Their Virgin’s Secret, Masters of Menage, Book 2 (18 page)

“They drove a rough bargain,” Kade explained. “We not only had to pay for their travel and expenses, but for these women to see a counselor and for their drug rehabilitation.”

“I would pay millions more for it to have never happened.” Rafe regarded her somberly. “I have never told Cole or Burke this, but we do not consider our debt paid. This is something we would have done regardless. One day, we shall repay them. You say you do not know these men, but when asked that question, you knew immediately that they wouldn’t do what was easy. Search your heart. Perhaps it is yourself that you do not know.”

The door opened, and Burke walked in, rubbing his hands together. His face paled when he looked at Jessa. “Sweetheart? Why are you crying?”

“We’ll leave you alone now,” Rafe said, gesturing for his brother to leave.

Kade followed him. “I wish you well, my friend. In all things. Bring your family to the palace when this is over—or sooner. You are always welcome in our country.”

They left, slapping Cole on the shoulder as he walked in, his face blank.

“The car’s ready, but I’d rather lay low until it’s dark. If they’ve got a visual on us, it will be much harder to follow us once the sun is down. It’s about six hours from Dallas to Lafayette and another hour to the swamp. I’ve made all the arrangements.” Cole spoke, but there was no inflection in his tone. He could have been talking about the weather.

It was so easy for Cole to shut down. He seemed to be a pro at it. But what would happen if she broke the barrier down and got to the real man? Something angry took root in her gut. Something wicked and restless was making her heart twitch.

“Jessa, sweetheart, tell me why you’re crying.” Burke gripped her hand, his eyes seeking hers.

Cole crowded in on the other side, looking ready to make demands. Her body leapt. For whatever reason, she’d always be attuned to them. She felt their fear for her, their fury with Delgado. Their need to keep her safe. And to hold her.

God, she wanted the comfort they silently offered. That connection she felt to them reached out in a silent scream with almost painful yearning. She ached for just one hour of nothing but their reassurance, their touch. She wanted to break past Cole’s defenses.

But she couldn’t accept their tenderness. And couldn’t admit that she wanted them, would probably never want another man. They’d construe either as surrender, and she’d have to work twice as hard to convince them to let her out of their lives. If she accepted tender kisses and soft words, cutting them out of her heart again might be impossible.

But she wanted them again, one last time. She pulled her hand away from Burke’s and glanced at the clock. It was hours before dark. Hours before they would flee. She smiled to herself. She wanted Burke and Cole now. On her terms. And she knew exactly how to persuade them to give it to her.

* * * *

Eight months earlier, April 5 – Dallas, Texas

Cole stared at Hilary. No way he’d heard her right. He didn’t like the woman, but she was smart and ran the office well. Still, she had her blonde moments. She had to be wrong about this.

“No.” Burke shook off Hilary’s touch. “I don’t understand.”

She put a hand on his brother’s shoulder, her eyes going soft with sympathy. When she looked like she was about to repeat herself, he felt his own go cold and dead. Exactly like his heart.

“That woman you’re having Mr. Landry follow, she got married,” she murmured.

The words still didn’t seem to compute to Burke, but Cole heard them. Loud and clear. They echoed in his ears. Married. To another man. Their Jessa. No, not their Jessa anymore. Less than four months after they had left her with kisses and vows to return, she not only started dating another man, she’d married him, tied her life to him. Given him her eternal love.

“I am so sorry, Burke,” Hilary said, taking a step back. She looked to Cole, her eyes sliding away silently.

She always addressed Burke, the gentleman. Cole couldn’t remember a time Hilary had looked him in the eyes, as though she was afraid of what she would find there. No surprise. She viewed him as a violent barbarian.

Hilary placed a manila folder on the desk in front of him. “I don’t know what it is about this woman that has you all tied up in knots, but according to this report, she’s happily married, so if she’s one of your little projects, you don’t have to worry anymore.”

Burke grabbed the report before Cole could. He wasn’t sure he wanted to see it anyway. If there were pictures of the happy couple, the image would probably sear itself into his brain. Already, he could picture too vividly Jessa with someone else, speaking words of devotion. Making love, giving her body to him night after night. Her gifting him with all of her luminous smiles and her warm laughter.

Cole turned away. He didn’t want to see the fucking report. He wanted to see Jessa. He could be on a plane and in New York in just a couple of hours. He could stand in front of her and ask her if they’d ever meant a damn thing to her. He and Burke had loved her. Neither one had even thought of touching another woman since they’d left Jessa. She’d apparently done a hell of a lot more than think about it. Fuck.

Burke slammed the folder down.

“I really am sorry, Burke,” Hilary said. “I didn’t want to send that file to you. But I had to be honest. Who is she?”

Burke shook his head, his gaze hardening. “Apparently, no one special.”

No one special. Just a woman he would love for the rest of his life. His heart ached. Though it made him furious, the voice in his head asked:
Did you really expect her to wait for you? No one gives a shit about you, least of all a gorgeous, talented creature like her. Stupid bastard.

Wincing, he looked at his brother. Burke’s face had shut down.

“Burke? Is there anything I can do?” Hilary asked. “You must be so tired. I can make reservations for dinner. You need to eat.”

Burke shook his head. “No, thank you. Not hungry. Get us back on a plane to Colombia.”

Hilary’s eyes widened, her lip forming a pout. “But you just got here. Burke, your wounds aren’t completely healed.”

A cold professional mask slid across Burke’s face. Cole was fairly certain that his own mirrored that desolation. “Give us a moment.”

Hilary nodded reluctantly and walked out of the room.

“I want to go to New York,” Cole blurted.

“What would it prove? And according to that report, she’s moved.”

“I want to lay eyes on this fucker. What’s his name?” Cole demanded.

Burke’s laugh was humorless. “Angus. He’s from Scotland.”

She’d married someone named Angus? “She can’t be serious. We’ve got to go.”

They could talk to her, force her to tell them just why she’d promised to wait when she’d obviously had no intention of being there when they came home.

Fuck, he still loved her. He didn’t want to let her go, but he couldn’t bear to see her with this man who had replaced them in her heart. He couldn’t see a ring on her finger and know he hadn’t put it there.

“We can’t go, Cole.” Burke scrubbed a hand over his hair. “She never called.”

“We didn’t call her, either.” He regretted that fact on a daily basis, but it had been too dangerous.

“When were we supposed to call, man? We’ve been deep undercover for months. We have to face facts. She didn’t love us. It’s over. Fuck.” Burke turned away. He stalked to his desk and picked up the phone. “Rafiq al Mussad, please. Yes, tell him this is Burke Lennox, and he needs to call me soon. We’re heading back to Colombia soon. We need to meet with him.”

Cole stared out his window. Miles separated him from Jessa, but even if she stood in front of him now, he wouldn’t be able to reach her.

His future was over. He needed a drink.

Burke continued to make plans, but Cole could see the rest of his life mapped out in a neat plan. Fight. Fight. Die. Alone. Maybe he would save a few people, but the only woman who could have saved him was lost.

Present Day – Dallas, Texas

Cole watched Jessa, his every instinct on overload. She was thinking something, up to something. She glared at him, then paced the small room, her feet padding across the floor in a quick step that told him all about her anxiety—and her anger.

Of course she was angry. In her head, they had lied, but it hadn’t really seemed like a lie at the time. It had been a cover. They went undercover enough that it was just part of the job.

But this particular cover had blown up in their faces. Burke could be as optimistic as he wanted. She wasn’t coming back. Not now that she’d decided what they really were.

Mercenaries.

He hated that fucking word. It sounded selfish, made them seem like men who sold their services to anyone with cash, who used their power and strength, no matter the cause and no matter who got hurt. That wasn’t him, but he wouldn’t be able to convince Jessa. Did he even deserve a chance to try at this point? He sighed. And how would their son regard them when he got older, grew up?

“So, how long do you expect me to live in a swamp?”

Cole watched her pace, her hands clenching and unclenching. She was ready to explode, and he was going to let her. Maybe if she bled off some of her tension naturally, he wouldn’t be tempted to throw her onto the bed and force orgasms on her until she relaxed. He liked that plan much better, but she didn’t want him. Uncle Martin had been right; he wasn’t good for anything. No one would ever love him.

Burke crossed his arms over his chest and stared straight at Cole. “Well? Don’t you have some caveman comeback to that one?”

Cole just shook his head.

“Not a single word?”

“No.”

Fuck. Burke wanted to bait him into losing his temper, and Cole refused to let him. Burke wanted him to grab Jessa and push pleasure on her until she melted in his arms, then pass her to his brother so he could give her more of the same. But Cole wasn’t going to give his brother the satisfaction of showing Jessa how much he loved and wanted her. Or of trying to break her down and soften her up for them. It was pointless. She wasn’t coming back.

Burke’s growl came from the back of his throat. His brother was getting really angry, a surprise since Burke rarely lost his temper. That was Cole’s job, but Burke seemed willing to take over for him. “Fine. I’ll do what I always do. I’ll fucking speak for you. Jessa, you’ll stay in the swamp for as long as it takes, until we tell you it’s all right to go.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Or maybe I’ll call the cops myself. He can’t possibly own every single one of them. Maybe I would be better off taking my chances with them than the two of you. At least they won’t lie to me.”

Cole felt his whole body flinch, like she’d hit him with a bullet. No, a bullet would hurt less.

“You’re not calling anyone.” Burke crossed his arms over his chest and intentionally crowded Jessa. He got right into her space, towering over her. “Do you honestly believe we haven’t tried everything we could in the short amount of time we’ve had? We have people calling the feds, the US Attorney’s office, the DA of New York. These things take time. That’s what Marco is counting on.”

“Or maybe he’s counting on the fact that he’s had months and months to prepare for this and he knows exactly what you’ll do at every turn, like just sitting here and waiting for him to come get us.” Her body was practically vibrating with anger.

“Do you think I like sitting around? Do you honestly believe I wouldn’t rather be out looking for this bastard? If I knew you’d be safe, I would. But I don’t know if this asshole is nearby, and driving around in the middle of the day is just asking for someone to spot us. So until dark, we’re staying. What the fuck else do you want me to do, Jessa?”

“Go back a year ago and change everything. Hell, if I could go back, I’d be smarter, see through you two. I should have known exactly what you were. I can see it so clearly now.” Her fists were little balls of barely contained emotion. Even her toes seemed curled, biting around the cheap carpet.

“And just what are we?” Burke challenged. “Lay it out, sweetheart. Put it all out there.”

“You’re liars.”

Cole closed his eyes. That hurt almost as badly as the idea that they were mercenaries. Did she think they lied to everyone or just sweet virgins like her, looking for affection? Did she believe they really made money off saving or taking human lives? Probably. He’d been called worse, but never by someone he cared about.

“We were undercover. Did you want us to walk around giving the bad guys business cards?”

“In the end, it didn’t matter. They seemed to have figured out who you are. They were way smarter than I was.”

“Of course, they figured it out. We had to file a ton of paperwork to get the feds to accept the evidence we’d collected. We had to put the bad guy away. Don’t act like we’re the villains in this scenario. We were the ones
saving
the women, and you know it.”

“Well, you didn’t save me, did you?” she said acidly.