Author's Note: Hello, guys! My new story. I'm not working on it now since I have two other stories to work on. This one is altogether done. Finished. Hopefully, it will keep you guys busy while I work on my other ones. I'm a naughty little girl and my naughty little best friend sent me a document of what she'd been reading over e-mail and I stole the plot since it left me so intrigued. Don't worry, she knows. I didn't even need her consent. ^_^ I hope you like Paul in this. Yes, the hottie! He's probably the hottest one after Jacob in the pack. He is. He is. And he plays an equal part as Jacob in this story. I'm going to leave you guys so hot and bothered in my coming chapters that you're going to wish you had your own two men to share.

Anyway, I hope you guys like it, and don't forget to let me know what you think, okay? The next chapter will be up on Friday. We will go like this, okay? I will update two times a week—Tuesdays and Fridays.

Warning: This story contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language. Yes, there will be threesomes. I told my boyfriend once that I would like to have threesome someday, he spanked me. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. None of it. Period—so sue me.

Chapter: Protectors

It's sooner than I thought but you caught me out
I've lost control and there's no doubt
I'm gonna start all over

Miley Cyrus, Start all over

Men are retards.

Why in the world was it that she always landed up with the jerks? The losers? The wimps? The thick-headed, half-witted morons? What was it about her that attracted them? And why in God's name did she always wind up on a date with them?

Picking up the movie ticket that had fallen out of her handbag, Nessie Cullen gazed at it with contempt. Lousy movie—even lousier date. Gah!

She was an intelligent, clever woman. She had a master's academic degree from MIT—an engineering university in Cambridge—, for crying out loud. She knew engineering and physics like the back of her hand. Technology was a piece of cake for her. It was such a shame she didn't know men as well. She tumbled down for it every time—the lines, the come-ons, and the flattery sweet talks.

"Uh-oh, I know that look," her assistant, Alice, said as she sauntered into the office.

"What look?" Nessie questioned as she scrunched and dropped the movie ticket into the trash can under her desk.

"The look that says you had another date from hell. Honey, I really don't get it," Alice walked around the desk and sat in one of the wing-back chairs fronting Nessie. Her violet, elegant skirt slid farther up her slender thigh as she crosses her legs ever so graciously, her corresponding purple heel dangling off her toe. "You're so gorgeous. The loveliest thing ever."

Nessie rolled her cocoa-toffee eyes and pulled a file from the drawer next to her. Alice was the gorgeous one. Her black, cropped hair and amber-green eyes were the perfect complement to her bright, ivory skin. She got her striking complexion from her father, a man who'd worked three occupations to put his dearly cherished daughter through college. Her mother had passed away when she was eight.

That was one of the reasons Nessie felt so close and intimate to her. Nessie had also lost her mother at an early age, leaving her with a father who, occasionally, had difficult time expressing his feelings. Since He, Admiral Edward Cullen—Nessie's father—had been so afraid of losing his only daughter as well, he'd become extremely protective. She'd learned to live with it and knew that he loved her exceedingly, even though he didn't say it as much as she'd like.

"Don't you roll those at eyes at me," Alice snapped, catching Nessie from her ponderings. "You are and you know it. I would kill to have that long, auburn hair of yours, despite the fact you keep it in the conservative bun on your head. You're smart, powerful."

"Yeah, maybe too powerful. Maybe that's what keeps men away. Who wants to be saddled with a civilian scientist for a navy military project and hard-nosed navy admiral as a father-in-law?"

"You're being silly. You just have bad luck when it comes to men. That's all. Stop picking the pansies and go for the hard-asses . . . literally," Alice added with a nod of her pixielike head.

Nessie tittered, her teeth embedding her nether lip as she mulled over her ex. "Embry had a hard ass."

"Yeah, but, honey, he was a pansy."

Nessie flashed her assistant a small resplendent smile who had quickly become her best friend. She was right, though. Her ex-boyfriend was a pansy.

A knock sounded on her office door and Nessie spun her leather chair around to front it.

"Enter," she yelled out in a voice that virtually drove men insane, though she didn't believe in it. A youthful ensign stuck his head in through the crack of the threshold with a shy smile.

"Morning, ma'am." He spoke in a soft, shy voice and Nessie smiled tenderly, attempting to put him more at ease. He was recent addition to the organization and didn't know her all that well.

"Morning."

He handed her a small wrapped bundle of envelopes. "I have some mail for you."

She reached out across her desk and took it from him, her fingers already tugging at the rubber band that held the mails together. "Thank you, Ensign."

"Yes, ma'am," he uttered with a soft nod and ducked back out the door, shutting it softly behind him.

"Pansy," Alice mouthed silently, and Nessie snorted, tossing a wadded-up piece of paper at her friend. Her friend dodged it naturally and smoothly. "So what are we doing tonight?" Alice asked.

"You mean besides working late and running through mock launch exercises?" Nessie responded with a grimace.

"Oh, come on!" Alice gasped. "You're not working late again."

"I have to, Alice." With a sigh, Nessie opened the first envelope and stared at the contents.

It was her credit card bill, which showed just how deadening her existence had become lately. Groceries and gas. How sad was that? She wanted to cry.

"Renesmee," Alice admonished. "You've got to stop working so much and get out more."

"Duh," Nessie grumbled and tossed her billing statements on the desk with a growl of aggravation.

"Why don't you go with me tonight to this new club across the town? It'll be fun," Alice teased with a devilish wiggle of her eyebrows, making Nessie laugh.

"I'm sure it would be, but with Admiral Doyle in Washington for the week, I have to hold down the fort and make sure these tests run smoothly. He'll have my head if they don't."

"When's he due back?"

"This weekend."

Alice picked up another envelope and slid the letter opener under the flap. The sound of paper separating was the only noise in the quite room as Nessie thought about how much she'd love to take Alice up on her offer. It had been months since she'd had sex, and the idea of a gorgeous man sinking his thick shaft between her legs made her writhe in her leather office chair. It had been way too long, she thought with a sigh.

"We'll just postpone the girl's night out until this weekend," Alice informed with a shrug of her slim shoulders and Nessie grinned.

"You're on."

Another knock sounded on the door and Nessie frowned. "More mail, do you think?"

Alice shrugged and strode to open the door. "Director Marcus," she muttered in surprise.

"Good morning. Is Ms. Cullen in?"

"Yes, yes, please, come in," Alice replied and trod aside, allowing the director to enter.

Nessie had met the NCIS director only once at a formal military function last year, so she was surprised to see him here now. Standing, she moved to greet the director. His tall frame dwarfed hers as he stood in front of her. His no-nonsense stance made her slightly nervous. Light blue eyes scanned the room as though he wanted to look anywhere but directly at Nessie.

"Director Marcus. It's good to see you, but what are you doing here?"

Raising his hand, he ran it through his graying hair and sighed. "I'm sorry, Ms. Cullen, but I'm going to need to take you into protective custody. Your father's orders."

"Excuse me?" She raised her delicate brows, mystified.

"The admiral in charge of the project has disappeared. We suspect foul play."

"Admiral Doyle? What does that have to do with me?"

"You're next in command and also the only other person with the launch codes for the new missiles. It's strictly precautionary, I assure you." Director Marcus responded.

Nessie shook her head lightly, assuring. "But the codes will be changed, Director. What I have will be useless," Her eyes narrowed as she stared at him. "There's more to this that you're not telling me, isn't there? I want to speak to my father."

"I'm sorry, Renesmee. I'll get the message to him, but I'm afraid right now that's not possible. Your safety is what's most important. I have been given authority to take you into custody if necessary."

"Now that certainly sounds like your father." Alice mumbled dryly.

IllI

"What the hell are you doing?" Jacob snapped as he ducked, getting out of the way of a piece of computer memory board flying across the room.

"Sorry. Maybe you'll learn to knock first," Paul snarled as he continued to rip apart a CPU.

"What are you? Off your meds again?" Jacob asked with a chuckle, his set of ultrawhite teeth glistening too bright.

The lab assistant snickered and Paul shot him a glare, instantly shutting him up.

"What do you want, Jake? I'm busy."

"I see that," Jacob said with a grin.

Grabbing an apple off the counter, Jacob took a bite and slowly chewed as he watched his friend's anger grow red.

"Jacob," Paul warned, his concentration and attention still on the computer. "Either spit it out or get the hell out."

"Damn, what the hell is gnawing at your ass?"

"Besides you?" Paul snarled.

"He's been like that all morning," The young lab assistant said with a shrug. "Not sure what brought it on."

"I think I know what brought it on," Jacob replied with a sigh.

Paul's father had been by to see him this morning, and visits with that man never went well. Scott Bradley was a total jerk, and there was nothing that Paul did pleased him. He'd wanted Paul to go into the military like Jacob had, but Paul had wanted computers. And he was good at them. So good, in fact, NCIS had hired him straight out of MIT as a civilian computer specialist.

Jacob had joined up two years later, after he'd been injured on his last SEAL team mission. He couldn't do combat anymore, but he was a damn good investigator.

"I hate to worsen your already foul mood, but the director wants to see us in his office," Jacob said, getting Paul's total attention for the first time since entering the room.

"What about?" Paul asked with a thick frown.

Jacob shrugged. "Don't know. Maybe it has something to do with that redhead we shared last weekend. You know the one with the big . . ." He brought his hands up to his chest and held them out several inches with a grin.

Paul shook his head and smiled, despite his exasperated mood. "You're a real piece of work, Jacob Black."

"Yeah, well. At least I'm not the Dom who scared the hell out of her."

Paul scowled. "I did not scare her!"

The lab assistant coughed softly, and Jacob turned to look at the young man who had suddenly gone pale. "Just what do the two of you do on weekends?" he asked.

"Black!" The director's voice boomed over the phone speaker. "I thought I told you I wanted you and Bradley in my office now, not later."

Jacob pushed the intercom button. "Yes, sir, we're on our way."

He glanced at Paul and nodded toward the lab exit door. "We should probably get going, don'tcha think?"

Paul nodded as well and tossed his equipment to the floor as he stood. Glancing toward the lab assistant, he pointed at the CPU. "Don't touch anything."

"Yes, sir," The assistant replied with a wary expression.

Jacob grinned. One thing about Paul—he was definitely dominant. And arrogant. And at times, an ass. Hell, he should have been the SEAL.

IllI

"Gentlemen," Director Marcus said from behind his desk as Paul and Jacob strolled into his office.

Paul cringed. He always hated it when the director started out with "gentlemen." It was never a good thing.

"Director," They both replied in unison.

"I have an assignment for the two of you that's rather unusual."

"So long as it gets grouchy ass here out of the lab, I'm all for it," Jacob said with his usual humor.

The director's pressed his lips into a hard line as he pinned Jacob with his no-nonsense stare. But the former SEAL wasn't daunted. Instead Jacob met his stare, his lips quirking at the corners in a slight grin as he dropped into one of the seats flanking the director's desk. Despite their boss's gruff attitude, he actually liked Jacob and knew without a doubt he could rely on him in a pinch.

"What's the assignment, Director?" Paul asked as he took the seat opposite Jacob.

With a sigh, the director ran a hand through his hair. He'd loosened his tie, leaving the first two buttons of his white shirt undone. Something was up, for their boss was never anything but impeccably appareled. There'd only been one other time Paul had seen him this agitated, and it was when Jacob had given himself as a hostage in exchange for a little girl.

The switch had been a brilliant idea, and they'd been able to gain some valuable information, but Jacob had put himself in an extreme amount of danger, earning a serious butt chewing from the director.

"It appears Admiral Doyle has gone missing," The director said, bringing Paul back from his thoughtfulness with a start.

"You mean the Admiral Doyle who is in charge of the new missile project?" Jacob asked.

"That would be the one."

"Has he been kidnapped?" Paul asked.

Director Marcus nodded. "Until we hear otherwise, we're running with that assumption. We believe he's been taken for the access codes to the launchers. The only other person who knows those codes is his civilian scientist, second in command of the project."

Jacob shifted in his chair, sitting straighter. "Wait a minute. I don't think I like where this is going."

"Where do you think it's going?" The director asked, a slight hint of amusement in his crinkling eyes.

"Surely you don't want us to babysit this scientist?" Jacob gaped.

"Yes," The director leaned forward and sent Jacob a hard stare. "That's exactly what I want you to do," His gaze shifted to Paul, making him squirm in his seat as well. "Both of you."

"I have to agree with Jake on this one, Director."

"You may agree with him. It's your prerogative. But you're both overruled. I outrank you. I'm the boss and you do as I say."

Paul gave a quick nod of his head in acknowledgment, but continued on with his argument. "I'm a computer specialist, Director, and Jacob is an investigator. Bodyguards, we're not." Obstinately, he shook his head.

"You are whatever I say you are, Paul. Live with it." The director replied in his usual gruff, endure-no-controversies voice.

"So what are we supposed to do with this guy?" Jacob asked, his tan forehead crumbed in slight frustration.

"Who said it was a guy?" The director asked, his achromatic-colored brows raised.

"Great," Jacob grumbled. "A female scientist."

"What's wrong with female scientists?" The director asked in amusement.

"Nothing," Paul said, entrapping Jacob with a narrowed stare. "You can be a real ass sometimes, you know that?"

"Me?" Jacob quipped, pointing to himself. "Come on. I remember school and the smart girls."

"Trust me," The director interrupted, grinning. "You'll be pleasantly surprised. Admiral Cullen might not be gorgeous now, but his daughter certainly is."

"Excuse me?" Paul choked, suddenly gasping for air. His heart-rate decelerated to a halt at the name that just escaped the director's mouth.

Jacob looked just as shocked as Paul, though his heart was pounding a thousand beats a second practically. "Are you talking about Renesmee Cullen?"

"You know her?" The director asked, his gaze shooting back and forth between the two of them.

Paul looked over at Jacob, his chest tightening. Hell yeah, he knew her. In every way possible. From every angle possible. Paul had thought of her so often over the last two years, wondering where she was, what she was doing, what she was eating, how she was walking, where she was walking. Every woman he'd been with, he'd compared to her.

How did Jacob know her? And how did he feel about the spark of excitement shining in his friend's eyes? He frowned. He didn't like it, he realized. He didn't like it at all.

"I know her. If she's the same Renesmee Cullen I met in San Diego a few years ago," Jacob said, and Paul's fingers fisted at his side.

Green-eyed monster hastened through him as he tried to remind himself this was Jacob. His best friend. They were as close as two men could be, but for some reason, he'd never told Jacob about Nessie. He'd loved Nessie extremely, but had to let her go. Their careers were on different paths. They were headed in different directions. Because of that, he'd kept Nessie a secret, even from Jacob.

The director nodded. "Good. Then things will be easier for her."

Paul wasn't so sure about that. He had a feeling if she'd been with both of them, it would be one of the most uncomfortable times of her life. As well as his.

"Where is she?" Paul asked.

The director inclined his head toward the door to his left. "She's next door in the conference room. Incredibly irritated. She thinks taking her into custody is uncalled for."

"Normally it would be," Jacob agreed, grinning at prospect of seeing her soon. "What makes this case different?"

"Her father, for one. He's concerned they may go for her next."

Here is the sneak preview of the next chapter:

Jacob's lips twitched in wry amusement. "What's the matter? Afraid she'll choose me?"

Paul snorted. "Not likely." He ran a hand through his hair in aggravation and turned to stare out at the ocean.

"We've shared women before, Paul. This should be easy," Jacob explained. "We both pursue her, seduce her, even sleep with her, and in the end, she decides. Maybe she won't want either one of us." His chest tightened and heart ached at the thought.

Paul sighed and ran a hand through his hair once more. A movement that was a sure sign he was pissed. He'd be bald if he kept that up. "This is different, Jacob."

"You don't think I know that?" Jacob snapped aloud, then glanced up the stairs to see if Nessie had heard.