Be With Me(15)

Hutch stepped between her and Sawyer. “I’m going to take you upstairs. To your room. You’re going to get undressed and get into bed. Unless you’d rather lay on the couch down here?”

“Here,” she blurted. Her room. Just the fact that she had a room in this house scared the holy hel out of her. How long had they planned this? No way she was going up there, to a place they’d prepared for her, made for her.

“I’l go up and get pil ows and a blanket,” Sawyer said shortly.

Before she could utter a word, he turned and walked out of the living room. Her shoulders sagged.

Was she determined to make a mess of everything?

She couldn’t be around any of them without doing her best to piss at least one of them off.

“You could at least pretend not to be scared shitless,” Cam said dryly. “Our egos are taking a beating, Reggie darling.”

She whirled back to him and promptly regretted that action. The room dipped and swayed. Hutch caught her arm.

“Whoops,” he said as he righted her. “Why don’t you get your ass to the couch before you fal over.” She yanked out of his grasp and refocused on Cam. “I am not scared shitless,” she gritted out. “And if your ego is taking a beating, I’d say it’s about damn time.”

Hutch cupped her chin and nudged until she turned her gaze on him. “Yes, Reggie, you are. You can pretend al you want. But I know you. We know you,” he added. “You’ve been running hard for a year now, and it’s time you stopped. One way or another, we’re going to face what happened between us.” She shook her head, causing his hand to slide down her neck.

Cam sighed. “Sit down so I can take your shoes off.”

“Cam, I’m not helpless. I can take them off.” Cam put his hands on her shoulders and guided her backward until she bumped into the couch. Then he pushed her down until she sat on the cushion. He knelt in front of her and began removing her shoes.

“I’m wel aware that you can take off your own shoes,” Cam said. “You could also take a shower by yourself. You could also go home from the hospital, alone, and take care of yourself. But we like taking care of you, Reggie. There’s no reason for you to be alone.”

She stared into his warm brown eyes. A lock of dark hair fel over his forehead, and she reached up to push it back behind his ear.

“Kind of like you’ve always taken care of us,” he murmured. He leaned into her touch, and her fingers slid across his cheek and to the slight stubble at his jaw.

“You need a shave.”

He grinned. “And I’l get one, along with a shower, just as soon as you settle down and get comfortable.

Unless you want to come help me?”

Her lips twitched as she battled the smile. “In your dreams.”

Sawyer walked into the living room carrying two pil ows and a down comforter. Cam rocked back and then stood so that Sawyer could arrange the pil ows for Regina.

When he finished placing the pil ows, he patted one of them and looked pointedly at Regina.

“Assume the position,” Sawyer said.

Regina careful y reclined, settling against the plush cushions of the couch. Her head sank into the feather pil ows, and she groaned in pleasure. They did know her. Too wel . Her likes and dislikes. The things she loved. No one else knew her so wel . Certainly not her parents. She almost laughed. No, she was a mystery to her parents. A puzzle they’d never tried to unravel.

But Cam, Sawyer and Hutch? They got her. And while it should have comforted her that she had people who cared about her, al she could focus on was the thought of losing one or al of them through her own stupidity.

Sleeping with them, making love with them . . . that had been stupid.

She closed her eyes, unwil ing to let the memory of that night intrude on her thoughts. Not now.

The down comforter surrounded her, embracing her in a cloud of softness as Sawyer arranged it around her body. She felt his lips on her forehead, heard him whisper next to her ear.

Hutch’s hand tangled in her hair as he stroked the unruly curls. Then Cam touched her arm, above the brace, light and comforting. Even with her eyes closed, she knew each one, the differences.

And then lips against hers, loving and gentle.

Cam.

“We’l talk later, Reggie darling. That I promise. But for now, get some sleep.”

“Stay with me,” she whispered. Had she said that?

Was she forever contradicting herself? Her mind was a muddled mass of confusion. She thought one thing and another came out of her mouth.

“I’l stay, Reggie. Now sleep.”

His hand crept around hers, laced her fingers with his. She gripped his hand tight and surrendered to the shadows.

Chapter 7

The three men sat at the breakfast table just a few feet away from the couch where Reggie slept. Cam stole a glance every once in a while, but she hadn’t moved since she’d gone to sleep an hour earlier.

There was a fragility to her that bothered him.

Reggie? She was usual y tough as nails, ful of sass and an attitude to rival a pit bul . Her brush with death had scared her. Hel , it had scared the shit out of him. But he knew that wasn’t the only thing that had put that vulnerability in her eyes.

With a resigned sigh, he faced Sawyer and Hutch.

“Al things considered, I think she took it wel ,” Sawyer said with a shrug.