One for Three [Elite Dragons 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (16 page)

“You did the only thing possible in such a volatile situation. It is my own fault that I got shot, not yours. If I hadn’t moved, your bullet wouldn’t have touched me. Please, don’t blame yourself. If you want to blame someone, blame me.”

“Aw, darlin’, I don’t blame you,” Trace rasped. He leaned back further into the sofa and, careful not to touch the wound on her upper arm, placed an arm around her shoulders. He pulled her into his chest and kissed her on the head.

“I do, because if I hadn’t moved we could all be making love right now.”

She smiled when she heard three loud groans and felt Trace shift in his seat. She looked up at her three men and saw them staring at her with hunger in their eyes that heated her blood with its intensity.

“I love you,” Brooke stated as she snuggled up to Trace. “I love you all, so much. I don’t want to go back to my boring, dreary apartment and life. I want to stay here with you.”

“I love you, too, darlin’,” Trace pronounced and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “I’m sorry I shot you, but you were right. I couldn’t have done anything different.”

Brooke looked at Corbin as he sat on the sofa beside her. He carefully lifted her out of Trace’s arms and onto his lap. He leaned down and kissed her gently, rested his forehead on hers, and stared into her eyes. “You mean everything to me, honey. I love you so much.”

Brooke felt tears of joy and happiness spill out of her eyes. She had never felt so complete before. Her heart was so full it was almost painful. “I love you, too,” she whispered.

She looked up at into Coulter’s gaze when he placed a hand on her knee. He was squatting down in front of her and smiling at her. “I love you, baby. We would love it if you would stay here with us. We don’t want you leaving our sides, ever.”

Brooke squealed with delight and launched herself at Coulter. She winced when she jarred her arm, but didn’t stop until she had wrapped her good arm around his neck. She kissed him on the cheek again and again until she reached his lips. “I love you, Coulter,” she murmured against his mouth.

“Me, too, baby. Me, too,” he replied again. He lifted her into his arms and began to walk out of the room.

“Where are we going?” she asked breathlessly.

“To bed,” Coulter replied in a firm voice.

“Oh good,” Brooke said with a sigh and leaned her head on Coulter’s shoulder.

“You can get that thought right out of your head, baby. You are going to bed to sleep,” Coulter stated resolutely.

“But I’m all right. I don’t need a nap.”

“You might not, but we definitely do. We hardly slept a wink last night. We were so worried about you. You will not put yourself in danger ever again. Is that understood?”

“I didn’t put myself—”

“Yes, you did. You didn’t call out once. Mom could have notified us that you were in danger, and we could have stopped them before they even got you out of the house. I won’t have it, Brooke. We are trained for this sort of thing. I won’t have you putting yourself in danger just to protect us.”

“How did you—?”

“I know you, baby. No, let me help you get undressed and into bed. You are still in pain and you’re tired. I can see the lines of strain around your mouth, and you have dark circles under your eyes,” Coulter explained.

“Okay,” Brooke said with a smile and a sigh. It felt so good to have three strong men looking out for her. She couldn’t have asked for much more. They loved her, and she loved them. She just hoped they could work out a way to stay together permanently. She wanted to marry them, but they hadn’t asked, so she wasn’t about to suggest it. She didn’t know how they could do it anyway. She would have to choose one of them to be her legal husband, and there was no way in hell she could or would ever choose between them. She loved each of her men equally, and she wasn’t about to cause a rift between them by playing favorites.

Coulter lowered her until her feet touched the bed. He held her with one hand on her waist while Trace and Corbin helped her undress. When they were done, Trace picked her up and helped her under the covers. She covered her mouth and yawned, and then she watched her three men strip. These handsome men with their big, muscular bodies took her breath away. And they were hers.

Now she just had to figure out a way to keep them.

Brooke made her way toward the kitchen and the pot of coffee. Her men were taking her shopping in a nearby town, and she couldn’t wait to buy her own clothes. She was getting rather sick and tired of wearing Martha’s clothes as well as her men’s. “Okay, I’m ready,” she called as she entered the kitchen.

The past two weeks had seen a lot of changes. As Brooke’s injuries healed, her men had passed everything they knew about Katlynn and Jason Pike over to the two detectives from Bismarck. Katlynn and her boss at the clinic were due to stand trial for their part in the black-market organ trade. The Elite Dragons were still trying to shut down the entirety of that operation, but the elusive Dr. Smith had still evaded identification, much less capture. Brooke tried to keep them from getting too disheartened. Smith was driven into hiding, and he wasn’t going to be kidnapping anyone else in the near future, not with so many of his agents dead or in jail.

Brooke had been startled when her men sat her down and explained that they were not only part of a top-secret military unit, but had enhanced speed, strength, and other senses. They told her as much as they could about the experiments which had been done to them. It was like something out of a science-fiction novel, but she had to admit that it explained the way they had pounced on Katlynn and Pike out in the woods. It also explained why they had always been so reticent to discuss their pasts. So much of what they knew and who they were was classified.

They promised they would keep out of her thoughts, and Brooke assured them that their enhanced senses didn’t scare her. Corbin in particular reacted gleefully when she didn’t freak out. He immediately began to joke that he alone of his brothers had been given the treatments so that he was good-looking
and
charming.

Brooke’s men had found a good attorney for her, and her lawyer had found the will her grandmother had left. The fortune left to her was too vast for her to spend on her own, and to be honest she was just happy being with her men. She had instructed her attorney to give each of her men one million dollars to spend any way they wished.

She had organized for Neville to be placed into the best of care for the rest of his days but felt guilty about leaving him alone. Neville had no family to look after him and even though he was being well looked after in one of the best facilities in Bismarck, she felt it was her responsibility to visit regularly. Her men had agreed with her and said they would take her to see her old boss anytime she liked.

The rest of the money she had disbursed to numerous charities, and a third of it had been given to the legal organ-donor registries and research into the diseases which had necessitated the black market in the first place.

She had slept with her guys every night for the last two weeks and tried everything she could to instigate a lovemaking session, but they wouldn’t be swayed. Brooke’s injuries had basically healed and she felt healthier than she had been in months, so she couldn’t figure out what was keeping them at bay. They had something up their sleeves.

She had kept a little money aside for herself, for incidentals such as clothing, furniture, and such, but knew her men wouldn’t let her spend her money on their house. She was going to have to be sneaky in the future if she wanted to add to the household. She would have to buy stuff for gifts. That way she wouldn’t get into too much trouble.

After breakfast, Coulter led her outside, and she saw that winter was nearly over. The snow on the ground was sparse, and new foliage could be seen on branches. She took a deep breath of the clean, crisp air and let Corbin help her into the back of a dual-cab four-wheel-drive truck. He joined her in the back and reached for her hand. None of them spoke on their trip to town. They were content to watch the scenery as it passed.

Coulter pulled the truck into a parking space in the small town of Langdon. Trace got out of the front passenger seat and helped her down from the truck.

“Okay, darlin’, let’s get you some clothes. We’ll meet up with you guys in a couple of hours,” Trace called to his brothers who waved in acknowledgement and strode off.

“Where are they going?” Brooke asked.

“They need to get a few things. Come on, this looks like it has decent clothes. Let’s see what we can find,” Trace said, pulling her into the shop.

Brooke looked around and saw that they were in an exclusive boutique. She perused the clothes and began picking stuff off the racks to try on. By the time she had finished, she had skirts, dresses, jeans, shirts, and everything else she would need. She was even lucky enough to have found matching shoes as well. The saleswoman rang up her sales, and Brooke quickly passed her card over to pay. Trace plucked the card from her hand and gave the shop attendant his own. When she was about to protest, Trace lifted her chin, placed a kiss on her mouth to silence her, and then gave her one of his steely looks.

She wasn’t about to argue with him in front of a stranger so she kept her mouth shut but gave him a glare back. She frowned when he smiled at her and then burst out laughing. He took her bags, led her from the shop, and put them in the truck.

“I love it when you get all indignant, darlin’. Your cheeks get all rosy, and your eyes are so full of fire. You look so passionate. You get me hard every time.”

“Trace!” Brooke stated with shock and looked around to make sure no one had heard, which just made him laugh harder.

“Come on, let’s go meet the others,” he said, giving a gentle tug on her hand.

They had long, leisurely lunch in a small café, and by the time they were finished it was midafternoon. Brooke snuggled up with Corbin in the backseat and closed her eyes. Her guys were excited about something, but when she had questioned them they had acted like they didn’t know what she was talking about. She sighed, knowing they would eventually tell her if it was important.

When they got home, Brooke knew something was going on because they led her in the front door and took her straight to her room. Corbin seated her on the side of the bed, and then all three of them were standing in front of her. They stared at her, and then as one they each knelt down at her feet.

“Brooke, you mean the world to us. We love you so damn much. We can’t and don’t want to live without you,” Coulter said in a deep, husky voice. He cleared his throat, and then they all spoke together.

“Brooke, will you marry us?”

Brooke was stunned. She hadn’t been expecting anything like this, and her throat closed as emotion bubbled up in her chest. Tears flowed from her eyes, and her mouth opened, but she couldn’t get any words out. She looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath.

“How? I love you all so much and would love to marry all of you, but I won’t choose. I don’t want to cause any dissension between you.”

“Baby, shh. It’s okay,” Coulter soothed and pulled her down onto his lap. “We have already discussed the issue and have agreed since I am the oldest you will marry me on paper, but you will still be a wife to Trace and Corbin, no matter what that piece of paper says. And they will be your husbands. So, will you marry us, Brooke?” Coulter asked again, and she looked at the small jeweler’s box Corbin held open.

Brooke stared at the diamond-and-emerald gold ring. It was so beautiful. There was a large diamond in the center and two small on emeralds either side set in a delicate gold band.

“Yes. I would be honored to marry you all and be your wife,” Brooke whispered.

“Thank God,” Coulter rasped, then covered her mouth with his. Brooke lost herself in his touch and his taste and was only vaguely aware of the ring being placed on her finger. When the kiss ended, Trace lifted her up from Coulter’s lap and held her in his arms while he ravaged her mouth.

When they were both breathless, he drew back and handed her over to Corbin. Corbin devoured her until she was wet with need. She began to tug at his shirt but pulled away when his hands stopped her.

“Hold that thought, honey. We have another surprise for you,” Corbin stated and looked at his brothers.

“We want you to wear that white dress Trace picked out for you,” Coulter began.

“What white dress?” she asked.

“Uh, I didn’t let her see it,” Trace stated.

Brooke watched as Trace searched through the new clothes and, then he pulled out a beautiful simple white evening gown. It had thin straps and a
V
-necked bodice with small crystals attached to it. It flowed to the floor in tiers.

“Oh my. That is absolutely gorgeous,” Brooke uttered.

“I’m glad you like it, darlin’. Will you wear it for us tonight?” Trace asked.

“Sure, if you want, but it really should be worn out.”

“How about for a wedding, honey?” Corbin asked with a grin.

“For a bride maybe, but not as a guest,” Brooke replied dreamily. She could just see herself standing in that dress in front of a preacher with her men by her sides.

“Well, it looks like you chose well, Trace. You’d better put it on then, baby,” Coulter said with a smile.