Jaymie Holland (3 page)

Colton wanted to get up and stake his claim right fucking now. He glanced at Dane who looked like he was feeling the same way. They watched her push open the double doors that led into the coat check area. The doors closed behind her and she vanished from sight.

They watched her vanish from sight before looking at each other. “We’ll call her tomorrow and set something up,” Colton said.

“Perfect.” Dane nodded. “For tonight, Louis will follow her and make sure she’s safe, like always.”

Prickles rolled up Colton’s spine as he got a sudden bad feeling. It was bad enough to make his gut clench and it caused a measure of fear to shoot through him like an arrow released from a bow. Fear for Drew. Call it cop-sense, call it whatever he wanted, he only knew that he had to go after her.

“No.” Colton’s chair squeaked on the hardwood floor as he pushed his seat back. “
We
are. Now.”

Drew walked along the sidewalk in the direction of her apartment. She wore her purse strap cross-body to keep one of her hands free to carry her pepper spray while pulling the rolling case behind her.

The night was cooling off a bit, but it was still humid. She felt sticky and horribly in need of a shower. Tonight she felt like she looked like hell, but that hadn’t stopped most of the guys in the club from looking her up and down while she’d been in Spirits.

Her mind turned back to the men, their images stuck in her head like a song. Just seeing them and imagining being with both at the same time had made her so damned hot. Even now she throbbed between her thighs and her nipples were hard and aching.

Damn it.
The last things she needed were
two
men who would use her for sex and then end up cheating on her. Wasn’t one cheater at a time bad enough?

At least she had a variety of battery-operated-boyfriends to choose from as she fantasized about Colton and Dane. It wasn’t the same thing, but her imagination and her B.O.B.s would just have to do.

She let out her breath, picturing her bathroom and running the water until it was lukewarm. She’d take a long shower before she slipped into her robe, selected a toy, and settled herself on the couch as she imagined riding Colton’s cock while Dane fucked her in the ass. It had been a long time since she’d had anal sex and it was something she missed.

A hand grabbed her arm.

Someone jerked her into the darkness of an alleyway, tearing her out of her thoughts and plunging her into immediate terror.

The canister of pepper spray slipped out of her hand and it clattered as it hit the sidewalk. The rolling case fell with a thud as she released her grip on it.

Her heart jumped and slammed against her breastbone as a hand clamped over her mouth. Something metal that the man held in his opposite hand glinted in the near darkness. A knife, she realized in horror.

“Scream and I’ll cut you.” The voice was rough and mean as he shoved her away from him. “Gimme your fucking purse, bitch.”

The mugger wore a black ski mask and in the dim light she couldn’t see his eyes. Her entire body trembled.

“It’s all I have.” She stared at the knife, its metal flashing in what little light made it into the alleyway. Even though she knew she should just hand over the purse, all she could think of was the fact she wouldn’t survive without the cash. “Please. I need it to pay my rent.”

The man narrowed his gaze. “Stupid bitch.” He backhanded her, causing pain to nearly blind her. She cried out as she stumbled back.

He grabbed the wide purse strap that crossed her body and he jerked her close to him. In one quick movement he sliced the strap with his knife and yanked the purse away from her.

Her entire body trembled from fear and rage at the man who held her life in his hands. A part of her knew she should run, but she couldn’t think straight. Couldn’t move.

The mugger swung the knife and pain singed her cheek as she felt the knife cut through her flesh. She screamed, the pain bringing her back to her senses, her face burning while blood flowed over her skin.

She finally thought to turn and run when he drove his fist toward her face. She’d started to step back when she realized he was gripping the front of her shirt, holding her close.

Just before the fist slammed into her face, a man’s hand snapped up and caught the mugger by the wrist.

The mugger grunted and cried out as another man came from Drew’s other side and rammed his fist into the mugger’s gut.

Drew tripped and fell hard on her ass on small rocks and asphalt. The fall jarred her teeth and sent pain shooting up her tailbone.

Eyes wide, she watched as her two saviors subdued the mugger. It was over in seconds with the mugger pinned to the ground. A man’s knee pressed against the mugger’s back while his arms were pulled back, his wrists held in one strong fist. It was too dark to see anyone clearly.

“Are you all right, Drew?” one of the men said as he got to his feet.

She startled at the sound of her name, but couldn’t think of a word to say.

“Damn.” It was Colton’s voice. “She’s injured. Louis is calling it in.”

“Injured?” She went blank for a moment then felt the burn of the cut on her cheek and the throbbing of her face, where the mugger had backhanded her. Warm and sticky fluid covered her lips and she tasted blood. Her forehead stung, her nose was bleeding, and so was the cut on her cheek.

She looked at Colton to see him pulling off his white collared shirt. She had to have been in shock because all she could think of was Colton’s rippling muscles and the tattoos that covered his upper arm to his wrist.

He pressed the shirt to the cut while using another part of the white shirt to wipe blood from her nose and lips.

She pushed his hand away. “You’re ruining your shirt.”

“Like I give a damn about that.” Colton wiped away more blood. “Are you all right?”

“I think so.” She glanced at Dane who had the mugger subdued. “If I hadn’t dropped my pepper spray—”

Dane studied her with concern. “You’re safe now and that’s what matters.”

“How did you two find me?” She looked from one to the other. “You don’t live in this direction, do you?”

“We had a bad feeling about tonight.” Colton looked grim. “We were almost too late.”

She blinked in surprise. “You followed me?”

Colton searched her gaze. “Like I said, we had a bad feeling.”

“I’m grateful you did.” She felt tears bite at the backs of her eyes and she looked down at her shirt and saw that the white was now blotched dark with blood. She never cried and she wasn’t going to start now.

When she raised her head, she had her emotions under control again. “You were right, all the times you said that I need to be more careful.”

Colton looked grim when she met his gaze. “Thank God it wasn’t worse.”

She felt suddenly helpless, a feeling she didn’t like at all. “What am I supposed to do? I can’t stay in my apartment all the time and I can’t afford to take a cab everywhere.” The moment it came out, she regretted saying anything that might reveal her financial situation.

“Use our driver.” Dane gestured toward the darkness behind Colton. Drew turned her head to see a big, powerful, even scary-looking, man with a shiny bald head. “Louis can pick you up and drop you off whenever and wherever you’d like.”

With a frown, she moved her gaze away from the intimidating man. “I can’t do that.”

Colton’s and Dane’s expressions showed the magnitude of their concern. “Of course you can,” Dane said.

She started to shake her head but Colton caught her face in his palms, managing to avoid the cut on her cheek. She heard sirens nearing as she looked into his eyes.

“We’re not going to take no for an answer, Drew,” he said firmly.

She closed her eyes, refusing to get lost in the depths of his gaze. “I won’t be beholden to anyone.” She opened her eyes and looked from Colton to Dane and back. “Especially a man, or men, in your case.”

Lights flashed, illuminating the alleyway, as an NYPD vehicle pulled up, followed by another, and behind that an ambulance.

Colton’s expression held a hint of frustration. “You wouldn’t owe us anything. We just want you to be safe.”

A police officer came into view, saving her from arguing any more with Colton and Dane. She got to her feet with Colton’s help. She winced from the the pain in her backside as they headed toward the emergency vehicles. The police took the mugger into custody and Colton talked to his former NYPD brothers as she and Dane walked away.

Over the next hour, she spent time being treated by a paramedic as well as questioned by the police. Colton seemed to be making sure the officers didn’t stress her out with their questions.

The paramedic took care of her wounds, putting a thick bandage on her cheek and a large Band-Aid on her forehead. She wasn’t sure how she got the cut on her forehead, but it stung like crazy. The paramedic instructed her to go to the ER to have the cut on her cheek stitched or she could end up with a bad scar.

She looked down at her lap, feeling the sting of almost-tears again.
Damn it.
She couldn’t afford insurance or a hospital copay, but she was too proud to admit it, so she only thanked the paramedic for his help.

Colton was studying her intently. “We’ll take you to the ER.”

“No hospital.” She shook her head. “I just want to go home.”

“Then tomorrow you can go to the doctor that we see.” Dane crouched beside her. “We’ll make an appointment with Dr. Anderson, a first class surgeon, as soon as we can get you in tomorrow.”

She started to argue, but she was too tired to do so.

After she promised the police officer that she would go to the station the next day, she let Colton help her up from where she’d been sitting at the rear of the ambulance. Dane grabbed her purse, the cut strap dangling over his arm. He also picked up the rolling case holding her Sweet Sensations demo kit.

She thought about refusing to let them take her home and just calling a cab, but she couldn’t afford it and it was just pure stubbornness and pride that made it difficult to accept their offer. So she swallowed her pride and let them help her into the back of their black Mercedes, wincing again from her sore backside. They climbed in on either side of her and the driver, Louis, slid behind the wheel. In moments they were headed toward her apartment.

It wasn’t far to her place. Dane and Colton each took one of her arms as they got out on the sidewalk. She tried to shrug them off but they wouldn’t let go, so she let them escort her into the building.

They reached the elevator and she looked from one man to the other. “I can go the rest of the way myself.”

Dane shook his head. “We’re going to see you safely into your place.”

As the elevator whined its way up to her floor, the adrenaline surge started to wane. She had a moment’s unsteadiness, but both men were there to hold her up. She liked the feeling of strength in their hands as they steadied her.

When they reached the door to her apartment, Colton took the key from her and opened it. Instead of leaving, they entered the apartment with her and closed the door behind them. Her emotions vacillated, tipping from wanting them to leave to not wanting to be alone.

She looked from one to the other, a feeling of deep gratitude flowing through her. “I didn’t tell you how thankful I am to you both. You probably saved my life.” Tears burned the backs of her eyes. This time she really might cry, no matter how hard she was fighting it.

Colton brushed hair from her face with his knuckles, trailing them across her uninjured cheek. “We’re just glad we got there before something worse happened.”

Dane came up behind her and rested his palms on her shoulders. “Are you going to be all right?”

The two men surrounding her made her feel safe in a way that she’d never felt before.

At the thought of them leaving her alone, a sudden rush of fear bottomed out her stomach.

“I don’t want to be alone.” The words came out of nowhere, spilling out before she could stop them.

“Then we’re not going anywhere.” Colton stood close as he linked his fingers with hers, their bodies touching. She became keenly aware of his bare chest in a way that she hadn’t been before, when he’d used his shirt to staunch the flow of blood from her nose and cheek, and to clean the blood from her face.

Dane pressed his length along her backside and took her by the shoulders. “We will take care of you, Drew. No one is going to hurt you again.”

She caught her breath at the promise in his words and because she was trapped between the two men. She felt so very safe in their arms, and as if she wanted to be there forever. Her tiredness drifted away and the ache she’d felt for them earlier renewed itself between her thighs.

Colton kissed her forehead as Dane pressed his lips to the curve of her neck. Colton stepped back. “We’ll let Louis know he doesn’t need to wait.”

While she waited, Colton called Louis to let him know they wouldn’t be coming down. Drew felt a moment’s embarrassment, wondering what Louis might think about Dane and Colton spending the night. But then she decided she didn’t care. She just didn’t want to be alone.

“Why don’t we get you into the shower?” Colton said when he ended the call.

She pushed her hand through her hair that had long ago lost its clip. “I do need to get out of these bloody clothes and into a shower in the worst way.”

Dane took her hand and led her across the apartment. There were two closed doors—the one on the right was her bedroom, the door on the left led to Megan’s old room. Colton opened the door to Drew’s room without hesitation. She wondered how he’d known which room was hers, but figured they must have seen her come out of the room when they were over to install the security system.

When he opened the door to her bedroom, she half expected them to invite themselves in to take a shower with her, but they left her at the door.

“Call us if you need us.” Dane released her hand. “We’ll be right here.”

She offered them a smile and was furious at herself when her lips trembled. “I’ll be out in a few.”