Under Their Protection (3 page)

“Out
the back,” Walker told Blake. “The car is waiting. I’ve already scoped the area
out.”

“Good.”

They
led her out through the back of the studio, pushing open a heavy fire door that
led to a narrow alleyway. Red brick buildings rose up around them. Suddenly a
bang rang out and Ebony found herself slammed against the brick, the breath
knocked from her. Both Walker and Blake had her pinned, their hard chests pushing
against one breast each.

She
pressed a hand against both of them but there was no moving them. She was
trapped by walls of muscle. Eyes wide, she took in their intent looks as they
listened, eyes narrowed, jaws tense. She’d never wanted them so badly. One
blond, one dark. Both sexy as hell.

“Just
a car,” Walker concluded. “Backfiring.”

Blake
nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.” He turned to look at Ebony. “You okay?”

Mouth
open, she tried to form a response but nothing came. His pupils darkened and he
had to feel the point of her nipple pressing against him. She swallowed. He
did, if the hardening arousal pressing against her thigh was anything to go by.

If
happened slowly, yet almost too soon. She wasn’t quite prepared. Blake lowered
his head and took her lips in a hard kiss. And before she could even register
the sensation of Blake’s lips on hers, a second set pressed against the exposed
side of her neck.

Walker.

She
gasped against Blake’s mouth and he used the moment to thrust his tongue into
her mouth. Ebony tangled hers eagerly with him while Walker’s skimmed a hand
down to cup her rear. They seemed to move in some perfectly co-ordinated dance.
She couldn’t help but wonder if they’d done this before. When Blake gave up her
mouth to kiss the skin of her neck and lower to her chest, Walker claimed her
mouth. His kiss was different. Less hard, with slightly more finesse but no
less exciting. Heat and arousal gathered between her thighs and she wound her
hands around their necks.

Another
noise filtered in—the sound of a car engine and both men tensed. Their mouths
left her, much to her disappointment and Walker stepped away first. Blake
remained flattened against her, his gaze locked onto hers. Both of them
struggled to maintain their breathing as emotion and need blazed between them.
Ebony took a moment so see what Walker was doing. He stalked to the end of the
alleyway and peered around carefully.

“It’s
clear, come on,” he called over his shoulder.

Using
his body to shield her, Blake led her out from between the buildings and pushed
her into the waiting car, following her swiftly in. Walker took a moment to
scan the street before coming in the other side.

“Get
moving,” he told the driver before settling back in his seat next to her.

Ebony
concentrated on breathing, her body still ablaze with need for the men on
either side of her. Their knees brushed her legs, sending tingles racing
through her. Walker slung an arm over her shoulder but none of them spoke. She
didn’t know what to say. Was it just a one off? Did they want her as badly as
she wanted them? She’d never been with two men. What did she do next? How did
it even work?

She
leaned back and closed her eyes, absorbing the strange experience that had been
two men touching and kissing her. A hand came to rest on her knee—Blake’s hand,
she suspected—and Walker stroked his fingers across the back of her neck.

Whatever
had just happened, she didn’t think it was over. Ebony suspected they were just
getting started. And she could not wait to see what they had in store for her.

***

Walker
peered over Ebony’s head at Blake, trying to discern his friend’s mood as they
pulled through the gates of the Georgian mansion. What had happened in the
alleyway…Christ, it had blown him away. Never had a mere kiss had such an
effect on him. Even now his cock throbbed.

Blake
looked his way and glanced down at the sleeping woman between them before
meeting Walker’s gaze once more. There was no animosity as he might have
expected, only a wry raised brow as if to acknowledge that, yes, Blake was
feeling the same thing.

The
car pulled to a stop and Blake nudged the sleeping woman. She peered around
blearily and offered a weak smile while Walker got out to check the grounds. Satisfied
all was clear, they led Ebony into the house. He didn’t think anything would
happen at her home but better safe than sorry. She wouldn’t have been the first
celebrity to have intruders on their grounds though her security was tight. Walker
had checked it all over when he first got there.

Smothering
a yawn, Ebony started up the stairs. “If you guys don’t mind, I’m going to nap
for a bit. Photo-shoots always tire me out.”

“Sure
thing, sweets.” Walker smiled his understanding. No doubt all the work she had
done had exhausted her but he reckoned she was escaping.

He
didn’t blame her. What had happened had been totally unplanned and was probably
pretty daunting, even for a wild child like Ebony. Besides, he welcomed the
chance to talk with Blake about how they’d move forward. He, for one, was not willing
to let it end at just a kiss. He wanted—
needed
—more. And if Blake felt
the same, so did he. So in Walker’s mind there was only one solution.

Share
her.

He
and Blake had once indulged in an amazing threesome with a beautiful French
woman whilst on a job and they worked well together. On the field and off it,
he thought with a smirk. He had no doubt they could bring Ebony pleasure like
she’d never had before.

“So,”
he said, turning to Blake, “what now?”

His
partner scowled. “Let her rest. We’ll go over tomorrow’s schedule later.”

“I
meant, what do we do about that hot little woman and how badly we want her?”

Blake
paused, his jaw working. A gradual smile crept across his face. “She wants both
of us, doesn’t she?”

“Yep.”

“I
must admit, I didn’t think she’d really be interested in me.” He crossed his
arms and raised a teasing brow. “And I’m guessing you want her just as bad.”

“Oh
yeah.”

“I’ve
got to admit, there could be worse things than sharing her with you. Though it
won’t be easy figuring it all out.”

“Like
if she’s actually willing to do that.”

“Walker,
you’re one of the most persuasive men I’ve ever met. I’m certain you can talk
her around.” Blake relaxed his arms and shrugged. “Now, I think about it. I
think we could have a lot of fun with her.”

“And
you’re not worried about losing your focus?”

Blake
scraped a hand through his hair. “I should be but…damn, I need her, Walker. If
I don’t have her, I’m going to go crazy. Not being able to touch her is
distraction enough. I can’t help feeling I’m not going to be able to keep my
mind on the job unless I have her. It’s been a long and torturous year.”

Walker
chuckled. “Buddy, I know the feeling and I’ve only been here a week. You have
the patience of a saint. But I guess that’s why we work so well to—”

A
scream cut him off and Walker’s heart bounded into his throat. Both men stormed
up the elegant staircase to be confronted with a wet and shaking Ebony. With
only a flimsy blue towel wrapped around her, wet hair hanging over her
shoulders, she looked pale and vulnerable. Blake immediately went to her.

“What
is it?” Walker demanded while Blake took her into his hold.

“In-in
my bedroom.” She motioned with a shaking hand.

Cautiously,
Walker eased open the door and studied the room. The bed was perfectly made up,
its cream sheets pristine. There on the pillow was a rose and a note. In the
same blood red colour as the rose, it said:
You are going to die, whore.

Walker
saw red himself. He barrelled back through the door. “Another note,” he said to
Blake. “Get her into your room and lock the door. I’m going to get the security
guards to search the house top to bottom.”

Blake
nodded and led her into his room. Walker hurried down the stairs to the
security room. He shook his head. The psycho was playing with them, taunting them.
Walker thought it would just be a matter of playing it safe and waiting for
results but the enemy had just upped the game. If they didn’t find out who this
guy was soon, he didn’t doubt the stalker would make good on his threats. And
clearly the guy was more resourceful than they’d realised.

He
slammed his palm against the banister of the stairs. How the fuck did he get in
the house?

***

Blake
had Ebony calmed down by the time Walker returned and announced the house was
clear. It might have been hard holding a wet, sexy woman in his arms if it
weren’t for her patent fear and the dread that thrummed inside him. He knew
they were up against someone who wasn’t your average psycho but he genuinely
didn’t expect someone to break past their rigorous security.

Walker
paced in front of the window. The man was tense, more tense than he’d ever seen
him before. They’d been in worse places—Afghanistan for example, and in more
danger than this but Walker had the ability to always remain calm and in the
control. Unlike him. Yet another reason they worked so well together.

He
glanced at Ebony, pleased she’d stopped shaking. But now he was much more aware
of her nipples peaking against the thin towel and the way the skin of her
shoulder felt under his fingertips. She remained burrowed into his side and the
trust she put in him made his chest swell.

Would
she trust him to do the right thing with Walker too?

He
had to admit, the idea of teaming up with Walker made his cock twitch. Ebony
meant the world to him and he wanted to do everything in his power to make her
feel amazing. To blow her away. With Walker at his side, he was confident he
could do that. The same way they worked a job together, they knew how to work a
woman’s body together. Add that to the fact he was sure Walker felt a lot more
than just desire for her, and they could certainly bring the foxy little rocker
to her knees. And then some. The image of her lips parted as moans of pleasure
emanated from her made his erection thicken.

He
snapped his gaze to Walker in a bid to distract himself. Apparently the idea of
a threesome with his best mate and the woman he probably loved was just about
the biggest turn-on ever. For once in his life, the job didn’t feel like it had
to come first.

Sucking
in a breath, he squeezed Ebony in a reassuring move. Just because he wasn’t
being ‘all about the job’ for a change, didn’t mean he wasn’t shit scared for
her.

“We
need to get out of here,” he told Walker.

Walker
nodded. “You have somewhere we can go?”

“Yeah,
a cabin by the lake. Way out in the countryside.”

“Okay,
let’s do it. Ebony, you need to get some stuff together. We’ll liaise with the
police from there and keep you hidden until they’ve finished their
investigations. We can only hope that with the CCTV from here, they’ll come up
with a match for the person who was at the arena.”

Blake
nodded. “Sounds good.”

“I-I
need to phone my manager.” Ebony reached for the phone on Blake’s bedside.

Blake
grabbed her hand and pinned it back to her waist. “No way, Ebony. We don’t know
who we can trust. Only the police will know where we’ve gone.”

“But
I’ve got appointments! And interviews. I’m meant to be filming in three days’
time!”

“Tough,”
Blake said a little more harshly than intended. “Your safety is more important
than anything else. I’m not letting anything happen to you, sweetheart.”

She
folded her arms across her chest and slumped. “Fine. But I’ll be blaming you
when my career sinks.”

Blake
chuckled. “Your career won’t sink. Everyone wants a piece of Ebony Rose and
will continue wanting a piece of you even if you miss one lousy TV show.”

“I’ll
get your PA to make some excuses for you,” Walker offered.

“You
know they’re going to read something into this,” she said petulantly, sticking
out her bottom lip. “Drugs, alcohol, weird diet. They’ll think I’ve gone to
rehab.”

“So
let them. You know it won’t hurt your bad girl image, sweets,” Walker said
softly.

She
sighed, resigned. “Fine. Take me away. Lock me up. Do what you will.” She
gestured dramatically.

“Don’t
say that.” Walker grinned. “We might just take you up on the offer.”

***

Nerves
ate at Ebony and it was nothing to do with the fact some weirdo was trying to
kill her. It was the two men guarding her life that made her stomach twist with
anxiety. Heat filled her cheeks as she relived the moment their lips touched
her skin, her mouth. She wanted those lips in other places now.

And
here they were, in a sweet little wooden cabin. All alone.

With
a view out onto the lake, its homely furnishings and log burner made it seem
perfect. While she enjoyed living the life of a rich and famous star, there was
something to be said for simplicity. Wrapped in a blanket, she sat safely on
the couch while drinking a whiskey Walker had prepared for her. It warmed her
stomach. Though it was spring, the cabin didn’t hold heat so the men had lit
the fire just to warm the place after months and months of being unoccupied.
She’d never been here but Blake always told her he had a safe place for her to
go if she ever needed one.