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Authors: Lacey Thorn

Tags: #Multiple Partner Erotic Romance, #Bdsm

Arranged for Pleasure (9 page)

BOOK: Arranged for Pleasure
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“Kat!” Liam’s voice sounded from the other room.

“I’m in here!” she screamed back, sagging with relief. They were here. They’d come for her.

Juliana rose from the floor with a banshee scream and launched herself toward the bed. Kat had let her guard down. Her legs were too slow, and Juliana landed hard on top of Kat, knocking the air from her lungs, air she needed as hands clamped around her neck and began squeezing.

She fought even as black dots hovered around her field of vision. She bucked, twisting this way and that as she tried to knock Juliana off or at least loosen her death grip. This was the grip used when Kat had been taken.

Kat blinked and met Juliana’s gaze. This was the look of a killer, a protector.

“No one hurts Juliana.” The low masculine tone matched the hard eyes, the hard hands. How was it physically possible for the same person to become so much stronger just by taking on the persona of someone different?

Kat’s throat burned. She couldn’t breathe. She could just see movement by the door and prayed it wasn’t too late. She didn’t want to die. She didn’t want to lose the happiness she’d so recently embraced.

“No one hurts Kat.”

That was what Kat heard just before she lost consciousness. She didn’t know if it was Rafe, Liam, or Adrian who spoke the words. It didn’t matter. It only mattered they were here. They were here, and she was safe.

 

Chapter Seven

 

 

 

The next few days were a blur of activity and information. Kat spent the time in a hospital room surrounded by everyone who mattered to her. Rafe, Liam, and Adrian kept up a constant vigil, though they were never alone, which she assumed was why they had yet to yell at her for leaving. One of them was always at her side, usually all three of them. Until now. She’d give anything for one of them to walk in now and save her from the chaos around her.

River and her three lovers—Phil, Luke and Rick—had come to see her. River waffled between yelling at Kat for being so stupid and crying at the thought she could have died. Tara was there with Charlie, Dasan, and Sam. Charlie was ordering everyone in the hospital around, threatening if something wasn’t what he expected. Kat swore the entire staff was in hiding, and she couldn’t blame them.

“You’re coming home just as soon as you get released from this joke of a hospital,” Charlie grunted for the 900
th
time.

“I’m not coming back to the ranch.”

“Yes, you are,” Tara stated, taking Charlie’s side against Kat.

She could tell where her best friend’s loyalty lay now that Tara was sleeping with Charlie. “Traitor.”

“They’re right, Kat. You need to get the hell away from here and never look back. You’ve been shot and choked by two members of the same crazy ass family. Go home. Rest. Relax. Let yourself heal. Please.” It was hard to argue when River squeezed her hand and spoke with tears shining in her eyes.

“Trust me,” Kat pleaded. “I’m more than ready to leave, but not to return to the ranch.”

“No argument, Kat,” Charlie informed her as Dasan and Sam nodded in agreement.

Kat was ready to scream, or at least as much of one as she could manage with her throat still healing. Instead, she closed her eyes and did her best to ignore them all.

“Hey, darling, playing possum?” Liam’s voice drawled by her ear.

She jerked her eyes open and reached for him. Rafe and Adrian stood beside him.

“What’s wrong,
mi amor
?”

“Kat?” Adrian reached for her.

“Tell them I’m not going anywhere?” she begged.

“She’s going home,” Charlie stated, a clear threat in his voice for anyone who cared to argue.

“It’s time you went home,” Liam agreed.

Rafe and Adrian both nodded, and Kat felt her heart start to break. Had they changed their minds? Did they no longer want her? Were they eager to send her away? And suddenly, she knew with heartbreaking clarity how they’d felt when she’d left them. Was this all because she’d left again?

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, trying desperately to blink away the tears spilling from her eyes. “I’m so sorry. I just wanted this all to be over. I needed for the four of us to be free of any threat hanging over me. I love you.”

“What the fuck?” Adrian breathed, obviously affected by her tears. “What do you have to be sorry about? We knew you’d try something.”

“You’re pretty damn predictable at times, Kat,” Liam stated with a grin.

“You were thinking with your heart,” Rafe crooned. “None of us will blame you for that.”

“I didn’t want to leave you.” Kat shook her head in frustration as she tried to explain. “I didn’t leave you. I just needed to do something. I was so scared, but I kept telling myself you’d find me.” She stopped and swallowed, moistened her lips. “How did you? Find me.”

“We had a tracker in your shoe,” Adrian said without remorse. “I was at the police station all day speaking with the lead detective. I was worried you’d do something dangerous.”

Liam looked pointedly at her. “Like leaving on your own.”

“Planning to end things one way or another because you were finished waiting,” Rafe added.

Kat bit her lip. She felt horrible, but the soft looks in their eyes, the lack of anger, and the love so readily expressed told her more than their words. They loved her, all of her, even the impetuous parts. “I’m sorry. I screwed up.”

Adrian shook his head and anger finally spilled through. “We’re the ones who fucked up! We could have lost you in there. Last time we do the right thing and involve the red tape of the police department.”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that,” Detective Drake Robbertson spoke from the door, but there was a grin on his lips.

“If you’re here to tell us something else has gone wrong—” Liam began, but the detective’s laugh cut him off.

“Do you see backup?” he asked, then glanced down at Kat. “How’re you feeling?”

“I’ve been better.”

He nodded his head. He looked tired. Kat remembered him vaguely, but mostly as someone she saw in passing. He tended to run in a different circle than the cops Kat, River, and Tara had known and seen in social settings.

“Juliana Marino is in custody and has been handed over to authorities. She’s being transported to a new, secure facility. She won’t be escaping again.”

“Thank God,” River whispered as her men surrounded her.

“Thanks to your friend here, we know she worked alone.”

“Can she leave?” Charlie interrupted, bringing Kat back to the earlier conversation and the fact Rafe, Liam, Adrian were ready to be rid of her.

“Yes. Just make sure you leave a number where you can be reached.”

“Thank you,” Kat whispered.

He nodded. “I’m sorry we weren’t there sooner.”

“You were there in time,” Kat replied, but she was looking at Liam, Rafe, and Adrian when she spoke.

“It’s a good thing they know you so well,” Detective Robbertson said, holding the tracker up for her to see before dropping it into his pocket. “Well, I’ll leave you guys to it then.” With a nod to the room in general, he slipped back out the door.

“I’ll go get things ready for you to leave,” Charlie said.

“I’ve already done that,” Rafe replied.

“Thanks. I’ll just make arrangements to get the plane set.”

“We’ve got that covered,” Adrian said.

“You’re taking me back to the ranch?” Kat asked.

“We’re taking you home,” Liam replied. “Who said anything about the ranch?”

“What?” Charlie exploded, voicing the scrambled thoughts going through Kat’s mind.

“She’s going home,” Rafe stated, his tone daring anyone to argue. “Home. With us.” He nodded toward Liam and Adrian. “I’d say we’ve waited long enough to claim what’s ours.”

“What are you saying?” Kat’s eyes were glued to them, steadfastly ignoring everyone else in the room.

“I’ve been chasing you around since we were kids, Kat. I love you. I know you love me, love us. I want you to come home with us, marry us. I want you to make the forever type of promises. We want to make them to you.”

“Oh, my God!” She sobbed, relief allowing her shoulders to droop. “I thought you were sending me away, that you were all done with me.”

Liam had the audacity to laugh. “Never in a million years, darling.”

“We don’t plan to ever let you sneak away again, baby,” Adrian informed her.

“Come home,” Rafe begged her. “You remember the farm I bought? The one I took you to that night?”

She knew exactly the one he spoke of. That had been the place she’d run from after the first encounter with all three of them. It was on the other side of town from her brother’s ranch. Close enough for the occasional visit, but far enough to allow freedom from her brother’s sometimes smothering love.

“Yes.”

“Yes, you remember, or yes, you’ll come?” Adrian asked for clarification.

She laughed despite how it hurt her throat. “I’m hoping I’ll do a lot of coming.”

“Mhhm-mmm.” Charlie cleared his throat, reminding her of their audience and making her cheeks blush pink.

Rafe grinned. Liam chuckled again, and Adrian just looked cocky.

“Are you sure?” Charlie asked.

She nodded her head, never taking her eyes off of her men. Funny how some things came full circle. She hadn’t been able to run away fast enough last time. Now, she couldn’t get back there quick enough to suit her. “Can you make the arrangements?” she whispered.

Rafe leaned close. “I’ve been arranging for your pleasure our whole lives,” he vowed. “I’ve just been waiting on you to accept it.”

“I don’t deserve you,” Kat whispered.

Rafe just grinned and bent to kiss her softly on the lips. “Yes, you do.” He rose up and turned to face the room. “The doctor is going to be here to give Kat another look over before we get her out of here. Why don’t we take the rest of this conversation somewhere else and let the ladies talk for a bit?”

“Charlie,” Kat called her brother to her bedside. She knew what Rafe was doing. He was taking Charlie out to talk to him, to assure her brother they would watch out for her.

Her brother nodded at Rafe before moving to her bedside and sitting down while the others began slowly filtering out of the room. His fingers brushed hair from her forehead. “Damn Kat, I’m getting tired of seeing you in a hospital bed.”

“I’m getting tired of finding myself in one.”

One side of his mouth tugged up, but he heaved a sigh and held it in as he looked deeply into her eyes. “Are you sure? You can come home if you want. I promise I won’t smother you.”

She snorted. “Yes, you will. You love me.”

“I do.”

“But I’m sure, Charlie. I love Rafe. And Liam. And Adrian. And as weird as it sounds to confess that, I know you’ll understand because of what you, Sam, and Dasan share with Tara.”

He blew out a hard breath and nodded his head. “If you change your mind…” He let the offer trail off.

“I know.”

He bent low and pressed his lips against her forehead. “I love you, sis.”

“I love you, too.”

He sat back up and looked at her. He must have seen whatever he was looking for because he nodded and stood, stopping to kiss Tara and whisper something to her before slipping out the door and leaving them alone.

River came and sat on one side of the bed while Tara took a seat on the other side.

“Charlie’s not the only one who doesn’t want to see you in a hospital bed again,” River sighed.

Kat reached out her hands to her friends and gave them each a squeeze as they threaded their fingers with hers.

“I can’t believe it’s finally over,” Tara whispered.

“I know,” Kat agreed. “This crazy mess is finally over.”

“And we can get on with our lives.”

Kat and Tara both nodded.

“So, are you staying with them?” Kat asked River.

A smile spread over River’s face. “Yes. Honestly, I can’t see myself ever wanting to leave.”

“I know what you mean,” Tara agreed. “Even when one of them pisses me off beyond belief, I wouldn’t trade what I’ve found with them.”

“How crazy is it that we’ve all found love with groups of men?” River asked with a laugh.

“Leave it to us to require three men a piece to satisfy us,” Kat retorted.

Tara turned to face River. “You’ll visit, right? Kat will be close enough for me to pop in on every now and then. But you’ll be further away.”

“I’ll keep in touch. I’m not hiding from anything now.”

“None of us are,” Tara said with a pointed look at Kat.

“I’m not hiding or running anymore,” Kat admitted.

“So, do we stick with the idea of keeping Angel Investigations open and running?” Tara asked.

Kat nodded. “Why not? We’ll both be close enough to open one up together. River can take her time, research the market where she’s at.”

River nodded her head. “I’ve been doing that. There’s a lot of competition, but it’s a large city. Plus, the all-woman angle might give us a different edge to play with.”

“I can’t believe everything’s changed so much,” Tara sighed.

“I know,” Kat agreed while River nodded.

The door opened and Rafe stepped in.

“Everything arranged?” Kat asked.

His smile held the promise of carnal sin as he nodded, and Kat could only anticipate the pleasure in store for her.

 

Chapter Eight

 

Eighteen months later…

 

 

Kat could barely contain her excitement. Today was the day! Her men were coming home for good. No more leaving for the Rangers. They were done. D-O-N-E! She just had time to jump in the shower and clean up before heading out to meet them.

She stripped off her shorts and T-shirt and stepped under the spray of hot water. It felt so good licking over her skin, but not nearly as good as it would feel to have the wet tongues she was anticipating. She moved as quickly as she could, taking time to wash her hair and body before using her razor. She wanted to be silky smooth for them.

She turned the water off and jerked the curtain back, wet hair obscuring her vision as she reached for a towel. She barely held in the shriek as she encountered Liam’s broad chest.

BOOK: Arranged for Pleasure
3.75Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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