“Damn it, stop teasing her. I swear I’m going to bust your chops if you don’t start acting right, Reed.” Sawyer pointed to the chair by the wood stove. “You can take that into the bedroom and prop it up against the knob. Will that work for you?”
“Yes,” she said, though a wicked part of her didn’t seem to agree. Images of being held by Reed floated in her mind, warming her up to a nice, toasty level. “Where should I put my things?”
Both cowboys’ faces softened.
Reed spoke first. “In our mother’s wardrobe.”
“It’s in the bedroom, Nicole,” Sawyer added.
She remembered Reed talking about his mother down in Destiny. The sadness in his eyes was the same as now. Sawyer’s green eyes held similar grief. Was this a family heirloom? Something they’d brought here to honor her?
Nicole thought about asking about their mom but decided against it. Opening up a dialog with them would certainly end up going both ways. They would answer her questions but then would ask her some of their own—some about her own mom. No way she wanted to go down that bitter road again, and certainly not with Reed and Sawyer. They seemed kind, honest, and generous, but they were still strangers to her. Best to keep them at arm’s length.
“The wardrobe will be just fine.”
Chapter Six
Reed felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. Just being near Nicole was impacting him in ways he’d never felt before. “You drove in from Illinois this morning, right?”
She nodded.
He turned to Sawyer. “I bet she wouldn’t mind a bath, and before you say anything, just hear me out.”
His brother’s eyes narrowed. “Okay. Go on.”
Moving his attention back to the raven-haired, curvy police officer, his dick stood up in his jeans and saluted. “Are you like most women where you would prefer a bath to a shower?”
“Yes, but it doesn’t matter. I can make do.” Her long lashes were mesmerizing, her brown eyes beguiling, and her lush lips mouthwatering. But it was much more than her body that held him captive. It was Nicole. Everything about her drew him in deeper and that wasn’t good, not one fucking bit. By her very presence here in the cabin, his and Sawyer’s castle, everything he’d known about the world seemed to be on the line.
“I know you can make do. You’re the most self-reliant woman I’ve ever met.” But he could sense in her a need to be cared for, to be possessed, to be dominated, and that made it all the harder for him to remain detached and emotionless. “We have a shower attached to the well house. We attach a garden hose to the faucet on the pump and to a line that feeds to the shower on the other side of the wall outside. The problem is the water is icy cold even this time of year.”
“I’ll manage.”
“You don’t have to manage, Chicago. We also have a tub that we put on the back porch during the winter. Even Reed and I can’t stand the well water temperature then and have to take baths. We’ll warm the water for you on the stove and fill up the tub.”
She sighed. “I’m not sure taking a bath is a good idea. That’s too much work.”
“Let us worry about that. Trust me, you will love it.” He turned back to Sawyer. “Let’s fire up the stove and get the hot water going.”
“You do that. I’ll get the tub and bring it into the bedroom where she can have some privacy.”
Damn, he knew Sawyer wanted to get a look at more of Nicole just as much as he did but was taking the high road as usual. Unfortunately, he, too, believed the high road was the way to go with her…for now.
“Guys, this is too much. What kind of tub are you talking about?”
“It’s only a metal tub. Easy to move,” Sawyer said.
“Not full of water.” Reed saw he’d hit the mark with his brother by the look on his face.
“That’s it. I’ll take my bath on the back porch like everyone else. I’m sure you have some sheets that could be pinned up to give me a little privacy. Besides, you told me I could trust you. Was that true or not?”
“It’s obvious you’ve got spunk, Chicago.” Hoping to get a reaction from her, Reed sent her a wicked wink. “Might be fun for us to try to get that in check.”
She frowned, but he could also feel a hint of her intrigue. “If you think I’m into what goes on in that club of yours, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”
Sawyer glared at him. “We’ll use sheets, Nicole. I’ll handcuff my brother if necessary to make sure you have the privacy you want.”
“I’ll behave. I promise.” He didn’t want to behave, but his brother was right. His dick didn’t seem to want to stay in line though. He didn’t dare close his eyes, knowing an image of Nicole naked underneath him would appear. But she was in trouble with the Russian mafia. He was here to keep her safe. He needed to keep his hunger for her in check and stay focused on the task at hand. “Let’s get Chicago’s bath set up then. We only have a couple more hours of light left.”