Into the Lair

Chapter Twenty-Three

“We’re going, but we won’t be far,” Eli said. “According to Tits’ intel, Esteban could be heading this way. We don’t know because he hasn’t shown his face yet. He’s laid low ever since we busted out of his compound in Switzerland. For now, his attention has shifted from me and anything to do with Falcon or CHR. His henchmen are on the move, and they’re looking for Katie. We’re going to make sure he knows where she is, so be on your toes. The Falcon secondary is moving into place as we speak, so you won’t be alone. Keep us posted, and we’ll do the same.”

Braden nodded and bumped fists with Tits and then Eli.

“You sure you two going to be okay?” Tits asked.

“Yeah, we’ll be fine,” Ian said. “If Esteban rears his head, we’ll roll out the welcome mat for him.”

Eli grinned. “I’d like to see that.”

“Let’s do this,” Tits said as he headed for the door. “Check you boys later.”

Eli followed, leaving Ian and Braden standing alone in the small entryway of the mountain cottage. Braden started to walk toward the kitchen when Ian put a hand out to stop him.

“I need a favor, man.”

Braden stopped and looked curiously at him.

Ian ran a hand through his hair as his stomach knotted. God, this was awkward as hell. He hadn’t felt this dumb since he and Braden were foster kids flipping a coin to see who got to ask Tracy Hawkins to the school dance.

“Look, uh, I need you to stick around. With me and Katie, that is. Not directly, but I could shift, and I don’t want to hurt her.”

Braden looked incredulously at him. “You’re planning to have sex with her? Now? After I kissed her? After giving me shit about kissing her?”

Ian’s cheeks tightened.

“And you want me to watch?”

“Christ,” Ian mumbled. “I knew it would all come out wrong. You know damn well I’m not asking you to watch. Okay, maybe I am. Goddamn it. I’m not trying to turn this into a kink-fest. I just want to be with her for a while and not worry about turning into a damn jaguar and ripping her throat out.”

“Dude, do you forget that Marcus just put about ten stitches in her gut? Or that I kissed her?”

Ian sighed. “First of all, I’m not going to hurt her. I’m aware of her injuries. I don’t need a lecture like I’m some kind of goddamn kid. Second, are you telling me you have a problem with this?”

Braden stared at him for a long moment. “Would it matter if I did?”

Ian hesitated a little too long.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“Do you have a problem?” Ian asked again.

“Maybe? I don’t know. I guess I would have taken it a lot better if you’d have said, ‘Hey, Braden, let’s go make love to Katie’. But it came out more like, ‘Hey bro, I’m going to go have sex with Katie and I want you to watch to make sure I don’t flake’.”

“I guess this time I don’t want a threesome,” Ian said in a low voice.

“She’s attracted to us both, Ian. You know that.”

“Yeah, I know. And I’m okay with it. I just don’t want my first time with her to be…hell, I don’t know.”

“You got condoms?”

Ian’s head came up. The abrupt change in subject damn near gave him whiplash. “Fuck me. No, I don’t have goddamn condoms.”

Braden grinned. “Aren’t you glad at least one of us has sex on the brain all the time?”

Ian sighed in relief, more over the fact that Braden didn’t seem pissed than the fact that he had condoms. Although the condoms didn’t hurt.

Braden went to his bag and pulled out a couple of packets then tossed them one at a time in Ian’s direction. Ian caught them and shoved them into his pocket.

“I doubt she’s going to like me watching,” Braden said.

“If it’s done right, I don’t think she’ll object. As you said, she’s attracted to both of us. I guess the sooner she’s used to both of us being around, the sooner she’ll accept having sex with us both at the same time.”

Braden cocked his head and studied Ian. “And is that going to happen, Ian? Because I see you being mighty possessive when it comes to her. If I ask the same thing of you tomorrow, as in you back off while I make love to her, how are you going to react?”

Ian shoved a hand through his hair and blew out his breath in frustration. “Look, can we get into this another time? Preferably before Katie changes her mind about inviting me into her bed?”

“No, we can’t,” Braden said simply. “Because you aren’t going in there unless we’ve reached an understanding.”

Ian’s eyes widened in surprise. “So it’s like that.”

Braden nodded. “You damn right it is. I kissed her, remember? I’ve been attracted to her from the beginning. The only reason I’m cool with this is because she’s attracted to us both and because a woman has never been a problem between us in the past. Now you need to tell me if Katie is going to be that problem.”

Ian shook his head. “No. She’s not going to be a problem, Braden. But what if it’s a problem for her?”

“Then we let her decide on her own,” Braden said softly. “But fair warning, Ian. If she can’t accept both of us, then I don’t plan to sit back and let you take her from me.”

Ian stared at his brother in astonishment. When had they decided to stake a claim? Hell, all he wanted was sex. Wasn’t it? And if it was just sex then why would he care what Braden did afterward? And why did the idea of Katie not accepting both of them and choosing Braden instead leave a very bad taste in his mouth?

He glanced toward the bedroom where Katie was. Part of him wondered if the smartest thing would be to just leave her alone and not open the door to a whole host of potential problems. The other part of him knew if he didn’t make love to her soon, he was going to turn himself inside out.

Then he looked back at Braden who surveyed him with brooding intensity. Was it fair for him to ask his brother to watch over him and Katie when Braden so obviously wanted to make love to her too?

“Go, Ian,” Braden said quietly. “I’ll make sure Katie stays safe from you.”

Katie lay staring at the ceiling, wondering how much of her stupidity she could blame on the drugs. Or maybe she just needed to take more.

She’d invited him to come lie down with her. She nearly snorted. Who the fuck was she kidding? She’d invited him to screw her senseless. No wonder he’d looked at her so oddly. He was probably in the next room hoping to give her enough time to pass out.

Her gaze flickered lazily toward the door when she heard a sound. Warmth and longing flooded her when she saw Ian standing there, one arm propped on the doorframe as he watched her.

Her pulse quickened. Adrenaline shot up her spine and rebounded off the base of her skull.

Then he moved. He awkwardly shuffled forward, his feet making dragging sounds on the floor. As he’d done before, he settled on the edge of her bed at her hip. She held her breath, wondering what he’d say. What he’d do.

“I need to know how much of your invitation was the drugs and how much of it was you knowing what the hell you were saying.”

Her blood stirred and rushed just a little faster, heating her skin and bringing a flush to her cheeks. They stared at each other, not like two potential lovers, but two people who might just devour each other before the night was over.

“It’s been a long time for me,” she said evenly.

One part of her recognized that she was stalling, while the other part wondered why she was babbling like an idiot.

“Paulo was my last lover.”

“Was he any good?” Ian asked bluntly.

She turned her head and studied him. Such a strange conversation to be having.

“Yes, he was,” she said. “Very good. It was for that reason that I had such an easy time turning Ricardo down when he showed interest. I was young and starry-eyed. The older brother would have been the better choice since I wanted security and family. I wasn’t the choosiest of women back then. I was more interested in the trappings than the actual man.”

“If that were true, you would have dropped Paulo with no compunction,” Ian pointed out.

She shrugged. “Paulo was actually very good to me in the beginning. I’m not defending him. He turned into quite the asshat, but for a while we were happy. For a while I actually hoped that I’d fit in. That I’d have the things I wanted.”

“And what do you want right now?” he asked, bringing them back to the two of them. In this room. Right now.

“I want you,” she said softly.

“Is that the drugs talking?”

She smiled. “I won’t lie and say I’m not a bit loopy. I won’t even lie and say that I might not regret it tomorrow. All I can tell you is that tonight, it’s what I want more than anything. Can you accept that?”

His breathing sped up, and his eyes glittered with lust. “Yeah, I can accept that. As long as you realize that tomorrow, when you may or may not regret it? Too damn bad. Because once won’t be enough.”

Her hand went automatically to her stomach and the thick bandage. Excitement rocketed through her body at his words. This was supposed to be on her terms. She called the shots. But she had the distinct feeling that once they made love, she was going to be giving a much larger piece of herself than she planned.

“I won’t hurt you, Katie,” he said softly.

His fingers curled around her wrist, and he moved her hand gently away from her wound. She watched with shocked arousal as he leaned down and pressed his lips to her belly. So soft, she nearly didn’t feel the slight brush of his mouth.

Carefully he pushed at her shirt until it rode high on her belly, baring the skin and the bandage to his gaze. And his lips.

She shivered when he kissed her navel then trailed his tongue around the indention. The stubble of his jaw scraped delicately against her skin. Then he slipped her shirt higher until it gathered at her neck.

Free of constraint, her nipples puckered and stood erect. He palmed one breast, molding it in his hand. His thumb rubbed across the tip and then back again. Her breath caught when he pinched it slightly between his fingers.

Her gaze moved beyond Ian to the doorway where she was stunned to see Braden leaning against the wall. She stiffened as she locked stares with him.

Ian’s head turned to follow her line of vision, and then he looked back at her, his expression odd and unreadable.

“Why is he there?” she said in a low voice.

Braden heard, though. He straightened his stance and stared at her with hungry eyes. She looked back at him, remembering his kiss. Hungry was an apt term. He’d devoured her. There was nothing gentle in his approach. Not patient as Ian was being.

Desire burned low in her belly, spreading like a fire she had no control over. She wanted them both. Wanted what they could both give her, or what she thought they could.

“He’s here to protect you…from me,” Ian said. “Can you forget his presence, or is it going to be a problem?”

Her gaze slid to Braden once more. He stared back challengingly, a slight smirk on his face as though he dared her to go the route of the prude and put on some hysterical fit because he was watching.

“Maybe I don’t want to forget his presence.”

Braden smiled. A slow, arrogant smile that was a tad triumphant. She wondered then what had gone on between the two men outside of her room. The last thing she wanted was another pissing match between brothers. Been there done that, had the dead bodies to prove it.

“Do me a favor then and try not to forget about me,” Ian said dryly.

She glanced back and gave him a small smile. “If you’re good enough, you won’t have to worry about that.”

Ian’s eyes narrowed, and Braden snickered from across the room. Then Ian braced both hands on either side of her and leaned in until he hovered over her, his face inches from hers.

“That, little wench, was a challenge, and I never back down from a challenge.”