Keeley's Fight (The Protectors 1)

“I have no experience, I have no home, hell, I don’t even have an education for something like that. I was forced to drop out of school when I was fifteen to take care of everything.” She sounded so dejected when she forced that out, that Ty was surprised she didn’t just deflate right in front of them.

“Baby, that’s ok. We wouldn’t just throw you into it. You would hang around with Julia, our secretary, for a couple of months; to kind of get the lay of the land and learn about the business, and the rest we would work on together.”

“But only after you let your arm heel the rest of this week, just relax a little bit, ok?” Nate interjected.

“But I’m just not good enough for something like this, I’ll screw everything up. I don’t even know how to use a computer. How am I supposed to do all this?”

“You’ll learn darlin’, and if you would like, we offer to send our employees to school for any training they require, and you could go back if you’d like. Now stop worrying,” Ty told her. “About where to live; you could stay with us if you wanted, or I’m sure our folks would love to have you there, and I’d bet our Aunt Joy would love your company as well. Though I have to say, I’d really like you to stay with us, give us a chance to get to know one another better. Nate and I go back to work on Monday, so that gives us the next four days together.” Putting on his most charming smile, Ty hoped she’d take them up on their offer.

Just as Keeley opened her mouth to say something, Joy walked back in with their coffee and dessert. “Here we are, coffee for everyone and a nice warm brownie sundae just for you, dear,” she said setting the dessert down in front of her. “And apple pie for the boys.” With that she walked back out.

“I, uh, guess I really have no choice, huh.” She didn’t phrase it as a question.

“Of course you always have a choice, and we will accept whatever you choose. Whether it’s what we’ve offered, or something you decide on your own,” Nathaniel told her.

Keeley dug into her dessert with gusto, thinking over her options. She didn’t want to seem too eager in accepting what they proposed, but it sounded too good to be true. So she decided that she’d make them wait. She really wanted the job, though. She was a little nervous about it but thought she was a fast learner, and as long as she had someone to follow for a while she could catch on quickly. Where to stay though was a conundrum in itself. She wouldn’t go back home though; couldn’t really. A shelter was out of the question, too. She had stayed at one when her parents had failed to pay the rent when she was ten years old. It was terrifying. There were other families there too, but they had some really scary people that stayed as well, and she vowed never to go back. She still remembered the day she walked in on a young girl being raped by a man. He had her mouth covered and was hurting her so badly she could hardly breathe. Keeley shuddered thinking about what would have happened if she hadn’t walked in and screamed the whole place down. Everyone came running in, and thankfully that man had gone to jail, but she had never seen the girl again. She really hoped she had a better life now.

So, lost in her thoughts, she didn’t realize she had finished her dessert until it was all gone. Deciding that she would accept their offer of not only the job but to stay with them as well, she felt a little better. Keeley knew it was moving fast, and maybe it wasn’t wise to move in with them so quickly, but she was attracted to them and felt like maybe they were sincere in their need to keep her safe. Sipping her coffee she watched Tyler from the corner of her eye, really studying him this time. His eyes were an amazing hazel color; almost green rather than greenish-brown, but they were beautiful. He was full of muscles, too. Drool worthy. It was only four in the afternoon and he already had a five o’clock shadow, which she found really suited him. Made him even more masculine. His lips looked fuller with it, and much more kissable. With that thought, she remembered the angel soft kiss he’d given her. Not realizing what she’d done until it was too late, she had closed her eyes and put her fingers to her lips with a soft, small smile, thinking about it. About the way he smelled; like sandalwood and some spicy cologne that wasn’t overwhelming but just enough to tantalize her senses, and his breath smelled faintly of mint, like he’d just brushed his teeth not long ago and coffee, really strong coffee. His lips were so soft like a feather. Hearing a strangled moan her eyes flew open in shock, and an intense blush rose up her chest and neck into her face, as she looked Tyler in the eyes. He knows was her first thought, followed closely by holy crap, the desire in his eyes was heady. His lids drooped so low she could see he was fighting this battle of desire back. What shocked her most was that it was for her. She’d never had anyone look at her like that before.

“Whatever you were just thinking about darlin’, I sure as hell loved the way it made your face look. Happy, dreamy, satisfied.” Tyler said that last part with a whole lot of pride, making her laugh softly at his arrogance and how right he was. Not that she’d admit it just yet.

Looking over at Nathaniel to see his reaction to Tyler’s flirting, she saw he had a similar look on his face that made her think about the way he’d kissed her as well.

Eyes open this time, she remembered how he held her when she was going into panic attack mode, and how the kiss he left on the back of her ear made all kinds of butterflies flutter around her stomach. The desire that small kiss ignited in her was nothing like she had ever felt before. And if she was honest with herself, she really wanted to feel it again. Soon. When his lips touched hers shortly after that, he smelled all natural and woodsy, like he worked with fresh-cut wood a lot. His lips were slightly rougher than Tyler’s, and she found she liked that, too. Nathaniel seemed like he was a little more wild and untamed than Tyler is. He had this look about him that just screamed Alpha, and he was so large, he had muscles on his muscles. His size and muscle mass should scare her, but all it did was turn her on. Looking at Nathaniel now he looked like a predator, all growly and his eyes were pure desire, the black of his pupils taking over the brown of his irises. She felt so wanted by them, from a simple look and small touches. She loved it.

Clearing her throat and shaking off her lustful thoughts, she wanted to get back on track about the living arrangements. “So, I think if you really want me to, I’d like to stay with you both until I’m back on my feet. If th

at’s ok, of course?”

The biggest smiles she had ever seen graced their handsome faces, and she felt a huge sense of relief that she was the one to make them so happy. Keeley found that she wanted to please them. “Of course, it’s alright, darlin’! It’s why we suggested it,” Tyler said so enthusiastically that she couldn’t help but laugh a full-on belly laugh. She was filled with a renewed sense of hope for her life.

“But first, I think we need to go shopping for some new clothes,” Nathaniel told her, and before she could voice any objections, he held up his hand and said to her, “Hear me out, please.” When she nodded, he continued. “You’re going to need some new clothes for the job and for comfort while you heal. Ok?”

Thinking it over, she knew what he said made sense, but it didn’t make accepting their help any easier. “Ok, but will you let me pay you back at least?”

Seeming to ponder this for a minute Tyler said, “How well do you cook?”

Smiling, she replied, “I love to cook!”

“Great! Then when your arm’s all healed up you can cook,” Tyler assured her, pleased with himself.

Chapter 6

After saying goodbye to Aunt Joy, they left the restaurant and made their way to Nate’s truck. He helped Keeley into the front seat, ran around to the driver’s side, hopped in and started the engine while everyone buckled up. Putting the truck in gear, they started heading to one of the boutiques downtown.

“Where are we going?” She asked, unfamiliar with the route they were taking.

“Our little sister, Kennedy, works at a nice store just a few blocks away. I called her before we left, so that she’d pull a few things out for you to look through,” Nate answered her.

“Oh, ok,” she replied. He could tell she was feeling uncomfortable about the whole thing, and wanting to reassure her in some way, he said, “It’s alright Butterfly, we want to do these things for you.” Giving a reassuring smile, he caught Ty’s eye at the way she smiled when he called her Butterfly.

“Here we are,” Ty said a short ride later.

Parking and climbing out of the truck, they walked down the street to Bella’s Boutique. Walking in, Nate forgot just how pink it really was inside. He’d been here twice before, both times to pick up their sister Kennedy, and he tried to leave quickly. The walls were a light pink and the carpets were a shaggy cream color that he couldn’t begin to guess the real name of. All the clothes hangers were a light purple covered in satin fabric. The clothing were a mix of colors that he could only guess at, but probably wouldn’t be accurate on any of them. “What is that smell?” Ty asked him.

“Kenny told me once it was some floral thing with vanilla,” he replied dryly.

“It’s Lavender and Vanilla almond,” Keeley said inhaling beside them. “It reminds me of my Grammy,” she whispered almost too low for them to hear. Wrapping his arm around her waist, they walked to the front of the store where there was an employee that he thought he recognized from one of his trips in.