Cooper Hicks will land in Austin in an hour. Transported here immediately thereafter.
Jen held her phone up to show the message to Lakyn. He’d expected her to spring to her feet, but she’d leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes.
“I guess I don’t havemuch time to get my temper under control. I’m so pissed at him for not returning my calls or messages. He’s never done that, and I’ve been going insane worrying about him.”
What?She hadn’t said a word about being angry at her brother. They needed to have a long chat about sharing the things that upset her. Transparency was a large part of the lifestyle and…Oh my fucking God. Do you even hearyourself? How hypocritical are you?
Shaking his head as he realized how insane it was to be frustrated with her, Juan stepped around the corner into Lakyn’s line of sight. He watched her eyes widen and fill with tears.
“Cariña? What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Moving slowly to her side, he knelt in front of her and took her hand in his. “Why the tears, beautiful?”
“I’m just mad. I’m totally pissedoff, and I don’t even know why. Well, that’s not really true… it’s more like I don’t even know where to start. I’m mad as hell at my brother for not answering my calls and messages. Damn it to all to midget goats, he’s never done that to me before. I’m furious that a van with masked idiots tried to yank me off the street. I’m mad as hell someone put electronic monitoring equipment in my apartment—fuckinghell, that’s just creepy. And I’m beyond annoyed no one told me Cooper was hurt… including Cooper. Now, he’ll be here before long, and I’m really not in the mood to be nice to him… and no one deserves that kind of greeting.” Her shoulders slumped, and she looked like a rapidly deflating balloon.
Pulling her to her feet, he wrapped her in his arms and simply stood with her nestled against hischest for a long time, hoping the simple physical contact would help some of her frustration drain away. It seemed like forever before she finally relaxed in his arms, and once again, he owned a huge debt of gratitude to his sisters for their lessons in the healing power of a hug.
“If you’re finished here, let’s walk to the cabin and get something to eat before you get ready to greet your brother.I’ll bet food and a bubble bath will go a long way to setting you back on track. I know you don’t like feeling as though the world around is spinning out of control, but sometimes, you have to just stand very still and let things happen in their own time. Trying to control everything is impossible and exhausting.”
“I’ve tried telling my loving husbands the same thing, but do they listen to me?Oh hell, no. Want to know who’s showing them the light? Their daughter… oh yes, indeed. Life at our house is getting more interesting by the day.” Jen rose to her feet and gave Lakyn a quick hug.
“Don’t be too hard on Cooper, I have a feeling he’s already waging a hell of a war with his own guilt. I don’t want you to go too easy on him either, but you probably want to save the tar and feathersfor another time.”
Lakyn gave the other woman a quick hug and thanked her before they set out for the cabin. Juan wasn’t surprised to see Trac had already arrived, and he smiled as the other man fell in beside them as they moved down the hall. The frown on Trac’s face as they entered the master bathroom made Juan wonder what the hell his friend was thinking. When Lakyn met his glare straighton, Juan wanted to cheer.
Good girl, don’t let him intimidate you.
*
Trac reached forLakyn and pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry, Princess.” The simple words seemed inadequate, but they were all he had to offer. Any excuse he could give would sound as hollow as it would feel, and she deserved better than that from both of the men who’d promised to protect her. Atfirst, he’d been angry at her for challenging the team’s decision, then he’d been just as pissed at Juan for reminding everyone he’d seen her reaction coming. He’d disagreed with the Wests’ decision, but he’d certainly understood their reasoning.
Realizing he’d let her down had hurt, and he was grateful she hadn’t been there to see his initial reaction. One of the things he’d hated the most asa kid was his father’s habit of reacting first and thinking later. Trac has sworn he’d never follow in those particular footsteps and damn if he had very nearly made the same mistake.
Fuck me, I know better—that kind of damage would have completely undermined the trust we were just beginning to build.
Juan looked on for several minutes, then nodded to the door. “I’m going to shower in the guestsuite, then make us something to eat. Don’t be too long.” Trac was grateful for the time alone with their sweet sub, it was a gift, and he appreciated Juan’s understanding.
“Come on, Princess, let’s shower and find out what Juan’s making to eat. He’s an amazing cook, so we don’t want to miss out.” He helped her out of her clothes before stripping out of his own and leading her into the hot shower.
Trac let his hands speak for him. He was careful to keep his touch tender but not sexual, this was about relaxation, not arousal. By the time he finished, her muscles were pliant beneath his fingertips, and her eyes had lost some of the wariness he’d seen when the three of them first returned to the cabin.
Moving her to the other end of the shower, Trac positioned one of the side-mounted showerheads so it pulsed hot water between her shoulder blades. Her soft groan as the pulsing water continued to massage her back sent a surge of blood to his cock, and he fought the urge to push her against the wall and lose himself in her softness.
Fucking hell, he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d taken a shower with a woman without giving her at least one orgasm. As much as he thought she’dbenefit from a release or two, she needed time to eat and settle a bit before her brother hit the door. Cam’s description of Cooper’s injuries listed a litany of superficial wounds that would look much worse than they actually were, so Lakyn needed as much fortification as possible.
Finishing his own shower quickly, he shut off the water and led her out of the large enclosure. It didn’t takethem long to dress and make their way to the kitchen where Juan was already hard at work. When Trac saw her eyes widen in surprise, he leaned down close.
“This is what happens when you’re the youngest in a large family and all your siblings are female,” he whispered. “They were determined their little brother was going to be the catch of the century.”
Lakyn sniffed the air, and Trac heard herstomach growl. He’d no sooner seated her at the table than Juan set a sizzling tray of meat and vegetables on the table between the three place settings. Lakyn’s sweet groan as she sniffed the air sent another rush of blood to his cock, and Trac had to fight the urge to shift the damned thing away from the zipper of his jeans. At this rate, he was going to have to take another shower—a verycoldshower before meeting her brother.Damn.