AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Heather removed the robe slowly and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. She took a deep breath for courage, a smile trembling at her lips.
“You’re sure?” she asked the other two women.
“If you are, Heather.” Sarah nodded. “But you have to be certain yourself.”
She breathed out heavily. She was sure. Turning, she left the room and without looking back, headed downstairs to the men awaiting her.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Bleak silence filled the house after the sheriff left. Marly and Sarah were quiet, though they had thrown the men out of their rooms and holed up together in Heather’s several hours ago. Now Sam sat with Brock and Cade in the family room, watching, listening to the silence.
“I killed Marcelle, didn’t I?” It wasn’t a blinding stroke of knowledge. He had suspected for years. The blood on his hands, the nightmares, the demons that haunted him, had assured him of it.
He saw the truth in the sudden fear in Cade’s face, in Brock’s.
“I did it,” Cade gritted out roughly.
Sam shook his head, staring at Cade as he let the knowledge sink into him. “I remember the blood, Cade. I remember you wiping it from my hands to your own. And I know why you did it. But I don’t need your protection any longer.”
Cade came to his feet in a surge of anger as he paced to the French doors. “The son of a bitch deserved to die. It doesn’t matter who did it, Sam.”
Sam lowered his head, shaking it wearily.
“He did it because of me, Cade. Because I rejected him. Because I humiliated him. It was my fault.”
“No, Sam.” Brock’s expression was sadly quiet, accepting. “It wasn’t your fault. Marcelle was a sick man, and he focused on you because you were stronger than he was. Someone he wanted to break. We wouldn’t have allowed that, no matter what happened.”
Sam shook his head, unable, unwilling to accept such simplicity in the reasoning. “You should hate me, Brock. Look what happened to all of us.”
“Exactly, to all of us, goddammit.” Cade swung away, fury vibrating in his voice. “We weren’t alone, just as we always swore we wouldn’t be, Sam. We protected each other as best we could and we came out of it fucking alive, what more do you need?”
“I need to fucking close it,” Sam screamed back, surging to his feet. “I want to end the goddamn nightmares, Cade, and the smell of blood and semen that nearly fucking chokes me at times. I want to stop hurting the women I love, and fucking to be normal.”
Cade stilled. “You think we’re hurting Marly and Sarah?” Amusement struck his voice then, surprise glittering in his eyes.
“We share them, Cade…”
“And you don’t want to share Heather?” Cade asked without anger, with no recriminations.
“Son of a bitch, I want it so bad I can nearly taste her fucking cries.” His fists clenched at his side.
“Why?” Cade crossed his arms over his chest. “If you think it’s going to hurt her, Sam, then why do you want it?”
He stopped. He felt every muscle in his body tighten in knowledge.
“She would love it,” he whispered. “She would be loved with everything I have.”
“Why would she love it?” Cade shook his head in irritation. “What the hell makes you think we’re hurting Marly or Sarah with this? Why the hell do you think they accept it, Sam? It’s not just for us. Don’t fool yourself. Marly and Sarah have more than other woman you will ever know, or so Marly assures me…”
“Marly has three men, devoted to her, loving her, always protecting her. She has the love of not just one man, but three. Three men who will love her until death. She has a love I need, Sam.”
They swung around to Heather. She stood there, and Sam felt his heart explode with pride and arousal. Naked, aroused as she closed the door then dropped the brilliant blue quilted blanket she had wrapped around her body.
“Heather.” Sam heard the strangled quality of his own voice and fought to clear it as she advanced on him.
“Do you need this, Sam, for you or for the demons?” she asked him softly as she stopped before him, her hands going to the buttons on his shirt, slipping them free with calm deliberation.
“For me.” He fought to control his breathing, his excitement. Like nothing he had known before. Lust and love flared through his soul.
