Sidney’s Triple Shot [Apache Crossing] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (14 page)

A little while later she jumped when someone knocked on the bathroom door.

“Sidney? Honey, I laid some clothes on the bed for you, and Tyce is making some breakfast. When you’re finished come on out and eat with us before you crash again. It will help you sleep to have a full stomach,” Noah called out to her.

“Okay, thanks, Noah,” she responded automatically. She really just wanted to go to sleep. Her adrenaline was completely gone, and her emotional breakdown had left her wrung out. She needed to rest, and at least for now, she felt safe here.

Forcing herself to climb from the now-lukewarm tub, she hurried to dry off before slipping on the black fleece robe that hung on the back of the bathroom door. Being Xavier’s, it was enormous on her, swallowing her up in its sensual embrace. Shivering as the soft fabric rasped across her skin, the eroticism of the sensation made her smile to herself. She wondered if Xavier’s touch would be as soft against her nipples, or if it would be rough and demanding like his kisses. When he and Tyce had held her before, every touch was like fire and swamped her with need. She wondered if he knew how to be gentle and tender?

If he didn’t, then Noah certainly did. Noah was such a gentleman and reminded her of a fairy-tale knight in shining armor coming to the rescue of a pretty, fair maiden. She giggled at the imagery. If Noah was the brave knight, then Tyce was the cocky prince, and Xavier more like the demanding king. Shaking her head at her own silly thoughts, she tentatively opened the door and stepped from the steamy bathroom.

Lying on the bed was a T-shirt and a pair of drawstring sweat pants. She really didn’t want to put dirty clothes back on, so she reached for the borrowed outfit. She pulled the T-shirt on and grimaced a little at her hard nipples poking through the thin material. There was no way to hide that reaction when she didn’t have a clean bra to wear. The T-shirt hit her at midthigh.

“Just add a belt for a chic evening-wear look,” she muttered to herself. The sweatpants were too big on her no matter how much she tightened or rolled them, so she finally gave up on them and folded them back up. Glancing at herself in the mirror over the dresser, she squared her shoulders and decided that there was less skin showing in just the T-shirt than there was when she wore her work uniform. She neatly piled her dirty clothes at the foot of the bed to worry about later, and she headed toward the kitchen. The smell of bacon made her mouth water, and she could hear the masculine voices talking in the kitchen. All three men looked up when she stepped into view. Her discomfort grew as they stared at her, and she shifted in place for a moment trying to think up something witty to say.

“Damn. You look good in that shirt, honey,” Noah said, his voice huskier than normal.

“It’s never looked that good on me, that’s for sure,” Tyce responded, and Sidney blushed.

“Thanks. Here, the pants are just way too big, so I will have to run to a store later to get something that fits.” She laid the pants on the breakfast bar and took a seat on the stool closest to her, crossing her legs to ease the ache in her pussy that their words had caused. “The food smells delicious. I didn’t realize I was so hungry until I smelled it.”

Noah and Tyce both returned her smile and went back to what they were doing, but Xavier just stood there frozen and staring at her. She paused awkwardly, and when he still didn’t respond, she started to fidget. He looked at her like he could see straight through the shirt that barely covered her. Her blood heated thinking about how little stood between her skin and his eyes. Oddly she felt the urge to jump up and walk directly into his arms, just to feel him hold her. She remained where she was, but she dropped her gaze away from him.

“Juice or milk?” she heard him mutter, and she jerked her head up, startled.

“What?” She felt stupid, but she wasn’t sure she heard him correctly. After all he hadn’t even acknowledged her presence in the room other than to stare at her.

“Do you want juice or milk to drink? I’d offer coffee, but you need to get some sleep today, and the caffeine won’t help that,” he said as he turned to the fridge and pulled both options out.

“Oh. Juice, please. Thank you. Can I help with something? You guys didn’t have to cook a big breakfast. I would have been happy with toast,” she said as she watched them move effortlessly around the kitchen. They interacted with the flawless familiarity of close family, and it was clear that they had a rhythm of their own around each other.

“Toast? Nah, toast is a side dish. We need something more than that to eat, and so do you. Why don’t you grab some plates from the cabinet next to you, please? And there is silverware in the drawer below.” Tyce grinned at her, and she smiled back.

She moved to retrieve the requested dishes and began placing them at each barstool. As she did she looked around their home. The living room and kitchen were open to each other with just the breakfast bar as a divider. The living room was comfortable, with the sofa and three matching overstuffed recliners that faced a large flat screen T.V. Under the T.V. was a cabinet that held a plethora of equipment. She was familiar with a few of the electronics, but others seemed to be game systems.

There was a space to the side of the kitchen that was probably intended to be a dining space, but it was currently occupied by a massive desk with a laptop. Various piles of paperwork and receipts covered every inch of open desktop, and a pair of filing boxes sat on the floor next to it. The whole messy scene made her giggle.

“What?” Noah said as they all turned to see what caused her laughter.

“Nothing, I was just admiring your office space. Not particularly organized guys, are you?” she teased.

“We all hate doing paperwork and keeping the books for the bar. Xavier lost at Rock Paper Scissors, so he is stuck with that task for now,” Tyce explained.

“That’s actually the result of a long night of organizing that I had a few days ago,” Xavier said, and his face broke out in a wide smile when he met her eyes.

“That’s the
result
? Good grief!” She laughed even harder. “How do you guys ever pay your bills or balance your checkbook?”

“We use a computer accounting program that alerts us when bills are due, and usually pay them online so that we don’t have to search for the checkbook,” Xavier explained.

“At tax time it is a complete nightmare!” Noah said as he brought a platter of pancakes and bacon over to the bar. “Come on, let’s eat.”

They all took their seats with Sidney in between Noah and Tyce. The breakfast bar was good sized, but with the three large males the space seemed to shrink. She ate slowly, savoring the hand-prepared meal after weeks of granola bars and peanut-butter sandwiches. The men bantered and talked about the bar. They kept her in the conversation, stopping to explain inside jokes and ask her questions.

“You know, I actually worked as an accountant in South Carolina, before I left,” Sidney said during a lull in conversation, and when all three men looked at her in surprise, she felt uncomfortable. “I was just thinking that I could maybe help with the books until I leave Apache Crossing. A kind of trade for letting me stay here?” She looked at all three of them anxiously, and finally Xavier spoke.

“That would be fantastic. Maybe we can work on them in a day or so when you’re feeling more rested. I will gladly accept the help.” His wide smile sent a wave of pleasure through her, and she picked her fork back up to finish eating happily.

She listened to their chatter, feeling better about the whole situation. If she was actually able to help them out, then it wouldn’t feel so much like she was mooching off of them. It was interesting to her, that the three brothers shared everything. Their home was an interesting combination of their three personalities, and it made her feel very comfortable sitting there eating breakfast in just a T-shirt.

“Why don’t you have any family pictures?” The words fell out of her mouth, and all three men froze and turned their attention her direction. She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as she realized that her question clearly invaded personal territory. “I’m sorry, that was rude.”

Noah cleared his throat before answering. “When we moved here, we agreed to leave them packed in a box in the hall closet.”

Her eyes flitted from one brother to the next. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude in your business.”

Tyce reached across the countertop to take her hand in his, and he pressed a kiss to her palm. “It’s not intruding, love. We just don’t talk about it much. Our mom died about five years ago from breast cancer, and we lost Dad a little over three years later to a heart attack. We don’t put pictures up because none of us have admitted to ourselves that they are both gone.”

She nodded in sympathy. “I’ve never had a family to speak of, but I would imagine that the grief of losing them would be overwhelming. Thank you for answering, but feel free to tell me to mind my own business if I overstep again.”

The men exchanged quiet glances before they each gave her a reassuring smile, and they resumed their conversation. They laughed a lot when they talked, and she liked the warm sense of camaraderie they shared. It felt like she was a piece of their puzzle, and she almost pinched herself to remind herself that this was not a dream.

She felt her eyes getting heavier now that she had food filling her belly. Xavier caught her fork as her relaxing grip released it by accident and looked at her sympathetically.

“All right, Sid, now that you’ve eaten, you have to get to bed. You’re worn out.” He got up and moved to her side, holding his hand out to help her from her seat. “Let’s go, I’ll tuck you in.”

Her eyes widened, and she stared at him warily. A thousand variations of “tucking you in” raced through her mind, and she started to panic. His gaze narrowed as she hesitated, and his nostrils flared in frustration, but he didn’t speak. He just stood there with his hand out, patiently waiting for her to make up her mind.

She glanced over at Tyce and Noah, who had stopped eating to watch. They both looked on with concern and something else. Maybe they pitied her for being frightened of Xavier. It got under her skin. She didn’t need pity from them. They promised not to push her, and yet she was still resisting their help. It was no wonder Xavier was irritated with her. Looking back up at Xavier’s blue eyes, she smiled hesitantly and then placed her small fingers in his large hand. A quirk of his lips was the only indication that he was pleased with her decision, and he tugged her from her seat until she was following him back down the hallway.

He led her directly into his room, and when she was standing next to his bed, he turned and slid his hands under her armpits, lifting her until she sat on the edge of the bed. She squeaked in shock, but didn’t resist him. He stood in front of her, just slightly between her knees, but as tall as he was her eyes were still level with his chest. She wondered for a second if it was as firm as the rest of him. A red-hot blush crept up her cheeks from the direction of her own thoughts, and she swallowed hard.

“Thanks. I’m okay now,” she mumbled quietly.

“We’re going to rotate our shifts so that one of us is always with you, Sid. I have to do some things at the bar tonight, and Noah has a shipment coming in early again, so Tyce will be staying home today, and he will bring you in to the bar for work later. If you need anything, please tell him, okay? Anything at all.” He brushed her hair away from her face as he tilted her head back to look into her eyes. He looked so sincere, and his touch was so gentle that she wanted to sink into him.

“You guys don’t have to do that—”

“We know that, but we
want
to. I get it that you aren’t ready to share your secrets with us yet, but my instincts tell me that this ex of yours is dangerous. We will do everything in our power to take care of you and protect you, so just sit back and let us. Okay?” he said as he stroked his finger up and down her cheek. Her eyes drifted shut, enjoying the soft caress, and without meaning to she turned her face and kissed his palm. His sharp intake of breath startled her, and she realized what she had done.

“I’m sorry!” She shifted backward onto the bed, pulling her legs up underneath her until she knelt on her knees.

“Don’t be. I like it when you touch me.” He paused, and she could see the desire in his eyes. “I am kind of hoping that you will be doing it more often.”

She blushed at his gentle smile and finally smiled back tentatively. “Well, I better get some rest.”

“We’ll go tomorrow to get you something different to wear when you’re not at work. As much as I appreciate the way you look in Tyce’s T-shirt, that won’t work forever. I’m going to take your clothes with me so that we can wash them. When you get up, you will have a clean outfit to put on.” He bent close, and her mouth went dry. He was going to kiss her, and she was surprised to find that she wanted him to. Only inches from her lips, he stopped and stared into her eyes. He waited. She finally realized that he was waiting for her to come to him. He wanted her to kiss him, or tell him to go away. Indecision filled her body, and then she saw hurt flash in his eyes as he started to stand again.

“Wait!” she gasped and then reached out to pull him close again. She started to brush a soft kiss on his cheek only to find his full lips against hers. Her eyes slammed shut, and she sighed into his mouth as they both sunk into the kiss. His lips were soft but firm on her, and he stunned her with passion. She could feel his tongue and teeth teasing her own, and she whimpered softly. His hands wrapped confidently around her narrow waist, and he pulled her up higher onto her knees so that she was flush against his body.