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spoke up.  Our brother Thorn had a last-minute appointment and is flying in. He ll get here in
the morning.
Tara nodded as she leaned back against the door while the four men continued to look at her.
She started to ask them if anyone had ever told them it wasn t polite to stare when Delaney
entered the room.
 I see you guys made it okay. Delaney shook her head when they didn t take their eyes off
Tara to acknowledge her entrance into the room. They were behaving like any typical male
animals that had an irresistible female within their scope.
 Yeah, we made it, Chase said smiling, but not at her, since his gaze was still on Tara.
Delaney bit her lip to keep from laughing. Most women fawned over Chase s killer smile, but
Tara didn t appear the least flattered. In fact, it appeared she was beginning to get annoyed at
her brothers attention, if her frown was any indication.  Hey you guys, let up and give Tara a
break. She s my friend.
Storm finally released his gaze from Tara and met Delaney s glare.  What are we doing? he
asked innocently.
 The four of you are checking her out like she s a piece of fried chicken just waiting to be
eaten. She then glanced around the room.  Where s Thorn?
 Not in our side, Chase said, finally breaking eye contact with Tara and turning to Delaney
and smiling. His response was the usual one the brothers had given over the years whenever
someone asked them about Thorn.
 So where is he? Delaney asked again, hating it when they gave her their smart responses.
 He had a last-minute appointment, some very important customer he had to take care of, so
he ll be flying in tomorrow morning, Dare said, finally turning to look at her and leaving his
brothers to finish their appraisal of Tara.
 And how long are you guys staying? Delaney asked. She didn t want to run the risk of
being sick around them.
Dare smiled.  Trying to get rid of us already, Laney?
Delaney frowned. If she d had her choice they would never have come. She loved her
brothers to death but they could get on her last nerve at times. She didn t want to think about
how they were going to handle the news of her pregnancy.  No, I m not trying to get rid of
you, as if it would do me any good even if I were. I just wanted to know for sleeping
arrangement purposes. As you can see this place is rather small, and Tara has graciously
offered to put two of you up at her place during your visit.
As she had known it would, that statement got her brothers attention. All eyes returned to
Tara, who merely shrugged and said,  It s the least I can do for a friend, but it seems that I
need to put some ground rules in place.
Dare gave her a sexy smile.  Such as?
 I expect you to be good.
Storm smiled and Tara and Delaney didn t miss the byplay gaze that passed between the
brothers.  We re always good, he said slowly.
Tara lifted a brow and crossed her arms over her chest.  What I mean is good as in good
behavior. You re to behave like gentlemen and treat me just like a member of the family.
Chase chuckled.  That s going to be a real challenge since you aren t a member of the
family.
Tara laughed.  But I get the distinct feeling that the four of you like challenges.
Storm shook his head, grinning.  Thorn is the one who like challenges. We prefer things to be
made easy for us.
Tara laughed again as she came to stand before them in the center of the room.  Sorry, I don t
do easy. Nor do I do hard, just to set the record straight in case you might be curious. I m not
looking for a serious relationship nor am I looking for a nonserious one. In other words, I m
not into casual affairs. I m single and although I m a die-hard heterosexual, I m not interested
in a man at the present time. Do we understand each other, guys?
Dare nodded and smiled.  Yeah, you re definitely a challenge, so we ll leave you for Thorn.
Before Tara could open her mouth and give him the retort Delaney knew was coming, the
doorbell sounded. Giving Tara a quick glance, she grinned and said,  Hold that thought, then
crossed the room to answer the door.
She opened the door and drew in a breath so sharp her heart missed a beat and a wave of
dizziness swept over her.  Jamal!
Jamal took a step inside and closed the door behind him. Without saying a word and without
noticing the other people in the room he pulled Delaney into his arms and kissed her.
Automatically Delaney molded her body to his and placed her arms around his neck and
kissed him back.
The intimate scene shocked the other five people in the room; four in particular.
 What the hell is going on! Dare s voice bellowed, almost shaking the windows and causing
Jamal and Delaney to abruptly end their kiss.
 No! Delaney shouted when she saw the murderous expressions of anger on the faces of her
brothers when they began walking toward her and Jamal. She leaned back against Jamal,
blocking him, and felt him stiffen behind her before he gently eased her to his side.
Her four brothers stopped then, looking Jamal up and down as if he was someone from
another planet instead someone dressed in his native Arab garb.
Likewise, Jamal sized them up. He immediately knew who they were. The gaze he gave each
one of them was dispassionate, but his features were fierce, sharp, lethal. He was letting them
know he would protect Delaney, even from them if he had to.
 I can explain, Delaney said quickly, trying to defuse her brothers anger before the situation
got too far out of hand.
 You can explain things after he s taken care of, Stone said furiously.  Who the hell is this
guy? And what is he doing kissing you like that? And then, noticing Jamal s arms firmly
around Delaney s waist, he met the man s dark stare.  And take your damn hands off of her.
 Stone, stop it! Delaney all but screamed.  The four of you are acting like barbarians, and
you re an officer of the law, Dare, for heaven s sake. If you give me a chance I can explain
things.
Delaney stopped talking when suddenly a wave of dizziness and queasiness swept over her
and she leaned against Jamal. His sharp gaze left her brothers and concentrated on her, turning
her quickly into his arms.  Are you all right? he whispered in concern.
She muttered a barely audible response, saying softly,  Take me to the bathroom, Jamal.
Now!
Reacting with unerring speed, Jamal picked her up in his arms and followed Tara out of the
room, leaving the Westmoreland brothers too shocked by the whole scene to speak.
As soon as Jamal placed Delaney on her feet in the bathroom and locked the door behind
them, she sank weakly to her knees in front of the commode and threw up for the fourth time
that day. When she had emptied her stomach completely for what she hoped would be the last
time, she flushed the toilet and tried standing, only to find herself engulfed in powerful arms.
Jamal picked her up and walked over to the counter and sat her on it. He then took a
washcloth and wet it and wiped it over her face. Moments later he placed her back on her feet
and while he held her around the waist, giving her support, she stood in front of the sink and
brushed her teeth and rinsed out her mouth.
After that, he picked her up and sat her back on the counter and stood in front of her.  The
prince is already causing problems, I see, he said softly, as he tenderly wiped her face again
with the damp cloth.
Delaney gazed up at him still amazed that he was actually there with her. Breath slowly
slipped through her teeth as she gazed at him. If it was possible, he was more handsome than
before. The dark eyes that were looking at her were gentle yet intent, and his chin was no
longer clean shaven but was covered with a neatly trimmed beard that made him look as sexy
as sin.
She inhaled deeply. She had so many questions to ask, but what he had just said suddenly
came back to her.  What did you say? She needed him to repeat it to make sure she had [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]