Surrounded by the guys and Jordan, Holly made her way up their sidewalk and into the house. As expected, Moose danced around her feet, licking her hand and bringing back the easy smile that had been missing from her face since they’d offended her the night before.
Owen shut the door behind them, leaving Jordan and the rest of his team, who were already in place to strategize about how best to secure their home. He couldn’t say he minded after seeing what some people would do for a piece of Trent’s newfound stash.
Trent and Lorenzo guided Holly to the sofa, where she plopped down and leaned forward to hug the dog. “I’m so glad to see you, Moose.”
When her voice cracked, Owen had to take action. If he stood there and watched her break down, he’d lose it too. And right now, he needed to keep his own shit together. He’d have to wait until she was okay, however long that took, before they could deal with his—and Lorenzo’s—building tension.
He looked at his friend, who swallowed hard before giving him a slight nod. Yeah, Lorenzo knew exactly how Owen felt.
They had to trust that Trent was going to make this right for them all, and that wasn’t a position either of them was used to being in. Having always fended for themselves, it frustrated the hell out of him.
Rather than risk losing his patience, he tried to help in some small way.
“When’s the last time you ate?” Owen asked. He might not be a gourmet-chef-in-disguise like Trent, but he could heat a bowl of soup or cut up an apple or something.
Trent sank onto the cushion next to her, putting his hand on her knee, while Lorenzo manned his post standing near the arm of the couch. He couldn’t relax enough to lounge. Owen didn’t blame the guy.
“Dinner last night.” Holly held her hand up, palm out when he turned toward the kitchen. “But…I’m really not hungry. Food isn’t what I need right now.”
“You’re exhausted.” Lorenzo hummed as if he was going to sing her a lullaby.
“I am, but I don’t think I could fall asleep either. There are too many things still racing through my mind. Too much nervous energy making me restless.” She shifted before blinking up at Trent.
Owen knew how to take care of that. But he wasn’t about to be the one to suggest it. Neither did his best friend. Was Trent going to falter again, even in the face of what Holly was obviously begging for?
Owen could picture them, soothing each other, skin on skin. Erasing the terror of the past several hours and replacing it with mind-blanking pleasure. He could do that for her a hell of a lot better than he could provide sustenance. Or maybe that was just a different kind of nourishment.
Trent lifted his hand to stroke her hair, but his fingers stopped short, trembling in the air as if he was afraid of hurting her again.
Holly leaned into his touch, connecting them when Trent hesitated.
She was exactly what they needed, and Owen wanted to be the same for her. Even if it was only temporary, or as the second—or third—string player in her love life. All he cared about was erasing some of the doubt and trepidation in her pretty eyes.
“I need you. All three of you.” Holly wiped a tear from her cheek, making him want to go back and rip the bastards who’d taken her from them to shreds. “Can we have a repeat of last night? Except change the ending? Pretend none of it happened? I mean, everything after the sex stuff. Try again and see if we can get it right this time?”
“I’d like nothing more than that.” Trent groaned. “I fucked up, Holly. I should have—”
“Don’t tell me what you should have done. Do it now instead.” She rose, and Owen shuffled closer. Lorenzo and Trent were right there with him.
Holly reached out to him.
So he went.
Consequences be damned.
6
Owen shed his clothes before he’d even crossed the threshold of Trent’s room.
Lorenzo kicked his jeans into the corner with a flick worthy of his profession as one of Vegas’s most popular male strippers. Owen didn’t possess Trent’s sophistication, or Lorenzo’s suave moves, but he had a burning desire to make Holly feel like he never had before. Wanted, cherished, protected, and—as long as he didn’t have to say the words—loved.
She deserved it.
The way she’d sacrificed so much of her own life to care for her mother, and her willingness to volunteer to help Trent the night his father had died, and how she’d rescued Moose, not to mention the affection she’d lavished on Trent, Lorenzo, and himself…
Well, he may not have known her long, but she’d shown them the kind of person she was and the quality of her soul. It couldn’t have been more attractive to him. Having her in their homes, and now in their beds, had brought them all together.
The fact that she didn’t seem to realize how much she had to offer only made him want to prove it to her that much more.