"They're undressing her with their eyes and being fucking lewd in their thoughts and it's pissing me the hell off," Falcon informed him.

That possessiveness would be the death of all of them, Raeg thought, because it was no different than how he felt. When he and Falcon began agreeing on who needed to die, then there could be problems.

Summer chose that moment to turn and meet his gaze.

Her expression was still and composed, but he could see the pain she was holding back.

"She's trying to let us go," Falcon breathed out roughly from beside him. "You know that, don't you? She's trying to take on all that hurt herself and just let us go."

There was no letting them go, Raeg thought. They would walk away, because they had no other choice if they wanted to ensure her safety. But they wouldn't let her go.

"Do you think she'll actually marry one of the bastards she meets at one of these parties?" Falcon asked when Raeg didn't say anything. "You know that's not going to go over well with me, don't you?"

Raeg breathed out heavily. Yeah, it wasn't going to go over well with him either.

Lifting the glass to his lips, he finished his drink before placing his glass on the high table next to where he and Falcon stood, partially in shadow beneath the vine-covered arbor growing next to the two-story historic house.

The brick patio and the paths leading around the back gardens were huge, with dozens of benches and tables scattered around for the guests.

He wasn't going to make it until midnight.

Each time Summer was stopped by one of the men invited to meet her, he stiffened, recalled what he knew on the bastard and discarded any chance that he'd allow Summer to actually marry that individual. No one here was good enough for her it seemed. Not a single one of the hard-eyed killing machines her father seemed to think so highly of was good enough for her in his opinion.

And not a single damned one of them was going to have her.

Summer could feel them watching her.

For hours upon hours they watched her, their gazes never wavering, never leaving her.

Summer's nerves were stretched thin and, surprisingly enough, she was so damned aroused she was about to go crazy. Every inch of her body was so sensitive that even the breeze was a caress.

"Darling, you're wearing your heart on your sleeve," the Scot's soft brogue sounded just behind her, a whisper of sympathy and of warning.

"I hate men," she muttered, keeping her back turned to Falcon and Raeg and forcing Steven to move around her to face her.

As he did, Summer caught the thoughtful look he slid her way, as well as a gleam of playful amusement.

"I have heard you spent a brief amount of time playing same-sex games," he assured her with a subtle wink. "Thinking of returning to bat for the home team, my dear?"

Summer snorted, unable to stop the laugh that bubbled up in her throat.

"You are a wicked, wicked man, Steven." She could feel the blush staining her cheeks, as well as the abashed amusement she couldn't quite help. "You are older than my daddy. You shouldn't be thinking that way."

He looked heavenward as though seeking guidance. "Lass, you such have strange ideas about those of us over the age of fifty, I'm curious where you came by them." He slid a look to his side, settling briefly on her momma. "And I'm certain that fine young lady who birthed you had no hand in such beliefs. That is a woman that could inspire wars for the chance to love fully."

Summer's eyes widened, abashment turning to full-fledged disbelief that he'd said something so outrageous.

"Be quiet, you!" she demanded. "Don't be thinking about my momma like that."

He directed a doubtful look her way, his expression a little too knowing. "My dear, tell me you are not one of those young ladies that believes her mother is still a virgin and her father completely ignorant of sexual urges."

"Steven," she huffed, glaring back at him. "We do not talk about my momma and daddy in that manner. Now be good or go find someone else to torment."

He slid a look her momma's way again.

"Stop it," she hissed, realizing his gaze was directed far lower than her momma's face. "My daddy will shoot you."

Gripping his arm, she all but dragged him away from all possible views of her momma before her daddy decided to feed him to the gators.

"You have a suicide wish," she informed him in exasperation.

"No, my dear." He smiled down at her fondly then. "Merely a wish to take that look of haunted pain from your face for a moment." He patted her hand before covering it when she would have moved it from his arm. "Walk with me for a bit and give your young men a chance to breathe. They've been absorbing the pain on your face like a towel gathers moisture. I don't believe I've ever seen Raeg affected quite so deeply over anything."

She gave herself a pat on her back for not turning to look at them.

"You're a good man, Steven," she sighed, laying her head briefly against his broad forearm. "I count myself lucky to have your friendship."

"Perhaps I'm the lucky one," he told her as he guided her slowly along the brick walk. "You've been a joy each time I've seen you. And it's been a pleasure to get to know you over the years. You know, I actually resisted meeting you when Margot first suggested you?"

"Really? And me being such a sweet thing?" she asked with a fond laugh.

The first time she'd seen him, long before they were introduced, she'd had her finger in Raeg's face informing him how hell was going to freeze over before she'd ever follow whatever order he'd tried to give her.

Steven chuckled at her observation. "I'm actually very fond of young John Raegent," he informed her. "The boy hasn't had it easy, you know. Neither has Falcon, come to think of it." He sighed heavily. "But, they rose above the challenges and despite their stubborn ways, they've turned into fine men. Just as you turned into a woman of such depth and with such a sense of honor, that I count myself lucky to know you. There are few women with your qualities."

"Oh, they're around," she promised him quietly. "They just have better sense than to join the agency and chase adventure as navely as I did. We think we know it all at that age," she observed sadly. "And I realized almost too late how it was chipping away at my own soul."

And it had been. The slow, bitter realization that she wasn't furthering democracy, or being a patriot, so much as she'd become a disposable pawn had been painful.

"But you didn't let it steal your soul," he pointed out, pausing to stare down at her, his hazel eyes watching her quietly as they stepped to the side to allow others to move past them. "That's what sets you apart, Summer, and that's why those two young men can't let you out of their sight." His gaze flicked over her head before returning to her. "Now, let me give you a piece of advice that will serve you far better than any other where they're concerned."

"Steven..."

"Quiet now," he commanded, his voice low but firm. "I've been giving this a tremendous amount of thought. They've shied from committing to a woman because of their father's retaliation against a double agent out to destroy those he loved. Roberto wasn't known for his forgiving nature, I have to say. Now, that being true"-he smiled down at her with affection-"why would a father who loves his sons, as Roberto truly does love them I believe, strike out at a young woman who so obviously loves them? You're no double agent, and clearly unable to hurt either of them, even in your anger. So what reason would Roberto have to harm you? Before you allow them to walk away, ask them that question, then open your hands and without tears, without recriminations, let them go." He smiled once more, his hazel eyes filled with some amusement she couldn't quite make sense of. "Don't allow them to see your tears, and never beg." He wagged his finger at her. "Strong men require a stronger woman. Ask your mother, she'll tell you."

"Thank you, Steven," she said softly. "I appreciate your advice more than I can say."

He sighed at the thought. "But, you will simply let them go, won't you?" he asked knowingly. "What will I do about you, Summer?"

"They're grown men," she whispered, that tightness in her throat filling her voice now. "Logical, intelligent men. They should know that already, shouldn't need me to point it out."

He shook his graying head, his expression tightening, reminding her of how Falcon would so often make flash decisions when he got that look on his face. Decisions that invariably got him into trouble.

"I'm a grown woman, Uncle Steven," she teased him, using the title he'd used himself so often when advising her. "And as you said, one who knows her own mind. I don't want them if I have to use games, or point out the obvious to them in something so important. Please, allow me to make or break my own heart if you don't mind."

Amusement gleamed in his gaze once again.

"Make or break your own heart?" he asked.

"Men don't break women's hearts, Steven. We're perceptive creatures and we usually know when something isn't good for us. I knew what I was walking into, and I might not have known the reasons why they wouldn't stay, but I knew they wouldn't stay," she revealed. "Still, I loved them."

"Why?" Tilting his head to the side he watched her now as though she were some amusing experiment. "Explain that to me."

"They're mine." She spread her hands helplessly as she fought to make him understand. "Even furious with them, I need their touch. They comfort me, calm me, and infuriate me. They balance me, when no one else in my life has ever been able to do that. I loved them before I was even aware of the meaning of my reactions to them. But, the damage to my heart was my doing, because I knew the odds were stacked against me, and I chose to experience every second I could have with them rather than never knowing what could have been."

Her decision.

Summer felt something loosen inside her at the admission, felt the anger dissolve. The pain was still there, just as sharp, just as deep as ever before, but that dark undercurrent of growing anger eased away.

"Thank you, Steven," she said then, reaching out to grip his arm and stare up at him with eyes that blurred for a moment with her tears. "For helping me to see something I'd missed."

The confusion on his expression deepened. "I am at a loss." He shook his head in bemusement.

"The forest for the trees," she said. "Sometimes, we don't always see what's right there, plain as day, until someone who's important to us says just the right words or helps us to say them. The pain is worth what I've had with them. I'd make the trade again, every single time. And how can I be angry when it was a decision I made myself."

His features softened more than she'd ever known them to ease. Steven was never really relaxed, he was always on guard, always prepared.

"You are a woman wise beyond your years," he said then. "Now, I must be going. I see that pretty little blonde who promised to rock my world tonight." He wagged his brows and as if on cue, Summer felt heat blaze in her face as he chuckled in delight. "Come along." Holding his hand to his arm once again, he led her back the way they'd come. "Come to the house early tomorrow, I have something extra beautiful planned for your hair and I want your approval before I begin. I believe I might have a gift hidden in the house for you as well."

"A gift?" Steven rarely gave anyone gifts.

"A special gift," he promised her. "So be early."

He left her with her momma and sister once again, winked at her momma, then with a chuckle hurried away as her daddy moved toward them.

She looked around at the still full crowd and knew she couldn't bear being away from Falcon and Raeg any longer. Bidding her parents good night and letting them know she was heading home, she caught Falcon and Raeg's gazes and moved toward them.

They met her halfway. Flanking her, they led her from the party to the limo two of the agents from DC had arrived in earlier.

There, they slid into the back with her, keeping her securely between them. If only, she thought, she could stay between them forever.

Chapter.

SIXTEEN.

Her aunt lived nearly an hour from the Calhoun property, the reason why Falcon had ordered two of the agents from town as added security to and from the party. They'd left her house, one in the SUV Raeg and Falcon had driven in, and the other security agent had driven the limo in later.

She was completely alone with them in the back of the limo, the privacy window securely locked.

They hadn't spoken since leaving, nor had they spoken during the party unless they'd been given no other choice. They sat there too still, too silent-characteristics that were nothing like them.

She hated it.

Breathing in deep she tossed her small purse to the seat opposite them, lifted herself from her seat, then turned and slid between Falcon's thighs as he stared back at her in surprise.

"Shh," she whispered, lifting a finger to her lips.

Lowering her hands, she gripped the hem of the camisole top she wore and pulled it over her head, dropping it carelessly on the seat behind her. She toed her sandals off, hooked her thumbs in the elastic waist of her skirt, and shimmied out of it before tossing it behind her and kneeling once again between Falcon's legs.

Clad only in her pale peach balconette bra and matching thong, she held Falcon's gaze, seeing the hunger burning in his eyes though he kept his hands carefully at his side.

"Did I undress for nothing?" she asked him softly before glancing at Raeg for a moment.

Turning back to Falcon, she felt uncertainty beginning to fill her, discomfort edging at the arousal that burned inside her.

Just when she was certain the rejection was coming he moved, his hands going to his belt, jerking the leather loose before his fingers tore at the metal tab and zipper holding them closed.

A second later, his cock was free, the broad, flushed head moist from pre-cum and throbbing imperatively as his fingers gripped the base, a pulse of moisture spilling from the slit at the crest as he gripped the shaft tight.

Quickly leaning forward she licked over the head, gathered the salty male essence to her tongue, let the taste of him infused her senses.

No sooner than her tongue licked over him, his hand flashed out, fingers burying in the hair at the back of her head and clenching in the straightened strands of hair, holding her still until her gaze lifted to his once again.

"I won't be easy," he warned her, his breathing hard and heavy. "Do you hear me, Summer?"

"I have never asked you for easy, Falcon. Not from either of you," she assured him.

As he held her before him, he slid his fingers from the base to the tip of his cock, palmed the head, then stroked down again. Following the action her lips parted and she fought to drag in enough oxygen to at least remain halfway intelligent.

She was distantly aware of Raeg releasing his slacks as well, and drawing free the heavy length of his erection.

Both of them. She was so greedy, she thought. She had to have both of them to be complete.

"Come up here between us," he ordered. "On your knees. Let me fuck those pouty lips, baby. And remember, you didn't ask for easy."

No, she hadn't; she didn't want easy. She wanted them as they were now, wanted to still the agony burning in all of them, and ease the wild need that was only growing inside her.

Moving slowly she eased back onto the seat between them, following the demand of his hand in her hair until she was on her knees, her torso bending as he guided her head down, her lips parting for the wide, engorged crest.

He didn't tease her before pushing into her mouth. He pulled her head down as his hips pushed up, pushing past her lips and filling her mouth as deep as possible in one, dominant thrust.

At the same time, Raeg hooked his fingers in the band of her panties and ripped them from her hips. Immediately, his teeth raked over the curve of her rear, his hands gripping the rounded cheeks and parting them erotically.

"Fuck, I love your mouth," Falcon growled, holding her head in place as the head of his cock throbbed at the back of her tongue, refusing to allow her do more than close her mouth around the flared head and suck it. "That's it, baby, work your mouth around my cock. Show me how hungry you are for it."