Page 33 of Mad About Her Cowboys

Madison flinched.

“Don’t do that,” he snapped. “None of us would touch you in anger. None of us would hurt you.” He glanced at Franklin.

“Never,” Franklin gritted out.

She sucked in a deep breath then gave a single nod. “I’m sorry. I know you’re not like him. But that doesn’t… It doesn’t change the fact that I can’t do this,” she said while shaking her head. “I might be pregnant, but I’m not the kind of girl who sleeps around, who sleeps with lots of guys. It might be okay for some, but it’s just not me.”

“You don’t feel something for us—the same thing we feel for you? You didn’t feel it the second we looked at each other? That was more than interest we saw in your eyes. It was more than just…nothing…when we were together last night.”

“I made a mistake,” she repeated weakly.

“Was it so bad with us you don’t want to continue?”

“No, of course not—I mean, I rushed things…”

There was a moment of silence while they both digested the bullshit. Okay, maybe, it wasn’t completely. Things had moved quickly, and Franklin sensed that scared her. But it seemed like there might be more.

“Baby, you’re ours,” he said, “but we’ll go as slow as you need.”

Again she shook her head, her silky locks tumbling around her shoulders. “Being with me will only cause you trouble.”

“What the fuck?” Connor breathed.

“Why do you say that?” Franklin asked her. “Because let me tell you, that is far from true.”

“I heard what was happening today—”

“Because they’re all assholes,” his brother exclaimed. “Most of our guests are top-notch. None of them cause problems like these guys. The only reason they’re trouble is because one of them knew you—the guy who should be in prison for what he did.”

“I’d be on my way to prison if Eds hadn’t stopped me,” Franklin muttered, and Madison’s eyes went wide.

“What?”

“And they’re all out of here on Wednesday,” Connor continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “They could all leave today with full refunds, and I wouldn’t give a fuck. Good riddance to them. You’re more important.”

She lifted a hand and stared at Franklin. “What do you mean about jail?”

“He assaulted you. He was threatening you. He doesn’t deserve to live.”

“You can’t—”

“He won’t be around for long,” Connor said. His eyes closed as he inhaled. He was seeing something. Franklin had seen that expression before.

“You can’t do anything to him. If something happened to any of you…”

Franklin gathered her close. “We’re not going to do anything,” he whispered, inhaling her sweet scent. The feel of her soft body in his arms had him hard again. “Connor’s just seeing something.”

“Less seeing and more feeling,” Connor said. “It’s more of a knowing than a vision.” He moved close, hugging her from the other side.

She groaned. “We can’t.”

“We can,” Franklin countered. “But we won’t push you.”

“I just want to go slow. I just want… God! I hate that Martin is doing this to me. And I shouldn’t let him. But I need to go slow. I need to be sure. And…I know I won’t feel okay about anything until they’re gone—all of them are gone—on Wednesday. I just can’t mess things up for you guys. Even if most of those doctors don’t know me—which there’s a good chance they do—I don’t want to be around them or have them give you crap because of me. Ugh! What are the chances?” She growled the last bit then pressed her face into Franklin’s chest. He’d take it. His hand buried in her thick, silky hair, and he kissed the top of her head.

“We can wait until Wednesday,” he said.

“To clarify I meant that’s when you can start dating me. Not when I’m going to start sleeping with all of you.”

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