Protecting Dallas

They looked at each other again, maybe for help. It was kind of cute.

“When you moved in here,” Maddox went on, “we all made a vow that none of us would hit on you. None of us would even flirt with you. Certainly none of us would ever—”

“Fuck me?” I asked over my mug.

The three of them went silent again. Austin looked like he was trying to swallow a baseball. Maddox was overcooking the eggs. Kane however, appeared as if he were enjoying the conversation every bit as much as I was. Maybe more.

“He should’ve left you alone,” said Maddox, scrambling for a spatula. “He should never have—”

“Technically,” Kane interrupted, “I kept my vow.” His eyes shifted my way. “Dallas was the one who invited herself into my bed last night.”

They looked at me and I nodded. “Guilty as charged.”

“Still,” Austin broke in. “You didn’t have to—”

“Look,” I said, putting my feet down again. “You guys are soldiers. SEALs. Brothers in arms. You’ve endured grueling physical training together, seen combat together. You even live together, sharing the same home, the same expenses, even the same common goals.”

Austin squinted at me. It occurred to me suddenly he’d forgotten all about the bacon.

“What’s your point?”

“My point,” I went on, “is that you boys share everything.”

My emphasis on the last word dropped like a hammer. The only sound in the kitchen was the pop and hiss of eggs, bubbling.

I shrugged at them. “And now you’ve shared me.”

It was more than a little insane, how logical I’d just made it all sound. Hell, it even seemed rationalized in my own head. Granted, I’d had some time to think about it. Some very dreamy, very fun recollection time, while drifting off to sleep, staring at the ceiling.

“No one did anything wrong here,” I said, standing up. “In fact, everything felt kinda… right.”

I strutted across the kitchen in my little sleep shorts, which rode way too high on my legs. The T-shirt I was wearing only came down halfway. It showed off the flat of my stomach. My belly button…

Of course I’d worn these things on purpose, before coming downstairs. But they didn’t know that.

Or maybe they did.

“Maybe last night was a one-shot deal,” I shrugged casually. “The four of us blew off some steam. Had a little fun.”

Kane cleared his throat noisily. “A little fun?”

“Okay, a LOT of fun,” I smiled. “More fun that a poor homeless girl and three Navy SEALS probably should have together. But then again… maybe not. Maybe last night was just what we needed. And maybe it was the beginning of something else.”

I approached Austin, using one finger to trace a slow line down his chest. His eyes followed like he was in a trance.

“Something… else?” asked Maddox.

I nodded and bounced over to where Kane was sitting. “Mmm-Hmm,” I said. “Something cool. Something fun. Something… just between us.”

Spinning on my heel, I let myself fall into Kane’s lap. His arms slid around me protectively. I squirmed a bit, grinding my ass into his crotch for a few seconds, before bouncing up again.

“Maybe we’ll even do it again,” I said tantalizingly. “That is, you know… if you guys are into it.”

All eyes were predictably on me. They crawled up my legs, panned over my stomach. Followed my every bouncy step. Lingered on every curve.

“Of course we could go back to enforcing your vow. That’s another option.”

Kane reached for me, but I twisted away. I slid over to Maddox now. Running my hand up his shirt I could feel his heart beating thunderously, deep in his chest.