Acres, Natalie - Sex Club [Cowboy Sex 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (51 page)

Kane arched a brow. He and Evan swapped a glance.

“I’ll pay it,” Graham offered.

Kane narrowed his gaze on Tristan. “For someone who has several million dollars, you sure don’t act like my daughter’s life is worth protecting at all costs. We trust this pilot. He’s an ex–Navy SEAL. He’s a lifelong friend and wouldn’t sell you out even if your thugs from New York tried to torture him into talking.”

Braden cleared his throat. “We can guarantee your safety. You’ll arrive in Florida without any unforeseen problems. We’ll have a rented car waiting for you in Miami. You’ll drive to the marina undetected. Once you’re on the water, you’re on your own. You’ll need to take precautions at ports and so forth, but we can guarantee you’ll leave our place and make it to the yacht without being sold out.”

“I’ve got this,” Tristan grumbled, finally addressing Graham about the airfare costs. “You and Elliott are giving up enough as it is. You’re leaving your life behind. There’s no reason for you to go broke in the process.”

Graham’s skin turned pink.

“You won’t break these boys,” Evan said, laughing.

Tristan didn’t pry. Apparently Graham and Elliott were set financially, too. “So we make it to the yacht, and then what?”

“You negotiate the fee with the captain.”

“And how do we know we can trust
him
?” Tristan asked.

Braden looked at Kane and shook his head.

“You don’t even know him, do you?” Tristan pressed.

“He doesn’t know you,” Braden said. “But he’s seen pictures of our girls. There’s no reason for him to be suspicious. If you don’t talk in front of him, then he won’t squeal later. And by the time he’d have the opportunity, you’ll be long gone.”

“With any luck, you’ll be back here within a few months,” Kane said.

“And that is the plan,” Braden said, looking at Tristan. “Understood?”

The men sat in silence. All eyes were on Tristan.

“If it’s safe.”

“Well, that’s where we come in,” Kane said. “Your snitch won’t have a job after Pete leaves the hospital. We’ll deter the guys from New York when they show up here. Give us a couple of months, and you should be able to come home.”

“With all due respect, Mr. Cartwell,” Tristan said, treading softly. “But this isn’t our home.”

“It will be,” Kane assured him. “Fletcher is home to Ansley, Graham, and Elliott. After all this trouble passes through here, this town will be a fine place for you and Bailey, too. I’ll personally make sure of it.”

* * * *

Two hours later, and the girls were holed up in the office pacing in front of the monitors. Ansley chewed on her thumbnail as she made tracks across the carpet. “They’ve been out there for too long. This can’t be good.”

“Nope,” Kimberly said. “Tristan walked away from the table a few times. He didn’t look too happy. Daddy Kane always directs him back to his chair.”

“Are you serious?” Ansley asked, rushing to the monitors.

“They’re on their second bottle of scotch, too,” Patience informed them, reentering the room after excusing herself for the third time to go to the bathroom. “Your dads and Graham are about the only consumers of the liquor.”

“I swear, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were pregnant as much as you’ve been running to the restroom,” Kimberly said.

“I wish,” Patience admitted, flopping down on the sofa. “It’s hard to get pregnant when you spend most of your nights alone.” A sudden smile washed across her face. “I guess you won’t have to worry about that now, Ansley.”

That was Patience’s way of apologizing. Ansley felt a smile tug at her lips. “I can’t be so sure, yet. Remember, my men are seated at the roundtable with my fathers at this very moment.”

Kimberly kept the conversation on track. “Be careful what you wish for, Patience. Changing diapers and losing sleep isn’t exactly my idea of a perfect time. Plus, with your fellas on the road, you’d basically be a single mom.”

“I wouldn’t mind. Believe me. I’d love to be a mother. I think about having babies all the time.”

“I think that’s great,” Ansley said excitedly. “And here I thought I was the only one.”

“Since when do you want to have a baby?” Kimberly asked.

Ansley shrugged. “I guess since I found four perfect candidates to help me raise one.”

A noise from the hall alerted them to the nearby arriving audience. Tristan stood in the doorway with his face flushed and his brow moist. Daddy Kane obviously put the fear of God in him, but he was still standing. All things considered, the appearance of survivors was a plus.

“So how soon will we start working on baby-making?” Graham asked, crossing muscular arms over a thick chest.

Ansley felt her skin heat. “Whenever you say the word.”

“I believe we need years and years of practice,” Elliott teased.

“Me, too,” Tristan mumbled. “When did you decide you wanted to be a mom?”

Ansley indulged in the image the four of them created together. They projected strength and love, compassion and understanding. They also looked somewhat stunned by her recent confession. Each man sported a priceless expression.

She absorbed every second, wondering if there could be a more perfect time to answer their question. Her sister was present, her best friend, and the men she adored. Finally, she said, “Since I found the men I intend to love for the rest of my life. I’m ready to move on and see what comes next. Babies will be a part of my future. I want to start a family soon. Best I can hope for is that you do, too. Give me a day, and I’ll convince you to see things my way.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

“When did you guys come up with this idea?” Ansley asked, sucking in a shaky breath. Minutes before, she’d been elated. The meeting between her fathers and her fellows had ended, and obviously they’d adjourned on a positive note. Then, they dropped the big news.

Bailey and Tristan weren’t safe in Asheville. They still needed to leave town, and she wasn’t sure how long they intended to stay away. Apparently, they planned to depart immediately. Graham and Elliott had agreed to go, too, and they all expected her to tag along for the ride. Perhaps she
was
the ride, thus the invitation.

No, she knew better. They wanted her with them for a more solid reason.

She gasped. Were they leaving the area for good?

“Well, when did this all come about?” she pressed, searching their eyes.

“The timing doesn’t matter,” Graham informed her, wobbling around. He’d obviously had a tad too much to drink. “This is the surprise we had for ya.”

“Oh yes,” she drawled. “I remember something about a surprise. You brought it up
hours ago
. I thought you planned a big night of
sextivities.
”

“Is that even a word?” Graham asked.

“No,” Ansley snapped.

“If we disappointed you, I apologize,” Tristan said, watching her curiously.

She was obviously ruining their big moment. Apparently, they expected her to be thrilled by the prospect of traveling without an itinerary, wandering around the world without a destination. “No, I’m the one who’s sorry. It’s just that this is so…unexpected.”

Before she knew what was happening, the guys knelt before her, simultaneously dropping to the floor. Obviously, they’d discussed their big moment at length. This special occasion was planned to a fault.

She stared down at her men, all on bended knee. They looked sincere, precious, and totally in love with her, and there she was hesitating again!

What was she supposed to make of this? Had her fathers insisted that Graham, Elliott, Tristan, and Bailey give her some kind of commitment?

Soon after her dads left, Patience had said good-bye and Kimberly had retired for the night, returning to her private quarters upstairs. After they’d disappeared, Tristan and Bailey had tripped over their words, briefly telling her what to expect over the next twenty-four hours, and they were full of assumptions. Now they were proposing?

“I don’t know what to say,” Ansley said, looking from one man to the next.

“
Yes
is generally the answer one hopes for in circumstances like this,” Bailey pointed out.

“I realize that, but…” She cleared her throat. “Why?”

“I warned all of you she’d analyze this proposition to pieces.”

Super
. Elliott said “proposition.” He didn’t say “proposal.”

“Ansley, why not?” Graham asked. “You love us, right?”

“Yes, but I don’t quite understand,” she confessed, studying the objects clutched in each man’s hand. “I mean, what’s the rush?”

“You were the one talking about babies not even ten minutes ago,” Tristan reminded her, standing. Holding a golden collar, he unhooked the latch and extended the exquisite neckband. The jewelry wasn’t at all suggestive of the lifestyle chokers she’d noticed other subs wearing at the club. Obviously, the piece was designed by an artist, a jewelry designer.

Tristan placed the glimmering object in her palms. “Want to try it on?”

“No,” she replied, shaking her head. She froze in place but somehow managed to add, “I mean, I don’t think so.”

Tristan stroked his chin thoughtfully. Her gaze immediately darted down, skimming across Elliott, Graham, and Bailey, still on bended knee.

“You’ll marry Graham,” Tristan explained. “And you’ll be committed to all of us. Bailey and I can’t really marry you, for obvious reasons. So this is for the best.”

The lump in her throat slid down nice and easy, nearly strangling her to death. “What do you mean you can’t marry me?”

Graham’s arm fell to the wayside. He clutched a little black box that evidently held a diamond ring inside. “Ansley, legally you can only marry one man in the US. You know that. I’d like for you to become my wife.”

“And I want you to become my sister-in-law with benefits,” Elliott interjected.

“But then I’m only committed to you, Graham, right?” she asked carefully.

Ansley
loved Graham. She wanted to spend her life with him, but she also wanted each of them to know she treasured them equally. How could she marry one when she loved all four?

“Fuck no,” Tristan grumbled. “Ansley, I love you, but you obviously aren’t going to make this easy, and we’re sort of in a hurry here. Can you just say ‘yes’ and we’ll work out the details a little later?”

“What’s the rush?” she asked.

“That little powwow with your fathers out there was semiplanned. Bailey and I knew they’d be here, but they showed up early. We didn’t have a chance to tell Graham and Elliott, but we wanted to ask your dads for their permission, their blessing, actually.”

“How’d that work out for ya?” she asked, her head spinning.

“We muddled through,” Bailey muttered.

“Considering they arrived earlier than expected, I think everything went quite well,” Tristan said.

She slapped Tristan’s chest playfully. “Why were you all over me if you knew my dads could walk in this club at any given time?”

“I thought we had a few minutes to spare,” Tristan replied, his nose and lips twitching. “Hell, baby, I hadn’t seen you in twenty-four hours. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on you!”