The Secret's Out (Hawks MC: Caroline Springs Charter, #1) (7 page)

“Simone!” I scolded.

She laughed. “I’m teasing, Josie. I know these two are yours... Unless you’re willing to share...?” I was about to snap again when she held her hand up in front of her. “Teasing. Well, somewhat. Anyway, I’m heading for a shower. You three have a nice chat now.” With a final appreciative look to Eli and Caden, she walked out of the room.

“Sweetheart,” Eli started. Once my gaze and red cheeks met his, he continued, “I think you have some explainin’ to do on just what you’ve told your friend about us.”

“I-um, I. You see...” The truth echoed loud and clear in my heart.
It was only that I couldn’t stop thinking about you both, and the situation, when you both came to me asking me to pick between the two of you, but I couldn’t. And now I find myself wishing I had both of you to love and both of you to myself.
However, there was no way I could choose between the man who carried me away from my disaster of a life and the man who swooped in and took down my defences. Both of them meant so much to me. Both of them held a part of my heart. To hurt one, by picking the other, was inconceivable.

Which was also why I should turn them away. I should call Talon myself and ask for someone else’s help, because having the two of them there, so close to me, would make it harder for me to stay away from them.

Never had I thought I would feel desire to be with another person again after what I lived through with David. Never had I thought my mind would imagine what it would be like to...see them naked, to see what their hands, mouths and bodies could do to me.

Goodness, even thinking of it caused my panties to become damp.

Though, no matter how turned on I could be from thoughts of them both, I was still scared. I didn’t know if David had ruined me for anyone else. I didn’t know if I could enjoy the time in bed with a man. I never liked it when David touched me, when he was inside of me. Never once did I enjoy it. I couldn’t help but worry that it meant there was something wrong with me down there.

I also worried that when, or if, the time came, I would freak out. What would happen if I started having a panic attack while being intimate with someone? Could that person understand why I was so freaked and stop? Or would they be selfish, which was how I only knew men could be in the bedroom.

Then again, I knew nothing much about men.

What I did know wasn’t really worth a mention, because my only knowledge came from a man who haunted my dreams. A man who was brutal, mean and rough.

“Precious,” Caden’s soft voice broke through my thoughts. “Where is your mind at right now?”

Shrugging, I replied quietly, “Many places really.”

“Josie, you know you don’t need to be scared with us,” Caden said.

My brows shot up. “What do you mean?”

“It’s okay to have been thinking about us. It’s okay that you’ve spoken to Simone about us. You’ve been on our minds as well.”

“I-I have?”

Eli snorted. “Hell, sweetheart, there ain’t a day goes by that I don’t think about you. I’m sure it’s the same with Pick.”

My heart bloomed. Did that mean they still cared for me that way?

Still, there was the problem of having to choose between the two of them.

“Have you ever...?” Eli started. I looked to him to see his cheeks held a tinge of red. I bit my bottom lip to keep from laughing at this biker man getting embarrassed about something. He cleared his throat. “Have you ever been with anyone other than that fuckhead?”

Now I understood why he’d been embarrassed, because now I was as well.

“I, oh, heck. Um.” Instead of answering, I shook my head, my gaze to my lap. I couldn’t believe we were talking about it already. It seemed two years should have severed our connection, but having them there, it was obvious it hadn’t. They still felt they could ask or say anything that was on their minds to me.

“Billy,” Caden growled.

“Shit, sorry.” Eli sighed.

Caden obviously knew it was too soon to be talking about such things. Which left Eli probably feeling as though he’d done something terrible for even bringing it up. I didn’t want him to feel that way. I would like to talk to them both about it, only just not yet. I didn’t know where it was all going. I didn’t know if they were staying or if I still had to pick between them. Goodness, I didn’t even know what I was thinking.

I couldn’t think that.

Having them both.

It wasn’t right.

Still, the thought of it, of having the two men who had stolen my heart many years ago, caused my heart to race and my lady parts to quiver.

Suddenly, I stood. “I um, I have to get ready for work.”

Caden nodded. “We’re gonna quickly grab some things and make some calls. We’ll see you at your work. Are you okay getting there?”

After nodding, I started for the doorway, only to stop and look over my shoulder. “Eli,” I called and he looked over at me. “I don’t mind you asking. I would like...one day, to talk about these things. I guess, I’m just shy and still confused.”

“Confused about what, sweetheart?”

Was I really going to say it? “Confused about the way you both make my body want to feel again.” Yes, I was. With that, I left two stunned bikers in the kitchen.

P
ick

We made it
outside before I said anything, and from the look on Billy’s face, he was just as surprised about Josie’s comment as me. Never had I thought our girl, our shy, timid girl would turn into a minx. Christ, my cock immensely enjoyed the fact that I made her want to feel again. From the look in her eyes, it told me she was feeling more than just friendship. Lust had been present when those words flew from her mouth. “Two years and it’s like I’m learning about Josie all over again,” I said.

Nodding, Billy grinned. “Tell me about it.” He snorted. “I thought I fucked up royally but then she blew me away with what
she
said.”

“She’s attracted to us both,” I stated the obvious. She would have said one of us made her body feel things, but she hadn’t. She’d said both of us.

“I know.”

“What are we gonna do? I don’t want to scare her and I don’t want her to...be hurt in any way.”

“Having her pick between us would hurt her.”

Looking down at the road, I thought over our options. My gaze went to Billy as he was gettin’ on his helmet.

“We headin’ to the hotel?” he asked.

“Yep.” I went to my own ride and put my shit on. “Billy,” I called.

“Yeah?” he answered, sliding his leg over his Harley.

“On the way there, I want you to think about somethin’.” After he gave me a chin lift to say he was listening, I continued, “I need to know if you’d be willing to share Josie’s affection.”

Before he could say anything, I swung my leg over my girl, placed on my helmet and kicked her into gear, riding straight out and heading to the hotel.

Fuck. I hoped he’d consider sharing Josie. I was sick of the time we’d already wasted and now I knew she had feelings for the both of us, there was no more time to waste. I was willin’ to spread the time among the three of us if it meant Josie would be my woman in one way or another.

Billy was the only other man I was willin’ to share with and that was because I knew what he felt for Josie was as strong as how I felt. She consumed our minds.

It could also have somethin’ to do with the fact that I’d had Billy’s mouth around my cock, but more so was that any chance to have Josie in our lives, under our bodies and in our hearts, was worth any risk.

Yeah, it’d be fucked knowing when she was with Billy he’d be in her. However, he already was. He was stuck deep within her mind and heart, like I was.

We needed our light.

We needed our Josie.

I just prayed what I had in mind would work out for the best.

Parking out front instead of under the hotel was gonna make it easier to get our shit, make a call and get back to Josie faster. I didn’t like leavin’ Josie on her own, but I knew she didn’t live far from her work and I knew we’d make quick work of the crap we had to do in no time. Hell, we’d probably even beat her to work.

Sliding off my girl, I walked into the hotel with a silent Billy behind me. We got in the lift and rode it up to our floor. Panic settled within me. I was fearful he wasn’t gonna go for it and if he didn’t, that would fuck up my chance at our light. I couldn’t have that.

As soon as we were in our room, I turned to him, my mouth open ready to plead the advantages of doin’ it my way, until he got there first and said, “All right. I’m willin’. Christ, of course I am if it means Josie would be in my life.”

I swiped my hand over my mouth to contain the huge fuckin’ smile creeping forward. “Good.” I nodded instead and turned my back on him, heading to the kitchen for something to do.

Billy followed to ask, “You reckon she’ll go for it?”

Turning, I placed my arse against the counter and said, “Not sure, but I fuckin’ hope so. We need to give her time though. She needs to get used to us being around her all the time.”

He nodded and placed his hands in his jean pockets before saying, “We have to show that if either of us touch her, we won’t get jealous. She needs to see we’re cool with it. Then when she’s been used to it for a while, we’ll tell her about what we want.”

“Deal.”

He raised his brows at me and smirked. “You sure you can handle sharing Josie?”

Glarin’, I asked, “Can you?”

He snorted. “Yeah, even if I did get jealous, I’d fuckin’ hide it ‘cause I’d do anything to have Josie. I’ve always wanted her. I’ll be in her, my smell will be on her skin, and I’ll be on her mind, even if she’s with you. Are you cool with all that?”

“You’re the only other brother I’d let this shit happen with. Fuck, we’ve both been hard for her for a fuckin’ long time. This is the best option so we both get to enjoy all that is Josie...
if
she goes for it in the end. So to answer your question, yeah, I can handle it. You?”

“Hell yeah.” He smiled. I shared a grin with him and then pulled my phone from my pocket. “You get our shit packed. I’ll call Talon and then we ride back to Josie at her work.”

“We ain’t sleepin’ here?”

Scrunching up my nose, I gave him a ‘what do you think’ look.

He chuckled and said, “Lookin’ forward to bein’ around our woman twenty-four seven.”

“We take it easy for a while, yeah?”

“Course,” he replied before walking outta the kitchen.

With my phone to my ear, I waited for Talon to answer and he did after three rings with, “Talk.”

“Situation’s fucked up. Some guys at her school think she’s their play thing. Always in her space and teasing her. We roughed one up today when we saw it. Fuck, Talon, she had a look of terror in her eyes...until she saw us. The one today said he’d back off, but apparently, there’s a bigger arsehole we have to deal with.”

“Then deal.”

“We will, but now we have Josie sayin’ she doesn’t want us to stay, doesn’t want you put out by having two of your employees takin’ a break. She was gonna ring you herself and ask for a prospect to come here. She realises she needs help now, thank fuck.”

“She’s too damn nice. Tell her you’re both staying. I need men at the Caroline Springs charter. Memphis tells me shit’s goin’ down there, so I’ve been thinkin’ anyway to send brothers his way. After Josie’s shit is dealt with, you head to the compound. I’m also sendin’ Dodge your way with Dallas, as well as Saxon. He’ll be finished with his probation time of being a prospect soon anyway. Lan is also gettin’ promoted to a position in that area, so if you need help, he’ll have your back.”

Lan was Stoke’s cousin and a detective. He used to be a stickler for rules, but ever since shit went down with Malinda, he’s been a different person. He was still a cop, but since realizing we didn’t deal in bad shit, he made the choice to have the Hawks members’ backs if any crap like that went down again.

“Done. Though, boss, she’s thinkin’ of movin’ back after her schoolin’ is done. She’s gonna try and finish early.”

“We want her back, but don’t she like it there?”

“Not sure. I think ‘cause of all her shit, she’s scared...but hell, we’ve only been around her today, and Billy and I can see she’s grown. She’s a minx when she wants to be. Those fuckers are what’s holding our Josie back.”

“Our?”

Shit.

“Fuck, brother—”

“I mean—”

“I know what you mean,” Talon growled. “Christ, we all see you and Billy have a thing for her and she has one for the both of you. She’ll wake up soon enough. But either of you fuck her up in any way...I’ll deal with you.”

“What’re you sayin’, boss?” I got the ‘he’d deal with us’ part, but the rest.

“I’m saying, Josie needs to live her life how she wants it. I was wrong in telling you to get her back here. I think she was ready to come home because she thinks
you boys
are her home. She doesn’t realise it yet. She thinks her home is her ‘rents and Zara and Mattie. But it ain’t. It’s the two of you and it has been since she set her eyes on you two. If this shit in the Caroline Springs charter is deep and fucked up as I think it is, then I need the both of you there for a while. Josie will soon see that her home is with the two of you, so I’m guessin’ she won’t be makin’ that move back to Ballarat unless you’re both with her.”

Consider my fuckin’ fucked-up mind blown.

“I... Fuck, I don’t know what to say to that.”

“Don’t say anything. Just know you’d both better make my sister-in-law’s world a happy one.”

“That’s what we’re aiming for already.”

“Good. I’ll have Dodge bring more of your shit and Billy’s,” he barked and then hung up the phone.

Billy walked into the kitchen with both our bags over his shoulders. “What?” he asked.

“Huh?”

“What in the fuck is up with that face?”

By that I knew he meant my clenched jaw, my fuckin’ wide eyes, but also the smile that was playin’ on my lips. “We’re stayin’.”

“Yeah, I guessed that. What in the fuck, Pick?” He threw the bags down and stood across from me with his hands balled into fists.

“Talon wants us to stay and attend to shit at the Caroline Springs charter when Josie’s shit is done.”