Saving Scarlett by R. E. Butler Read Free Book Online Page B

abruptly.  She’d said that her nerves kept her from sleeping, and he hoped now that they were safe, she would be able to sleep well.
    “You’re welcome,” Miles said with a smile.  “Get settled and come upstairs when you’re ready and we’ll eat lunch.”
    Miles left them alone, and Ray joined his mate and his brother.  Wes said, “I can’t believe how much work they did.  It looks great down here, almost like an apartment.”
    “Did they do it for us?” Scarlett asked.
    “No, they didn’t have the time.  We only told them yesterday that we were going to find you and bring you here. They might have bought linens and supplies, but they’d clearly already finished the basement and bathroom.  When we lived here, the walls weren’t up, the bathroom was only roughed in, and the stove hadn’t ever been used.”
    “We can unpack,” Scarlett said and then yawned.
    Wes swung her up into his arms and carried her to the bed.  The queen-size bed was covered with a thick blue blanket.  “We’ll unpack, you rest.”
    She stretched her arms over her head with a soft squeak.  “We were just in the truck for eleven hours.”
    “You’re tired, sweetheart.  We’ll eat and then you can take a nap, okay?”
    “Only if you nap with me.”
    “As if we’d pass up the chance,” Wes said, chuckling.
    Ray opened Scarlett’s suitcase and tugged the top drawer open.  He put her clothes inside as Wes unpacked their duffel into the second and third drawers, separating their clothes.  After unloading her toiletries in the bathroom, he stowed their bags on a shelf against the far wall that was used for storage and then sat down on the bed.
    She’d been watching them intently, when she wasn’t yawning, and Ray rubbed her calf through her jeans and smiled at her.  “Ready to eat?”
    “Definitely.”
    He offered her his hand and helped her to stand.  As they walked upstairs, the scent of Max’s bbq shredded chicken filled his nose.  A large oval crockpot sat in the center of the kitchen table and when they sat down, Max lifted the glass lid and Ray’s stomach growled.
    Wes filled a bun with shredded chicken for Scarlett, and then scooped potato salad and coleslaw onto the plate before setting it in front of her.  Ray filled her glass with lemonade and she raised her brow.
    “What?” he asked, filling his and Wes’s glasses before handing the pitcher to Miles.
    “Nothing.  You’re both just really sweet.”
    Wes kissed her cheek.  “We’re just taking care of our sweetheart.”
    It was something Ray wanted to do for the rest of their lives.
     

 
     
     
     
    Chapter 5
     
    Saturday morning, Scarlett rolled over and stared at the ceiling.  Ray and Wes were on either side of her, breathing deeply in sleep.  The basement windows were covered with curtains, but she could see it was still dark outside.  Her stomach gurgled and she swallowed, closing her eyes and wondering why she felt sick all of a sudden.
    She wanted to stay tucked between her mates, their arms around her in the quiet solitude of the early morning, but her stomach wasn’t having it.  She breathed shallowly through her mouth, but as her stomach rolled again she knew she needed to get to the bathroom or she was going to ruin the idyllic moment by throwing up all over her mates.
    She sat up slowly, thinking she could just slide off the end of the bed without waking either male up, but her stomach heaved and she knew getting to the bathroom fast was her only priority.  Climbing over Ray, she heard him grunt as her knee connected with his stomach, but she couldn’t stop to apologize.  She darted to the bathroom as soon as her feet hit the carpet, fell to her knees in front of the toilet and threw up.
    A hand rubbed her back as she slumped over the toilet with her head in her hand, her elbow on the seat.  “Sweetheart?”  Wes asked, his hand making slow circles around her upper back as he pushed the lever to flush the