His lips slowly glided up and down her neck. Hot breathe warmed her, tickled her senses. Her pussy was instantly wet. God, she craved this man. “Hmm.”
“I need to go into town.”
“I need my sugar,” he said. His arms moved toward her breasts, cupping them, squeezing them, as he kissed trails up and down her neck.
“I need something to wear beside yours and Steven’s clothes,” she murmured, leaning her head back on his chest, the cookie batter forgotten.
“We like you in our clothes.” He continued arousing her.
“However, I wished I had something else to wear. Isn’t there anyway I can get to town for a bit?” she asked sweetly, turning to look at him, batting her eyelashes. “I’ll make it worth your while later tonight.”
Growling, Neil hovered closer to her. “Woman, you get any wilder and Steven and I are going to need to chain you to the wall.”
Laughing, she hugged him tightly. “I’m serious, Neil. I can’t go around wearing your clothes. I need things, female things.”
“But we like you in our clothes.” When she growled at him, he relented. “All right, I’ll call Steven and let him know that you need to run into town.”
Two hours later, she was walking down the main street of Treasure Cove. She still had a hard time believing that this extraordinary town, with all of its residents, only had one street, but what it lacked in a cosmopolitan feel it sure did make up for in character. The town was still cleaning up and repairing itself from last week’s Founder’s Day Parade. Her bakery, just a pile of rubble, sat as a reminder that life could change in a blink of an eye.
She had talked with Gabriel and Alexander the other day about rebuilding, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to. She still didn’t know where her life was headed, and with her ex-husband still not accounted for, she was convinced she was sticking around. Of course, Steven and Neil wanted her to stay. Hell, they wanted her to be tied and handcuffed to their bed. She didn’t mind that aspect, but after taking care of herself for so long, she needed some sort of independence. She refused to rely solely on any man again for financial support.
Neil understood where she was coming from, but Steven, well, he was going to take longer to convince. The tension between them had started to rise again. She had watched him several times bite his tongue instead of saying what was on his mind. She, too, had started doing the same thing. It wasn’t healthy. A storm was brewing in the Conner house, and she knew when the tongues started rolling, it was going to be a doozy. She didn’t really want to argue with Steven. She preferred to talk it out. She just hoped that he would understand her reasoning for what she wanted.
She loved them both dearly, but if Steven couldn’t let go of his possessive ways, she feared they were going to be right back where they were two years ago.
The diner was packed when Hazel walked in. The door chimed, alerting everyone, and all eyes looked up to see her. She had been in town for the last two hours. Neil, Dexter, and West accompanied her everywhere she went. At first, she thought it was sweet the way they crowded around her, opening doors and checking dressing rooms. After ten minutes of them in her way, she had had enough. West had the good grace to take a couple of steps back, but Neil and Dexter, they were oblivious to her aggravation. What was supposed to be fun turned out to be a nightmare. She needed a break.
Looking around the diner, she spotted Emma and Janie in the back booth and smiled.
Sitting in that back booth was the break she was looking for.
“Hey, Emma, Janie, mind if I join you?” she asked.
“Pull up a chair, hun. How are things out at the Double Deuce?” Emma asked.
“Annoying,” she replied, thumbing her finger back at her entourage. Emma and Janie both leaned around her and saw for themselves what she had been dealing with.
“Wow, who’s the tall drink of water?” Emma asked. If Hazel didn’t know any better, Emma was literally drooling.
“His name is West. He doesn’t talk much. But he grumbles a lot.”
Snickering, Janie smiled. “I bet.” Leaning on her elbows, she asked, “So what’s it like?”
“What do you mean?” Hazel asked.
“Oh, there is no need to be coy with us, Hazel. The whole town already knows.” Janie grinned.
“Knows what?” she asked.
“About Gabriel and Alex, the Marshals, and more importantly, you and the Conner brothers,” Emma said, wiggling her eyebrows.
“How did the whole town find out?” she asked. However, before they could answer, a loud, vivacious hell kitten shouted her way toward them. Turning, Hazel smiled as Charlotte approached.
“Oh for fuck’s sake, get the fuck out of my way,” she yelled, slapping Dexter as she pushed her way past him. Waddling between the tables, Charlotte Connelly made her way to the back booth. “When a pregnant woman arrives, you’re supposed to run. Not just stand there like a freaking idiot.”
“Hi, Charlie, how are you feeling?” Janie asked, looking at her sister.
“I’m fat. I can’t see my feet, and apparently, I am going to give birth to a tank. Do you see this?” she grumbled, pointing to her rounded belly. “It’s getting bigger by the day. I measured! I grew six centimeters overnight. How the fuck is that possible?”
“Charlotte, you will be fine. This is normal.” Emma grinned.
“Normal!” she shrieked. “Is this fucking normal?” She lifted her shirt for all to see.
Hazel looked at Charlotte’s belly with the rest of the women, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Was she missing something? Leaning over to Emma, she whispered, “What are we supposed to see?”
“I don’t know,” Emma replied.
“Um, Charlotte, what are we supposed to see?” Janie asked.
“This!” Charlotte pointed to a teeny-tiny spot on the left side of her stomach. Hazel, along with Emma and Janie, leaned forward and squinted, trying to get a look at what Charlotte was pointing at. The only problem was there wasn’t anything there.
“I don’t see anything,” Emma said.
“Neither do I,” Hazel agreed.
“Charlie, nothing is there,” Janie told her sister, who huffed and pulled down her shirt.
“Ya’ll are blind as a fucking bat,” Charlotte cursed, sitting down at the table.
“And pregnancy is making you crazy,” Macie said, placing glasses of water at the table. “Seriously, Charlotte, nothing was there. Maybe Jordan was just messing with you and said there was. You know he is still sore about that soup incident.”
“I did not pee in his fucking soup!” the little hell kitten shouted at the top of her lungs, slapping her hand down on the table.
The diner erupted in laughter. Everyone knew the story. Poor Jordan ended up on the wrong side of a fist. He was left home to recuperate while Braxton had to work, leaving Charlotte in charge. Now, the rumor was that Jordan pissed Charlotte off, and she got back at him by pissing in his bowl of chicken soup. However, according to Charlotte, it was just a bad batch. Either way, whichever story was told, it always made everyone laugh.
Leaning back in her chair, Hazel laughed, talked, and gossiped without a care in the world.
* * * *
Garrett taped off the small room. His stomach still rolled from what he saw. The poor woman never had a chance. At times like this, he really hated his job. He needed to make sure the crime scene stayed untouched until the FBI could arrive. Zac called them immediately when he saw the note the bastard left on the dresser mirror. All that was left to do was wait for the investigators to arrive. He had already notified Steven to heighten the security out at the ranch. Garrett wasn’t thrilled to find out that Hazel was in town. He wished for once she would have listened and stayed at the ranch, but since she refused protective custody, he could only do so much. Though he did thank God she was in Treasure Cove, and not Celestial. That bastard was hiding somewhere in this small, kooky town, and he needed to find him before he hurt anyone else.
The Corral House was a quaint little bed and breakfast run by the sweetest couple. Pearl and Demeter Galapago were in their mid-sixties. They retired to Celestial over five years ago, thinking a little peace and quiet was what they needed. Native New Yorkers, they grew tired of the loud noises, congestion, and murders. Nevertheless, it seemed that an embezzling human trafficker from Miami thought differently. Thanks to the note he left, the bastard could now add murder to his repertoire.
“Feds will be here within the hour. They said to make sure no one touched the crime scene. Also Director Fields called, he said to get Jessie the fuck out of Montana before sundown, or a certain transfer that you were counting on will be to Anchorage, Alaska. Something you want to tell me, brother?” Zac asked firmly. The way Zac stood facing him let Garrett know that the jig was up. This next conversation was not going to be pleasant.
Fuck! Garrett knew he was going to have to tell Zac eventually. He was just hoping it was after he was settled in Chicago, not a second before.
“A slot opened in the Chicago office, and I accepted it,” he explained stoically.
“I thought we were going home to Simple after this. You said you were done.”
“There is nothing for me in Simple. Tennessee was never my home.”
“Bullshit! Momma Love is there. So are the rest of our brothers.”
“Your brothers, Zac, not mine. I can’t go back there. I need to move on. As soon as Jessie, Hazel—whatever name she chooses—is safe, I am taking the job in Chicago.” Garret knew he was fucking this up horribly, but he didn’t give a shit anymore. He didn’t care about anything. He just needed to get the fuck out of Dodge and forget about what he could never have. He was tired of all the bullshit. He needed something solid in his life. He was tired of waiting and wondering, holding out for something he was never going to have.
Just like that, he saw her again, writhing under him as she called his name repeatedly. The last time he saw her, she was on the bed. He went to the bathroom, and when he came out, she was gone. He didn’t know what went wrong. He thought everything was going good, but just like last time, she disappeared. He wanted to go after her, but Zac said nothing. The big oaf watched her leave and didn’t even try to stop her.
He got the message loud and clear. Zac was done and she only wanted one last hurrah, and that was it.
He was done.
“Fuck you, asshole. You want to leave. Fine, then go. Get out of here. I don’t need your help to finish this case. I can take care of it myself. I’ll let Director Fields know. You’re free. Get the fuck out of here!” Zac shouted, walking away. Part of him wanted to go after the man who had been closer to him than any blood brother had. They grew up together, and even though he wouldn’t admit it, Garrett loved Zac. Hell, he loved all of his brothers, even Momma Love. He just couldn’t be what they needed anymore. He never wanted to be the oldest. He hated being the one they all looked up to. Instead of doing the right thing, Garrett turned and walked away.
He never looked back once.
* * * *
She stayed hidden in the shadows, watching. She knew something bad happened. Something bad always happened when she was around them. She prayed everything was all right and they were just checking on things. She knew about Hazel. She felt sorry for her and wished she could help, but she would only be in the way.
Just like last time, there was an accident.
They didn’t know about it last time, though. She kept that much to herself.
Instead of telling them, she’d left. She couldn’t face them. She refused to watch their faces as she told them their dreams were never going to come true. She’d just wanted one more night with them. She’d had everything planned. She was already packed and ready to go. She never expected them to ask her to marry them. Afraid and scared, she’d done what she thought was best. They deserved a better life, not hitched to some trailer park trash from the wrong side of the tracks.
Therefore, she stuck to the plan. Something inside her died that day. Haunted by the memory, she tried to push past it, but inevitably, she just had to forget and move on. It was rough at first. She had never been outside of Simple before. Life was not as easy as she thought it would be. Being young with grandiose ideas was great, until she stepped out into the big, wide world. The world chewed her up and spit her back out.
Apparently, she wasn’t even good enough for the world.
She had hit rock bottom when she met Apollo. He had saved her that fateful day five years ago, and brought her to Celestial. With no place else left to go, she really didn’t care. He gave her a roof over her head, food in her belly, and when she was well enough, a place to work. She lost herself in Celestial, and the blessed town welcomed her.
She hated the thought of leaving the place she called home, but they knew where she was now. If she didn’t go now, she knew they would talk her into something that could never happen. She refused to let them give up their dreams, for a life they would never get.
It was time to move on again.
They were fighting again. They fought a lot whenever she was around. That was another thing she blamed herself for. Because of her, the two brothers were always at odds. She witnessed some of their fights, and they weren’t pretty. On occasion, when they got physical, one of them would always get hurt. She hated the thought that after all these years, she could still cause a rift between them. It only solidified her decision for leaving.
Zac stood firm, facing his brother. She heard his anger clearly, even from across the street. “Fuck you, asshole. You want to leave. Fine, then go. Get out of here. I don’t need your help to finish this case. I can take care of it myself. I’ll let Director Fields know. You’re free. Get the fuck out of here!” Zac shouted loudly, making her cringe. She had never seen him so mad. Something was definitely wrong. Yet, when Garrett should have argued back, he didn’t.
He just turned and walked away.
“Pandora, everything okay?” Moon Goddess said, coming up behind her. She jumped and turned, looking at her best friend. Thinking quickly, she diverted the attention from herself to the Corral House. “I don’t know. The Marshals have Corral House blocked off. They aren’t letting anyone in. Poor Pearl and Demeter are sitting out on the sidewalk. They look shaken.”
“Maybe we should invite them to my place. I can put on a pot of herbal tea,” Moon said, walking toward the elderly couple. “Pandora, are you coming?”
Backing away, she gently shook her head. “No. I’ve got something I need to do. Tell Pearl and Demeter I hope everything is all right.”
Without another word, she turned and fled from the town that had been her home for the last five years. She would miss every one of them.
* * * *
Neil happily followed her everywhere she wanted to go while in town. He had to admit, it was kind of fun just being with her, watching her shop and interact with residents. She came alive with the women, flirted sweetly with the men, and cooed and doted on with children. She was going to be a wonderful mother someday. Neil couldn’t wait to see her belly round with his and Steven’s child. He knew that day was going to come, but until it did, he cherished the time he had with her.
He hated telling her it was time to go shortly after she walked into Macie’s Diner. She was having so much fun, laughing, giggling, and gossiping with the girls. All of them already knew what had happened with her past. Apparently, word got around quick, even for Treasure Cove’s standards. With all the mess still left over from the Founder’s Day Festival, he was surprised to say the least.
With a two-hour ride home, if they wanted to get back before dark, he knew if they didn’t leave now, they would have to wait until morning to head out. Traveling the back roads through several ranches was not wise in the dark, especially with cattle roaming free this time of year. Neil had talked with Braxton while Hazel was in Treasure’s-A-Plenty, Vanessa Sanchez’s boutique. Braxton told him the pass would take another week to clear. Neil wasn’t
surprised when Braxton handed him the bill. Thanks to Steven, they were now down four grand.
I really need to talk to Steven about the use of dynamite again. He looked at the bill again, sighing as he stuck it in his back pocket of his jeans and went to get Hazel. He didn’t have to say anything. The moment she saw him, her smile faded, and she nodded. He waited patiently as she said her good-byes, hugging each of the women. As he escorted her out of the diner, she stayed quiet, even when he helped her into the cab of his pickup truck.
He felt like the biggest asshole on the planet. He couldn’t wait until the Marshals caught her ex-husband and he was once again behind bars.
The ride home was silent. Halfway home, Hazel scooted next to him, placing her hand on his leg. When she smiled up at him, that joy he saw in her eyes in Treasure Cove was back. Now all he had to do was keep it there.
It was getting dark by the time they made it back to the ranch. He had watched for the last half hour over the horizon as the storm built. By the looks of it, it was going to be a big one. The ominous clouds over the mountains darkened quickly in the sky. Neil needed to bed Hazel down in the house and head out to check on Steven. He knew his brother wouldn’t leave the range until every animal was accounted for. He hated the thought of leaving her with Dexter and West, but with everyone on alert, he really had no choice.
Parking the truck in front of the house, he hurriedly ushered Hazel into the house as Dexter and West took off toward the barn to grab what they would need to stay with Hazel. Tonight was going to be rough, and everyone had a job to do. Running back out to grab the bags of items Hazel picked up in town, he heard the first rumble off in the distance.
“Wow, did you see that, Neil?” Hazel asked, walking out onto the porch.
“Yeah, baby, I did. Looks to be a nice one tonight,” he replied.
Fighting for Hazel [The Men of Treasure Cove 8] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 20