He sighs and takes off his shirt. Bruises litter his chest. I touch the large circles and force my hackles down. He tips my chin up. “I wore a vest.”
“Someoneshotat you?!” My voice raises three octaves. “Someone shot you, cut Hunter, and I’m the one on house arrest?”
“Are you going to ground us, momma bear?” Hunter calls.
I fill a Ziplock bag with ice while grumbling, then fill another five for Lief. When he reaches for one, I point at him. “Go lay down in the living room.”
Lief watches me for a long moment, finishes his drink, and pecks my cheek. He lays down obediently as I grab the whole roll of paper towels. With some difficulty, I get everything to the living room. The guys speak to each other in Russian, around me, as I wrap each bag with a paper towel. I put one in Hunter’s hand, order him to put it against his face, then slowly cover Lief’s bruises with the ice packs.
“It’s okay, baby. We’re used to living rough,” Chase says.
“Too bad,” I growl. “You’re mine. Each of you. That means you tolerate my first aid and the fact that I’m ready to kick ass because someone hurt you.”
Chase’s eyes warm and he pulls me onto his lap, rubbing my sides. “We’re lucky to have you.”
“Yes,” Lief agrees. “Twenty minutes, Valerie?”
“For the first round, yes.” I try to stay angry, but it’s so difficult. “How am I supposed to be okay with you three leaving when you came back to me like this?”
Hunter starts to pull the ice from his head and I point at him. He raises his hand. “Okay. Okay.”
After the full twenty minutes, I peel the ice off Lief. Of course, it’s melted ice because he’s hot enough to destroy ice caps. I look at the dark bruises and nibble my bottom lip. Lief sits up and strokes my face.
“You were shot at.Shot,” I emphasize. “That’s not okay.”
“They’re taken care of,” He says simply, studying my face. “They only get one chance. They failed.”
Fingers thread through my hair and I look back at Hunter. He kisses my forehead, exhaling slowly and closing his eyes. “We’re survivors, Valerie. Our life isn’t pretty. I told you that.”
“Hearing it and seeing it is different,” I whimper.
“We just need a day or two to recoup.”
“You were stabbed!”
“How else do I get these pretty scars?” Hunter kisses me softly, despite the awkward position. “But if I have to get stabbed to hear you say I’m yours … I’m ready to take more.”
“Asshole,” I grumble.
Lief and Hunter comfort me instead of letting me comfort them. Chase gets called to go somewhere and I threaten all-out violence if he comes back injured. He promises to come back in better shape than Hunter and Lief.
But the next two weeks have me nervous whenever they leave. While my guys are here, they do a damn good job distracting me. Chase brings lavish meals for us to eat together as we talk, get all dressed up, and then fall into bed. Lief and I swim, spar, and spend a lot of time outside, and he’s showing me plenty of positions and places perfect for sex. Hunter … he’s different. He reads with me, even readstome when I’m in the bath or putting makeup on. He kisses me, and tells me more about his dad, how his mom left, about the fights he’s been in.
We nap together and I find out exactly how much he likes to be a little spoon despite being huge, muscular, and amazing. He shows me his favorite guns and tries to get me to shoot with him, but I just hold my hands over my ears and try not to panic or slip back into when I was taken and watched the guy die in front of me.
But when they’re gone, all I can do is pace and worry. Homework is difficult, work is easier. I can’t be focused on my men when so many people need me. But one of my men is always here. I know that.
They’re very careful about it.
Today is a random Thursday, it’s Hunter. He comes in and sees me with notes spread out around me, the computer on, and two textbooks open. “What’s all this, Valerie?”
“I have my last final tomorrow. It’s the hardest. Abnormal psychology is fun, but there are so many pieces. So many very important specifics.”
“Want to make flashcards? They helped me when I was in school.”
I blink at him a few times. “You’re offering to help me study?”
“Da.”