Colters' Woman (Colters' Legacy #1)(8)

Ryan opened the door, and Ethan walked into the house with Holly still in his arms. Adam stood a few feet away, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression formidable.

Despite Ethan’s assurances, she began to tremble in his arms. She turned her face into his chest, trying to hide from Adam’s scrutiny. His power terrified her. Mason was nothing next to this man, and yet he’d done so much to hurt her. Adam could do much more.

Ethan’s arms tightened around her. “Don’t be scared, doll,” he whispered in her ear. He walked her over to the fire and set her down. She quickly arranged herself behind him so he stood as a barrier between her and Adam.

To her surprise, Adam laughed. “So is this going to be the way it is? You hide behind Ethan every time you do something to piss me off?”

She frowned and stuck her head out from behind Ethan. Adam was smiling, and Ryan looked at her with quiet intensity. For a moment, she saw something in Ryan’s eyes she recognized, could relate to. Torment.

“I-I don’t understand,” she began lamely. “I don’t understand any of this.”

Adam looked at her standing behind Ethan, clutching fiercely at his shirt. She looked lost and forlorn and very afraid. He was glad she at least trusted Ethan, even if she had no idea she did. She was clearly assigning Ethan the role of protector. From him.

Ethan warned him with his eyes not to push. Hell, he could figure that much out without Ethan’s warnings. Holly looked like a frightened fawn. Ready to bolt with the least provocation.

He sighed and sat down on the couch. “Come here, baby.”

She clutched at Ethan’s hand and chewed nervously at her lip.

What had made her so afraid? Who had hurt her so badly that she couldn’t trust him or his brothers?

Ethan’s arm went around her, squeezing her reassuringly even as he guided her forward. Ethan cupped her chin and forced her to look up at him. “No one will hurt you, doll. I swear it. No one will ever hurt you again.”

She relaxed a bit at his vow then turned her nervous gaze at Adam. “Are you angry?” she asked softly.

He held out a hand to her and felt an insane sense of victory when she trustingly curled her hand into his. He pulled her into his arms and smoothed her hair from her eyes. “I’m not angry, baby. Not at you. Never at you. I’m angry at the son of a bitch who hurt you, who put that fear I see into your eyes.”

He tugged her down further into his arms then kissed her, gently, lightly, feather soft across her mouth. For a moment, she melted into his arms, and she fit so damn perfect, like she’d always belonged there. Then she tensed and yanked away from him, torment and self-loathing burning brightly in her eyes.

With an inarticulate cry, she ran past him and down the hall to the bedroom.

Adam started after her, surprised by her reaction. Ethan’s hand on his arm stopped him.

“You’re going to have to explain,” Ethan said. “Now.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Ethan sighed and dragged a hand through his hair. “She thinks she’s a whore.”

“What?”

“Come on, Adam, you know she has to be confused. She’s attracted to the three of us. Some bastard has told her she’s a whore and now she believes him. She doesn’t understand herself or us. You have to explain it to her.”

“You’re right,” Adam said with a deep sigh. “I’ll talk to her.”

Adam walked down the hall to the bedroom, his brothers following a short distance behind. He knocked softly, not wanting to alarm her by barging in. “Holly, honey, it’s me, Adam.”

“Go away.” Her voice, muffled by sobs, filtered through the door.

He opened the door, flinching when he saw her huddled on the bed, her eyes red-rimmed. She’d discarded Ryan’s coat on the floor. He stepped around it and walked over to sit on the bed next to her. He pulled her into his arms. She didn’t fight him much to his delight.

“Tell me why you’re crying,” he said softly.

“What would you say if I told you not two minutes before I kissed you in the living room, I was outside kissing Ethan?” she said, her lip trembling.

He smiled and smoothed his hand over her hair. “That makes me very happy, actually.”

Startled eyes flew to his face. “Happy? I’m acting like a slut and that makes you happy?”

He looked sternly at her. “I won’t tolerate you talking about yourself that way. If you say anything like that again, I’ll turn you over my knee and spank your pretty ass.”

Her mouth fell open.

“There are some things you should know,” he said. “Starting with the fact that you belong to us. All of us.”

He expected to see fear at his statement. Instead, he saw surprise. Ethan and Ryan, who had been standing in the doorway, moved closer to the bed. Ethan sat down behind Holly and slipped his hands over her shoulders, rubbing soothingly.

Holly looked uneasily between the brothers as Adam allowed time for his declaration to sink in. She wet her lips nervously and turned troubled eyes back to him.

“Does that mean you’re not going to let me leave?”

He chuckled. “If you’re asking if you’re a prisoner, the answer is no. If you’re asking if we’re going to open the door and let you waltz out of our lives, the answer is no.”