"What are you afraid of?" Oliver moved to a closer seat. "I don't understand. We've made our intentions plain. You can't think we're using you for sex."
"I'm beginning to suspect she's using us for sex," Rory accused.
She shook her head. "It's not like that."
"What is it like, then?" Callum was determined to get to the bottom of whatever stood between them. "Because from where I was sitting, it looks like you used us. You were ready to leave."
"And I was already thinking about ways I could get back in contact with you." She closed her eyes for a moment. "I don't know that I can handle the intensity of what I feel for you. If anything happened to one of you, I would be devastated."
"That's ridiculous," Rory said. "Sweetheart, anything can happen at any moment. You can't live your life trying to avoid pain. You avoid joy and happiness, too. It's no way to live."
"That's what my sister says. I'm trying to … assimilate her advice. Believe it. I also can't stand the thought of my life being plastered on the pages of a magazine. I've seen how that affects people," she explained. "And I doubt the papers will leave us alone. There was another story today, right?"
Callum smoothed back her hair, his stare delving into hers. "If we don't comment and act as if nothing is wrong, they'll let it go. Some other scandal will crop up. I've been in the public eye since I signed my first contract at eighteen. When I act up, they come out like locusts, and for a while, I can do no right. Eventually, if I lay low, they go away. It's not right, but it is true. They will get bored with us. We'll live quietly and all of this will fade. Yes, there will be questions, and some people won't approve. But I don't care about them. I care about you."
"And if we ever have children?" Tori asked.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." He worried about it, too. "But we wouldn't be the first with an unusual relationship."
"They could get teased."
"Love, every child gets teased for something. Are you saying that just because he or she might encounter heartache at some point, that's a reason to not bring him or her into the world?"
She sniffled a little. "I don't know what I'm saying. I simply know that loving the three of you scares the crap out of me and I don't know if I can handle it. When I left your room yesterday morning, I just needed a few minutes to myself. But I began to realize how much I cared, then I saw the papers and … "
She'd shut down. Callum held her tighter.
"I've been thinking. What if I become your very quiet mistress? I might be able to handle that. If no one knew, then they couldn't judge."
And she would be able to keep her distance. As much as she seemed to want that, Callum knew he and his brothers couldn't allow it. "Their judgment means nothing. Tell me why you think it does."
She shrugged. "I grew up in a small town. After my parents died, Piper had to be absolutely above reproach. Everyone thought she was too young to take care of me. She had to walk a very straight line because everyone was watching, waiting for her to screw up or for me to do something foolish. They thought I should go to foster care. A couple of women even reported us to CPS to have me removed from Piper's care."
Ah, so that explained one thing. "No one can take you away now."
"They could fire me," she said logically.
"Who?" Callum frowned. "My brothers and I employ you."
"And if we ever break up?"
Oliver shook his head. "You never have to worry about money again. And don't think for a second that money isn't power. If your sister had money back then, they wouldn't have dared to challenge her. They had small minds and too little to occupy their time. This argument makes no sense. You're an adult now and those tabloids, while annoying, can't really harm you. There would be plenty of clients who would hire you because you'd made headlines."
"I don't like people watching me, judging me." She'd gone stiff in his arms.
"No one does. Well, no one sane." He'd had teammates who loved the limelight for a time. But once it became invasive, everyone wanted a break. "I'm asking you to suffer it for a bit."
"Once it's obvious we've settled down, no one will find us fascinating," Rory assured her.
She took a deep breath. "All right. Like I said, I want to try. I'm just not sure if the three of you can get along for thirty days."
Oh, she thought she would have a loophole out that way? No. He and his brothers intended to make certain they didn't give her a reason not to face her fears. "You have no idea, darling." He rested his hand on her knee. "We were a team when we were younger. I used to beat up all the bullies who went after my brothers."