Chapter 5

Sam

I can’t find Lacey. I’m feeling a bit worried for her and frustrated at myself.

I didn’t keep track of her properly. I shouldn’t have lost her. I’m not sure how I let this happen.

I cut through the crowd, smiling politely as I brush past people, searching for that familiar face. Finally, I see one—Charlie, finishing a drink not far from the bar.

“Hey, Charlie!” I give him a wave.

He points at me and starts moving toward me.

“Have you seen Lacey?”

I’m disoriented for a second, as the words I was thinking pepper the air with someone else’s voice.

“Oh. Hey, Adam,” I say as he comes up from behind me.

Charlie stops in front of us. “Where’s Lacey?” he asks.

I look at them both.

“So, none of us know where she is? Who she’s with?” I throw the questions in the air, already knowing the answers.

“We have to find her,” Adam speaks up. “Denham came and took her away—to dance, I think. She wasn’t happy.”

“Dial up your urgency there,” Charlie says, looking determined. “There’s some deal going on with the models. Whoever they’re dancing with at midnight is the guy they have to fuck.”

“What the—!” Adam exclaims.

Charlie nods slowly.

“We have to find her,” he says quietly, determination crossing his face.

We look at each other silently for a few seconds.

“I think we should work together on this.” I look closely to see how my brothers react. I honestly don’t have an angle here for myself.

I need my brothers to help me track her down, and I’m not going to stand in anyone’s way.

It’s all up to Lacey. What she wants is what matters.

I mean, sure, I want her. I want her so bad I can taste it. I just care about the girl.

I don’t want her to feel like a piece of meat being dragged in three or more directions.

“I agree.” Adam runs a hand through his hair. “She was pretty nervous. Now I know why. I think we should try to find her and just stay with her until midnight. I’m not going to pressure her or anything, but we should make sure she’s in anyone’s hands but Denham’s. I don’t want that to happen.”

I nod slowly. “Hey, nobody said anything to her about…the thing, right?”

They shake their heads. Good, we’re all on the same page. We don’t want our secret getting out, especially when we’re so close.

“Okay,” Charlie says. “Let’s split up! We have to find her soon. It’s almost midnight.”

We move away from each other and toward the dance floor. I cut straight down the middle, weaving through the dancers. Adam moves around one side while Charlie takes the other.

We all move in the same direction, pretty sure she’s down this end of the room. We would have seen her by the bar or tables. The only other explanation is that she’s hiding in the bathroom.

Hell, I would, too, if there was any risk of doing it with someone like Denham.

Just when I start to think she really isn’t here, I glimpse her at the end of the dance floor. She’s trying to put distance between herself and Denham. He keeps pulling her in tighter, hands slipping across her waist and her ass.

I move a bit quicker, losing sight of her in the crowd. Any minute now, Adam and Charlie will be coming in from the sides. So long as one of us gets to her before the clock strikes, everything will be fine.

I feel an intense need to protect her, to hold her and keep her away from anything unpleasant. We barely know each other, but she captivates me.

There’s just something about her. I feel something for her that’s so intense it surprises me. I really, really want to get her away from Denham.

I push through the dancers. Almost there now. I see her pull away from Denham, and he pulls her back in again.

Enough of this.

I step up to them, halting the clumsy circles by putting a hand on Lacey’s shoulder. She lets go of Denham—but he deliberately tries to unbalance her on her high heels, so she has to cling to him. She tries to take a step, misses, and falls into my arms.

Her big blue eyes are wide and pleading. My arms tighten around her as I help her stand up and get her back on her feet.

Just as she gets balanced, Denham grabs her hand and tugs her again. Just lightly but with a real prick of a smile on his face.

He’s enjoying this way too much. Before I can do anything, Lacey falls toward him with a shocked gasp, tipping off her heels again.

Her arms grab crazily at Denham’s shoulders as she fights to stay up. Denham catches her around the waist, letting his fingers roam across her skin as he grips her.

All his movement and grabby hands are not to help her up. It’s quite obvious. He takes a sudden, small step back, and her feet almost go out from under her. She grabs his shoulders even harder, forcing his face right into her tits.

You creepy little pile of pond scum.

I feel myself tense all over as I step forward. This is going to end. Now.

Just as I reach out, I see Adam coming up behind Denham. He nods at me. I reach forward and grab Lacey’s shoulders as gently as I can, pulling her toward me.

At the same time, Adam grabs Denham and pulls him back in almost exactly the same gesture. I hold Lacey against me for a second, using my body to hold her up.

“Are you okay?” I whisper to her.

She nods, gasping.

“Thank you. He keeps pulling me off my feet. I’m trying to be nice, but I just—”

“It’s fine. He shouldn’t be behaving like that. What kind of man is he?”

I scowl at where he and Adam are facing off. Looks a bit like a tiger and a mole-rat facing off really. Denham looks up and sees Lacey pressed against me, my arms around her waist.

“Hey!” He forgets Adam and takes quick steps over to me. “I was dancing with the lady. What the fuck are you doing?”

As he steps up, Lacey tenses against me, her head shaking a little.

“No, not again,” she exclaims as he gets closer.

He reaches out and grabs her hand, pulling at her again. I keep hold of one hand, almost ready to growl at Denham.

Jeez. This really is the last thing I want, but Denham is being such a scumbag.

The lady said no. What the fuck is his problem?

Adam stands beside me, not knowing what to do. Denham tugs her again but can’t pull her off-balance toward him because I’ve still got her other hand. He scowls at me, tugging again.

Jesus. This guy is really something.

“Mr. Denham, please,” Lacey gasps, “I appreciate your interest but—”

This girl is all class, truly. How is she staying so composed through all of this? I can’t think of one girl who wouldn’t be screaming like a fish wife by now.

With relief, I see Charlie approaching.

“Listen here, Denham,” I say in a firm tone. I’m using all of my self-control to not say or do something far worse. “Let her go. Now.”

Denham shakes his head, glaring at me. “Shut up right now, Sam. This is none of your business. Why don’t you just fuck off right now with your—”

Charlie comes up behind him and knocks Denham hard with one shoulder, pushing between him and Lacey. As Charlie batters him out of the way, he pushes Lacey firmly toward me. Not ideal but genius under the circumstances.

Lacey falls against my chest, gasping with thanks and gripping my shoulders. Her gorgeous, jewel blue eyes fix on me, and I feel a warm twist deep in my chest.

“It’s okay, honey, I’ve got you. I’ve got you,” I whisper to her.

She throws an anxious glance over her shoulder, trying to see if Denham’s moving up again. He is, but my boys intercept. I’m holding her tight as Adam takes one hand, Charlie taking the other, both of them reaching around her waist, where she’s pressed against me.

The three of us form a wall against Denham. Lacey relaxes into our arms, looking up at us with big, teary eyes. My arms tighten against her protectively.

The big clock starts to strike. It’s midnight. All three of us are holding her tight, swaying to the music.

Denham shuffles off into the crowd, cursing.

The three of us look into Lacey’s eyes. She looks at us one by one, her smile getting bigger as she focuses on each face. She happily throws her arms around us and starts kissing us all on the cheeks.

“Thank you, boys, my saviors. My boys. Thank you.”

I lean into her warmth, feeling a joy and contentment I don’t think I’ve ever felt before.

Hers. That’s all I want. To be hers.

No matter what.

I think Adam and Charlie feel exactly the same way.