Wilde For You (The Wilde Sisters Book 3)

by Marianne Rice

  “She’s coming too. She has dessert.”

  “Plain Greek yogurt and blueberries.” Rayne had let herself in and held up her idea of a sugary sweet. Ironic that she married a man who owned a bakery, yet Rayne didn’t do sweets. Having a weight problem in her teen years scarred her. Now she was a successful fitness instructor and owned her own gym. Sage attended classes when she could squeeze them around her crazy schedule.

  Thyme often filled in at the fitness studio and taught a Zumba or kickboxing class when Rayne was down an instructor. Rubbing her belly, Sage thought she felt the beginning of a paunch. She’d need to make a point to fit in some more classes.

  “You’re…growing?” Thyme’s eyes were fixed on Sage’s belly.

  Sage looked down at her naked midriff. She should have put a shirt on before her meddling sisters came over. “Do I look fat to you?”

  “I didn’t say you were fat.”

  “You implied it.”

  “Did not.”

  “Did too.”

  “Girls,” Rayne reprimanded. “Sage, you’re pregnant. You’re not fat, nor will you ever be. Thyme.” She turned to her other sister. “Give Sage time to adapt. This is all very new. And very…unSage.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Sage stuck her hands on her hips and scowled at Rayne.

  “You’ve never expressed an interest in having a child. So your being pregnant is quite shocking.”

  “I don’t want kids. Nothing’s changed.” Sage ripped off the top of the hummus and tore open the bag of crackers. Hell, it was her house and she didn’t need to be invited to eat.

  “You don’t have to be so bitchy about everything. Can’t you be nice for once in your life?”

  “I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to do. You’re blocking my fridge. So pour me some iced tea.”

  Thyme opened the fridge and pulled out the pitcher of tea. She grabbed a glass from the cabinet, slammed the door shut, sloshed the tea in the glass, and stuck it out for Sage, spilling some of it on the floor.

  “You make a mess, you clean it up.” Sage took the tea from her sister and guzzled half the glass. “Aw, shit.” She ran to the bathroom and puked up the crackers she just ate.

  “Oh, sweetie.” Rayne stood behind her, rubbing her back.

  “Leave me alone. I’m fine.” Not accustomed to being the weak sister, she shrugged off Rayne’s touch and grabbed some toilet paper to dab her mouth.

  “I know. I know.”

  Thankfully her yacking sessions were quick, but still annoying. Sage stood and went to the sink to rinse her mouth and wash her hands. “I’m good.” She brushed past her sister and made her way back to the kitchen. “Where were we?”

  “Thyme was accusing you of never doing anything nice and you were telling her you could do whatever you want,” Rayne said from behind her.

  Thyme crossed her arms and leaned against the counter, a winning smirk on her face.

  “Don’t look at me like that, little sister.”

  “You two are pathetic.” Rayne pulled Sage and Thyme in for a group hug. “Listen to yourselves. Thyme, yes, Sage has always been a selfish person, but I’d say this act of kindness makes up for a few of the mean things she’s done to you over the years.” Thyme lowered her head. “And Sage. No one in the world could make you do anything you didn’t want to do. So the fact that you came up with this idea to carry your sister’s child for nine months shows how much you love her. You may not say it, but you do. And I know you love me too.”

  “Who doesn’t love you? You’re perfect,” Sage snipped.

  “Far from it. I am a nice person but I don’t know if I’d ever come up with the idea to be a surrogate. That goes above and beyond the call of sisterly duty.”

  Sage shrugged out of the group hug. “I’m hungry.” She made herself a plate of food and plopped herself on the barstool.

  Sage’s phone rang and she jumped to find it. Following the ringing, she made her way to the living room and pulled it out of her purse. The caller ID glowed and she couldn’t help but smile. “Hi.”

  “Hi yourself.”

  Sage chewed on her lip and turned her back on her curious sisters. “Rough day in the office?”

  “You could say that.” Luke sounded tired. “I don’t really have time to talk, but I wanted to hear your voice.”

  “Oh.” That was sweet. Sage didn’t do sweet. Rayne and Thyme did sweet. What the hell was she doing with this man?

  “Listen, I’m on my way back to the station and not sure if I can call you later. I’m pulling an all-nighter.”

  “That’s okay. Stay safe.”

  “Thanks. You too.” He hung up before she did. Another first.

  Relaxing her smile and gathering her composure, she set her phone on the coffee table and headed back to the kitchen, trying hard to mask the giddiness in her chest.

  “Who was that?” Thyme grinned.

  “No one.”

  “Then why are you blushing? You never blush.”

  “Shut up.”

  “Girls,” Rayne intervened.

  “Sage has a boyfriend.”

  “No I don’t.”

  “A crush,” Thyme teased.

  “He’s a guy I’m going to have sex with. That’s it.”

  Thyme’s expression sobered. “Don’t do anything that would hurt the babies. Please.”

  Sage rolled her eyes. “I’m not into the BDSM crap. Sex is perfectly fine when you’re pregnant. Right, Rayne?”

  Rayne smiled. “Oh, it’s perfectly fine all right.”

  “Gross.” Sage tore off a few grapes and popped them in her mouth.

  “But seriously, Sage. You shouldn’t be sleeping around. Sex with someone you know and trust and care about is fine but…”

  “Save me the lecture, Mother Theresa. I’m not out whoring. It’s just a guy. When I’m done with him I’ll be done with sex for a while. I’m not going to be raking in the men once I start showing.”

  “So this guy. Does he have a name?” Thyme asked.

  “Yup.”

  “And?”

  “What does it matter? Bob. Henry. Gus. It’s just a name.”

  “Is he hot?”

  “I don’t sleep with ugly men.”

  “You don’t talk about any men. You’ve never introduced us to a guy. You’ve never mentioned a romantic date. You always act like you hate men. But this guy makes you blush. How hot and heavy are you?” Thyme teased.

  “We haven’t—” She stopped herself before she gave away any more information.

  “You haven’t slept with him yet, but he can make you blush like that?” Thyme laughed. “Well, it’s about freaking time! I want to meet this guy.”

  “Shut up. It’s nothing.”

  “Thyme, leave your sister alone.” Rayne sipped her tea and studied Sage. “We’re here for you if and when you need us, you know.”

  “Yup.” No way was she succumbing to her sister’s sweetness.

  “Okay. Change of subject. Thyme. How’s Maddie?”

  Thyme softened and went on a ten minute talk about her adoptive daughter. Maddie was the bomb. Cute little first grader. Thyme had been her nanny when Maddie’s parents died. The mother’s will revealed Grayson as the father. He had the shock of his life and then fell madly in love with Thyme. The flaky bimbo and the millionaire. Quite the unlikely pair, but he worshiped her and the feeling was mutual.

  Sage wouldn’t have given up nine months of her body if she didn’t think the crazy couple would end up celebrating sixty years of marital bliss. While Thyme babbled on about Maddie and her excitement over being a big sister, Sage thought about her sexy fireman and all the delicious things he could do to her body.

  Chapter Five

  Luke

  No amount of caffeine could keep him awake. He had pulled three eighteen-hour days in a row and topped it off with a twenty-four-hour shift. Unscheduled, but fires rarely were. Not trusting himself to drive to his place safely, Luke c
rashed on one of the beds in the firehouse and did his best to sleep through the alarms and commotion. The guys left him alone, knowing he needed some serious shut-eye.

  He got in a solid six hours before being roused by Mark.

  “Dude. Your phone’s been ringing nonstop. Caller ID says ‘Ma.’ Figured you’d want to know.”

  Raking his hands across his face, Luke rolled his shoulders and reached down for his cell. “Thanks.” Not bothering to listen to the messages, he called his mom back.

  “Ma. What’s going on? Is it Rachael?”

  “I’m so sorry to bother you. Your chief said you’ve worked non-stop this week, but…”

  Luke sat up, fully awake. “Ma. What is it?” He pulled on his jeans and laced up his boots while holding his cell between his shoulder and cheek.

  “She hasn’t returned any of our calls. We’re worried. Blake can’t get away from work and Graham is in the air and Colton…” Colton was neck-deep fighting off terrorists in Afghanistan. Being a Special Ops was something cool to brag about, unless you were a soldier or the mother. “Rachael called me last night. She was crying. And then—”

  “Then what?” Luke interrupted, pulling his phone away so he could tug on a shirt and then quickly replacing it. “Is she hurt? What?” His impatience wasn’t with his mother, but with the bastard who’d been tormenting his sister.

  “I thought I heard her scream before the phone went dead.”

  “Did you call the cops? The detective who wrote up the restraining order?” Luke grabbed his keys and bolted out of the station and out to his truck. He didn’t wait for it to warm up before putting it in reverse and peeling out of the parking lot.

  “Of course I did. Detective Flynn said he’d put an APB out for her and Dylan but I haven’t heard back from him either. I’ve called your brothers and have been trying to reach you. I’m scared, Luke.”

  “I’ll find her. And I’m bringing her home.” Luke hung up and drove straight to the airport. Having a brother as a pilot had its perks. Luke used his family deal to scrape up a ticket. Granted, he was stuck with two layovers before he’d make it to Los Angeles, but he didn’t care. His sister was in trouble and he’d make sure she got home safely.

  ***

  Sage

  Damn men. Damn Luke. This was why Sage didn’t do relationships. Not that she and Luke were in a relationship. They had a serious case of flirt—which Sage didn’t do either—that had a promise of sex. And where the hell was the sex? It had been a week since their meeting at the coffee shop and Luke had only called her once. For five seconds. Apparently he was getting his fill on the side, so Sage would as well.

  She liked to keep her calendar booked, with just enough time in between appointments to assure her being punctual even in the event of traffic or a flat tire. If there were no unforeseen events, she arrived early and used that time to make calls or do paperwork. All had run so smoothly the past few weeks that she found herself with fifteen minutes to spare and no calls or number crunching needing to be done.

  Not accustomed to chasing after men, she avoided calling Luke, but now contemplated sending him a quick text. It wouldn’t take him long to return a simple message and she’d know for sure if he was planning on seeing her again. Picking up her phone, she typed in his number and stared at the blank screen. What to say? Thinking it over, she finally typed her message:

  Let me know if you’d like to schedule an appointment. My calendar is filling up.

  There. He could interpret it any way he wanted. Let him think her social calendar was just as busy as her business calendar. Whatever.

  Needing to let off some steam, she drove to Rayne’s gym, In Motion, and popped into a Zumba class. Rayne didn’t ask about her grim expression and gave her a look that said she knew something was up.

  This was why Sage didn’t date. This was why she didn’t do relationships. This was why she didn’t fall in love. Sage may have tripped a little. Still, it wasn’t love. Gah! She barely knew the guy and would never fall in love with him. With anyone. It all lead to heartbreak. Not that her heart was breaking, only her mind. No, her mind was distracted by a jumble of lust, muscles, and pregnancy hormones. Sage knew she’d miss many male opportunities while wasting her time thinking about Luke and willed her brain to focus on her career, her social life, the babies growing in her belly.

  The jerk didn’t deserve her time.

  ***

  Luke

  “Rach. Thank God. Are you all right?” Luke slumped in the seat of his rental car, holding his cell phone close to his ear, and pinched the bridge of his nose. Over the past few days he’d stopped by her work—learning she’d resigned a few months ago—then interviewed her colleagues, her neighbors, her few friends. No one had seen her since last week.

  Thankfully the slimy boyfriend was easy to find. He hadn’t missed a day of work at his car dealership. He didn’t act surprised to hear Rachael was missing—the cops had already been by a few times to interview him—and he didn’t seem too upset about it either. He had a solid alibi for almost every minute of his day, but still, Luke didn’t trust him. The man was shit.

  Luke finally got a bite this morning when Tally, Rachael’s nosey neighbor, mentioned that she may be holed up at a woman’s shelter. Luke thanked her and she’d hinted that she’d like him to repay her by taking off his clothes, but that sure as hell wasn’t going to happen. No wonder Rachael didn’t have many friends if this was how all the women were in L.A.

  “I’m okay,” she whimpered.

  “Are you safe? Are you in the shelter on Montrose Boulevard?”

  “Yeah.” She sighed.

  “I’m across the street. They won’t let me in. Will you come out?” He knew being large and male made him an unwelcome visitor at the shelter.

  Rachael hesitated. “Okay.” She sounded broken. Defeated. But thankfully she was coming.

  Luke unfolded himself from the small car and waited. When the front doors opened, a tall woman appeared. Gruff, stern, and looking both ways down the sidewalk. Probably on the lookout for the monsters that made the women flee to her. Then Rachael appeared. Her shoulders slouched, her small frame shrunken and defeated. With her chin tucked to her chest, Luke couldn’t see her face, but he didn’t need to.

  He jogged across the street, ignoring the watchdog’s glare. “Rach.” He pulled her into his arms and held her tight. She didn’t hug him back but she leaned against him and sobbed. “I’ve got you now, honey. He’ll never hurt you again. I swear.”

  Her head nodded slightly. Luke pulled away and tipped her chin up. Her cheek was swollen and her left eye rimmed with purple and yellow. “Damn. I’m going to kill that bastard.”

  “No,” Rachael cried. “Leave it alone. I just want to…” She sighed and leaned into him again. “I just want it to be over.”

  “Rachael?” The tall woman spoke. “Is this your brother you were telling me about?”

  “Yes. Thank you for letting me stay here, Carla.”

  “I’m hoping you won’t need to return, but if you do, our door is always open.” The woman nodded to Luke. “Take care of her.”

  “With my life.” Luke hugged his sister tight. “You’re coming back to Maine. We’ll take care of you.”

  “I can’t, Luke. Mom. She…she can’t see me like this.”

  Not wanting to have this discussion on the sidewalk, he nodded his thanks to Carla and held his sister close to his side. “You’re coming with me. We’ll talk and figure out our next steps.” He sure as hell wasn’t leaving California without his sister.

  After stopping to pick up some subs and drinks, Luke opened the door to his hotel room and ushered Rachael inside. Dwarfed in her large sweatshirt and baggy jeans, his sister looked weak, frail, and skittish. The bastard did this to her. It was too similar to when he first met her. When his family took Rachael in after her father was arrested for beating her mother to death, Rachael was a scrawny twelve-year-old who had survived being a human punching
bag for too long. And now she was the victim again.

  “I’m so sorry, Luke.” She didn’t cry, didn’t move as she stared out the window.

  “Sorry? What the hell for? You didn’t do anything, Rach.”

  Rachael crossed her arms and sighed. “I let you all down. You all told me Dylan was bad news but I wanted to prove I could make it on my own. I can’t let Mom see me like this.”

  “Honey, we all love you and don’t blame you at all. We want to take care of you. You know Mom would love to have you stay with her until you get back on your feet again.” Luke had an overwhelming urge to beat the prick until he was a useless lump of bruised skin and broken bones bleeding on the sidewalk, too weak to call for help. He’d never had violent urges before Dylan entered Rachael’s life. Luke would do anything to protect his family, and his heart sank at not being able to shield his sister from her pain.

  “I’m a secretary. Was a secretary. Dylan made me quit my job a while ago. He wanted me to…” She wiped her nose on her shoulder and turned away.

  When Luke put his hand on her arm, she jumped. Cursing himself for being so insensitive, he pulled back his hand and sighed. “You don’t have to prove yourself to us. We all love you. You’re in a rough spot right now, but what doesn’t kill a Riley makes us stronger. Come home. You need us. We need you.”

  Rachael finally turned and faced Luke, tears in her eyes. “You all have careers. Lives. Mom has success stories in all of you. You don’t need me to shame the family name.”

  “Rach,” he pleaded. “Look at me. Please.” He waited patiently, watching her fingers twitch and her eyes blink back tears until she finally lifted her head. “You could never shame our family. We’re all products of eff’d up people in the world, but they don’t define us. We define ourselves.”

  Knowing she needed her space, he slowly leaned toward her and kissed her lightly on her tender cheek. “Sit and eat. You need your strength. Then we’re going back to your apartment and packing your things. You’re coming home.” He pulled out the chair at the tiny round table in the corner and waited for her to come sit.