by HELEN HARDT
“We all know Ted Morse is a mercenary,” Talon said. “And a dick. He’ll say whatever he needs to say to make a buck.”
“I went to school with Colin,” Marjorie said. “The Morses are hardly hurting for cash.”
“That doesn’t mean they don’t want more,” Joe said. “Some people are always looking for an easy way to add to their coffers. I’ve seen a lot of this since I took over the beef ranch. Plus, the bastard is willing to resort to extortion, as I know firsthand. He’s not a good man.”
“I know.” Marjorie shook her head. “But Colin is. Or at least was.”
“Good men don’t usually leave their fiancées at the altar,” Joe said.
“True,” she said. “And he regretted it, which makes me wonder if…”
“Damn,” Talon said. “If Ted had something to do with that as well.”
“Right,” she said.
“I guess I owe him thanks, then,” Talon said. “If Jade had married Colin, I wouldn’t have her now.”
“It’s just conjecture,” Marj said. “I could be totally wrong. He told me his father called him a coward after he ditched the wedding.”
“Yet it kind of rings true, doesn’t it?” Joe said. “That Ted might be behind it somehow?”
“Yeah,” she said. “It kind of does. And Colin wants an audience with Jade.”
“Which he’s not getting,” Talon said dryly.
“I don’t know, Tal,” Joe said thoughtfully. “Maybe Jade should talk to him.”
“When she’s in the middle of a difficult pregnancy? You’d be hard-pressed to convince me when she’s in perfect health.”
“What if his father was behind him not showing up to the wedding? Maybe he wants to tell her that.” Joe rubbed at his chin. “Maybe he has some knowledge of what his father might be up to.”
“No way,” Talon said. “No fucking way.”
Marjorie stepped up then. “I’ve known Jade a lot longer than you have, Tal, and you’re not giving her enough credit. She’s as strong as they come. She won’t let Colin upset her. She won’t do anything to put this pregnancy in jeopardy.”
“You don’t have to tell me how strong my wife is,” Talon said.
“Then let Colin talk to her,” Ryan said.
“Fuck you, Ry,” Talon said, standing. “If Theodore Mathias rose from the dead and wanted to talk to your wife, would you encourage it?”
“Easy, bro,” Joe said.
“First, that psycho did way worse to Ruby than stand her up at the altar,” Ryan said. “The situations aren’t even close to equal. But trust me. If Ruby wanted to talk to her father, I wouldn’t be able to stop her.”
“You think I should let Jade decide,” Talon said with reserve.
Marjorie stood then and faced her middle brother. “Do you even hear what you’re saying, Tal? Of course it should be Jade’s choice. Jade is your wife, not your child. This is her decision.”
Talon regarded me then. “What do you think?”
Way to be put on the spot. “I’m not a member of this family. I don’t get a vote.”
“Hold on again,” Marj said. “The only person who gets a vote here is Jade. Jesus.”
“Bro, you’ve been an honorary Steel from day one,” Joe said. “Plus, you’re the one Ted Morse has reached out to. Of course you get a vote.”
“Do you people even hear me when I speak?” Marj said.
God, she was beautiful when her temper flared. Her cheeks and lips had darkened to a light crimson. Her hands were balled into fists.
Visions of our night together speared into my mind. Her lips and cheeks had been that same color. And her body…
“Well, Bryce?” Joe said.
“Marjorie is right,” I said.
“Thank you. At least someone else in this room has some sense.” She didn’t meet my gaze, though.
“If your wife was in the middle of a difficult pregnancy—” Talon began.
“I don’t have a wife.”
“If you did, you’d be as protective as I’m being.”
“Maybe so. But she’s her own person, and so far she hasn’t had a word of say in this.”
“She doesn’t even know,” Marj said. “I agreed with you, Tal, at first. Best not to rock the boat where Jade’s pregnancy is concerned. But if Ted Morse is up to something, Colin might know what it is. Right now, he’s vulnerable and will be especially so around Jade. We could learn something.”
“But…”
“She’s strong, Talon,” Marjorie said.
“I know that.”
“We all understand your need to protect her,” Joe said. “Ry and I feel the same way about our wives, right?”
“Of course,” Ryan agreed.
“Christ. Fine.” Talon relented. “But it’s up to her. If she says no, the answer is no.”
“Of course,” Ryan said. “No one wants to force her to do anything.”
“She’ll be up for it,” Marj said. “I know her. Especially if we let her in on what’s going on.”
“I don’t want her worrying,” Talon said.
“She’s—”
Talon interrupted Marjorie. “Yes, I know she’s strong. I’ll talk to her.”
I jerked slightly when my phone buzzed in my pocket. My mother. “Sorry. I have to take this.” I left the office and answered the call.
“Yeah, Mom?”
“Honey, Ted Morse just showed up at our house.”
Adrenaline spiked in my gut. I didn’t think Ted Morse was a danger to anyone, but I needed to get my son and mother out of that house as soon as possible. “What did he want?”
“You. He said he needed to talk to you about something important. I told him he’d have to come back another time. Henry was crying, and I didn’t know what to do.”
“And he left?”
“Yes. He said he was sorry to bother me and wanted you to get in touch with him.”
“You did fine, Mom. Don’t worry. Just lock up and don’t answer the door again. I’ll be home soon.”
“It’s okay. Take care of your business. He didn’t seem threatening.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. We’re fine here.”
“All right. I’ll check in with you if things go much longer. Bye, Mom.” I walked back into Talon’s office.
Chapter Twenty–Seven
Marjorie
“Speak of the devil,” Bryce said.
My body tingled. Yes, just from him walking back into the room. Damn.
“Colin?” Talon asked.
“No. Ted. Apparently he was at my house minutes ago. My mom sent him away.”
“He showed up uninvited?” Joe said.
“Yup.” Bryce shoved his phone back into his pocket. “And I don’t like it one bit. We’ll be moving as soon as everything’s packed up, possibly before. Ted and I didn’t make plans to meet last night. He just said he’d be in touch, which apparently meant he’d show up at my home unexpected and freak my mother out. I should get home.”
“Takes a lot of nerve.” Joe’s words were more like a growl.
“Agreed,” I said, just to have something to say.
“If the Feds are seriously still watching us, why would Morse know about it and we don’t?” Joe asked. “And why would he show up at your house with them watching? He’s bluffing.”
“That’s my feeling,” Bryce said.
“Then what’s the priority?” I asked. “Have Jade talk to Colin, or have Bryce talk to Ted?”
“Why not both?” Joe said. “Seems we’ll get the most information that way, and if they give us conflicting accounts, we’ll know Ted’s a fucking liar.”
“Or Colin is,” Talon offered.
To Talon, Colin was a villain for what he’d done to Jade. To Joe, Ted was the villain for trying to blackmail him.
“Colin will be more accurate,” I said.
“You think?” Bryce asked. “Because Colin’s been through hell, and he probably blames all
of us for that. It was my father, after all, and if Jade hadn’t met Talon, Colin wouldn’t have been here anyway.”
“How is any of that our fault?” I asked.
“It’s not. But he’s a victim, and he’s looking to place blame,” Bryce explained.
“Then he’s forgetting that I saved his sorry ass,” Joe said.
Indeed, Joe had rescued Colin from Tom Simpson. Colin had been near death, and probably would have died but for Joe.
“We’re all sorry for what he went through at my father’s hands,” Bryce said. “He must know that.”
“Sure, objectively,” Talon said.
“Objectively?”
“Let’s just say I get where he’s coming from.” Talon sighed.
Of course Talon understood. He was in a precarious position. Colin had hurt Jade, so he wanted to hate him. Yet he was also a kindred spirit to Colin in a way, as they’d both been brutalized at the hands of Tom Simpson.
“I’ll go talk to Jade,” I said.
“I’ll go with you.” Talon stood.
“And I guess I’ll call the elder Morse and set up a meeting,” Bryce said.
“I’ll be going with you,” Joe said.
“He may not be willing to meet with you,” Bryce said.
“That’s why we’re not going to tell him.” Joe smiled. “But I don’t want you going alone.”
“I can take care of myself, Joe.”
“You think that’s what this is about? You’ve held your own against me for thirty-plus years.”
“Then why?”
“Because he’ll fuck with you, Bryce. He’ll use your father against you. I’m not going to let that happen. Plus, he and I have history to settle.”
I excused myself, Talon following me, to speak to Jade.
She was in her bedroom, dressed and looking better than she had in a while, so that was good news. Talon entered and I followed.
“Hey, blue eyes.”
Her face lit up. “Hey, yourself.”
“Marj and I need to talk to you.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, fine. But… Crap. You tell her. I’m still not sure I like this idea.”
I gave Jade the lowdown on what Ted had been saying and about my visit with Colin at the smoothie shop. “If you talk to him, maybe you can figure out what’s going on.”
“Sure. I’ll be glad to do my part,” she said.
“And I’ll be with you,” Talon said.
“Tal,” I said. “He may not be completely truthful if you’re there glaring at him.”
“He’s got to know that anything he tells me will go straight back to my husband,” Jade said.
“Good point,” I said, “though he might be more willing to talk if you’re alone.”
“I’m…not sure I want to be alone with him.”
“What if I’m with you? He’ll see me as much less of a threat than Talon. He and I were friends once.”
“No,” Talon said flatly. “I’m there, or this isn’t happening.”
I huffed. “Tal, stop being all Alpha for one damn minute and think about what’s best for the situation as a whole.”
“My concern is what’s best for my wife and child.”
“I get that,” I said.
Then, from Jade, “Marj is right, Talon. He’ll perceive you as a threat.”
“I am a threat.”
“Point made.” Jade smiled. “I can handle Colin. I was in a relationship with him for seven years. I know what makes him tick.”
“And I’ll be there to have her back,” I said.
“I’ll be fine,” Jade said. “Colin has no power over me. He hasn’t since I met you.”
“I hate that you were with him for so much longer than we’ve even known each other.”
“So? My time with you means a thousand times more than the time with him. And in a way, he led me to you. We owe him, really.”
Talon scoffed. “I’ll give you some of that. If he hadn’t been a no-show for your nuptials, we wouldn’t have met. But we owe him squat.”
“We owe him everything,” Jade said, her eyes soft. “I couldn’t imagine my life without you. You’re the love of my life, Tal. He never was.”
I eased toward the door. This was getting mushy. Jade had already confided in me that she and Talon wouldn’t be able to make love for at least a month after the bleeding stopped, but still… “If you’ll excuse me. Let me know when you want me to set up the meeting with Colin, Jade.”
I crossed the sitting area and closed the door behind me.
And walked straight into the hard chest of Bryce Simpson.
Chapter Twenty–Eight
Bryce
My arms went around Marjorie automatically and I hugged her.
I pulled back quickly. “Sorry,” I mumbled.
“No worries. Where were you going?”
“Just to tell Talon goodbye and see how Jade is doing.”
“You weren’t going to say goodbye to me?” she asked.
“Well…”
“You knew I was in there with them, right?”
“Yeah. I mean… Fuck.” I warmed with embarrassment. This was ridiculous. I was thirty-eight, not sixteen.
She moved out of my way, gesturing toward Talon’s door. “Be my guest, but they were getting pretty lovey-dovey when I left, so don’t say I didn’t give you fair warning.”
She walked down the hallway toward the kitchen.
Well, she’d definitely talked me out of saying anything to Talon.
Joe and Ryan had already left. Why had I stayed again? To say goodbye to Talon? That was such a crock. Talon and I weren’t even that close.
I’d stayed to catch another glimpse of Marjorie Steel.
Damn, I had it bad.
And damn, I had to get rid of it.
The Steel brothers had no idea I’d fucked their little sister. Marjorie wouldn’t mention it to her brothers. I knew that instinctively.
God knew I wouldn’t mention it. All three of them were fiercely protective of her.
Damn. Damn. Damn.
She stood at the refrigerator, eyeing its contents.
How in hell did she look like sex on a stick doing something so mundane? Without thinking, I inched toward her, letting my fingers touch the ponytail that was hanging down her back. So silky. So soft.
She turned abruptly.
I dropped my hand to my side.
Sorry. The word was lodged in my throat.
For one good reason.
I wasn’t even close to sorry.
I dropped my gaze to her chest. Her nipples were hard and visible beneath the cotton of her tank. From the cool air of the refrigerator? Or from me?
“What do you want, Bryce?” she asked.
“This.” I grabbed her to me and crushed my mouth onto hers.
Her lips remained tightly shut as if sewn together. I slid my tongue along the seam, nibbling their full pinkness. Then I trailed kisses to her ear. “Open for me,” I whispered. “Please.”
“I can—”
I took advantage of her open mouth and plunged in with my tongue. She responded, as I knew she would, her velvety tongue whipping around mine playfully. And then not so playfully.
This was serious. A serious kiss. A kiss that would lead somewhere—a place I wanted desperately to go…and just as desperately not to go.
My cock was already hard beneath my jeans. I backed her up against the refrigerator door and then ground into her, deepening the kiss.
Her fingers trailed over my shoulders, up my neck, and she cupped my cheeks. Never had a woman cupped my cheeks before, and it was incredibly sweet and hot at the same time.
Then her fingers threaded through my hair, my scalp tingling from the light massage. We kissed, and we kissed, and we kiss—
Clomp.
Clomp.
Clomp.
The unmistakable sound of cowboy boots. She pushed me away, wiping her mouth. Seconds later, Talon was
in the kitchen.
There could be no mistaking our swollen lips and red cheeks. Not to mention the bulge beneath my jeans. I turned away from Talon.
If he’d noticed, he didn’t let on.
“I’m going to go pick up the boys at the bus stop,” Marjorie said.
“Thanks,” Talon said. Then, “You know what? Let me do that today. I’m so rarely home in the afternoons. It’ll be a nice surprise for them.”
“Um…okay.” Marjorie didn’t meet her brother’s gaze.
“What’s going on here?” Talon asked.
“Nothing,” I said. “In fact, I was just leaving. Good to see you.” I walked quickly out of the kitchen.
Damn. Damn. Damn.
Why couldn’t I leave her alone? Or why didn’t she tell me to get lost?
This was going to be an issue. A big issue.
I left the house and checked in quickly with my mom. She and Henry were fine. Then I got into my car, the Mustang that had been my father’s. It was only a year old. My father had purchased it shortly before he died. With cash, I’d found out when I’d processed his estate. The title was in a locked file cabinet.
My father had always handled the bills, and my mother, being an old-school wife, had never questioned where money came from or went.
I hadn’t questioned him either.
How had I been so naïve as to not see him for who he truly was?
I could sell this car. Indeed I’d thought about it. But it was brand-new, gorgeous dark highland green, and loaded.
Paid for by…
Yeah, I was definitely selling it. I was surprised the Feds hadn’t confiscated it, but they couldn’t prove it had been purchased with dirty money.
Maybe it hadn’t been, but I couldn’t take the chance.
So why had I held on to it this long?
Not because I loved the car, though I did love it. I could easily sell it and buy another that I picked myself. Or, more likely, I could take the money and buy something cheaper. Or I could drive my own damned car, which I also loved.
Could I be trying to hold on to something from the father I knew? The man who’d taken Joe and me camping and fishing? The man who had taught me…how to be a man?
For he had. He’d been a good father to me, and somehow I had to reconcile that with what I now knew he’d done to innocent people.