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Two hours later we were home with Olivia settled in the bath, steam rising up from the water that didna hide her body from our gaze. This wouldna be a simple fuck up against the wall, this would be a claiming and it needed to be done right. That began with getting our woman clean and comforted after her ordeal first. My cock wanted to rush, but it wasna the time to do so.
She rode with Rhys, sitting on his lap as we rode back to the ranch. While I didna wish to take my hands from her, I knew that my need for her was too great to hold her so close. I was afraid I might hurt her in my intensity. Just the feel of her soft skin, the smell of her would be too much.
Ian had led the new horse—thankfully we hadna shod the horse's back feet yet—back to the ranch ahead of us to let everyone know Olivia had been found. He would also lead a group that would track Peters and take care of the bloody bastard once the storm blew past. I had a good idea what they'd do with the man and would make sure no one would see him again. While I wished to be the one to finish him off, it was my job—our job—to take care of our wife before anything else. Besides, if word of Peters' demise got back to Olivia, I didna want her to have the weight of her men committing murder upon her dainty shoulders. Nothing would come between us now. Nothing.
"You have nightmares," she stated baldly, skimming her hand over the surface of the water, her beautiful pale eyes on mine.
Rhys, who was selecting a plug from the shelf, turned.
Cross paused in unbuttoning his shirt.
Keeping my past a secret wasna easy, as Olivia was verra receptive, and also the first lass with whom I shared a bed. I could hide it while I slept alone, but not when I held her all night in my arms. I must have had a nightmare and nae remembered.
"Aye."
"You all seem to be haunted by events in the past," she added. Thunder rumbled in the distance while the rain continued.
"I grew up in an English orphanage," Rhys confirmed, his mouth a grim line. "Life was...bloody horrible. Then, in the army, we saw terrible things."
"I grew up with a father who liked to use his fists," Cross shared. "Then there was the war. I fought for the North." His mouth formed a grim line.
Olivia watched closely as the men—my true brothers—bared their souls. If Olivia wanted us to claim her, then we needed to give her everything, to share our darkest of secrets. It was time.
I picked up the washcloth from the floor and dipped it in the water. "I was responsible for a girl, for protecting her, but I failed. She and her family were murdered by our commanding officer."
Sadness filled her eyes, so I shifted my gaze to the soap, which I picked up. "Alea?"
I lifted my head in surprise, but I shoulda known she'd seen one of my nightmares. "Aye, lass."
"Did you love her?" Olivia whispered, worry etching her face.
"Nay." Shaking my head, I told her, "She was too young to even consider, but she was my charge and I let her down."
"You weren't even on duty then," Rhys added. "It wasn't your fault. It was Evers. You can't let it haunt you this way."
"I canna control my dreams," I replied, knowing they came to me unbidden as I slept.
"I'll be there to help," Olivia offered.
I ran the washcloth over her shoulder at her tender words. "Aye, lass, ye are there to help, but ye canna share my bed every night. Ye have two other husbands to tend."
"Now I know though, and we can share the burden, the pain, together," she added. "And, I will—from now on—be quite easy to keep safe."
She grinned impishly, for I knew her words were in jest, for it seemed danger followed her everywhere.
"Verra well, I'd like that," I replied. Perhaps her knowing my past could help heal it. If not, I could pull her close and hold on. "Ye, lass, have some worries as well."
"We must know all your secrets, love, to make you happy," Rhys added, holding one of the plugs he made in his hand. Olivia's eyes dropped to it and she frowned, but I took her chin and turned her to look at me. Rhys would play with her arse soon enough.
"I worry you will leave me," she admitted.
I couldna felt more surprised. "Leave ye? Impossible."
"Who's left you to make you feel this way?" Cross asked. His shirt was now off and Olivia's gaze raked over his exposed body.
"My parents died. While it wasn't their fault and I was fairly young, and I felt abandoned." She took a deep breath, which made her breasts rise above the water line. Her nipples were plump and full and I was verra eager to taste them. "Uncle Allen, though, he has his own family. Now that he's shared his secret, he doesn't need me. I don't have a home anymore."
I stood and took Olivia's hand, helping her up and out of the tub. With a bath sheet in hand, Cross came over and began to dry her. "Your home is here at Bridgewater, with us. Your uncle didn't abandon you; he kept a home with you until you had another. We'll go see him in the next few days."
