The room had gone completely silent. In fact, it seemed like the whole world had stopped. Tate stilled beside him, and Eric felt tension pinging through his best friend. What the hell would Tate do if Belle didn't want him?
Eric knew on some basic level that he was supposed to be happy that she might desire him above the others, but he'd stopped working that way a long time ago. Maybe he never had. When it came to Belle, he was possessive, yes. He'd caught that overly muscled electrician staring at her ass earlier in the day and it had taken everything he had not to kill the fucker. But Tate and Kellan were different. They were his partners.
He was crazy about Belle, but he didn't want to hurt his friends. He hadn't dated a woman without them in years. He wasn't even sure he could succeed at a solo relationship with a woman.
Tate deflated like a balloon slowly losing its air. He swallowed. "All right. I'm going to bed, then. Good night."
Shit. His buddy wouldn't recover from this rejection. One of the reasons Eric had fallen so hard for Belle was because she understood and embraced Tate's personal brand of crazy. In fact, she seemed to enjoy it. In the past, they'd dated more than one woman together who'd later declared Eric "boyfriend material" while shoving Tate aside. If Belle followed suit, his best friend would erect a fortress against the world and everyone in it.
"Tate, stop." Belle leaned closer, placing a hand on his arm. "When I said you, I meant all of you. It's just that Eric's is the biggest of the guest rooms. I would rather be near you three. I don't think I'll feel comfortable in my room until I clean it up."
Eric let out a sigh of relief. Tate's balloon was suddenly full again and he puffed up, ready to play protector-and lover, if she'd let him.
Kell wore a satisfied smile. "Good choice."
Belle was inching closer to giving in, but he was also thankful that she was going to let them watch over her.
Something about the house had made him edgy from the first moment. He hadn't said anything, but he'd often felt as though he wasn't alone in a room when logic told him otherwise. Sometimes, he'd even felt someone staring. Gates said the place was haunted. Eric wasn't a believer … but he wasn't a disbeliever, either. Belle's theory was that the zealot next door neighbor had caused tonight's ruckus to scare her into leaving. Eric didn't agree, though he didn't know who else to blame.
"Let's go upstairs," Tate directed. "We'll take care of you so you can get some sleep."
She seemed to falter, victim of some anxiety Eric didn't understand. They were going to watch over her and keep her safe. Wasn't that what she wanted?
"I don't want to sleep," she confessed, her voice breathy.
Eric felt as if a boulder had hit his chest-and liquid flame filled his cock. Holy shit, that really did sound like she wanted sex.
"Hot damn!" Tate grinned and lifted Belle off her feet. "You won't regret this. We're going to make you feel so good, baby."
"Stop for a minute," Eric insisted. "Put her down."
They all needed to slow down before they made the same mistake they had in Dallas by jumping in with both feet and not talking the situation through. They'd been so happy to have Belle naked and seemingly willing that they hadn't thought through the ramifications. Her statement just now could be taken in more than one context. No way could they leave any gray area or room for interpretation.
"Why should I do that?" Tate demanded, but he complied, though with obvious reluctance.
"Belle, what exactly are you asking for?"
She bowed her head slightly, as if she wasn't quite sure she could or should answer. "I want you all to be with me."
That wasn't a precise answer. They couldn't move forward until he knew the truth.
Kellan's eyes narrowed. Obviously, he wasn't happy with her reply either. "You don't have to sleep alone, Belle. We'll all get pallets made up. One of us will sleep in the bed with you, if you want. Or we can stay up and talk, take your mind off your fears until you're ready for a good night's sleep."
"That sounds horrible," Tate complained.
Eric saw Kellan's tactic immediately, and was glad the two of them were on the same page with making Belle state her wants explicitly.
"But you'll survive, Tate," Eric promised, sending him a glare that demanded he get on board.
With a long, unhappy sigh, his big buddy put her down.
If Belle wanted to be held or kissed … or more, she would have to ask for it. Eric wouldn't take advantage of her vulnerability or give her any reason to wake up tomorrow and blame them for whatever happened.