Rules of Desire: Protecting Erin(10)

“I have to admit I’m surprised. Wes was always a little off, but I have trouble believing he stole the money from Nelson.”

“Tell your husbands, Erin.”

“Not yet.”

She was too restless and edgy, and they would make a bigger deal out of it than it needed to be.

The phone beeped, signaling another caller. “Later. Keep me posted. I have another call coming in.”



* * * *



Sipping his coffee, Reese stood leaning against the kitchen counter, half listening to Erin’s phone conversation with her sister, Rachel.

Erin paced back and forth in the living room, stopping occasionally to check on William. “I was going to tell them, Rachel, but not until we were all together sitting around. I didn’t feel like telling the story over and over again.”

Her voice lowered, compelling him to step closer to the doorway. “Okay. Fine. Yes. I was putting it off. … No. I knew I couldn’t get away with keeping it from them, but you know how the men who live in this town overreact. If overprotectiveness was a contest at the Fourth of July fair, my husbands would win first prize.”

Reese raised a brow at that, glancing at his phone as a text message from Jared came in.



Ace checking. Erin didn’t tell everything. Stark’s wife divorced him. Lost wife, kids, career. Threatening letters from jail.



“Nelson wasn’t much more than a pencil pusher, Rachel. He made a lot of empty threats. Hell, he was scared of me. … Yes, I told them, but they don’t believe me.” Blowing out a breath, Erin kept pacing, nearing the doorway again. “I’m sorry. I know Boone and Chase want to protect you. … No. If anything happened to you or Theresa, I’d be devastated. Just tell them I said to stay close to you. If John’s right, there might be trouble, but I can’t imagine them bringing it here.”

Clenching his jaw, Reese went to the counter to pour himself another cup of coffee, unsurprised at the sharp feminine gasp from behind him.

“Hold on.” Erin lowered the phone, swallowing heavily. “When did you come back in?”

Reese held up his fresh cup of coffee. “Just now. I heard you mention Theresa’s name. Is everything okay with our niece?”

Lifting the phone to her ear again, Erin frowned. “Rachel, I’ll call you back.” After disconnecting, she set the phone aside. “Theresa’s fine. Jared called Boone to tell him about Nelson Stark, and he and Chase freaked out. It seems my sister’s husbands are just as protective as mine are.”

Sipping his coffee, Reese leaned back against the counter, closely watching his wife’s expressive eyes. “That’s our job and something we take very seriously. The men in Desire protect all women, especially our own. You knew that before you married us, Erin. As a matter of fact, their protective natures are what made you accept them for your sister.”

Erin shrugged and dropped into a chair. “They love her. I didn’t expect that. When I realized that the men in this town liked to share women, I thought they were playing some sort of game.”

Reese smiled at that, remembering how hard and cold she’d appeared when she’d first come to town with the intention of taking her sister back to Texas with her. “And now you know differently. It’s not a game to us, Erin. It’s a way of life, and knowing that there are three of us to take care of you makes each of us feel a lot better.”

Erin grinned. “You afraid you couldn’t handle me on your own?”

Reese’s smile made her stomach flutter. “Oh, I can handle you.” With a sigh, he joined her at the table. “But knowing that if something happened to me, you would be taken care of means a great deal to me.” Taking her hand in his, he lifted it to his lips, sending little ribbons of pleasure up her arm. “And none of us have to worry that you’re not getting enough attention. The same goes for our children. It worked for our parents, and it makes everything a lot less stressful for everyone.”

Pulling her closer, he bent to touch his lips to hers, his hand sliding to her waist. “There was always a lot of love in our home. We want that for you, for William, and for the rest of our children.”

Lifting her to his lap, Reese cupped her cheek, lifting her face to his. “You seem happy enough to have three men doting on you.”

Lifting a hand to his hair, Erin smiled and arched to press her breast against his palm. “Oh, I muddle through. I have to admit that it’s kind of nice to have three husbands fussing over me, but it also means that I have three husbands to nag me.”

Sliding a hand under the hem of her shirt, Reese cupped her breast, his thumb moving gently over her nipple. With a smile, he brushed his lips over hers. “Yeah, but we always make up for it, don’t we?”