Neil, Louisa - One Queen with Two Kings (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (30 page)

She watched the look exchanged between the men and tried to get up again. This time a machine beeped louder
,
and a woman in green scrubs came in. After several minutes of checking her over, the men were told to stay only a few minutes.

“Thea, do you remember the meeting where you revealed Lloyd’s real name
?
”

“Yeah, Orson, the sniveling adopted cousin.”

“You didn’t give any of us warning, and he…” Dexter’s voice cracked.

Russell moved closer to the bed, brushing her hair from her head. “My queen, you were shot.” He and Dexter exchanged an overt glaring look. “She has a right to know.”

“I agree
.
I thought we were going to be a bit more careful how we told her.”

“Lloyd shot me?” she said in disbelief.

“Yes.” Russell nodded.

“Was anyone else hurt?” She glanced from one man to the other.

“Only Lloyd,” Dexter told her, resting his hip on the side of her bed. “We don’t know how he got a gun through security
,
but when you found his true history, he figured he had nothing else to lose. It’s general consensus that it’s been hidden in his office.”

“Where is he now?’

“
Dead
,”
Russell said, with a smile of satisfaction she hadn’t seen since their last sexual encounter. “When he shot at you, Alex pulled you to the floor. Dexter and I both fell on top of you. But there was a major scramble in the room. Security came rushing in and
,
ultimately, Lloyd’s lawyer shot him trying to wrestle the gun from him.”

“It was an accident
,
according to the final report.” Dexter sounded angry.

“He didn’t hurt anyone else?”

“He got off two more shots that hit the conference room wall and one that hit the credenza behind you, but nobody else was hurt.” Russell spoke so quickly he sounded out of breath to her.

Thea felt a strange kind of relief. “Where did he hit me?”

“In the neck. He was aiming for your heart but didn’t expect the gun to jerk upward. Thanks to Alex, he only hit your collarbone. But it’s going to be sore for a long time. Collarbones take the longest to heal
,
and yours had to be…reconstructed.”

“Is Dad okay?”

“Yes, everyone else is fine. They’re all camping in the waiting room to see you.” Dexter started to cry and dropped to hug her. She groaned without thinking
,
and he moved back quickly. “Sorry.”

Glancing to Russell, she noted he was sitting in the chair beside the bed, his head in his hands, his body racking.

“
Guys,
why are you both crying if I’m going to be okay?”

“Damn it, Thea, don’t you realize how close we were to losing you? There was so much blood
…
” Russell’s voice trailed off.

“I know what it’s like to think you’ve lost someone close, two people in fact. How long have I been out?”

“Almost two days,” Dexter told her.

“What about Rita Co
x? Was
I right about her?”

“Yes, when it was all over, she admitted to falsifying Lloyd’s records. She claims he was very affectionate and attentive at the time, leading her to believe he had feeling
s
for her. We have her statements
,
and she’s gone from the company.”

“How long do I have to say here?” she asked.

“Probably a lot longer than you’re gonna like.” Russell was laughing again.

“A few days
,
and then a few weeks in a sling. You won’t be able to use your right arm for a few months.”

“What a group.” Thea let out a laugh. “Dexter’s leg, Russell’s left arm
,
and now I can’t use my right arm.”

“You’ll heal, Queenie.” Russell leaned down and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “I’m going to get Alex and your Dad. Neither of them will relax until they know you’re awake and bitching as usual.”

“Bitching…Buddy, you haven’t begun to experience bitching. If I have to keep my arm in a sling for that long…” She paused and looked from one man to the other. “Okay, I get it. I’m lucky to be alive
,
and I’m more lucky to have two men who love me and care for me.”

“You know where this is going?” Russell asked Dexter.

“Yeah, we’re going to be doing all the work for a while in bed.”

“You poor
guys
, having to do me.” Finally, she laughed until she cried. When she was composed, Russell slipped out and called for Alex to visit his sister. She tried to smile and reassure them but found her strength zapped quickly.

The next weeks were hell for Thea. She understood she could have been a lot worse off, like dead, but the inconvenience of not having the use of her arm was frustrating. It was also a constant reminder of the whole situation she and her kings were trying to put behind them.

Alex and Grace were openly dating, Lucas quickly becoming attached to Alex. She had never seen her brother or best friend look happier. Her father and Michelle were going to take a cru
i
se together. They were seeing each other
,
but much more privately
,
and she wouldn’t be surprised if they married shortly. Her father also decided to cut back on his work hours to spend more time with Michelle.

She
,
on the other hand, was being treated like an infant by Dexter and Russell. While it had been fun and loving in the beginning, she was quickly getting frustrated by their overbearing presence. She had to keep reminding herself how different the whole situation might have ended.

Thea decided she’d get used to being taken care of
,
since it was Dex and Russ doing the caring. They’d formed a new bond, a deeper need and love for each other. She knew what ever happened in their future, they were a complete unit. The three of them together could weather anything that came their way.

Epilogue

Thea couldn’t believe a year had gone by since Dexter and Russell had been rescued. Today was the anniversary of her surviving being shot by Lloyd. While the year started out with difficult physical therapy for all three of them, as the months went on, things eased. There had been investigations into the plane crash and Lloyd’s creative accounting. With him dead, his influence was over
,
and the final reports were a vindication for Dexter, Russell
,
and Thea. If nothing else, they had their reputations back. Mrs. Jenkins had been informed of the situation and was relieved to know her son hadn’t committed her. She’d mourned for him over the year, knowing her son was gone. The accountants were still going over Lloyd’s accounts and would eventually figure out what part of her estate was still available to be returned.

Halfway through the year
,
they realized none of them could go back to their old lives. Alex and Grace had married. She was now pregnant with their first child. Lucas was anticipating the birth of his new brother or sister.

Alistair and Michelle were close. She
had
moved into the Wainwright family home but didn’t give up her apartment just yet. She and Alistair were taking their new romance a bit slower. The three
-
carat diamond she now wore on her left ring finger told the world they were a couple. They were planning an understated wedding for family and friends at Christmas.

Thea walked onto the deck of the home she’d purchased, sipping a cup of coffee while she surveyed the mountains in the distance. Once all the publicity had died down, they’d retreated to the rental house where they’d gone to regroup a year earlier. Now they felt at home in the small town and surrounding areas. She’d managed to talk the owner into selling her the home and immediately had it gated and secured.

Dexter and Russell were relieved to leave the
E
ast
C
oast behind, having fallen in love with the mountains. They were both teaching college courses in engineering by Internet. They were also working on a design for a new plane they’d envisioned while on the island.

Thea herself had floundered the first months there, not sure what to do with her time. On a day of desperation, she threw herself onto the downstairs sofa with a pad and pencil
,
about to make a list of the things she always wanted to do. Instead, having just found out that
G
race was pregnant, she started sketching baby clothing.

After several calls to friends of friends, Aqua Queen
D
esigns was born. She’d made sure she was only the designer, hiring a team to deal with the day
-
to
-
day business end. All she had to do was sketch her designs and miraculously they were turned into adorable, comfortable, practical
,
and affordable infant and toddler clothing. When she wasn’t working on the designs, she’d started painting again, using the mountains as inspiration. The three of them had joked that one of the studios in town might show her work one day and sell it
,
too.

When the three of them weren’t working, they enjoyed their down time together. They skied in the winter and were looking forward to spring
,
when the pool they’d designed would be built.

When she allowed herself to think back over the last years, she acknowledged the good and bad, realizing each incident had led her and her two kings to where they were now. They shared the home equally
,
and she shared them equally
,
too.

There was no angst to the situation
. Instead,
she’d found the answer to all her needs. Where Dexter wasn’t sympathetic to the loneliness she felt about not having a job, Russell understood and soothed her soul. When Russell didn’t get her need for cuddling, Dexter reveled in their private times of connecting.

Most important, she felt both men truly loved her
,
and she knew she loved them. No one in their families asked questions about their relationship or living arrangements.

Having just sent next season
’
s designs to the office, she was free from deadlines and stress for a while. While she wouldn’t admit it to anyone, even the following spring and summer line was drafted out, it only needed final touches and fabric decisions when the time came. Along with it were sketches for the following winter line. Thea liked knowing she wasn’t working with dead lines. She was finally living her life on her own terms.

The best term was enjoying her men. Glancing at the kitchen clock, she saw it was nearing four o’clock. That was the time in the day when they would leave jobs behind and just enjoy each other in whatever mood they were in. Today, she had a bottle of wine open in the fridge and glasses cooling. Thea also had a surprise for them. She’d sketched out an atrium of sorts that she wanted to build on the other side of the projected pool.