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“That’s not true. You’re a good man,” she told him. “I’m the one who caused this. You guys deserve someone who isn’t so messed up as I am.”
“That’s it.” Cam stood up and looked down at the pair. “You two are really starting to piss me off.”
“What’s wrong?” Erica asked, her eyes wide in surprise.
“Let me spell it out for you. A. You’re a survivor, though you doubt yourself too much. What you’ve been through would’ve driven most to the insane asylum, but not you. You are still standing. Losing your parents didn’t knock you down for good. You got on your feet and started thinking about your brothers and the other orphans. What happened with that asshole, Boyd, didn’t keep you down. You kept on putting one foot in front of the other. Even what happened at TBK Tower and your abduction shook you but didn’t change who you are. You, Erica Coleman, are the most amazing, beautiful, strong woman I’ve ever known. Are you hearing me?”
“Yes,” she whispered, the hint of a smile on her lips.
Cam turned to Dylan. “Now B. You’re full of crap, big brother. You’re a fucking hero, not a criminal. Yes, what happened to that kid was horrific, but that’s just life. Shit happens. You were doing your duty. Who knows how many children’s lives you saved that day by taking out that creep?”
“Is there a C. to this, Cam?” Dylan asked, the light coming back into his eyes.
“Damn right there’s a C. The three of us need each other. You two understand what it means to carry a darkness around in secret for years.”
Dylan turned to Erica. “He’s right about that.”
“Yes, he is.”
“We’re finally getting somewhere,” Cam said.
“Finish your closing argument, bro.”
“You bet I will. D. You need each other. E. You both need me. I’m the one who knew from the very beginning that we belonged together. F—”
“Wait.” Erica stood and wrapped her arms around his neck. “And F. I love you, Cameron Strange.”
“And I love you.” He crushed his mouth to hers, feeling his future on her lips.
Dylan stood beside her. “G. I love you, Erica Coleman.”
She turned to him. “I love you, Dylan.”
His brother pulled her in tight and devoured her lips.
When they ended their kiss, Dylan looked at him. “And H. You’re the best fucking brother a man could ever have.” Then, out of the norm for Dylan, he gave him a bear hug.
* * * *
Erica felt the weight of the world lift off her shoulders. Cam and Dylan had freed her of the darkness inside. Hearing Dylan’s tragic story had softened her heart. Listening to Cam’s logic had finished the job. She was theirs and they were hers. Inside, her light began to burn bright again. But she knew that she could withdraw back into the shadows if she let herself. Dylan, too, might slip into that dark space of his. That was not going to happen. From now on, her job was to make both her men happy and in turn that would make her happy, too.
Dylan wrapped her up in his arms. He was open to her like never before. The sunglasses were off and his secrets were out. “I love you,” he whispered, kissing her neck.
This was where she belonged. With the Strange brothers.
They’d shown her that she was stronger than she thought. There were things she could control and things she couldn’t. Boyd wasn’t her fault. She was a child. Her parents’ death wasn’t something she could stop. It had been a tragic accident. The incident at TBK Tower a few months ago with the maniac who had gotten past her desk wasn’t her fault either. He had a gun. She hadn’t. She’d even done her best when the two Russians had abducted her. Knowing what she could control and what she couldn’t was the key. Now, she could heal and move on into the rest of her life.
She turned her head slightly to Cam, who was only a fingertip away, taking in his delicious manly sight. In his Levi’s and boots, he looked more cowboy than counselor. In the courtroom, Cam wore his lawyer garb, which was absolute seductive perfection—silk tie, Italian suit. But now, the way he was dressed and acting, Cam was the epitome of male beauty.
Dylan, the man in black and mirrored sunshades, would make any woman’s heart flutter. But here, now, raw and exposed, he was sexy as fucking hell.
She knew exactly what she wanted—needed. They needed it, too. “I want you two. Please. Make love to me again.”
“Your pleasure is our pleasure,” Cam said, feathering his fingers over her shoulders. “You’re so beautiful.”
“Sexy, too.” Dylan stood in front of he
r with his dark hair—normally never out of place—ruffled and messy.
