Colters' Woman (Colters' Legacy #1)(9)

He moved in closer, cupping her chin in his hand. Her breathing sped up. Beside her, Ryan curled his hand around hers. All three brothers were touching her, soothing her.

“You belong to us, Holly,” Adam whispered. “I can feel your want, your need. It’s as strong as our need for you. You’re frightened, but you want us.”

“So you want a sex slave?” she asked in a strangled voice.

His eyes narrowed. She was afraid. Not just of him and his brothers but of herself and the unknown man who had done so much damage to her both physically and mentally.

“If you think this is only about sex, you’re wrong,” Adam said in a low voice. “We’re talking about forever. You would be our wife, our mate.”

“W-what?” she squeaked. “B-but…you can’t all marry the same woman!”

“Can’t we?” Ethan asked behind her.

“It’s not legal!”

“You’re thinking with your mind,” Adam chided. “There’s no law that says you can’t live with three men. In our hearts, you would be bound to all three of us. Wife to each one of us. Cherished by all of us.”

She shook her head in denial, in confusion.

“It’s that way in our family,” Ryan said quietly. “If you’re wondering if it’s genetic then no, it isn’t. We have a choice, and we’re choosing you. Our fathers chose our mother, our grandfathers chose our grandmother. But we aren’t bound by an invisible compulsion to lead that kind of life. It’s something we decided when we were old enough to do so. We always knew there would be but one woman for the three of us. And so we’ve waited.”

Adam watched Holly’s reaction to Ryan’s sincere explanation. A sheen of tears rimmed her eyes, and her hands shook in her lap.

“I can’t,” she whispered.

“But you want us,” Ethan persisted.

She nodded a little shamefully.

“Then why can’t you?” Adam prompted, wanting to hear the demons she fought.

“Because I’m already married,” she choked out.

Chapter Four

Cold fingers of dread gripped Adam’s chest. Already married? He looked up to see the same dread mirrored on his brothers’ faces. He glanced down at her finger, unbelieving that he would have missed a ring. But none shone there.

Ethan’s hands had stilled on her shoulders. Ryan’s grip on her hand had loosened. His own hand had dropped from her chin. Could it be the one woman meant for them was forbidden?

No, he wouldn’t accept that. Couldn’t.

“Who is he?” Adam growled possessively.

Her hand fluttered to her throat, a defensive gesture. Panic flared across her face, quickly running out of control.

“He’s the man you’re running from,” Ryan said, his face stony.

“He’s the man who put the fear in your eyes,” Adam added, tilting her chin up once more.

She closed her eyes and nodded.

Relief poured over Adam. Ethan’s hands once again smoothed over Holly’s shoulders. This was something they could deal with. She would simply divorce the bastard.

“You’re not going back to him,” Adam said simply. “You’ll never go back to him.”

“You don’t understand,” she whispered. “He’ll never let me go.” Tears sparkled in her cinnamon eyes.

“He doesn’t have a choice,” Ethan muttered.

“He’ll hurt you, just like…”

Her voice trailed off but Adam understood what she had left unsaid. He’ll hurt you, just like he hurt me. He had never dealt with such rage as what built within him. It swirled like an out of control storm.

She cleared her throat and continued on. “He’s a very powerful man. He’ll kill you. All three of you. Murder means nothing to him. I can’t let him do that.”

“And you think you going back to him is the answer?” Ryan asked incredulously.

She shook her head. “No, I’ll never go back to him. Not willingly. But I also can’t stay here. If he doesn’t know I’m here, if I’m somewhere else, he can’t very well hurt any of you.”

A smile tugged at the corners of Adam’s mouth. The little spitfire was trying to protect them. He felt a surge of pride. Their mate was proving very worthy indeed.

“I realize you’ve only known us a short time, baby, but you’re going to have to learn to trust your husbands,” Adam said.

Her eyes flew open even wider. “But you’re not my husbands! Weren’t you listening? I’m already married.”

“A mere technicality,” he said calmly. “One we intend to rectify as soon as possible.”

She made a sound of frustration. “Did you hear anything I said?”

He smiled. “We heard everything, but your concern is unfounded. We can take care of ourselves, but more than that, we can take care of you.”

Her hand fell, a helpless gesture that stated she was at a complete loss as to what to do or say. They were pressing too hard, something they couldn’t afford to do if they didn’t want to lose her.

“Come into the kitchen. Let us fix you some breakfast,” Adam said, changing the topic to something neutral. Safe.

He saw the relief in her eyes. She nodded.