Captured by Cowboys (Doms of Destiny, Colorado 1)

“Don’t be an idiot. You saw her. She’s gorgeous. A woman like her can’t be single. Some guy has a claim on her, mark my words.”

“Emmett, you’ve always been the guy who looks at the glass as half empty. I, on the other hand, see the glass half full. She’s here for a reason. We’re from Destiny. It’s more than a name. She’s our future. Fate brought her to us.”

What the hell was he talking about? “Fuck, you’re out of your mind, Cody. She doesn’t even know who she is. She could be anyone.”

“I don’t give a damn who she is. She’s ours. You’ll see.”

This wasn’t going the way he’d hoped. “Bryant, help me out here. Talk to your twin, please. Knock some sense into him before I have to.”

Bryant downed half the contents of his glass. “Who knows, Emmett? Maybe Cody is onto something.” His brother’s eyes were pointed in the direction of Amber, who was asleep in the other room.

“Thank you. He’s more than a little interested in Amber, too. I bet if you admit the truth, Emmett, you are, too.” Cody grinned broadly.

He didn’t like where this discussion was leading. “I won’t admit to anything. She’s in our care. None of us will make any moves on her. Got it?”

Bryant slammed his glass down on the table. “What does that mean?”

Two against one. Not good. “We’re Doms. You know what that means, or have you both forgotten?”

Cody shrugged. “This isn’t about the club.”

“No, it isn’t, but it is about what has worked for us. Just the other day you told me that being a Dom meant something to you.”

“Yes, I did.” Cody kept his eyes locked on him, though his lovesick armor seemed to be cracking a bit.

“And you,” Emmett said, turning to Bryant. “You’ve insisted we follow protocols to the letter whenever we’ve trained a sub. Why is that?”

“It’s the right thing to do.”

“Exactly. The same is true here, guys. Amber may be married. She may have kids.” His gut tightened, but he went on. “She might have a life to go back to. Being a Dom matters to me, and I know it matters to you, too. Do I hope she’s single and will choose us when her memory returns? Of course. But until then we must abide by protocols. We’ll care for her. We’ll make sure she’s safe. We’ll do whatever we need to do to help her fully recover. That’s all we do. That’s the right thing to do—for her.”

“Agreed.” Bryant stood up.

“Fuck, I hate this.” Cody’s hands curled into fists. “We need to lock up the playroom.”

“Where’s the key?” Bryant asked. “I know we have one, but have we ever had to lock it up before?”

“Never,” Emmett answered. “I think I have it on my keychain.” He pulled out the set. “Yep. Here it is.”

They’d had the playroom built a few years ago. Equipped with a wide assortment of sex toys, a spanking bench, cuffs, and more, they’d used it for private training sessions for new subs. Emmett actually preferred the club for training most of the time.

“I wish the fucking rain would stop. We need to find her car.” Cody’s tone held a possessive quality that meant the peace would only hold for a short time.

“I hope so, too.” What the hell was he going to do if Cody broke ranks and forgot what being a Dom really signified? What about Bryant? His resolve wasn’t so certain either. What could he do to force them to make the right choice when it came to Amber?

Hell, what about me? Emmett wasn’t confident in his own granite, which seemed to crack whenever Amber was near him.

“She’s the one,” Cody said quietly. “You’ll see. I know we’ve shared women before, but none like her. You have to admit that.”

“Even if I do, that doesn’t mean she’s for us.” He’d always expected they would eventually settle down with a woman, likely one of the locals. Amber’s arrival had come out of nowhere. He didn’t like surprises, preferring to be ever prepared for the unexpected.

“You do like her, don’t you?” Cody asked.

“She’s quite a woman. What man wouldn’t?” Like her? Oh yes, but he was also worried she would rip his heart out and his brothers’ when her memories returned. “We really don’t know her, Cody.”

“I know enough.”

“Chill out,” Bryant said. “We don’t know her. She doesn’t know herself. It isn’t fair to her to push. Right?”