Chapter 267

I’m a deer in headlights, except I’m trapped in a situation totally of my own design. I don’t have the slightest clue how to explain to my mom my current relationship with the brothers. We’re not dating, but we’re not nothing.

Friends with benefits doesn’t quite feel right either, not even with Beau anymore really.

But boyfriends? That definitely is incorrect.

“I don’t have a boyfriend, Mom,” I say into the phone.

“Oh,” Mom says with a sigh. “I’ve been hoping… Those Hayes boys are so well-established. And you’re all so young.”

“Mom, please.”

“Don’t begrudge your mother a little wishful thinking. After the life we’ve lived, of course I would want my daughter to find the same happiness that her mother has.”

I’m not angry with her for the idea. Hell, I’ve fantasized about being a partner to one of the brothers myself. But the reality is, they are unattainable. Their hearts are walled off from any romantic kind of love.

They know familial affection, certainly, between each other and Mia. And they know desire, I have first-hand proof of that. But romantic connection that could somehow lead to a lasting relationship? Yeah, right.

It also doesn’t help that they are all staring at me right now. I can’t exactly talk to my mom about them, with them listening so closely!

“Let’s… uh… talk about this later, okay?” I say.

“Don’t think you’re off the hook!” Mom replies.

Then we say our goodbyes and hang up.

All of the brothers divert their attention to other points of the room, like they haven’t been openly eavesdropping only a minute ago!

“We should head over there as soon as we can,” Neil says. His words help to refocus me. Mom distracted me, but the bigger issue is she’s in danger. We have to move quickly to keep her safe.

Everyone agrees and the meeting breaks. I grip my phone tightly as I race back to my room.

With my suitcase open on the bed, I throw in a few new outfits from my closet, and then grab some toiletries from my bathroom. As I’m shifting everything in the bag – if I turn the shampoo sideways, I’m sure I can fit another pair of socks in here – Archer knocks on my open door.

Standing in the doorway, he’s changed into an all-black ensemble like we’re going on some kind of special ops mission. He looks good though, just like he does in everything. That black long-sleeved t-shirt is stretched over the muscly expanse of his chest, showing every dip and line.

I shake my head a little and scold myself. We can’t be distracted by Archer’s hotness right now! We have to protect my mom!

I force myself back to my work of fitting way too much into a bag that’s much too small.

Archer takes my heated cheeks as an invitation inside – let’s face it, it is an invitation – and he walks straight over to me. He moves to stand behind my back, and before I realize what’s about to happen, his arms wrap around me and his mouth lowers down onto my neck. He sucks in a mark.

My thoughts fizzle out and my eyes slip closed. His hot, wet mouth on my bare skin is sending electric tingles up and down my spine. When he finally breaks away, he quickly returns to lick over the sore spot, soothing away some of the sting.

When my brain comes back online, I turn in his arms to look up at him in question. Now really isn’t the time to be intimate. He knows that.

He holds my gaze with his own intense focus. “It will be easier to protect you while you smell like me.”

He looks serious, face stern, but that could be a seduction line for all I know.

I narrow my gaze at him, but he doesn’t linger. Instead he simply makes his way back out the door.

“Don’t take forever,” he calls from the hallway.

I hurry and finish packing. I have to sit on top of my suitcase to get it to zip closed, but I do finally manage to.

Grabbing the handle, I lug the suitcase out into the hallway, stopping only when I’m about to run face first into Neil’s chest. Where did he come from?

I look up at him, to find him glaring down at the new mark on my neck. Uh oh.

Despite the danger, the brothers haven’t exactly resolved their possessive/territorial issues over me. In fact, the tension of the situation seems to only add to their frustration and upset.

I should have prepared for this. I guess I should have asked Archer not to mark me?

Too late now.

Neil steps closer to me, he lowers his head, dropping his mouth to the other side of my neck than where Archer left his mark, and sucks in one of his own.

Again, my eyes slip closed of their own volition. My body is so attuned to these brothers that I can’t help but respond. I want them, whenever and however they will have me. I know how pathetic that sounds and I just don’t care.

When Neil is done, he leans back and admires his work. It takes a moment for me to return to myself again, but when I do, I roll my eyes at him and walk around him. This time, he lets me go.

Down in the garage, Beau stands near the trunk loading in everyone’s suitcase. I don’t even make it halfway to the car, before he spots me and storms toward me.

He wraps me up in his arms and drops his mouth to a fresh spot on my neck without any fanfare. Just zeros right in and leaves his mark. When he’s done, he doesn’t seem any less happy.

“Come to me first, next time,” he grumbles. Then he grabs my suitcase and walks back toward the car.

“I didn’t go to anyone first!” I shout after him. He ignores me because of course he does. It’s Beau. He has selective hearing when he wants to.

With a frustrated huff, I walk toward the car. Beau places my suitcase in the trunk and closes it. Neil and Archer enter the garage at the same moment. They are trading glares with each other.

If the situation wasn’t so urgent and dire, I would take them all aside and demand that they have some kind of conversation about how we can work this out. Maybe we could organize some kind of schedule?

That sounds awful, but at this point I am ready to do whatever it takes to stop this silly infighting.

Shaking my head, I open the door.

I sit in the backseat, where Mia is already in her car seat with Steven sitting on the other side. He takes one look at my neck and his eyes begin to darken. Fortunately Steven has enough sense not to reach across the baby to try to mark me, but he also looks like he really wants to.

His gaze falls away as Neil and Archer enter into the front seat. Beau is nearby, revving his motorcycle.

“Shall we?” Neil asks. He glances at my neck in the rear-view mirror.

Archer must catch him. “Just go,” he growls.

Gods, it will be a miracle if we survive this visit to my Mom’s without them killing each other.