The Hard Way

by Jill Sanders

“Brent.” She ran her teeth over his shoulder.

  A low, primitive growl rumbled deep in his chest as she scraped her nails over his skin. He saw stars when he slid his fingers under the black elastic of her simple cotton panties and found her wet.

  “Mel, I…” In one quick move, he tore the material blocking the rest of her from his view. He played his fingers over her silky flesh as she gripped his length with her hand and started stroking him. He froze in place, taking a moment to enjoy the feeling of her pleasing him.

  “Please,” she begged, her eyes locking with his. “I need this. I need you,” she said softly.

  He hoisted her up in his arms once again and carried her across the room. He gently laid her down on his king-sized bed, thankful that he’d taken a moment to make his bed that morning.

  Reaching into his nightstand, he pulled out a condom and slid the protection on before settling over her. As he covered her softy body with his own, her legs wrapped around his hips.

  When he slid into her, he was once more reminded of how much more wonderful she felt than any other before. It was as if he was finally home. His heart jumped several times in his chest before he finally started to move. Then it was all speed as their bodies took what they each wanted, what they needed.

  “We do that extremely well,” Mel said with a slight pant as they lay side by side a while later.

  He smiled as his hand continued to roam slowly over her thigh.

  “Yes, we do.”

  He felt her shift in the bed and then looked up to see her looking down at him.

  “You do that very well.” She smiled down at him.

  “Is this your way of you asking me if I’ve ever done that before? Because you’re about fifteen years too late.”

  She chuckled. “No, it’s just…” He watched her bite her bottom lip. “It’s been a while for me. I mean, Ethan and I…”

  “How long?” he asked, understanding what she was saying.

  She shrugged slightly. “Over a year. Almost two.”

  His eyebrows shot up as he let out a low whistle. “No wonder you jumped my bones,” he joked.

  She nudged his shoulder playfully.

  “I did have some build up,” she agreed. She relaxed back beside him, resting her head in her hand as she looked at him. “You?”

  He thought about it for a moment and then sighed. “A little over six months. It hasn’t been on my to-do list for a while. I guess I’ve been a little more… cautious after Darla.”

  “Right.” She nodded. “The one who was poking holes in your condoms?”

  He nodded and pulled her next to him again. He could already feel himself building up and wanting her again. After all, he had just admitted that it had been six months since he’d had sex. A very long six months since he’d enjoyed himself with someone.

  He was just about to pull her up over him when she leaned up and climbed over him instead.

  This time she took the lead, and he let her set the pace. It was as if the urgency they’d both felt before was replaced with a desire to make these moments last.

  Never in his almost thirty years had he felt so close to someone as quickly as he had with Mel. Falling asleep with her body wrapped around his, he kept playing over how different she was than anyone else he’d been with.

  Maybe it was because he knew her twisted past or because, like him, she felt as if she had no one else in the world she could trust. It wasn’t really true that he didn’t have anyone. After all, Dylan had been there all along and now he had Bella and the McGowans.

  The more he thought about it, the more he realized just how much he had changed in the past few months. Responsibility hadn’t been an easy thing for him to handle before. Now, however, he was looking forward to the Hard Way’s opening and to pursuing a deeper relationship with Mel.

  The following day, he woke up to an empty bed. He could hear the shower turning off and figured she wanted to get an early start. He knew she was meeting TK that morning. Rolling out of bed, he grabbed his clothes and headed out to the bathroom.

  He stepped into the hallway just as she walked out of the bathroom, fully dressed and looking fresh.

  Smiling, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

  “Morning,” he said, enjoying the way she melted against him.

  “Good morning.” She smiled back at him.

  “Meeting with TK this morning?” he asked, searching her eyes for any hint of remorse.

  “Yes,” she said easily. “I’m looking forward to creating a menu with her. I have some ideas.”

  “Just as long as there are wings included,” he said with a chuckle. “One thing I hated about living in Haven before was there wasn’t a place in town to get really good wings.”

  She looked a little surprised but then nodded. “I’ll make a point to add them to the list. We should probably go over a few more options with you, if you have time today?”

  “I’ll carve some time out for you.” Just then a knock sounded on the door downstairs.

  “That’ll be TK, Mary, and Jamie,” Mel said, dropping her arms from around him.

  “All three of them?” he asked. “This early?”

  She smiled and started to walk down the hallway. “It’s half past nine.”

  “Like I said,” he called after her, “this early?”

  The sound of her laughter warmed him as he showered and dressed quickly.

  When he finally made it downstairs, there were more than half a dozen people rushing around the place, unloading the rest of the supplies that had been delivered and moving all of the dishes and glassware in the kitchen. Two metal shelves had been set up against the back kitchen wall and were now filled with all of the items.

  “No, that doesn’t go there,” TK said, stopping Ed from setting a stack of trays on the shelves. “Those go over there on the table.”

  He moved out of the way and decided to avoid the kitchen until things died down. Stepping into his office, he found Mel and Jamie looking at the computer screen.

  “Morning,” he said cheerfully.

  “Good morning, boss.” Jamie straightened up and smiled at him.

  “I’m heading into town to grab some donuts at the bakery. Want anything?” he asked Mel.

  She arched her eyebrows at him. “Do they have anything besides sugar?”

  He laughed. “Yes, breakfast sandwiches. Bacon, eggs, the whole works.”

  “I’ll take one of those please,” she said.

  “You?” he asked Jamie.

  “Oh, no thanks. We all ate before sunrise.”

  “That’s a sin.” He shook his head. “No one should ever be up before sunrise,” he said as he walked out of the room. Once again, he heard Mel’s laughter following him out.

  He was smiling and in a cheerful mood when he stepped onto the sidewalk, until he spotted the sexy blonde woman leaning against his truck, waiting for him. He felt his blood turn to ice as he met Darla’s eyes.

  Chapter 12

  Mel had never really expected her career to take as many turns as it had. Back when she’d signed up for classes, she’d never expected to work so much in the service industry.

  She really hadn’t known what to expect, not really. She supposed she was very naïve back then. Still was, to a degree.

  The more she worked with the Alaqua sisters and their cousin, TK, the more she realized her classes had prepared her well for such jobs. She enjoyed making sure the accounting software was up to date and that she had a system in the works for purchase orders and receiving.

  TK and Jamie were easy to work with and both had experience in the field, so they knew most of the rules for both. They both knew of local food and liquor services, and she spent the first part of her day setting up accounts at more than a dozen businesses that would supply everything from eggs to their hard liquor.

  Brent had come back from getting them breakfast in a different mood than he’d set out in. She wanted to ask him what was up but was far too o
ccupied organizing and training employees to take a moment.

  When she met with TK and Jamie about their menus, she requested Brent sit in on the discussion, but he mentioned that he was too busy trying to get the stand-up freezer door repaired and would leave it to her to decide the final details.

  Since TK had wanted to familiarize herself with the kitchen and try out a few menu items on them, she sat in the dining area and let Jamie serve her a mojito while she ate the best grilled chicken taco salad she’d ever had.

  When Brent walked in a few moments later with a basket of buffalo wings and a large smile on his face, she couldn’t help but laugh at him.

  “You look like a kid in a candy store,” she said as he sat down across from her.

  Jamie slid a cold beer in front of him and then disappeared.

  “I feel like one,” he admitted as he dug in. “Cold beer and wings.” He sighed. “Do you know how long it’s been since I had anything this good?”

  “Six months?” she teased and watched as he almost choked on the sip of beer he’d just taken.

  Jamie walked over and slapped him a few times on his back until he stopped.

  “You okay, boss?” she asked with a laugh.

  “Yes, just… enjoying the food and beer too much.” He looked at her and lowered his voice. “You are in so much trouble.”

  She smiled. “Promise?”

  “Something tells me I’m going to have a difficult time keeping up with you.” He took another wing.

  She smiled. She couldn’t explain how much she enjoyed watching him heat for her. It was so easy to get desire to flood his green eyes. Each time it did, her body responded in kind.

  She had played over just how wonderful he’d felt inside her last night. How, at first, he’d been almost out of control, taking her quickly and passionately. The following two times had been slower, more seduction than anything.

  She’d enjoyed listening to him tell her what he wanted, what he liked, how much he was enjoying her.

  No one had ever been so open with her before. She’d not only appreciated it but realized how much it turned her on hearing his words.

  “If you keep looking at me like that, you’re going to have to come up with an excuse for why we’re both going to have to disappear for a while,” he said in a low tone, getting her attention.

  She smiled. “I’m sure we can figure something out.”

  He set his almost empty beer down and picked up the napkin to wipe his fingers with.

  “Put it on one of those notes you have to add moist towelettes to the tables,” he said, frowning down at his barbeque-covered digits.

  She couldn’t help but laughing at his predicament. There was sauce all over his fingers and even some on his cheek. Reaching over, she used her own napkin to try and remove the sauce from his face.

  “Now isn’t this a pretty picture,” someone said, causing her to jump apart from him.

  A man in his mid-thirties stood just inside the doorway, glaring at Brent and her. She felt Brent tense as he finished wiping off his fingers and walked over to stand before the man. Mel took that time to assess the other man. He appeared roughly the same age and build as Brent, only instead of dark brown hair, the man had curly blond hair cut very short, with an almost reddish colored beard that was almost as long as her hair.

  “Mark,” Brent said. “Can I help you?”

  The other man laughed. “You can start by getting off my property.”

  Brent sighed. “It’s not yours anymore.”

  “The hell it isn’t,” Mark barked out.

  “You lost it to me almost three months ago,” Brent said calmly. “When you signed the place over to me on a grant deed. I filed all the legal paperwork shortly after returning to town.”

  “The hell I did.” Mark’s face grew a deep shade of red. “You know that was just a joke, right?”

  “No, afraid not. Don Hathaway has assured me that the grant deed you signed was all legal. The Hard Way is mine,” Brent said.

  Mel cried out as she watched almost in slow motion as the man’s fist swiped out and connected with Brent’s jaw. She didn’t know what was more impressive, the fact that Brent barely moved or that he blocked the second blow and stepped around to hold the man’s arms down, successfully stopping the fight.

  “I’ll give you the one hit, only because I didn’t see it coming, but that’s all you get.” He shoved the man away from him.

  She watched as he braced himself for any more outbursts. Instead, Mark stood there, his face now a deep shade of red as he looked around.

  Six other people stood in the dining area, watching what would happen next.

  “You cheated. Everyone there that night knew you cheat at cards. I’m going to fight you on this. Just wait and see,” Mark said before storming out.

  “Are you okay?” Mel asked Brent as she moved next to him.

  “Yeah,” he said, glancing down at her. “Mark Phillips.” He motioned towards the closed door. “Previous owner of the Hardwood Way Inn.”

  “I gathered that,” she said dryly. “What you said is true, right? You’ve ensured that it’s all legal?”

  “Yes.” He turned to the room. “Mark signed over the deed and Don Hathaway, my lawyer,” he said for her benefit, “filed the paperwork and transferred this place into my name. Months ago.”

  Everyone turned away and got back to work.

  “Are you sure you’re alright?” she asked a little more quietly.

  “Yeah.” He reached up and wiggled his jaw. “He hits like my sister.” He gave her a smile. “I’m going to get back to work.”

  She nodded and watched him disappear into the back room.

  “That was fun,” Jamie said dryly as she helped Mel clear the table. “Mark has always been a hothead.” She shook her head. “His family owned this place way back when it was still an inn. Some say it was his crazy grandmother that burned down the rooms in the back.” She shook her head, sending her multicolored hair flowing around her face. She swiped it away and then tied it back with a band. “When they tried to get the insurance money, they were denied. The place has sat empty ever since. I doubt Mark even remembered he owned the place until right before he lost it to Brent.”

  “Does Mark have something against Brent?” she asked.

  “Brent and half the people in Haven.” Jamie rolled her eyes. “The man is bad news. My family and I steer clear of him for other reasons,” she said with a shake of her head.

  Mel narrowed her eyes. “Why is that?”

  Jamie looked a little surprised. “Mark and his family don’t like”—she used air quotes— “indigenous people.”

  “You’ve got to be…” Mel felt her anger peak.

  “You’re pissed.” Jamie smiled.

  “You’re damn right I am.” She was glaring at the doorway. “From now on, that man, and anyone in his family for that matter, are no longer welcome here.”

  “Damned if I don’t like you even more.” Jamie laughed and slapped Mel on her shoulder lightly. “Come on, you can work off that anger by helping me unload the wine that my cousin just picked up,” Jamie said easily.

  Unpackaging more than a dozen cases of wine did help a little. However, once she was done with that, she was still stewing. Not only had the man come in and punched Brent because he couldn’t handle losing his family’s building, but he’d accused Brent of cheating it out from under him.

  She hadn’t known Brent long, but she could tell at least this one thing about him. He wasn’t a cheat and, more importantly, he wasn’t racist.

  She’d thoroughly enjoyed working side by side with Jamie, TK, and Mary. All three women were hard workers who knew their jobs without being told. They filled their time and easily busied themselves with tasks that she hadn’t even thought of, such as moving two of the long benches the McGowan brothers had built out to the front so guests waiting in line had someplace to sit.

  They also rearranged the tables in the dining area,
which somehow made the space appear much larger than it was. Now instead of a dozen tables, there were sixteen tables inside, eight tables outside, and enough bar room for more than a dozen patrons. Brent still had to seal in the bar top, but he’d put the word out that he was looking for unique items to seal in with the resin, and she knew that he’d get to that after the party.

  After she and TK and Jamie finished fine-tuning the menu, she printed a copy out from the computer, and Mary ran into town and had more than a hundred of them printed out for them to use until she could order laminated copies.

  They had even come up with a logo for the Hard Way—big bold letters stacked on top of each other with the words bar and grill in smaller print underneath, all surrounded by a thick line in the same shape as the building outside.

  When she’d shown Brent, he’d liked it enough to run with it. She figured it would work for now until she had time to come up with something better.

  The following day, the waitstaff—Lisa, Jennifer, and Amy—were going to arrive for training. They had three days before the soft opening party and there was still enough to do that Mel wondered if they were going to be ready.

  Most of the food orders were scheduled to arrive the day before the party. However, some of the supplies were being delivered in the morning.

  Brent had given TK and Jamie copies of the keys to the back door so that they could open up and lock up when needed.

  After everyone left for the evening, she sat out on the back deck alone and wondered where Brent was and what he was doing. He’d taken off in his truck an hour after Mark had left and had yet to return.

  She made herself a sandwich and heated up a few of the leftover chicken wings then carried it outside with a beer and ate around the firepit while watching the sun go down.

  She’d just finished the meal when his truck pulled into his parking spot.

  “Nice,” he said as he got out of the truck, motioning to the stringed lights one of the McGowan brothers had hung up around the deck area a few hours before.

  “Yeah.” She smiled. “They add to the ambience.”

  He took two large boxes from the back of his truck and set them down by the back door before moving over to sit next to her.