“What if they don’t give up?”
“They will. You’ll be twenty-two on Tuesday, right? Maybe after that, it’ll be too late.” Alex sounded more confident than Lindsey felt.
These rock-solid men/wolves who seemed to have landed at her doorstep by coincidence, may very well have saved her from a life of hell.
Thank God.
* * * *
The next time Lindsey awoke, she was not alone. Alex lay alongside her, his hair tussled about his face, a lock laying over one eye. She thought he could be a cover model if he’d just hold still for a moment so she could get a camera.
She smiled up at him. “You didn’t leave me alone.”
“Never.”
“Where’s Ryan?”
“Talking to his parents.”
“About?”
“Making sure you’re safe, mi amor.”
He kissed her chastely on the lips and drew her into a hug. “Feel better?”
“Much. Sorry I wigged out,” she said against his bare chest. Even groggy and still carrying the edge of fear in her system, she wanted him. He smelled of the slight sheen of sweat he must have worked up earlier, his own personal musk, enticing her to curl around him and beg him to enter her again. Would she ever feel quite safe even with these men wrapped around and inside her? Could she at least forget the fear at those times, if only for a while? When would Pastor Stone give up and leave her alone?
“Relax your brain, mi alma. Your thoughts are giving even me a headache.” He chuckled lightly. “We are here. We won’t let anything happen to you, ever. And just think of your luck. You have two of us. We can tag team and make sure you aren’t alone a single minute if need be.”
Her shoulders sagged, and she tried to relax her grip on Alex’s biceps.
“Our queen has awoken,” Ryan announced as he came through the door.
In retrospect, she’d felt his presence even as he walked down the hall. Knew instinctively he was near before he came into the room.
“Hungry? It’s almost noon. You haven’t eaten.”
“Damn, I never even got a sip of my coffee. No wonder I’m out of sorts.” She sat up and tried to smile.
Unwelcome tears pooled in her eyes as she glanced from one sexy hunk to the other. “How did I get so lucky?”
“Ah, but we have you fooled. Perfect.” Ryan rubbed his hands together in a mock gesture to solidify their game plan.
“Could I be in love with you two fools after such a short time?”
“Sure,” Ryan inched forward like a predator stalking his target. “What’s not to love?”
The tears broke forth and streamed down her face. There was no doubt. It may have only been a few days, but these men were under her skin and in her soul to stay.
“I love you, cariña. With all my soul,” Alex said, his face sobered to complete seriousness as Ryan climbed up on the bed.
“And I love you with all my heart,” Ryan added as he took her into his embrace.
Squeezed between the two sexiest men in the world, Lindsey’s heart tightened. There was no doubt, she’d love them for the rest of her life.
Chapter 16
“It’s been two weeks, don’t you think it’s safe enough to go by the apartment and at least get my stuff?” Lindsey turned to Ryan from the counter where she’d been making sandwiches for lunch.
“Probably. But why don’t you let Alex or I just go for you?” He came up beside her and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
“It’s my home. I lived there for four years. I need … to say goodbye.”
“To the apartment?” Ryan grinned and furrowed his brow. He didn’t get it.
“Sentimental thing and all. Charles and Michael have been driving by every day. They haven’t seen anyone or anything suspicious since the day after I turned twenty-two. Surely, we can at least go there for a few hours.”
They’d been staying at Ryan’s parent’s house for fourteen days now. She was used to it by now, having so many people around. Everyone knowing her business.
They’d talked just last night about moving out, getting a place, but Lindsey had turned down the idea. She felt safe here. She was never alone. It was going to take a while for her to venture out on her own after the craziness of the last few weeks.
She was a strong woman at heart, but still… And Ryan and Alex had breathed a collective sigh of relief that she had no intention of doing anything foolish.
Through the connection, she knew they were both secretly elated she was willing to stay with Ryan’s parents for a while. It eased their minds. They’d only brought the subject up to make sure she was okay with the current arrangement. Neither of them could stomach the idea of moving out right now.