Shayla Black - Theirs to Cherish

“That’s not going to happen,” Sean vowed softly. “If you still want to leave once you’re safe, I’ll take you wherever you want to go and leave you with my well wishes.”

If he wanted to arrest her, would he really make that offer? He’d have to be the worst kind of con artist . . . and foolish or not, Callie just couldn’t believe that about him.

Thorpe stared, his face closed up tight. “Until then, you’re staying here with us. We intend to keep you safe and solve this mystery. You can count on that, pet.”

Their selflessness—along with a hefty dose of guilt—flogged her all over again.

“Guys, please.” Tears prickled her eyes. “I don’t want you to do something that will destroy your future.”

“We don’t want you running for the rest of your life. And I don’t want to have this conversation again. Our decision won’t change. If we have to keep you against your will . . .” Thorpe shrugged.

“You can’t do that forever. You both have lives.” She sighed tiredly. “Mine is screwed, but yours don’t have to be. I can’t prove that I didn’t kill my father and sister. The crime is way cold, and no amount of investigating now is going to—”

“The FBI doesn’t want to arrest you,” Sean cut in.

“What?” She couldn’t have heard that right.

“If the bureau took an interest in this case and wanted you behind bars, you’d already be locked up. I was just sent to watch you, look for any clues, nothing more. They wouldn’t give me that directive if they believed you’d committed a terrible crime.”

The news impacted her like a two-ton bomb, both blowing her away and creating one hell of a crater in her thoughts. “The Chicago police still have an APB out on me.”

“They want to question you, but that’s not my jurisdiction. I only care about my orders. Uncle Sam hasn’t given me any indication that you’re regarded as a criminal.”

Callie blinked. She wasn’t actually wanted for murder? After nine years, she didn’t even know how to process that possibility. “Then why the huge bounty on my head? Because of that, I almost bit an assassin’s bullet in Birmingham. I literally ran out of Arkansas with a pair of bounty-hunting goons chasing me. I’ve crossed paths with both sorts over the years and—”

“Both are definitely after you, pet,” Thorpe cut in.

“And I think someone powerful is behind the bounty or I wouldn’t have been assigned to keep tabs on you.”

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I wasn’t at liberty to blow my cover, lovely. I’m still not . . . but I won’t lose you.”

“We’ll have a nice long chat about everything later,” Thorpe cut in. “In fact, we’re going to talk about many things. For now, believe that you’re not going to jail and that you can trust us with your life. Other than that, we’re not saying another word until you’ve showered and eaten.”

“Well put,” Sean agreed, slapping Thorpe on the back.

When had they become the Domination Duo, able to command shivering subs with a single glance? Weirdly, they not only seemed able to tolerate one another, they functioned like a team.

“Understood?” Thorpe asked.

Callie gaped at them. She didn’t have any illusions that she’d find the conversation pleasant. She knew it would be pointless. After all, she was accustomed to living alone, running and hiding for her life. The guys were tough, but not cut out for that life.

“If you want to help, then let me have a car and fifty bucks. You go home and try to figure out who wants me dead. Once that threat is stopped, then . . .” What? She’d just look them up? In another ten years, they’d probably both be married with kids and wives who wouldn’t appreciate a Callie blast from the past. “Then I’ll be safe.”

Sean and Thorpe exchanged a glance. “I appreciate your independence, lovely—to a point. But not when it comes to danger. Until now, you’ve done well keeping yourself safe, but you won’t be doing it alone anymore.”

“That’s final. Don’t ever run from us again,” Thorpe added.

Like she could keep that promise. “A-all right.”

“All right, Sir? Isn’t that what you meant?” Thorpe raised a demanding brow. “Not only did your response lack conviction, it was also short on respect. Unacceptable, pet.”

Callie cast her gaze down. A thousand thoughts thundered through her head. They’d spent time and money, encountered violence and put themselves on the line to help her. Yes, it was for nothing. They were being stubborn, bossy, foolish, and pig-headed. And she wanted to throttle them. But she also hadn’t thanked them for all they’d tried to do for her, much less shown respect.

Both flustered and humbled, she looked from Thorpe’s forbidding countenance to Sean’s questioning stare. Easier to start where she could see a little softness. Then she’d figure out how to proceed from there.

She rose to her knees on the mattress and scooted closer, lifting her arms to Sean. “Thank you. I’ve put you through a lot. I know what you’ve risked. I wish you hadn’t.”

He crushed her against him. “I told you why, Callie. I love you.”

So easy-breezy for him to just put it out there. She’d never had the luxury of saying those words openly to anyone. They implied the promise of tomorrows she’d never had.

Callie could only hope that somehow her life wasn’t doomed to end badly. Even if it was, she had his affection and devotion right now. How many years had she spent utterly alone and aching for someone to give a shit about her? Too many to count.

Was she really going to throw it away? Couldn’t she have them for a day or two? Couldn’t she give Sean the love filling her heart in return? Thorpe the obedience and devotion he deserved?

“I fell for you at Dominion.” She cupped Sean’s cheek and met the sincerity of his blue stare, so open. His dashing little smile creased the corners of his eyes and lifted her heart. “I love you, too.”

Sean caressed a broad hand down her tangled hair, deepening the connection of their stares. Inside, she could feel him, his caring, his understanding. She’d been lucky when the FBI assigned him to watch over her and had a feeling that he always would if she let him.

Now for the hard part. Callie only hoped that Sean would understand that her feelings for Thorpe didn’t mean that she cared for him less.

She drew in a shaky breath and turned to Thorpe, already searching for the words to tell him how grateful she was for all he’d done and somehow confess everything he meant to her. Before she could unscramble her thoughts, Thorpe zipped around and strode out the door, shutting it with careful quiet behind him.

CALLIE’S heart dropped in a sickening fall. Guilt flayed her again. Damn it, she hadn’t meant to hurt Thorpe’s feelings.

“I need to . . .” What? Apologize to Sean for also being in love with Thorpe? Say she was sorry for moving beyond carrying an unrequited torch for her protector? Sean didn’t want to hear her pour out her feelings for Thorpe any more than her former boss wanted to hear her wax poetic about the fed she’d once called her Dom. Could this get any more complicated? “I didn’t mean to make him uncomfortable.”

“You didn’t. Thorpe is just beating himself up. He wants to tell you that he loves you, too. But he’s afraid.”

Those words stunned her. Presumably, Sean had spoken in English, but it might as well have been Greek. How would he know anything about Thorpe’s feelings? Why would he care? And how did he have it so wrong?

“No.” Callie stepped back, shaking her head. “Thorpe doesn’t love me like that.”

“He does, exactly as I do. Like a man loves a woman. He’s got a hang-up or two, I gather, but he loves you. Just like you love him.”

With a little gasp, she blinked up at him, struggling to find words beyond her shock. He’d figured that out and he wasn’t furious? “Oh, Sean. I’m so sorry if I’ve hurt you. I don’t know what to say. I—”

“You can’t apologize for your heart.” He kissed her forehead. “I’ve known that you love us both for a while. So has he. Would I enjoy having you to myself? Of course. But I’ve asked myself long and hard what you need. Thorpe gives you something I can’t.”

She clung to him, grabbing his arms. “But you give me things he doesn’t. I don’t want to lose—”

“I know, lovely. You won’t. What sort of man would I be if I put my own anxiety and jealousy above your fulfillment?”

Callie stared up at him in wonder, blinking through a sheen of tears. “You amaze me.”

He gave her a sad smile. “The world hasn’t shown you a lot of kindness, so you don’t expect it in others. You’ve had so much taken from you. If I have to bend my pride to be the one to finally make you whole, I’ll be fine.”

A sudden thump sounded just outside their insulated little galley, and they both turned to see Thorpe shaking his hand . . . like he’d just punched the wall and hurt his knuckles.

Her heart ached for him, but he’d walled himself off from her. He’d always been an island, never quite letting others close. She couldn’t help him if he wouldn’t let her behind his defenses.

“I think he’s been worried that you’ll leave him, Callie. You wouldn’t be the first woman to do it. And he seems to believe that he’s a bit too old and rough around the edges for you. He just needs a little reassurance. You’ll have to give it to him.”

Callie blinked up at Sean, who smiled softly. Was he for real?

“You won’t feel betrayed?”

“What good would it do me?” He shrugged. “Having two of us to protect you makes sense. If I force you to choose between us, not only could I lose you altogether, but I think you’d only be halfway happy. I never thought it possible for someone to love two people at once, but when I see you with us, I know you sincerely do. Not sure yet how everything will work in the ‘real’ world, but let’s get you past this danger and we’ll see.”

Her heart nearly burst open. Callie hadn’t thought she could love Sean even more. But she’d been wrong. She tightened her arms around him. “How do you understand me so well?”

He chuckled and cupped her cheek. “I’ve been studying you for a year now. You’ve been my life. And maybe my obsession a wee bit. From the start, I wanted to be jealous of your connection with Thorpe, and maybe I should be. But I’ve seen how, when he and I work together, we balance one another to make your world right. I think that will make us both happier in turn.”

Callie teared up again. “I don’t know how to thank you for being so wonderful and—”

“You can start with a shower.” Sean grimaced. “Get that God-awful inch of makeup off your face. Have Thorpe help you. Tell him to be sure you get nice and clean. Then . . . we’ll see what happens. Just don’t take no for an answer.” With a wink, he turned her, smacked her ass, and sent her in the other man’s direction. “Go.”

* * *

THORPE couldn’t stop the jealousy rolling through him like an ugly black cloud. It wasn’t because she loved Sean. He’d known that. And he could actually admit that the fed was not only a decent guy, but good for her.

What made him resentful as hell was that he couldn’t be that open with her about his feelings. Not once in three years of marriage had he been able to tell Melissa that he loved her. It wasn’t like he didn’t know why.

He sighed. A tenderhearted girl like Callie would need that reassurance. He didn’t have it in him. Sean had given him the green light to fuck her, so Thorpe would damn well take advantage of that golden opportunity whenever possible. But it couldn’t lead anywhere.

All too soon, he’d be forty, and she’d barely be through her mid-twenties. Sean suited her better from an age perspective. Callie looked happy with the other man. Because she meant everything to him, Thorpe refused to burden her with his bottled-up heart. When they untangled her from the mess that had ripped her world apart for years, he would quietly support Sean and fade into the background.

But he’d never stop loving her.

When Callie approached him on deck, the wind whipping her dark hair around her shoulders, he closed his eyes. Looking at her and knowing that he’d already lost her was killing him.

“Mitchell?” She touched a hand to his arm.

No one ever called him that . . . except her, except when her mood was soft. The sound of his name on her lips was like a siren song. Her sweet caress clutched his heart and sent desire sizzling up his arm, streaking under his skin.