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“There’s no Raine. We discovered yesterday morning that she’d left.” Liam stared out the window.
Seth whipped his head around. “What?”
Liam and Hammer spilled all the gory details about the last twenty-four hours as Seth poured himself a cup of coffee and stared.
“I’ll be damned. So the plan backfired.” Seth scratched his head.
“And then some,” Liam confirmed.
“Would Beck let me talk to the girl?” Seth asked.
Hammer exchanged a glance with Liam, then shrugged. “No offense, but she’s closed off right now. She might be talking to Beck, but I don’t know that for sure. And if she’s not talking to any of us, she’s not going to talk to a stranger. I’m going to text Beck for an update.”
Liam nodded, obviously liking that idea. “Any news about Raine would be welcome.”
When Raine woke about noon, Beck was there with some ibuprofen and a bottle of water. “You decide yet whether you want to go home or you’re running away for good?”
“Good morning to you, too.” She took the tablets and the water, then swallowed both down.
Beck grinned. “Just asking. Hammer has been texting me every hour on the hour since sunup. He and Liam want to know how you’re doing and what you’re thinking.”
“I don’t know.” Raine clutched her head. “Did I fall asleep on the couch last night?”
“Yep. You and Cuervo were all cuddled up.”
Raine had a vague recollection of Beck carrying her to bed, and she was more than a little embarrassed. “Sorry.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t take you for a Rambo movie marathon sort of girl.”
“I didn’t want anything romantic.” It would only have made her sadder.
“What do you want to do today, princess? I’ve already made my rounds at the hospital, so I’m free if you want to talk or head out to the beach…or get a good spanking.” He leered.
Raine shot him a quelling glare. “Behave.”
“Why, when being bad is so much fun?”
She took another swallow of water. “I don’t know what to do. I need to stop licking my wounds and come to some decisions.”
Beck pushed a strand of hair from her face. “Those men want to help you be whole. There’s no way they don’t love you.”
Liam did for sure. He’d tried so hard to reach her. The more she’d fallen for him, the more afraid she’d become. The more she’d pulled away. All the vows she’d spoken during their collaring ceremony? Raine knew she hadn’t kept up her end of their bargain. She’d given him no choice but to release her.
Hammer? He cared for her in his own way. She hadn’t failed him as badly. Mostly because he’d never set expectations or tried to take her in hand. Still, she knew in her heart that he must be disappointed.
In either case, she was going to have to grow or change or something because neither of them would accept her limitations forever. Liam had already made that clear, and Hammer was sure to follow. If she couldn’t change, maybe she’d be better off moving on. “I don’t know if love is enough.”
“Bullshit.” He leaned closer and leveled a contemplative stare her way. “I’ve been thinking about this, and I might have the answer to your problem. Do you realize you could have them both?”
She gaped at him in stunned silence. Had he prescribed himself some wacky pills? He must have because that notion… “You’re insane.”
He chuckled. “A lot of people think so, and maybe it’s a little true. But I’m right. Deep down, you know it. Even deeper down, you want them both, too. Admit it.”
Raine felt heat rush to her cheeks. She’d fantasized about that a few forbidden times when she’d let herself. She’d cuddled up to Liam in the middle of the night, thinking how complete it would make her feel to be sandwiched between him and Hammer. She’d always dismissed it as a pipe dream.
“What I want and what I can have aren’t even on the same planet.”
Beck smirked. “Think positive.”
“If I can’t even handle Liam’s expectations, how do you expect me to please him and Hammer?”
“They’ll teach you. Stop fighting and pay attention. Figure your shit out. You’re smart, Raine.” He leveled her a serious stare. “They’ve shared before. For the right woman, I think they’d do it again.”
And Beck thought that was her? “They shared Hammer’s wife, and in case you weren’t aware, that didn’t end well. Besides, they can’t get along for two minutes.”
“That’s a temporary pissing match. And it’s not your problem. Your issue now is helping you. If you do that, all your little dreams might come true. You could heal those two by giving them what they both need most. That’s you, Raine.”
Raine still thought Beck was a little insane, but her head hurt too much to argue. This mythical threesome wasn’t the point of their conversation. “If I go back to Shadows at all, I owe them a whole me. Their feelings are wasted if I can’t give either one of them—much less both—everything in return.”
