She had a little money, but she’d expected to need it to get the cab to her mother’s, but when that backfired and Carl had driven her to the hotel she’d told them she was staying at, she only had to walk a few blocks to the women’s shelter. Very self-conscious about her weight, she never once thought about food yesterday. She’d paid for it today with an onslaught of nerves and vertigo.
She’d been nothing but a wreck of nerves since she’d awakened that morning to begin with. During the call the night before, she’d confirmed with her mother that the two men who had come to her rescue were more than chivalrous. Grudgingly, also because she wanted to be there for her mother, she was going to let them treat her to an airfare ticket.
Not the whole bloody jet!
A cough, and a mumbled apology were muted by the low whirring hum of the engines. Then she remembered what Ja’Rol had told her about being able to hear her. Peeking toward them, both had their attention on something on the laptop, their discussion intense over something she couldn’t discern. Neither were paying her a bit of attention.
Maybe he had to be closer. She prayed that were true. It was unnerving to know someone could hear her private thoughts. Spying the last glass of water, she did as told and drank it down in a few swallows. She hadn’t realized how weak she’d felt until she’d woken up on Slone’s lap barely able to move a single limb.
“Here, let me.” Slone stood at her shoulder, waiting patiently for the empty cup. She handed it over, and without asking he returned with it and a spare. “Let us know if you want more soup. There’s plenty. Or if you want something more. We have a few hours before we get to Las Vegas.”
Brigit took the cups and set them to her side. “Thank you. Slone?” Saying his name stopped his retreat. He looked over his shoulder. “Thank you for what you said earlier. You’re both making me feel very special.”
A smile she couldn’t have imagined lightened his naturally brooding features. “We’re glad. We want you to be comfortable.”
“
And happy.”
Brigit blinked. “I am,” she replied, shaking on the inside. Did she imagine that? It was his voice, she knew it was. But how?
“You can hear me?”
He was studying her avidly now, his head slightly cocked at an angle, as though he were examining something with great interest. That something was her.
She covered her mouth to not scream, nodding.
Slone ran a hand down his face. “This is happening a lot quicker than I thought it would.”
“What?” The shadows had deepened outside the plane, night sky in their wake. The interior lights were just starting to warm to life. And she had nowhere to run. She was trapped on the plane with two men she didn’t know. Even if her mother had said they were this side of perfect, she didn’t know them.
“Nothing you need to be frightened of, pet. I didn’t realize you would be so open to either of us. It’s a blessing. We’ll both learn where your mental wall is so we don’t cross over unintentionally, until you’re better able to control the pathway. Training is all you need. It’s remarkable that you’re already showing signs.” Awe filled his voice, his gaze full of adoration.
“Showing signs?” she squeaked.
“That’s it, slick, give her more things to worry about.”
She shoved herself deeper into the buttery leather of her chair with clawed hands, whipping between the two men. Two men she really knew nothing about. “What are you? Why can I hear you both?”
Ja’Rol stood with a controlled motion. “Slone doesn’t think you’re up to the shock, not as weak as you are today.” With a shrug of acceptance, he continued. “I think he’s right. We don’t want to frighten you, but not telling you is killing us both.” He sank down into a nearby chair and Slone did the same. “You’re emotionally stretched, and physically weak.” Leaning on his elbows again, he met her wide-eyed searching. “All you really need to know is that you
are
safe, from us and with us. We couldn’t hurt you if our lives depended on it. Yes, we can hear you now, and as you’ve just discovered, you can hear us. It’s natural to us, it’s acquired for you.” Ja’Rol lifted a hand to keep her questions from tumbling out. “In time. We mean that. This will take some adjusting, and you deserve the right to get to know us, to come to trust us. For now, we’re three new friends going to attend a wedding.”
“Maybe have a little fun seeing if we can break the bank at a casino or two,” Slone added with a playful nudge, wanting to ease the tension she was sure they all felt.
Ja’Rol smiled. “Yeah, that too. Couldn’t hit Vegas and not find a way to lose at least a little money.” Facing her again, his expression was earnest. “In a way, you found us when we knew we needed something, and we found you when you needed something. Let’s see if we can make those two needs work, okay?”
“He’s insane. Even if you can hear me, you’re freaking insane!”
Neither man showed a trickle of reaction to her internal screams as she wildly flicked her gaze back and forth between them. Were they telling the truth and not listening on purpose? Could they do that? And what were they talking about, needs and finding? When both of them continued to wait expectantly for some answer, she forced herself to nod.
The first thing she was going to do when they landed that plane was get the hell away from these two. Just what had she gotten herself into?
“Believe it or not,” Slone said quietly, “we want nothing more than to see you cared for. Even if you had been in perfect health, we would have done no less for you.” He paused, and Ja’Rol reached for his forearm and squeezed. Brigit swore she actually saw the wealth of support and strength flow between them on the tide of affection visible in both of them. “We’re very close, Ja’Rol and myself. What he wants, I want, and vice versa, and when it comes to you, we both agree.”
“What about me?” she asked, wishing she sounded even a little stronger. Unfortunately, the mouse facing the lion likely sounded stronger than she did facing these two men.
“Would it be too much to ask you to just be our friend? To start to trust us for that? Have either of us done anything to make you doubt for your safety? To doubt our intentions?”
Brigit considered them both, studying their calm features, expectant, but nothing more.
“Other than the mind thinky thing?”
Ja’Rol smiled and Slone blinked. “Mind thinky thing?”
“Yeah, this.”
Slone chuckled, his shoulders rolling with his laughter. “Uh, yeah. That was unexpected, though for reasons that will soon make more sense to you, a wonderful surprise.”
Brigit wasn’t so sure of that. “What are you going to do when we land?”
“Going to sleep,” Ja’Rol immediately stated. “I don’t know about him, but I’m exhausted.”
“Where am I staying?”
“In the suite next to ours.”
“Not
with
you?” Brigit tugged on the edge of the blanket, glad she had it, a small barrier of protection, however fragile it may have been.
“No. It was simpler to put both suites under the company reservation,” Slone explained. “We don’t do this often, so the occasional write-off is a splurge.” He tipped, regarding her. “Does that help ease your concerns?” He gave Ja’Rol a meaningful grin. “Besides, we’re on our way to see Traci, your
mother
. Pissing off anyone’s mom is last on the list.”
She giggled, then swallowed it before it completely escaped. “Yeah, moms don’t care for being ticked off, especially at their weddings.”
Brigit noted they were watching her, but there was no threat, no pressure.
“I know it’s unexpected, Brigit,” Slone said in a soothing tone. “Get to know us. Give us a chance.”
She blinked. Did he mean…? She was in the suite next to
theirs.
“Wait, both of you?” She pulled a leg underneath herself to sit on a hip.
Ja’Rol unclasped his hands and curled over one of Slone’s. “We’ve been together for some time.” He drew a breath. “Does that bother you?”
Fear of rejection clouded Ja’Rol’s expression. She realized they were taking a large step to admit their intentions and not scare her to tell her so much so soon.
“You’re…gay?” Great friends, long time colleagues, yes. Gay, no. Never saw that coming.
“For the easiest of explanations, that’s what we allow people to think, or guess,” Slone told her. “It goes deeper than a sexual involvement.” Tension knotted his shoulders. “It’s not that we don’t want you to know the truth, but we don’t want to overwhelm you more.”
“So you’re not gay? Bi?” she asked them hesitantly.
“It’s more a mutual attraction factor,” Ja’Rol said, stumbling over the explanation. He cleared his throat. “We’re both committed to each other and have been for years, but meeting you…” He struggled, his voice wavering. Slone threaded their fingers together completely, offering his support now. “Well, you’ve probably figured out how you affect us.”
Brigit was shocked to see a red flare rise on Ja’Rol’s throat, his intense gaze avoiding hers.
“All we want is a chance, Brigit,” Slone told her soberly. “Give us time, and everything will be explained, and it will all make sense.”
“And if I decide I want nothing to do with either of you? That I can’t do…whatever this is?”
Both men’s expressions grew pained, their shoulders drooping in millimeters. “Then we will respect your wishes and leave you alone,” Slone answered.
Brigit nibbled on the inside of her cheek. She knew there was a lot, likely a canyon’s worth, that they weren’t telling her, whether out of consideration or some other reasoning, she couldn’t guess. But Slone was right. They’d done nothing to cause her to panic, or to make her believe they didn’t mean what they said. With one exception.
“And all this craziness, like the mind projection will be explained?”
“Completely,” the two said as one.
“What do I have to do?” she asked, maybe not entirely suspicious, but it was there.
Like two boys entering a candy shop, their expressions lightened, the heaviness of their doubts and fears fading away.
“Give us time. Let us care for you. You won’t be returning to your father’s to stay,” Slone stated firmly. “Whether you stay with us or not, you will never again find yourself in need.”
“This weekend is a perfect way to start. No stress from jobs, the joy of your mother’s wedding. And if I do say so myself,” Ja’Rol exclaimed with a devilish twinkle to his gaze, “two handsome men for your every wish and desire.”
“One question.” They both nodded. “Why me?”
“Why not you?” Ja’Rol looked absolutely perplexed by her question.
She sighed in disgust, wishing she could sink into the chair—well, more than she already did. “Because I’m fat.”
“Really?” Slone stood, and reaching, urged her to her feet. Stripping the protection of the blanket away, he flipped it to drape over her chair. He rested his chin in his palm as he walked first one way, then the other, circling her. “Ja’Rol? Do you see this ‘fat’ she claims to be?”
Ja’Rol stood on her other side, gazing down at her. That heady scent, whatever it was that she’d discovered the day before, enveloped her from both men. Breathing deeply almost had her wavering as a fresh wave of awareness coursed through her. It sent her body into a thrumming overdrive.
“You’re being silly,” she snapped. Crossing her arms, she was determined to hide the almost instant reaction she had to their nearness. She scowled at them in turns. She’d chosen a basic pale yellow blouse, nothing frilly—ruffles added dimension in a bad way—her standard jeans in stonewash blue and sneakers. Comfort clothes. Though watching both men regard her, she wondered if they even noticed the clothes.
“No, pet,” Slone denied. Tugging her arms free, he held her to his view. “I see a woman with a lovely shape, a beautiful face with dazzling eyes and underneath it all, a sense of humor and honor that humbles me.”