Broken Surrender (17 page)

The sound of her father’s booming voice made
her jump, and she nearly landed on the grill she twisted around so
quickly. If not for Silas’s quick hands, she’d have had burn scars
to add to her growing body art.

“Daddy!”

“Sarah-Bell!” Brian Bryant wasn’t quite as
large as the White brothers, but he had a strong bearing that was
formidable to everyone he came across. His daughter, however, was
the exception to that rule. She hurried over to hug him tight,
inhaling his aftershave deep into her lungs.

“I’m glad you came,” she said after he
released her.

“Of course, baby girl. The way your mama
tells it, you’ve got someone I need to meet.” Brian looked up, his
eyes narrowing on Silas behind her.

“Senior Chief Bryant.” Silas held his hand
out, “Silas White, and I see you’ve already met my brother
Jeremy.”

Jeremy was standing in the doorway looking
just as awkward as the situation felt. Unsure what to say, Sarah
scrambled to hug her mom. “Mom, this time, let me introduce the
guys correctly. These are Jeremy and Silas White,”—she paused, and
glanced at her father before she pulled herself straighter—“my
boyfriends.”

Olivia’s face blossomed into a wide smile,
and she nodded to her daughter before addressing the guys. “It’s
lovely to see you both again. Thank you for the invitation to
dinner tonight. Brian and I were pleased to accept.”

“Boyfriends?” Brian asked. “As in plural?
You went and got yourself two of them?”

Swallowing her nerves, she nodded.
“Yep.”

For several breaths no one spoke. The steaks
sizzled and popped on the grill as Brian and the two brothers faced
off. Her father’s eyes went back and forth from the men she’d
fallen in love with to her, and she held her ground, patiently
waiting for him to blow up.

“Not surprised it took two men to handle
you.”

Sarah stared at him in shock as everyone
breathed a sigh of relief and laughed.

“Wait, what?”

Brian shrugged. “Stop fretting. Your mama
filled me in on the way over here. Sarah-Bell, if these two fellas
make you happy, then I’m happy.” He narrowed his eyes on Jeremy and
Silas, “But you tell me the moment that changes. I’ve got a dozen
phone numbers of men who can make it look like an accident without
blinking.”

A giggle burst forth from her throat when
Jeremy swallowed hard and fidgeted under Brian’s hard look. “I
don’t know what to say.” She threw herself into her father’s arms
hugging him tight.

“I love you, baby girl,” he murmured,
kissing her forehead before he turned to be introduced to Minnie
and Walt.

Within minutes, the entire group was
laughing and chatting like they were old friends. Sarah stood back
watching, feeling freer than ever before. When had she suddenly
found herself again? Was it because of Jeremy and Silas, or was she
finally accepting the life she’d been given? It all seemed so
perfect, yet a tiny niggling doubt still held its place in her
brain. How long would this last?

“So Minnie, do you and Walt have children?”
Olivia asked as they all sat down at the table to eat.

The sudden change in mood was so drastic
that Sarah felt tears burn her eyes. Clearly Olivia had misstepped
with her question.

Minnie’s eyes grew shiny, and Walt reached
for her hand, answering for her. “We had a son. Benjamin, but he
passed as a young boy.”

“I’m so sorry.” Olivia said, covering
Minnie’s other hand with her own. “Was it an illness?”

Walt cleared his throat before explaining.
“No, it was actually an accident. He’d gone swimming down at
Devil’s Drop—it’s a local swimming hole—anyway, he lost his footing
and fell. Hit his head on the way in, and that was it.”

“Wow. I can’t even imagine what that was
like for you both,” Olivia said, reaching out to her husband with
her other hand. “I remember that morning when we got the call about
Sarah’s injury. The fear that went through me was bone-chilling. I
was just sure they were going to call back before we could get on
the plane to Germany and tell us we’d lost her.”

“I didn’t realize you had been injured,
Sarah,” Minnie said, dabbing her eyes with a napkin, clearly glad
for the change in subject.

Sarah felt her nose wrinkle up in distaste
of the new topic, so she looked down at her plate. “Yeah, it wasn’t
that big of deal, just one little bullet.”

“One little bullet that did a hell of a lot
of damage,” her father interjected. “Several surgeries to repair
everything from a broken spine to a shredded kidney and all sorts
of internal dings that had to be fixed. Damn near lost her on the
table twice, but the Army has damn good surgeons. That’s about all
they’ve got going for them.”

“Dad,” Sarah warned.

“Well, they are still the Army. Now, if
you’d have been on a Navy vessel when it happened—”

Olivia slapped Brian’s hand, “Enough of
that. We’re not getting into that argument here.”

“Thank you,” Sarah said, glaring at her
father. “As for my injuries, they were far better than they could
have been. At least I came home on two feet.”

“Amen,” Silas said, smiling her way.

“I’ll drink to that.” Jeremy tipped his soda
her direction and winked at her.

“You must have had a guardian angel with you
that day, Sarah. For you surely are blessed. I know several
families who’ve lost loved ones overseas,” Minnie said. “Did you
stay in the military after that?”

“No, actually, they gave me the boot. I came
down to Stone River because I was hoping to find work based on an
ad I saw. Thankfully, that job didn’t work out, and Claudia
Thompson hired me as her assistant,” Sarah explained.

“Oh that’s lovely!” Minnie said with a clap,
“I adore the Thompson family, their new baby Denver is
darling.”

“They’ve been good to me, and I enjoy the
work. I wish it was more physically demanding, but…” she
shrugged.

“Your doctors said you should take it easy
rebuilding you physical capabilities,” Olivia said sternly, “You’re
not pushing yourself too hard are you?”

“Of course not, Mrs. Bryant,” Silas jumped
to her defense, “Jeremy and I are seeing to it that she rests.
Actually she and Jeremy are planning on working out together so
that he can help monitor her progress.”

Sarah gaped at him. “Not exactly—”

“Sure, yeah, I’ll even tag along to the next
doctor’s appointment and clear it with him to make sure she’s in
fighting shape. You’ve got nothing to worry about with her in our
care.” Jeremy continued as though she wasn’t even there, and her
temper flared.

“What the hell?”

All eyes turned her way, the looks a
mishmash of confusion, and amusement.

“Since when do I need a keeper? I’m not
broken damn it,” she snapped.

Silas’s eyes gleamed. “Right you are. And
I’ll remind you of that every time you try to tell me you are.”

Instantly, she realized that she’d backed
herself into a corner. For the last couple of weeks she’d pushed
them away based on the fact that she felt like she wasn’t whole
enough for them, and she’d just proclaimed herself in fine shape.
If she wasn’t broken, then what was she?

“Excuse me, I need a –um, just, yeah...”
Pushing away from the table she hurried out of the dining room and
straight out the back door, walking away from the house without a
destination in mind. She just needed more space to breathe.

“Sarah!” Jeremy called out. She could hear
the two men gaining on her, but she was at a loss as to what to say
to them right now, so she didn’t stop. When Jeremy grabbed her hand
and spun her around, she gasped.

“What!”

He frowned at her, looking slightly hurt at
her attitude. “What are you running from, baby?”

“You. Your brother.”

“Do we scare you?” Jeremy asked as Silas
joined them. The two men boxed her between them, holding her in
place with just their presence, but neither touched her.

“No! Damn it. I scare myself. You guys make
me want things, and you make me think that I deserve them.”

Silas shrugged. “What’s wrong with
that?”

“I—I—”

“I’m only going to say this once, Sarah
Bryant, so you’d better listen. There is nothing wrong with you.
The injuries you survived make you stronger, not weaker. The scars
make you more beautiful, not ugly. I want who you are now, not the
woman you wanted to become when you joined the Army.” Jeremy’s
words caught her off guard. Not just what he said, but the way he
said it. He meant it.

“You didn’t know me before. I could have
been an officer,” she protested.

“But then you wouldn’t have come back home,
or come to Stone River, and I wouldn’t have you here with me now.”
Looking up at his brother, Jeremy continued, “Silas and I want you,
but we don’t want the chip on your shoulder.”

Tearing her eyes away from him, she focused
on a spot in the distance as her thoughts spun in her head. Could
she really accept that they saw her as more than she could see
herself? For two years she’d focused on how broken she was, and now
they wanted her to accept how strong she was.

“Please let it go, Sarah. Let us love you
for you.” Silas murmured, wrapping his arms around her and pulling
her back against his chest. He kissed her temple and whispered,
“Love me. Love us. Please.”

“I do,” she heard herself answer. “More than
I can even say. If you can accept me as I am, then how could I
not?”

Jeremy’s face burst into a grin, and he tore
her from Silas’ arms, spinning her around in the air. “Goddamn
woman, you sure know how to make a guy sweat!”

Laughing through a thin veil of tears, she
kissed him. “What happens now?”

Silas, turned her so that he could tip her
chin, and kiss her gently. “Now we go back inside and tell your
mother and my aunt that they get to help us plan a wedding.”

“Sergeant White, are you asking me to marry
you?”

“Damn straight. Are you saying yes?” he
asked, staring into her eyes without blinking.

She nodded. “Abso-freaking-lutely.”

The End

The Surrender Series

Weekend Surrender

Flawless Surrender

Primal Surrender

Broken Surrender

Crawley Creek Series

Beginnings

Forget Me Knot

Rough Ride Romeo

Claiming His Cowgirl

Hawke’s Salvation (Coming January 2016)

Fetish & Fantasy

Watching Sin

Submission Dance

Mistress Hedonism

Masquerade

The Gray Pack Series

Fire of the Wolf

Reflections of the Wolf

Legacy of the Wolf

Dreams of the Wolf

Caress of the Wolf

Honor of the Wolf

Apache Crossing

Sidney’s Triple Shot

Sunset Point

Point of Seduction

Anthologies

Irrevocably Claimed

Tempting Tanner

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Best-selling author, Lori King, is also a
full-time wife and mother of three boys. Although she rarely has
time to just enjoy feminine pursuits; at heart she is a hopeless
romantic. She spends her days dreaming up Alpha men, and her nights
telling their stories. An admitted TV and book junkie, she can be
found relaxing with a steamy story, or binging in an entire season
of some show online. She gives her parents all the credit for her
unique sense of humor and acceptance of all forms of love. There
are no two loves alike, but you can love more than one with your
whole heart.

With the motto: Live, Laugh, and Love like
today is your only chance, she will continue to write as long as
you continue to read. Thank you for taking the time to indulge in a
good Happily Ever After with her.

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BROKEN SURRENDER by LORI KING

One bullet made it physically impossible for
Sarah Bryant to fulfill her dreams of a military career. With her
family’s sympathy suffocating her, she escapes to Stone River,
Texas, determined to rebuild a life and maybe find a new dream.

Silas and Jeremy are two brothers who are as
different as Texas is big. One is an adrenaline fueled former Army
medic, the other is a laid back tow truck business owner. The two
things they have in common? They know they want to live life in a
ménage relationship, and Sarah is the woman for them.

Sarah has too many doubts about herself to
believe she can be enough for one man let alone two. Can these
souls find what they need to grow together, or will they leave more
emotional scars to match their physical ones?

www.LoriKingBooks.com

****

STARTING OVER by MAGEN MCMINIMY

After running from the one man who could
have mended her heart, Callie Sullivan has been finding comfort in
her best friend, D. When heartbreaking news about D’s deployed
husband, Adam, makes its way to the states, Callie focuses on
helping her friend learn to survive after tragedy strikes.

Recently returned from Iraq, Luke Merrick
learns about the attack on his former sergeant and best friend,
Adam. Knowing D will need all the support she can get, Merrick
finds himself back where he lost the one woman he thought could be
his future.