Colters' Woman (Colters' Legacy #1)(3)

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.

Chapter Two

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.”