Read Online Blade's Desire by Leah Brooke - Free Book Online

folding tables set up along the far wall.
    “Oh, Frank. I forgot.”
    Just then, a laughing Jesse walked through the back door. Rio smiled and swatted her bottom as he came in behind her, carrying yet another folding table. Clay followed, chuckling at the two and shaking his head at their antics. Two men that Kelly had only met recently brought up the rear.
    Boone and Chase Jackson, she’d learned, had grown up in Desire with Clay and Rio, but had left the town right after Chase, the youngest, graduated from high school. First class builders, they’d made their fortunes building luxury condos, high dollar homes, and shopping malls.
    Jesse learned from her husbands that something had happened that made the two men sell everything and come back to Desire. They had helped Clay and Rio build the house they now lived in with Jesse.
    Boone and Chase didn’t have to work, having made enough to live quite comfortably for the rest of their lives in Desire but loved to keep busy working with their hands. They’d soon become Desire’s handymen and got called to do everything from building houses to unclogging toilets.
    Turning her attention from the men, Kelly watched Jesse with her husbands and smiled. Her friend absolutely glowed with happiness. Love for Clay and Rio shone from her eyes and it they obviously both adored her.
    Kelly would give anything to see Blade look at her that way.
    “Kelly?” Jesse’s voice pulled her from her thoughts.
    “Ummm?”
    “Is everything okay?” Kelly avoided Jesse’s searching gaze and saw that both Clay and Rio’s eyes had sharpened.
    “Everything’s fine,” Kelly smiled at her friend reassuringly. “I just forgot that the new cabinets were coming in today until just a few minutes ago.”
    Kelly forced herself not to squirm under their combined scrutiny.
    “We talked about this yesterday, Kelly.”
    “Yes, I know. I just forgot. It’s not a big deal.”
    She grimaced when Jesse frowned at her. “What’s wrong, Kelly?”
    Kelly saw Jesse’s eyes widen when she noticed the choker around her neck. “Did you get everything done last night that you wanted to do?”
    Clay and Rio stood with their hands on their hips, unashamedly listening to every word. Silently thanking Jesse for not revealing their conversation about Blade, Kelly nodded.
    “Yes, I did.”
    Kelly sighed in relief when Jesse nodded and mouthed, we’ll talk later, and turned to her husbands.
    “Are you two going to get to work on my cabinets or are you just here to sniff my products,” she teased.
    Kelly watched both men flick a glance at their wife before turning their attention back to her.
    Kelly shifted nervously when they continued to stare at her.
    “Is there something you want to tell us, honey?” Clay asked softly.
    Kelly knew that tone. She’d been around Jesse several times when Clay had used that tone with her and knew not to trust it.
    “No.” Kelly shook her head, hoping he would drop it. She should have known better.
    Both Clay and Rio considered themselves her protectors and took the position very seriously. The men in Desire had long ago insisted that all women who lived here had to be under a man’s protection. Although all the men who lived here protected the women, most women had a man or men who took responsibility for them and guarded them very closely.
    Usually reserved for a woman’s husband or husbands, the responsibility of being her protector had been taken by Clay and Rio because she’d moved to Desire for Jesse.
    They took the responsibility far too seriously and Kelly didn’t want a lot of questions about her relationship with Blade. If they found out about her agreement with him, they would be livid.
    She didn’t know what the two of them would do if they found out she’d gone to the club. She’d have to talk to Blade about it tonight. She hated lying to them, but she needed this chance with Blade.
    For several long seconds, Clay and Rio both studied her. Even Boone and