“Dated?” Erin felt as if she’d walked into a play where everyone knew their lines except her. “When the hell did we ever date?”
Wes frowned again, his eyes going hard and cold. “Don’t try to pretend it didn’t happen. All those dinners together—”
“We were working!” Erin couldn’t believe that he’d considered the dinners they’d eaten together as dates. “We went out to eat because we were preparing the case against Stark. The company paid for our dinners, Wes. They were business dinners! I never showed any interest in you other than as the attorney building a case. What the hell’s wrong with you?”
Wes snapped, grabbing her upper arms and shaking her. “It was more than that, and you know it! You and I belong together, Erin. Stop playing hard to get and come back to Dallas with me. Your marriage can’t be legal. You and I will get married as soon as we get back home.”
Erin couldn’t contain her temper any longer.
She kneed him in the groin.
Wes grunted and bent but didn’t release her.
In fact, his grip tightened, and for the first time since she’d arrived in Desire, she felt real fear.
“Get your fucking hands off my wife.”
A chill went down her spine at the venom in Duncan’s tone, but it quickly dissipated, replaced by a warm rush of relief.
As Duncan brushed past her, a hard arm closed around her waist from behind, pulling her against an equally hard chest.
Recognizing Reese’s hold, Erin tried to pull away from Wes’s surprisingly strong grip, warning bells going off when Duncan gripped Wes by the shirtfront. “Duncan, no!”
She knew her husbands well enough to know that Wes was in trouble.
Jared came around her other side, his hands closing over Wes’s wrists, the sound of a bone snapping as chilling as Wes’s pain-filled screech.
Freed from Wes’s hold, Erin found herself pulled away from him, with Reese’s arms wrapped firmly around her.
Jared moved in next to Duncan, his hands on his hips as he glared at Wes. “You were warned about putting your hands on our wife.”
Wes eyed each of them in horror, his attempt to pull away from Duncan futile. “Get off of me! You broke my damned wrist.”
Jared smiled coldly, moving to stand between Erin and Wes as Reese overcame her struggles and pulled her out to the hallway. “You’re lucky you’re still breathing.”
Panicked now, Erin pulled at Reese’s forearms, unsurprised that she couldn’t budge them. “Reese! They’re going to kill him.”
“Good.”
Still gripping the front of Wes’s shirt, Duncan shifted slightly, placing his body between Wes and Jared. “I think it’s about time you left town.”
Wes straightened, holding his wrist against his chest. “Not without Erin.”
Duncan pushed Wes back to fall on the bed, standing over him with his hands on his hips. “Then I’m afraid you’re gonna be disappointed. Pack your bags and get out of town. If I see you again, I’m gonna break more than your fucking wrist.”
Erin tried in vain to break Reese’s hold. “Please, Reese. Don’t let them hurt him any more.”
To her amazement, Reese bent to growl in her ear. “Shut up. Don’t even think of defending him.”
Dear God.
Her husbands appeared to be hanging on to control by a thread, and she didn’t trust her ability to pull them back.
As he pulled her into the hallway, Erin breathed a sigh of relief to see Ace standing just outside the doorway.
His size alone made the sheriff an imposing and intimidating figure, but the way he stood with his hands on his hips and the hard glint of anger in his eyes made him nothing short of terrifying.
“Ace! Please. Do something. I’ve never seen them like this.”
Lifting a brow, Ace glanced at her, his attention focused on Jared, Duncan, and Wes. “He grabbed you. Shook you. Is trying to take you away from them. What do you suppose my reaction would be if someone attempted that with Hope?”
Erin swallowed heavily, alarmed by Ace’s icy calm. “They’d probably have to call out the National Guard.” Reaching out, she touched his forearm. “Please, Ace. I don’t want them to get into trouble. It’s just a misunderstanding.”
Ace smiled faintly and nodded. “I guess Cramer’s learned his lesson. I’ll make sure he gets his wrist set before he leaves town.”
Reese bent and swung her from her feet, his features hard as he lifted her against his chest. “Let’s get you back to William. It’s time for his feeding.”
The fact that he said nothing else as he carried her from the hotel scared her more than anything. “Reese?”