The sadness in her voice was Noah’s undoing. He gathered her in his arms, forcing her to break contact with Liam. He held her so tightly he was probably hurting her, but he wanted to tell her with more than just words what he felt.
“I promise we have all the time in the world,” he said gruffly. “One day at a time. There’s no hurry, honey. We’ll get that bastard out of your head. Just give it time. And give us time. You talk about us being patient with you, but sweetheart, I’m the one f**king up over here. Promise that you’ll be patient with me, and I’ll do my damnedest to make you happy.”
She lay her head against his shoulder and buried her face in his neck.
“I think we’ll both make our share of mistakes. I just have to recondition myself not to expect violence as a result of a mistake I make.”
Noah closed his eyes, his teeth clenched so tightly that his jaw hurt. When he reopened them, he saw the same rage in Liam’s expression.
How could anyone hurt such a beautiful, sweet woman? Any woman? What kind of an a**hole got off on controlling someone weaker than himself?
More than ever, Noah wanted to hunt that little bastard down and make him suffer for all the women he’d ever hurt. He doubted Lauren was the first or that she’d be the last.
“You’ll never receive violence from either of us,” Noah said in a low voice. “I may get mad as hell. Liam’s got a black temper and he can be a moody son of a bitch.”
Liam scowled at Noah in response.
Noah chuckled. “My point is we can fight and argue and I’m sure we will. But you don’t ever have to worry about either of us physically retaliating. I’m more of an air-my-grievance-and-get-over-it guy.”
Lauren nodded, and he gently pried her away from his neck so that she could once more see him and Liam.
Liam reached forward to claim the hand he’d held before, and Noah slid his hand up her arm to squeeze her shoulder.
“Don’t you understand, sweetheart? You’re going to have us both so wrapped around your little finger, that I doubt there’ll ever be that much disagreement.”
“We plan to spoil you rotten and give you everything you could possibly ever want or need,” Liam added gruffly.
Lauren smiled, chasing away the shadows in her eyes. Her gaze sparkled once more. No ghosts haunting from the past. No remnants of pain or shame.
“Is it wrong that I love the idea of having both of you wrapped around my finger?” she asked, her voice so sweet that it made Noah want to groan.
Liam lifted her hand to kiss each finger in turn.
“Not a damn thing wrong with that,” Liam said, his tone resolute. “It’s good you like the idea, because that is one thing you aren’t going to have a single say in. We’re going to spoil you rotten and we’re going to enjoy every damn minute.”
Chapter 16
TO Lauren’s surprise, when she got out of the shower the next morning, both men were up, dressed and waiting in the living room for her.
Dawn hadn’t even broken yet and the apartment was cloaked in darkness except for the lamp one of the men had turned on in the living room.
“Still have half an hour before you have to show up for work. Want some breakfast here? Thought you might be tired of the same ole stuff at the diner,” Noah said when she walked out of her bedroom.
She smiled. “Honestly I don’t normally eat the food there. I did at first, but you’re right, it got old fast. It’s good, don’t get me wrong. But different is definitely better.”
“I make a mean breakfast taco,” Noah said with a grin. “I don’t figure you have that on the diner menu.”
Lauren laughed. “No, can’t say we do. A breakfast taco sounds . . . intriguing.”
“Come on then. Come sit at the table while I make it. Then Liam and I will take you to work. We’re going to have a look around town today. We’ll be checking in on you periodically. I also programmed both our cell numbers into your phone while you were in the shower. If you have any trouble, if you even think something’s off or wrong, you call one of us immediately. Okay?”
She nodded.
Noah headed for the kitchen and Liam followed behind, taking Lauren’s hand on his way by. She settled at the table with Liam while Noah banged around in her tiny kitchen for the stuff he needed.
Ten minutes later, he presented her and Liam with a flour tortilla shell he’d fried brown in butter, filled with scrambled eggs, seared ham, and cheese with jalapenos and salsa.
Knowing it would be afternoon before she’d get the opportunity to really talk with them, she spoke up while they were eating.
“I handled last night all wrong,” she said firmly.
They were going to argue. She could see it in their eyes. Especially Noah’s. He got this fierce look on his face and his eyes filled with self-condemnation all over again.
She sighed and held up her hand to stop the flow before it began.
“You guys did everything right. I overreacted. I did. You were very honest and up front with me. You told me explicitly that if you did anything I wasn’t comfortable with to tell you and that you’d stop immediately. It should have been that simple. All I had to do was tell you I didn’t like what was happening.”
Noah shook his head, but she held up her hand again.
“I don’t want to turn it into another huge ordeal. I just thought that I owed you that at least. I got scared. I overreacted in the moment. That doesn’t mean that you did anything wrong. It just means that we hit a bump in the road. And as you said, we’ll get past it. I promise not to beat myself up about it, if you promise not to beat yourself up over it,” she said pointedly, staring Noah down as she spoke.
Liam’s lips twitched and he stuffed a bite of taco in his mouth, probably to stanch his laughter.
Noah opened his mouth, then promptly shut it. Then he nodded. “Deal.”
She smiled. “Okay, I need to get to work now.”
Noah rose, quickly clearing the plates away while Liam headed into the living room. He had his back to her when she came in on his heels, and when he turned, he was putting on a shoulder harness with a pistol. He reached for his leather jacket draped over the back of the armchair and pulled it on to cover the gun.
It was a sharp jolt of reality. She may be immersed in the fantasy of having two hot guys in her bed and in her life, but the reality was that they were here to protect her from a man who had no compunction about hurting her.
It was a sobering thought, and some of her good mood evaporated.
“Don’t look like that, baby,” Liam said. “It’s only here for your protection. So Joel Knight can never touch you again.”
“I know,” she said quietly. “I guess I just want to be able to forget about him for a while, and every time I think I can, I’m reminded in some way of why I’m here and why you’re here.”
He pushed into her space and pulled her into his arms.
“I hate the circumstances that put us together, but baby? I don’t regret the result for one minute. I wish we could have met under other conditions, but I’ll take you however I can get you. And if it means having to keep a close watch over you, I’ll just count that as a bonus.”
She hugged him to her, her mood lightening once more. Liam had a way of reaching in and wiping away the darkness that occupied certain portions of her mind.
“Ready?” Noah asked from the doorway to the kitchen.
Lauren pulled away and turned in his direction. “Ready.”
* * *
IT was a busy morning in the diner. Mondays typically were. It was as if everyone wanted to get out to see what the weekend gossip was. Tuesday mornings were always dead. Definitely her worst tip day of her schedule for sure.
The Colters and even her own brother usually made it in on her shift at least once a week, and they always left ridiculously large tips. After the first couple of times of arguing with them, she finally had saved her breath.
They loved her and they used any opportunity they found to take care of her. It was nice to have that kind of unconditional support.
Liam and Noah had garnered much attention. The townspeople hadn’t even bothered trying to be subtle. They stared while Noah and Liam had a cup of coffee at the start of Lauren’s shift. They stared when the two men left and returned a couple of hours later.
And when Seth ambled in close to eleven for a cup of coffee, two people made a beeline for him to warn him about the big strangers lurking at the diner. Lauren had stifled her laughter as Seth had patiently explained that Noah and Liam were good men and that Seth knew them personally.
“Everything going okay, Lauren?” Seth asked as she set his coffee down at his table.
She smiled. “Just fine. Typical Monday.”
Seth rolled his eyes. “You’re telling me. Your protectors have made quite a stir in town. They’ve been spotted all over Clyde and now the good denizens are convinced that they’re hit men. Believe me when I say, our receptionist has been fielding calls all morning and I’ve been stopped on the street, been flagged down in my patrol car and have even gotten calls on my cell.”
“Oh I’m sorry, Seth,” Lauren said. “This has to be a giant pain in your butt.”
“I’m not complaining, honey. I want you safe. It’s just life in a small town, and it should make you feel better that so many people are concerned about you. It should also make you feel better to know that if some stranger shows his face here, we’ll definitely know about it.”
She gave him a rueful smile. “That’s true. Joel would arrive in his flashy sports car and before he got out, the entire town would know about it.”
Seth laughed. “You’re so right there. There are drawbacks to living in such a small community, but the plusses far outweigh the minuses. We have good people here,” he said seriously. “I’ve known them all my life. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”
“I love it here too,” she said wistfully.
She looked up when the bell over the front door jangled, and then she lit up. “Oh look! Callie and Lily are here!”
Before Seth could respond, Lauren hurried to greet the other two women.
They hugged her as soon as she got close.
“Are you here for lunch?” Lauren asked her friends.
“I see my husband is here,” Lily murmured. “Figures when I make an escape with Callie, he has to be here instead of at work.”
“Don’t look now, but here he comes,” Callie said with a snicker. “He has a frown. You know, one of those concerned husbandly frowns.”
Lily sighed. “Seat us, Lauren. Far, far away from wherever Seth is sitting, please.”
Lauren giggled and pulled the two women in the opposite direction as Seth. She settled the two women in a booth that only accommodated two people and overlooked the street. It was a beautiful, sunny spring day and the sun was shining against a brilliant blue sky.
The town square and Main Street truly were beautiful in the spring. Flowers lined the square and the street, and there was a quaintness that spoke to Lauren’s longing for a place to call home.
“Ladies,” Seth said as he approached.
He leaned down to kiss his wife, and then he brushed his lips across Callie’s cheek.
“How are you feeling, baby?” he asked Lily softly.
She smiled up at her husband. For all her exasperation, it was obvious she adored him, and well, Seth always looked at Lily like the sun rose and set at her feet.
“I’m fine. Dillon cooked breakfast but I knew I was eating with Callie, so I didn’t eat much. I left him at the house grumbling because I wouldn’t take him along, so he went into the office to do some stuff for work. I’ll ride back home with him when I’m done.”
Seth nodded approvingly. “Good. You shouldn’t be driving up and down the mountain alone. You’re not that far from your delivery date.”
Lily snorted. “Two months, Seth. Believe me when I say two months is an eternity when you’re as big as a house.”
Callie and Lauren laughed.
“Have you taken a break yet, Lauren?” Lily asked. “Can you sit with us a few minutes?”
Lauren checked her watch, then scanned the crowd. It was starting to quiet just a bit. The people of Clyde liked their lunch early, and so there was always an initial rush at eleven when lunch was starting to be served, but things usually quieted down by eleven thirty.
“Let me check with Clark and Evie and make sure there’s someone to cover my tables. I’ll be right back.”
Seth leaned over to kiss Lily again. “I’ve got to get back to the station. I’ll see you later.”
Lily and Callie waved Seth off as Lauren hurried to the back. She nearly ran into Evie as she walked into the kitchen.
“How are things looking back here?” she asked Clark.
“Getting the last two dinners up. Why?”
“Was going to take my break if we’re caught up.”