Her Rebound Men (19 page)

“I’m really not sure about
this,”
Kev
said, looking nervous.

“We’re all dating. Stop
being a pussy. I’m not waiting another two hours to see our woman.” The street
was bare. Kate had finished work early, and she’d gone to the store and was
going to cook them dinner. She’d given strict instructions for them to arrive
later that night.

Nate didn’t see a problem
with arriving early. They turned and stared up at the house.

“Are you seriously scared?”
Nate
asked,
when his brother made no move to walk
toward the house.

“I’m not scared. I’ve pissed
her off enough, and I don’t want to be the cause of her wrath anymore.”
Kev
shrugged. “Oh well, I guess there’s no time like the
present.” They took a step together, and that’s when they heard the ear-piercing
scream.

The hairs on the back of
Nate’s neck stood on end, and before he knew what was happening, he charged
toward the front door. There was a lone car a few feet down the road, but aside
from that the neighborhood was quiet. It was too early for people to be back
from work.

Together they charged toward
the front door.

A male growl was followed by
Kate’s scream. Nate didn’t wait to understand what was happening. He moved in
the direction of the noise. What he found made him freeze for a split second. Jeff,
Kate’s ex, was fighting with her to remove her clothing. Several bruises had
already formed on her body, and Kate had a split lip. At first Nate couldn’t comprehend
what he was seeing, and then hell broke loose as he simply reacted.

His woman was in danger, and
her ex was hurting her.

Kate needed him and
Kev
.

She was hurting.

Save and protect.

They were the only feelings
going through him, and all Nate allowed himself to feel. Everything else was
insignificant. Jeff turned toward them, sneered, and started walking. The guy’s
trousers were open at the waist. Nate knew what the other man was going to do.

He couldn’t think.

Charging the man, he pulled
Jeff off and away from Kate just in time as
Kev
grabbed Jeff. Before Nate could land the first punch,
Kev
was dealing with him.

“Call the fucking cops,”
Kev
said, yelling above the shouts.

Going to Kate’s side where
she was curled up on the floor, crying. Her hands were over her head, and she
was sobbing.

Nate talked to the cops as
he listened to
Kev
pound on the poor excuse for a
man, and he touched Kate’s shoulder.

“Make him stop,” Kate said,
whispering.

Once he’d finished, Nate put
the cell phone onto the floor and pulled Kate into his arms.

“Jeff has stopped. He’s
never going to hurt you again. I promise.” Nate wished he was the one pounding
on the man. Kate was shaking from fear and from the sobs escaping her.

“Make
Kev
stop. He’s going to get in trouble, and Jeff deserves to go to prison for what
he just did. I’m under no illusions as to what he was prepared to do to me.”

For as much as Nate hated to
admit it, Kate was right. He couldn’t let his brother go to prison for
protecting her.

She climbed off his lap
giving him chance to get to his feet. Jeff was bleeding from his lip and
eyebrow.
Kev
raised his fist in the air, only this
time Nate caught it before
Kev
could strike.

“You need to stop.”

“No, I need to kill this
fucking bastard. He was hurting Kate and going to rape her, Nate. He doesn’t
deserve to live,”
Kev
said, snarling each and every
word.

“No, what he needs is to go
to prison and become another man’s bitch.”

“
Kev
,”
Kate said, coming toward his brother. “He’s not worth it.” Her hand touched
Kev’s
arm. “I’m here. You saved me, and you stopped him
from hurting me.”

His brother turned to Kate.
Kev’s
fist lowered.

Nate watched as he turned to
their woman.
Kev
stroked her cheek, making sure not
to touch her split lip.

“I’m stopping because you
asked me to because as far as I’m concerned, he would be fucking dead. I don’t
give a fuck about me and what was in my future. All I care about is you.”

Kev
was back. Any doubts Nate had disappeared with the
way he was looking at Kate.
 

The alarms of the police
cars and ambulance filled the silence stretching between them.

“I love you, Kate. There
will never be any other woman for me, and you know you’ll never find any other
men to fill that void but Nate and me.” Nate watched his brother lick his lips.
“Marry us. Become our woman, and I promise you’ll want for nothing. We’ll give
you everything you could ever desire. Orgasms, love, money,
jewels
,
you name it, it’s yours.”

Kate pressed a finger to
Kev’s
lips. Nate’s heart beat rapidly inside his chest. He
didn’t know what Kate was going to say. None of them had ever talked about
marriage. He couldn’t take his gaze away from her. He needed to know the answer
as much as he needed to take his next breath.

What would her answer be?

****

Kev
waited for her to answer. Stroking her check, he
stared at her face and wished he could pummel Jeff until the bastard couldn’t
speak. Instead, he stared into her eyes. Kate kept him stable as he looked at
her.

“I don’t need anything, but
I think I’ll take the orgasms and love,” Kate said.

“Does that mean?”
Kev
asked, not wanting to finish the sentence.

“Yes, that means I’ll marry
you. I wouldn’t want to be anyone else’s woman but yours and Nate’s. You two
mean everything to me. I’ve never known men like you, and to be honest, I never
want to. I love you both.”

She wrapped her arms around
Kev’s
neck as the police arrived.
Kev
and Nate kept her between them as they spoke to the police.

They were by her side even
when the police were taking her statement. She refused to go to the hospital,
so the paramedics checked her out at the house. Aside for some nasty bruises
and a few cuts, Kate was relatively okay. That didn’t help the anger that
burned brightly inside of him, though.
Kev
found
himself getting angrier. The rage consumed him, but Kate’s hand tightened in
his and the anger would ease.

Kate was safe. He and Nate
had saved her. She was safe between them, and
Kev
knew he was never going to let her go.

“The fucking bastard,” Lilly
charged into the house with Megan close behind. Before the police could react,
Lilly had kicked Jeff in the balls and slapped him around the face twice. Two
police officers pulled her away. “I’m going to kill you for hurting my friend.
You poor excuse for a man. You haven’t even got a big cock, and you never
satisfied her.
You little fucker.”
She gave another
kick.

From the look on the two
officers’ faces,
Kev
knew they’d let her land the
other kick.

“Get off me.” Lilly threw
the men off her and went to Kate. “Honey, I came as soon as I could. Nate sent
me a text. I can’t believe that bastard would ever try anything. I hope they
castrate the bastard with a blunt knife. He needs his cock torn off.”

Kev
blanked her out and watched Kate’s reaction. Her
friend looked amused by Lilly’s antics.

Glancing up at the police
officers,
Kev
saw the heat in the two officers who
pulled her away. He knew that look and had felt it many times. The two men were
interested in Kate’s friend. Shaking his head, he waited for permission to take
Kate away from her home.

The police said they’d be in
touch, and in no time at all
Kev
was climbing in the
back with Kate by his side. He wasn’t leaving her alone.

They made their way back to
Kev’s
home. It was far enough away from Kate’s home.

“I didn’t mind going to
Nate’s if he wanted.”

“Siren, I don’t have any
food stored away. My place is empty. I was hoping for some good food.”

“Shit, I forgot the
groceries at home. We could go back and get them.”
 
Kate pointed behind her.

“Not a chance,”
Kev
said. “I’ll be doing the cooking.”

Silence fell inside the car.
Kev
couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“Did you mean marriage, or
was that because of the heat of the moment?” Kate asked.

“What?”
Kev
looked at his brother and hated that she would doubt him.

“I didn’t know if your proposal
was said because of everything that was happening.”

“Siren, we’re not like that.
We love you, and we want to spend the rest of our lives with you,”
Kev
said. “I don’t say shit I don’t mean. You’re our woman,
Kate, and I promise you, we’ll never let you go.”

Kate settled against
Kev
. “I’m so pleased to hear that because I was going to
make you marry me.”

Kev
and Nate chuckled.

When Nate pulled up into the
underground parking,
Kev
helped Kate out of the car
and followed him toward the elevator. No one stopped them, and Kate kept a firm
hold of
Kev
. Nate took her free hand and held her
close all the way up to his room.

Once they were inside, Nate
took her to the bathroom to help clean her up as
Kev
started making food for all three of them.

“When I think about what he
could have done, I lose it,” Nate said.

“Then don’t think about it.”
Kate sat on the toilet seat as Nate prepared the shower. “You came to me in
time. I’m not going to think about it.”

Nate remained silent while
they all got cleaned.
Kev
called them through to
dinner. They sat in the sitting room, eating. Kate sat between them, relaxing.

“I took the pleasure of
phoning Mom and Dad. They’re already planning for a Christmas wedding. I said
the sooner the better,” Nate said.

Kev
smiled at his brother.

“How are we all going to
marry?” Kate asked. “The last time I checked marrying two people was against
the law.”

“You’ll be marrying
Kev
, but we’ll have our own ceremony in our bedroom where
we’ll marry each other in our hearts,” Nate said.

“How do I know you won’t
want another woman?” Kate asked, looking at Nate. “I mean, no one will know
you’re taken.”

“I’ll be wearing a ring, and
as far as anyone else is concerned I’ll be taken. There will never be another
woman for me. I love you with my whole heart, and that will never change.
You’ll be the mother of our children and our wife.”

Nate stroked her hair, and
Kev
felt complete for the first time in his life. He’d
gotten his brother back and found the love of his life.

Nothing could have made him
more complete than Kate agreeing to marry him. The future looked so bright and
happy.

Epilogue

Two years later

Kate clenched her teeth
together as another wave of pain coursed through her belly.

“Baby, are you doing all right?”
She could have slapped Nate upside the head for his question. The pain receded,
and she turned an icy glare at him. At least he had the decency to look
sheepish. “Sorry.” He weaved in and out of traffic, and she was thankful there
weren’t many cars on the road. Another contraction slammed into her, and she
gripped each side of the seat and braced herself.

“Nate, you need to hurry.
These are like two minutes apart.” She rested against her seat and sucked in a
great lungful of air. She couldn’t wait to finally have the babies, but never
had she
experienced
this much pain. Rubbing her hands
over her ginormous belly, the twins growing inside of her kicked, hard. “I
think they’re ready to come out, too.”

“Just hang on.” Nate reached
over and gripped her hand. “
Kev
is meeting us at the
hospital, and should be there when we arrive.” It had been two years since she’d
met Nate and
Kev
. After the incident with Jeff, which
ended up putting him in prison for several years, Kate and her men had been
totally committed to each other. It came to light that Jeff had a sordid past
abusing women, but that his family’s money had successfully swept everything
under the rug. He couldn’t buy his way out of what he did to her, though.