The Men With the Golden Cuffs by Lexi Blake

she’s going to be the one thinking about violence.”
    Jake strode down the hall just as she turned and finally opened her eyes at the precise right time.
    Serena’s pretty green eyes widened to the point of looking slightly painful and she screamed. It wasn’t a girly scream. It was a full-on death scream that must have hit the Richter scale somewhere. The dog whined and ran to his mistress, his tail down but thumping. She pulled the ear buds out, grabbed her dog’s collar, and started to run for the front door.
    Jake was on her in an instant, moving almost faster that Adam could see. There was a reason his call sign had been Ghost. He moved like one. Jake wrapped an arm around Serena’s waist and pulled her backwards, lifting her feet off the floor. She dropped the dog’s collar, and the poor boy just whined and turned in circles as though trying to figure out what to do. Serena kept screaming, her legs kicking out, her fists trying to find purchase.
    Adam sighed. They were both drama queens. The whole scene could have been avoided if she’d simply answered either her phone or her door. Or Jake could have been a bit softer. Attacking her after breaking in was sure to make her angry. It might have been a better idea to simply break into her kitchen and cook her a nice meal. Then the whole breaking-and-entering blow could have been softened with a little pasta. He’d been taking some lessons from Sean. Cooking seemed like a good way to get a woman into bed. But no, the caveman had to attack in an attempt to prove he could.
    He spied her half full glass of wine. The yelling was reaching a level that threatened to shake the walls. Yeah, he was going to need that. He picked it up and, without a single regret, took a long sip.
    “Stop yelling!” Jake ordered. Adam recognized it as his big bad Dom voice.
    “Let me go!” Serena screamed back. She seemed to be in excellent physical condition. No one could fight that hard and long without some serious stamina. He was impressed. And the Sauvignon Blanc wasn’t half bad.
    “You’re both scaring the dog.” Adam held out a hand, and the dog ran to him, cowering behind his legs. A Chihuahua would have at least made some noise.
    Serena finally seemed to focus. “Adam?”
    He winked her way. “In the flesh, sweetheart.”
    Jake’s hold had made the tank top ride up. And he’d been right, the pretty girl wasn’t wearing a bra. He got the slightest hint of nipple. Now that she’d calmed down a bit, she looked right in Jake’s arms. She would be a sweet handful in between them. He’d never loved skinny girls. He wanted curves and boobs, and Miss Serena had plenty of both.
    “What the hell are you two doing here? Motherfucker.” She tried to pull away.
    She also had a potty mouth. “Oh, I would watch the language, sweetheart. The big, nasty Dom doesn’t like swearing. He just might spank you.”
    Serena stopped, every inch of that fair skin flushing in an instant. Yes. She liked that idea. He was going to have to read some of those books. Her laptop was open on a small desk in the corner. Her whole living room seemed to have been converted to a soft, feminine office. She’d been working, walking around her office and dancing. He wasn’t sure how the dancing helped, but he’d liked it.  
    “Let me go, please.” Serena’s voice was hoarse from the screaming, but there was a tight control to it.
    Jake hesitated. “Are you going to be calm now?”
    “Yes,” she replied, going completely still in his arms. “Now that I know you’re not here to kill me, I think I can be calm. You aren’t here to kill me, are you?”
    Adam smiled before taking another sip. “Not at all. We’re here to congratulate you. We’re taking your case, sweetheart. We’re your new bodyguards.”
     
     
     

Chapter Five
     
     
    Serena forced herself to calm down. Her heart was racing like a runaway freight train. She clutched the phone. Her bedroom was down the hall from where the