When Dove Cries (9 page)

North nodded then roared down the lane.

“I’ll take first shift,” Branch said as he dragged over a dusty porch chair. On the rusty table, he laid out a pack of cigarettes and a book of matches. “Got coffee?”

“Yep,” Draven said. “That I do have. I’ll put a pot on.”

He turned and re-entered the house, glad to note that the rotten stench had begun to dissipate. When he entered the kitchen, Dove was already busy cleaning it up. She’d also started the coffee brewing.

“I’m going to make spaghetti,” she announced, smiling. “Perhaps tomorrow we can hit a grocery store.”

“Yeah, okay,” he mumbled. “Listen, Dove, you don’t have to clean—”

“Don’t,” she whispered, cutting in. “Don’t take this away. Right now, I need this. I need to take care of something.”

He arched an eyebrow but didn’t push for details. She had a look about her that suggested she wasn’t up for an interrogation.

“Okay,” he replied. “Can you bring out three coffees, black, when it’s done?”

She nodded.

He turned and left her alone.

Glad that he hadn’t argued with her, Dove gripped the counter so tightly her knuckles turned white. He had no idea how badly she needed this house right now. It was a mess and it called to her in a way that Draven wouldn’t understand. Cleaning, fixing coffee, having someone depend on her brought her back to a place of purpose.

Draven walked outside and joined Cade and Branch in keeping watch. Her father would be furious that she was placing her future into the hands of bikers, but to her, they weren’t ‘the big bad’ that he’d always preached that they were. It was someone normal who had hurt her, and it had been bikers who had taken her under their wings. Even now they were out there risking their lives for her. One of them was in the hospital because of her, and not once had they thrown accusations her way. No, they’d protected her.

She remembered the vow she’d made when she’d first laid eyes on her angel, John Draven. She’d vowed to spend the rest of her life with him and she planned to do exactly that, no matter what. Of course, now there was Cade and he affected her in a completely different way from how Draven did. Both men brought tingly sensations quivering all over her body, but where Draven was brash and direct, Cade brought to mind mojitos and romance. It was quite confusing until she remembered Allis’ situation. How had both men agreed to share one woman? What had brought them to that conclusion?

When the coffee was done, she poured three cups and headed to the porch. Branch sat at a rusty table, Cade sat on the sagging steps and Draven leaned against the rail. They didn’t say anything, but they each smiled their thanks.

Dove kept busy fixing dinner and cleaning the kitchen. The heavier stuff, like scrubbing the floor, would have to be done later, but for now the dishes and countertops kept her busy. Everything had an air of neglect about it, but it all worked and she was far from snobbish when it came to the value of a home. And while Draven denied this had been a home, she could see the small touches of love that had once lived there. A framed photograph of Draven when he was a boy hung on the wall over the table. Some long ago artwork he must have done at school was still taped to the freezer door. Those weren’t the actions of a mother who hadn’t cared for her son. Dove was the first one to know how much life could interfere with being a parent, so perhaps Draven’s mom had had the same problem as her own father.

When the spaghetti was finished, she heated up the canned tomato sauce she’d found then mixed them together. She set the table then called the men in to eat.

“Smells great,” Branch said. “I can’t remember the last time I had a woman cook for me.”

“Me either,” Cade murmured as he sat. He smiled at her and Dove felt the smile all the way down to her toes. For a moment, their gazes met and locked. Something electric passed between them. Her mouth salivated and her panties grew damp from the excitement gripping her belly. Then Draven pulled out his chair, and she blinked, breaking the connection.

What does this mean?

How could she possibly feel such attraction for two men? And was it really attraction or was it merely projection? Was she substituting Cade and Draven for the missing parts of her life? It was so confusing.

She sat and bowed her head for prayer. The men around her stopped and she felt them staring at her. She wasn’t an overly religious person and if someone would ask her what religion she believed in, she’d say none. But she was spiritual and right now, she felt very blessed to have the chance to sit at a table and eat a meal. When she was done, she raised her head and opened her eyes. Three pairs of eyes watched her curiously.

“I felt like saying thanks to the Universe for giving me the chance to be here with you,” she said softly, looking around. “Nimrod is in the hospital for me. And when I was in that cave, for a time, I wanted to die. I thought it would be easier to join my father.”

She picked up the spaghetti and piled some on her plate before handing the food to Cade, who sat at her right. He took it and put some on his plate, but he watched her speculatively. When he passed the dish on to Branch, he turned back to her.

“Nimrod will be okay,” he told her. “And I’m sorry about your father.”

“It wasn’t just my dad,” she told him, more than ready to share her past. “It was all his men as well.”

“What do you mean?” Draven asked as he took the bowl and added food to his plate.

“Well, I told you my father had to leave the military to take care of me,” she said.

Cade and Draven nodded. Branch began to eat.

“He formed his own private military company, but the men he recruited lived with us. I took care of them.”

Draven blinked. “Like a club.”

She nodded. “I suppose much like the Red Wolves. The men were my family, my brothers. I took care of them, and in turn they took care of me.”

Cade cocked his head. “So when you say your father died…”

“They all died. Nine men, all killed. And nine deaths the government denied had ever happened.”

“Jesus,” Draven muttered. “Dove, I had no idea.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat and struggled to compose herself. The tears that sprang to her eyes threatened to fall, so she took deep breaths to get them under control. Finally, she was able to shrug and focus on her food. “I had to leave it all behind or I’d go insane. That’s why I ended up in Durango working at the truck stop—the more people surrounding me, the better.”

She ate, ignoring the stares she sensed directed toward her. She didn’t want sympathy, and she certainly didn’t want their pity. She hadn’t told them the extent of her depression because she wasn’t looking for a teary eye. It had just been good to be needed again, and this was the first time she’d been able to think of her lost family without feeling as if she was dying on the inside.

Following her lead, they all ate in silence, and when dinner was over, Branch immediately excused himself to go back outside. Cade and Draven tried to help clear the table, but she refused. This was her domain and it was what she knew.

“Go take a cup of coffee out to Branch,” she ordered. “It’s got to be boring as heck just sitting out there.”

They acquiesced to her judgment and left her alone to clean up the dinner dishes. When she was done, she headed toward the bedrooms and peeked into each one. She could tell Draven slept in the master bedroom because the other two had a mothball smell when she opened the doors to explore. It took her a few minutes to find the extra sheets, and she set about changing them on both beds in the spare bedrooms—one for her and one for Cade. Although, the thought of sharing one made her heart pound with excitement and her pussy throb with want. It was a fantasy, after all, because Draven and Cade weren’t exactly the best of friends like North and Givon. Dove couldn’t imagine how a relationship between the three of them could possibly work.

“You didn’t have to make my bed,” Cade said from behind her, making her jump. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

She shook her head and grinned at him. “It’s okay. I was lost in thought.”

“Let me help you.” He came into the room and got on the other side of the double bed.

Dove snapped out the top sheet and he grabbed two corners. Then, as if they’d been doing it for years, they measured how much sheet was on each side then tucked it in the bottom and the sides. He smoothed the blanket on top.

“Thanks,” she said.

“I should be thanking you,” he said back. “You made my bed.”

Their gazes met and held, that incredible feeling from before rushing back. He walked around the bed to stand in front of her then raised his hand and ran his knuckles over her cheek then down to her jaw, where he briefly touched her lower lip, before running it down her throat to her collarbone. Her heart was hammering as her body came awake with a hunger that took her by surprise.

“How old are you, Dove?” he asked softly.

“T-twenty-one,” she stammered, a bit breathless.

“Jesus, you’re so young,” he murmured, stepping closer. “I’m a fucking dirty old man for wanting you like I do.”

“How old are you?”

“Forty-three,” he said, sighing. “Old enough to know better. But I still want to kiss you.”

“Do you think just because I’m young I don’t know my own mind?”

She took a step closer to him so their bodies touched. Her nipples pebbled as they brushed against his chest.

“People change,” he told her. “In ten years, you won’t be the same woman you are now.”

“Some women just know what they want.”

“Do you know what you want, Dove? What if I kissed you right now? Is that what you want?”

All she could do was nod.

He cupped her face and bent, moving his mouth slowly toward hers as if he were giving her enough time to back away. But she wasn’t going to back away. She wanted this. She wanted him. Of course, she wanted Draven as well, but she wasn’t going to think about that right now because Cade’s lips touched hers, lightly at first, as if testing and teasing, light as a feather. At first, he didn’t press her for more then he swiped his tongue over her mouth, and she gasped. He took advantage of her lips parting to surge his tongue inside, touching and dancing it with hers. Suddenly he pushed her up against the wall, sliding one of his legs between her thighs to open her up. The kiss went from tentative to scorching in a nanosecond as he devoured her, the kisses coming hard and soft and, at the same time, hungry and possessive.

He trailed kisses over her cheek then down to her neck where he took little nips before licking the sensitized area. He thrust his hips into her to keep her against the wall, and his hard cock pressed against her pussy. She moaned at how good he felt against her and tried to buck her hips, but he held her immobile.

He cupped her breast with his hand. She knew she wasn’t that big but was glad to see that what she had filled his palm. He ran his thumb over the nipple, teasing it until it became turgid, which caused a strange pulling sensation between her thighs. That and feeling how hard he was for her made her cunt wet with need.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured in her ear just before he licked the shell and sucked the lobe into his hot mouth.

When he finally pulled back, they were both panting hard. She was practically riding his leg and grinding down to stimulate her clit, and a sweet ache engulfed her body. She had visions of Cade lying her down on the bed and making love to her, and she couldn’t suppress a moan at the mental picture.

“Ah, darling, this is so not the time and place,” he murmured. “But, man, do I wish it was.”

“I ache,” she whispered.

He ground in a little more with his hips, pushing his dick right where she ached the most. She couldn’t stop another groan from escaping.

“I know, baby, so do I,” he said. “So sweet, like candy. I really wish I could taste your honey. Lick you up—”

“Dove, come out and rest—”

She closed her eyes at the nightmare that just unfolded when Draven walked into the bedroom, cutting off Cade’s sexy talk, his own words dying when he saw them together. Slowly Cade backed away from her but held on to her shoulders to make sure she was steady. Then he turned to face Draven, placing his body in front of her as a shield.

“What the fuck is this?” Draven demanded.

“It was just a kiss,” Cade said.

“Just a kiss? You were dry-humping her against the wall!”

When Draven took a step closer, Cade took one as well. They faced off.

“Leave her the fuck alone,” Draven warned. “Dove, come with me.”

“Like hell I will,” Cade replied. “And don’t tell me you don’t want her as well. You get a hard-on every time you smell her.”

“My main concern is keeping her safe!”

“So is mine, or have you forgotten the real reason why I’m here?”

“Oh no, I remember every single time I see your face,” Draven snapped. “The fucking asshole who killed my cousin.”

Dove gasped and Cade spun around. She read the guilt on his face and took a step back, suddenly unsure. This was more than a squabble between brothers, and she’d vastly underestimated the emotions between them.

“Dove, it’s not what you think,” he told her quickly. “There are circumstances you don’t know about, that John doesn’t know about. Please, I would never hurt you.”

She looked between them, suddenly aware of her own agitated state. Something was happening that she didn’t know if she wanted to happen, and all her guards came up. She shook her head and held up her hand, holding them off.

“I think I need some time alone,” she said. “I’m going to go to bed. I…need to think.”

She edged around Cade and Draven and saw that both their hands were closed into fists. She had no doubt that they wanted to pound on each other. Living with nine men had exposed her to some stupid antics over the years, so male testosterone wasn’t anything new to her, but this was different. She saw hate in Draven’s eyes and regret in Cade’s. Whatever she was feeling for both men was a highly combustible situation.

They let her go and she fled to the other bedroom, the one where she’d stored her bag of items Allis had given her. She’d said she wanted to go to bed, but sleep was the last thing on her mind. Instead, she spent most of the night wondering how two men who had such an awful past could possibly reconcile.