Deni laughed. "Busted. Don't touch the monster though or he might come to life." She raised her hands in what Price a.s.sumed was supposed to be a threatening pose.

He followed them in silence, trying not to lose the composure he'd just managed to regain in the car. However, it was difficult given their surroundings. There was no way in h.e.l.l Denise was keeping this place after they were formally bound. He'd been surprised when she'd given her address to Roman. Surely she made enough money at the lab that she didn't have to live in such a shady neighborhood. Plus, the security in her building was deplorable. Anyone could walk in from the street and roam the dimly lit hallways.

Denise led them to the second floor, but she stopped short when they reached her apartment.

"What's wrong?" Gunner asked.

"The door's ajar."

Price's instincts took over. He stepped around Denise and pushed her behind him. He noticed Gunner's response mirrored his. Both of them reached for their backs and produced guns. Interesting. He was going to have to find out what Gunner Wells did for a living.

"You have guns? Both of you?"

Price shushed Denise, pus.h.i.+ng her more securely behind him when she moved toward the door. "Quiet."

Denise obeyed, then he felt her hands close around the material of his s.h.i.+rt. He tried to ignore how much he liked that she trusted him to protect her. She wasn't s.h.i.+rking away from him, rather she was moving closer.

Gunner stood to the side, gun at the ready as Price slowly pushed the door open. The apartment was destroyed, furniture overturned, dishes and picture frames shattered, books and papers covered the floor.

Denise gave a small sound of distress, clinging tighter as they slowly entered the room. Gunner quietly and efficiently walked down the hallway, peering into the other rooms while Price kept Denise covered.

"No one's here," Gunner said, sliding his gun back into his waistband.

Price turned, struggling to pull Denise's hands from his s.h.i.+rt. She was pale, trembling.

"My stuff."

It was demolished. Her TV had been kicked in, her couch cus.h.i.+ons shredded. Price wasn't sure he'd ever seen such a malicious attack on a place. This wasn't a robbery. It was destruction.

Gunner looked miserable as he gestured down the corridor. "There's something you should look at in the bedroom."

Price put a supportive arm around her waist as they walked toward her room. Though she was visibly shaken, she was holding up better than Price expected.

Denise released a long, shaky breath as they stood at the doorway. "s.h.i.+t."

Above her bed, someone had painted the words Baby Killer in bright red. The paint was thick enough that it ran along the walls and dripped onto the bed, looking far too much like blood.

"a.s.sholes. How many times do I have to explain what I do? People are so stupid."

Price admired the s.p.u.n.kiness in her voice. While most women would have been terrified by such a horrifying message, it appeared to fuel Denise's anger. Maybe he'd misread his absent-minded, hyperventilating virgin scientist. There was spirit in her.

She started to step into the room but something caught Price's eye. He grasped her waist and pulled her back, jerking her hard against his chest.

"Price. It's okay. It's just paint."

"Don't move." He pushed Denise toward Gunner, who remained in the hallway, then he dropped to his knees. "Tripwire."

"No f.u.c.king way," Gunner said.

"What's that mean?" Denise asked.

Price followed the wire, careful not to touch it. It disappeared under an overturned laundry basket. He ventured a guess they'd find an explosive device hidden there.

"What do you do for a living, Gunner?" he asked.

"FBI."

Price nodded. "Good. Call the Boston office. Get them to send a bomb squad over here. Denise, you're getting the f.u.c.k out of here."

"Hating what I do is one thing, but wanting to blow me up is just stupid. How did they plant a bomb in my house?"

Price rose and took her arm. "I have no idea, but until we figure it out, you've just bought yourself two permanent shadows."

Gunner followed them downstairs, describing to someone on the other end of his cell what they'd discovered. In the meantime, Price found the landlord's apartment and informed the man he needed to evacuate the building. Through it all, Denise remained silent, though Price was happy to see her color had returned.

In fact, she seemed extremely composed. Price didn't know what to make of a woman who took a bomb in her apartment in stride while having a full-blown panic attack over standing in front of two men in her underwear. She was a puzzle, an enigma, an unexpected surprise.

Once they had alerted the landlord and Gunner had called in the cavalry, they escorted Denise back to the limo. Price got in, expecting her to follow, but she remained behind.

"Aren't you coming?" she asked Gunner.

Gunner shook his head. "No. I'm going to wait here for the bomb squad. One of my friends in the Boston office is coming as well. He's going to open an investigation and I need to give him some information. I suspect he'll want to talk to you as well, but I'll hold him off until tomorrow."

Price appreciated Gunner's consideration. He could see Denise did too.

Gunner grasped her hand and kissed her palm. Price expected some of the jealousy he'd experienced during the ceremony to return, but it didn't. Instead, he felt a spark of arousal at the sight of Gunner touching their woman.

Interesting.

"We're going to put all of this behind us tonight. Focus on the positive stuff that happened today," Gunner promised her.

Denise looked down, her confidence fading. "You think this is positive? The three of us?"

Gunner grinned. "h.e.l.l yeah. Don't you?"

She shrugged and glanced toward the open door of the car. Price had placed himself far enough away that he was hidden in the shadows but still able to see her. "I guess so. I mean-" she lowered her voice and Price found himself bending forward to hear, "-I don't think Price is attracted to me. You know, that way. I was wondering if..."

Her words drifted away, but he'd heard enough. They went through him like a knife.

"You want to know if I'm s.e.xually attracted to you?" Gunner asked.

Denise nodded.

"I want you so bad it hurts." Gunner took their still-linked hands and rubbed her fingers along his chest. "Soon I'll show you exactly how much."

Deni's eyes widened. "I'm scared," she whispered.

Gunner kissed her, that same sweet meeting of lips they'd shared back at the library. Price knew he'd never be able to offer her the same. His desire for her had risen to ridiculous levels, his c.o.c.k so hard he feared he'd split the seam in his dress pants. What he felt for the little innocent was far from tame. It was primal, wild, ready to be unleashed.

He'd show Denise Parker exactly how attracted he was to her.

"Go to the hotel with Price and take a nice long, hot shower. When I get there, we'll order room service and start figuring things out. Okay?"

Denise nodded and then climbed into the car. Gunner leaned forward, his gaze capturing Price's.

"Don't start without me, you two." Though his words were spoken in an easy, friendly tone, Price didn't miss the warning on the man's face.

"We're a threesome," Price said, issuing his own reminder. "Remember?"

Gunner nodded once and then shut the door.

Denise turned to look out the window, but Price wasn't willing to give her any s.p.a.ce. He moved, claiming the spot next to her.

"Denise."

"My name is Deni."

For some reason, he couldn't call her that, couldn't picture her as anything other than Denise. "I know."

"But you're still not going to use that name, are you?"

He shook his head. "No. Deni is a girl's name. You aren't a little girl. You're a woman. My woman."

"That sounds ridiculously caveman-like."

Price grinned. "Maybe so, but I take care of what's mine."

She bit her lower lip, a nervous gesture Price was beginning to find endearing. He reached up and tugged on her chin, forcing her to stop.

"Don't hurt those lips. I intend to spend hours kissing them later."

She blinked rapidly. "But I thought-"

"I heard what you thought. You're wrong. I'm very attracted to you, Denise. Do you want proof?"

Her gaze drifted to his pants. He didn't bother to cover the obvious erection pressing against the fabric. When she realized where she was looking, her gaze snapped back to his face.

"You understand what's going to happen tonight?"

She nodded. "We're going to have s.e.x."

"All three of us. Do you m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.e?"

Her face flushed. "What?"

"It's a simple enough question."

"Why do you want to know?"

He leaned closer, letting her adjust to his nearness. This time, she didn't flinch or move away. Progress. "I need to know exactly what your past experiences have involved. You've never had intercourse with a man, but what about foreplay?"

She pressed her eyes closed tightly and looked away. "No one's ever touched me. Down there."

"Yourself included?"

She didn't open her eyes. "I have."

"How?"

She released a long breath but didn't reply.

Price cupped her cheek, forced her to face him. "Open your eyes, Denise. There will be no secrets between us. Not anymore. How do you touch yourself?"

"I rub my c.l.i.t."

"And?"

"I use my fingers."

"How many?"

She pushed his hand away from her face. "G.o.d, does this really matter?"

He didn't respond. Instead, he waited, holding her gaze.

"I don't know. Two, three?"

"What about toys? d.i.l.d.os. Vibrators."

"I don't own any. When I feel h.o.r.n.y, I just use my fingers, rub myself until I..."

"Come?"

She nodded. "Sometimes. Sometimes the feeling just sort of goes away and I stop."

"The feeling stops?"

She blushed and lifted one shoulder in response.

"I'll make sure it never goes away again." Over the course of the afternoon, Price had run the gamut of emotions. From annoyance to wounded pride, confusion to anger. Now he was overwhelmed by this...this unexplainable need to stake an irrefutable claim on Denise Parker. He'd known her less than a few hours and yet the connection was there, growing stronger by the minute.

The idea that Gunner would be there as well somehow sweetened the pot. Price had always known he'd found his niche, his place in life. The Trinity Masters fit him like a glove, their philosophies, their lifestyle. Everything.

"You belong to us now, Denise. Gunner and I will take care of those needs for you."

"Can I ask a question?"

He grinned. "Of course."