Van, Becca - Re-awaken Me (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (4 page)

Pippa struggled to dry herself off. Her limbs were so heavy and shaky, her head throbbing, her eyes swollen and as red as her nose. She felt as if she were more than a century old. She pulled her sleeping shirt back on, brushed her hair and teeth, and then crawled into bed. She stared at the ceiling, too afraid to fall asleep, knowing she would only dream of the horrors of that night so long ago that had been forever etched into her mind.

* * * *

Mason sat at the kitchen table drinking beer with Randy and Chip, each silent as they tried to process what had gone wrong, or if they had done something to set her off. They began talking, trying to understand what had sent Pip running scared.

“I know our first mistake was taking her into her parents’ room. I caught a look of horror in her eyes when she realized where she was,” Mason stated. “She tried to hide it, but she wasn’t quick enough.”

“Fuck. How could we have done that to her? I can still see her eyes glued to her parents’ wedding rings sitting on the dresser. She tried to wipe all expression from her face, but I can still see that haunted look in her eyes. She was so calm and cool when she kicked us out. Determined to keep things on an impersonal level. We really fucked up with Pip. What the hell are we going to do now?” asked Chip.

“We ease back and take things slow. We don’t want her running scared again. She’s only just come back home, and there is no way in hell I want to give her a reason to turn tail and run. We keep things on a platonic level. Ease her back into a friendship with us. When she’s comfortable, then we begin to put more pressure on her, but we do it in stages. We already know what a little firecracker she is. We just have to convince her we want her for the long haul. Do you think it was because the three of us were trying to be with her together?” Randy asked.

“Could be. She’s probably never even heard the word ménage before. Plus, I think she could still be a virgin,” Mason articulated.

Mason hid his grin when Chip and Randy groaned out loud. He knew their dicks would be as hard as his. He had just settled down again, and now he was instantly hard, his cock throbbing against the zipper of his jeans. The thought of their little Pip still untouched had him, as well as his younger brothers, gripping the edge of the table to prevent themselves from speeding back over to her house, stripping her naked, and fucking her brains out.

Mason and his brothers had only ever shared one woman in their life. It had been such a turn-on that they had discussed the possibility of sharing one special woman for the rest of their lives. He and his brothers had been looking and had gone out a few times singularly to wine and dine candidates, the other two nearby so they could watch and listen. Every one of those women had been vetoed by one or the other. Until now. The moment he had walked into Pippa’s house after so many years of her missing from their lives, he had known, unequivocally, that she was right for all three of them.

He knew she was a feisty little thing, had always had a temper on her as a kid. He and his brothers had seen glimpses of the fire she had in that compact, sexy little body of hers and knew, even though she was trying to hide it from them and most likely from herself, she was full of fire and passion, still left untapped. He just had to make her let go of her self-control and reel her in when she did. Because there was no way in hell he was letting anyone else anywhere near her when she finally let go. She was theirs. She just didn’t know it yet.

Chapter Four

Pippa followed the current chief editor, Nate Morgan, around the
Shelby News
offices. The fiftysomething man showed her where everything was, from the second floor down to the ground floor. The incessant ringing of phones and clacking of nails on keyboards made her relax for the first time since she had arrived back in Shelby. The familiarity of her surroundings was like coming home. She could feel the buzz in the air as reporters wrote articles and secretaries fielded phone calls, and the hum of chatter wound over her like a familiar blanket.

Nate Morgan finally led her back to the second floor and showed her where her own cramped work cubicle was located. He introduced her to staff along the way. She tried to remember everyone, but knew she would be asking their names over and over again until they became ingrained in her mind. She glanced up as a familiar face came into view and had to stop herself from physically stepping back into her own personal comfort zone.

“This is Philippa Grovner. Philippa, this is Alex White,” Nate Morgan introduced.

“We’ve met,” Alex replied, taking a step forward and holding out his hand. “We’re neighbors, actually.”

“Alex,” Pip responded, offering her hand politely. She felt a shudder of alarm travel the length of her spine at the contact of Alex’s hand and the unmitigated leer she could see in his eyes. Even the man’s smile was false, but she was going to have to put her personal likes and dislikes aside if she was going to make a name for herself and travel up the so-called corporate ladder while she tried to gather information on the death of her parents.

“If you’ll follow me, Philippa, I’ll take you to human resources so you can get the paperwork side of things completed,” Nate stated, then led the way down the long length of hallway. Once Pip was finished with the dreaded paperwork, she went back into Nate’s office to find out what her first assignment would be.

* * * *

Pip settled into a routine over the next few weeks. It didn’t take her long to find her feet in her new job. The confidence she had in her corporate world kicked in, making the shy, insecure person she really was take a backseat. She saw the Sage brothers at least once a week, but was more than thankful they hadn’t made any more passes together or separately. She loved having them drop in unannounced for a coffee and a chat, as well as the fact they were getting to know each other all over again. She hadn’t brought up that embarrassing night when they had seduced her out of her clothes and was more than grateful they hadn’t either. She pushed it to the back of her mind where it belonged and got on with her career.

Pip had been working at the paper for just on three weeks, and after a harrowing day of covering a horrific four-car pileup on a freeway fifty minutes outside of Shelby, she was more than ready to call it a day. She gathered up her purse and keys and headed toward the stairs, feeling excitement for the coming evening.

* * * *

He watched the sway of her hips and felt his loins tighten in anticipation. He had planned this out since he was in his early teens. If it hadn’t been for her and her perfect family, he would still have a mother and father. It was all her and her family’s fault he had had to survive the horrors of foster care. He could still remember the screams of his mother as his father strangled her, and then the sound of the jail cell slamming shut. That had been the last time he had seen his father. His father had been murdered in his jail cell in prison. He had raged against her family and laughed hysterically when her parents had been killed in a so-called random act of violence. He had made his plans but had not been sure he would ever have the chance to see them come to fruition. Now that she was back, he was going to have some fun with her before he ended everything and got his revenge with his planned finale.

* * * *

When Pip arrived home, she headed straight for the shower. As she washed her hair and body, she admitted to herself she was actually happy Mason, Randy, and Chip had invited her over to their ranch for dinner. She was looking forward to having a meal cooked for her rather than a quick snack nuked in the microwave. And if she was honest with herself, she was also looking forward to spending more time with her sexy, hunky friends. She’d learned to keep her emotions hidden from the three hot Sage brothers. She also knew they were totally unaware of the way they made her feel whenever they were around. At least she thought they weren’t aware. She worked hard at keeping her emotions and needs at bay, and not showing on her face. She treated them like she had when she was a child, like the good friends they were. She’d had to teach herself to breathe evenly and deeply, as well as to keep her face a blank mask of indifference. She didn’t have the time or the inclination to get involved with any of the brothers, and she was determined to keep their relationship platonic.

Sighing over her unwanted attraction to the three brothers, Pip showered, dressed, and turned off the hairdryer. She held still, tilted her head, and listened intently when she caught an unfamiliar sound. There it was again, a light tapping sound, like the rap of knuckles against a pane of glass. She tried to remember if she had locked the back door after she’d closed it behind her. She was pretty sure she had but couldn’t be absolutely certain. She crept along the hallway until she was standing outside the door to the kitchen. She felt goose bumps rise up over her flesh, and a cold sweat coated her body as she listened to the tapping on her kitchen window. She crept closer to the doorjamb, took a deep, steadying breath, and slowly poked her head around the corner.

The image would be forever etched into her mind. Pip screamed with fear and ran from the room when she saw her parents’ faces staring at her through the kitchen window. She bent her body over, sobbing as she tried to keep herself from becoming totally hysterical. When she was able to breathe without the lump of fear clogging her throat, her analytical brain kicked into gear. What she had seen had been a photograph of some kind.

Pippa pushed her fear to the back of her mind. She stepped into the kitchen and stared at the images of her parents’ faces hanging from some sort of rigging. The two photo frames swung back and forth against her kitchen window in the late-afternoon spring breeze. The photo frames were hanging on thick pieces of rope, but she knew she would have to go outside to see how the rope was secured. Rage bubbled up inside her. The thought that someone had taken the time and effort to scare her made her furious. She grabbed her cell phone from her purse, unlocked the keypad, and held her finger over speed dial number one, ready to call Mason for help if it was needed. She walked around the side of the house and studied the ground, searching for footprints. There was nothing to be seen. Whoever had been at her home knew how to clean up after themselves. A shiver worked its way up and down her spine as she spied the large metal hooks drilled into the side of the rain gutters. They looked quite evil and lethal as the waning sunlight hit the sparkling silver hooks.

Pippa was about to push the button on her cell phone to call Mason, but for some reason she was reluctant to call him and his brothers in to investigate a practical joke that could have been done by bored adolescents. Besides, if whoever had done this had taken the time to clear away any sign of footprints in the dirt, it was a definite probability they had worn gloves and left no fingerprints. It would be a waste of tax payer’s money and the Sheriff’s department’s precious time. However, she did take the time to snap quite a few pictures with her digital camera.

Pip glanced at her watch and saw that she was going to be late. She wasn’t going to have time to remove the photos of her parents swinging in the breeze, and she knew there was no way in hell she would remove them when she got back home from her night out. The last thing she wanted to do was make herself feel vulnerable in her own yard late at night. She was going to have to wait until morning to remove the offensive message. So instead, she went back inside, retrieved her purse, checked she’d locked both doors twice, and left.

Pip knew she should have probably saved herself some gas and walked the mile to the Sage brothers’ house, but after the surprise that had been waiting for her when she’d gotten home, she wasn’t stupid enough to take any chances. She sighed with relief as she stopped her car, turned off the ignition, and got out. She’d just put one foot onto the first step leading to the wraparound veranda when the front door to the Sage brothers’ house was pulled open.

Chapter Five

Chip leaned against the doorjamb as he watched the sway of Pip’s hips as she walked up the steps toward him. He grinned in response to the nervous smile Pip gave him as he straightened away from the wood frame.

“You’re late, darlin’. We were beginning to think you weren’t comin’.”

“I had to finish off my report on that car pileup on the freeway. Plus, I wanted to shower before I came over. I always feel decidedly grungy after working outside and then being in the artificial environment of air conditioning.”

“You’re looking good, darlin’. Come on in and I’ll get you something to drink,” Chip stated as he stepped aside, holding the door wide for her to enter.

“Something smells good,” Pip said. “Wow, this place has definitely changed since I was here last.”

“It’s been a long time, sugar,” Randy stated. “Take a load off, Pip. Do you want a beer, or would you prefer a glass of wine?”

“Wine, please. Did you guys do this yourself, or did you hire someone in?”

“We did it. So what do you think?” Mason asked.

“I think you guys are amazing. You’re all so talented. To be able to use your hands and have everything you touch work without having the experience most professionals do, as well as being so sexy. You’re every woman’s dream.”

“You think we’re sexy?” Chip asked as he studied her face.

“Um, well, sure. But don’t let it go to your head,” Pip stated facetiously. Chip saw her glance down at the wine glass on the table in front of her, trying to hide the fact her face was red with embarrassment. “So, how come you’re cooking? I thought you were going to be grilling outside. And whatever it is you’re cooking over there smells really good. I didn’t get to have lunch today, so I can’t wait to taste what it is you’re concocting.”