Blackmailed (24 page)

“I’m fine.” She laughed, all teary and snotty, and kissed them both on

the cheek.

“Is it safe to come in, or are you guys doing something nasty I don’t

want to see?” Scott spoke from the doorway he was leaning against,

smug smile stretched across his face.

“Very funny, Scottie. Don’t want to see. I’ll give you something you

don’t want to see.”

“Did you ask yet?” He turned to Cole.

Amazing. “Yes.”

“What’d she say?” His eyes glittered with laughter.

“Just what you said she would.”

Scottie chuckled.

“Why did you already know about this, and what did you say I would

say?” She crossed the room to take Scottie’s arm and swatted him on the

shoulder.

“That you would say no because of me, and I know about this

because Cole told me yesterday while you were busy talking with your

shoe.”

She swatted him again with a “humph”.

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Annmarie McKenna

“Damn I wish I had seen this shoe incident.” Tyler set his bowl in the

sink after rinsing it out and headed for the door. The indignant Bri

slapped him on the way.

She sat at the table and groaned. “I don’t handle pain medication

well, you asses.”

Three male voices chuckled and responded, “We know.”

Brianna stared at herself in the mirror she’d found attached to the

back of the judge’s door, butterflies tickling her tummy. The grotesque

bruise mottled her temple, spreading down to her cheekbone. No amount

of makeup could completely cover it.

She was wearing a dress identical to the one she’d been attacked in,

minus the rips and blood. It was Ty’s favorite, and he wanted to see her

wearing it on her wedding day.

Her wedding day. It was not going the way she had envisioned her

dream day would go. There was no church brimming with friends and

family, not that she had any, no flowers, no music and no reception hall

to dance the night away. The only thing there definitely would be was a

wedding night. Albeit with two grooms.
More meat for me.

She smiled at herself. At no time in her life had she thought about

being with two men at one time. Now she couldn’t imagine it any other

way. They’d each shared some fabulous one on one’s, but G-O-D, the

times when they were all together. Mmm-mmm.

“You’re beautiful, little one.”

Brianna spun around to see Tyler in the doorway, his hands behind

his back. “Sheesh, you scared the hell out of me Ty.”

“Sorry. I brought you these.” He pulled his arms forward to reveal a

bouquet of gorgeous tulips and lilies.

Flowers. He’d brought her flowers just when she was thinking

nothing would be normal about her wedding. Her throat clogged and her

eyes watered. She shouldn’t have doubted either one of them would let

her feel less than important today.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

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Blackmailed

He came toward her, holding the flowers in front of him. The tulips

were white and pink, and the lilies, bright pink Stargazers. Scottie must

have told them what her favorites were because he’d hit the nail on the

head.

She shook her head. “Nothing,” she burst out, unaware she’d been

holding her breath.

He hugged her, pulling her into a strong, yet tender embrace and

kissed her forehead, making her laugh. She had two very yummy, sexual

men who adored her. What more could she ask for?

Scottie’s safety, that’s what. After Caroline’s threatening words at

Tonio’s, Brianna couldn’t help but be afraid for her brother. Her lungs

seized in her chest, tightening and squeezing painfully. The elephant was

back, something she experienced rarely in the arms of Cole and Tyler,

where she felt free and truly happy for the first time in her life.

“Damn it, Bri, where’s your inhaler?”

She pointed to the antique desk where she’d laid her bag when she’d

been given this office to prepare for the ceremony.

“Sit down before you fall down.”

Her breath wheezed in and out as she tried to force air through

passageways which were closing themselves off. She sat in the leather

armchair in front of the desk and put her arms in the air.

“Here.” Tyler returned to her, holding the inhaler.

Thankfully he held it to her lips because she didn’t think she could,

the way her hands were shaking so much. She held the first puff with as

deep a breath as she could draw and immediately felt the tension ease. A

second puff had her collapsing in the chair in relief.

“Better, little one?” Tyler knelt in front of her and rubbed her thighs

beneath the silky skirt.

His touch ignited something deep in her belly, warming her pussy. He

smiled, the arrogant beast.

“We can’t do that right now, you naughty girl,” he said smugly.

“You’re about to get married.”

Brianna dropped her head back and savored the feel of his hands on

the sensitive skin of her inner thighs.

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Annmarie McKenna

The door opened again. Scottie poked his head through the crack.

“It’s time.”

“You ready, little one?” Tyler winked at her.

She nodded at him, then groaned. “Yes, we’ll be right there, Scottie.”

He shut the door, a smirk splitting his face. She sighed and faced Ty.

“Ty, are you sure you’re okay with this? I mean, with me marrying

Cole.” She was nervous all around. If she or Cole hurt Ty’s feelings or

made him feel like an outsider, she’d never be able to forgive herself.

“Cole and I have already talked about this, Bri. We’re both good with

the way things are going to be. I may not be able to wear a ring or

introduce you as my wife, but,” he took her hand and placed it over his

chest, “in here, you’ll always be mine too.”

Her eyes watered. She loved them both so much. Unbelievable after

knowing them for only half a week.

“Besides…” he continued, his eyes sparkling with mischief, “…what if

I find a wife of my own someday?”

Brianna’s mouth dropped open. Her heart pounded against her ribs.

She hadn’t even thought about that possibility. The loss of him in their

bed would be monumental, because no way could she stand by and

watch while he made love to another woman, let alone participate.

Her body shook with the image.
And how selfish is that?
Especially

when he and Cole shared her with all their love. But they never touched

each other, so asking her to be with another woman… No way, uh-uh.

“Don’t think so much, Bri, you’ll get a headache.”

She snapped her jaw shut. “I wasn’t…I… It’s just…”

“Hey.” He cupped the back of her head and grinned at her. “I’m not

talking about you being with another woman.”

She raised an eyebrow. He lifted one of his own right back at her.

“Because, as much as most men may fantasize about two chicks

together, I assure you, I don’t. Cole and I have been this way for a long

time. It suits us both, makes us complete somehow, but I have never,

nor will ever, want to touch him in a sexual way.” He gave a mock shiver

and winked at her. “Except when we’re both inside of you.”

Brianna slapped him on the shoulder.

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“You’re incorrigible.”

“Ditto.”

“Ugh.”

“Come on, little one, let’s go make you a wife.”

It seemed the ceremony was over before any of them could blink.

Tyler stood with Bri on the steps of the marble justice building. He felt

better having his SIG Sauer safely resting at the small of his back once

again. Earlier he’d handed it and his permit to the guard, lest they not be

admitted to the inner sanctum of the courthouse because of regulations.

“That went well,” Tyler mumbled. Bri was quiet, almost subdued next

to him. Who could blame her? She’d been through hell this week, being

blackmailed and attacked. Then she married a man who, besides his

sexual preferences, was a virtual stranger. Okay two men, he conceded,

because like he’d told her earlier, he considered himself her husband in

every way. He only hoped she did too.

To top it off, she’d gotten married in front of a judge and Scottie,

who’d already taken off with their limo driver. Probably not the idea of

every little girl’s dream wedding. They’d change that, Ty promised

himself. Just as soon as all this messy business was cleared up.

As of right now, they were no closer to knowing the identity of her

attacker, though they strongly suspected Caroline was somehow behind

it. He had tried to track her down after the incident in the boutique

yesterday, but had come up empty. She had probably guessed that Bri

would tell Cole what had happened in the restroom, and had wisely

disappeared off the face of the Earth. Looking for an alibi, no doubt,

biding her time until Cole’s blood stopped boiling over her

possessiveness. Surely the viper wasn’t stupid enough to think they

wouldn’t catch her.

How many times had he tried to warn Cole about her? Now look what

happened. She’d threatened Brianna like the selfish snob she was.

He hated the small amount of vulnerability not finding her presented.

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Annmarie McKenna

Ty swung his gaze up and down the street. There was nothing

unusual. There hadn’t been yesterday either, and for the lapse in his

judgment, he could shoot himself.

Bri shifted beside him with what seemed like anxiousness. “Where

did Cole park anyway, East Bufu?” she asked.

“Seems like it,” he granted. He’d been wondering that too. Maybe they

should go back inside.

“There he is.” Bri pointed at the same time Tyler spotted their ride.

“I see him.”

Cole’s black SUV turned the corner about two blocks up and Ty put

his hand on Bri’s back to usher her down the steps. They stopped at the

curb and waited while Cole sat through a red light.

The hairs on the back of his neck tingled. He had his hand on the

butt of his gun before the rev of an engine registered in his brain. The

squeal of tires was exacerbated by a woman’s shrill scream.

Ty turned and shielded Bri from the new threat.

“What’s going on, Ty?” She laid a hand in the middle of his back and

he reached back to tuck his arm around her body.

“Shit.”

The dark sedan flew at them, scattering pigeons and screeching down

the quarter panel of a pick-up truck parallel parked beside them. Tyler

yanked Bri into the street, opposite the direction of the out-of-control

car. His ankle twisted on the uneven pavement, sending shards of

lightning up to his knee, and bringing both him and Bri down.

At the last second he rolled, protecting her body from the gritty

pavement and the weight of his body. She screamed and covered her face

with both hands as they twisted on the concrete.

The car jumped the curb, slamming into a parking meter and sending

the metal top airborne. The engine hissed on a puff of steam at the

grinding halt. The gears ground out and Ty’s eyes widened.

The sedan’s tires spun crazily, smoking and shrieking as they tried to

find purchase. And then they did and the car shot off backward. The

fender of the pick-up ripped off and clattered to the ground.

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Tyler turned over and covered every inch of Bri’s body with his own,

jarring his ankle and making it scream in agony. He buried his face in

her neck. The tears on his cheek were hot as she sobbed. People were

screaming, a siren whined in the distance, and then there was more tire

squealing.

A crowd gathered around them and pressed into them, bombarding

them with questions. Were they all right, did they need an ambulance,

did they see who it was? Tyler shook his head.

“Shh, little one, I’ve got you,” he murmured, worried when her

keening grew louder.

“He tried to kill us, Ty. Did you see that? He…he tried to run us

down. Oh my God.” She pushed at his chest only to pull him back in

with her fists clenched in his dress shirt.

Her breath wheezed out of her lungs. Tyler fumbled in his pocket for

her inhaler and forced her to take a puff when she jerked her head out of

reach.

“Get the fuck out of the way.”

Tyler looked up, squinting in the bright sunlight to see the angry

charge of a bull named Cole shoving his way through the anxious crowd.

“I fucking lost him.” He jabbed a hand in his hair making it stick out

in all directions. “I barely got turned around to follow and he was gone.”

Cole knelt beside them. “Bri, baby, look at me, tell me you’re all right.”

She did and nodded but couldn’t speak for the tears. Cole’s hands

traced her body, looking at old injuries and searching for new ones. He

pulled her up so she was sitting, and hugged her, squeezing until she

squeaked. Then he bent and kissed her, making sure she was really

okay. He gripped her hand and helped her stand on her wobbly legs.

“I’m fine,” she sniffed. Her whole body vibrated with tremors that

shook Cole as he held her to him, his palm rubbing circles on her back.

Tyler knew a drop from an adrenaline rush like this one could be a

bitch on the nervous system.

“Son-of-a-bitch. I didn’t even get a chance to honk a warning and he