Leesa had been surprised when Tracy had told her that each and every one of them who did actually had been sworn in as deputies. For emergency purposes, of course. Considering that, she supposed that would include every member of Adam’s family.
Leesa closed her eyes. She had no idea why her thoughts had taken that detour down trivia lane. She’d never experienced her thoughts being so scattered, so…unsettled.
“We’re almost there, baby.” Jason gave her right hand a squeeze. “You’re shaking. Are you sure you weren’t hurt aside from that scratch on your cheek?”
Leesa opened her eyes. She was shaking. Weird. I never shake. “I’m sure. I can’t seem to stop the shaking, but I’m okay. Well, my mind is ping-ponging all over the place, too, but other than those two little things, I’m perfectly fine.”
“You’re likely having an adrenaline crash, Miss Leesa,” Jake said. “It’ll pass.”
Leesa looked up and met his gaze in the rearview mirror. Appreciating the kindness that she saw there, she nodded and then sighed when he pulled the car into the guys’ driveway.
“Adam will call before he comes over tomorrow morning,” Jake said. “For the rest of the night…well, I’ll just shut up, now.”
He wore a teasing grin, and it took Leesa a few moments to understand why.
Jason extended his arm. “Thanks, Jake.”
Jason’s voice had a strange echo to it. And then they were in the house, in the living room. Jason scooped her into his arms. “I have you. Let’s go upstairs and just be for a little while.”
That sounded like the best idea, ever.
For the first time in her life, Leesa felt good letting others—specifically these two wonderful men—take complete care of her.
Entering the bedroom, getting naked, all that passed in a blur. When she felt the comfort of the mattress beneath her, when she felt the heat of their flesh on hers as they snuggled her close between them, she knew she was home. A few tears leaked, and she let them, because, in that moment, everything was good. Her world had righted, and the shaking stopped.
“I wasn’t scared at first. Not until we got into the barn and Bryce began to laugh at Bateman. I looked up and into that man’s eyes, and I realized he was on the edge. And that, more than anything, scared the shit out of me. Well, that and his turning his gun on me.”
“About that,” Phillip said. “He turned the gun on you, and your response was to tackle him?”
“You stole my question,” Jason groused.
Phillip’s words, so carefully enunciated, and Jason’s little addendum let Leesa understand something very basic, and very important, about love.
When you loved someone deep down to your soul, then their reality became yours—and vice versa. She’d been terrified, of course, but she understood that both her men had been, too.
“I only tackled him after Bryce kicked him in the knees. In that instant, his aim went wide of me and was more or less back on Bryce. I didn’t even think. Training kicked in—and that was a bad pun—and I simply reacted.”
“Well, fuck.” Phillip kissed her shoulder. “Of all the people on this planet I did not want to feel grateful to, your ex was at the top of the list.”
“No kidding,” Jason said.
Leesa couldn’t help it. She laughed. What started as a small giggle didn’t take long to morph into giant, wrenching sobs. Totally out of her control, those sobs shook her and plunged her into the depths of an emotional storm.
Her men said nothing. They simply held her close and let her cry. After a few minutes, tissues were pressed into her hand. She mopped, then hiccupped, then clutched the damp paper in her fist.
“Better?” Jason asked.
“Yeah. Thanks.” She exhaled. “That has never happened to me before. I’m not even sure I understand why it happened now. I’ve always been able to roll with…well, whatever. And there have been some pretty heavy whatevers, too, in my life. Finding out Bryce cheated on me, confronting him, his punch…I rolled. Got pissed as hell, filed for divorce, but no emotional meltdown. Getting shot? Hurt like a son of a bitch, but I rolled and, again, no meltdown.”
“Well, hell, baby, I’d say you were overdue for one, don’t you think?” Jason kissed the top of her head.
Leesa had been using his chest as her pillow. She needed to see her men, so she began to turn. She smiled as the image of a spit turning on a rotisserie formed in the back of her mind.
She moved, and they moved with her, accommodating her. Both men were on their sides, heads on hands, looking down at her. Since she could see them both at the same time, that was perfect.
“What I think…” She looked into Jason’s eyes, so full of love it made her feel ultra feminine. Then she met Phillip’s gaze and saw not only that love but so much joy with it.
“What I think is that you’ve both reached down deep inside me in a way that not only no one else ever has but to a part of me I forgot existed. I think a part of me—that part that is female—stepped back when I joined the army. I didn’t date, and I didn’t have any real close female friends. I think I believed I had to turn off that side of me and just focus on the career I’d chosen. I’d go home on leave, and be happy to spend time with my parents, but wanted nothing more. Each time I felt a greater distance between myself and my sisters, especially.” She reached out and put a hand on each of her lovers. “I got married, but you know how that
