Colters' Woman (Colters' Legacy #1)(11)

“Want breakfast?” Ryan asked as he motioned to the door.

“You go first,” she said nervously. The idea of passing by Adam was enough to make her knees turn to jelly. She much preferred the protection Ryan’s body offered as a buffer between her and Adam.

Ryan’s eyes glittered with unspent need as he tucked her hand into his. He pulled her along with him as he walked by Adam. She was almost out of the bedroom when Adam snaked an arm out and caught her.

To her dismay, Ryan let her hand fall from his and ambled on toward the kitchen. She found herself hauled up against Adam’s rock hard chest and staring into his green eyes.

“You have no reason to be afraid of me,” he said seriously. “There’s no reason to hide behind Ethan and Ryan every time I say something to you. I’m very glad you feel safe with my brothers, but they have no need to protect you from me.”

She bit her lip nervously. “It’s just that you’re so…”

“So…what?” he prompted.

“So big,” she blurted out.

He arched an eyebrow. “And Ethan and Ryan aren’t?”

She flushed. “No, yes, I mean yes, they’re big but I don’t think they’d hurt me.”

His lips tightened. “And you think I would?”

“Not intentionally,” she said lamely. “M-Mason is nothing compared to you and yet…” She broke off, not wanting to blurt out what all Mason had done. “If he could do so much, what then could you do?”

“Is that the bastard’s name?” Adam demanded.

She pressed her lips together, refusing to say any more.

Adam sighed and dragged a hand through his hair. “Come here, baby.” He pulled her over to the bed and sat down, settling her on his lap. “I don’t know what all this Mason bastard has done to you, though I fully intend to find out, but it’s obvious he’s destroyed any trust you might’ve had within you. I can accept that. What I can’t accept is the fear in your eyes every time I look at you.”

Her heart thudded painfully. Adam looked earnest. Hard, but earnest. She felt silly over the fear that nagged her when he was focused on her, but she knew without a doubt, she would never be the same after meeting this man. And maybe that was what she was most afraid of.

“I have been very honest with you,” he continued on. “I want you. More than any other woman. Ever. I won’t be satisfied until you’re in my bed. In our bed. Bound to us. Pregnant with our children. Belonging to us heart and soul forever. I can’t put it any straighter than that. I won’t let you go without a fight, that’s for damn sure, but I sure as hell won’t ever hurt you, and I’ll move heaven and earth to make sure no one else does either.”

She felt his speech to the very depths of her soul. How could she not? No one had ever spoken so honestly with her or with such conviction.

“Give us a chance, Holly. It’s all I ask.”

Not examining the voice inside her that warned her to run far, far away, she slowly nodded.

A slow, triumphant smile spread across his face. “Now, let’s go eat that breakfast.”

Chapter Five

Holly sat at the bar between Adam and Ryan as Ethan served up plates of ham and eggs. She glanced between them often, gauging their mood, their reaction to her, but they seemed unruffled.

It was as if they made such proclamations every day. She shook her head and speared another piece of egg with her fork. How could such a relationship work? Jealousy would be inevitable. And things would be much more difficult for her than for any of them. They only had one “spouse” to contend with, she had three.

Three men to please, put up with, all different. The mere idea of the complexities involved in the situation made her head ache even harder.

Ethan was obviously the easiest going of the three brothers. She relaxed around him. It was a natural reaction. Even if she didn’t know Adam was the oldest, it was as clear as if it was written across his forehead. And even though he had gone to great lengths to make her feel at ease, she knew he could be dangerous when crossed. He exuded power and authority, wore it like a mantle draped around him.

Her gaze flitted sideways to Ryan. He was an enigma. The only one she didn’t have an idea formed about already. He was quiet and serious, but more than that, she saw pain in his eyes. Like her, he’d seen the darker side of life. She’d bet her last dollar on it.

“Are you all right?” Ethan asked.

She looked up to see him frowning at her.

“Just a headache,” she replied.

He walked to one of the cabinets and retrieved a bottle of ibuprofen, shook out several pills and handed them to her. Just one more example of them taking care of her. It warmed her to her toes and scared the hell out of her all at the same time.

“What’s on your mind, baby?” Adam asked.

Was she that easy to read? Could they already see inside her mind and soul? Her fingers tensed on her fork for a moment as she contemplated denying that anything was on her mind, but Adam’s honesty compelled her to be equally honest.

“The dynamics of the whole relationship you all propose… It’s rather mind-boggling,” she admitted.

She didn’t miss the triumphant smiles passed between the brothers. Surely to them, this was a sign they were making headway. And maybe they were, as insane as she was to even contemplate it.