Something Sparked-nook (13 page)

Evan looked at Jeannette. “Can you walk me through what happened last night? How did you know the house was on fire?”

The shattered look in her eyes gutted Diego. Then Jeannette closed them, cleared her throat, and described the events in a steady, emotionless voice. “I’d just turned off the light to go to sleep when I heard a loud crash and saw a bright flash. I thought it was lightning or a storm or something. I was about to dismiss it when I smelled smoke and my detector started beeping. I ran through the house looking for the fire. When I got to the kitchen, I realized it was in the garage.”

Evan’s face turned to stone and Diego realized her story must have confirmed Chuck’s suspicion.

“I’d called 911 immediately, so that was when I started looking for Penny.” Her voice cracked when she said her cat’s name, revealing the first trace of the horror she’d experienced.

Diego reached out and took her hand in his, squeezing it gently. She gave him an appreciative smile.

“Why would someone want to burn my house down?” she asked Evan. “I don’t have any enemies.”

“I don’t know why, Jeannette,” Evan said. “But you can be damn sure I’m going to figure it out.”

“The house is—” she started before her voice gave out.

Evan didn’t need to hear anything more. “It’s a complete loss. I’m sorry. Jesus. I’m so fucking sorry.”

Evan rose and reached out to her. Jeannette stood, too, and stepped into her older cousin’s comforting arms, though no tears fell. It was as if she’d cried them all out the night before.

After several moments, Evan released her. “I’m going back to look around some more and to confer with Chuck about what you heard and saw. I’ll let you know the second we find anything out.”

She smiled. “Thanks, Evan.”

“Aunt Stella is fixing up your old bedroom for you and the girls are running around getting you some clothes and toiletries and stuff.”

Jeannette nodded. “I heard.”

Diego swallowed heavily, hoping he could convince her to remain here over returning to her family’s home. He felt better having her close. The idea of not being with her as she tried to deal with the aftermath of the fire bothered him more than he could say.

Luc had fallen quiet after his outburst, but there was no mistaking the anger radiating from his every pore. For now, his friend appeared to have managed to rein it in. Diego suspected that unlike himself, Luc would remain calm from now on. While Diego’s temper was more like a simmering boil, Luc’s flashed hot and fast before dying down just as quickly.

Evan saw himself out as the three of them struggled to deal with the information they’d just received.

“You okay?” Diego asked her after the door closed.

She started to nod then changed direction, shaking her head. “I feel like I’ve been punched in the stomach.”

It made sense. Someone had purposely tried to hurt her. Jeannette had spent her entire life surrounded by a loving family in a safe, friendly, small-town environment. Now that trust and comfort had been ripped away from her. Diego’s heart ached. He couldn’t look at her standing there so broken, so alone.

He reached for her, tugging her into his embrace. He wasn’t surprised when Luc joined them, adding his own strength and warmth to the hug. The three of them remained there for several minutes, wrapped around each other.

“Stay here with us, Jeannette,” Luc whispered. “Please.”

“Okay.” She didn’t demur, didn’t bother to pretend that she wanted to be anywhere else. For the first time since Evan had dropped his bomb, Diego felt capable of taking a deep breath. Jeannette began to go limp in their arms, her strength fading fast.

Diego was the first to step away, though it killed him to let her go. “Why don’t you go back to bed, angel? Try to sleep and forget about all this shit for a few hours.”

“I’d like to forget. Will you guys stay with me?”

Luc placed a comforting kiss to the top of her head. “Always.”

Jeannette stirred, her eyes opening slowly, taking in the dark room. Since the fire, she hadn’t managed to sleep without waking up several times each night, panic gripping her. The first few nights, she’d jerked awake roughly, crying out, her actions rousing Diego and Luc, who would hold her until she fell asleep again.

Tonight’s panic attack was a quiet one. Her heart raced and a sharp pain pierced her chest. She hated feeling like this. Hated the utter desolation that swallowed her whole in the middle of the night. Hated that the things that never seemed bad during the daytime were completely unbearable at this hour. She tried to remind herself of that, but it didn’t help.

Glancing to each side, she found her slumbering boyfriends. She’d given up pretending they were in the friend zone a few days ago. After all, they’d been living together for two weeks. They hadn’t consummated the relationship or even really discussed the possibility of it, much to her relief. The idea of sex on top of everything else had the potential to push her over the edge.

True to their word, neither man pushed the issue. Instead, they offered only warm hugs, soft kisses and comforting words.

The night of the fire, she never would have imagined she’d be in their house fourteen days later. Initially she’d been numb and stressed out and not thinking clearly. Now, her thoughts were less jumbled, more coherent. And yet she was still here.

It had taken several days to convince each and every member of her family—sans Macie, who had been absolutely delighted by her current living situation—that she was fine at Diego and Luc’s, and not budging.

But regardless of their kindness and their willingness to have her stay, it was time she started figuring out her next move. She couldn’t keep sleepwalking through every day.

She’d gone on autopilot, moving through her days sluggishly—spending the time at work, filling out the mountain of paperwork associated with her insurance claim, replacing items she couldn’t live without, like her phone, and hanging out with Luc and Diego. She hadn’t returned to her house. Evan had told her there was nothing there to salvage. She didn’t need to see a pile of ashes, didn’t need to confirm it with her own eyes. She’d seen the destruction the night of the fire and it had torn her apart. She wasn’t about to relive that anguish. If she stayed here, she could simply pretend everything was normal.

Evan and Chuck had declared the fire a result of arson. Apparently, someone had lobbed a Molotov cocktail at her garage. The device had crashed through one of the windows on her old garage door rather than smashing against the wood and landing outside. Whoever threw it had to have been close and on foot in order to get it inside. It landed next to and ignited a small gas can she used to fill up her lawn mower, which added enough fuel to produce a large, extremely hot fire that spread fast.

After Evan’s explanation, she’d made some halfhearted joke about the jig being up and her secret life as a mobster revealed. It hadn’t fooled anyone into thinking she was okay. Evan had been working day and night to catch the arsonist, while Luc and Diego had gone into full-time guard duty. They worked when she did and as soon as her shift was over, they were there to pick her up, never leaving her side until they dropped her off the next day.

She sat up slowly, trying to find some cool air, hoping it would calm her overwrought nerves. Sleeping between two giants sometimes made her feel like newly molded clay placed in a kiln. She hadn’t had five minutes to herself in two weeks. If she hadn’t been so afraid, it probably would have bothered her. After all, she had lived alone most of her adult life.

However, the idea that there was someone out there who wanted to hurt her had taken root and, despite her belief that she was an independent, self-reliant woman, she’d clung to Luc and Diego as if they were a life preserver keeping her from drowning in the ocean.

“Jeannette? You okay?” Diego’s quiet question caused Luc to rouse as well.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Bad dream?” Luc asked.

She shook her head. “No. Just…same shit, different night.”

“Another panic attack.” Diego’s words weren’t a question. This wasn’t new territory for any of them.

“Maybe I should start sleeping in Luc’s bedroom. I hate that I’m constantly waking you guys up.” She’d made the suggestion before.

Diego instantly rejected it, as always. “No. You’re staying here with us and that’s it.”

She had become accustomed to his domineering comments. Every now and then, she’d call him on one; get after him for attempting to be so heavy-handed. Diego would apologize and try to rein it in, even though she knew it rubbed against the grain. He was a powerful man with the need to take control. Her situation was difficult for him because he couldn’t fix what was wrong. She loved him for trying, so she cut him some slack when he started calling the shots.

She blew out an exasperated breath. “God. I’m so sick of feeling like this. It’s like I’m stuck in fucking quicksand. I just want out.”

Luc tugged on her shoulder, drawing her back down onto the bed. “Maybe you need some distraction.”

She started to ask him what he had in mind, but the question was answered by his kiss. Unlike the gentle, platonic kisses he’d offered lately, this one left no doubt in her mind what type of distraction he meant.

That thought was the last rational one she had as she let herself be swept away by Luc’s kisses. She felt the bed shift next to her and, though her eyes were closed, she was aware of Diego moving closer. The second Luc released her, Diego was there, claiming his own kisses.

Jeannette offered no resistance. She had grown used to their touches, their close proximity. The fears that had consumed her in the past seemed a distant memory. For the first time in far too long, she felt a definite flicker of some pretty serious arousal.

Diego must have sensed her acquiescence. His hands drifted beneath her shirt, finding her breasts. They’d treated her with nothing but kid gloves since the beginning, so Diego’s rough touch caught her unaware. He gripped one of her breasts with a firm hand and squeezed. She groaned against his mouth, the sound encouraging him. With strong fingers, he found her taut nipple, pinching it in a way that sent a lightning bolt of electricity straight to her pussy.

She gasped then clenched her legs together tightly, trying to contain, to control the bone-shaking need ravaging her body.

What the hell was happening to her?

Diego continued to wreak havoc on her breasts and lips and, despite her best efforts, she couldn’t still the steady thumping between her legs, no matter how hard she pressed them together.

Then, that effort was halted when Luc’s hand drifted to her knee. She tried to resist his effort to tug her thighs apart, but he was stronger than her and her heart wasn’t really in to keeping him out.

Like Diego, he wasted no time burrowing his fingers underneath her clothing. She turned her head away from Diego, gasping for air. She couldn’t breathe. Her heart was racing once more, but suddenly she didn’t mind the pounding beat.

Diego didn’t attempt to reclaim her lips. Instead, he moved on, kissing her cheek, nipping at her earlobe, and then sucking gently on her neck as he continued to play with her nipples.

Jeannette’s hips jerked roughly when Luc’s finger grazed her clit. It had been a light touch, but the impact of it shook her hard.

Diego’s lips left her neck and he studied her face. She was powerless to shield her emotions. Luc stroked her clit again, applying more force this time.

She cried out loudly. “Oh my God.”

She could feel both men looking at her. Somewhere deep inside, she wondered why she wasn’t embarrassed, wasn’t uneasy with that intense scrutiny.

“Touch her again, Luc.”

Jeannette sucked in a breath and held it, anticipating what the next touch would do to her. She was in a foreign country, looking at a landscape she’d never, ever seen before. It was beautiful.

“Please,” she whispered. The words were a desperate plea, but she didn’t have a clue what she was asking for.

Luc found her clit once more. This time it was no hit-and-run. He rubbed the sensitive flesh, took the distended nub and pinched it lightly. He worked that tiny place until her hips were rising, seeking more stimulation.

She was on the precipice of something that felt like the world’s most powerful panic attack, yet this wasn’t something she wanted to go away.

As Luc continued to stroke her clit with his wicked fingers, Diego held her gaze, forced her eyes to remain on his. Her eyelids started to slide shut, but he shook his head, his face determined, so strong. “Don’t look away.”

His tone was deep, commanding, sexy as fuck. Somehow the sound melded with Luc’s touches and she disintegrated.

One minute she was static electricity, the next she was weightless, floating. The feeling was pure magic.

Until it wasn’t.

As her orgasm started to waver, Luc upped the ante. Too much. He slid one finger inside her…

Ice water rushed through her veins, tamping out any fires still flickering after her climax. She jerked awkwardly, sitting up and sliding away from him until her back was pressed tightly against the headboard.

Her quick retreat startled both of them.

Jeannette was mortified by her behavior, but her head was swimming in a sea of utter terror and
Ohmyfuckinggod, that orgasm rocked
. The pieces didn’t fit together. Not even close.

Diego narrowed his eyes and for a moment, she saw awareness.

No no no. Jesus. No.

“Wow,” she said, forcing a lighthearted lilt to her tone. It fooled no one, but she forged on anyway. “That was…just wow. That was some serious distraction.”

Diego scowled and Luc was visibly upset. Clearly he thought he’d hurt her. Or scared her. Which he had. Not that she was going to admit it.

“Can I ask you guys for something?” She was desperate to provide a bit of distraction herself.

Luc nodded. “You can ask us for anything.”

For weeks, she’d studied Luc and Diego together, recalling the night she had watched them kiss. On nights when she struggled to find sleep, it was that image, that memory that soothed her, that helped her find peace.