“That doesn’t matter. I still don’t know you.”
“Come have coffee with me, and you’ll get to know me. God, your eyes are incredible,” he added and she blushed. He was experienced, mature, and she felt all inexperienced and naive. She pulled back from him and he released her but squinted.
“I’m not a bad guy.” She gave him a challenging expression.
“What? I’m not. Let me prove it to you.”
“Why?” she asked.
He squinted and almost looked like he smirked, as if finding her response to him amusing. He had such a seasoned expression, and those hazel eyes, brown crew cut hair, and such a chiseled jaw. He was all muscle, and all man. She should be running to safety.
“Come on, one cup of coffee?” he asked, and she felt him caressing her lower back with his fingertips.
“I’m not really in the mood.”
“Come on, it’s my treat.” He turned her toward the side street and the café.
“I guess I could go for some green tea or something,” she said and he smiled.
“Excellent, come on.” He maneuvered his hand to her hand and started walking with her. She pulled away. Holding hands was way too intimate of thing to do with a stranger, a man she only just met really. He looked at her with a squint and an amused expression. Was he thinking she was immature, inexperienced? She needed to step up her game here and try to act unaffected by his tactics. Nothing would come of this. No way.
They crossed the street, and the last thing she expected as they entered the café was to see Cassy and Alana there. Their eyes nearly popped out of their heads, and Bella felt a little giddy herself being seen with such an older, charismatic man like Slane. He was a soldier and some kind of big shot in law enforcement or something. She wasn’t sure, she only heard some gossip about him and his brothers. As she thought about his brothers, she shocked herself. Why the hell would she even think about Vince, Chord, and Lucky? Those men too were out of her league.
“Hi! What are you two up to?” Cassy asked them, saying hello with Alana.
“Just getting a tea, and I think Slane is getting some coffee.”
“We just finished up. How was class?” Cassy asked her.
“It was good.”
“I heard through the grape vine that you’ve been hiding your capabilities,” she said and Bella widened her eyes and felt embarrassed, but it seemed that Slane found the information interesting. He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her closer.
“More experienced than you let on? Now I know why you seemed insulted earlier, and why I got the attitude from you. What can I get you? I’ll order while you talk to your friends,” he said to her and she told him what she wanted and he headed to the counter, giving a smile to Cassy and Alana before he walked away. Alana bit her lower lip. “Jesus, a man like that could eat a woman like you alive,” she said.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Bella asked.
“She means that is one hell of a man who has you on his radar. You sure you can handle it?” Cassy asked.
“Nothing is going on. We’re just having tea and coffee together.”
Cassy widened her eyebrows in question.
“It’s nothing,” Bella said but she felt like it was more. She needed to be smart.
“Well don’t look now, but I think that’s one of his brothers,” Alana told her and she turned to look just as Slane gave a wave. Bella looked away.
“Oh God, stay. You two have to.”
“Shit, no can do. I have to be back to work and so does Alana. Be tough and don’t go falling for any suave lines. Those men are experienced, and they aren’t commitment types. You’d hate to get a bad reputation only living here for a few months.”
“Thanks for the advice,” she said and Alana and Cassy walked away. As Bella went to turn to see where Slane and his brother Lucky were, some guys stopped her. They both smiled and looked her over in the workout clothes she wore.
“You work at the Italian restaurant, right?” the one guy asked.
“Yes, that’s me,” she said, trying to be causal. She no longer could look to see what Slane and Lucky were doing as the men blocked her line of sight.
“I thought so,” the one guy said and leaned his hand on his hip as he looked over her chest.
“I’ve been to the restaurant several times with my brother here, and a few other friends. I have to say, you caught my eye immediately. You want to have a cup of coffee and make some plans to hang out?”
“Step aside, son. She’s not interested,” Lucky said as he shouldered between the two men and looked down into her eyes. He looked serious and a bit ticked off, but then his lip curled slightly and those deep blue eyes of his sparkled.
“Let’s grab a table. My brother is bringing over our drinks.”
She glanced at the two cowboys who were definitely a bit taken aback at Lucky’s interruption, but she had to say she felt grateful. She hated confrontations of any kind and tended to back down from them or even try to appease a situation. Before she could even open her mouth, Lucky placed his hand on her waist and guided her away.
“We’ll see you around, and talk another time,” the guy said to her, but Lucky caressed her back and she couldn’t even focus on anything but the feel of his hand on her, and how she felt it through the thin tank top she wore.
As they got to a table for four, he offered her a chair to sit down first and gave her body the once over. He looked a bit different than usual. He wore some kind of military baseball cap that went low over those striking blue eyes of his. His dirty blond hair was a little longer in the back so it peeked out from the cap. He wore a military veteran T-shirt in black with an American flag on the sleeve that stood out as much as the tattoos and the huge biceps. The man was built well. The first thing you saw were muscles and tattoos.
“You should be careful being so nice. Guys like that take it the wrong way,” he reprimanded her. What was with these men?
“I was just being polite as they asked me about the restaurant.” He snickered and shook his head as if she were naive.
“They weren’t interested in your restaurant.”
“How do you know that?” she asked with her own bit of attitude as a very serious-looking Slane appeared with three to-go cups.
“What was up with those guys?” Slane asked, taking a seat and passing out the cups.
“Nothing,” she said to him.
“They were hitting on her. She was being too nice, but I took care of it,” Lucky said and took a sip from his coffee. She was really getting annoyed her. She leaned back.
“Did I miss something here?” she asked with attitude.
“Miss what?” Slane asked.
“The moment when I became your business, your responsibility or something. Where do you two get off acting like you have a right to say anything in regards to me? I’m so confused right now. I think I’m going to head out.” She went to stand up, and both Slane and Lucky stopped her. Lucky placed his hand on her thigh, and Slane placed his hand over her hand.
“Don’t go. Forget about those guys, and anything else, and let’s start over. So, you just took that class. Do you take others at Power House?” Slane asked her, and he caressed her skin on her hand before he released his hold. Lucky however didn’t pull his hand off her thigh, and now he was staring at her, eyeing over her breasts, and then looking into her eyes.
“I just started that class.”
“Your friends said they heard you were pretty experienced and that everyone was impressed. You train elsewhere?” Slane asked her.
“I did some different things in New York.”
“Ahh, so you’re a tough girl then huh?” Lucky asked her and stared at her as if he were trying to read her mind.
“Actually I hate confrontations and avoid them when I can.”
“I don’t know about that. You were pretty mouthy with me before,” Slane said.
“You asked for it,” she retorted.
&nbs
p; “What did you do to piss her off?” Lucky asked.
“Just gave her some advice.”
“You sounded like a father reprimanding his child,” she said with attitude. Slane leaned closer, reached out, and stroked her jaw, shocking her.
“First of all, I’m not your dad and I wasn’t reprimanding you, and second, you’re no child, and I was just striking up conversation.” He stroked her lip with the pad of his thumb. He was so experienced, so good at flirting that she was caught off guard by her reaction. She blushed and just stared at him, and then it hit her. She squinted.
“You’re not as good as you think, and not every woman will fall for such tactics.”
Lucky chuckled, then slid his arm over the back of her chair.
“You tell him, sweetness,” he whispered next to her shoulder and ear. She glanced at him, surprised by his move and flirty response.
“I have a question for you two,” she said, straightening out her shoulders and glancing between the two men.
“How often do you do this? Flirt with a woman and try to get her to hang out with you?”
“Never,” Lucky said and pulled his arm away from her chair, and she felt the loss, the feel of his masculinity so close to her. He got awfully serious, and she felt like he was being honest. She squinted.
“What do you guys do for a living? Do you work in town?” she asked.
“We used to be in the military and now we do some special jobs for local law enforcement and the government,” Slane told her.
“How do you like being civilians again? Or is your job dangerous still?” she asked.
Slane was staring at her again, focusing on her eyes as she blinked.
She felt his hand slide along her thigh. It was hard not to tighten up. These men were so brazen, confident, and she had this urge to defy them, challenge them, and act tougher and more experienced than she was.
“Civilian life has its ups and downs for men like us, but my brothers and I are a team. We’re close, have one another’s backs, and share everything,” he said, holding her gaze, and his words hit her and she thought about Chord. This was a game, and she had to be smart and steps ahead of them.
Again, trying to act tough, she gave a soft smile.
“That’s nice that you’re so close and have that kind of bond. You never get into fights with one another?” she asked.
He squinted and leaned back as if disappointed that she hadn’t bit on his flirtatious innuendo. She wasn’t stupid, and she had been hit on, asked out, and approached by several groups of brothers or teams interested in a ménage. She wasn’t even interested in risking dating someone. So why was she still here, and now flirting back?
“No, we rarely do. No one and nothing could make us get into an argument or fight,” Slane said and then he looked suspicious.
“That’s pretty special then. I have three, big, older brothers.” She emphasized big despite knowing that these men were a bit bigger, and more capable with military backgrounds, but her brothers would protect her with all they had.
“We’re close, and they’re very protective of me.”
They both looked at her.
“That’s a good thing. Family is important. You have other relatives in the area too?” Slane asked.
“Just an uncle and aunt. They’re the ones that told us about Warriorville.”
“We don’t have any family around here, only friends, ya know, fellow soldiers like Liz’s men and May’s too,” Lucky added.
“I didn’t really know many soldiers back in New York. At least none like you guys.”
“What do you mean like us?” Slane asked.
“Older, very capable, and well trained, like some special elite kind of soldiers, from what I’ve heard. I mean, people talk, ya know,” she rambled.
Lucky reached up and gave her hair a little tug. “Don’t believe everything you hear.” He stared into her eyes. She got lost in the blue of his eyes.
“Your eyes are incredible. You’re so young though, but beautiful,” Lucky whispered to her.
She shyly turned away, and Slane was watching her.
“When do you have off from work? We’d like to get together, ya know, meet Vince and Chord too,” Slane asked, and the realization of how this coffee time went to a date and with four men scared her.
“Oh, I don’t get off, and I’m not really interested.”
“In meeting our brothers and hanging out with us?” Lucky asked.
“Yes. In fact, I really need to go. Thank you for the tea, and the conversation.” She stood up, and both men did as well.
“Hold up and we’ll walk you out to your car,” Slane said and she tried telling them that they didn’t need to, but they were insistent. As they walked out of the café four women were coming toward the door. Bella stepped out of the way, but the four women blocked Lucky and Slane. They started flirting with the two men, and practically shoved their chests forward as they giggled. The men were being polite, but it reminded her about what her brothers said. About a ménage and making a mistake that would ruin her reputation in this town forever. She quickly hurried out of there and to her car without looking back.
* * * *
Lucky watched as Bella took off when they got blocked by the four young, flirty women. Jesus, they were barely twenty-one, with their tops too low, and their aggressive behavior annoyed him. “Shit, she took off,” Slane said.
“Probably a good thing, Slane. How the fuck did you even wind up asking her to coffee?”
“I don’t fucking know. I saw her at Power House, she looked so damn beautiful, then I kind of put my foot in my mouth and pissed her off. Ya know she called me dad?” he said and shook his head.
“What do you mean?” Lucky asked as they headed to the truck.
Slane explained what happened and what he had said to her.
He chuckled. “That pretty young thang got you all tongue tied. You know we have to have a good ten years on her, maybe fifteen at that.”
“I don’t care.”
“What do you mean you don’t care? Now isn’t exactly the time to be starting something like this. We have a lot of work to do with this case, and other responsibilities, plus we don’t date and that young woman is dating material. You heard her. Three older, protective brothers, and never mind her dad. She’s sweet and innocent.”
“She is drop dead gorgeous, and when I look into her eyes I feel different.”
Lucky sighed.
Slane looked at him.
“Tell me she isn’t gorgeous and sexy, and that her body isn’t perfect and when you look in her eyes you don’t want to learn more, want to possess her?”
“Seriously, man? Possess her? You mentioned our brothers too. That downright scared her running.” Lucky chuckled.
“I didn’t even fucking think. I just said it.” Slane ran his fingers through his hair.
“Well forget it. Now isn’t the time, and you scared her off. Plus she saw those women throwing themselves at us. I bet she thinks we’re looking for action.”
“Well, we’re too old for fucking games, and I think there’s more to her. She interests me, Lucky. She has my full attention in every way.”
“I think we need to pull back and not pursue this or her.”
“How about this, if our paths cross again we take it as a sign.”
“Oh, brother, you’ll cause your paths to cross somehow.” Slane smiled.
“Ya in or out?”
“In or you’re going to fuck this up,” Lucky said and Slane smiled.
“Not a chance in hell. She’s perfect, and she gained your interest, so if she gains Vince and Chord’s too then it’s out of our control. Ya know we aren’t getting any younger.”
“We sure as shit aren’t, and how do we know whether her shyness is for real or an act? We went from not wanting to pursue any type of commitment to now entertaining a ménage together.”
“I guess it’s like how our friends described. You just know it, and
there’s no ignoring it, or resisting, but hey, Chord and Vince need to be on the same page too, and those two are just as stubborn and set in their ways as we are. Plus their attitudes could scare a sweet, classy little thing like Bella.”
“Then it’s our jobs to make sure that doesn’t happen. We take things slow, especially with this case and the hours we’ll be away doing surveillance.”
“You saw the guys checking her out, and right in front of us.”
“Cocky young guys, but I also saw her reaction. She didn’t flirt and she wasn’t interested. We gained her attention too. Let’s leave it at that.”
Chapter 3
Bella was working in the back office of the restaurant when she got a phone call from the restaurant supply place in Fayetteville.
“So the delivery guy left and forgot three boxes of supplies you needed for a party Saturday. I tried calling him on the radio, but he said he was in Crescent Valley, so he would get the supplies Monday.”
“Why would he be in Crescent Valley?” she asked.
“I don’t know, lady, I’m just telling you that someone needs to get these boxes today or you won’t have them for the party tomorrow. It’s your order.”
“Fine, give me the address please. Oh, and will the boxes fit in a Volkswagen Jetta?” she asked.
“Yeah, in the trunk and back seat though.”
“Okay, I’ll get someone there today.” She ended the call and then tried to call the truck delivery driver, Fred.
“Yo.”
“Hey, Fred, it’s Bella, where are you?” She asked.
“In Crescent Valley?”
“Why?”
“I had a delivery pick up and drop off for another store in town. What’s the problem?”
“You didn’t pick up boxes in Fayetteville we needed for a party tomorrow.”
“I can run back in the morning.”
“No, we need the things here in the a.m.”
“Well I can’t get there and be back by five, so it has to wait.”
Ciao Bella Page 5