Jardin's Gamble (Haven, Texas 9)

“Told you,” Carrick said mysteriously.

Jardin nodded. “We’ll work on it. For now, all we need to hear is that you want us as much as we want you. That you want to be in a relationship with us.”

“I . . . of course I want to!” Who wouldn’t want to be with the two of them? They were gorgeous, loyal, and smart. Charismatic. Powerful.

“Good. It’s settled then. You’ll come back with us to New Orleans, then we can make a decision on where we want to live. Here or there. We’ll figure it out. Now, did I hear you say you’re staying at the motel? Let’s get your stuff and your brothers from school. I assume that’s where they are?”

“Wait!” she said, grabbing hold of Jardin’s wrist as he stepped back.

Coldness filled his gaze. “You better not be telling me no, Thea.”

It would take a stronger woman than her to tell him no except . . .

“I can’t go back to New Orleans.”

Carrick shifted around to stand next to Jardin. “And why’s that, rocket?”

“Because if I go back there, I’m dead.”

22

Carrick watched Jardin pace up and down the small motel room. It had two double beds, a tiny kitchen area with a microwave sitting on a counter and a mini fridge, and a bathroom off to the side.

It was a sign of how agitated Jardin was that he wasn’t griping about wh

ere she’d been staying. He’d likely get to that later. Carrick took the chair that was under the desk. He sat and looked over at Thea, who was fiddling with the coffee maker.

“Thea, come here,” Carrick said gently.

“I’ll get some coffee on. Coffee makes everything better. Right?”

“Nothing is going to make this better,” Jardin growled.

“Thea. Come here.” He made his voice firmer this time and she turned away from the kitchen area and walked over to him. When she was about a foot away, he reached out and lifted her onto his lap.

“Eek! Carrick!”

“Hush,” he murmured to her, wrapping his arms around her, holding her tightly. “I need to hold you. It’s my happy place.”

She made a scoffing noise, but she settled onto his lap without another word of protest. He wrapped his big arms around her. He wasn’t lying. He needed to feel her against him. To know she was safe.

“When do you think he’ll stop pacing?” she asked.

“When he’s calmed down enough.”

She sighed. “At least one of you isn’t angry at me.”

“Don’t mistake my calm for meaning I’m not upset, Thea. I’m fucking livid. That we didn’t make it clear what our intentions were, that we held back for fear of scaring you, that you kept something from us. Something that was threatening you. I’m damn furious, rocket. It’s just that I show it in different ways. But to make it very clear,” he turned her on his lap and cupped her chin in his hand, “you’re in big trouble. And once Jardin is back in his head and we’ve learned what’s going on, you’re going to find yourself unable to sit for a week.”

Heat entered her gaze before she narrowed her eyes at him. “You can’t spank me.”

“We damn well can,” Jardin replied, coming to stand in front of them. “Something or someone threatened you and instead of telling us so we could take care of it, you ran. From us! You put yourself in more danger. There’s more than one spanking owed.”

She gulped. “But we’re not in a relationship—”

Both men growled at her.

“We weren’t in a relationship when I left,” she said in a quiet voice.