Elite Dragoons 1: New Recruits (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (7 page)

* * * *

Sara was so warm and comfortable she didn’t want to move, but she couldn’t put it off any longer. As much as she wanted to stay in bed, her bladder was making its presence known. When she opened her eyes she became aware of the large, hard body behind her and the arm slung over her torso and the hand cupping her breast. She was about to scream but then she remembered where she was and that she was safe. Being careful not to move too much and wake the man sleeping beside her, she lifted her head and turned slightly so she could see Whitmoor.

He was a very handsome man, as were his brothers and now that she was safe she took the time to appreciate his gorgeous features. He looked relaxed as he slept and she didn’t want to disturb him. Whether she had alerted him that she was awake somehow she wasn’t sure, but all of a sudden his eyes popped open and he was looking at her. Sara expected him to quickly remove his hand and apologize, but he didn’t. His hand twitched against her breast, and then his thumb began stroking over her nipple.

Her breath hitched in her throat and she held it, not wanting to break the trance Whit seemed to be in. It took every ounce of her control to not arch up into his touch and beg for more. When her lungs began to scream she released her breath and inhaled raggedly.

Whitmoor jerked his hand away and sat up on the side of the bed. “I’m sorry Sara. I–I was dreaming.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she replied nonchalantly even though, deep down, she was anything but. Sara had wanted to lean over and place her mouth on his and run her hands all over his delectably hard body and that puzzled her. She wasn’t the type of woman to jump into bed with just anyone. She’d only ever had two lovers in her life and never had she been attracted to more than one man. Until now. She was attracted to three men and she didn’t know what to do about it.

“Why don’t you use the bathroom first?” Whit suggested as he pulled his jeans on over his boxers and then rummaged through a large bag on the floor. “While you’re getting cleaned up we’ll order breakfast. We want to be out of here by 0600 hours.”

Whit came back over and passed over a pair of sweatpants and another T-shirt. Sara sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed and took the proffered clothes. “Thanks. I’ll be ready. Can you drop me off at my place on your way?”

Sara felt an ache in the region of her heart at the thought of never seeing the three men again and hoped Whitmoor couldn’t tell she didn’t want them to leave.

“Uh—” Whit hesitated and then dropped the clothes on the bed. “We decided last night that you and Nicole would come home with us. It’s not safe to go to your place or for you to be alone, Sara. Your life could still be in danger.”

Whit went on to explain the situation and then how he, his brothers, and the rest of their team thought it was imperative that they stay with them.

“Can I call my employer and my friends?” Sara asked.

“No, baby. I’m sorry but we don’t know if these assholes have tapped phones or are looking for you. Until we take these fuckers out you have to stay missing. Only the sheriff and his deputies are aware you have been rescued. It’s not safe to let anyone else know.”

Sara sighed with resignation, because in her heart she knew they were right. But that didn’t make it any easier. Knowing her friends would grieve her caused an ache in her heart. She picked up the clothes Whit had left for her on the bed and limped toward the bathroom. Her ankle was feeling much better after Dalton had placed the ice pack on it and the swelling had gone down. At least she didn’t have to rely on Whit or his brothers to get around anymore even if it was slower than she normally moved. She didn’t think she would be able to hide her attraction to them if they kept putting their arms around her.

After eating breakfast she followed her men out to their truck. Life as she knew it was about to change.

Whether in a good or bad way was yet to be determined.

Dalton studied Sara-Jane as she slept. Nearly ten hours later and they were almost home. He couldn’t wait to show Sara around their ranch and to have her in their house. He was thankful that he and his brothers didn’t share the main house with their other teammates. They each had houses of their own, but the main house was used for all meals as well as convening with the team for planning. He was looking forward to eating May’s cooking again. The woman certainly knew her way around a kitchen.

“How is our woman?” Whit asked quietly as he looked in the rearview mirror trying to see Sara.

“She’s asleep. Has been for the last hour.”

“Do you think she’s going to accept us?” Hay shifted in his seat and turned to look at Sara.

“We will have to give her time to get used to us. I don’t know how she is going to take three of us wanting a relationship with her.”

“She’s as attracted to us as we are to her,” Dalton said. “I saw the way her body reacted when she looked at each of us but she’s trying to hide it.”

“Yeah.” Whit slowed the truck and turned into the drive leading to the ranch. “We’ll have to take things slow. One day at a time.”

“She accepted our enhanced abilities really well,” Hay said quietly.

“Yes, she did, didn’t she?” Dalton ran his fingers through his hair. “Maybe there’s hope for us yet.”

Whit parked the truck, and Dalt was out with the back door open before Hay could release his seat belt. He wanted to hold Sara in his arms, and if the only way he could do that was to carry her inside while she slept, then he would take anything he could get. She stirred when he opened the door but then she settled down once more, her breathing even and deep. With care he released her seat belt and lifted her into his arms. He looked down at her beautiful face and his heart clenched with longing. Sara-Jane was perfect for him and his brothers. Now all they had to do was convince her of that.

Dalton turned and headed for the door. May was standing on the verandah with a big welcoming smile on her face, but when she saw the precious bundle in his arms that smile fell away.

“Is she all right, Dalton? Who is she?” May asked in a near whisper.

“This is Sara-Jane Cantor. She was the victim of a kidnapping along with her friend Nicole Maynard. They are still in danger so we brought them back home with us to keep them safe.”

“You are such brave, good men,” May said and opened the door so Dalton could carry Sara inside. “Do you want her in the spare room?”

“For now,” he replied and then carried Sara to the guest bedroom. He gently placed her on the bed and then removed her shoes. May pulled the covers back on the bed on one side, and Dalton carefully picked her up again and placed her in the bed, and then May pulled the covers up. He didn’t want to leave Sara. Dalt could have spent hours just watching her sleep, but he and his brothers still had work to do. There were reports to fill out and also searches to be made. Hopefully the sheriff from Chadron had already e-mailed through the names of the dead men they had left behind them. If they could get a handle on who and what they were working against, for sure, then their work would be a lot easier.

Dalton leaned down and kissed Sara on the forehead. She murmured in her sleep and smiled before settling back down again. His heart filled with hope that maybe Sara-Jane Cantor was definitely the woman for him and his brothers. With a sigh of resignation he turned and headed toward the kitchen where he knew his brothers and teammates were waiting for him.

As he entered the room he grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down next to Whit. Nicole was sitting between Ty and Rand, and Bromley was seated across from her and just like him and his brothers, didn’t seem to be able to take his eyes away from her. Nicole was pretty, too, but for him she didn’t hold a candle to Sara.

“Nicole, can you tell us about any of your abductors?” Ty asked and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Not really. They were Japanese, I think, but none of them ever spoke to us or near us. They brought us food twice a day and often checked in on us but we weren’t able to pick up on any of their names. Sara and I only ever saw two of them but we could hear them talking sometimes. We counted five different voices. We don’t even know why we were kidnapped?” Nicole’s voice hitched and tears filled her eyes, but she took a deep breath and blinked a few times, getting her emotions back under control. “I was only there for three days. Sara was there a lot longer than I was.”

“Did any of them hurt either of you?” Brom asked, and Dalton saw that his jaw was clenched tight as he waited for an answer. Then he realized that his hands were gripping his mug so hard it was a wonder he hadn’t broken it. He released his grip and expelled a breath as Nicole began to speak again.

“No. There were a few times when we thought one of them was going to.” Nicole’s hands were lying flat on the table, but then they clenched into little fists and her knuckles turned white. Ty took one of her hands in his and straightened her fingers out, and Rand did the same to the other. Each man threaded their fingers through hers offering comfort and support.

“What happened?” Hay asked.

“He would come into the room and stare at us like we were an alien or something. A couple of times he touched our hair like he was enthralled or something. Then he would grin at us and leave again.”

May placed two large plates of muffins on the table and brought over another cup of coffee. “Have something to eat, Nicole. You must be hungry.”

“Thank you, May.”

Dalton realized that one of the Bayhard brothers must have introduced the two women. May gave Nicole a pat on the shoulder and scurried back around the counter to the kitchen. “Don’t you fret any, Nicole. These men will keep you safe.”

“Ty, once you and your brothers have settled Nicole, I want you to contact the Japanese authorities and see what you can find out about our perps,” Whit said. “I should have the information from the Chadron sheriff by now and I’ll send you a copy.

“Cal, you and your brothers see if you can dig up any information on the Japanese criminal underground. Don’t discard anything. Thorpe, since you, Adam, and Hunt are more proficient with the electronics, computers, and gadgets than any of us I want you to maintain our alerts. Once we get names you can set up the software so that we’re forewarned of any activity.

“Dalt, Hay, and I need to file a report and fill Tony in. If you come up with anything let us know immediately. All right, let’s get a couple of hours’ work in and meet back here for dinner.”

Dalton followed his brothers out of the room after thanking May for the coffee and snack. He was having a hell of a time concentrating because all he wanted to do was go to the guest bedroom, crawl into bed with Sara, and hold her close. With a sigh he pushed his thoughts aside and sat down at his desk and got to work.

* * * *

Sara sat up on the side of the bed and stared about her. Her mind was still fuzzy from sleep and she had no idea where she was. Then it all came back to her. The kidnapping, the rescue, and the men she had been traveling with.
I must be in their home.

She glanced toward the partially open bedroom door and could just make out a rumble of voices. When she inhaled, the smell of cooking food assailed her nostrils and her stomach growled with appreciation. There was a door on the far side of the room and Sara rose to her feet to investigate. Just as she opened the door to what turned out to be a walk-in wardrobe, the door to the bedroom was pushed open. Dalt came in and walked up to her.

“How are you feeling, Sara?”

“Much better, thank you,” she replied. “Can you tell me where the bathroom is?”

“I’ll do better than that. I’ll show you, honey.” Dalton held out his hand. Sara placed her hand in his and tried to ignore how her heartbeat sped up and the way her nipples hardened and also the way her pussy moistened and softened. She glanced up at him and saw him watching her intently. There was a flash of heat in his eyes and then it was gone. Sara lowered her head and followed him another couple of steps. He opened the door to a large bathroom and then pointed to a closed door across the room. “That’s the toilet. When you’ve finished cleaning up, come on into the kitchen. Dinner is ready.”

“Thanks.”

Dalton lifted his free hand and cupped her cheek. Sara didn’t realize that she had leaned into his touch and closed her eyes until she felt his lips on her head. She quickly pulled away and hurried into the bathroom as much as she could with a sprained ankle, closing the door behind her. After using the facilities she stared at herself in the mirror as she washed her hands. Her eyes looked brighter than usual, and her cheeks were flushed. She was embarrassed about the way she had reacted to Dalton’s touch, but there was nothing she could do about it now. Taking a few deep breaths she tried to shore up her defenses. She was going to be staying with three very attractive, ruggedly masculine men, and she was going to have to try and keep her desire for them under wraps. If she got too close to them it was going to break her heart when she had to leave and go back home. And that was one thing she didn’t know if she could deal with.

Sara dried her hands and pushed her thoughts aside. She was hungry, and the smell of food was getting to her, big-time. The last time she had eaten had been earlier that morning. She could have eaten at lunch when Whit had stopped in a drive-through but she hadn’t been hungry so she only ordered a drink. It seemed her hunger had returned with a vengeance.

Following the tantalizing smells, she found the kitchen with ease. The house was massive. There had been five doors down the end of the house she had just come from. She had passed through a very big living room with large comfortable sectional sofas and state-of-the-art entertainment equipment. The kitchen was almost as big as her apartment with the latest stainless steel appliances and backdrops and dark granite counters. Across the other side of the room was a huge dining room and massive wooden table.

Sitting around the table with Whit, Dalt, and Hay were the other men who had helped rescue her and Nicole. An elderly woman was just putting a jug of water on the table. Whit looked up and saw her standing in the doorway and rose to his feet. He took her elbow and guided her to the chair between him and Hay.