Kidnapped at the Gun Show [Ransomed Hearts] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (9 page)

Riley tugged on her fingers to get her attention. “What’s going on in that pretty head?”

He smiled when she turned to face him, and Sara felt her skin heat, knowing he could read her so easily. “Nothing, really.”

He lifted her fingers to his mouth and kissed them with a simple brush of his lips. “You don’t need to hide from us, Sara. Kale and I want you to feel comfortable. We won’t push.”

“I don’t know what you expect of me. I’m out of my league, and it’s a little scary.”

He turned into a parking lot and turned off the truck as Kale pulled in next to them. “It will be whatever we make it, the three of us. Relax and let it happen.”

Kale opened her door and leaned in for a quick smack on the lips. “Hey, darlin’, did I interrupt a serious conversation?”

“She’s worried about our expectations,” Riley told him.

Kale grinned, offered her a hand to get out of the truck, then kept her next to his body. “We expect to make you happy. And when you’re happy, we’re happy.”

Shoving at his chest, she laughed. “It can’t be that simple. Nothing is without conflict.”

Kale dropped a quick kiss on her lips. “True, but when you care about someone, you work it out.”

Riley walked around the truck. “Let’s get dinner and get home. It’s late, and we’re all tired.”

“Yeah, let’s get some sleep and talk about this in the light of a new day.”

There wasn’t any point in arguing. They were closing ranks on her, something she would have to put a stop to or she’d be lost in the testosterone cloud every time they disagreed. Tomorrow, she’d try a divide-and-conquer strategy. For now,
go with the flow
was the order of business.

Riley and Kale took their places, falling in on each side of her as they walked into the restaurant, each one touching some part of her body. Kale’s arm was draped around her shoulders, and Riley held her hand. At least she’d never get cold, since the heat coming off the two men could warm a metal camper in December.

“What would you like?” Riley asked when they stopped at the counter. The menu was on the wall, a huge list of the restaurant’s regular fare consisting of barbequed meats along with combination platters and side dishes.

“You order while I read,” she said, her eyes skimming the offerings for something simple and nutritious. Listening to them recite their choices, she decided she could eat for a week on what they’d ordered. It got quiet, and she realized they were waiting on her.

“Salad, please.”

“Oh, come on, honey. You need more than a few greens to keep your body working.” Kale pulled her into his side.

“I’m not a big eater, Kale.”

He nodded at the man behind the counter, then Riley chimed in, adding a serving of roasted chicken and three desserts. Sara stepped away from Kale and crossed her arms.

She waited.

It took a few minutes for the men to notice her stance. Brows rose, but they didn’t get too close.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Riley asked.

Finally, one of them might listen. Might.

“Why did you ask what I wanted if you were going to get me something else? Do I have any say in what goes on here?”

“Of course, you have a say in everything, honey.”

“Sara, you have a choice. Always a choice.”

She waited, letting her eyes move from one to the other.

Riley moved first, coming to stand right in front of her, his hands by his side. “Sara, we don’t want to take choices away from you. We want you to be pampered, taken care of completely.” Carefully, as if he expected her to flinch away from the contact, he cupped her cheek.

She let him touch her but didn’t change her angry expression.

“I admit both Kale and I are a little controlling.”

“You think?” she replied.

He grinned, which she’d expected. “Give us a chance. You might like being spoiled.”

“I’ve been taking care of myself for years. I don’t need to be spoiled.” A little voice in her head wondered what it might be like to be spoiled by these bad boys. A few luscious images gave her pause. It might not be too bad, having both of them at her beck and call.

“We can be very convincing, if you let us,” Kale whispered in her ear. When did he get close enough to croon the words? He was just standing at the counter a minute ago.

“Think about it while we’re on the road.” Riley tugged on her hand. “You have about fifteen minutes.”

Sara did as he asked. She couldn’t help it, the images flashing through her brain in a rapid slide show of all the ways they could spoil her. And damn if each new image wasn’t better than the one before. Maybe giving up a little of her freedom wasn’t a bad idea.

They turned off the highway and onto a two-lane road bordered by trees and not much else. There were no streetlights, and the late hour kept her from seeing much of the landscape. After a few miles, they rounded a curve, and the lights of a large city could be seen in the distance.

“Where exactly do you live?” she asked.

“Out of town,” Riley said. “I have to work in Austin on occasion, but most of my clients are international, so I use my home office most of the time. Those lights in the distance are in Austin.”

The truck slowed, and he turned right again, away from the lights. “It’s about a forty-five-minute drive on a good traffic day, but since I rarely use the space, it’s worthwhile to live out here. Easier to think in the peace and quiet.”

They passed through a wide-open wrought iron gate with lights on each side, but once through the entrance, the only thing Sara could see was the paved road in front of the truck. In the distance, lights twinkled, illuminating the front doors of large houses set far apart and back from the road.

Ultimate privacy.

In light of the relationship she was entering into, Sara could appreciate the need for the semi-isolation of the homes, and she wondered if the other inhabitants of the neighborhood had similar lifestyles.

Riley turned into a driveway, and lights blinked on as he progressed up the long drive. Halfway to the house, exterior lights illuminated the front door and the garage entrance. The large one-story dwelling was cocooned in stacked stone, and the front windows were bracketed with dark wood shutters. Before her eyes, lights bloomed inside, and her thoughts jumped from the masculine nature of the home to who might be waiting inside.

The garage door rose, and Riley turned the truck to enter the first bay. The middle door lifted for Kale, but the third door stayed down. Sara looked around the scrupulously tidy garage. Racks and pegboards lined the front wall, tools easily recognized and placed for convenience. Not a good sign for her. Organization was definitely not her strong suit, and clutter often prevailed at her apartment. Riley was distinctly a non-clutter kind of guy. Hopefully, he wouldn’t hold her messiness against her or expect her to maintain this level of compulsive neatness.

She turned her head to the right, trying to look beyond Kale’s truck to see what was in the third bay, but it was too dark and Kale was already standing at her door. As she slid out of the seat and into his waiting arms, the garage doors began their descent. The sound of both doors hitting the concrete rumbled in her head. It was the sound of one part of her life ending and another beginning.

Riley led the way into the house through a laundry room and into a large open-concept kitchen. Kale set the bag from the restaurant on the table and unpacked the food while Riley got out plates. They worked in tandem like a well-oiled machine, and Sara’s thoughts flashed to other areas, other rooms in the house where they might work so smoothly together.

Her heart thumped in her chest, heat rising and moving through her body. The unknown was calling her, burning her with anticipation and fear in equal measure. The thought of food was making her queasy. Or it could be hunger making her head spin. So much had happened in the last twenty-four hours, and her body was finally rebelling. She’d barely eaten when the men insisted, her stomach willing to participate but her head focused on her legal problems. Not to mention the two men trying to seduce her.

She reached for a chair and swayed where she stood. Warm hands caught her from both sides, and she let herself be placed in a chair. Riley brought her a large glass of cold water, pressing it into her hands.

“Drink. You’re probably dehydrated and hungry. Kale is fixing you a plate, and none of that salad stuff. You need real food. Don’t argue. Just eat.”

Kale set a plate in front of her. Bless them both, they were already spoiling her. One third of the plate was piled high with grilled chicken, neatly cut into bite-sized cubes. A small baked potato sat next to the meat, containers of butter, sour cream, and bacon bits on the table nearby. Steamed mixed vegetables took up the rest of the plate, along with a warm roll. If she wasn’t careful, she’d weigh three hundred pounds in a month.

Her stomach rumbled, and she decided to forget her diet woes and do as they instructed. She ate. After the first bite, they walked away, giving her a few minutes alone while they made their own plates. A sudden sense of loss filled her, followed closely by irritation. Apparently, her lack of nutrition and possibly her curiosity concerning the next few hours had her hormones in an uproar. She should not be feeling this attached to Kale and Riley. It was too soon.

But when they joined her at the table, talking about the yard work that needed to be done and whether or not they’d need to go to the grocery store the next day, her body relaxed. Her heart reset its rhythm, and a sense of comfort settled in her chest. For some strange reason, she felt at home in this kitchen, surrounded by these two hunky, overbearing men who wanted to control her life and pamper her until she exploded into a huge mass of overindulgence gone wild.

Sara smiled. It might be nice to let someone take care of her. Looking down at her plate, she realized the food was gone, consumed on autopilot while her brain worked through other things. At least her head and stomach were settled for the night.

Riley stood and cleared the table while Kale put away the leftovers. Sara watched. No one asked for her help. In fact, Kale refilled her glass and told her to sit and relax. She could definitely get used to this treatment.

“Come on, sweetheart,” Riley said, offering his hand. “Let me show you around. You look like you’re ready to crash.”

The kitchen opened to a large living area. A long sectional shared the room with a huge flat-screen television and too many electronic devices for her to recognize. Riley led her down a hall, pointing out a guest room, his room, Kale’s room, and finally the room she would have.

Surprise then anxiety filled her. She hadn’t expected to have her own room. The king-sized bed looked big enough to hold a dozen people, and she’d be lost in it by herself. A dresser sat against one wall, her suitcases in front of it.

Riley led her to a door on the far side of the room. He ushered her inside and Sara sighed with pleasure. It was the largest bathroom she’d ever seen, almost as big as the bedroom in her apartment. A huge whirlpool tub sat in a corner, and a long walk-in shower filled one wall. Off to one side, a door stood open, revealing the toilet. The counter was long, with one sink, lots of cabinets and shelves for linens, and an area for primping. The walls were painted a rich chocolate and edged in white crown molding.

“You approve?”

“Oh, Riley, it’s beautiful,” she replied.

“Good. If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask. I want this to be your home in every way possible.”

He turned to leave, and she stopped him.

“Riley?”

The look in his eyes woke up the butterflies in her stomach. One brow rose, and they flailed recklessly while she found the right words.

“I thought, I mean…”

The heat in his expression intensified, and he positioned himself immediately in front of her. “We didn’t want to push you tonight.” He cupped her face, his fingers dancing over her cheek. “Do you want company tonight, Sara?”

“I don’t want to be alone,” she said, her words a squeak of anxiety.

“Okay,” he said with a nod. “Why don’t you take a soak in the tub while I talk to Kale?”

Phrased as a question, she knew it was more of a dictate, but she didn’t care. She’d already been thinking about that big bathtub.

Before he’d cleared the door, Sara was opening her suitcase in search of a nightgown and robe. But the only choice was a short cotton robe. Not one nightgown was to be found after searching both bags. Riley must have discarded them when her back was turned.

Standing naked, surrounded by luxury, Sara turned on the faucet. Hot water filled the tub and sent a cloud of steam hovering around her. Sara slipped into the wet heat and leaned against the side of the tub. The solitude and warmth insinuated itself within her, and she let her muscles unwind. She turned off her mind and let her body float through the minutes until she was thoroughly wrinkled and waterlogged.

Grabbing a towel, she flipped the drain open and stepped onto the mat. A thick towel settled on her shoulders, and she jumped, surprised by the hands holding the towel in place. Kale patted her arms dry while Riley used another towel on her back, his fabric-covered hands tracing down each leg.