Capturing Kylie [Slick Rock 9] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (7 page)

The heat left and she realized that Xavier had stepped back. Kylie turned around and headed toward the door to the hotel without once looking at him or Will or Lach as they came close. She pulled the door open with more force than necessary and quickened her step when one of them touched her lower back. When she inhaled, she knew it was Xavier who was close and hurried over to where Eva was seated between Quin and Pierson.

“Wow, you look hot, Kylie.” Eva smiled and hugged her and Kylie kissed Eva’s cheek before pulling away. “You are going to have to beat the single men off with a stick.”

Kylie smiled and knew her smile didn’t reach her eyes when Eva frowned at her.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good.” Kylie smiled genuinely this time, glad that her friend had three men to love and take care of her and not wanting to put a damper on the night. She pushed her worries to the back of her mind, determined to get into the swing of the engagement party and enjoy herself for a change.

Kylie slid into the seat next to Gray, the last seat on that side of the long table, and then looked around at all the people. The number of men present far outweighed the women, but from what she could see, the women who were attending the evening were already hooked up. The blonde woman sitting across from her had a man on either side of her and both men touched her constantly. She looked up, caught Kylie watching, and smiled at her.

“Hi, I’m Tara Morten, and these are my husbands, Johnny and Clay.”

“Hi, I’m Kylie.”

“Ah, you’re Eva’s best friend.”

“That would be me.”

“Welcome to Slick Rock.” Clay smiled and Johnny nodded his head as if agreeing with his brother’s greeting.

“Thanks.”

Throughout the night Kylie met the other ménage trios and quartets and hoped she could remember their names. Often when she looked up, she caught a few of the single men eying her, but she quickly looked away, not wanting to encourage any of them. She was aware of Xavier, Will, and Lachlan watching her constantly but chose to ignore them. Kylie had spent some time talking to three other new arrivals in town, cousins to the Morten brothers, Danny, Cain, and Bruce Morten. Bruce, who was known as Brutus because of his sheer size, was currently sitting to her right at the head of the table.

“How long have you been in Slick Rock, honey?”

“Just a few days,” Kylie replied and didn’t like the gleam in his eyes as they ran over the upper half of her body.

Kylie was beginning to feel the effects of being around so many people and picked up her glass of wine and took a big gulp. Her hand visibly shook as she placed the glass on the table and sweat popped out on her brow. Her breathing escalated and she was having trouble filling her lungs with air.

“Would you like to go out to dinner with me and my brothers one night?” Brutus asked.

“Um, no thanks. Excuse me.” Kylie shoved her chair back and rushed toward the hallway to the ladies’ room. She pushed the door open and sighed with relief when it shut behind her, closing out the noise.

“Oh my God,” she sighed as she leaned on the sink. “I have to get out of here.” Kylie tried to control her breathing. She inhaled to the count of five, exhaled slowly, and repeated the action a few times and was glad that the escalating panic attack had receded. Turning on the faucet, she splashed her hot face with cool water and then let it run over her wrists and hands. After turning off the water, she grabbed some paper towel and blotted her skin dry. She glanced up toward the door when it was pushed open.

“Are you okay, Kylie?” Eva asked as she moved further into the room.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“You don’t look it. Were you having another panic attack?”

Kylie cursed under her breath. She had forgotten she had told Eva her reaction to being in a crowd, but she didn’t want to upset her friend, so she outright lied. “No, I just got a little hot and bothered.”

“Was Brutus harassing you?”

“No, he was just being polite,” Kylie answered through clenched teeth. When she realized that Eva was watching her intently, she relaxed her jaw and tried to smile but knew she had failed when Eva frowned at her.

“You’re as skittish as a cat on a hot tin roof. What the hell is going on?”

The fear that Kylie had been trying to keep at bay spiked and caused her skin to erupt in goose bumps, and a shudder wracked her body. Tears formed behind her eyes and she tried really hard to not let them fall, but Eva knew her too well. Eva rushed forward and wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tight.

“Tell me what’s wrong, Kylie. I’m not leaving this bathroom until you do.”

Kylie held in the sob forming in her throat and took a deep breath. She hadn’t intended to tell Eva what was scaring her, but the words blurted from her mouth before her brain kicked into gear.

“I think he knows where I am.”

“Fuck!” Eva drew back and Kylie laughed because Eva hardly ever swore. “Why do you think that?”

“I got an e-mail.”

“What did it say?”

Kylie repeated the e-mail word for word, since it seemed to have embedded itself into her brain, and then wanted to curse as Eva paled.

“Wait here,” Eva commanded and rushed out.

Kylie didn’t want to face Eva’s fiancés and their pity. She didn’t want to face the Badon cousins either. She felt like her life was careening out of control and she was heading for a crash landing. The best thing she could do was leave. She was already headed toward the bathroom door, intending on leaving through the rear exit she had seen as she had walked toward the ladies’ room, but before she had even placed her hand on the door handle, the door swung open. A very tall, dark-haired, muscular man entered the room with Eva and her men behind him. Eva stepped around him and introduced them.

“Kylie, this is Sheriff Luke Sun-Walker. My men have already told him about your trouble.”

“Hi, Kylie, it’s nice to meet you, but I’m sorry it’s under such harrowing circumstances.”

Kylie couldn’t find her voice, so she nodded instead.

“I’d like to come over in the morning and take a look at that e-mail. Does nine o’clock suit you?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.” Kylie had barely finished answering the sheriff before the bathroom door burst open. She should have known that the Badon cousins would see something was going on.

“What the hell is this?” Xavier asked, pushing his way into the now-crowded ladies’ room, and he didn’t stop moving until he was standing at her side. Will and Lachlan came forward until she was surrounded by them. Xavier was on one side, Lachlan on the other, and Will squeezed in behind, between her and the bathroom wall. She took a step forward but Will wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back up against his front. Their scent enveloped her and the tension that had invaded her body began to dissipate. Kylie frowned over that occurrence. She felt safe and protected and she didn’t want to move, aware now that she was surrounded by their heat and ensconced in Will’s arms. But the last thing she needed and wanted was to be attracted to these three men. What if the asshole who had threatened her knew where she was? How would she feel if one of these men, or God forbid, Eva or one of the other women got hurt because of her? There was no way in hell Kylie was about to put anyone else in jeopardy

The walls to the room began closing in on her, and Kylie wanted nothing more than to escape. Sweat once more formed on her brow and upper lip and her breathing hastened. Her heart was pounding so hard and fast in her chest she looked down to see if the rapid beating was visible. Her legs began to tremble, as did the rest of her body, as adrenaline surged through her system. She pushed against the arms around her waist and was surprised but relieved when they released her. Her vision shimmered and everything wavered as she took one step and then another. She could see Eva and the men in front of her frowning, but she didn’t want their pity. She locked onto the only thing familiar and stared at her best friend as she moved. Her body felt like it was walking through quicksand, her limbs heavy and even though she felt like she was moving rapidly, she somehow knew she wasn’t. Kylie could see Eva’s mouth moving, but because of the way her blood was rushing through her body, any other noise was drowned out. Just as she reached out to Eva, darkness began to close in. It was like looking through a tunnel with the walls moving closer and closer to her. Her sight diminished until she could see nothing at all and then she sighed as the darkness swamped her.

Lach moved fast and caught Kylie before she could hit the ground. He gently swung her up into his arms and looked at the sheriff. “Call a doctor and get them here fast.”

Luke was already on the phone and Quin, Gray, and Pierson rushed forward to help him.

“I’ve got her, but we need to get her someplace where she can lie down.”

Gray held the door to the bathroom open and stepped back so he could get through. His brothers, Eva, and his cousins rushed through the dining room of the hotel to the foyer after him. Pierson hurried to the reception desk, explained the situation, and asked for a room key. The receptionist hesitated, but then sighed resignedly and handed the key to Pierson, who then led the way down another hall and opened the door to a hotel room.

Lachlan carefully placed Kylie onto the bed and, with his brothers’ help, removed her shoes. He wanted to strip off her dress, but there was no way he was letting any other men besides his brothers see their woman half-naked. Xavier must have been thinking the same thing. His brother’s next words proved him right.

“Why don’t you leave Kylie to us? We’ll make sure she’s cared for. You have guests to see to.”

Lachlan waited until just he and his brothers were left in the hotel room before he gently turned Kylie onto her side and drew the zipper down the back of her dress. With his brothers’ help, they had removed her dress and then placed her under the covers. Just as they covered her up, a knock sounded at the door. Pierson opened it and let the doctor in.

“What seems to be the problem?”

Xavier explained about the threat to Kylie and then told the man she had just collapsed in the ladies’ bathroom. Lach also told him what he had seen happening to their woman.

He and his brothers watched avidly while the doctor examined Kylie. He took her pulse and blood pressure and just as he was listening to her heart, she moaned and shifted on the bed and then opened her eyes. Lach sat on the side of the bed and placed his hand on her thigh, giving her a comforting caress.

“Don’t panic, sugar. This is the doctor and he’s checking you over.”

“I don’t need a doctor,” Kylie snapped and then she glanced toward the medical practitioner sheepishly. “Sorry, but I’m fine.”

“So you’ve had panic attacks before?” the doc asked.

“Once or twice.”

“Mm, you need to get more rest, young lady. You are totally exhausted but I can understand why you’d have trouble sleeping.”

“You told him?” Kylie asked accusingly.

“Now, now, don’t get upset. I needed to know everything so I could treat you. Apart from being tired and underweight, you are healthy enough. You need to eat and rest more. If you continue to have trouble sleeping, come and see me in a week. I may have to prescribe some sleeping tablets.”

Kylie nodded to the doctor and then thanked him for his time, but Lachlan could see the determination in her eyes to cope on her own. She was such a stubborn little thing and he and his brothers weren’t about to let her get away.

The doctor left her his card on the bedside table, and once he’d left the hotel room, she glanced at all of them and pushed her chin out while clutching the covers. “Could y’all please leave so I can get dressed? Who the hell undressed me anyway?”

“We did, sweet thang,” Will answered, his eyes on hers. “We were worried about you and wanted to make sure you were comfortable.”

Lach watched as pink suffused her cheeks and then traveled down her neck and then she glanced away as if embarrassed. He reached over and gripped her chin, bringing her gaze up to meet his. “You have nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about, sugar. Your body is perfect and so fucking sexy.”

Kylie turned her head and dislodged his hand, but he saw her swallow and he could tell his brothers had heard the audible action as they both moved closer. Lach looked up when Xavier sat down on the bed close to her hip. She pulled back, but her pulse was beating rapidly in the base of her neck and her breathing was quicker than usual. He looked up into her green eyes and noticed that her pupils were dilated. As much as she tried to hide it, Kylie Mailing was turned on and not just by one of them. All three of them got to her and he’d had about as much as he could take. Obviously, so had Xavier.

Xavier palmed her cheeks between both his hands and then swooped in. His brother didn’t start the kiss off slow and ease Kylie into it. He devoured her mouth like a starving man. Lach was just as hungry if not hungrier than his older brother to taste their woman. He gripped his aching cock and shifted it, trying to relieve the throbbing, but it didn’t help. Then Kylie moaned and whimpered and reached up to grab at Xavier’s hair.

Lachlan was done for.

Lachlan moved to the other side of Kylie and reclined beside her. His body temperature rose another several degrees when he saw the way her tongue danced with Xavier’s. He wanted to taste her mouth, her throat, her breasts, her skin, her pussy, and everywhere in between. He was so damn hungry that he was shaking with it. Xavier slowed the kiss and finally eased away from her. Lach didn’t give her a chance to move, he literally pounced on her. His body blanketed her, but he didn’t put any of his weight on her and there was still a gap between his body and hers. He wanted nothing more than to rip the covers away as well as his clothes and her underwear and then have her naked body pinned beneath his, but he didn’t want to scare her away. Instead of devouring her like Xavier had, he gently placed his lips against hers and brushed them back and forth.