Holly's Awakening (2 page)

Steven walked out of his office to sit on her desk.
She kept typing away. Her boss cleared his throat making her stop. Hesitating
over the keys she turned to stare at her lap. Both men affected her, and she
hated the response they created inside her.
 

“Are you okay, Holly?”

He wasn’t a big stickler for formality.

“I’m fine. Everything is … fine.” Providing she
earned enough to keep her brothers and sisters in clothes and food, the rest of
the money was taken off her by her father. She had to pick them up at five from
the after-school club she’d put them in that ran ‘til five-thirty.

“You’re not kidding anyone when you say you fell
down the stairs.”

She tensed, hovering over the keyboard. “It’s nothing.
Please, it’s nothing.”

He rested a hand on her shoulder. She couldn’t help
but stiffen further at his touch.
 
Holly
heard him curse but didn’t say anything to find out why he was cussing.

“I want you to do something for me,” he said,
catching her attention.

Glancing up at him, she waited for him to speak.

“Friday night I want you to come here—”

“I can’t come Friday. I have to be at home.”

If her father went out she needed to be home to make
sure he didn’t start in on the other kids. For some reason after he ranted and
raved at her, he backed down and went to bed. Her mother was no use at all.

“Don’t interrupt,” he said. “I’m going to deal with
your siblings. I want you here.”

“You can’t do—”

“Hey, sis, you ready?” John walked through the door
halting her conversation.

“John, how are you?” Steven asked. He didn’t look
away from her as he spoke to her brother.

“I’m good, Sir. I’m here to have lunch with my
sister.”

“You’re a hard worker.
Kade
and I value hard workers.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

His gaze still hadn’t moved from her.

“Also, I was wondering if you’d be able to look
after your siblings Friday. I need Holly here, and I don’t want her worrying
about her family.”

She turned her attention to her brother. John
wouldn’t mind having the kids. The instant he’d turned eighteen he’d started
working for
Kade
and moved into a new apartment. He
would have taken all of them with him, but his place wasn’t big enough to house
them all, and their father’s threat had hung over their heads stopping them
from moving forward. Beside her and John there were three brothers and two
sisters. She didn’t know how her mother had managed to carry seven children,
but she had. Holly had also heard all the rumours surrounding her down to the
fact they were not all from her father.

“I’ve got no problem at all, Sir.” John smiled at
her.

“Good. I’ll pay for any expenses. Thank you.” Steven
stood, shook her brother’s hand, and then made his way back to the office.

Taking her sandwich out of her bag she followed John
outside. There was a small grassy area outside of the ranch where they sat to
each lunch. They rested under a tree getting as much shade as possible. Some of
the other ranch hands waved at her in passing. She waved back and opened her
brown lunch bag. Chicken paste sandwiches with an apple waited for her.

“He’s still taking most of your wage?” John asked.

“I have no choice, John.”

“He’s a fucking bastard who needs to be put down.
Why don’t you come live with me? You don’t have to stay there with the kids.”

She’d graduated high school two years ago, but she
couldn’t leave the others. With her around there was someone for him to take
his anger out on. If she wasn’t then he’d start on the others, and Holly knew
it was only a matter of time before he ruined one of her siblings. Some damage
couldn’t be repaired, and she refused to let him win.

“I can’t, and you know that.” John helped when he
could, and she accepted his help. “You don’t have to take care of them if you
don’t want to. I know you’re a man now and chasing all sorts of women.” She
bumped his shoulder trying to change the topic.

“Don’t start, and you know family comes first. You
guys will always come first. I love you, sis.” He kissed her head. “Speaking of
love, I think the boss has a thing for you.”

Holly froze. What did she say to that?

“I don’t know what you mean?”

“Steven has a thing for you. His eyes go all intense,
and
Kade
is always watching you. Both of them have a
thing for you.”

“That’s crazy talk, and I don’t want to hear another
thing from you.” She took a bite of her sandwich.

“It’s not crazy, and I know it.”

She knew it. There were plenty of couples around
town, but she never thought anyone would be interested in her. Especially not
two gorgeous men who could have any woman they wanted.

****

Steven watched Holly out in the far field with her
brother. It was the only time she ever relaxed.

“She’s still wearing that bloody sweater,”
Kade
said, coming up behind him.

“I know. She’s going to pass out one of these days
with the heat.” Steven saw several of their men pass by. John gave them a wave
while Holly merely smiled. The smile never reached her eyes.

“That shiner had to have come from her dad,”
Kade
said.

“Yep, the bastard is a mean one sober and drunk.
I’ve heard he causes way too much trouble at the bar in town.” The stuff Steven
heard about her parents scared him. He hated the moment she left the ranch
every night. Steven always knew there was a risk she wasn’t coming home, but
there was nothing he could do. He was looking into it, but the sheriff and
lawyer he’d hired advised he tread carefully.

“I’m going to pick up the pace and start hassling
the sheriff. I’m tired of hearing the shit I hear, and knowing he’s hurting her
is not acceptable. It wouldn’t be acceptable for anyone.”
Kade
wrapped his arms around Steven’s waist.

Leaning against his lover, Steven inhaled his unique
scent.
Kade
smelt of the earth and sweat, and it was
a heady combination.

“She’s the one,
Kade
. I
know it.”

His lover didn’t say a word.
Kade’s
arms tightened around him.

“I know.”

The words were whispered against ear.

“You agree then?” Steven asked.

“I can’t deny it. I’m always looking at her, and I
hate watching her leave.” A sigh brushed his ear. “If we take Holly on we’ve
got to take on her whole family. Are you ready for that?”

“They’re like Holly and John. I’ve seen them in
town. None of them want to be anything like their father. They sneer at him
when he’s not looking.”

They both paused as John helped Holly to her feet.
She was a thicker woman, but she was a lot shorter than a lot of women. Her
weight was highlighted by that.

Kade
and
Steven turned away as the couple made it back towards the offices, which he
kept at the side of the house. The ranch both he and
Kade
owned was one of the largest in Creek Valley. The next largest one was run by
Gavin Powell.

“I’m going to take a trip into town to visit the
pleasure shop.”

The pleasure shop, which was run by Callie Sampson,
was the only sex shop in town. She’d opened it three years ago, and the place
had become an overnight success. Steven had a lot of respect for Callie. She
fought hard to get her shop open and worked even harder to keep it running.

“Bring back lots of condoms. I’m only going to be
able to watch for so long,” Steven said. He got hard instantly whenever Holly
was around. She turned him and made him forget who he was at times. Steven
didn’t understand the control she held over him.

Kade
grasped his arm and turned him. Steven looked into
Kade’s
dark brown eyes. There were times they looked black, they were so dark.

“You’re doing that thing again,”
Kade
said. His voice thickened.

“What?”

“Staring at me like you want to fuck me.”

Steven smiled. “I always want to fuck you,
Kade
. That’s never been a problem.”

“No, the problem starts when you won’t do as you’re
told.”
Kade
groaned, taking his lips in a searing
kiss. Steven broke away when he heard the door open.

“I told you, I’m not doing as I’m told when you
won’t do as you’re told,” Steven said, arguing with him.

They were the same kind of men: dominating,
controlling, and both in need of a submissive to balance them out. Holly
knocked on the door once again.

Kade
slammed his lips down on Steven’s stopping him from responding to her knock. He
imagined her standing there outside his door waiting.

“Remember, it’s about what
we
both want,”
Kade
said, breaking the
kiss.

“I would never forget.” Their love was shocking and
powerful. “Holly is what we both want and need, and you can’t deny that.”

“I won’t.”
Kade
cupped his
face. “I’ll see you after five.”

Steven watched his lover walk to the door. Holly
stood waiting. She glanced up at
Kade
, blushed and
looked down at the floor.

“He’s all yours, sweetheart.”
Kade
cupped her cheek, tilted her head back and brushed his lips against hers.
Steven watched and got instantly hard. “Take care of him for me.”

Holly was bright red by the time she walked into his
office.

“I-I-I—”

“Don’t worry about it, baby.
Kade
knows what he’s doing.”

“I-I didn’t encourage him.”

His heart went out to her. Wrapping his arms around
her, Steven pulled her close and inhaled her strawberry scent. She always
smelled like strawberries to him.

“I know you didn’t.
Kade’s
his own person, and I’m not going to have a problem with that at all.”

She frowned glancing up at him. “I don’t get it.”

“You’ll get it soon.” Stroking her cheek, Steven was
caught again by her shyness and her submissiveness. Holly was perfect for both
him and
Kade
. He’d spent the last couple of years
watching her.

When she’d left school she worked at the small
supermarket in town as one of the cashiers. Steven always made sure he shopped
when she was working and stood in line for her to serve him.

He’d been the one to suggest she work for him. That
was a year ago. For the last year he’d observed her working and couldn’t stop
his feelings from developing.

Steven had noted
Kade’s
attention toward her. His lover might hate the way she dressed, but he’d taken
more note of her than he had of any other woman who’d tried it on with him.
They hadn’t taken a woman since they’d become exclusive. There was a time when
they were only friends sharing a woman between them. That soon changed as their
attraction developed between each other.

Handing Holly some paperwork, Steven couldn’t tear
his gaze away from her retreating figure.

Shit, he wanted her badly.

Chapter
Two

Kade
waited for John Walker to finish packing up his shit before talking to him. John
was the only person
Kade
knew connected to Holly. He
wanted to make sure Steven wasn’t putting them in some kind of danger because
he was feeling guilty or some shit.

“What’s the matter, Boss?” John asked, turning to
face him. The other man wiped his hands on his jeans waiting for
Kade
to answer.

“I need a word with you.”

“Okay, I’ve got to pick Holly up from the office
though. Could we talk and walk?” John asked.

Following in step beside him
Kade
waited for enough distance to be put between them and the other men.

“How did Holy get the bruise?”
Kade
asked.

“Fuck! That’s not my shit to tell.”

“Then you better start talking, John. I want to know
why your sister is still at home with her parents?
 
Why you’re not there with her? How she got
the bruise? And if she’s trying something on with Steven? Is the shyness an
act?”
Kade
kept firing questions at him until John
threw his hands up in surrender. They both stopped and glared at each other.

“Stop, just stop.” John looked left and right. “I
don’t know what your problem is, but stop with all the questions.”

“You’re going to answer my questions if you like it
or not.”
Kade
took a step closer invading the other
guy’s space. John didn’t back down or flinch.