Chapter Five
Jayla was starting to rouse when Beau walked back in the door.
He watched Diego for a minute, astounded by a softness in him he’d never had before.
They’d grown up together in an orphanage and had been together ever since.
They had tried to separate them a few times, putting them with foster families, but the boys made so much trouble, they were always sent back to the orphanage.
He could honestly say he’d never seen Diego this happy. He listened as Diego murmured to Jayla.
“Oh, my God. I’m so sorry, Diego,” Jayla said when she realized she was still on his lap. “You could have put me down.” She started to frown. “In fact, why am I still on your lap?”
Diego smiled, pushed the hair off her face, and tucked it behind her ear. “Because I wanted...”
Jayla rolled her eyes and nodded. “Yeah, yeah. You wanted to. I got it. I need to get up. I’m tightening up.”
Diego carefully lifted her to her feet but stayed a step behind in case she started to fall.
She looked back over her shoulder. “What are you doing?”
Diego’s mouth twisted. “Just in case you start to fall.”
Jayla rolled her eyes. “I’m perfectly able to walk on my own. I’m not an invalid, just bruised.”
Diego threw Beau a quick smile. “That reminds me. I need to check on your burn an—”
“Absolutely not,” Jayla stated firmly before he finished.
Beau stood back against a wall, shook his head, and waited for the scene in front of him to play out.
“Absolutely yes,” Diego said.
Jayla turned around and poked Diego in the chest with her finger. “No. I’ll do it myself.”
Diego looked shocked.
“I mean it, Diego. Do you know where it is, for God’s sake?” Her eyes narrowed when she saw his smile widen. “Listen, Diego. I can see it clearly in the mirror.”
Diego grasped her shoulders and bent to see her eyes. “It’s going to happen.” He started to panic when her eyes filled with tears. No fucking way. This shit ain’t happening. “Stop that shit right now,” he barked.
Jayla looked startled and sniffed. “What?”
“The tears. I hate seeing them in your eyes, so you won’t ever cry in front of me.”
Jayla snorted out a laugh, then sniffed. “But that’s ridiculous. Of course, I’m going to cry, and if you don’t like it, leave.”
Diego scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. “Oh, no, sweetheart. I’m warning you now, if you cry, I’ll spank your ass red.”
Jayla looked at Beau. “Is he for real right now?”
Diego stiffened. “That’s not going to work. You can’t pit us against each other.”
Jayla’s grip on the blanket tightened. “For God’s sake, I don’t know where that came from. You’re just confusing the hell out of me. Now, I’m going to the bathroom.” She thought she’d gotten away until Diego spoke.
“When you’re done, we’ll check the wound.”
Jayla walked into the bathroom, slammed the door, and screamed in frustration.
Beau chuckled and shook his head. “Are you trying to drive her crazy?”
Diego looked shocked. “What? No. I just want her to get used to us.”
“It’s the first day. Let’s not push it this hard. You’re making her feel very uncomfortable. Don’t forget what she just went through.”
He would never forget what happened, and he’d give anything to be able to put his hands around the guys’ necks that hurt her. Diego nodded as he pulled several things from a bag and set them on the table in front of the sofa.
Diego pounded on the door. “Jayla. It’s going to get done.”
“Shit,” she hissed. Sooner than she thought.
“Listen, sweetheart, Beau, and I will do it, so it’s the only thing we see. Okay? I give you my promise, and if it helps, the director trusts us.”
It did, but she’d never admit it. Jayla took a deep breath. “I’m coming.” She opened the door quickly and just about ran into his chest. He was standing so close to the doorway. He moved to the side and let her walk past him.
“Lie on the sofa.”
“What! Can’t we d...”
Diego shook his head and pointed. “This is not something you want to mess with, Jayla. If infection sets in, it’s so close to your heart, it would kill you before a hospital could fight it. Please lie down.”
Jayla let out a frustrated breath, then moved to the sofa and sat with her back to the cushion.
“No, you have to lie down.”
Her expression was like daggers. She lay down and put her head on the pillow. Her nerves set in when both men crouched next to her.
“Where is it, Jayla?”
She pointed to the side of her breast.
Diego looked at her. “Okay. What way would make you feel the most comfortable?”
“Letting me do it.”
“Besides letting you do it.”
Beau caught her attention. “We would never harm you, sweetheart. Your godfath—I mean, the director—would have never put you anywhere near us if he thought we’d hurt you.”
Jayla chuckled. “Oh, you’d be surprised.” She ignored their questioning looks and started rearranging her blanket. “Let’s get it over with.”
“First, I’d like to look at your ribs.” Diego rolled his eyes when she shook her head. “Jayla, this is taking so much longer than it should. Now let’s push the blanket just under your ribs, and I’ll raise...”
“No, I’ll unbutton the lower half of the shirt.”
Diego snorted, and Beau laughed.
Beau nodded. “That’ll work.”
Jayla was very careful about keeping the blanket in place as she unbuttoned two buttons. “That’s good, right?”
Diego shook his head. “You’re acting like a scared little virgin, instead of a grown woman.”
Jayla tried to chuckle and kept her eyes from Beau’s intense scrutiny.
“Now hold still.” Diego parted the fabric enough to see the bruise from the vicious kick she received. “Jesus. It’s a miracle you didn’t break anything. This bruise is massive.”
Beau looked on, handing things to Diego when he needed them.
The rest of the time, he watched the expressions on Jayla’s face.
He hadn’t liked her look when Diego had talked about a virgin.
If he had to guess, and he didn’t want to, he’d guess she was a virgin, and if that was true, it changed things.
She was almost twenty-five years old. Who’s a virgin at that age nowadays?
If, no, when Diego found out, it wasn’t going to be pretty.
It would be hard not to have her. Everything about her appealed to them.
Diego smiled at Jayla. “See. That wasn’t so bad. Let’s get the other one done so you can go to sleep.”
Jayla turned to the side and moved the opening in the shirt to the burn. “Can you see it?”
Beau was trying really hard not to let his anger out, but it was next to impossible to hide it. It was a relatively small burn, but to brand this little woman and mark such beautiful skin was horrific. He cleared his throat. “Yes, I can see it. Just hold it there.”
Jayla lifted her head and watched as he cleaned the burn. “See, it’s not bad.”
Diego kept his head down to hide his anger. “It’s still a third-degree burn, Jayla. It can get infected.” He had to take several deep breaths to distinguish the anger vibrating inside him.
He applied the last bit of tape and covered her. He was surprised at how plump her breasts were. He could tell without seeing the whole breast she was more than a handful, just the way he liked them.
“It’s done.”
Jayla released the silent breath she’d been holding and buttoned up her shirt.
Diego handed her a few pills and a glass of water. “You need to take these.”
She shook her head.
“It’s an antibiotic and a pain pill.”
“I’ll take the antibiotic.”
“You’ll take both,” Beau informed her.
“But...”
“Jesus, woman,” Diego bit out. “Are you going to fight us over everything?”
“I...” she said and exhaled. She did need more sleep. She held out her hand. She tossed the pills in her mouth and swallowed them down with water. “There.”
Diego rolled his eyes.
“Now, let’s get you to bed,” Beau said and bent to lift her.
She held her arms out, then pulled them quickly back. “No, wait. Why can’t I sleep here on the sofa or in the chair?”
Beau’s brows pinched together. “Because there’s a perfectly good bed over there.”
“But it’s huge. I don’t need that much space. You guys would have to take the sofa, and where will the other go?”
Beau grinned. “We were planning on all of us sharing the bed.”
“Absolutely not.”
Diego rolled his eyes behind the sofa. “Here we go again.”
“Shut up, Diego,” Jayla grumbled.
Both men’s eyebrows went up.
Beau sat facing her, next to her hip on the sofa, and put one arm on the back of it. “Think about this. How can we protect you if you’re here, and we’re over there?” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder at the bed.
She could feel a trembling in her core start to spread, heating her body. She wasn’t an idiot. She knew her body wanted both of them, but they’d just met, and she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to choose one over the other. “But it’s not that far.”
“Jayla,” Beau’s voice turned hard.
Jayla let out a sigh, and after a slight pause, raised her arms again.
Beau got her tucked into the middle of the bed, rolled in one blanket, and tucked under several more. “We’ll be by the fire or right outside the door.”
Jayla nodded and then closed her eyes. Her fatigue was taking over again, making it hard to keep her eyes open.
The last thing she heard was the murmur of their voices.