“Panicked over what?” Michael asked.
She was silent a moment until Chad pulled back, placed his fingers under her chin, and stared down at her. “Tell us now.”
She swallowed hard and shook her head.
“Why not?” Michael asked.
“I don’t want to. It’s in the past. It doesn’t have anything to do with either of you.”
“Then why freak out and run in here?” Michael asked.
“I panicked. I thought you were going to try to…well you know, the other way to have sex.”
Michael and Chad looked at one another, and then it hit them at the same time.
“Oh, baby, no, we wouldn’t do that our first night together. You need to be prepared for that. As is, we can’t stop touching you and wanting you. You’re going to be sore tomorrow,” Chad offered as explanation. She nibbled her bottom lip and nodded her head, but Michael thought this wasn’t all she was afraid of.
“Is there more than that? Because you know you can ask us anything and tell us anything that scares you so we don’t frighten you again.”
She took a deep breath. Her eyes watered up again and she quickly closed them.
“Sometimes, things that happened in my past come back into my head and I can’t stop them,” she whispered then opened her eyes.
“Let’s go back into the other room,” Michael stated and Chad took her hand and walked her back. They got onto the bed and she clung to the towel around her body. They leaned on a pillow on either side of her.
“Tell us about it,” Chad said.
“No. I don’t want to. I won’t.”
Michael was taken aback at her response. He thought about when she tensed and what position she was in. He knew she was a virgi
n, but his gut clenched thinking about the possibility that someone may have tried to hurt her.
“I was behind you when you tensed up. Did someone try to hurt you once?” Michael asked. Chad readjusted his arm and seemed to tense as he stared down at her.
She nibbled her bottom lip and he knew he was onto something.
“That’s it isn’t it? Someone tried to attack you once from behind?” He took a guess, and her eyes welled up again with tears. One tear rolled down from the corner of one eye.
“More than once,” she whispered, and he felt the anger consume him. Who would try to hurt her? She was young, beautiful, and innocent.
“Who? Who was it?” Chad asked.
She looked toward him.
“Please, Chad, don’t push this on me tonight. It was a big step, giving you my virginity and getting this close to both of you. I just panicked, and I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I’m tired.” He could tell that she was going to fight them on this and not give any more information.
“Turn off the light, Chad, please,” Michael stated but he held Alexa’s gaze.
“Take this off. I want nothing between us while we’re sleeping,” Michael whispered, and she lifted up so he could remove the towel. She immediately rolled onto her side with her arms in front of her covering her breasts and her fingers clasped under her chin. She stared up at him, and he absorbed the sight of her beauty. She was feminine, petite, and precious. He and his brother were very big men compared to her. She may have been used to others picking on her or hurting her, but that would never happen again. Eventually he would get the information from Alexa so that he and Chad could help her to forget and heal. God knew both he and Chad needed some healing of their own.
The lights went off and Chad snuggled behind her. Michael snuggled in front of her and pulled the sheet and comforter up over them. Despite the darkness in the room, the moonlight shone through the blinds, and he could see her watching him. He caressed her hip then leaned forward near her lips.
Before he kissed her he whispered, “We will never hurt you nor will we let anyone ever hurt you again.”
Chapter 9
Chad stared at Alexa as she slept. Michael had gone downstairs hours ago, and Chad had already taken a shower. It was nearly eleven and she was still sleeping. During the night she had moaned a few times and called out for Susanna, but then they both snuggled closer to her and kissed her cheeks and shoulder until she calmed down.