Conspiracy Game

CHAPTER 12

Briony wandered through the large house, surprised by how spacious it was. The ceilings were high and the rooms open, one running into the next. The house itself was shaped in a U, the kitchen, dining room, and great room separating the two wings. She peeked into the rooms in Jack’s wing and found only his bedroom and the bathroom finished. The second bedroom was still under construction, with the walls bare Sheetrock.

In the great room, the furniture was sparse but well made, and she examined it closely, running her hand along the large, wide sofa, remembering Jack admitting that he made all of the furniture. It was beautiful, as were the other pieces, all made of the same hardwood. She didn’t know if it was milled from their own trees, but she suspected it was. The cushions were thick and made of leather, obviously custom-made to fit each piece of furniture. Jack continually surprised her.

She followed the rich aroma of fresh coffee into the spacious kitchen and stopped abruptly when she saw the stranger sitting at the table. Even from the back, he looked like Jack, but there was a subtle difference in his scent. She stood in the doorway, reluctant to intrude.

He turned his head and smiled at her. “You must be Briony. Come in and have some breakfast.”

He looked like Jack-not as hard, but far more ravaged. The scars marring his skin looked painful and deep, but somehow he managed to look not only confident-but good-looking in a rough pirate sort of way.

He stood up and crossed to the sink. “Coffee or orange juice with breakfast? I’d choose coffee if I were you. Jack’s already handing out orders about what you can and can’t have. It may be the last time you get close enough to even smell a cup of coffee in a while.”

She laughed. “Both then.” It was difficult not to stare at him, and she didn’t know if it was his resemblance to Jack or the scars. Although Ken was much more mutilated, she recognized the patterns and symmetry of his scarring, so much like those on Jack’s body. “Where is he?”

“Left for town before sunup. I think he’s buying clothes, groceries, and making you a doctor’s appointment.” He grinned at her as he held out a chair. “I’d love to be a little fly on the wall when they try to tell him he has to wait a week or two to get you in.”

“Want to make a bet whether or not I’ll be going today?”

“Hell no. Jack has no social skills. If they give him a hard time, he’s liable to pull out a knife this big”-he measured a foot with his hands-“and start cleaning his fingernails. If he wants you seen by a doctor today, you will be.”

Briony sank into the chair. “He didn’t say anything about a doctor to me.”

“You’ll get used to him. He doesn’t talk much. He’s more of a man of action. He muttered something about prenatal care while he was drinking his coffee. I didn’t know he knew what prenatal was.” Ken placed a plate of food in front of her. “I’m not the best cook, but it’s food.”

Briony laughed again. “He definitely takes charge. And the food looks good.”

Ken lifted his coffee cup, the smile fading from his eyes. “Jack’s always had to be in charge, and that won’t change. He’s a strong man, and he knows what he can and can’t have in his life to stay balanced.”

“Just say whatever it is you need to say,” Briony encouraged.

“Don’t push him too hard. And don’t hurt him.”

Her eyebrow shot up. “That’s it? That’s the best you can do? I was expecting wisdom, something to make sense of all this, but that’s no help.” She ran her fingers through her unruly hair. “Give me something else.”

Ken glanced right and left and leaned over the table. “He’s bossy,” he added in a conspiratorial whisper.

“He’s a dictator,” Briony corrected. “Don’t try to soft-soap it for me. You should hear the man throwing out orders left and right.”

Ken smirked. “At least now he can order you around instead of me. I owe you for that.”

“Don’t count on it. I’m betting he has plenty for both of us.”

“You have no idea.”

There was a short silence, a little awkward in spite of the fact that both of them were trying. Briony took a deep breath and forced a smile. “What are you working on today? Can I help?”

“I’m tiling one of the bathrooms. As you may have noticed, only a few rooms are actually finished. We’ve been taking our time and trying to get each room exactly how we want it. Jack wants to start on the second bedroom in his wing so by the time you have the baby, the room will be ready for it.”

Briony shook her head. “Don’t go to a lot of trouble and expense. I’ll be able to protect the baby after it’s born. It’s just now, when they come at me, I worry they’ll hurt the baby, and as I get bigger, I’ll probably get slower. I’m not asking Jack to take on the responsibility forever.”

“Is Jack the baby’s father or not?” Ken asked, his gray eyes darkening, reminding Briony of thunderclouds.

“Jack’s definitely the father, but I can understand why you’d ask. I’m not trying to trap him, Ken.” Briony felt dark color creeping up her skin.

“I asked because you don’t seem to understand my brother. He’ll never walk away from you or the baby. You’re in his life now. It won’t always be pleasant or easy, but he’ll protect both of you with his life. He’ll make certain you have everything you could ever need-or want-because that’s the kind of man he is.”

“I know he’s honorable,” she conceded. She couldn’t very well blurt out she wanted more than sex from Jack. She wanted to be loved. She wanted him to love her child, not just feel responsible. Of course Jack would take care of them. His code of honor dictated that he give them his best-but his code wasn’t his heart.

Ken tapped the table with his finger, a small rhythm that told her volumes. She studied his face, the gentleness there, the concern, the flicker of unease.

“Jack is… different-extraordinary, but different. It would take a very special woman to live with those differences,” Ken said.

“You admire him.”

“I know him.” He leaned back in his chair, legs sprawled out in front of him. “Most people don’t. You’ll be living here a long time, Briony. My advice is to get to know him.”

It was heartbreaking to stare into the man’s ravaged face when he looked so like Jack. Not broken, not unbending-just accepting, as if he took whatever fate threw at him in stride and lived the best he could. That was Jack-and it was apparently his brother too. Briony ducked her head to keep those piercing eyes from reading her expression. She felt at home here. It made no sense, but these men, this house-all of it felt right to her.

Restless, she stood up and crossed to the window. “Is the yard really booby-trapped? I’d like to be able to walk around outside. It’s so beautiful.”

She heard the chair scrape. No footsteps. For such stocky men, the Norton twins walked softly, but she caught his scent as he neared her-almost the same as Jack’s, but with that strange, subtle difference. His hand came over her shoulder with a piece of paper in it.

“My orders,” he said.

She took the paper and read the words scrawled in a masculine hand across the sheet. She spun around to face him. “He made you get rid of them all?” For some reason the vise gripping her heart so hard began to ease.

“Every last one, which, I might point out, he insisted we put there in the first place, the jackass. He dragged my butt out of bed at four-thirty this morning to do it too.” He grinned at her. “I’m usually much better looking, but he robbed me of my beauty sleep.”

Briony burst out laughing. “I slept in. It’s almost noon.”

“Little slacker. You just didn’t want me to put you to work.” He winked at her. “Now that I’m thinking about it, can you cook? Because my brother leaves a bit to be desired in that department.”

Briony instinctively turned her head. Ken had known all along, but she didn’t feel him until his scent reached her. Jack. She breathed his name in her mind. Soft. Intimate. Before she could think, before she could stop.

Jack. That soft sigh of his name was enough. Walking in, hearing the laughter, the easy banter between Ken and Briony had nearly stopped his heart. Jack. The sound of his name brushing along the walls of her mind, almost as if she cherished him, gave him peace, made him a part of that laughter, brought him into a secret world of true intimacy between a man and a woman-one he’d never experienced.

She looked up to meet his gaze, and her face lit up, a welcoming smile curving her mouth, lighting her eyes. “Hey you.” It slipped out before she could stop it, and gave away instantly her growing feelings for him.

He walked across the room, arms filled with packages, straight to her, leaning close to brush a kiss along the corner of her mouth. “Has Ken been taking care of you?”

“Yes. He’s been wonderful. What in the world is all this stuff? I thought you were getting a few clothes.” She tried to cover the rush of excitement, of pleasure, at seeing him; the embarrassment she felt for her behavior the night before.

Jack frowned. “I should have sent Ken. The salesladies kept adding things to the list. I don’t know what half of it is. You have an appointment with the doctor this afternoon, and I have vitamins you’re supposed to be taking.” He dumped the packages on the kitchen table, frowning as she rescued her coffee cup. “Ken. Didn’t I tell you that she shouldn’t have caffeine?” He held his hand out for the cup.

Briony bared her teeth at him. “Back away from my coffee if you want to live.”

“I heard it wasn’t good for you.”

“You heard wrong.” She put both hands around the cup and gave him her most fierce look. “Don’t make me hurt you, Jack. If you touch this coffee cup, you’re going to lose some fingers.”

“Ouch.” Ken grinned at his brother. “The woman isn’t going to put up with your shit for a minute.”

“Ken,” Jack cautioned. “We’re going to have a baby in the house-clean up your language.” He couldn’t stop looking her. She was dressed in his shirt and drawstring pants, barefoot, hair rumpled, and she looked so damned sexy he wanted to eat her up.

Ken groaned. “I’m so out of here.” Have a little mercy, Christ, Jack.

Sorry, I didn’t realize I was thinking without putting up our barrier.

I’m going to be getting hot and bothered with that kind of crap. I’m going to work. You can find me tiling the bathroom if you ever pry yourself away. Ken stalked off, glaring at his brother over his shoulder.

“Well, at least I know how to get some work out of you now,” Jack called after him.

“Thinking what?” Briony asked. She took a sip of her coffee.

“That you looked so damned sexy I could eat you up.”

Briony nearly spit the coffee all over the floor. “Good grief, Jack. I look terrible. You need help. Look at me, I don’t even have a brush.”

“You look beautiful.” He opened the bags and began to pull things out. “Brush, toothbrush, toothpaste, and all the stuff you need to wash your face.”

Her eyes widened with surprise. He’d obviously asked for help, and the salesladies had been more than happy to steer him to the most expensive products in the stores. He brought out beautiful soft sweaters and designer jeans as well as expensive, very sexy underwear. He’d even remembered shoes and socks, and a dress so elegant that she’d never have a single place to wear it.

Briony sank into a chair, staring in awe at the wardrobe he’d laid out. Each item had been picked with great care. He hadn’t just grabbed things off a rack, he’d taken his time and made certain everything was soft and comfortable and the latest fashion. Tears welled up. She was so emotional lately. “Jack. I don’t know what to say. This is amazing. Everything I need.”

“Not really, but it’s a start.” He pulled a small box out of his pocket. “These aren’t your mother’s, but you have a habit of touching your earrings for reassurance. I thought they’d do until we get your mother’s back.” He slid the box over the table to her and turned to pace restlessly across the kitchen.

He’d rather face a firing squad than watch her face while she opened the box. He hadn’t been certain if getting her the earrings would upset her, and already tears were glistening in her eyes. He was beginning to sweat. How did other men find it so easy to be around a woman they cared for?

She opened the box slowly and stared down at the earrings. “They’re beautiful, Jack. Really beautiful.” He hadn’t gotten her diamonds like her mother’s, but exquisite rubies, burning with fire. They resembled fireworks bursting in the sky. She swallowed the choking lump in her throat. “Jack. This is so incredible, but how can I possible accept them?” She wanted to-the earrings were so beautiful, but more than that, they were from him.

A slow smile lit up his face, and it occurred to her that it was the very first time she’d seen his eyes really light up. “Call it a celebration of the baby. Take them. No one else around here is going to wear them-well, maybe Ken might-but they’d look better on you.”

Briony removed them from the box and fastened them in her ears, holding back her hair for him to approve. “What do you think?”

“I think they were made for you.” He leaned down again and brushed a kiss on the top of her head. “Were you sick this morning?”

“I’m sick every morning. And often during the day. It comes and goes. I think it’s part of the experience.” She touched one of the sweaters, rubbing her fingers over the soft material. “I know it’s stupid-it’s not like Whitney can be everywhere-but I’m afraid to go to the doctor. He wanted us to get together, isn’t there a chance he planted a doctor here?”

“I considered that,” Jack said. “I asked around to find the doctor who’d been around the longest.”

She nodded. “Okay. Thanks, that sounds good.”

Jack’s eyebrow shot up. She wasn’t guarding her thoughts that closely, and it might have sounded good to her, but it didn’t feel good in her mind. She was still worried that Whitney might expect her to go to Jack and that he’d bribe the doctor.

Jack caught Briony’s chin and tilted her face up to his. “First, let me explain this. I’ll be going with you to these doctor visits, and Ken will be right outside the window with a rifle and scope. He doesn’t miss. Second, Whitney would never think I’d take you in. He doesn’t know me; he only thinks he does. And thirdly, if you don’t get that little worried frown off your face, I’ll be obliged to kiss it off and then we’ll both be in trouble.”

For a moment her heart seemed to stop beating. She could only stare up at him, lost in the intensity of his gaze. There was nothing at all easy about Jack, even when he was doing the sweetest things. There was too much dark possession, too much raw, driving need, and-God help her, something in her responded like an addict.

He swore under his breath and reached for her, hauling her into his arms. His mouth came down on hers, his kiss rougher than he’d intended when her scent drifted around him and her taste drove him right to the edge of control. He shifted her into his arms, pulling her close, fitting her smaller body into his larger frame, his mouth moving with urgent demands.

She gave the briefest of hesitation, a slight resistance, and then her arms crept around his neck, and she leaned her body into his, and her tongue, soft as velvet, slid over his in a hot tango. He captured her soft little sigh, and tasted spice and honey, her mouth a dark mystery of heat and passion. He could feel the soft weight of her breasts pressing into his chest. The familiar rush of heat raced through his veins, to settle into a terrible ache in the center of his groin, so that he was full and tight, but along with the physical need, he felt as if he had come home-as if he belonged.

Taking his time, Jack gentled his kiss, savoring the moment and every separate sensation. The full, painful ache of his body, the beating of his heart, her soft skin and heady scent, the potent combination of sex and something far, far deeper.

Briony slid her hands to his chest and over the thin barrier of his shirt and traced the letters carved into his body. “I dreamt about you last night.” But it hadn’t been a dream. She’d been aware of him as she lay drifting, his body wrapped closely around hers, so protective. He’d held her close, one hand over their child as if he could keep all monsters at bay while they dozed. Briony rarely slept, and never with anyone close, yet she had gone straight out, Jack’s scent surrounding her, his body next to hers, and it had felt so right-as if, for the first time in her life, she belonged.

“I dreamt about you too, but I don’t think our dreams were quite the same,” he said, his voice rueful.

She caught a glimpse of desperate relief in the shower, a mind filled with lust and need and awakening emotions all jumbled together. Briony pulled away from his memories, feeling like a voyeur.

“I don’t care if you know, Briony,” Jack said softly. “I’m not going to hide the fact that it’s difficult to be around you and not want you. We’re in this together. I don’t want you to be influenced by what I feel. I can take it as long as you can.” He didn’t know if that were true, but he was going to do his best to respect her wishes and do a little old-fashioned courting-whatever that entailed. His thumb slid over her full lower lip in a small caress. “I can wait a long time if I have to.”

Her heart jumped again. Maybe she didn’t want him to wait. Maybe she needed him to make the decision for them. Ashamed of her cowardly thoughts, Briony busied herself with looking at the clothes spread out on the table. “How are we going to get past it, Jack?” She glanced at him and was caught and held by the strange look on his face as he watched her folding a pair of soft black cotton pants. “What is it?”

“You. Watching you do the smallest, most ordinary things makes me happy.” He crossed to the sink and poured himself a cup of coffee. “You have no idea how strange that is.”

“What? Feeling happy?”

“Feeling anything at all. You make me feel, Briony, and that is a fucking miracle.”

Her heart nearly stopped beating, then jumped in her chest, accelerating until her pulse was pounding. “Jack.” She said his name softly, wanting it to be the truth-afraid of believing they had a chance. This man could hurt her where no other had ever come close. He’d rip out her heart and she’d never recover.

“It’s the simple truth, Briony.”

Tears filled her eyes. She didn’t know what to say-how to react-afraid to take the next step and trust him all the way. To cover her reaction, she held up a pair of designer jeans. “All of these clothes are so beautiful, but nothing I can work in.”

Jack didn’t pressure her, choosing to give her some room. “Work? What are talking about?”

“I’m going to help Ken tile the bathroom.”

“No, you’re not.” He leaned one hip lazily against the sink. “You don’t need to be crawling around on your knees and breathing in chemicals.”

“It isn’t that bad, and it will be fun. I’ve always wanted to learn to tile.” She didn’t look at him, keeping her voice light and cheerful as she carefully put the purchases back in the bags. She wasn’t going to argue with him, even though he was using his drill sergeant voice. She’d overlook it and stay in a great mood.

“Nevertheless, you aren’t tiling the bathroom. If you want to learn, I’ll teach you after the baby’s born.”

Briony’s hands stilled and she turned to face him, holding on to her smile. “Jack. This isn’t a dictatorship. I’m quite capable of deciding what I can or can’t do. While I appreciate your concern, it isn’t necessary to make my decisions for me.”

He nodded his head, his features as always expressionless. He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Well, baby, do me a favor and decide not to tile the bathroom right now. That way there won’t be a problem, will there? Would you like me to help you carry those things to our room?”

Briony drew her breath in sharply, smelled blood, and whirled around to stare at Ken as he stood in the doorway cradling his bloody arm.

“Give it up, Bri,” Ken advised, casually walking to the sink without looking at his brother. Blood dripped down his arm. “Jack’s a mule, stubborn as hell, and you’re not going to be tiling the bathroom.”

Jack moved fast to Ken’s side, taking his arm and turning it over to inspect the cut. The wound was over a particularly rigid scar. “You didn’t feel it until it was too late, did you?” he asked his brother.

Ken shrugged and flashed Briony a small, humorless grin. “You probably should wait until you go to the doctor. You can ask him what you can and can’t do and what you can drink or eat, so if jughead starts with the orders you have some ammunition.” His eyes begged her not to notice the blood dripping down his arm, to continue their conversation as if Jack wasn’t washing the wound and treating it with antiseptic.

Briony tipped her head back to meet Jack’s unfathomable gaze. His expression was unreadable. She winked at Ken as Jack dried the cut and bandaged it. “And if I decide I’m going to do it anyway, what kind of temper tantrum does he throw?”

A sudden wisp of a smile softened Jack’s hard jaw and relaxed his mouth for a fleeting moment. The approval in his eyes warmed her and sent little flutters of excitement to her stomach.

“I throw a caveman tantrum,” Jack answered and swooped her up, lifting her into his arms, caging her against him. “Brute strength, baby. It works when all else fails.”

Ken gathered the packages and piled them high in Briony’s lap. “I’ve never seen an actual temper tantrum,” he admitted. “Just do what he says; it’s so much easier.”

“We’re going to head into town,” Jack reminded his brother. “I’ll need you to go with us. Another hour and we’ll take off. You’ll need to be ready for combat, Ken.”

Ken shrugged. “I’m always ready.”

Jack carried Briony through the house toward the bedroom. “Thanks,” he said gruffly. “It happens sometimes. The scarring makes it difficult for him to feel anything until it’s too late. The scars are all over him-everywhere.”

Briony felt his pain like a knife stabbing through her heart. It took a moment to realize she was in his mind. “He doesn’t want pity.”

“Hell no, he doesn’t. He’d shoot me first. He insists on doing the tiling, though.”

“He needs to do it, Jack,” Briony said, recalling the desperation in Ken’s eyes.

“I know. I don’t say anything, but it’s damned difficult some days.” Jack tossed her on the bed, ending the subject because if they continued to talk about it he might cry like a baby. “Before I left this morning I cleared out a couple of the top drawers and there’s plenty of room in the closet. Make sure you take a good look at the spare bedroom so you can tell me how you want to fix it up for the baby.”

“I will.”

“And stay the hell out of the bathroom. I don’t want you near the tile saw.”

“Jack.” Briony traced the pattern on the cover, looking around her at all the bright packages. Her fingers crept up to her earlobe, stroked the fiery rubies, and slid to her throat. “You can’t order me around, no matter how charming you are.”

Pain swirled in the depths of his eyes for just a moment. She caught the surge of sorrow in his mind. He turned away from her to open the closet door. “I told you I wouldn’t be an easy man to live with.”

“What does that mean?” Briony asked, frowning, trying to grasp what he wasn’t saying to her. She sank down onto the edge of the bed. “I’m a grown woman, Jack.”

He glanced at her over his shoulder, rubbed his brow with the pad of his thumb, and sighed. “I’m a control freak, Bri. It’s one of the biggest reasons we live here, so far away from everyone. It’s why I mostly work alone. I go out on my own and I control the situation. If I work with a team, I run the team. It’s who I am.”

“That isn’t big news, Jack,” Briony pointed out. She pulled clothes from the packages and began removing tags. “It isn’t an excuse to take away my rights as an adult to make my own decisions. Control is an illusion anyway. No one can control another person.”

“I control what I can, and it helps to keep everyone safe.”

“You don’t trust yourself.”

“No. I realized a long time ago I don’t think or react like other people. Under the right circumstances, things could go wrong.”

Briony busied herself with putting clothes in the drawers, all the while trying to grasp what he was saying. Jebediah, Ken, and now even Jack were all warning her about something in Jack that even he feared. She turned to look at his face. Whatever it was, he was more afraid of it than he was of a sniper’s bullet.

“I don’t think you’d ever hurt me, Jack. Not ever. You don’t have it in you. Is that what you’re afraid of?”

He looked at her, something moving in his eyes. Pain? Sorrow? Haunting fear? She couldn’t read his emotion. “I don’t know,” he answered honestly, ashamed.

She went to him, framed his face with her hands. “I do. Remember Luther? He hit me with no problem. I made him angry and he punched me. He didn’t slap me. He didn’t try to restrain me, he punched me with his fist. Maybe if I were your enemy… ”

He caught her wrists and yanked them down, holding them hard against his chest. “That’s just it, baby. That’s just it.” He dropped her hands and went out of the room. She heard the door slam as he left the house.

Briony let out her breath and sank down onto the bed more confused than ever.

The cursory knock didn’t startle her; she already knew that Ken’s stocky frame filled the doorway. “You okay?”

She nodded. “Where’d he go?”

“He’s probably headed to the shop. He hangs a bag there and works out when the devil rides him too hard.” He shrugged. “Either that or he’ll soothe himself with woodworking.”

“Why would he think I could ever become his enemy, Ken? I told him I knew he’d never hurt me, maybe if I was his enemy, but never otherwise. He’s afraid of hurting me, isn’t he?”

A muscle jumped in Ken’s jaw. He rubbed his thumb along a scar down the left side of his face. “He’s afraid of hurting everyone. He has to tell you himself, Briony. It has to come from him-and then you have to decide if you’re strong enough to live with him.”

“This is temporary.”

He shook his head. “You’re deceiving yourself and you know it.”

“He walked out. He said I was a liability. He told me he wasn’t the kind of man who would ever have a woman or kid.”

“I’m sure he did say those things. He believes he shouldn’t have a family. It doesn’t mean that he doesn’t want a family. He isn’t going to walk away from you ever again.”

“I don’t want him like that. Trapped because we were forced together by an outside source and now he’s stuck because I needed help.”

Ken leaned his hip against the doorjamb, a gesture very reminiscent of Jack. “What do you think he would have done had you been kidnapped and word got back to him? Even if he didn’t think the child was his, what do you think he would have done?”

Briony plucked at the comforter. “I have no idea. I barely know Jack, and when I think I do know him, everyone warns me off-everyone including Jack.”

“He would have come after you and he would never-never-have stopped until he found you and got you out-or they killed him. Jack would never abandon someone who did what you did for him.”

“My brother helped him get out of Kinshasa. I just slept with him.”

Ken’s eyes darkened to a turbulent gray. “Don’t do that, Briony. Don’t cheapen what you did and don’t belittle yourself. You saved his life. He told me what happened.”

“He doesn’t owe me anything. If that’s why he’s doing this… ”

“You’re here because you’re carrying his child and he never wanted to walk away from you in the first place. He did it for you. He walked out of your life so you could have a normal life. And this time, if you want out-you’ll have to be the one to walk away, because he isn’t going to do it.”

Briony burst out laughing, but it sounded too close to hysteria, so she hastily crossed to the drawers and began looking through them for something to wear to the doctor’s office. “I don’t have a normal life, Ken. I can’t have a normal life because some megalomaniac dragged me out of an orphanage and experimented on me.” Her voice was getting louder, swinging out of control, but she couldn’t pull back. “And when he adopted me out, he made certain he could still experiment on me. And as an adult-well… ” She threw a sweater into the drawer and spun around, spreading her arms wide to encompass the room. “Here I am. Not like any other mother-to-be. No, I’ve got a man who doesn’t mind having sex with me because of the experiments, but would much rather I didn’t come near him, so no, Ken-my chances at a normal life frankly suck.”

“You in here upsetting my woman, Ken?” The voice was pitched so low-so soft-that for a moment Briony wasn’t certain she’d actually heard right, because those soft-spoken words sounded like a threat, but her body went still and her heart accelerated into high gear.

Jack moved into the room. His shirt was off, and a fine sheen of sweat covered his body as though he’d been working hard. Muscles rippled beneath scarred skin, and he crossed to her side, taking a T-shirt from the top of the bureau and wiping his face with it. He looked at his brother over the shirt, his eyes a peculiar silver.

“I thought you’d already done that,” Ken said easily.

Briony frowned. Ken sounded easygoing enough, but his body shifted slightly into a much more defensible position. She looked from one brother to the other. “Hello! Are you both morons? I’m pregnant. That means emotional. I’m not supposed to be the one with the cool head here. I’m supposed to fall apart at the drop of a hat; it’s my prerogative. You two are supposed to smile and nod and agree with everything I say.”

Ken’s eyebrow shot up, and a ghost of a smile played for a moment with his mouth, and then disappeared. “Was I upsetting you, Briony?”

“I’m in a perpetual state of upset,” she reiterated. “I’ve never been pregnant before. I never even thought about having children.” She sank down onto the bed again, looking up at Jack. “Never. I have such a difficult time being around people, it never occurred to me the opportunity would be there.”

Jack stood in front of her, forcing her chin up with his thumb so she had to meet his gaze. “You want this baby.”

She nodded, swallowing hard. “It’s just scary. Everything is so frightening right now. I wish I wasn’t such a coward.”

The pad of Jack’s thumb rubbed over her lower lip. “It’s all right to be afraid, Briony; fear doesn’t make you a coward. Why shouldn’t you be afraid?” He crouched down in front of her, framing her face. “I want you here more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. And I have every intention of seeing you through this. You came here because you trusted your own instincts. I’m sure your brothers objected.”

A faint smile teased her mouth. “Strenuously objected.”

“But you knew to come to me anyway. I may be a lot of things, Briony, and I’m hell to live with, but you came to me for protection and that is guaranteed. Just keep trusting me.”

Ken came up on the other side of her, looking so heartbreakingly like Jack. He put one hand on his twin’s shoulder and the other on her shoulder. “We’re in this together-all the way, Briony. Here, where we live, we have a policy that it’s okay to be who we really are. Jack gets a little dicey sometimes and I have my own demons. If you’re afraid or sick or want to stand outside and scream, it’s all good.”

Briony nodded, struggling not to cry. She didn’t know what acceptance was. She’d never had it. She had always fit into the circus world because her family needed her to-not because it was her choice. She’d fought every day of her life to appear normal. Here, with Jack and Ken, she felt no pain at all being near them. They both shielded her, not only from their thoughts, but Jack had been able to keep her from feeling the effects of violence up close.

Was it really that simple? She touched their minds and found sincerity. They both had concerns and both were a little leery of the new situation, a woman-nearly a stranger-in their comfortable, safe world, but both were more than willing to accept her and learn how to live with her.

How to live with her. They were willing to adjust for her. Was she willing to adjust for them? She looked up at Jack, at his peculiarly colored eyes that seemed to go from charcoal gray to glittering silver, depending on his mood. Could she put herself totally in his hands? She already liked and respected Ken. She might be willing to try for Jack-but could she hand Jack her heart when she knew the attraction was because of genetic manipulation? She needed to go slow-take one day at a time and see where it led her. She took a deep breath and let it out. “Thank you both.”

Jack felt relief sweep through him. Briony was afraid, but she was accepting their offer. He didn’t know what he would have done if she’d tried to run. “You’d better get ready to go, babe,” he said. “It’s a long drive down the mountain and we don’t want to miss the doctor appointment.”

“We can eat dinner in town,” Ken added, flicking his brother a warning glance.

“I’ll cook tonight,” Jack offered as he stood up, tousling Briony’s hair.

“We can eat dinner in town. I got up at four this morning and removed the traps and set alarms. I’ve still got the tile job to do. Don’t give me grief on this.”

“See how he whines.” Jack appealed to Briony.

“I’m being reasonable, Bri,” Ken protested. “You’ve never tasted his cooking,” he added, following Jack’s example and ruffling her hair.

She sat very still, just absorbing the affection in that simple motion. It should have made her feel like a child, but even Jack’s persistent orders had nothing to do with thinking she was a child. “I’d like dinner out,” she ventured.

Jack groaned. “Don’t help him, Briony. It won’t just be dinner. He’ll want to go listen to music. Every time, every single time I’m dumb enough to agree to dinner, we end up at the Last Saloon listening to his country music. He flirts all night and I sit there watching his back.”

“I’m trying to get him to work on his social skills,” Ken explained. “And the music is awesome. You do like country music, don’t you, Briony?”

“Yes.”

“And you do agree Jack needs a little work on his social skills,” Ken prompted.

“He flirts just fine,” Briony said.

“Jack? Flirts?” Ken looked shocked. “If he does, he’s only flirted with you. The ladies sashay up to him, and he gives them that deadpan look, and they scurry away. It’s embarrassing.”

“Really?” She glanced at Jack.

“You’re not taking Briony to the bar,” Jack decreed. “Some drunken idiot cowboy is going to take one look at her and decide he’s going to dance with her, and I’ll have to bury his body out in the forest.”

“Or you could just dance with me yourself and not have to kill anyone,” Briony suggested. “It might be easier.”

“Dance?”

“You do know how to dance, don’t you?”

“You’d distract me,” Jack said.

“From what?”

“I watch Ken’s back. Now I’ve got two of you to look after.”

“How about this,” Briony suggested. “Ken can dance and we’ll both watch out for him. And don’t worry, Ken-if one of the ladies starts groping you on the dance floor, I’ll be all over it in a heartbeat. But then, Ken can watch out for us while we dance. Ken, you could do that, couldn’t you?”

“It’s a deal, as long as you let the ladies grope me.”

Jack threw his hands into the air. “So this is how it’s going to be. You’re going to double team me, aren’t you?”

Ken and Briony exchanged a grin and nodded, unrepentant.