Maya Banks - Colters’ Woman

“T-thank you,” she stammered.

As soon as he left the room, she scrambled up, shedding the towel and yanking on the shirt. It hung to her knees, the sleeves dwarfing her arms. She rolled up each one so her hands were free.

She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on the sweats. When she stood, they fell to her ankles. Hiking them back up, she pulled at the drawstring, trying to make the monstrous pants stay up. They promptly fell back down, and she growled in irritation.

Well, he’d seen her in a lot less. At least the shirt covered most of her. Hopefully her clothing would be dry soon.

She snuck a glance in the mirror over the dresser and winced at her appearance. Her hair was a mess, and the dye job was awful. It certainly hadn’t achieved the desired effect of altering her appearance.

Straightening her shirt, she pulled it as far down her legs as she could and hesitantly walked out of the bedroom door. She moved down the hallway, looking left and right. At the end, she stopped and stared in embarrassment into the living room.

Three men, not just one, stared at back at her. Three gorgeous, hulking men. And here she stood in nothing more than a shirt. She started to retreat, but the man who had bathed her crossed the room and caught her elbow.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m Adam, by the way.” He led her further into the living room despite her reluctance. “These two are my brothers, Ryan and Ethan.”

She eyed them nervously and hung back, hoping Adam’s body would shield her from view. “You didn’t say anything about brothers.”

“I told you the name of the ranch,” he said in amusement.

He reached behind him and squeezed her hand in his. “Don’t worry, baby. No one’s going to hurt you.”

She shivered. Not from fear, but from the sex appeal in his voice. How could a complete stranger make her feel so safe? She licked her lips. “I’m Holly,” she said in just above a whisper.

One of the two brothers rose from the couch and walked over to her, reaching behind Adam and gently pulling her forward. “Come over by the fire and get warm.” His husky voice filtered over her like fine chocolate.

Oh Lord, she must be dreaming. “Which one are you?” she asked, hesitating for a moment.

“I’m Ethan.” He smiled broadly at her. He tugged slightly on her hand, and she allowed him to lead her closer to the fire.

Ethan was as large as Adam. The only difference between them was their eyes. Both had dark hair. Almost black. But Adam had green eyes and Ethan’s were a warm brown, while Ryan sported dark blue eyes.      Ryan was slightly smaller in build than his brothers and his hair was a lighter brown, but where his brothers’ hair was short, Ryan’s hung below his ears, just brushing the tops of his shoulders. He had a wild, haunted look, the kind of man a woman instinctively wanted to try to tame. He looked to be the youngest, but Holly wasn’t certain. They were all pretty close in age, though Adam had to be the oldest.

Ethan coaxed her into an armchair next to the fire, and she drew her legs underneath her. She stretched her hands to the fire, letting the warmth seep into her body.

She was nervous as a cat in a dog kennel. All of them were staring at her. She could feel them. Had they all seen her naked? Was that why they were looking at her with such intensity?

Adam walked over to stand by the fire. “What happened to you, Holly? Why were you lying in the ditch? You weren’t even dressed for the weather.”

She tensed, unsure of how to answer. Her mind raced to come up with a plausible excuse. “My car broke down further down the mountain. I got out to find help. I must have fallen. I don’t really remember.”

Most of it was the truth. Actually, all of it was, but she wasn’t going to go into any more detail than she had to.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Ryan spoke up for the first time. He looked closely at her as if trying to peel her secrets right out of her head. He was quieter than the other two and more serious looking by far.

“I’m fine. Really.” She looked up at Adam. “Will my clothes be dry soon? I should be going.”

Ryan surged to his feet. Ethan tensed, and Adam’s expression darkened.

“I don’t think you should be going anywhere in this weather,” Adam said firmly.

Ethan nodded. “There’s no reason you can’t stay here until you’re feeling better. Ryan and I will go look for your car and tow it here if we need to.”

Uncertainty made her hesitate. Logically, she should get the hell out while the getting was good, but she felt safe here, and she was tired of running.

She looked down at her hands and tried to control the shaking. She was so damn tired, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten.

Adam knelt beside the chair and cupped her chin in his large hand. “You don’t have to go anywhere, baby. You can stay right here. We’ll take care of you.”

If she’d thought she couldn’t become more aroused, she’d been dead wrong. Though he voiced the offer in gentle tones, she didn’t miss the command. He wanted her to stay.

“I…I don’t know.” She closed her eyes, a wave of dizziness swamping her. She struggled to open them again, but the room swirled around her. Then it went dark.

With a muffled curse, Adam caught Holly’s head as it fell forward. He quickly pulled her from the chair and cradled her in his arms. She was clearly exhausted and probably hungry to boot if her thinness was any indication.

“I’ll put her in my room,” he said as he walked toward the hall.

“Ryan and I’ll go look for her car,” Ethan said.

Adam placed her on the bed and pulled back the covers. She moaned softly, an expression of pain crossing her face, but she didn’t open her eyes.

A pulse beat in his temple and he gritted his teeth. She was running from something. Or someone. She was skittish as a newborn colt, and she had so many secrets in her eyes it was hard to tell the color at times.

The bruise on her ribs bothered him. It could be from a fall, but he doubted it. It didn’t look recent. He fingered a strand of her hair, noticing the unevenness of the color. He’d bet money she was a brunette. The same color as the curls between her legs.

With tenderness he hadn’t displayed in a long time, he tucked the covers around her neck and walked quietly out. He needed a cold shower to calm his raging hard-on, but he opted to walk out into the cold and wait for Ethan and Ryan to return.

A half hour later, they drove up in the Land Rover. Adam walked to meet them. “What did you find?”

“Nothing,” Ethan replied.

Adam raised a brow. So the angel had lied. Was she not thinking clearly or had she honestly not thought they would find out?

“How is she?” Ryan asked.

“Sleeping,” Adam replied. “She needs to eat.”

Ethan looked troubled. A feeling Adam could relate to. That they had found their woman was nothing short of amazing. But it appeared she came with trouble.

Ryan shifted uncomfortably. “I never thought we’d find her. And now that we have, all I can think about is what if she doesn’t want to stay? I felt it too. I know she’s the one. Pop always said we’d know, but I thought it was bullshit until now.”

“I know,” Ethan said quietly. “I felt it too.”

“She’s hiding something,” Adam said. “She has a bruise the size of my fist on her ribcage, and I don’t like to imagine how it got there. And she’s not a natural blonde. She did a poor job dying it. A sign she was probably in a hurry.”

“You think someone’s after her?” Ethan demanded, his face darkening.

Ryan clenched his fists. “Who could want to hurt such a little thing?”

“I don’t know, but one thing’s for damn certain. We can’t let her leave no matter what we have to do,” Adam said grimly.

“Who’s going to approach her first?” Ryan asked.

Adam paused. “I will,” he finally said. “It’s the way it’s done. It’s my responsibility. You two will help by making her feel as comfortable as possible. We’re going to have to ease into this or I’m afraid she might bolt.”

“Go easy with her, Adam,” Ethan warned.

Adam glared at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Ethan didn’t back down. “You know exactly what I mean. You dominate. It’s your nature. You’re going to have to curb that with her. I don’t think she’s going to offer her trust on a silver platter.”

Though Ethan’s words irritated him, Adam knew he was right. He was the authority figure in his personal and professional life, and he was used to getting his way. In his mind, Holly was theirs whether she accepted it right now or not.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said dryly. “Now if we’re done here, I’m going to go check on her. Why don’t you and Ryan see about supper?”

Adam slipped back inside the bedroom to see Holly still sleeping soundly. After kicking off his boots, he pulled the covers back and gingerly settled down beside her. To his surprise, she let out a sigh of satisfaction and snuggled against him.

Her breasts rubbed erotically against his chest, and his cock swelled against her thighs. As she moved against him, her shirt rode up over her hips, exposing her luscious ass. Unable to help it, he smoothed his hand over her naked hip, pulling the shirt higher to her waist.

Her dark curls beckoned him, and he slipped his fingers to the soft folds of her pussy. She moaned as he dipped one finger to her clit and began a slow circular motion. She was hot and wet, and he was ready to burst from just touching her.

Using his fingers, he separated her pussy lips further and slipped his thumb down over her button. His middle finger drifted downward, teasing her entrance as his thumb continued stroking her.