Annabelle groaned and reached for the bolt because Kinley would do it. The woman would march right back here with the manager and persuade him to open the door.
With a sigh, Belle saved her friend the trouble.
Kinley’s grin faded as she took in Belle’s appearance. “Oh, honey. Who do I kill?”
Belle sniffled as the door shut, but she let Kinley hug her tight as the puppy in her arm used the proximity to lick her cheek. Belle was just about to scold the dog when she really looked at the little thing. Okay, so it wasn’t the most attractive canine, but there was a well of sympathy in its dark eyes that had her tears welling again. The puppy stared at her, then rubbed its face against her cheek as though it knew she needed comfort.
Reaching out, Belle gathered the pup into her arms. It looked to be the runt of the litter, possibly the ugliest of the three, but in that moment, the dog seemed so sweet, she couldn’t help but cuddle the wiggly little thing against her robe.
“I’m serious, Annabelle.” Kinley locked the bolt and followed her into the room. “I want to know who to murder horribly. Well, I want to know who to get Law to murder horribly. He used to be Special Forces. He told me he misses killing rat bastards sometimes, so you would be helping him out.”
Annabelle shook her head and sank onto the edge of the bed. Her room wasn’t anywhere near as opulent as Eric and Tate’s, but it was comfortable. “No murder, Kinley. I’m fine.”
She just had to be tough. So, it hadn’t worked out. Kell had wanted nothing to do with her. And in the end, Eric hadn’t seemed much more enthusiastic. Tate had been kinder, but he’d let her go, too. It was all right—or it would be once she figured out how to mend her broken heart. That might take a long while, but she’d bounce back. Somehow, she always did.
Belle scratched the puppy behind its ears and it immediately settled onto her lap, as if it belonged there.
Kinley sat down beside her. “I saw you leave the ballroom. All three of those lawyers stalked after you. I expected you to stay the night with them, but Jessa Lennox saw you fleeing their suite. I don’t guess you’re running back here to find some sexy lingerie, huh?”
How did she explain this to her best friend without sounding pathetic? “No. We tried. It didn’t work out.”
Kinley’s eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?”
She let her fingers sink into the puppy’s scraggly fur. “It means that we came to the conclusion that a sexual relationship between us wouldn’t work.”
Kinley’s delicate bow mouth dropped open. “That’s impossible, sweetie. No guy decides something can’t work sexually. Not if they’re attracted to you, and those three definitely are. Guys will usually just keep trying to please you so they can coax their way into your panties. Or they buy a ton of little blue pills.” She gasped. “Are you saying they…struggled?”
Not in any way, shape, or form. No, those were not men who needed any help—chemical or otherwise—to get hard. They’d all had massive erections…that had deflated the minute they found out she was a virgin. “Kinley, it doesn’t matter.”
Her bestie was like a dog with a bone. “It does. You’re hurt. You’ve been crying. Do you think I can’t tell? I want to know what happened.”
Kinley would twist her arm until she confessed. “They wanted someone with more experience.”
“More experience doing what exactly? Sex isn’t rocket science or brain surgery.”
“They just didn’t like that I was a virgin.” There. She couldn’t be freaking plainer.
The puppy’s tail thumped along her leg in time to the stroke of her hand petting its back. She found the rhythm soothing, enjoyed her connection to the little furry creature. Besides Kinley, she had no one else anymore.
“Unbelievable.” Kinley heaved a deep sigh. “God, sweetie. I’m so sorry. It’s inconceivable to me that they would be such assholes. But they’re men.”
A deep sense of weariness invaded her veins. They weren’t assholes, really. They were just men looking for something she didn’t have. “It’s fine. It was a mistake to think it could work anyway. The problem now is, what to do about the fact that I almost slept with my bosses.”
Almost, but not quite. God, she could still feel the heat of their bodies as they’d surrounded her. The pleasure of their touch had almost been too much to take. She’d been a different person when she’d lain across Kellan’s lap, offering herself up to all three of them, to their vision, their sensuality, their desire.
In the end, they hadn’t wanted what little she had to offer, so now she had to figure out where to go and what to do next.
Kinley stood and paced the room. “I just don’t understand.”
Of course she didn’t. She had three men who were crazy about her, who didn’t give a crap about anything except that she loved them. “It doesn’t matter. Just…please have my back when I say I can’t work there anymore.”
Her friend froze, her brows forming a confused V. “Of course you can’t work there anymore.” Her eyes narrowed, and Belle knew from experience that meant her friend was plotting something evil. “Unless you intend to very cleverly kill all three of them off. Again, I—with Law’s assistance—will totally help you.”
Annabelle couldn’t not laugh, and something deep inside her eased. Her best friend wouldn’t abandon her, no matter what. “I’ll be fine, hon. I’ll figure everything out. Shouldn’t you be with your husbands for your big ‘wedding’ night?”
“Not when you need me. They remember how you helped me.” Kinley glided across the room and dropped a gentle touch on her shoulder, her face soft with understanding. “Belle, you’re part of our family. We love you.”
Stupid tears. They were right there on the edge of her eyes again. “I love you all, too.”
They had been smart enough to love Kinley, to save her from a potentially murderous marriage. Belle had loathed Greg, Kinley’s fiancé. Dominic, Law, and Riley had stepped up to protect Kinley. So when Kellan, Eric, and Tate had formed a shield around Belle at the same time during all the danger, it had given her hope. They hadn’t allowed her to see or even talk to her friend while the threat was imminent. Kellan had put his whole career at risk to save Kinley, and it couldn’t be because he was such good friends with the Anders brothers and Dominic Anthony. So why had he gone out on such a limb?
God, she was so confused. She only knew one thing: Whatever his reasons, whatever his feelings, she couldn’t face those three in the morning. Despite her parting words to them, she just couldn’t sit down at that meeting beside them and pretend nothing had changed. Or return to Chicago and watch them work—or date—without her anywhere in the picture. She definitely couldn’t stay and see them fight again. They were closer than brothers, and she’d ruined that. No matter how she tried to block the vision, every time she closed her eyes, she could still see Kellan straddling Tate, pummeling his face with punches. She’d caused that, and the guilt was eating her alive.
Kinley took a deep breath and wagged a finger at her. “You’re going to stay here in Dallas with me.”
Oh, she was so not going to do that. That finger usually said that Kinley meant business, but the only thing worse than going back to Chicago would be staying here with her newlywed friend and becoming the pathetic, can’t-get-a-man houseguest. Not happening. “I’m going to New Orleans.”
“What? Why would you do that? Mardi Gras is months away.”
She snorted. “Like I’d be in the mood to show off my boobs in exchange for some beads? No. Remember, I told you about six weeks ago that my grandma died?”
Kinley nodded. “Yes, I was sorry to hear about it, but I don’t remember you being close to her. This was your dad’s mom, right?”