Colters' Woman (3 page)

He sighed, brushed her hair over her ear and continued to caress the line of her jaw. “I know you don’t trust me yet, but you will. You’ll know soon enough that I’d never do anything to hurt you. None of us will.”

She wanted to believe him. More than she’d ever wanted anything else. She opened her mouth to speak, but he silenced her with his mouth. His kiss was demanding. It overwhelmed her senses and made her feel powerless. It scared the holy hell out of her, but she didn’t know if she feared him as much as she did her reaction.

“Are you hungry?” he murmured.

She licked over her swollen lips and nodded.

He brushed his mouth across hers and stopped to nibble at her lower lip. Then rolled over and threw his legs over the side of the bed. “Let me go get your clothes for you. After you’re dressed, come into the kitchen so you can eat.”

She sat up and pulled the covers protectively to her chin, watching as he left the room.

A few seconds later, he returned with her jeans and sweater. He dangled her underwear on the end of his finger, and she hastily snatched them away from him.

He smiled and then turned to leave.

As soon as he was gone, she scrambled out of bed and pulled on her underwear. His effect on her was devastating, and that scared her. He was the type of man that women fell hard for. The type of man that a woman would make an absolute fool of herself over.

Her skin still prickled with awareness, highly sensitized from his touch. Her lips throbbed and tingled from the sensation of his mouth over hers. And he’d only kissed her.

When she was dressed, she walked to the door and stood hesitantly with her hand on the knob. How could she walk into the kitchen after what had happened? She was so confused by her reaction to him—to all of them.

Drawing in a deep breath, she opened the door and slipped down the hall toward the kitchen. The smells emanating from the stove made her mouth water. It had been too long since her last good meal.

The three brothers glanced up as she slid onto a barstool. She looked down self-consciously, hoping Adam hadn’t seen fit to fill his brothers in on the fact that just moments before they’d been in bed together wrapped up tighter than two love bugs.

Ryan moved closer and rubbed a hand over her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

She flinched away from his touch. “I’m fine.”

Ethan put a plate in front of her. “I’ll dish it up in just a sec. You hungry?”

Her stomach growled in response. “Starving,” she admitted.

Adam frowned. “How long’s it been since you ate?”

“Don’t remember.”

He exchanged glances with his two brothers, and she hoped she hadn’t raised their suspicions even more. She needed to disappear as quickly as possible before anyone figured out where she was. Or who she was.

A few minutes later, Ethan heaped bacon, eggs and a slab of ham on her plate. Her hands shook slightly as she cut into the food with her fork.

Adam stood back, his arms crossed over his chest. He watched while she shoveled food into her mouth as quickly as she could. “Slow down, baby. You’re going to make yourself sick.”

She flushed and set her fork on the plate. Ethan plunked a glass of orange juice next to her, and she smiled slightly at him before gulping down half the contents.

A loud knock sounded on the door, and Adam frowned. “Who the hell could that be?” He swiveled around as Ryan and Ethan both started forward. “Hold up. We don’t know who’s out there.”

They all turned around to where Holly was sitting, only to find her gone. Adam swore. She’d run scared the minute she heard the knock.

“I’ll go find her,” Ethan said.

To Adam’s surprise, the door opened and Lacey McMillan stuck her head in. “You in there?” she called out. She stopped when her gaze rested on Ryan and Adam.

Adam relaxed. Lacey was the county sheriff, and she paid a call from time to time to see how things were in the high country. Tall, lanky and redheaded. All the things Holly wasn’t. At one time, Adam had thought Lacey might be the one, but his brothers hadn’t shared his attraction.

She removed her Stetson as she walked further into the cabin. She threw Adam a saucy grin. “Aren’t you glad to see me?”

Ryan scowled and sat back down at the bar.

“What brings you out?” Adam folded his arms and affected what he knew to be an intimidating stance. Normally he wouldn’t mind shooting the shit with Lacey, even doing a little light flirting, but that was in the past. Now he just wanted her to be gone as soon as possible.

Lacey slid onto a barstool beside Ryan, hitching her long legs up to balance on the lower rung of the stool.

“Where’s the third stooge?” she asked, looking around for Ethan.

“Around,” Adam said.

She arched a brow but didn’t comment further on his being so close-mouthed.

“I’m up here to find out if y’all have seen a young woman. Early twenties. Brunette. Short, maybe five-two. We’re dealing with a possible abduction, though she may have escaped. We found an abandoned car at the base of the mountain, and we’re checking out the area. Maybe you saw something?”

Adam shook his head then fixed his gaze on Ryan. “You and Ethan see anything when you were out?”

“Nope.”

He turned his attention back to Lacey. “You think she’s still in the area?”

Lacey shrugged. “Dunno. Could be, though if she’s on her own, I don’t imagine she’ll last long in the high country. City girl from what I gathered. Got a bulletin from the Denver PD and the Feds wanting our department to be on the lookout. Seemed to think she might be headed this way.”

“Do you need trackers?” Adam asked, knowing if he didn’t offer, it would seem odd. He and his brothers had tracked missing persons before for the sheriff’s department. Last summer, they had found a little girl who had wandered off from her parents’ campsite.

Lacey shook her head. “Nah. Like I said, I’m just checking out the possibility anyone saw something. We don’t even know who the car belongs to. Teddy’s running the plates as we speak. Could be she never came this way.”

Adam itched to ask more questions. Who did Holly belong to and who supposedly kidnapped her? But he knew it would rouse Lacey’s suspicions, because if nothing else, the Colter brothers kept to themselves and didn’t borrow trouble from anyone.

“Well, let us know if we can help,” he said.

Lacey chuckled then rose from the barstool. “There was a time when you were more welcoming.” She brushed by him, letting her full breasts rasp across his folded arms.

He stepped back, anxious for her to be gone so he could question Holly.

“I guess I’ll see you around,” Lacey said, a resigned expression on her face. She replaced her hat then walked to the door. “Let me know if you see anything, okay?”

“Will do,” Adam said.

When she shut the door, Adam let out his breath.

Ryan glanced up, his expression brooding.

“She was looking for Holly,” Adam said, a frown twisting his brows.

He turned and headed for the bedroom, Ryan following close behind. His throat tightened when he saw Holly huddled on the bed, her knees hugged to her chest. Ethan sat beside her, rubbing a soothing hand up and down her back, but she barely registered his presence.

Adam cursed under his breath and knelt down on the floor in front of the bed. He reached a hand for hers and pried it away from her legs.

“Baby, listen to me. You’re safe here. That was just our sheriff.”

Holly’s eyes widened in alarm, and she shivered in fear.

“No police,” she croaked.

“No police,” he agreed.

“Promise me.”

“You can trust us,” Ethan said quietly. “We won’t allow anyone to hurt you.”

She relaxed a tiny bit, leaning more into Ethan’s caress.

Adam still held her hand in his, and he brushed his fingers over her upturned palm, trying to infuse his calm into her. “Listen to me, baby. We need to ask you some questions.”

Panic flared in her eyes. “No, no questions. Please, let me go. I need to leave.”

Ethan’s hand stilled on her back, and beside Adam, Ryan stiffened. Adam knew he had to handle this just right. He couldn’t chance her running. They couldn’t keep her safe if she ran.

He exchanged looks with his brothers. They were all united in this cause. They were not going to let her go. And they sure as hell weren’t going to let anyone hurt her.

He stood then sat down on the bed beside her. “Honey, you can trust us. We aren’t going to hurt you. We aren’t going to let anyone else hurt you. But we need to know what’s going on. What happened to you.”

Fear spread out like a forest fire over her face. “Y-y-you don’t understand. No one can help. No one can stop h-h-him.” She said
him
like she spoke of the devil himself.

“Who, baby? Who are you talking about?” Adam asked

She shook her head, her agitation increasing with each second. On the other side of her, Ethan shook his head, a warning to Adam that he was pushing too far. She looked about ready to shatter.

“Why don’t you get some rest?” Adam said, though he wanted very badly to have all the answers to his questions.

Ethan gently pulled her to him then lifted her up off the comforter. He stood beside the bed while Adam and Ryan turned back the covers. Then Ethan laid her down and pulled the sheets over her. “We’ll be right outside if you need us,” Ethan said, bending down to kiss her forehead.

Her eyes were closed before they even left the room.

The brothers assembled in the kitchen, all of them wearing grim expressions.

“What did Lacey want?” Ethan asked.

Adam quickly filled Ethan in on all Lacey had to say.

“So someone kidnapped her?” Ethan asked incredulously. “That doesn’t make any sense. Wouldn’t she be more than willing to spill the story and go to the police?”

“I agree it makes no sense,” Adam replied. “Which is why we aren’t going to tell anyone about Holly. At least not until we have the full story from her. She’s scared to death of someone. A man. The son of a bitch has hurt her.”

“We have to gain her trust,” Ethan said. “She has to trust us enough to tell us what she’s running from. She’s attracted to us. It confuses her. I think it scares her. But the reaction is there.”

Adam nodded, and Ryan made a sound of agreement.

After so long waiting, wondering if they were crazy for what they felt was an undeniable truth, they’d finally found the woman who put all the pieces together for them. God willing, she’d never leave them. This was the woman they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with.

Chapter Three

She dreamed of them. They came to her on the heels of a nightmare. A sweet balm to her battered senses. They replaced images of the devil and hell. Their hands soothed away the hurt. Adam, Ethan and Ryan, their touch gentle yet demanding, their lips worshipping her body.

Holly awoke dripping with sweat, need and a healthy dose of embarrassment. She shivered as a chill settled over her damp skin. She looked at the window to see darkness beyond. How long had she slept? Her gaze settled on the bedside clock. Four-thirty. In the morning? It must be.

Chances were the brothers weren’t even awake. It would be a perfect opportunity for her to steal away. She endangered them by staying here. Mason would find her, and he would kill anyone in his way. And the idea of her three saviors being harmed because of her hurt in a way she couldn’t explain.

She slid her legs from the covers, careful not to make a sound when her feet hit the floor. Her shoes, a simple pair of sneakers, lay by the door, her socks stuffed inside.

She quickly pulled on her socks then laced up her shoes. She had no coat to wear over her thin sweater so she retrieved the flannel shirt she had worn yesterday. It would have to do.

With extreme care, she opened the bedroom door and peered out into the hallway. The other bedroom doors were slightly ajar, much to her dismay. She’d have to sneak past them the best she could.

She tiptoed down the hall and breathed a sigh of relief when she reached the living room. That is until she saw Adam lying on the couch. He must have slept there last night since she’d taken over his room.

A low fire burned in the fireplace, and she longed to go stand in front of it, anything to infuse as much warmth into her body as she could before she stepped into the cold.

Taking in a deep breath, she took small, measured steps toward the door. She glanced over at Adam, who didn’t stir. She reached out a hand for the door and held her breath as she turned the handle.

She opened it a crack and slipped out before a rush of cold air could blow in. She eased it shut behind her and breathed a sigh of relief. She’d made it.

The icy cold air made quick work of her inadequate clothing and sent an uncomfortable chill over her skin. The Land Rover stood parked in the drive, and for a moment she contemplated taking it, but she wouldn’t steal from the men who had shown her nothing but kindness.

She’d walk until she found another means of transportation.