"You're going to tell the press that you took medication for your nerves and were sleeping it off while you let Law whisk you away to a secluded lovers' retreat?"
Why not? What did she have if she went home besides a life of taking care of people who would never thank her and always want more? And that was provided Greg didn't kill her first. Here was a totally different tale. Nice accommodations, good food, sure. Law had actually asked her for her preferences before they'd cooked dinner. Dominic had even asked what kind of wine she'd like. Before these guys, no one had ever given a damn what she wanted. And now that she thought about it, she was pretty sure Riley had been the one to pick her warm clothes.
"Sure, why not. I'm just a bride gone wild. This sweater is a little scratchy."
He narrowed his blue eyes. "It's one hundred percent pure cashmere. It can't be scratchy."
Yes, Riley had picked her clothes with care, like she was important to him. Law carried her around like she didn't weigh a thing. Dominic looked at her like he wanted to eat her up.
And her fiancé? The man she'd been ready to marry was sleeping with her sister and planning to murder her so he could take over her business.
She'd played by the rules for far too long. The rules hadn't gotten her anywhere. These ridiculous ideals had left her a virgin, completely and utterly alone. They had placed her in a position where everyone lied to her. Getting kidnapped had brought her clarity, shown her a place where at least a couple of men wanted to bring her pleasure.
Pleasure was better than the nothing she'd had before.
"Could you call Law and Dominic in?" An idea had been brewing in her brain all day, a way for her to get something out of this. Determination had replaced mildness in the last several hours. She wanted something beyond just getting to live and keeping her charity. She wanted something for her.
"Why?" Riley asked.
"I want to talk to them." She didn't want to explain it to Riley. He wouldn't understand. He would probably be horrified. But she hoped that Dominic and Law would grasp her meaning immediately. They had kissed her, held her, brought her pleasure. Dominic had gone cold only after she'd pulled away. And Law had just been hurt.
Kinley supposed that some would argue that Law had hurt her by abducting her. But he hadn't. In his head-and heart-he'd really believed he was saving her. She kind of had to agree. Because of that, she didn't like hurting Law in any way. The idea that she had made her feel anxious inside.
She wanted more than that unfinished experience in the kitchen and she was willing to give in order to get. If Riley didn't want her, fine. She would go into the situation knowing that whatever passed between her, Dominic, and Law wouldn't be long term. But she would finally ask for what she wanted. If they turned her down … she had no idea what she would do.
Riley turned and exited, leaving her alone with the cable news channels who questioned everything from her whereabouts to her morality. There was a short story on Annabelle's law firm and how they were handling the case Greg was trying to build against the "unnamed suspect."
So Annabelle had a hand in this. Kinley wasn't sure of her exact role, but she smiled anyway. Of course some people would be deeply disturbed by a friend's involvement in a criminal act, but Kinley had looked at all the evidence now. Belle had done her damnedest to persuade her to not marry Greg … and Kinley hadn't listened. If she had been in Annabelle's shoes, she would have fought like hell to save her friend, too, including having her kidnapped.
So Law had a good lawyer who had floated the story that she was overwrought and medicated. Legally, it was a good play. The story wasn't totally implausible. It bought them all some time.
The doors opened, and her heart rate tripled as all three men strode into the room. Law was at least six and a half feet tall with stark blue eyes that pierced right through her. Dominic was so gorgeous and commanding, he made her heart stop. Slightly taller than Law, he was just as broad, his body lean and strong. And Riley's face could be on a movie poster. He was stunning, not to mention blazingly smart, which was a kind of sexy all its own. Three amazing men.
She could only really make a play for two.
"Baby, you want something?" Law asked.
He'd been so easy to connect with. She'd fallen for him so quickly. He'd held her when she was scared, when she felt alone. Law was the kind of man who did what it took to protect the people he cared about. Kinley couldn't deny she admired that.