Hard Charger Read online

  Travis’s lips tugged with a smile. He felt like the last hazy filter that had clung to Lia had been ripped away. She was standing there, thrumming with life—and seemingly oblivious to the guys standing around them. Travis couldn’t help but stoke her emotions higher.

  “Calm down, baby. No harm, no foul.”

  Travis could’ve sworn that every man in the circle—and the sole woman—groaned. But he’d broken the cardinal rule—never tell a woman to calm down when she was pissed—on purpose. He’d lit the fuse with intent to watch her burn as brightly as she could.

  “Calm down?” Lia’s attention swung to him, and her hand dropped off Cam’s chest. “You two are acting like I’m something you can fight over and win, and you want me to calm down?”

  Cam laid a hand on Lia’s shoulder and squeezed. “Let’s take this somewhere less public.” Travis was only partly surprised when Cam’s eyes met his and held. “All three of us.”

  “Fine,” Lia said, spinning and heading back to the wall. “I don’t want the rest of the guys to hear what I have to say to you, so we can definitely do this in private.” Her words were tossed over her shoulder as she stalked away, worn jeans clinging to her lusciously rounded ass.

  Travis was still grinning at the feisty side of Lia that had come out full force when Cam punched him in the shoulder. “What the fuck are you smiling about? You just lost.”

  Travis shook his head. “Fuck no, brother. We both just won.”

  Cam frowned. “What the hell does that mean?”

  “You’ll find out. Just … promise me you’ll keep an open mind. Come on. Let’s not make her wait.”

  Lia seethed over the ridiculousness of what she’d just seen. They were so damn adolescent. Boys fighting over her like she was some kind of prize. Lia stomped back to the corrugated metal wall and pushed open the heavy porthole-style door. Footsteps crunched behind her. Good. At least they followed directions.

  She went straight to her cabin and stood by the door. Erica was still outside the wall, and knowing what she knew, she’d keep her distance from their cabin.

  Cam and Travis walked side-by-side, heading in her direction. She studied both men—Cam with his dark brown hair, curling over his ears. In another life, she’d been a hair stylist, but those days were long gone. Now, she looked forward to the times when Cam and Travis let her cut their hair. Allison handled all the others. Travis’s coppery brown hair was now short¸ so Lia buzzed it almost every other week to keep it the length he liked it. He could’ve gone three, but Lia was pretty sure that his more frequent-than-necessary haircuts were because he liked how she massaged his head and neck. It was one small service she could offer in exchange for the roof over her head and the food in her belly.

  They closed in on the cabin, and Lia stepped back, holding the door open.

  “You sure you want to do this here?” Cam asked, looking uncomfortable as he stepped inside the obviously feminine space.

  “My turf seems about right since you two decided I was worth starting a fight over.”

  “Lia—” he started, but broke off.

  “What? No explanation?” She looked from one to the other. “One of you is going to tell me what the hell you were thinking.”

  Travis stepped closer and cupped her cheek. His possessive gesture—in front of the man he’d just been willing to go toe-to-toe with over her—sent shivers coasting down her spine.

  Her eyes darted to Cam, and his frown made it abundantly clear that he didn’t like the move at all.

  “What makes you think you’re not worth fighting for? Because I’m here to tell you that you’re worth more than a fight. You’re worth everything.”

  His words slid through her and settled somewhere in the melted puddle that used to be her heart. He lowered his hand, but the heat of his palm on her cheek remained.

  “What was the point of all that?” she asked quietly.

  “Lia, we need to talk,” Cam said.

  She raised her hand to stop him. “I … I think it’s my turn to talk.” Grabbing all the courage she possessed with both metaphorical hands, she plowed forward. “I’m not broken. I mean, maybe I am, but I don’t want you to think of me that way anymore.”

  Both men straightened.

  “You may not be broken, but you’re still fragile.” This came from Cam, and Lia didn’t like it. She might have been beaten and used by the men who’d taken her, but she refused to let it define her. That would be letting the darkness win.

  “I’m not fragile. I’m … goddamn resilient.”

  “We know you are, baby. You don’t have anything to prove,” Travis said.

  “But I do. Because I’m never going to get what I want without proving that I can handle it.” Embarrassment rushed over her at what they’d think if she kept going, and her cheeks burned. Dropping onto the bed, she covered her face with both hands as the sudden burst of courage deserted her completely. “Never mind. Just … never mind. You should both go.” So much for proving she could handle a damn thing.

  The mattress sank on her right, and a hand touched her knee. Lia lifted her eyes to find Travis beside her and Cam crouched in front of her. Every nerve ending in her body surged with awareness of having them both so close at the same time.

  Screw it. No one ever got anywhere by being a scared little girl.

  Her thoughts were enough to give her whiplash, but Lia gathered strength from their proximity.

  “I want you,” she blurted.

  Both men froze. For a few moments, no one in the room seemed to even breathe.

  Cam commandeered one of her hands and squeezed.

  “Which one of us?” he asked quietly.

  Travis laced his fingers through hers and pulled their twined hands onto his lap.

  Lia wished she could have both hands back so she could hide behind them again, but that would just be adopting the scared little girl mentality again. She forced herself to meet Cam’s eyes, terrified of what she’d see in them when she admitted what she wanted.

  Two deep breaths steeled her courage, and then she replied, “Both of you.”

  Again, silence descended over the cabin, but each man squeezed her hand, giving her the faintest ray of hope. There were no accusations, no outbursts. Just … silence.

  Until Travis cleared his throat and spoke. “Can’t say I’m disappointed to hear that, if you mean what I think you mean.”

  Cam’s eyes left hers and jumped to Travis. “What the hell are you talking about, man?”

  Lia watched Cam’s face rather than Travis’s—but it was Travis’s words that gave her hope.

  “You’re my best friend, and I can’t believe you think I’d try to snake the girl you’re hung up on, man. I wasn’t fighting you to steal her, but to make you admit you wanted her. Because I want her, too. And I think we’ve all seen that a triad relationship can work just fine.”

  Lia’s mouth dropped open. He’d stolen her words. But she didn’t care, because this meant at least one of the two men was thinking exactly the same way she was.

  Cam released her hand and bolted to his feet.

  “What the fuck are you talking about? You think she wants…” His stare pinned Lia. “Is that what you’re saying? Or are you just saying you don’t know who to choose?”

  Lia sank her teeth into her lower lip while she gathered that courage from moments ago. “I’m saying I don’t want to choose, and … for the first time in a long time, I’m saying I want it all. Both of you. Together.”

  Unease churned in her stomach as she waited for his response. A dozen emotions flashed across the rugged planes of his face. Oh hell. This wasn’t going to be good at all.

  When he’d finally finished processing, his mouth set in a flat line. “This is really what you want?”

  Lia held her breath before saying, “Yes.”

  Cam nodded. “I need to go. I have watch tonight. I need some time to think, so I know what the hell to say.”

  Her heart sank to
her stomach … until he did something he’d never done before: he leaned down and brushed his mouth over hers in a swift kiss.

  “Don’t freak out, sweetheart. I’ll be back.” The words were whispered against her lips, and then he left.

  “That went better than I expected,” Travis laughed.

  Lia turned to him, their hands still tangled. “You … you want that too? For the three of us to be…?”

  Travis shrugged. “Why not? It obviously works with Graham, Zach, and Ro … and I can’t lie and say I don’t think it’d be hot as fuck to have you between—” His words cut off before he said the last.

  Heat flashed through Lia at the same thought she’d had over and over.

  “Fuck, I swore I wouldn’t push you or say anything to make you uncomfortable, and I’m already screwing it up. I should go too. Whatever is decided, we need to make the decision together.” He lifted her hand to his mouth and pressed his lips to the back of it. “We’ll talk tomorrow and figure this out.”

  Lia nodded dumbly as he turned to leave. Her thoughts had already started to retrace what just happened when Travis paused, hand fisted on the wood of the door.

  “Fuck it. I can’t leave without kissing you.”

  He turned, crossed the small room in a single step, and dropped to his knees in front of her. Lifting his hand to cradle her jaw, Travis said, “Tell me if you have a problem with this.”

  “Uhhh … no problem,” Lia stuttered.

  “Thank God, because I’ve been thinking about tasting you for so damn long, I can’t wait any longer.”

  A small sound escaped from Lia before Travis tilted his head and his mouth found hers—a slow, sweeping brush of lips, then the gentle tug on her bottom lip with his teeth.

  “Open for me, baby. I want to taste you.” Travis breathed the words, and Lia obeyed—because in this moment, she couldn’t think of anything more right than tasting him too.

  Lia parted her lips, and Travis’s tongue swept inside. Within moments, all her senses were flooded with him. His taste—smooth and masculine. His touch—confident yet comfortable. His scent—clean man and the outdoors. She gripped his shoulder with one hand, leaning into the kiss, wanting more of it—more of him.

  Travis’s hand slid into her hair, and he kissed her deeper, giving her exactly what she craved. Lia was losing herself in the sensations—eyes closed, heart hammering—when Travis abruptly pulled back.

  Not ready for this to be over, Lia tried to draw him back, but his soft smile stopped her.

  “I’ve gotta stop now while I can still make myself leave.”

  “Oh,” Lia said quietly, blinking up at him.

  “But Christ, you’re sweet. We’ll figure this out soon, because there’s no other alternative. I’m not sure how much longer I can go without kissing you again.”

  Her lips formed into a small O, and Lia watched him leave, heat and the need for more coiling in her belly.

  Well. That had been unexpected.

  Cam strode to his watch post, head full of the crazy shit that Lia and Travis had both spouted. Share? What in the ever-loving fuck?

  Lia was his. Sure, he might not have made his move, but that was because she was … fragile. It wasn’t like they didn’t have time to take things slow. Almost nothing was for sure in this new reality, but one thing was absolutely fucking certain: he would never let anything happen to her, and he would never give her up.

  Her words echoed: I’m saying I want it all. Both of you. Together.

  Before today, he would’ve sworn that there was nothing he wouldn’t give her. But … he didn’t know if he could give her this.

  He was early for watch, and Graham was still in the perch when he began to climb the ladder.

  “You in a hurry to sit in a fuckin’ tree?” he called out.

  “Shit. Sorry. I’ll let you get down first.”

  Graham hefted his M-16, and made his way out of the tree. He dropped the last few feet to the ground, landing in front of Cam.

  “Forget how to tell time?” Graham asked.

  “Nah. Just … needed something to do.”

  “I take it Lia didn’t like the fight idea?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “She chew you out?”

  Cam looked at the ground. “And then some.”

  “I’ve known you a long time, man. So what the fuck is eating at you?”

  Shit. Graham might seem like a stone wall, rather than a human being, most of the time, but as the former leader of a Force Recon team, he knew how to read people. If there was anyone who could give him a legit opinion on what Lia and Travis were saying they wanted, it would be Graham. He lived it. He and Zach had been sharing women since long before they’d claimed Ro. They’d already had their dynamic down, and … other than one drunken night on leave, he’d never had a three-way.

  Hell, he’d forgotten about that night. It had been him and Travis. They’d shared a sexy blonde they’d met at a bar. She’d refused to choose who she wanted to go home with, and Travis had offered up the solution of not making a choice.

  Cam had been just drunk enough to think it was a fucking fantastic plan. But that was some random bar hookup. This was Lia they were talking about. The woman he’d been working on getting close to for months. The woman he was already half in love with because of her quiet strength and her unwillingness to let the darkness win.

  Fuck it. He might as well just spill, because every minute he didn’t, they were both derelict in their duty by not having the watch post manned.

  “After she finished telling us what assholes we were for fighting over her, Lia said … she didn’t want to choose. She wanted us both.”

  Graham lifted his chin. “She wants you both … together?”

  Cam nodded.

  “So?”

  “So?” Cam sputtered. “I’ve never had a three-way relationship. I don’t know how to do that shit. I’ve never been any fucking good at sharing. And sharing her? I … I don’t think I can do it, man.”

  Graham scrubbed a hand over his face. “Look, I’m not the one you should be asking for relationship-type advice. That’s Zach’s area. He’s the one who’s into talking about his feelings. But I will say this: If your choice is to share her or lose her, which do you choose?”

  “When you put it like that…” Cam didn’t like the options Graham had laid out.

  “And if your choice is between having her and making sure she’s getting everything she needs or leaving her unsatisfied, which do you pick?”

  “So you’re saying that even if Travis backs down gracefully—which that fucker has yet to do in his life—that part of her is always going to be unsatisfied with what I can give her by myself?”

  Graham shrugged. “Hard to say, but is it a risk you’re willing to take?”

  “But how the fuck do I share her without wanting to rip his hands off every time he touches her?”

  “Do you want to rip his hands off every time he touches her? Because if you do, you’re gonna want to rip his dick off even more.”

  Cam opened his mouth to say hell fucking yes, but Graham held up a hand. “Think about it before you give me some knee jerk answer. You and Trav are like brothers, and he’s crazy hung up on Lia too. You cool with taking that away from both of them just because you’re being pushed out of your comfort zone? You’re a fucking Marine. Man up, assess the situation, and make a decision you’ll be able to live with. No one’s telling you what’s right or wrong, but you’ve also got the luxury of not living in a society that’s going to judge you for your choice. Everyone’s too busy trying to fucking stay alive for that shit.” Graham slapped him on the shoulder. “Now get up in the tree and stay sharp.”

  With Graham’s advice sinking in, Cam climbed up to his post and stayed sharp. It was going to be a long fucking night.

  “Do you mind measuring out the ingredients for those biscuits?” Allison asked.

  “I’m happy to help. That’s why I’m here,” Lia repl
ied, putting an overly cheery note in her voice. Please put me to work so I can stop thinking about how badly I’ve screwed everything up, she silently added.

  “Everything’s already set out; I just need to run Little Miss here out to the facilities.”

  “I’ll have them rolled out before you make it back,” she promised.

  The door to the kitchen closed behind Allison, and Lia watched for a moment as she walked her adorable little girl across the compound toward their cottage, before turning back to survey the kitchen. Allison had already started the big, black wood-fired oven. Once again Lia thought how lucky they were to be in one of the few places where life seemed somewhat normal. Having power and running water was a luxury that few others could claim. And being mentored by a woman who had taught her to bake from scratch, garden, can fruits and vegetables, help manage the aquaponic garden that provided fish and veggies year around, and develop myriad other apocalypse-savvy skills? Priceless.

  With every little thing she’d learned, she’d clawed back a shred of confidence, and those shreds began to weave together and give her the strength to finally ask for what she wanted.

  So much for not thinking about things … because once again her mind went to Cam and Travis and their reactions to her declaration. The brush of Cam’s lips over hers … and Travis’s drugging kiss. At least she knew they both wanted her; it just remained to be seen what Cam would decide. The waiting and wondering was the worst part.

  Lia pushed aside the worries and measured the ingredients left on the counter in the quantities written on the recipe card in Allison’s neat handwriting. She was rolling out the dough when the kitchen door swooshed open again.

  “I’m almost done. These should be ready to go in the oven in a few minutes.”

  “Good, then you have time to talk when you’re finished.”

  Lia stilled at the deep, rumbling voice. It sure as hell wasn’t Allison.

  She didn’t look over her shoulder at Cam. She wouldn’t. Because if she looked, he’d see her laid bare.