Chapter Three

Asher Wolfe

"So, Bexley definitely agreed to a meeting?" I double-checked with Dad.

I had to raise my voice over the sound of the coffee grinder. The early morning sun pooled in through the floor to ceiling windows, providing a striking view of the Dorset coast. I skipped my usual run on the beach because I wanted to grill Dad about talking to Uncle Jaxx. He wasn't my real uncle; it was just a term of endearment we used for all of Dad's old Navy friends.

Dad didn't so much as lift his gaze from his paper as he responded with, "Hm-hm. That's what Jaxx said." He could locate his plate without looking and raised a triangle of buttered toast to his mouth.

I blew out an astonished breath, dragging my fingers through my deep-brown hair. "I can't believe she said yes? I assumed she would refuse."

Braxton and Cruz were both sitting opposite Dad at the kitchen table, both sported military-style crew cuts, but Braxton's dark hair was a contrast to Cruz's honey-blonde. Cruz took a sip of his orange juice while Braxton swirled the dregs of his tea around the bottom of the mug. Dominic was leaning against the kitchen island, flicking through his phone. He had been stalking Bexley's Instagram page like an obsessive maniac, blowing his floppy blond hair from his eyes. When he wasn't surfing the net, he spent the rest of his time catching the ocean waves.

This time Dad glanced up from the sports page. "Don't get your hopes up just yet. She agreed to meet us in London. She knows nothing about the contents of the contract-or that her life is in danger. Jaxx wants to keep it that way until we can come up with a plan."

That was my area of expertise, planning covert operations and tracking down the spies who had been sent to steal from our government. Dominic was our tech expert, Braxton specialised in artillery, and Cruz was our very own field agent, just like James Bond. Dad and Uncle Jaxx were recruited straight from the Navy to head the counter-terrorist division at MI6. They had been hunting a man known as the Chameleon for quite some time. Uncle Jaxx came close to taking him down, but he got to Bexley's mother first. She knew that day would come, so she entrusted her pendant to Bexley. It was a good thing she did, or the Chameleon would have got vital information about our military defences. As soon as Dad told us that our cover had been blown and that Bexley's life was in danger, it took everything I had not to go after him myself. But he lives up to his reputation, and that is how he earned the name “The Chameleon”. He was impossible to catch, but when he comes for her, we will be ready.

Cruz rolled his hazel eyes. "By contract, you mean our marriage proposal?" he muttered, sounding as sarcastic as ever.

"She can't legally marry all of us," Braxton grumbled. "What are we meant to do, play rock, paper, scissors at the altar?"

That was the issue we had. There were four of us and only one of Bexley. It meant that she would have to choose between us if she wanted to exchange vows in a church. My brothers and I had shared everything: toys, our taste in music, and sometimes even women. There was only a week separating me and Braxton from Cruz and Dominic. Our mothers were surrogates who gave birth to twins. We never knew who they were, but Brax and I inherited our blue eyes from our mother. Cruz and Dom got Dad's hazel ones, but they must have inherited their mum's blond hair. Dad was reluctant to talk about our mums. I bet they took off before the ink on their cheques had time to dry. Lucky for us, we still had each other-and Dad. Good old Dad. He was a guy with the emotional capacity of a silverback gorilla, and all the finesse of a thistle beneath a picnic blanket on a warm sunny day at the park. He wanted us, though. Even if it was only to train us to become his soldiers, he made sure we never went without.

But enough about that. Neither one of us wanted Bexley to be forced to choose between us, so Dad had his legal team draw up a civil contract that bound Bexley to each of us at once. It was a legal loophole that allowed us to reap all the benefits of a matrimonial lifestyle, without Bexley being arrested for bigamy. It mentioned future offspring and our desire to keep the paternity anonymous. We would remain true to our marriage vows and raise our children in a loving family unit. It also specified that we were to keep Bexley safe at all costs. She held the clue to unlocking a treasury of classified government documents. Vital information that would have catastrophic consequences if it fell into the wrong hands. Her mother died keeping the same secret.

"Dad thinks he can control everything," Cruz added, his bored tone pissing Dad off as usual. "I bet there's a clause that determines how many grandchildren he'll get out of it. He's probably hoping for an entire battalion of little Wolfe sprogs."

Dad arched a brow, shooting Cruz a warning frown. "Don't push it. It's not too late to add abstinence into the contract."

Cruz's face flooded with alarm. "You wouldn't fucking dare."

Dad returned a deadpan look which suggested "try me".

"All that I know is that our arrangement isn't the most romantic," Braxton stated. "It feels like a business transaction, and I for one think Bexley will be insulted when she hears about it. She hates us. I doubt she'll be eager to jump on our dicks - chop them off more like."

"Not romantic?" Dominic scrunched his face in an incredulous expression. "But we love her. It's always been her. I can't imagine us settling down individually. Going our separate ways. If We can't have Bexley, then we will have no one."

At least we were all in agreement with that statement.

I pointed my finger at Dominic. "And that's exactly what we'll tell her. That we love her and we want her in our lives."

Braxton made a doubtful snort. "Yeah, tell her that and brace yourself for a slap."

Dominic ignored our brother's comment and went straight back into stalker mode. "Look at the photos she posted on Saturday night." Heart emojis were practically popping out of his eyeballs. "I think I need a cold shower."

Our ears pricked up like the security dogs we trained. "Let me see," I said, edging to peer at Dominic's phone screen. Braxton and Cruz rushed to see for themselves.

My heart skipped a beat as I glimpsed Bex in her figure-hugging outfit. Even though she was an adult, she still held the exuberance of youth. Her eyes were just as blue as the ocean and sparkled with happiness; her skin was smooth and flawless, glowing with health. She had the body of a pin-up model, with curves in all the right places and legs that went on for miles. She had dyed her hair. That was the only obvious difference. Her brown hair flowed around her shoulders in soft waves, drawing my attention to her full breasts and killer cleavage. If we could convince her to be our wife, my world would be complete.

"Okay, that's enough, boys," Dad berated, finally discarding his newspaper. "If you want to win the heart of a girl like Bexley Barker, you have to woo her the old-fashioned way."

Cruz gave Dad a double-take. "Woo her? Dad, you do realize what century we're in? Next, you'll expect us to take chaperoned walks and court her individually."

I used my hands to gesticulate. "Hold on a minute, maybe Dad has a point."

All eyes landed upon me. As the eldest by minutes, my brothers looked up to me as their leader.

"What if we leave out that part of the plan?" I suggested, witnessing my father's brows raise with intrigue.

Dominic and Cruz looked to be mulling that over, but Braxton appeared to have a problem with it. "That's deceitful, Ash. A relationship needs to be built upon a solid foundation of truth and honesty. I don't think we should lure her into this under false pretences."

"How is it lying if we don't mention it?" I was grasping at straws, anything to ensure that this plan would succeed. "All that I'm saying is that maybe we could spend some quality time with her and let nature take its course. We're resourceful men, surely we can get her to fall head over heels in love with us in under six months."

Cruz was nodding as if he thought it could work. Dominic was happy to go along with whatever, and Braxton was being as pessimistic as ever.

"I won't hold my breath," Braxton muttered, always the voice of negativity.

If he wasn't my identical twin, I would punch him straight in the face. He had it bad for Bex the same as all of us, but he was scared shitless of rejection.

"If all else fails, just show her your dick," Dominic replied with a shrug. "We should thank our lucky stars to have been blessed down under. Few men can boast about owning a ten-inch penis. Women who say that size isn't everything are only lying to themselves."

Dad scrubbed his hand over his face. "Keep it clean, please. Your twenty-five years of age for crying out loud."

Braxton stalked to the sink and dumped his mug into the basin. The scowl on his face looked as if it had permanently etched there.

"I don't care about what other girls would want or wouldn't want," he muttered, sparing an over the shoulder glance. "The only girl whose opinion counts is Bexley's. Just don't go getting your hopes up." And with that, he thundered from the kitchen to go hit the gym.

I knew better than to run after him. Braxton just needed to blow off steam by lifting weights, and he would be fine. Cruz was sitting hunched over the table, reading the front page of Dad's newspaper. Dominic stalked towards the coffee machine to fill up his empty mug, and Dad rose to his feet with a sigh.

"I want you all ready within the hour," Dad insisted. "The helicopter leaves at eleven hundred hours."

"What time is the meeting?" I asked, needing to prepare.

Dad checked his watch. "Jaxx sent a text to say that he was on his way. So, depending on traffic, they will arrive around lunchtime," he explained. "We've scheduled the meeting to start at fourteen hundred hours.

That gave me plenty of time to talk to my brothers and figure out how we were going to win Bexley over. It just so happens . . . I had a few tricks of my own up my sleeve.

Braxton Wolfe

I stood beneath the shower jets, letting the steamy water sluice from my skin. In just a few hours, the woman of my dreams would be sitting within an arm's reach away from me. I have been waiting for this moment ever since Dad sat us down for “the talk” at the age of ten. They had kept Bexley in the dark her entire life. Shielded like some untouchable princess. Uncle Jaxx was a happily married man and conceived Bex out of love. But my brothers and I were only soldiers who had been bred for one purpose: to protect Bexley with our lives. Growing up with that knowledge wasn't easy. We said and did some cruel things to her that I wish I could take back. I know my brothers all felt the same.

My workout was effective, ridding me of the tension that had been building this weekend. Out of my brothers, they considered me the silent brooding type, maybe even the most sensitive of the litter. I use that phrase because that's what it felt like we were: a wolf pack. The Wolfe brothers, born to protect their Queen and country, and that title was so befitting of Bexley.

I towel-dried and dressed quickly, relishing the burning sensation in my overworked muscles. Dad wanted us to make a good impression, insisting we dress appropriately. He aimed his subtle hint at me, ensuring that I covered my tattoos. Everything was riding on this meeting; our dad’s life's work, the safety of the codes, and the future they promised us with Bexley. I was the last to head to the helipad, sauntering across the manicured grounds with the wind in my face.

"Better late than never," Asher commented, shouting over the noise. "Dad was about to release the hounds to come and drag you out of there."

Cruz and Dom hopped in the copter alongside our father, fixing their harnesses and headsets into place.

"After you," Asher said, always such a gentleman. "It makes a change to see you dressed in a suit," he remarked.

We all met my father's standard of dress, opting for tailor-fitted black Armani suits. With the solemn expressions on our faces, anyone would think we were heading to a funeral, not to meet our potential wife. Out of all of us, I was the only one who saw this for the shit-show it was. There was no way that a woman like Bexley would swallow this crap.

"What are you looking so smug about?" I shot my twin a question as he pulled the sliding door shut.

I buckled my harness and Asher took a seat alongside Dad and secured his own, pulling the headset over his ears.

"While you were busy sulking in the gym, Dom, Cruz, and I had an insightful chat," Asher informed.

"You discussed things without me?" I accused, eyeing my brothers with contempt.

Dad checked his watch and then muttered something to the pilot. We lifted off the ground, circling the coastline before heading off to London.

Cruz sneered, flicking his gaze out through the window. The guy was a fucking mystery. We never could tell what he was thinking. Dominic shoved his phone inside his jacket pocket, turning to us so that he could partake in the conversation.

"Just listen to what he's got to say, Brax," Dom urged.

Asher cleared his throat. "We . . ." he gesticulated by circling his pointed finger around at each of them, "decided that Bexley should come and stay at Sandbanks with us. Dad and Uncle Jaxx will stay at our London base to confuse the chameleon."

I huffed in aggravation. "And how are we going to get her to agree to that? Bash her over the skull with a mallet or drug her coffee?"

Asher pressed his lips together and scowled. It was a sign that his patience was wearing thin. "None of those things will be necessary because we're going to tell her the truth." He cocked his head to one side as he deliberated something. "Well, actually, you are. It'll sound believable coming from you."

My eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as I heard that. "What? Me?"

Cruz turned to us with a lazy grin plastered across his face. "I told you he would love that part of the plan."

All the moisture evaporated from my mouth and I had to swallow hard to revive it.

"I thought you were supposed to be a genius? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life," I roared in outrage.

Asher chortled. "Think about it. Bexley is a code-breaker like her mother. If we give her a task to do, she won't question spending time with us. She'll assume it's all part of the job and comply because she won't want us to take any of the credit. We can watch over her without her knowing what is going on, and Dad and Uncle Jaxx can take care of business in London." He seemed convinced that this could work, and if I had to be brutally honest, I thought so too.

"Bexley will insist that she's in charge. You know how bossy she can be," I reminded him. "She has to be in control of everything."

Ash made a face that suggested he had doubts about that. "Maybe when we were kids, but times change. I'm pretty sure that Bexley is desperate for an adventure. So, that's exactly what we give her. Excitement, adrenaline, and plenty of thrills along the way."

I bobbed my head in agreement. "Yeah . . . get her to fall for us without even realizing it."

"Precisely," Asher finished.

I glanced around and saw the same level of determination staring back at me. My brothers looked hopeful. If we were really going to do this, there could be no room for errors.

"Leave it to me. I'll make her an offer she won't refuse," I assured.