Chapter 16
“What did you do that for?” Eli asked. “I was going to help her put her pajamas on!”
“Are you listening to yourself?” Kellan asked dryly as he leaned against the wall holding a flashlight.
“Of course I’m listening to myself. I love listening to myself.”
“Then you’d know you sound like a crazy person and that you’re going to scare her if you continue on like this.”
Fuck. Kellan probably wasn’t wrong.
Eli didn’t mean to come on so strong. But when he heard her make those soft noises of pain as she moved it roused his protective instincts.
The need to take care of her was almost instinctual. As though this was what he was meant to do. He might sound ridiculous talking about fate. But he’d spent enough of his life in dicey situations, where the only thing he could do was trust his gut.
It had never led him astray.
And his gut was telling him that she was meant to be his.
Theirs.
Holding her in his arms had felt so right. So had kissing her. Although he wasn’t certain if she knew he’d meant to kiss her.
The bedroom door opened before he could say anything more and she peered out.
She was so freaking beautiful. He didn’t care that her mask was back. He had seen it slip a lot. And if she needed it to make herself feel safer, then that’s what she had to do.
But with some time and a lot of reassurance and trust, he hoped that she would stop using that mask with them. That she’d realize she was safe to express whatever she was feeling.
“So, I was thinking—” she began.
“Sounds ominous,” Kellan said.
She gave him a funny look. Most people didn’t realize that Kellan had a sense of humor, including their family.
He just didn’t let people see it that often but it was there.
“You guys can’t go out in this storm—”
“Like we’d leave you,” Eli exploded.
She held up her hand, giving him a quelling look.
Yep. She was so fucking hot it was killing him.
“And you can’t sleep on the floor. So why don’t the two of you take my bed and I’ll sleep on the recliner?”
Was she . . . had he heard her right?
“Sleep on the recliner?” he asked.
“Um, yes. It’s large and I’ve been sleeping on it since I realized the mattress was punishing my back. Or do you not like the idea of sleeping together? Is that weird?”
“What’s weird is that you fully expect us to let you sleep in a chair while we take your bed,” Kellan told her.
“That’s not weird! It’s thoughtful.”
“It’s not happening is what it is,” Eli told her. “You’re sleeping in the bed. And if you’re so concerned about where we’re going to sleep, we’ll sleep there with you.”
Wow.
That backfired on her spectacularly.
“I, um, well, I . . .”
“Relax,” Kellan told her. “No one is sleeping in the bed with you. We’ll move the small mattress into the living room and sleep on it and the recliner. You will sleep in your bedroom. Alone. You have the lamp, is there anything else you need?”
She was aware of Eli glaring at his brother. But Kellan simply stepped past her into the bedroom to grab the horrible mattress.
“Um, no,” she said. “Thank you. I appreciate you guys staying with me.”
She shut the door quickly behind her. Arabella knew that she should have found them some blankets or maybe insisted on them taking the bed. But she just needed a few moments to think.
She climbed into bed and turned the lamp down low. She should turn it off and save some of the battery life, but she couldn’t bring herself to be alone in the pitch black.
The wind howled and she shivered, burying herself deeper under the covers.
“Horse, want to sleep with me?” she asked.
He immediately jumped onto the bed and she let him under the covers. He cuddled up close, shaking.
It was going to be a long night.
“Why did you do that?” Eli asked Kellan as they stood in the living room. “It’s like you’re trying to push her away.”
Kellan shot Eli a look before leaving to grab blankets from the hall closet. And taking the flashlight with him.
When he returned, Eli was still standing there, staring at him in exasperation. “You can’t just walk away to avoid a conversation.”
“I didn’t walk away to avoid it, I was simply done with it,” Kellan replied, handing him some blankets.
“You don’t like her?”
Kellan sighed. “It’s not a case of liking her or not. She seems like a good person. She’s funny and gorgeous. But she’s not a one-night stand. She’s not just for a good time.”
“I don’t want that with her. I want more. I want us to have more. She could be a great fit for the two of us, Kellan.”
Kellan sighed. Eli wasn’t usually impulsive. Sure, he had some weird ideas about going with your gut and trusting in fate. But Kellan had never known him to fall for someone like this. So deeply and quickly. Eli needed to slow down and think about this.
“We don’t know her that well,” Kellan pointed out.
“So we talk to her, get to know her, build her trust in us. It’s obvious that she’s nervous and that it will take time. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not worth moving forward. You heard what Shaw said about how we should proceed.”
“Maybe just you should proceed,” Kellan found himself saying.
Because she wouldn’t want him too, would she?
“Don’t feed me that bullshit. Because you know I can read you better than anyone. You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t at least a little bit interested in her. You’d tell me to take a flying leap.”
He wasn’t fucking wrong.
And he hated that. Kellan preferred to always be the one in the right.
“It still doesn’t mean she’s a good fit for us.”
“We won’t know unless we try.”
Kellan wasn’t completely sold and he wasn’t sure why. Was it because he had his doubts about her?
Or was it that he was concerned that she didn’t want him? That she’d only want Eli?
Fuck. When had he turned into a coward?
“Nothing good ever happens by standing still,” Eli told him.
Kellan shook his head. “Maybe. I don’t know. I’m still not fully convinced.”
“Just think about it and don’t sabotage my efforts to get to know her.”
“You were coming on too strong. She was about to call the sheriff. Not a good look for an FBI agent to be arrested as a stalker.”
“You think she looked scared?” Eli asked.
“More like a deer in headlights.”
“Fuck. Yeah. Okay. Point taken. Reckon we’ll get any sleep tonight?”
Kellan snorted as he lay down on the tiny mattress on the floor and covered himself with a thin blanket. “Fuck, no.”
“That’s what I figured you’d say.”
Her cries woke Eli.
Huh. Seemed he had fallen asleep. Standing, he raced into her bedroom. He found Kellan already there, standing over her.
It was doubtful Kellan would have slept at all. Not in a strange place with a storm raging. He never got much sleep anyway.
“What’s going on?” Eli asked.
“Nightmare,” Kellan said.
“Why haven’t you woken her?” Eli asked him, reaching for her.
“I didn’t think she’d be happy to wake up with me looming over her.”
“No, Father. No!” she cried. “Where is she? Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you tell me she died?”
“Jesus,” Eli said. “Who is she talking about?”
Kellan shook his head.
They might have to do some looking into the former governor. Then again, what went on behind closed doors was generally very different from what went on out in the open.
“Poor baby,” Eli whispered, sitting next to her. Since she’d left the battery-powered lamp on he could see her clearly.
“Arabella, wake up,” he told her. “You’re safe. Everything is all right.”
“No, no, no!” she cried. “I don’t want to marry him, Father!”
“Motherfucker. Is she talking about Cole?” Kellan snarled.
Eli gave his brother an assessing look for a moment. Oh, he definitely cared about Arabella. There was no way he’d be reacting this strongly if he didn’t.
“I don’t know but it seems we have to find out. If he coerced her . . .”
“Fucker is dead,” Kellan said as she cried out again.
Eli shook her lightly.
Shit. She was really stuck in this nightmare.
“Arabella, you’re safe. Wake up, baby. Come on, open those beautiful brown eyes and look at me.” He shook her again, this time more forcefully when she didn’t open her eyes. “Come on, baby.”
Gradually, she opened her eyes, letting out a loud gasp. “What . . . what’s going on? What are you doing?”
Eli couldn’t help himself. Mindful of her back, he lifted her and placed her on his lap.
Kellan grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around her and Eli gave him a nod of thanks.
“What is going on? Why am I shaking? Why are you in my room? Is it morning?” she asked.
“No, baby,” Eli said. “Not yet. You were having a nightmare.”
“I was? Oh no, did I wake you? I’m so sorry.”
“You didn’t wake me,” Kellan said. “I was already awake.”
“Oh, right. That’s good.”
“Can you tell us about the nightmare?” Eli asked.
“No.” She stared down at her hands which she had twisted together. “I don’t remember.”
“Are you lying?” Kellan asked.
She sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. Eli rubbed his hand up and down her back, trying to massage any tight muscles that he found.
“Oh, that spot right there is good,” she said with a groan.
“Tell us about the nightmare,” Eli cajoled. “Maybe it will help.”
“I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t remember what it was. Although I can make a few guesses.”
“A few?” Kellan asked, sounding unimpressed. “How many nightmares do you have?”
“A few,” she said.
He snorted in response, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
Eli just kept holding her and massaging her muscles. He could feel her melting against him.
“That’s it, baby. Just relax. Everything is all right. You’re going to be just fine. We’re here. We won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“People always hurt me,” she mumbled. “They hurt me and leave me and use me.”
God, his heart hurt for her.
When he glanced up at Kellan he could see the anger blazing from his eyes.
“Who did that to you?” Kellan asked.
She shook her head.
“Your father?” Eli asked.
She stiffened. They already knew the answer, but she’d just cinched it.
“That fucking asshole,” Eli muttered. “We won’t pressure you to tell us.”
Kellan let out a grunt of disapproval. But he was the one who’d just been telling Eli that he was being too pushy.
“But when you’re ready we’re here and we’ll listen. Okay?” Eli said
She nodded. But it wasn’t enough.
“Eyes on me,” he said firmly.
Her gaze moved up to his. “Good girl.” Eli cupped the underside of her chin and ran his thumb over her cheek. “We’re here for you. Tell me you understand.”
“Yes, I understand.”
He couldn’t help himself, he leaned in and lightly kissed her lips. Drawing back, he stared down at her, wanting to see if he made her uncomfortable in any way. The last thing he wanted was to scare her. Or to kiss her if she wasn’t fully awake and aware.
But her lips were parted and wet as she stared up at him and he could see the desire in her gaze.
“Kiss her again,” Kellan said. “Make it deeper.”
Her gaze moved to Kellan and that desire seemed to grow.
“Do you want me to kiss you again, baby?” he asked.
“Of course she does,” Kellan said. “Look at her. Like a butterfly coming out of her cocoon. So fucking beautiful.”
Jesus. That was practically poetry for his brother.
“Let him kiss you, Butterfly,” Kellan told her.
Eli turned his gaze back to her and she licked her lips. “Kiss me. Please.”
“Of course, baby. Anytime you want. It’s my fucking pleasure.”
Then he kissed her again. This time, he deepened the kiss. It was longer and hotter. He ran his tongue over her lips and drew back.
“Part your lips for him, Butterfly,” Kellan ordered.
Eli pushed gently on her chin and she opened her lips.
“Such a good girl for us, isn’t she?” Eli murmured.
“Yeah, she is,” Kellan said gruffly. “Kiss her.”
Eli shot him a look. He didn’t usually take orders from his brother. But he could see that Kellan was only doing this because he couldn’t bring himself to touch her.
Not yet.
Eli shook his head at him, but since he wanted nothing more than to kiss their girl, he decided to get onto it.
Bending down, he licked his tongue across her lower lip before kissing her again. His tongue danced across hers and to his relief he felt her respond.
Fuck. He never wanted this kiss to end.