Page 10 of Their Virgins Secret

“You’re not giving yourself up. ” Cole barked.

“We won’t let anyone hurt you,” Burke assured her. “I believe him about not wanting Caleb involved. He would have blown up the house before we fled if he didn’t. We need to get the baby someplace safe. I know you aren’t going to like this, but we have friends, powerful friends. They’ll absolutely protect Caleb. And we’ll protect you. ”

He reached for her, but she pulled back. “I don’t like any of this, Burke. But I don’t seem to have a choice. It’s just me and Caleb. My parents won’t lift a finger to help us. My only friend here turns out to be working for the enemy. You two are my only option. I want to talk to these friends of yours. Call them. I can’t just turn over my son to anyone. ”

Cole made the call, murmuring, “Gavin James will reassure you, baby. You’ll want to talk to Hannah, his wife, too. ”

Burke watched Jessa as she glared at Cole, hand outstretched for the phone. They’d brought her to this place. God, she was never going to forgive them.

He made a right turn toward the highway that would lead them back to D. C. Gavin would come. Dex and Slade, his brothers, would do anything to protect Caleb, too. Hannah would cuddle and love their boy as soon as she heard the story. And if the worst happened, and none of them made it, the James family would take care of Caleb.

Burke resisted the urge to drive his fist through the windshield. God, he wanted to know his son. He’d already missed out on months of Caleb’s life, and now he had to give the boy up? For how long—days? Weeks? He refused to think it could be longer. Or forever. And the thought of Jessa in danger made him even more insane. He began to understand Cole’s violent streak.

His mind wandered as the miles flew by, images of Jessa laughing played through his brain. Happier times.

Would she ever smile for them again?

* * * *

One year earlier – New York City

Jessa hurried inside the little Mexican place, her portfolio in one hand. She was running late, but she couldn’t help the smile on her face. The last few days had been amazing. Burke and Cole had spent Christmas Day with her, taking her for breakfast and lunch, then sitting in the bar while she worked the night shift. They’d had to work the next day. According to her friends on the maid staff, they had been at the hotel for a week, coming and going at odd hours of the night. She wasn’t sure exactly what they did for a living. They had told her something about the import export business, but she just couldn’t see them behind desks. They had too much energy. They were too…dangerous.

She hadn’t figured them out yet.

And she might never. She really didn’t care why they were here. She was just damn happy they were. The restaurant was loud, vibrant, and proudly proclaimed that they sold the largest margaritas in Manhattan.

“Jessa!” Burke stood up, waving her over to the small table he and Cole had claimed.

With a smile, she made her way toward them, brimming with excitement.

Burke’s friendly smile lit up the place. Cole was darker. She saw them for what they were, halves of a whole. Just looking at them sparked her creativity. And her libido. Was she really considering doing something about that? Would she really have the courage to be honest with them?

“I ordered you a margarita. I hope you don’t mind. I remembered you said you liked mango. ” Cole didn’t smile as he offered the insanely huge glass to her. He was slightly grave, almost as though he expected her to refuse him.

She slid a hand over his, delighted at the relief that crossed his face, the way he relaxed. “I love mango. Thank you. And I have something to celebrate. ”

Burke sat back down. The two men surrounded her. She felt oddly safe when she was between them, which happened often. Whenever they took a cab, she found herself in the middle. Walking through Times Square the night before, she’d had a brother on either side of her, their big bodies a bulwark against the encroaching crowd. She fit between them. She wanted to see just how she fit between them in bed.

“You’re blushing,” Burke said with a grin. “Is this celebration turning naughty?”

She was sure she flushed even more. “I sold a painting. ”

Cole’s eyes flared. “Jessa, that’s wonderful. To a gallery?”

She nodded. She was going to have a work in a gallery in Soho. It seemed too good to be true. “I didn’t really sell it, but the gallery owner agreed to put it up. I have a painting for sale! She wants to see more. I can’t believe it. I know it’s small, but it’s a start. ”

She was practically humming with glee.

“It isn’t small,” Cole said, his voice a deep rumble. “It’s huge. That’s great. ”

“It’s amazing, Jessa. I can’t wait for your first show,” Burke said with an enormous smile on his face.

God, if she wasn’t glowing, it was only because it was impossible for human skin to do it. She was pretty damn sure she now understood what it meant to beam with happiness. They were so kind to her. She had spent the last several days basking in it, desperate for this giddiness to never end. She thought about them all day…and all night. Now she knew what she wanted.

Both of them.

She’d waited. Well, not exactly waited. Sex just hadn’t come up. She’d spent so many years trying to please her parents by becoming the perfect student. She’d graduated from high school early. She’d gone to college too young to really fit in with her classmates. Since coming to New York, all she’d been able to think about was keeping a roof over her head and food in her belly.

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