Chapter 3
three
Andrew
What the fuck just happened?
I drop Jaclyn’s hand like it’s burned me, and I instantly miss her touch.
Her pupils dilate as her pale eyes meet mine.
It’s too dark out here to see more than that, but it seems, from the way she’s rubbing her palm against her thigh, that she felt the same thing.
Is this how Asher felt with Emma? Aaric with Hannah?
It wasn’t this way with Adam and Rebekah; they’d known each other for years.
“Is everything okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Her voice is soft. It slides over my skin like silk, leaving goosebumps in its wake.
Shit. I’ve been staring at her like some kind of demented asshole. “I’m sorry. Just taken by surprise. I’d been prepared to welcome a male, and you are decidedly not. I’m Andrew Gallant, but I think you already know that, don’t you?”
Jaclyn giggles and nods. It’s the most precious sound I’ve ever heard. What the hell is going on? I’ve never reacted with anyone this way, and definitely never a woman.
She dips her head, then lifts her face back up. “Well, thank goodness. I’d hate to think I’ve been wrong all these years. Whew. I’m happy we avoided that mess.” Her snark is subtle. Considering her legs are shaking, she’s either scared or worried; she’s brave, too.
“I’m definitely not disappointed.”
“Are you going to invite the girl in, or are we going to stand out here all night?” Adrian’s voice cuts me off before I can say more.
He’s right, I need to get her inside so we can talk, but I’m still going to beat him later.
With a slight shake of my head, I force a smile.
Instant attraction or not, I don’t know if this woman is trying to hurt my family.
My guard needs to stay firmly in place until I figure out her motivation—and whether JNG is in jeopardy.
“Yeah, let’s get inside before you get eaten alive.”
Her eyebrows rise, but she just nods and reaches for her suitcase, which the driver set beside her before taking off. We keep him on retainer for times like this, when we need someone brought to us without an easy way to leave on their own. Ubers rarely come up the mountain.
“I’ll take that for you.” Grabbing the handle of her bag, I direct her toward the porch. When she hesitates, her gaze bouncing between my brothers and me, I add, “Don’t worry, we don’t bite.”
Adrian, the smart ass, adds with a chuckle, “Unless you ask.”
Asshole. He’s just begging for me to pound on him right now.
“You’re safe. I know we’re big guys, but—”
Jaclyn blows out a breath, and her shoulders sag. “You’re not what I imagined.”
“I can’t wait to hear more when we get inside.”
I’m not sure I’ll get her to tell me what she thought she’d find here, but I am dying to know, and not just that—but everything about Jaclyn Tanner.
As she makes her way toward the porch stairs, I can’t pull my eyes away from her.
She moves with grace, and the subtle sway of her ass already has my cock standing at attention.
While she’s in front of me, I reach into my dress slacks and adjust my cock to keep it from pushing against the zipper.
Aaron’s smirk tells me it didn’t go unnoticed.
Fuck. My brothers are going to be the death of me.
When we step over the threshold and into the foyer, Aaron faces Jaclyn. It’s the first time she’s in bright enough light to see her clearly. His surprised gaze wanders over her and it makes me want to growl. Clearly, I’m losing my mind. How the hell can I be possessive of a woman I don’t even know?
“Welcome to Gallant Mountain, Ms. Tanner.” At least he sounds like the gentleman our mother raised us to be—unlike Adrian and me, but we’ll fix that shortly.
“Thank you, I think.” Her head is on a swivel as she takes in the main house. “I’m not sure why I’m here, though,” she says.
“We’ll explain in a few minutes. Did you need to use the restroom?”
“No, I’m good. Thanks.” Before mumbling, “Let’s just get this over with.”
Turning to hide my grin, I say, “Okay, then let’s have a chat before dinner. This way.” I apply gentle pressure to the small of her back, urging her toward the family room.
I lead her into the room and try to picture it through her eyes.
It’s large, bigger than the house we grew up in.
We created an open floor plan, enlarged the footprint, and built a secret underground level where most of my brothers work.
Adrian and I are the only ones who have offices on this level.
It’s part of the safety measures we built in to ensure the fire that took our parents’ lives will never happen again.
Everything is fire-safe. We added fire doors for each room and a suppression system throughout the house.
We set up the security room and other offices downstairs.
It’s only accessible via a biometric scanner hidden in the kitchen pantry.
There’s a full-size bunker down there, decked out with supplies to last at least a year should the impossible happen.
My parents instilled in us the prepper mentality and their love of nature.
We still need to furnish the guest rooms and the dining room, but we’ve finished all the other rooms. My parents used to call us for meetings in the family room, and we’ve kept the practice, out of habit more than anything else.
When we get to the family room, I nod to my brothers.
We’ve already discussed how we’re going to handle this discussion when we thought J.
Tanner was a man. But on some level, we’re a bunch of neanderthals, so we’ll treat Jaclyn more gently.
I won’t have my mother spinning in her grave because we were rude to a woman.
“Sit anywhere you’d like.”
Jaclyn drops into a chair beside the custom leather, super-sized sectional. Aaron assumes his usual spot, leaning against the flagstone fireplace. It’s not lit tonight, it’s still too warm.
Adrian takes a seat on the couch and stretches his arms along the back. He looks relaxed, but he’s good at masking his emotions. As our head of security, he’s the most suspicious of all of us.
I am already missing her warmth against my palm, so I sit on the coffee table in front of her to be as close as possible.
We surround her, and the increase in the pulse visibly beating at the base of her neck shows she’s nervous.
Whether she should be remains to be seen.
I won’t lie to myself, though. I pray she’s innocent of all the things I thought because she’s mine, and I don’t intend to let her go.
“Did you send me an email, Jaclyn?”
She leans forward and tucks a loose strand of hair that’s escaped from her ponytail behind her ear, then laces her fingers together.
I know she’s uneasy, maybe even terrified, so I give her a moment to find her words.
But I won’t wait forever. I’m a patient man, but I have my limits.
And after the past week of trying to figure out the wasp nest she dumped in my lap, it’s running thin.
It’s easy to get lost in her clear blue gaze, like the palest sky on a summer day.
Her lashes are long and thick, though it could be makeup.
None of my sisters-in-law wears much, but Jaclyn is from California, an entirely different world.
Her dark brown hair looks like melted chocolate.
I can’t wait to wrap her long tresses around my hand and hold her still as I ravish her mouth.
Fuck. I need to keep my head in the game. Although if I believe the message my gut is giving me, she’s innocent of anything other than discovering the discrepancy. Still, it’s not a chance I can take with my family’s lives.
Jaclyn straightens her shoulders and clenches her jaw before meeting my gaze. “Yes, I sent it. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble. But, obviously…” She gestures with her hands. “Since I’m here, it was the wrong thing to do.”
After releasing a sigh, I lean back when I realize how close I am to taking her hand.
“It wasn’t the wrong thing. Not at all. Your instincts were good.
That addendum is wrong. I would never have signed a contract containing it.
But that leaves the question: why write to me?
Why not take this to Ronald Snyder or one of your other coworkers?
Your email said you didn’t trust him. Can you tell us why? ”
I’ve been struggling with these questions for a week, and I need answers. Now. But I doubt I’ll be getting any from Jaclyn. Which leaves a mystery that we need to solve, and fast.
Jaclyn tenses and her fingers clench in her lap.
Briefly, she closes her eyes then exhales like she’s trying to settle herself.
“Honestly, it’s just a gut feeling. As soon as I hit send on that email, I knew it was a mistake.
I’ve been waiting to be fired all week. I’m just surprised you dragged me all the way here to do it. ”
My stomach twists at the worry and remorse in her expression.
There’s more background here. I didn’t bother to pull her employment file.
I know nothing about where she came from or her education.
This has never been my forte—it’s Adrian’s.
This is my fault, damn it. I should have brought him in on this right away.
When I look toward Adrian, he gives me a blank expression, leaving it to me to deal with for now. Great. Aaron just shrugs. Neither is helping. Where are the smart remarks from earlier?
“You’re not getting fired, Sweetpea.” The words slip out without thought, but they feel right. It’s reinforced when her cheeks flush a soft pink, matching the flower I just called her.
“I’m not? Then why am I here? Are you going to kill me? I have friends who will miss me, you know. They know I’m here.” Her words spill out of her mouth as the pulse in her neck beats double-time.
“Do we really look like murderers to you?” Adrian chuckles.
My girl is shaking and terrified. Unable to resist, I stand and lift her out of the chair, sitting down with her in my lap.
Her body stiffens, and her “eep” is adorable.
After a few heartbeats, she relaxes against my chest. This is a mistake.
She’ll probably report me to HR the first chance she gets.
She’s an attorney for our company. I’m holding her in my arms like someone precious who needs protecting. I’ve obviously lost my ever-loving mind, but honestly, I don’t give a rat’s ass.
Leaning down, I whisper into her ear, “It will be okay. I promise you’re okay. No one is going to hurt you. You’re safe here and always will be.”
She nods against my chest, and I’ve never felt more content in my life. Then, she looks up at me. “You should probably put me down.”
Even though she doesn’t pull away, I know she’s right.
I should let her go. Fuck. Actually, I should call our driver to take her back to the plane so she can fly home to Sunnyvale—far away from me.
Except she’s awoken a protective instinct in me I didn’t know existed.
Sure, I’ve had my share of women, but none have roused this soul-deep need to hold on to her forever.
Can I explain it? No, but it changes nothing. She’s mine. Now I need to convince her.
“Why don’t we take a break for tonight and have some dinner?
” Aaron says, drawing my attention to him.
He tips his head toward the kitchen, and I hear the others getting dinner ready for everyone.
We eat together most nights; having an unexpected guest won’t change that, even if we don’t have as many answers as I’d like.
“That’s a good idea.”
“We’ll let everyone know Jaclyn will be joining us,” Adrian says before he and Aaron leave us alone.
“Are you hungry, Jaclyn?” When we’re alone, I dip my face to look at her face. Her hair brushes against my cheek—it’s as soft as I expected. As I inhale her sweet floral scent, it makes me smile, realizing I picked the perfect nickname.
“No, not really. I can just go to my room.” No sooner do the words leave her mouth than her stomach growls, betraying the lie.
Holding her close, I stand and slowly lower her to the floor, but don’t release her until I think she’s steady.
Am I being over the top? Probably. Again, I don’t care.
Something about this woman calls to my Daddy Dom side, something I’d given up finding years ago.
“Are you sure?” I tip her head up so she can see my smile.
She sighs. “Maybe I could eat a little. Who are the others? Your other brothers?”
“Yes, we meet here a few times a week for a family dinner. None of us actually lives in this house, though. I’ll explain after dinner. You’ve met Adrian and Aaron. Aaric and his wife, Hannah, and their baby girl, Adam and his wife Rebekah, and Asher and his wife Emma will be there, too.”
“They’re married? Three of them? Wow. Wait till my coworkers aka the gossipy lunch crowd finds out about this.”
“Nope, they won’t be finding out. If you haven’t figured it out already, we’re very private, and I intend to keep it that way. If the outside world hears about it, it will be when we decide to tell them.”
“I didn’t mean I’d tell them. I don’t gossip, just listen.” Her cheeks turn magenta again, and I grin.
“It’s okay, I’m not worried.” Because she’s never going back if I have my way, and I always get my way. “Let’s go eat before you starve to death.”
I take her hand in mine, fully expecting her to pull away. When she doesn’t, warmth spreads inside my chest.
“Are you sure I shouldn’t just go to my room?
This is going to be awkward,” she whispers as we approach the kitchen and see the family setting out dinner.
Since we still haven’t found the right dining room table, we always eat at the island.
When we drew up plans for the house, we put in the huge island for this purpose.
Eating together keeps us close. We eat in our own cabins sometimes, but usually we’re all gathered here—one large, boisterous bunch.
The open floor plan means she can see everyone, even if Jaclyn didn’t already hear them.
My family isn’t quiet. Growing up, six boys were loud; six grown men are much noisier.
Add in three chatty women and a baby, and it’s sometimes hard to follow any of the conversations.
It’ll be interesting to see how Jaclyn handles herself with the rest of my family.
I trust Aaron or Adrian will warn the rest of the family not to confront Jaclyn, not that I’m really worried about it, except for Asher.
He’s always the wildcard. Still, I won’t have her attacked.
Even though she’s no longer shaking, I can sense her fear and uncertainty.
I wish I could pull her back into my arms and hold her until she feels safe—until she knows she’ll never have to worry again, because I’m never letting her go.