Page 26 of Tangled up in You

"That was number five," Jake, said, distractedly, while sitting forward in the front passenger seat and peering out the window on his side.

"Five, six, a hundred. I’ll say it as many times as I need to until we find her."

Who would have believed she’d sneak out of the bar like that? When she’d gotten up and taken her coat with her toward the bathrooms, Jake should have been clued in that wasn’t where she was going. Of course, honest woman that she was, she’d left a stack of bills under her glass to cover her drink, along with a generous tip.

But all three of them had been on the crowded bar floor. So, even with the dancing patrons and music, one of them should have noticed her little escape. But when it came down to it, Jonah blamed himself. He should have kept a closer eye on her. Her worry for Becca had pretty much radiated off her.

Along with a little shiver he’d spied shimmying over her body when they’d insisted she wasn’t going anywhere.Thatshiver had had nothing to do with the burst of cold air hitting her from the door opening, and everything to do with him and his brothers.

He’d seen it as she’d stared up at him.

God, how long had he wanted those pale green eyes on him, their depths filled with such expectation, while a flush filled her fair cheeks? That, or having her shoulder-length, burnished hair with golden highlights twisted around his fist as he and hisbrothers made her their own? He should have just given in and said fuck it and taken her in his arms right then and there.

Having his brothers surrounding her with him had only made the urge more intense, and had whetted his appetite for when they could get her alone.

Alyssa belonged to them.

And there went that pain again.

What if something had happened to her?

He flexed his cramping fingers on the steering wheel. Dammit, they shouldn’t have waited. They should have claimed her months ago when Josh and, especially, Jake had been insistent it was time. But no, Jonah had known best. He always did.

At least he’d thought so.

"We need to wait." He’d told his brothers that again just the previous week as he’d had his narrowed gaze on her leaving their bar with herdate. "I don’t think she’s ready."

He wanted to bang his fists on the steering wheel at his own idiocy at not following their instincts, while ignoring his own that had been telling himself to shut the hell up and defer to his brothers for once.

She’d needed claiming.

Did that make them sound like a bunch of marauders? If it did, he didn’t care. Not when everything about Alyssa appealed to them. And not just how beautiful she was. Because, of course, they’d noticed she was gorgeous right off.

Who wouldn’t?

But there was so much more to their woman than that. They’d gotten to know her once she’d started coming to the bar—more and more, it seemed over the past several months. Sometimes alone after work, sometimes with friends, sometimes with a date. That last one—seeing her with different men moretimes than they’d been comfortable with—had them quickly realizing they didn’t want to see her with anyone but them.

And during all those sometimes, they’d found her to be funny, smart, quick-witted, tenderhearted, and so mouthwateringly sexy they’d known she was the one they’d been waiting for.

Had they always shared their women?

No.

It had taken Josh’s confession about five years before that had gotten them all to admit something it seemed they had each been struggling with.

"Guys," Josh had said one night after coming home from a date when they’d lived in Atlanta. "I need to talk to you." Then he’d pushed the bridge of his glasses up on his nose, before clearing his throat. "Things aren’t going well with Nikki."

Jake had grinned, then nudged his brother’s arm where they’d sat together on the couch in their den. "Need some help with that? All you have to do is ask." Then he’d laughed, sat back, and taken a swig of his beer.

"Well," Josh had said, then cleared his throat again as he’d frowned at Jake. "What if Ididask?"

Jake’s reaction might have been comical—the way his eyes had widened and cut toward his brother, with the beer bottle glued to his lips. But Jonah’s interest in what was coming next wasn’t laughable and had him sitting forward in his recliner across from his two younger brothers.

"Wh…wh…wha…what?" Jake had wheezed out while sputtering into his beer.

"Wouldyou help?"

"You’re serious," Jonah had stated, his heart racing with an anticipation he hadn’t been able to admit, even to himself. At least not yet.

---