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“They’re right, too. By the way, how did you get them to relax the guard duty? I was surprised to see them drive away and leave you all alone, even with an officer of the law like me. Cam? Maybe. But Dylan? I would’ve never guessed he’d let you out of his sight.”
“What about my brothers? They’re overprotective with you, too. I remember how they were when you came to town. Have you forgotten?”
Nicole laughed. “No. Even now, they insist on checking up on me when I’m on duty. I’ve told them not to, but they just keep on doing it. I can shoot the wings off a fly at forty paces, but does that make them back down? No.”
“You told me something about a moth not a fly, didn’t you?” Erica teased. “Isn’t that what got you three going in the right direction in the first place?”
“Don’t you tell another soul, Erica Coleman. I told you that in confidence.” Nicole shook her head. “You Colemans are a lot alike.”
“Don’t hold it against me, please.”
“I won’t. How are the self-defense lessons going?”
She shrugged. “Okay. We went to the range again this morning before coming out here. And then after that, we went up the mountain a little and I practiced shooting moving targets. I’m not sure I’ll ever be good with a gun, but Dylan gave me a new one. It’s really cute. It’s much smaller and has a pretty pink handle. I don’t shake near as bad when I aim it, but it still feels a little odd in my hand.”
Dylan had taught her some self-defense techniques. She’d spent the morning practicing her stance. Her men had seemed very proud of her. They said she was getting very adept.
When Dylan had deemed her ready, they’d moved on to what he called “phase two.”
She’d practiced on Cam, using a paintball gun to track him through the trees. She was proud of the amount of blue paint that covered Cam when they’d finished.
“Give it time. The more you practice, the easier it will be.”
Time?
That’s what Kelly had told her at the beauty shop. The more time that passed, the easier it would get to face the kidnapping. But what Erica really wanted was more time with the Strange brothers. Much more time. Last night, she’d fallen asleep at Dylan’s place, in his and Cam’s arms. No sex. Just snuggling. Wonderful. They’d all been exhausted. The rest was welcomed.
Dylan hadn’t mentioned going to Phase Four again, which took away some of her anxiety. More time. That was what she needed most.
As she and Nicole sipped on their lemonade, Erica could feel her muscles soften. Lazy days like this one felt good. Even before all this happened, she’d planned to take Monday off. Although she wouldn’t attend the memorial service, she wanted to have the day to pay tribute to her parents. But she would be back to work Tuesday, whether Cam and Dylan approved or not. All three of them played key roles at TBK, and she wasn’t about to leave Scott and Eric Knight hanging any longer. Matt and Sean were working hard to get Kip’s nasty code out of the system. They could use Dylan’s help with that. Cam, being head of legal, certainly had a ton to do. She wasn’t sure how the Knights were doing without her, but she expected to find a pile of paperwork to get through. Besides, getting back to some of her old routines would help her heal. Of that, she was certain.
“I do want to ask a favor of you,” Nicole said. “Will you be my maid of honor?”
“Oh Nicole, I would love to.” Erica hugged the deputy of Swanson County, a woman who had become the sister she’d never had before.
Chapter Sixteen
Erica’s insides were warm from the two glasses of wine Dylan had poured for her over dinner. Cam had cooked. She’d had no idea what a talented chef he was. He’d made several easy things for her last week when he’d stayed with her, but nothing like this.
The steaks he’d grilled at the cabin the night before had been amazing. Sawyer, Reed, and Nicole had kept going on and on about how good the food was and made Cam promise to do the same for their wedding reception. He’d agreed with a big smile on his face.
Tonight’s lasagna was the best she’d ever had.
Right now, Cam and Dylan were in the kitchen cleaning up. She’d offered, but they’d insisted. God, what could be sexier than a man washing dishes? Two men washing dishes.
She grinned, happy that Cam and Dylan were taking such good care of her. After they’d left the cabin and gone to Cam’s place last night, they’d crawled into bed and Dylan and Cam had taken turns making love to her. They’d all fallen asleep after in no time.
Today had been a whirlwind of activity. Breakfast at Blue’s. Lunch at the O’Learys with all the other orphans. It had been a somber meal, all of them knowing what tomorrow would bring, until Patrick began recounting the dragon he swore he saw in China years ago. She’d heard the story a thousand times but never tired of it. The man was one of the sweetest she knew. Afterward, Cam and Dylan had taken her to a secluded area to test her on self-defense again. She’d gotten the jump on Cam this time, hitting him in the center of the chest with a splash of blue from the paintball gun Dylan had given her. She was exhausted. It would be good to be back to work on Tuesday. She might get to slow down a little. Her guys sure kept her on her toes.
“You okay, baby?” Cam asked, poking his head through the pass-through into the kitchen.
“I’m great. You sure you don’t need my help?”
He winked. “We’ve got it under control.”
Control? That was a Dom’s desire. Always. Cam and Dylan were Doms. She trembled, recalling Dylan’s words about showing her off at Phase Four. Deep down, she wanted that more than anything. Wanted to give all of herself to them. But she still wasn’t sure she could handle the things they would want to do to her. Doubt had stayed with her.
She’d always enjoyed being submissive in the bedroom and at the club before. Would she again?
