Unexpected Lovers (5 page)

“I don’t imagine her husband would have any idea where she is, so she should be safe here.”

“I know a couple of guys on the police force. I’ll make some calls after awhile.” Ryan grasped a tendril of hair from her shoulder and let it slide through his fingers.

Brett wanted to break his hand.

“Just so you know, I don’t want anything more to do with Eric. I’m not one of those women who would stay with a guy who would abuse her, or in my case, who would attempt murder,” she said, her gaze flipping back and forth between the two of them.

Ryan growled, “Good. He’s a dead man if I get my hands on him.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but I’ll take care of Eric.”

“
We’ll
take care of him, Whit. You aren’t in this alone,” Brett answered.

The look on her face told Brett she was confused. Her eyes held the look of awe, like she couldn’t believe two strangers would do this for her.

“How about something to eat? I can order pizza,” he asked, grabbing the phone next to his elbow.

“Pizza sounds good.”

“What kind do you like?” Ryan asked.

“Everything but anchovies.”

“A woman after my own heart,” Brett said, giving her an appreciative glance. “Supreme it is.”

Wiggling her butt on the couch, she said, “Mmm…guys? Can someone point me in the direction of the bathroom?”

Ryan stood and swept her up in his arms. A startled squeak left her mouth, and Brett smiled.

“Never let it be said I’m not a gentleman,” Ryan said, heading down the hall with her in his arms.

Voices sounded far off as Brett listened to the other two conversing for a moment. Ryan returned and took his seat on the couch with a frown.

Brett had finished ordering the food while Ryan had taken Whitney to the bathroom, so now he needed to say something while she wasn’t in the room.

“We need to talk.”

“I know.”

“You know?”

“I can see the attraction, Brett. I’m not blind.” Ryan raked his fingers through his hair. “I want her bad, too.”

“Then you know she wants us both, or at least that’s the impression I’m getting.”

“Yep, but she’s confused. She doesn’t understand.”

“Then we need to make her understand. She needs to know we don’t have a problem sharing.”

Emotions rippled across Ryan’s face before he asked, “What do you want from her?”

The sun had begun to set behind the hills with streaks of orange and purple, bathing the backyard in gold. Pine and alder trees dotted the front yard beyond the glass, and a small waterfall tinkled in the distance. “I wish I knew. I want to fuck her so bad, my balls are like rocks. Beyond that?” His shoulders lifted in a shrug. “I don’t necessarily believe in love.”

Standing behind him, Ryan chuckled. “Especially not after Corrine.”

“Corrine was the bitch from hell.”

“And she took your heart and snapped it in two before she left.”

He didn’t want to talk about Corrine. That part of his life was over a while ago, and he really didn’t want to hash it out again. The love he’d felt for Corrine made him leery of getting involved with anyone on a permanent basis, but then again…

“Whitney brings out a protective side of me I haven’t felt in a long time. We need to figure out how to protect her from this guy until she can get her insurance policy changed and file for divorce. I don’t think he’ll try to hurt her if he’s not the beneficiary anymore,” Brett added.

“True. I’m sure her dad will take care of that, but if there is someone in her father’s office that’s in with Eric, she’s not safe there either.”

“The only place she is safe is here with us.”

“Ryan?” she called from the bathroom.

“I’ll be right there.”

Brett didn’t think he’d ever seen his cousin jump to the bidding of a female so fast in his life, and it worried him.

Within a moment, Ryan carried her back to the couch and gently set her down.

“Have we figured out where I’m sleeping?”

Ryan looked at him, and Brett knew they were both thinking the same thing.

How about between the two of us?

“There’s a spare bedroom connected to the bathroom you were just in. I put fresh sheets on the bed and dusted this morning before we came to the hospital to pick you up.”

“You cleaned?”

He laughed and nodded. “You’d be surprised. I do most of my own cleaning and cooking, even if I am a bachelor. Now Ryan, not so much.”

A tinkling laugh came from her mouth. It brought a smile to his lips.

“How long before pizza is here?”

“About fifteen minutes,” Brett answered.

“Good. I’m starving. Hospital food sucks.”

The two men chuckled, and Brett said, “Yeah, we know. We both eat there more than we care to.”

They made small talk until the doorbell rang, letting them know the food had arrived.

“I’ll get it.” Ryan moved from her side and headed toward the front entrance as Brett settled his gaze on Whitney. She shifted on the couch and pressed her lips together. He wondered if she was imagining his kiss. The pretty pink flush on her cheeks told him whatever the thoughts on her mind might be, they probably would be intriguing, to say the least.

When Ryan returned, he dished up a couple of pieces for her and brought them to the couch with his own pizza before taking his spot again.

“So, Whitney, tell us about growing up in L.A.”

She shrugged and settled her gaze on the plate in her hands. “Nothing to tell really. I have three sisters. I’m one of the middle girls. My father is an attorney and Mom stayed home to raise us.”

“What about this guy who left you in the canyon?”

Frown lines settled between her eyebrows and pulled down the corners of her mouth. “I met Eric seven years ago at a charity function my parents do every year. We dated for a couple of years before we got married. He’s an attorney too and works with my father.”

“You had no idea he wanted to kill you?” Ryan asked.

“No. Why would I?”

Ryan held up his hands in surrender. “Just askin’.”

“I thought he loved me,” she whispered. “We were having some problems, you know. Just like married couples do. We came to Arizona as a second honeymoon, and I hoped we could work things out.”

Ryan wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her to his side. “It doesn’t matter. We won’t let anything happen to you.”

After several moments, she wiggled out of Ryan’s embrace, placed the half-eaten plate of pizza on the table and said, “I love both of your company, but I’m beat.”

“By all means, it’s bedtime then for you, young lady.” He stood and Ryan scooped her up in his arms again before they headed down the hall together.

Brett pushed open the door to the bedroom and flipped on the light.

“Wow. This is really nice, Brett.”

“Glad you like it. It’s yours for as long as you like.”

Ryan set her down on the edge of the bed. “Need some help with your clothes?”

“I think I can get it, Ryan. These sweatpants are loose enough. I should be able to slip them off without too much trouble.” She captured her bottom lip between her teeth and chewed it for a moment. “I need to say something to both of you.”

He took one side, and Ryan sat on her other.

“Go ahead, honey.”

Her startled gaze stopped on his face, and he almost kicked himself for letting the endearment slip from between his lips. It wouldn’t do any good to rush her into anything. She would have to accept the attraction between the three of them on her own.

“I want to thank both of you for everything you’ve done for me.” One hand grasped his and the other took Ryan’s. “You two are like my knights in shining armor. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve this.”

“We’re here for you, Whit. Both of us, in whatever capacity you want or are ready for,” Ryan said, putting his fingers under her chin and turning her face toward him.

Damn it, Ryan, she’s not ready.

Ryan captured her lips, slipping his mouth over hers and sliding his tongue along until she moaned softly, and Brett felt her fingers tighten around his. Brett didn’t think he’d ever seen anything so hot as Ryan kissing Whitney.

Unable to fight the surge of desire zipping through his veins, Brett placed a kiss to her bare shoulder, and he had to smile when her skin quivered under his mouth.

Both Ryan and Whitney were breathing hard when their mouths finally separated.

“I…”

“It’s okay, Whit.” Ryan ran his fingers down her cheek softly and then stood. “We’ll leave you alone. Won’t we, Brett?”

He came to his feet as well. “Yeah. Sleep well, sweetheart.”

When he stopped near the door, Brett turned and looked at her flushed face, wide eyes, and how she touched her fingertips to her lips.
Oh Whitney. You’re ripe for lovin’, darlin’. Lovin’ by two men.

Chapter Three

She’s alive! Damn it! How could he screw this up?

Maria quickly hung up the phone when she heard the click on the other end and schooled her features when Aaron Morris opened his office door.

“I’m headed to court, Maria. I’ll be back after lunch.”

“Of course, sir.”

When the office door shut behind her boss, she quickly grabbed the receiver and dialed.

“Hello?”

“She’s alive.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Whitney’s alive.”

“There is no possible way, Maria. I left her for dead at the bottom of the canyon,” Eric replied.

“She just called her father from the hospital in Flagstaff.”

“You heard her?”

“Yes. I answered the phone, Eric. She said she’s there and told her father not to let on that she’d talked to him. You have to do something.”

“She’ll go to the authorities. Son-of-a-bitch! I knew I should have just killed her myself, but I let you talk me into trying it this way.”

“It doesn’t matter. She’s alive, and you need to fix this. Her father will have you in jail before you can turn around if he finds out you tried to hurt her.”

“Hurt her? Hell, Maria! This is attempted murder and carries twenty-five to life if I’m caught. It doesn’t make a damned bit of difference if I’m an attorney or not. Believe me, they still put lawyers in jail, too.”

“What can I do?”

“Keep tabs on the phone and let me know if she calls again. I’m headed back to Flagstaff.”

“I love you, Eric.”

“I know. I’ll see you in a few days, once I get this all straightened out. We’ll be fine.”