Rules of Desire: Protecting Erin [More Desire, Oklahoma 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  More Desire, Oklahoma 4

  Rules of Desire: Protecting Erin

  Marriage to three men once seemed nothing short of insane, but now it has made Erin Preston happier than she could have ever imagined. Jared, Duncan, and Reese changed her life, and giving birth to their child made them even more complete. She never expected, though, that an incident from her past would jeopardize everything they’d built together.

  Nelson Stark, an accountant in the oil company she used to work for, had embezzled a fortune, and Erin was the one to catch him. Even though he’d vowed to get even with her, she considered him harmless. But then Wes Cramer, the attorney she’d worked with to get Nelson convicted, appeared on her doorstep, enraging her overprotective husbands, so she didn’t tell them about the missing money…or that the FBI was involved.

  It was a mistake she’d regret—one that would put her life in danger and kick her husbands’ protectiveness into high gear.

  Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre

  Length: 37,478 words

  RULES OF DESIRE:

  PROTECTING ERIN

  More Desire, Oklahoma 4

  Leah Brooke

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  RULES OF DESIRE: PROTECTING ERIN

  Copyright © 2017 by Leah Brooke

  ISBN: 978-1-64010-274-3

  First Publication: April 2017

  Cover design by Les Byerley

  All art and logo copyright © 2017 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book or print book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at

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  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  When Leah Brooke isn’t writing, she’s plotting and spending time with family, friends and her beloved furbabies. She also writes under the pseudonym Lana Dare.

  For all titles by Leah Brooke, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/leah-brooke

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Epilogue

  Landmarks

  Cover

  RULES OF DESIRE:

  PROTECTING ERIN

  More Desire, Oklahoma 4

  LEAH BROOKE

  Copyright © 2017

  Chapter One

  Erin woke once more to the feel of a tight band around her swollen abdomen.

  She’d had cramps on and off for the last several hours and had tried to ignore them.

  She couldn’t ignore them anymore.

  They’d woken her several times during the night but had eased quickly, allowing her to drift back to sleep, warm and comfortable between two of her husbands.

  It was bad enough that she had to get up two or three times a night to use the bathroom and she couldn’t wait to get back into bed and be warmed by her husbands’ hard bodies on either side of her.

  With her head pillowed on Duncan’s chest, his arm around her, and Jared at her back, she was cocooned in warmth and didn’t want to move.

  It would seem that her baby had other ideas.

  Another tightening of her abdomen, one that hurt worse than the last made it clear that she couldn’t lie there much longer.

  When she felt a rush of moisture between her thighs, panic set in and she knew the time had come to wake her husbands.

  But she didn’t want to panic them.

  Tilting her head back, she looked up at Duncan, taking in his handsome features and sleep-tousled hair with a smile.

  Another contraction and the fact that she was uncomfortably wet had her pressing a hand to his chest.

  “Duncan.”

  The arm at her back tightened. “Hmm? Need to go to the bathroom again?” He started to sit up and reached for her to help her out of bed, his tone groggy, one that she knew would change quickly.

  Their room-darkening curtains made it impossible to know the time, but a glance at the clock told her it was just a little after five.

  “My water broke.”

  “Hmm. Okay.” His entire body stiffened, all traces of grogginess gone. “What? The baby?” Reaching out, he turned on the light, bathing the room in a soft glow.

  Jared jerked upright, kneeling next to her with a protective hand on her swollen abdomen, his eyes searching hers. “The baby? You okay?”

  Erin struggled to sit up, with Duncan and Jared both reaching out to help her.

  “I need to take a shower.”

  Duncan, usually the most playful of her husbands, was already shaking his head. “No.” He stood, naked, and went to the closet. “We need to go. We’ll wrap you in a blanket.”

  Wearing just a pair of sweatpants that hung low on his hips, Reese rushed into the room.

  “What’s going on? The baby?”

  Duncan shook out a blanket and came toward her. “Yeah. Her water broke. I’m gonna get her wrapped in the blanket. We all need to get dressed.”

  Reese came to kneel beside her, his smile tender but his eyes dark with concern. “Does it hurt, baby?”

  “Not much.” She swatted at Duncan’s attempts to wrap the blanket around her. “No, Duncan. I’m wet and need a shower.” With Reese’s help, she rose and started for the bathroom. “I’m getting dressed. I’m not going to the hospital in a damned blanket.”

  When another contraction hit, she stopped, holding on to Reese until it passed.

  “Enough of this.” Still naked, Jared bent and gently picked her up. “Let’s get your damned shower. Reese, call the doctor. Duncan, get her suitcase out of the closet.”

  Another contraction hit while Jared washed her, and pausing, he held her to him, rubbing her back.

  “Christ, I wish I could take the pain for you.”

  Once the contraction passed, Erin laughed to ease the tension emanating from him.

  “That’s a picture I’d like to see.”

  Jared’s eyes narrowed, his smile not wiping away the concern in his eyes.

  “You callin’ me a pussy, darlin’?” He finished rinsing her and turned off the water, keeping a supporting arm around her.

  Leaning back against him, she smiled up at him over her shoulder.

  “I wouldn’t dare.”

  Reese, already dressed, opened the shower door, holding a large bath sheet.

  “Com
e on, baby. Let’s get you dried off and dressed.”

  He gathered her close when another contraction hit, frowning as he wrapped the bath sheet around her. Once it passed, he carried her into the bedroom where Duncan turned from her closet.

  They both hurriedly dressed her in her most comfortable dress before Duncan lifted her in his arms, smiling and dropping a soft kiss on her lips.

  “Let’s go have a baby.”

  When another contraction hit, Reese grimaced and closed in on her other side, covering the hand she pressed to her abdomen with his own.

  “Oh, baby.”

  Jared, who’d already thrown on jeans and a T-shirt, slid a pair of her fuzzy socks on her feet. His tousled hair told her he hadn’t done more than run a towel over it, leaving it hanging rakishly over his forehead.

  “Let’s go.”

  “Damn, you look sexy when you’re tousled.”

  Jared stilled, his eyes going wide. “What? Are you okay?”

  “I’m pregnant, not blind.” Another contraction hit, much harder than the last.

  Exchanging looks with Duncan and Reese, Jared clenched his jaw. “Let’s get her to the hospital.”

  The pain passed, and Erin finally caught her breath. “My shoes!”

  Duncan carried her out of the bedroom and down the hall to the living room.

  “You don’t need shoes. It’s not as if you’re going to be walking anyway.”

  The ride to the hospital was a blur, the contractions not coming any faster but the pain steadily growing worse.

  Jared kept one eye on her and one on the road as he raced to the hospital, Duncan and Reese on either side of her in the back seat, holding her and rubbing her back.

  Between contractions, Reese held her close, kissing her hair. “God, I hate seeing you in pain.”

  Smiling to ease their concern, Erin squeezed his hand. “So, that means you’re not going to make love to me again?”

  Chuckling, Reese tilted her head back over his arm and dropped a soft kiss on her lips. “Not wanting you is not an option, honey.”

  His smile fell when another contraction hit just as they pulled into the hospital parking lot.

  Duncan carried her into the hospital, his features set in stone.

  Once in the birthing room, they took the hospital gown from the nurse, the three of them thwarting the nurse’s efforts to undress her, doing it themselves and bundling her into a hospital gown between contractions.

  Amused and grateful for their attentiveness, Erin smiled at each of them. “Thank you.”

  Reese folded her clothing and slipped it into the plastic bag the nurse provided. “You’re welcome. Lie back, baby, and try to get comfortable.”

  The young nurse pursed her lips, looking decidedly uncomfortable. “Two of you are going to have to leave.”

  Running a hand over Erin’s hair, Jared gripped her hand. “No.”

  Duncan helped her lie back, brushing his lips over hers. “We’re here, baby.”

  “You’d better be here.” Squeezing his hand, she stiffened as another contraction hit her. “You were there when I got this way, so you’re going to have to suck it up and hang around for the rest of it. Labor pains, shitty diapers, and no sleep.”

  “That’s a given, baby.” Duncan flattened a hand on her abdomen, his lips thinning when she had another contraction. “We have no intention of leaving your side.”

  Recognizing the determination in their voices, Erin smiled, some of the tension she hadn’t even been aware of dissipating. Blinking back tears, she met Duncan’s gaze while squeezing Jared’s and Reese’s hands. “I know that. I never would have fallen in love with you if you weren’t the men you are.”

  Glancing over, Erin watched the nurse step out of the room. “I’m just worried that they’ll make two of you leave.”

  Jared bent, touching his lips to hers. “They won’t have any luck with that at all.”

  When her obstetrician, Dr. Marsh, came in, he smiled, eyeing each of them in turn. “I assume you’re all staying.”

  “We are.” Chuckling, Duncan ran a hand over her abdomen. “They’re learning.”

  Dr. Marsh asked several questions as he examined her, with one seeming to surprise her husbands.

  “How long have you been in labor?”

  Erin breathed through another contraction before answering. “Since about two o’clock.”

  Dr. Marsh finished, and smiled at each of them. “I’ll be back to check on you soon. I’m on my way to deliver another one. Must be a full moon.”

  As soon as they were alone again, Reese approached with a warm, damp towel and ran it over her face and neck, pausing when she had another contraction. “I hope this doesn’t take much longer, especially since she’s been having these pains for hours.”

  Duncan frowned down at her, his eyes dark with concern. “Something we didn’t find out until the doctor asked.”

  Erin moaned at the feel of the cloth over her skin. “Did you call Rachel and your parents?”

  Jared nodded. “I texted them. They’ll all be here soon.”

  One hour became two, then three, and by the time she’d been in the birthing room for four hours, Jared, Duncan, and Reese had begun to look anxious.

  “Why don’t you three go out to the waiting room with your parents and send Rachel in?” Meeting Jared’s dark look, Erin smiled. “Don’t growl at me. I want to tell her to go home. It looks like this might take a while.”

  Jared rose. “Where’s that fucking doctor?” He left in a rush, the door swinging closed behind him.

  Erin breathed through another contraction, soothed by Duncan’s warm hands running up and down her back. “Go get a break and send Rachel in.”

  Reese came back from rinsing the towel. “I’m not leaving until the doctor checks you again.”

  Ten minutes later, Jared came back with the doctor trailing behind him.

  Duncan whirled and all but pounced on him.

  “Do something, damn it! She’s been in labor for hours!”

  Erin gripped Reese’s forearm as another contraction hit.

  “Leave Dr. Marsh alone. Ohh!”

  Dr. Marsh looked up at her from between her thighs. “Remember your breathing, Mrs. Preston.”

  Running a damp, cool cloth over her face and neck, Reese paused only long enough to glare at the doctor.

  “She’s been in pain for hours! How much longer is this gonna take? She can’t take much more.”

  Erin breathed a sigh of relief when the contraction ended, and hoping the doctor had an answer to Reese’s question, followed his movements as he removed his gloves and tossed them into the metal can behind him.

  Shaking his head, the doctor smiled.

  “I’m afraid she’s still only eight centimeters dilated. Mrs. Preston, do you feel up to walking a little?”

  “Walking?” Reese eyed the doctor as if he’d lost his mind.

  Dr. Marsh studied her features.

  “It may hurry things along, but it’s up to you. You can walk up and down the hallway as long as one of your husbands is with you. You absolutely can’t fall.”

  “She won’t.” Jared pushed her damp hair back. “I wish you’d stay in bed, but it’s up to you, baby.”

  “Yes.” Erin shoved the sheet covering her aside. “I need to move. I can’t get into a comfortable position.”

  Reese held out the thin robe the nurse brought in, helping her into it. “We’ll walk for a little while. Hopefully, it’ll help move this along. I hate to see you in so much pain.”

  Walking down the hallway, she smiled up at him. “Hmm. This is probably a good time to ask for something I really want. I’ll bet I could get just about anything right now.”

  Jared chuckled and bent to kiss her hair. “You’d win that bet.”

  Duncan walked backward in front of her, holding out his hands as if she would fall with both Jared holding her close to his side and Reese holding on to her other arm. “You can have anything you
want just by asking for it and you know it. Slow down, damn it! You’re walking too fast. It’s not a damned race.”

  “Duncan, why don’t you—oh!” Stopping when another contraction hit, Erin leaned more heavily against Jared, closing her eyes and concentrating on her breathing until it passed.

  Holding her close, Jared rubbed her back. “It’s over?”

  Nodding, Erin released her grip on his shirt. “Yeah.”

  Duncan lifted her chin, studying her features. “What were you saying, baby? Why don’t I what?”

  Erin smiled, trying to ease the worry that she saw clearly in his eyes. “Why don’t you go tell everyone to get some lunch? They’re probably dying to hear some news. Let them know that nothing’s happening yet. Please. Rachel will be frantic. So will your mother.”

  Duncan nodded reluctantly. “Okay. I won’t be long.”

  Erin smiled. “Take your time. You all need to eat something.”

  “Don’t worry about us.” Rubbing her shoulders, Reese bent close, nuzzling her jaw. “How about if I carry you back to bed?”

  In an attempt to ease the tension, Erin tilted her head and reached up to slide her fingers into his hair. “Hmm. I’ve heard that before. I think it may have something to do with how I got into this condition.”

  Reese chuckled softly, still nuzzling her as he bent to lift her against his chest. “I wouldn’t be surprised.” He carried her back to the room, lowering her to the bed just as another contraction hit.

  The next several hours passed in a blur.

  Already worn out from hours of pain, Erin dozed briefly between contractions.

  During Rachel’s and Isabelle’s brief visits, Erin tried her best to reassure them. “Why don’t you go home? This looks like it’s going to take a while.”

  Gripping her hand, Rachel smiled. “I’d like to know what you would have done if I’d said that to you when I was in labor with Theresa.”