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Then she felt the hands on her shoulders and Alexa looked up above Sally’s head.
“As long as it takes. Let’s move.”
There he was, being demanding and bossy again. This was a different side of Steven. She knew he was authoritative and totally in control all the time, but he was friendly, sweet sometimes, and quiet. She expected this kind of behavior from Mason but not Steven.
She swallowed hard.
“Go, sweetie, and listen to them. They care about you. They’re true and honest and they’re good men.”
Alexa kissed her cheek then headed into the hallway and right into Michael’s arms, and Chad was there, too.
Sally knew that they would all be safe. She just wondered how she was going to survive alone in a cabin, in an undisclosed location, with two sexy, intimidating soldiers who were now her bodyguards.
Chapter 5
Sally fell asleep on the car ride to the cabin. Steven kept looking down at her and thinking how innocent, young, and beautiful she truly was. She was a feminine, gorgeous woman, who’d survived years of abuse, from what Monte had hinted about, only to be submerged in this volatile situation. He felt sorry for her and was shocked at the intensity of his response to her and his need to take control. He had sworn off relationships, women, trust, and companionship. He had poured himself into a relationship with Jess out of need for affection. He had just returned from a tour of duty. It was bad. He had lost his two close buddies, Brooks and Dupree. God, he missed them. There wasn’t a day that went by that he hadn’t thought about them or that mission. After Jess screwed him over, literally, he submerged himself in the veteran’s hospital and helping those he knew needed help. Toby, his Rottweiler, was not only a therapy dog for patients but for Steven, too.
He looked down at Sally as she slept on his lap. She had fallen asleep against the side of her door and kept moving as if she were uncomfortable. He pulled over briefly to bring her closer to him and she snuggled up against his shoulder then eventually onto his lap. Her long brown hair cascaded down her back to the upholstery. She had a great body. Right now he could see her skin peeking out of the sweater she wore. She was curled up like an angel and he realized that she already wrapped herself around his heart.
He swallowed hard as he focused on driving the last part of the trip. In twenty minutes they would be at the cabin. Mason would surely have everything ready.
He remembered her words and Sally’s belief that neither he nor his brother cared about her or even knew she existed. How could she think that? Well, he knew how she could. Mason and he had apparently done a great job ignoring her to hide their feelings. Then of course Mason had that one experience with her when he was drunk and so was she. He had told Mason not to ignore what happened and to talk with Sally about it, but Mason was just as stubborn as he was. Neither man felt confident enough to acknowledge their feelings for Sally or to pursue her. How stupid were they? If only they had face
d their feelings for her sooner, perhaps she wouldn’t be in this danger and she sure wouldn’t have the damn bruise on her cheek. They were going to have to take this time alone with her to let her know how they really felt. If she still hated them when it was all said and done, then so be it. He just wanted Sally to be safe and happy.
He caressed her cheek, and then her hair just as he approached the long driveway to the property.
* * * *
She hadn’t a clue where they were. She woke up with her head on Steven’s lap and him caressing her hair.
He stared down at her. “We’re here, baby.”
Slowly, she sat up and ran her fingers through her hair. It was daylight, and the most beautiful scene stood before her. A gorgeous, large log cabin with a huge porch and lots of property with trees and landscape surrounded it. There looked to be a stream over near the right side. Steven opened his door and stretched out. She immediately sensed the loss of his presence even though he was mere feet from her now. She stared at him, his broad shoulders, his firm, muscular cheeks and chin. He was handsome and sexy.
The sound of dogs barking immediately made her panic. She whipped her head around and saw a bunch of huge black dogs heading toward the truck.
She screamed. “Get in, Steven. Get in.”
He stared at her with eyes wide as the dogs approached. “It’s okay, baby, they’re ours. They belong to Mason and me.”
“Oh God, no. No please don’t let them bite me.” She cried as she pressed her body against the far side of the inside of the truck. She was against the passenger door with her legs up to her chest. She closed her eyes and prayed that they wouldn’t eat her. She had flashbacks of the woods and how her uncles and their men made the dogs chase her. They bit at her heels, her legs. That one nasty dog had taken a nice bite to her back. She had the scars to prove it. She suddenly felt like she could feel the pain now. It was so real, she cried. In her mind she thought she heard Steven yell something in some foreign language. Suddenly the barking stopped, but she could still hear the heavy breathing of a dog.
“It’s okay, Sally. They’re trained to protect and serve. They’re kind of like police dogs, and Toby here is a therapy dog. Mason and I use him to help counsel soldiers or officers injured in the line of duty or to heal from their experiences. He wouldn’t hurt you. None of them would.”
She blinked her eyes open and saw the huge beast of a dog staring at her. The long tongue and huge teeth made her shake with fear. God, she really was scared of dogs. Why were they so damn big?
“What’s going on?”
She heard Mason’s voice and shook with a new kind of fear. Mason was not happy with her. He was angry that she hadn’t divulged the information about the phone call from Garret or what he said to threaten her at the dance hall.
“Toby, down,” Mason commanded and the dog immediately got down and walked toward the other dogs. She glanced through the windshield and saw five huge black-and-mahogany-colored dogs sitting together a few feet away from the front porch.
“Apparently, she has a huge fear of dogs,” Steven stated.
She looked at Mason. He was wearing dark black camo pants and a tight black shirt that stretched across bulging muscles. His biceps were huge. My God, is he big. She swallowed hard.
He looked at her sternly.
