Angelique by Dixie Lynn Dwyer Page A

nodded her head.
     Armand retuned with a pair of pointy tweezers as Marcel stood by with a bottle of cold water. Together Remy and Armand worked gently to remove the splinters and bandage the deeper cuts. All the while tamping down his lust-filled thoughts, Armand wondered how the hell they were all keeping it together. Angelique was gorgeous. Her breasts were full and round, nearly bursting from the confines of the fine black bra she wore. By the looks of the deep cleavage, their woman was voluptuous. His eyes absorbed the curves of her body and the way the waist of her pants clung loosely to her hips. Her belly was flat and tan like the rest of her, and she was sporting some piercing on her belly, too. It was damn sexy, and as Armand looked up from her body to her closed eyes, he then glanced at his brothers.
    Marcel was biting his lower lip into his mouth, his gaze focused completely on Angelique.
    It was Remy who was cleaning up the mess, and Eloi stood watching all of them.
    “She could have been killed,” Eloi whispered with his hands on his holster and that serious look he got whenever he was pissed off at something or someone. It usually led to a trip to the bar or the backyard and some moonshine.
    “It was some kind of accident,” Remy added.
    “Who was with her? Who should have been with her?” Eloi asked.
    “I was with her, and then I saw the truck. I hurried outside to find out what was happening,” Marcel stated, feeling just as upset about the fact that he left her alone. But if he hadn’t done that, who knows how much worse the situation might have been. Marcel thought that he had minimized the damage by getting out there so quickly.
    “She’s just a little thing,” Eloi stated.
    “I’m fine. If Marcel didn’t stop the truck, more people could have been hurt,” Angelique whispered as she moved her arm and prepared to get up.
    “Lay still,” Marcel stated, and Armand, Remy, and Eloi all yelled for her to stay.

     
    * * * *
     
     
     
    Angelique had been afraid to open her eyes. She feared seeing whether or not the four men stared at her and damned her thoughts as she hoped with all her heart that they were. Her belly tightened, and her nipples felt like tiny pebbles they were so damn hard. They had to have noticed. She also didn’t like the possessive way they spoke about her. She hardly knew any of them, and now here she was, practically naked from the waist up and just asking for trouble. She covered her breasts the best she could and sat up. Her belly growled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten anything. Add in the heat and working since this morning, and she was probably suffering from a bit of heat exhaustion. Her hair fell around her shoulders and across her breasts. It just about covered the cleavage, and she was grateful.
    “I’m fine. I’m just hungry and thirsty. I haven’t had anything since this morning.”
    “We left the sandwiches at the site. I’ll go get them,” Remy stated then hurried out the door.
    “Right here, you lay back down, you rest,” Eloi ordered as he pointed toward the couch and held her gaze. He looked so darn mean, and his deep voice intimidated her. His brothers were stern but noble as they showed concern for her well-being. Eloi seemed rough around the edges. It was obvious by his perusal that Eloi cared for her well–being, but maybe being in law enforcement made him hard. There was no other word for it. Even his facial structure was strong, chiseled and stern. She swallowed hard and tried not to show the fear she felt in her stomach. Then there was a tingling sensation. She must have banged her head and forgotten. After her abusive relationship, she tended to avoid men altogether and steer clear of aggressive men. They tended to be abusive, or at least she was under that impression. She only had one terribly bad relationship to go by, but that was enough. She slowly looked toward Armand in hopes that he was as understanding and gentle as he