Dude, what the hell happened to you?”
Dex was carrying a battered pink suitcase, but that was the most normal thing about him. His dress shirt was shredded and his arms covered in scratches, as though he’d gotten into a fight with a chipper-shredder and taken the worst end of it.
Hannah stood, and her notepad fell to the floor. “Oh, my…Dex, you’re hurt! We need to clean you up. Do you need to go to a hospital?” She frowned. “Is that my suitcase?”
Dex set the luggage down and turned to Hannah, his dark eyes laser-focused on his target. “Maybe a mental hospital, darlin’. As for the damages, well, let’s say I got into a little tussle with your pussy. I discovered that it has claws, rather like her owner. But I won’t make the same mistake twice.”
“You found my cat?” Hannah’s voice was a hopeful whisper.
“Found, fought with, and saved,” Dex confirmed. “She’s at the vet being taken care of. Now it’s time for round two.”
Dex strode up to Hannah and didn’t hesitate. He bent and shoved his shoulder in her midsection, his bulky arm curling behind her knees. She was over his shoulder in an instant. Her blonde head came up, and she looked at Gavin.
“This isn’t company protocol, Mr. James.” She said it so primly. Gavin would have laughed if he wasn’t so perplexed by his youngest brother’s behavior.
Dex turned around so all Gavin could see were her perfectly shaped calves and a backside to die for. “If you two are done pussyfooting around, I believe we have a plane to catch.”
“Dexter Townsend, you need to put me down right this instant! I am not going to Alaska.”
Dex’s free hand came out and slapped that perfect backside. The short smack resounded through the room right before Hannah’s outraged yelp drowned it out. “I don’t like to be called Dexter, darlin’. And you are definitely going to Alaska. Is the car here yet?”
Gavin wasn’t sure if he should punch his youngest brother or congratulate him for doing what he and Slade had seemed incapable of. “Dex, you better set her down. You’re going to scare her.”
“Am I? Really? Why don’t you look at the folder in the side pocket of her suitcase and tell me if she seems afraid enough. We’ll be out in the car. And Hannah, if you give me any trouble, I swear, I will tie you up and leave you bound until we get to Alaska.”
Gavin walked to the suitcase and pulled out the manila file folder. Hannah’s head came up, and she looked to Slade for help.
“You have to stop him. I can’t go, and Dex’s caveman ways aren’t going to change that. Now you tell your Neanderthal brother to let me down this instant or I am going to scream until the cops come.”
Slade merely looked to Dex. “We should gag her, too.”
“You jerks!” Hannah tried to kick, but Dex merely tightened his arm around her legs. “You let me down.”
She was still yelling as Dex walked out the door, Slade following behind. Gavin thought seriously about taking off after them and forcing Dex to let her go. They couldn’t just kidnap her. She could call the police.
Then he opened the folder and realized that Hannah had already called the police. Several times. His hands tightened as he read the incident reports. Hannah had known about her problem for over a month. And she’d never said a word.
Gavin closed the folder. He picked up the phone and quickly advised his private investigators. They would get all the reports and follow up on their end. Gavin picked up Hannah’s sad little suitcase. His own luggage had already been delivered to the airport.
He walked out of his office with a new sense of purpose. If Hannah didn’t have the sense to protect herself, she’d just found three men who did. Gavin checked his apprehensions at his office door. He could handle this. He might not be good for Hannah, but maybe his brothers were. It would be an odd relationship, but he loved all three of them. He wanted them to be happy.
No, wait. He didn’t love Hannah. He couldn’t. She was going to be like a sister. That was all. He would get over this raging desire to have her underneath him.
He could hear her screaming as he walked toward reception.
Slade was right. She needed a gag.
* * * *
Hannah took a deep breath as the airplane finally leveled out.
Slade released his seat belt and stood. “I’m going to need a drink.”
He walked down the aisle and opened a small door, revealing a surprising amount of liquor. He poured a couple of inches worth of scotch into three crystal glasses and passed them to his brothers.
They offered Hannah nothing. Bastards. She wouldn’t curse anywhere but in her own head. It wasn’t ladylike, her grandmother had taught her. But deep inside, she was using all kinds of four-letter words to describe the three men who had kidnapped her. Jerks. No, kinky jerks. She’d known that since the minute Dex forced her into the limo and opened his own small suitcase to reveal a rubber ball with ties. He’d threatened to gag her with it, and she’d since refused to speak.