She put the bag of peas down and covered her face with her hands.
“He was there. Parker was in the room. He told me that he wanted me and that I was to stay away from you, Leon, and your brothers. I tried to tell him to leave me alone, but…” She stopped as the tears rolled down her cheeks.
“What did he do?” Leon asked through clenched teeth.
“Tell us,” Roy whispered.
“He touched me,” she said. They cursed as she tightened up and shook her head.
“I can’t. I can’t believe this is happening.”
Roy placed his arm over her shoulder and pulled her to his side.
“Calm down and explain what he said. You’re safe now and he can’t hurt you.”
“What did he do to you?” Leon asked.
She explained about him touching her breast and holding the knife against her throat, threatening to cut her.
“So he left you, basically threatening to kill each of us while we were working and make it look like an accident?” Mack asked.
“Yes. If I went anywhere near any of you, he promised to kill you.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Troy stated.
“I believed him. He proved his ability to hurt,” she whispered. Then she placed her hand over her side where the blood was.
Leon looked at his brothers then back at Ellena.
“He cut you?” he asked. Mack, Troy, and Roy all made a verbal response.
“Yes,” she said.
Leon stood up and paced the living room.
“Parker is a dead man walking.”
* * * *
“You need to calm down, Leon, and think with a clear head here,” Eloi stated firmly as they stood in Leon’s kitchen. Ellena was still sleeping upstairs. Roy was with her.
“Think with a clear head? I am. I’m thinking that Parker, that piece of crap, touched my woman, threatened her, and cut her with a knife. Then he sent one of his guys to follow her, and he hit her. The fact that I haven’t left this house with weapon in hand is pretty fucking rational thinking right now.” Leon raised his voice.
Eloi sighed as he looked at Mack, Troy, and Johnny.
“I completely understand your concern and anger. I do. But we have to let the law handle this, and right now, you’re a phone call away from temporary suspension from the force. Never mind those bogus drug dealing charges and assault charges they have on you. That’s a lot of heavy shit to weed through. I suggest all of you take a little vacation from your jobs and watch over Ellena. That way the feds and Johnny and I can try to figure out what Parker is up to.”
“This is my guy, and he’s fucked with my family. I’m not sitting back and doing nothing. I’m all in on this investigation,” Leon said.
“We’re all in on it. I’m certain there are things we can add to help out,” Mack added.
Eloi looked at Johnny.
“Okay. We’ll keep you posted. Agent Jones is going to want to speak with Ellena. I told him later today around four o’clock and that you would bring her to the sheriff’s department. Deputy Lemorte will keep an eye on things here, and Jessy will help secure your travels to and from the department.”
“Shit, Eloi. This fucker scared the hell out of Ellena, and now just thinking about what Parker is capable of is putting me on edge,” Leon said.
“I haven’t felt this tightly strung anticipating a strike since my military days,” Roy added.
Eloi and Johnny smiled. “We know that feeling.” They stood up and walked toward the door.
“Keep the security system on and we’ll see you in town by four o’clock,” Johnny said. They shook one another’s hands before both men left.
Mack, Troy, and Leon were silent a few moments until Mack spoke. “If you decide that taking him out in military style is the way, then I’m in. I don’t care about following the rules of law here. He could have…Ellena is most important,” Mack said. Both Troy and Leon nodded their heads in agreement.
“We’re not vigilantes, Mack, and you’re a damn businessman.”
“I hold my own and I know how to shoot.”
“I’m the one with the most experience aside from Roy and of course Leon,” Troy said then stood up from the chair.
“Like I said, no one is going to be taking anyone out. Let’s just help Ellena to feel safe. This alone time with her is exactly what we need to help her see how much we care for her,” Leon said then stood up and headed toward the staircase.
Ellena was taking a hot shower. She was exhausted from last night but then began to feel antsy with Roy being so close, lying next to her on the bed. They talked a bit, and he shared with her how happy he was that she was with them. He was upset that she had taken off instead of telling him and Troy what happened at the spa. She found Roy to be irresistible, just as she was certain many women found him. Immediately she felt the connection and attraction, especially as he caressed her arm and shoulder, as they lay on the bed talking.
She explained why she had wanted to take the trip to the French Quarter and how much she had been looking forward to the spa. When he touched her chin and began to lean in for a kiss, she nearly panicked. But, Roy kept his arm over her waist and his hand pressed against her back. She wondered if this could be a mistake. Being intimate with four men. How could it work? She had seen how ménage relationships worked with her sisters and their men, but still, she wondered. She was a hardheaded woman a lot of the time. She could tear these men apart or make them hate one another because of her. How could she spread herself evenly between the four of them?
Just as the panic attack began to intensify, she felt Roy’s lips touch hers, and the reservations disappeared. It had taken a lot of self-control not to devour him. She didn’t want to seem so easy and compliant to this ménage thing. After all, these men were in danger, and she feared for their lives. She wondered how she was going to go back to work. She thought about the potential trouble this situation would bring to Orchidea or her sisters and the family. She worried about Angelique and the twins.
Ellena hung her head and let the hot water flow over her tense muscles. She couldn’t believe how much had happened in just a few days’ time. She had left Orchidea in search of some new, fun, fast recipes to add to the menu at Aubert’s. It had been Frederick who reminded her about her own father’s family meals of Cajun pizzas and all the possibilities. She had an enjoyable time with Mack that night and an even better evening with both him and Leon. But standing here, thinking about all the positives of the trip, her mind couldn’t forget about her mistakes. She never should have allowed the good-looking stranger to buy her those earrings. Was he already aware of who she was and perhaps about her interest in the Rue men or theirs in her? Was it all a game from the start? It wasn’t like she should feel disappointed. Parker was a good-looking man, but he was also a killer and a psycho. She worried about Mack, Troy, and Roy, but Leon most. He was so angry when she arrived and began to tell him what happened. She had never seen him look so dark and scary. He was a big man, too, and she would never underestimate his capabilities.
She heard the knock on the door, and then it was opened.
“You okay?” Roy asked. Even his voice was sexy. It was funny how she felt so old at times and thought of the Rue men as older and more experienced, yet she fought her attraction to them. She was young. A lot younger than all of them, but right now none of that mattered. She wanted to feel protected. She had held Roy at bay only minutes ago in the bedroom. He obviously sensed her reservations and gave her some space. The hot shower was helping, but now her libido was going into overdrive. She wanted him touching her, holding her, making love to her, and mostly protecting her from the fear she had inside.
“Ellena? Are you okay?” he asked, and she knew he was completely in the bathroom now.
“I don’t know,” she whispered. She heard some movement and noises, and then a moment later she sensed Roy getting into the shower with her. It was a huge walk-in shower, custom built with marble walls and brass fixtures. Totally Mack’s taste. The rest of the house was not so modern but homey.
When she felt his large hands on her shoulders and then his body move in behind her, she laid her forehead against the tile in front of her.
“You’re all tense, Ellena. Let me help you wash.”
Was it her or did his voice sound shaky?
He lathered up the soap in his hands then began to wash her, starting with her back and shoulders. As she stood under the spray of water, he turned her around and moved her to the side a bit so he could begin to wash the rest of her.
She stared all the way up into his big blue eyes and could see the hunger.
“You’re perfect, Ellena. More beautiful than I ever fantasized about,” Roy whispered, holding her gaze as he lathered up the soap and began to massage and wash her breasts.
She closed her eyes, and a moment later he was kissing her as he brought her under the spray of water. He released her lips and gently trailed kisses along her neck and shoulder. She reached for him, loving the dips and valleys between muscles on his perfect, fit physique. She imagined him in his firefighter uniform with no shirt under the turnout coat. Sexy and six feet three, ready to save a life or fight a smoldering blaze. She felt as if she were on fire and he was the cause of it.
“So pretty and soft,” he said in between kisses as he lowered so he could take a nipple into his mouth. She held his head as he ate at her breast, moaning and sucking, making her pussy tighten in need.
“Oh, Roy, that feels so good.” He sucked harder, making her gasp. As he released her left breast, he moved to the right and began to equally stimulate her breast until he had his fill. She reached down and ran her hands along his tight abs, over the dusting of hair and straight to his cock. It was thick and hard as she ran her palm up and down the shaft.
“Fuck, Ellena, you’re killing me.” He fell to his knees, causing her to lose her grip. He reached for her thigh to raise up over his shoulder when he stopped. She wondered what was wrong. Had she done something to make him think she wasn’t ready to make love? But then she followed his line of sight and saw his expression harden. He touched a finger below the cut from the knife wound. She reached for his hand and caressed it.
“Please, Roy. Please help me to forget his touch.”
He held her gaze as he looked up and kissed her belly, making his way to her mound. Lifting her thigh up over his shoulder, he caressed her ass right before she felt his tongue lick her sensitive flesh.
She leaned back against the tile wall as he inserted a finger and began to pump up into her while he sucked along her inner thigh. She was shaking and forgetting everything but the sensations Roy was causing in her when her body erupted.
“So fucking hot. I can’t wait to be inside of you, Ellena. I know you waited for us. You belong to all of us now.” Roy lifted her thighs, lined his cock up with her pussy, and pushed forward.
Ellena grabbed onto his shoulders as she gasped at the impact and tilted her head back. Roy was huge. With every stroke she felt like screaming a small release. She was on fire with hunger and wanted him to go as deeply as he could.
She licked across his shoulder then gently bit on his neck, making him increase his thrusts and penetrate deeper.
“Yes, Roy, more,” she panted. The water splashed between them, echoing in the bathroom. Their bodies collided, and she grabbed ahold of his hair and covered his mouth, kissing him hard. They battled over control of the kiss until he reached behind her and pressed a finger to her puckered hole.
“Ahh!” she yelled after pulling from the kiss. He attacked her neck as he pumped his hips while pushing his finger through the tight rings of her ass. She counterthrust, feeling completely out of control but so damn needy she thought she would die if she didn’t come.
“Oh, please, oh,” she moaned and counterthrust.
“Damn, Ellena!” he roared then pumped with an expert, excessive speed, making her lose her breath and explode around him. Roy followed immediately then pulled his finger from her ass as he gripped her hips with both hands and rode out the explosion.
“So good, baby. So fucking good,” Roy whispered as he kissed her cheeks, her neck and shoulder, then back to her mouth. He moved her body under the spray of water as they caught their breath.
“I’ve waited too long for you, Ellena,” Roy whispered as he held her gaze and stared down at her.
She caressed his chest, enjoying the smoothness of it and the feel of stone beneath her fingertips.
“I don’t know why I waited so long.”
“Who cares? Only now matters.”
He kissed her until they heard someone clear his throat.
Looking toward the end of the shower, there was Troy, standing naked and holding his cock in his large hands. And boy did that man have large hands. A lot of women talked about that.
She smiled at him and then looked up at Roy.
“See you in the bedroom shortly, okay?”
She nodded her head as he kissed her then slowly pulled from her body and lowered her feet to the floor.
As he stepped away, she turned to face the wall and the spray of water until she felt Troy’s hands on her waist. He pressed his chin onto her shoulder.