When Dove Cries by Beth D. Carter Page B

visions of Cade lying her down on the bed and making love to her, and she couldn’t suppress a moan at the mental picture.
    “Ah, darling, this is so not the time and place,” he murmured. “But, man, do I wish it was.”
    “I ache,” she whispered.
    He ground in a little more with his hips, pushing his dick right where she ached the most. She couldn’t stop another groan from escaping.
    “I know, baby, so do I,” he said. “So sweet, like candy. I really wish I could taste your honey. Lick you up—”
    “Dove, come out and rest—”
    She closed her eyes at the nightmare that just unfolded when Draven walked into the bedroom, cutting off Cade’s sexy talk, his own words dying when he saw them together. Slowly Cade backed away from her but held on to her shoulders to make sure she was steady. Then he turned to face Draven, placing his body in front of her as a shield.
    “What the fuck is this?” Draven demanded.
    “It was just a kiss,” Cade said.
    “Just a kiss? You were dry-humping her against the wall!”
    When Draven took a step closer, Cade took one as well. They faced off.
    “Leave her the fuck alone,” Draven warned. “Dove, come with me.”
    “Like hell I will,” Cade replied. “And don’t tell me you don’t want her as well. You get a hard-on every time you smell her.”
    “My main concern is keeping her safe!”
    “So is mine, or have you forgotten the real reason why I’m here?”
    “Oh no, I remember every single time I see your face,” Draven snapped. “The fucking asshole who killed my cousin.”
    Dove gasped and Cade spun around. She read the guilt on his face and took a step back, suddenly unsure. This was more than a squabble between brothers, and she’d vastly underestimated the emotions between them.
    “Dove, it’s not what you think,” he told her quickly. “There are circumstances you don’t know about, that John doesn’t know about. Please, I would never hurt you.”
    She looked between them, suddenly aware of her own agitated state. Something was happening that she didn’t know if she wanted to happen, and all her guards came up. She shook her head and held up her hand, holding them off.
    “I think I need some time alone,” she said. “I’m going to go to bed. I…need to think.”
    She edged around Cade and Draven and saw that both their hands were closed into fists. She had no doubt that they wanted to pound on each other. Living with nine men had exposed her to some stupid antics over the years, so male testosterone wasn’t anything new to her, but this was different. She saw hate in Draven’s eyes and regret in Cade’s. Whatever she was feeling for both men was a highly combustible situation.
    They let her go and she fled to the other bedroom, the one where she’d stored her bag of items Allis had given her. She’d said she wanted to go to bed, but sleep was the last thing on her mind. Instead, she spent most of the night wondering how two men who had such an awful past could possibly reconcile.

Chapter Eleven
     
     
     
    The only one who seemed to get any sleep that night was Branch, and that was because the man managed to be able to sleep through anything. Even if a nuclear bomb was dropped in Destiny, Draven figured the only calm person would be Branch since he’d sleep through the whole world’s end.
    As for him, he sat on the porch watching the sun rise. His eyes felt like scratching posts for cats. They were gritty and raw and he had no doubt they were probably bloodshot. He hadn’t been able to sleep a wink. He kept picturing Dove in Cade’s arms, kissing him passionately. Jealousy had reared its head and wouldn’t let go of him. Thinking of the devil, Cade walked outside clutching a mug that had steam rising from the top. He walked over to the rail and leaned a hip against it as he studied Draven.
    “I can watch the rest of the morning,” Cade said.
    “Fuck off.”
    Cade sighed and took a sip of coffee. “You look like