Take It On The Run

Chapter 7

POV: Sloan

I hadn't been prepared for the barrage of feelings that hit me upon entering the house.

I recognized Reed's soft brown, intelligent eyes and floppy mane of dirty blonde locks just before he hugged me. My body melted into his, as though they were perfectly molded for one another. I was surprised when the same sensation flooded my senses as Avery embraced me. My feelings for each of them overwhelmed me.

The guys were all wildly different, from their looks to their personalities. Yet each of them meant everything to me.

"Where's Sumner?" I asked, curious.

"He had a gig tonight," Avery replied, flipping his straight dark hair out of his eyes. "Should be here any minute though."

I watched Reed hold his phone up to his face. "He's here."

"Sloan?"

I whipped around to face the doors to find Sumner standing there, his dark features gleaming beneath the entryway light.

I ran to him, throwing my arms around his thick neck, and he spun me around, laughing.

"It really is you," he said, setting me onto my feet and kissing me. My mouth opened for him before I could think too long about our present company. He groaned, cupping my ass before he finally pulled away. "I fucking missed you, love."

I swallowed a sob as Sumner carefully wiped a stray tear from beneath one of my eyes with his thumb. When I looked around us, I was surprised to find all of the guys grinning ear to ear. I guess maybe I'd expected some level of jealousy, considering how each of them had greeted me, how each of them found a way to sneak in sweet touches or terms of endearment.

I didn't know what to make of it.

"Tell us everything," Reed demanded, pulling me toward the large sectional. He maneuvered me onto his lap as he landed on a plush cushion, Deacon and Sumner sitting on either side of us. Avery pulled the coffee table, a solid slab of ancient cypress, up to us. 

"I don't know where to start," I said, looking around at them.

"Start from the beginning," Deacon encouraged, reaching over to stroke my hair. Avery's hand landed on my thigh, moving in soft, soothing circles just as Sumner began to rub the knots from my tense shoulders.

I'd gone from a decade without any sort of intimate touch to being adored by four men in a matter of hours, and it felt amazing. Surely, they were just overly affectionate and had serious lovers warming their beds each night. All of them were successful and beautiful in their own right, and I couldn't imagine that any of them were single.

I worked on a dry swallow, thinking of what to say. "My father was involved with a group known only as The Collectors. My guess is that he embezzled money from them, but I honestly don't know." I drug in a deep breath, trying to disassociate from the memories that surfaced. "My mother and I had no idea until the night they came for us. They spent hours torturing us upstairs for information we didn't have, but my mother managed to free herself when they went back to their cars to retrieve their guns. She made me jump from my bedroom window while she distracted them. She's the only reason I'm alive right now."
Reed's arms tightened around me, and it gave me the strength to keep going. "It wasn't until I'd spent a week hitchhiking that I discovered they'd killed her." I swallowed the tears threatening to spill. "After that, I ran. I've been running ever since."

When I finally dared a glance at the guys, there was a mixture of pity and rage warring on their respective faces. Deacon and Sumner both looked ready to strangle someone with their bare hands.

Avery's fingers splayed against my cheek, and I turned in Reed's lap to face him fully. "You are so strong—so brave, Sloan."

"Maybe," I conceded with a bitter laugh. "But I'm also tired of having to be those things every second of every day." I'm not sure why I let that bit of honestly slip then. I supposed I simply felt comfortable around them.

"You don't have to be anything anymore," Sumner said. "You're with us now."

"I can't let you guys risk your lives for me like that," I argued, thinking once more of my mother. If anything happened to these men, I didn't know how I'd live with myself in the aftermath. I had enough blood on my hands as it was.

"Tough shit," Deacon chimed in. "You're coming to work at the bar with me, and you're moving in with us."

I looked around the room for anyone who'd take my side. Reed merely grinned at me before shrugging. "You heard the man. You're coming to live with us, babe." I frowned at the man beneath me, who groaned as I made to wiggle out of his lap. "Unless you want to feel the extent of my desire for you, Sloan, I highly recommend you stop moving like that."

The guys chuckled as my cheeks blazed. "And what about Misha?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Who the fuck is Misha?" Sumner demanded, looking jealous as hell.

I suppressed the laugh climbing up my throat as I watched Sumner bristle. "My 50-pound pit bull." His shoulders visibly sagged, losing their tension.

"Personally, I love dogs," Reed said in answer. "I've just never had time for one."

"Misha is welcome to stay with us, too, sweetness," Deacon replied. "He can also come with us to the bar."

I lit up at that. "Really, D? You mean it?" I hated leaving him at home every time I went to work, especially since he had such bad separation anxiety.

Deacon chuckled, tweaking my nose. "This is a dog-friendly city. Plus, I'd rather you have protection when one of us isn't around."

I didn't have the heart to tell him that Misha was a huge wuss and made a terrible guard dog. "I have a Glock, too. Is that going to be a problem?"

All of the guys' brows lifted at that news. Avery whistled. "I didn't think you could get any hotter, darling. Clearly, I was wrong."

Deacon caught my eye, winking mischievously as he explained, "Violence turns him on, in case you haven't noticed." His hand returned to my hair, playing with the ends. "Give me the name of your landlord, and I'll break your lease tomorrow morning. In the meantime, why don't we go to your place and pack your things so you can spend the night here. I'm assuming you haven't settled in yet."

I hadn't, but I was still unsure about jeopardizing their lives, despite their bravado on the matter. I'd be lying to myself, though, if I said the prospect of being surrounded by the foursome wasn't something I deeply desired. "Are you sure you guys don't mind, even after everything you heard tonight?"

"I think I speak for everyone here when I say that we never want you out of our sight again," Sumner said without hesitation, and I nearly cried at that, at the noises of agreement they all made.