Not one of them had on their usual, expensive suit. Instead, they all wore jeans and cotton shirts that proved they were far more rugged and male than the average executive. Slade was long and lean and bulged in all the right places. His face had such beautiful angles, it looked chiseled. Those blue eyes were sharp with intelligence. And under it all, a barely concealed power that pulled at her.
Dex was all dangerous cowboy. He was built more like a linebacker than his brothers. His biceps were huge and that cut torso of his tapered into a lean waist and the finest butt she’d ever had the joy to see on a man.
And Gavin looked like a fallen angel. His face was all kinds of stunning, which matched his body. Those lips of his, so skilled, so demanding, just unraveled Hannah completely. She couldn’t help but think about how it had felt to have those lips on her skin, loving her.
None of them looked very loving now, though. As they stared down the crowd, they looked ready to kill.
All the other men froze.
“Now, Dex,” Gavin said in that smooth-as-silk voice of his, “I don’t think we need to spend the money on a pine box. We’ll just toss his carcass off the mountain or let the bears take care of it.”
Hannah slid off her barstool and faced them. It was time to start putting her dainty foot down.
“You have no right to talk to them that way. You don’t own me, Gavin James.” Slade stepped forward and grabbed her arm. His grasp was gentle but unmistakably firm. “He might not own you. But we damn sure do.”
“Damn straight.” Dex crossed his arms over his massive chest and pinned her with a dark stare.
Hannah narrowed her eyes. “Do you have any idea how arrogant the two of you sound? I’m not a piece of property. No one owns me. Let’s get that straight right now.” Dex shook his head. “You became ours when you gave yourself to us, darlin’. There’s no going back.”
“And you’ve earned some swats from all of us for leaving without explanation, except that little note on your computer,” Slade said, his voice taking on that dark, deep tone that let her know she was in trouble.
Hannah turned to see if any of her admirers planned to back her up. Only Marnie stood behind her.
“They left the minute the James Gang walked in the door,” Marnie murmured. “They ran out the back.”
“Good to know they have survival instincts.” Gavin snorted. “Get ready to feel my hand on your ass, sweetheart.”
He stood in between his brothers, as though he had some sort of right to be there.
Hannah fumed. “I might be willing to hear this from Slade and Dex. Maybe. But why are you here, Gavin? You’re no longer my boss. I quit, remember? You denied being my lover or having any feelings for me, so what I do is none of your business. You certainly can’t threaten to spank me.”
“Oh, I’ll do more than threaten once we get all this settled.” Gavin raised a brow, then his expression gentled. “Hannah, I didn’t mean a word of anything I said this afternoon. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to prove that.”
His words made her pulse jump, but Hannah hesitated. She had to be careful that she didn’t misunderstand him. “If you’re just trying to hire me back, the answer is no.” Gavin smiled, looking supremely amused. “I loved having you as my assistant, and I’d hire you again in a heartbeat. But baby, my interest in you right now isn’t at all professional. I’ll be happy to prove it, starting with that spanking.”
She managed to hold in a gasp—barely. “You don’t touch me. I don’t want you anymore.”
“Yes, you do.”
“Now you think you’re reading my mind?” Hannah thrust her hands on her hips, her expression all but daring him to claim he was psychic.
“No, your nipples are telling me everything I need to know.” Hannah gasped. She glanced down. Sure enough, the little traitors were standing straight up, poking out from behind her shirt. Hastily, she crossed her arms. “It’s an involuntary reaction. It doesn’t mean I want you.”
“I want you, baby. You said that you care about me. I admit, I care about you.” He stepped closer. “Now tell me, do you want me?”
His voice had become a deep, male caress. Hannah actually felt more blood rushing to her nipples…and down between her legs, making it hard to think. Why was Gavin pushing this? Had he truly had a change of heart or was this some new game?
“I don’t know.” A huge lie. Hannah bit her lip. But darn it all, she wasn’t ready to confess everything in her heart again only to have it thrown in her face.
“Boys, do you think she wants me?” Gavin slanted gazes to Dex and Slade, who flanked her in an instant. Dex grabbed her free arm and reached for the hem of her skirt.
“What are you doing?” she screeched as he lifted her skirt to her thighs. “This is a public place!”
“Everyone’s gone, including Marnie. She just slipped out the back.” Of course the woman would choose her “boys” over someone she met less than an hour ago, but still, with Marnie went her last hope for an ally.
A second later, it didn’t matter because Slade had popped the buttons of her blouse open, exposing her hard nipples, and Dex’s fingers skimmed the embarrassingly wet folds of her pussy.
She caught her breath then moaned when he grazed her clit.
Flashing her a wicked smile, Dex withdrew his fingers and held them up for Gavin. “Would you look at that. All pretty and very, very wet.
“I think I’ve made my point,” Gavin drawled.
She smacked Slade’s hands away and folded the edges of her blouse back together as she twisted away from Dex. Her skirt fell to her knees. “That was for your brothers,” she told Gavin.
“They were touching me. My arousal has nothing to do with you.” Gavin paused, shrugged. “Okay, then. I’ll just sidle your way and see if I can make you come. That should prove something.”
It absolutely would. She’d melt quickly into a puddle at his feet. Then he’d know he could play with her anytime he wanted, and her body would respond.
Maybe she should stop fighting him and just ask what the hell he wanted.
“Fine. I want you. I admit it. What’s the point?”
“The point is, things aren’t right between us. We have to talk.”