Sidney’s Triple Shot [Apache Crossing] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (23 page)

Taking a deep breath, Robert stepped back into the shadows of an employee exit until Sidney passed by. Soon, he promised himself, soon he would have the stupid bitch back in his possession, and she would get the picture really fast that he wasn’t ever letting her out of his grasp.

She followed Noah out to the parking lot numbly, at a loss for any words that might reassure him. She
had
been scared of him, and she couldn’t deny it. She had anticipated the painful interaction that would have happened if it was Robert and not Noah in front of her. In that moment a realization of her own deficiencies hit her. Noah deserved a woman who wasn’t damaged. Sidney Rowe wasn’t just damaged, she was decimated.

Her heart held no real trust for men, and she wasn’t sure that she knew how to love anyone. She hadn’t ever experienced real bared-to-the-soul love, and she had no role models to speak of. How would she ever be able to give Noah what he really needed?

They reached the truck in a matter of moments, and the other two were waiting for them. Tyce greeted her with a kiss on her temple, and Xavier gave her a quick one-armed squeeze around her waist before helping her into the backseat of the SUV to sit next to Noah yet again. This time, though, he didn’t reach for her. Instead he kept his distance literally and figuratively.

The ride to the restaurant was only a few minutes, but Sidney could feel the change in the mood. Noah was quiet and wouldn’t meet her eyes. He was hurting, and she wasn’t sure what to do to fix the mess she’d made. When they were seated and had placed their food order, Xavier finally grabbed the bull by the horns.

“Okay, what happened between you two?” he asked, and Sidney could feel the blood drain from her cheeks as her gaze darted to Noah and then to her lap where her fingers shifted restlessly.

When neither one answered him, Xavier gave a big sigh. “You’re going to have to tell us at some point. Tyce and I need to know what happened in order to help fix it. Noah, you’re the one that said this would only work if we communicated with each other.”

That got Noah’s attention and his blue eyes shifted to look at Sidney. She couldn’t keep her eyes on his, because she didn’t want to see the anger and disappointment that he was feeling. “It seems that Sidney is scared of me,” Noah said softly, and Tyce chuckled.

“What? That’s ludicrous! No one would be scared of Noah,” Tyce said before Sidney could respond. His words made her bite her tongue. Why couldn’t they just understand that she didn’t trust anyone and it wasn’t personal?

“What did you do to scare her?” Xavier asked Noah calmly.

“Nothing!” The words snapped sharply out of Sidney’s mouth before she could stop them. “I had a momentary flash of nerves when Noah got upset with me. I won’t deny that I felt fear, but I can’t seem to stop myself. You couldn’t possibly understand, because you have never had your life lived for you. You guys have never had anyone treat you like you’re less than nothing. You’ve never had someone who hits you just because you looked like you needed a punch in the face. You’ve never been tied up naked in the dark and left cold and alone for hours on end. You don’t know what’s inside of me. My heart is poisoned. I can’t be what you want, because I’m broken, damn it!”

Silent tension filled the air, and the shock, disbelief, and pure fury on all three male faces was enough to rip away Sidney’s defensive armor. This time, though, the tears didn’t come. She just sat in front of them feeling completely empty, cold, and vulnerable.

“If I ever get my hands on that asshole, I will kill him,” Noah said softly, and Sidney’s eyes flew up to meet his in shock.

“Wh–What?” she mumbled in confusion. She had expected anger, but not anger at Robert. Surely they were angry at her for failing to be what they wanted. There was no way they would be able to understand why she was reacting so irrationally.

“Baby, we hate what he did to you, and that makes us hate him enough to want to murder him. I would do anything to take that pain away from you and carry the burden myself,” Xavier said, and his voice cracked with emotion.

“You aren’t broken, love. I’m sorry that you see yourself that way. You made a mistake and picked the wrong man. It wasn’t your fault that he was an abuser, and you shouldn’t feel guilty for carrying that fear. But at some point you are going to have to trust someone,” Tyce said. There was a wet sheen to his eyes, and his jaw was clenched tight.

“I’ve trusted you three more than anyone else, but I’m
still
scared,” she whispered.

Xavier reached across the table to take her hand, and he brought it up to his lips. “Considering the nightmare you lived through, it’s justified. Just please don’t ever think that one of us would hurt you. We want to love you and protect you. We will do anything necessary to earn your trust.”

She smiled at the sincerity in his voice and words. “I know that. Deep down I know that. And Noah, I never meant to hurt you. I’m not scared of you exactly, but I haven’t ever seen you three angry either. In my brain anger equals pain, so when you were upset with me my mind jumped to fear automatically.”

Noah nodded, still looking a little forlorn. The waiter took that moment to bring them their dinner, and they all began to eat.

“I still have a present for you, Sidney,” Noah said after they had all basically finished their meals. His smile was genuine, but the distance still lingered in his eyes. She hated that she put that doubt in him, but she couldn’t help it.

“You’ve given me enough. Dinner was wonderful, guys, thank you,” she said, trying to encompass the whole table in her smile.

Noah reached into his pocket and pulled out a jewelry box. It was larger than a ring box, and it was covered in dark-blue velvet. He set the box next to her plate, and she reached for it with shaking hands. When she opened it her heart jumped into her throat. The musical-note pendant was stunning, and she didn’t know what to say. She sat frozen for a few moments, staring at the jewelry in astonishment.

“Do you like it?” Noah said hesitantly, and all of the air in her lungs rushed out on an exhale.

“I love it,” she whispered without looking up. Gently she pulled the necklace from its satin-lined home and held it up in front of her for the others to see. The light caught the sapphire in the middle, and it sparkled like blue fire. It reminded her of Tyce’s eyes, so deep blue they were almost bottomless.

“Let me help you put it on.” Noah stood and came around behind her to clasp the necklace around her throat. After it was secured he pressed a kiss on the side of her neck and took his seat again before passing another smaller box to her. “Here are the earrings to match.”

“I don’t know what to say, Noah. It’s beautiful, thank you,” she said, reaching her hand out to take his. The pleasure in his eyes warmed her soul, and she was happy to see that he seemed to have let go of his earlier frustration.

“It looks amazing on you, Sid,” Tyce said, running a finger over the delicate gold chain.

“It’s perfect with that dress,” Xavier added, and when she caught his gaze, she could see the light of desire. A ripple of pleasure and desire went through her body, and she shifted in her seat.

“Thank you all. You’ve spoiled me rotten today, and I don’t feel like I’ve done anything to deserve it,” she said, slipping the earrings into her earlobes.

“All you have to do is be you, baby. We love you just the way you are,” Xavier responded, and she stopped breathing.

Did he just say the word love? Was it possible to fall in love with someone this quickly? Surely he didn’t mean it the way she took it. Her brain was racing through all the different meanings for Xavier’s words when he reached across the table to take her hand.

“Stop. Stop overthinking this. Let us in, Sidney. You’ve already trusted us enough to call when you needed help, and you gave us access to your body. Now take the chance, and trust us with your heart. I promise you won’t regret it,” Xavier said, holding her hand in his.

She never would have expected to hear such a heartfelt plea from the oldest of the Dawson brothers. Xavier was the one who was normally so staid and serious. He was the kind of man who kept the women around him at a distance. But here he was, opening himself up to her and willing to take the risk on letting her into his heart. So why did she find it so hard to reciprocate?

“I’m trying, Xavier. I hope you all know that I do trust you, and I do care about you. I’m better with actions than words, so it will take time. I’m sorry, but I can’t give more than I have inside of me,” she replied, lifting her chin in challenge.

“Good. I like the sound of that. More actions than words,” Tyce said as Noah and Xavier smiled broadly at her. “I believe that concludes our romantic dinner. Now we can take you home and get you naked, love.”

Sidney’s mouth dropped open when all three men stood, and Noah reached to take Sidney’s arm and help her stand as well. They were serious! Just like that they had shifted gears from pleading for her affection to horny, lecherous desire. She started giggling, and that only made them all smile wider.

“I guess I can’t argue. After all, you did buy me clothes, jewelry, and dinner. I don’t suppose I’ll get dessert?” she said playfully as she tucked her arm through Noah’s and let him lead her to the door.

Xavier bent to whisper next to her ear. “I’ve got that covered. I promise you’ll get dessert, Sid.” His seductive tone zipped over her skin, causing her nipples to tighten into sharp points and her pussy to grow moist.

She saw Tyce pay the bill out of the corner of her eye as Xavier and Noah whisked her out to the SUV and settled her comfortably in Noah’s arms in the backseat. The tension from earlier was gone, and the men were once again in a jovial, flirty mood. They joked with each other and teased her as they made the trip back to their home.

She had to bite her lip several times to hold back moans of delight as Noah had caressed her back, hip, and thigh on the ride home. He was never inappropriate and gave her no reason to believe that he had even a single dirty thought in his brain at the time, but that didn’t stop the lewd thoughts from crowding her own head. By the time they reached the front door, Sidney was a mass of nerves and a ball of desire.

When the car finally stopped in their driveway, Tyce got out and opened her door, reaching for her waist to lift her from the seat. His thumbs brushed the undersides of her breasts, and a sharp gasp slipped from between her grinding teeth. He froze, watching her face, and then a slow, wicked smile crept over his face.

“Well, well, well. Our baby is feeling a little needy all of a sudden, huh?” he asked loudly. His hands slid down her ribs around to cup her ass, squeezing gently.

She nodded and bit her bottom lip. She felt Noah press up against her back and bend to suckle on her neck as Tyce kissed her forehead. “Not out here, honey. Let’s take it inside, and we’ll make sure all of your needs are taken care of,” Noah said, nudging her forward with his hips.

Sidney followed Tyce and Noah into the house, with Xavier bringing up the rear. She had barely set her purse on the end table when Xavier was spinning her into his arms and wrapping his body tightly around her. His mouth descended on her in a powerful kiss that made it hard for her to think.

Xavier’s hands were everywhere, tempting and teasing her skin, driving the fire inside of her to new heights. Her tongue darted out to lick his full bottom lip, and he groaned into her mouth before teasing her with his own tongue. She felt the wall against her back, and he lifted her up until she was able to lock her ankles around his lean hips. It gave her just the right angle to press her hot pussy against his tight abs, and the fire inside her stomach engulfed her.

Sidney’s hands began to tug at his shirt, trying desperately to remove the barrier between them, but Xavier quickly grabbed both of her wrists and held them above her head. She was pinned against the wall with her hands immobilized and his hard erection pressing seductively against the cradle of her thighs and round ass.

“Does that feel good, baby?” his voice rumbled in her ear, and she moaned her response. “Fuck yeah, you like it when I take control don’t you, Sidney?”

Whimpering, she tightened her thighs, trying to rub her moist epicenter against him, craving the release of her orgasm. She was surprised to feel nothing but desire in her body. And she delighted in the tension in his muscular arms as they flexed to hold her firmly in place. There was no fear that he would force her to do something she didn’t want to. Her brain was too overwhelmed by the intense, throbbing need that he created within her.

Xavier began to explore her with his mouth, pressing hot kisses along her jaw and throat. She moaned and twisted against him.

“Xavier, please! I need—” she moaned as his teeth grazed over her sensitive collarbone.

“What do you need, baby?” he asked in that rough voice of his that drove her crazy.

“Ohhhhh! Damn it! I need…I need you!” she cried out as his lips closed over her fabric-covered nipple. His tongue tweaked the tip as his lips squeezed around the tender bud. One of his large hands still held her wrists while the other cupped her ass, pulling her against his thick erection.

“Are you going to let anyone else have a taste?” A husky voice stabbed through Sidney’s desire, and she gasped. Her eyes popped open to see Tyce and Noah over Xavier’s shoulder, watching their erotic interaction. Lust glazed her men’s eyes as they roamed over her flushed face, and she instinctively licked her lips.