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  If he could find the courage to be a part of it.

  “I called her graceless and classless. I told her that she wasn’t good enough to be my wife.” Gavin had been prepared for the fist that flew his way. He wasn’t prepared for just how hard his youngest brother hit. Gavin’s head flew back, the pain in his jaw a welcome wake up call.

  “Don’t ever say that about her again. It’s bullshit, and you know it. Understand?” Gavin nodded. “I didn’t mean it, Dex. I love her. God, I love her so much. I think she’s perfect.”

  Dex pointed an accusatory finger at him. “You’re going to make it up to her. You’re going to treat her like a princess. You’re going to apologize, and if she wants you to kiss her feet, then you’re going to get down on the floor and kiss them.”

  Slade cut in. “Exactly. And you’re also going to tell that fucking lawyer to stop whatever it is you have him doing.”

  “Damn straight. I’m going to go find Hannah. We’re going to talk this out. You better be ready to grovel.” Dex turned and stomped out of the room.

  Slade calmly got up and walked to the fridge. He came back with a bag of frozen peas and handed it to Gavin. “Put that on your face. Is anything broken?” Gavin moved his sore jaw. “I don’t think so. But it hurts.”

  “Be glad you weren’t standing up. I’ve been in bar fights with our shitkicker baby brother.

  He’s mean. He might have kicked you in the balls.” Slade’s head shook affectionately. “But he’s always quick to forgive when he gives a damn about you. I think you’ll find Hannah is, too.” He hoped so. Gavin put the frozen vegetables to his swelling jaw. Something had eased inside of him. Gavin realized he hadn’t taken a full breath in years. That guilt and fear had always been pressing down on his chest. But that ball of self-hatred had begun to ease with his brothers’ acceptance. Gavin hoped it would dissolve to nothingness under Hannah’s love.

  What was he going to do if Hannah rejected him?

  His lips curled up as the answer came to him. She could reject him all she liked, but he would win her in the end because he would wear her down with his love. He would always be there, opening the door for her, seeing to her needs, telling her how beautiful she is. He was fucking Gavin James. He had stared down a room of greedy executives at the age of twenty-two and beat them all back. He’d taken care of his brothers. He was stronger than he’d ever given himself credit for.

  And he would take a page from his shitkicker brother’s book. When he found this little asshole who threatened his family, he was going to beat the fucker to death.

  “I’m so glad that look isn’t directed toward me,” Slade said.

  “You’re right. I am not stepping down as CEO.” Gavin needed to say those words—and more. “I am not giving Hannah up. And I’m not holding myself back anymore. I am done. I might be a shit, but I’m a member of this family.”

  Relief was palpable on Slade’s face. “Thank God. Every now and then Dex just has to start a fight. You can be his combination babysitter slash punching bag, at least part-time. He’s exhausting.”

  Gavin smiled. That sounded fun. He could fight with his brothers and they would still love him. Except…

  He should probably tell Slade everything. “I didn’t use a condom with Hannah.” He wasn’t prepared for Slade’s fist to slam right into his cheek. The other side of Gavin’s face lit up. Crap, when had Slade learned to do so much damage?

  “Mother fucker!” Gavin yelled. He hoped there was another bag of frozen peas.

  “Don’t you do that again until she’s right and properly married.” Slade frowned at him.

  “Even then, we talk about that shit in this family. Are we clear?” They weren’t going to exclude him for that fuck up. Gavin breathed a sigh of relief that flooded his very soul. “I agree. Guess that means we have to get her to the altar soon.” The door to the kitchen swung open, and Dex ran in, his eyes wild with worry. “I can’t find Hannah. She left us a note on her computer that she’s gone. She left us. If we can’t find her, I’m going to break more than your jaw, Gavin.”

  Slade raced to the kitchen drawer where the keys to all the vehicles were kept. “The keys to the limo and the Jeeps are still here. God, do you think she went on foot?” He doubted that. Hannah was stubborn, but she was also smart. Gavin stood, his face aching, and peered out the window. “One of the golf carts is missing. Depending on when she left, we might be able to catch up to her by simply running after her.” Dex started for the door, apparently willing to do just that. Gavin put a hand out. “We could run her down faster in the Jeep.”

  “Oh,” Dex said. “That’s better.”

  Gavin picked up the keys to the Jeep and handed them to Slade.

  It was time to get their girl.

  Chapter Eleven

  Hannah stared at all the unfamiliar men at the Angry Moose crowding in on her with expressions ranging from curiosity to downright hunger. What the devil was she going to do?

  “You boys take a big step back now,” a firm, feminine voice rang out.

  An older woman, her steel gray hair in a braid that ran almost to her waist, stepped out. The roughneck who had stared at Hannah outside the bar stood at this woman’s side wearing a sheepish expression.

  “Tobias, you little traitor!” The biggest cowboy in the group growled, but the woman hushed him with a single glare of her brown eyes.

  “The first one to make a move on the young lady loses bar privileges.” Every man in the bar took a big step back. Hannah grinned. Apparently, her charms weren’t as coveted as a cold mug of beer.

  She breathed a deep sigh of relief as the older woman walked forward wearing a friendly smile on her face. The woman was slender but built solid, a fact underscored by her no-nonsense blue jeans and standard flannel shirt.

  “You, young lady, look like you could use a drink.”

  Hannah took a seat on the nearest stool and peeked at her inebriated pilot, still happily snoring. It didn’t look like she was going anywhere for a while.

  “Yes, please.”

  Twenty minutes and two tequila shots later, she grinned at Marnie. “I want another one.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Hannah pondered that question. Probably. After all, she’d spent the last few days biting off way more than she could chew. Did she want just one James boy? No, that was too simple. Two?

  Bring it on! Three? Well…three had proven one too many. Would a third tequila shot put her over the edge, just like that third man? It didn’t matter. She might as well have another drink—

  one for each James brother.

  “Yeah, I’ll take another.” She slapped firmly at the bar, missed and hit her own thigh. She probably didn’t need more alcohol, but the tequila made her stomach feel warm and tingly. And that made her think of those men again, being naked and entwined with them, bringing her the kind of pleasure that even romantic fiction hadn’t adequately described. She missed them, wanted them. She needed more tequila to drown that out.

  Marnie shrugged and reached under the bar. She came back up with a shot glass filled with amber liquid. Without a second thought, Hannah picked it up and slammed it to the back of her throat. No feminine sipping for her this time.

  Unlike the first two she’d had, this drink lacked bite. It was silky smooth and sweet. She put the empty glass down and stared with a frown. “I don’t think this is tequila. I like this one, Marnie. I could drink this all night.”

  She’d probably have to. Glancing at the pilot again, Hannah asked, “Do you have any idea when Billy might be sober?”

  It was rude to make her wait while he slept off his vodka. She’d planned a grand exit. She was supposed to be halfway to Anchorage by now. She couldn’t sit here much longer or the brothers would find her. What would happen then? She shivered in anticipation. No, you’re supposed to be leaving them forever, not thinking about all the delicious ways they could punish you.

  Marnie leaned forward. “You’re in trouble, g
irl. Why don’t you tell me about it? I have a feeling this is about my boys.”

  “I’m sorry, ma’am. I don’t know your boys. I just flew up from Dallas yesterday with my boss—well, my former boss—and his brothers. I haven’t exactly seen much past the bedroom, if you know what I mean.” Had she just said that out loud?

  Hannah felt herself flush. Where had her manners gone? Fled in a haze of alcohol, she suspected. Except she didn’t feel very drunk. Tipsy, maybe. She picked up the last shot glass and sniffed it. “Hey, is this apple juice?”

  Marnie merely poured another. “Now see, it sounds like you have met my boys. Gavin and Slade would be just the type to hide a woman away. And though I didn’t have a hand in raising Dex, he’s become like one of my own, too. He can be a caveman when it suits him.”

  “Perfect.” Hannah downed the drink. “I flee, and I run straight into their surrogate momma.

  If you’re not going to help me get drunk, will you at least get me a cup of coffee?” A rustling against the beat-up hardwood floors sounded behind her. Hannah sighed. The men of the bar had been watching her every move since she’d walked in. Initially Marnie had scared them, but Hannah had heard them whispering. Now, they began belting out offers.

  “I’ll buy you a drink, ma’am.”

  “Me, too. One of them fruity drinks, if you want,” added another.

  “I have some of that fancy beer back at my place. We could get…comfortable and drink a few.”

  Wincing, Hannah turned. The dozen or so roughnecks had closed in. The big, burly men in faded jeans and flannel shirts, clearly used to hard work if their battered boots were any indication, hovered. If she hadn’t already given her heart away, she might have found these guys attractive. But not a one could hold a candle to her men.

  Except Gavin, Slade, and Dex weren’t her men anymore.

  Hannah smoothed back her hair. “I appreciate the offer, gentlemen, but I’ve had enough of men to last me a lifetime. And Miss Marnie is probably right, I really don’t need more alcohol. I could, however, use a general store. Is there one around so I can pick up a few necessary items?” Her head spun a bit. Hannah felt a deep gratitude to Marnie for cutting her off while she could still stand. She wasn’t used to drinking, except the occasional glass of wine Slade ordered for her.

  “The store is next door. What do you need?” Marnie asked. “I’ll have someone pick your items up.”

  “Well, I need some underwear, for starters. Dex didn’t pack any. He said I wasn’t allowed to wear them, but now that I’ve left, I’ll wear anything I like. And I like underwear.” She heard the men behind her erupt into a rumble of chatter. She turned to find some of them texting. Others blatantly talked amongst themselves.

  “The new girl ain’t wearin’ no underwear.”

  Hannah held her head high and glared at the man who’d made that statement. He had to be at least six foot five and all of twenty-one, but neither trait excused him from using double negatives, at least not in Hannah’s book. “It’s more correct to say that I am not wearing any underwear. It’s also rude to point that out.” She turned back to Marnie. “I would also love a bra.”

  “I told you she didn’t have no bra on. I can tell.”

  Hannah glared over her shoulder at yet another man. He was smaller, but seemed to have his height-advantaged friend’s trouble with grammar.

  “Sorry, ma’am,” he said, a flush turning his skin a dark brown. “I meant to say that you haven’t got a bra on.”

  She shook her head, resolved to ignore him and the others.

  Marnie set a cup of coffee in front of her. Hannah picked it up, wondering if she could pour it down the pilot’s throat instead. Time was running thin.

  The older woman grinned, mirth lighting her dark eyes. “I can see why my boys are interested in you. You can handle yourself, girl. But I’m sorry to tell you that unless you like boxer shorts in an extra large, you’re out of luck. And I definitely don’t stock bras, although the way some of these men have gained weight, a few of them might need a little support.”

  “It’s my thyroid, Marnie,” a particularly large man said as he crossed his arms and hunched his shoulders as though trying to hide his chest.

  Marnie’s eyes rolled. “Roughnecks. Suddenly, they’re so sensitive. Now, which of my boys is giving you trouble? I bet it’s Gavin. Unless you’re leaving over the underwear thing. Then I’d say that’s either Dex or Slade. I like my briefs, to tell you the truth. I don’t think I could give them up.”

  Hannah could probably live without the underwear, though she’d intended to fight them on the bra issue. She also needed to figure out how to get the plug out of her bottom. It was still there, a subtle reminder every time she moved of the pleasures she’d be missing now that she’d left those perverted, wonderful men. “It’s just…Gavin isn’t interested in me.” Marnie’s dark eyes turned shrewd. “I doubt that. I know him. I’ve been worried about him for the last ten years. When I heard he’d brought a woman here, I was so damn happy. Now that I’ve met you, I’m even happier. You’re what he needs. I’m guessing you’re already involved with Slade and Dex, while Gavin is being the stubborn holdout.” Hannah flushed. “You’re perceptive.”

  “Well, sweetie, men don’t usually give edicts about whether a woman can wear delicates unless they’re involved, and I know Slade and Dex have been looking for a woman to share for a long time.”

  “That’s a way of life around these parts, Miss,” the large man with the thyroid issue said with a big smile. “We ain’t got a lot of women here. We have to share. And if the James boys are only offering you three men, well, me and my brothers are willing to offer you five.”

  “Not really a selling point,” Hannah said, unable to keep the horror from her voice. What on earth would she do with five men? Most likely, she would go crazy. The amount of cooking and laundry alone would make her suicidal.

  “Don’t mind them.” Marnie reached out and covered Hannah’s hand with her own. “So you say Gavin doesn’t want you?”

  Tears threatened. “Yes. He’s made it clear that I’m not good enough for him.”

  “Horse pucky,” Marnie replied. “He’s been on a path to self-destruction for years. Ask yourself why he brought you here if he isn’t interested.”

  “Well, I seem to have some sort of stalker…”

  Marnie shrugged. “Dex’s area of expertise. That don’t require Gavin being here.” Good point. Hannah hadn’t considered that. Everything lately had been such a whirlwind.

  The time to think between all those orgasms had been short.

  Why would Gavin need to be here? The trouble at the site was either computer or mechanical. That was Slade’s end of the business. Dex was security, and he’d taken the lead on working with the Lenox brothers, as well as looking into the malicious virus at the River Run office. Gavin didn’t need to be here at all. Had he come simply because he wanted to?

  “You might be right.”

  “’Course I am.” A satisfied smile crossed Marnie’s face. “I talked to him yesterday. He always calls me when he’s coming in. I asked him what he was doing here, and he did that sputtering thing that men do when they can’t really explain themselves. I’ll bet Dex and Slade could have handled everything. Gavin should probably be in Dallas, but he chose to come here with you.”

  “What you’re saying makes sense, but he pushed me away, Marnie. He said some really ugly things.”

  “Men don’t always make the best decisions when it comes to admitting they’re in love. Stop thinking about what he said. Start thinking about how he’s treated you since you met him. That’s what his heart is telling you, even if his mouth is lying.”

  How had Gavin treated her? She’d been so hurt by his slurs that she’d almost forgotten everything else between them.

  He’d trusted her with a job she hadn’t been entirely qualified for. He’d been patient and kind while she learned. When she’d been rear-ended on the freeway, she’d
called Gavin to let him know she would be late to work. Minutes later, he’d appeared at the scene, just as the police were taking her statement. He’d lifted all the responsibility off her shoulders, including getting her car towed and driving her to work while it was in the shop.

  Gavin didn’t do that for all his employees.

  She also bet he hadn’t put his last secretary on his piano and made love to her like he was a dying man and she was the only one who could save him. She could be pregnant with his child right now…and a part of her didn’t hate that idea. At the time, all she’d been able to think about was getting closer to him. Because she loved him. Maybe Gavin had been under the same spell.

  And maybe she was making excuses for him because the alternative hurt too badly.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Hannah said with a sad sigh. “He might have feelings for me, but he won’t face them.”

  And she wouldn’t come between him and his brothers. Her own family had been so fractured that she couldn’t stand being the reason Slade, Dex, and Gavin fought.

  Would Slade and Dex accept her goodbye? She doubted it. They would probably be on the next plane to Texas once they figured out she’d gone. They would hunt her down. Because they loved her.

  Was it too late? Had she already come between them and Gavin? Was she giving up Dex and Slade for nothing?

  “I’m not being very smart about this, am I?” Hannah asked Marnie.

  “Walking away isn’t the answer, girl.”

  “I don’t know what to do.” Hannah’s misery washed over her. There was a big part of her that wished none of this had happened. Then she would just be at home, cuddled up with her cat, continuing to dream about her men.

  But that was no longer an option. So now what? She’d always thought that love would be easy-breezy and bring her nothing but joy. Nope. It was hard, like everything in life. Maybe harder because it was so precious. Yet, she hadn’t fought for it at all. She’d gotten almost everything she wanted, and now she was willing to throw it all away because it wasn’t quite perfect enough?