by Marla Monroe
“Hi, honey. How about my usual?”
Taylor cringed inside. How had she missed James walking in the building? She tried to make herself scarce whenever he appeared. He’d been trying to date her for years. Several months back, she’d given in and gone out with him once and desperately wished she could take it back. Now he showed up all the time and drove her crazy to go out with him again.
Taylor quickly fixed his double cappuccino in hopes he would take it and leave. She didn’t need another distraction. Besides, he was starting to really bother her. She wasn’t sure why she hadn’t enjoyed their date when he’d been a perfect gentleman, but she hadn’t. Now she wondered if she’d had a premonition that he would be a smothering type of boyfriend because he was definitely easing over into the creep category now.
“Here you go, James. Have a good night.” She handed him his coffee and change at the same time, expecting him to take both and leave. He grabbed her wrist instead of the change, she gasped.
“We need to talk about our relationship, Taylor.”
Chapter Three
Max caught himself watching the pretty woman as she moved around the counter working. Something about her intrigued him. He wasn’t sure what it was, but she wasn’t someone he was able to ignore. When he looked back across the table at Sawyer, the other man was grinning at him.
“What?” They’d removed their coats to sit down. Had he dropped something on his shirt?
“You’re drooling,” his ex-friend said.
“What the hell are you talking about? I’m not drooling.” He scowled at Sawyer and sipped his coffee. It was damn good coffee, too.
“Sure you are. She’s fucking candy on a stick. My mouth was watering the second I got a good look at her.”
“Your dick gets hard at the drop of a hat.” He grabbed one of the strawberry cake pops and took a bite. Delicious.
“So tell me you’re not hard right now, and I’ll be quiet,” Sawyer said with a knowing look.
Hell, he knew Max too well. He didn’t lie to his best friend. Ever.
“So. My dick gets hard like every other man’s does when a pretty woman is around.” He forced himself not to turn and look at her once again.
Sawyer didn’t say anything to that. Max looked up to find his friend staring at something with an almost angry expression on his face. He followed his line of vision and saw a man talking to Taylor. He would be lying if he said it didn’t bother him that he obviously knew her pretty well. He steadied himself and started to tell Sawyer to rein it in when she took a step back and shook her head at the man. When the stranger reached out and grabbed her arm over the counter, he was on his feet at the same time as Sawyer.
By the time they’d reached the counter, Taylor had managed to remove his hand and was standing farther away now with an angry expression on her face. Before Sawyer could say something, or worse, do something that might prove inappropriate, Max cleared his throat.
“Um, sorry to interrupt, but we were hoping for another six of those cake things to go. They will go great with coffee for breakfast in the morning.” Max almost winced. It had been the first thing that had come to mind to diffuse the situation.
“O–of course. Just a minute.” She hurried toward the case and began filling their order.
“Taylor. I’m serious, honey. We’ve got to talk about this.” The stranger didn’t seem to care that he had an audience.
“James. There’s nothing to talk about. Please. I’m busy here.” Her eyes seemed to be pleading with the man to leave.
Max wanted to help him out the door, but Sawyer was going to beat him to it if he didn’t do something. What was wrong with the man? He’d never gotten out of hand like this before. Max was the one who had to pay close attention to his temper, not Sawyer.
Grabbing Sawyer’s arm, he nodded toward the cash register. “Pay her. I’ll get the bag.”
He could tell that Sawyer wanted to argue, but his friend visibly shook himself and nodded. He walked over to where Taylor had set his bag and watched the man she’d called James follow her toward the cash register. When he tried to move closer to her, Sawyer remained planted firmly in his way. Max walked up behind the man and crowded him.
“Look, I’ll call you tomorrow,” James said, eyeing the two men on either side of him. “You’re busy right now and can’t think clearly about this.”
“Don’t bother calling, James. I told you I’m not interested. I don’t know how much clearer I can be.” She handed Sawyer his change and closed the register with a snap.
“Don’t be like this, Taylor. We’re good together, honey.”
“James, we went out one time. There wasn’t any chemistry, so I said no the next time you asked. I’m not changing my mind.” Taylor planted her hands on her hips and glared at the other man.
Max and Sawyer each ate a cake pop, looking down on the man as he sputtered before he turned and stomped out of the building. That had been interesting. They walked back over to their table and took their seats once again. Just as he picked up his cup, the door opened again, but this time a young Hispanic woman ran in muttering under her breath.
“Hey, Darla.” Taylor walked around from behind the counter to greet the other woman.
“I’m so sorry I’m late, Taylor. Mom burned her hand cooking, and I had to help her finish up the dishes since she couldn’t get her hand wet.”
“Is she okay? Did you go to the hospital?” Taylor’s voice held nothing but worry.
He and Sawyer exchanged glances. She obviously cared about the people she knew. Max knew she was going to be trouble for him. Not just because she was beautiful and caring, but because Sawyer had obviously taken a liking to her. As much as he wanted to say he wasn’t interested, more than just his cock had taken notice of her. Some part of him deep down recognized her as a possible mate. He was so fucked.
* * * *
As she tallied up the sales, Taylor couldn’t stop thinking about the two men who’d come in for coffee earlier that night. Max with his long black hair had been so intense she’d felt as if breathing around him was almost impossible. Without their coats on, both men proved to be every bit as muscular as their size had indicated. Where Max had more bulk, Sawyer appeared more sinewy, like a runner.
She couldn’t deny her body’s response around them, but it didn’t mean she had to obsess about them. She tried to steer her thoughts to another subject. What was wrong with James that he couldn’t seem to take no for an answer? They’d gone out one time, and while it hadn’t been terrible, it hadn’t been all that interesting either. He was a boring man who talked about himself and how important he and his family were way too much. She hadn’t thought of him as a very aggressive man until he’d grabbed her over the counter.
She’d been able to pry his hand from her arm, but he hadn’t seemed willing to leave until those two men had come up and ordered more cake pops for breakfast the next morning. Then he’d left fairly quickly. She smiled to herself. They’d looked pretty smug as they ate their breakfast out of the bag. They hadn’t fooled her. It had been a ploy to interrupt James’s obvious harassment. She should have thanked them, but when Darla had come in such distress, she’d concentrated on her instead. Then they were gone.
And here she was thinking about them again instead of finishing up the paperwork and going home. She was scheduled to open in the morning and would only get a few hours of sleep if she didn’t hurry up. Normally her other part-time employee would open in the mornings, but Leslie had needed off to go out of town with her family for a wedding.
She quickly completed the deposit and locked it up in the safe before shutting down her computer. Then she gathered her things and locked up the office before letting herself out the front door. Her car was parked around the corner. After locking up, she hurried to her car, the bitter cold biting at the exposed skin of her cheeks as she walked.
When she reached her car, Taylor unlocked it and quickly slid inside, glad to be out of the col
d. She closed the door and locked it before jamming her key in the ignition and starting the car. When all she heard was a clicking noise, Taylor banged her head against the steering wheel. Why now? Of all the nights her battery could die, why did it have to be tonight? She was already exhausted. Walking home in the cold at after one in the morning wasn’t her idea of smart, but what else could she do?
Ever since her parents had moved to Florida when they retired, she’d been on her own. Her older brothers had moved to Dallas right out of college, leaving the running of the shop to her. As much as she understood their need to get away and widen their horizons, she couldn’t help but wonder why she ended up left behind. Sometimes life just wasn’t fair though.
With a sigh, Taylor climbed back out of the car and tightened her coat around her as she started off down the sidewalk toward home. Growing up hadn’t been that bad. She’d loved working at the shop but had often wished she could have attended college like her brothers. They’d managed to snag football and baseball scholarships and worked hard to keep their grades up so they could continue their education. Rodney and Richard were twins and naturally close to each other. They shared an apartment and had started their own business together.
The wind died down some as she left the shelter of the buildings, for which she was exceedingly grateful. She still had a good mile before she turned down her street. It never occurred to her until she hit the long, lonely stretch of road leading home that she might be in danger. After all, she’d received that threatening note that very morning, and here she was walking after midnight along a deserted stretch of road. What part of stupid did she forget? Maybe her dead battery hadn’t really been a natural disaster after all? She looked around her, but all she could see was darkness and the short amount of road ahead of her illuminated by the moon.
At least it’s not cloudy tonight. I’ll be home soon, and I’ll never do this again.
She made that silent promise to herself in hopes it would help keep her safe now. With everything that had happened lately, she should have thought before striking out on her own like this. But who could she have called? The local garage was closed, and she didn’t have a road service package. Her only option would have been to call the sheriff’s department and she hated bothering someone with something like a dead battery.
Just as she thought she would make it to her street without incident, the sound of a vehicle approaching behind her set her heart racing at a dangerous pace. She considered hiding in the brush on the side of the road, but by the time she’d considered it, she was outlined in the headlights of the car. She made sure she was well over on the graveled edge of the road, giving the fast approaching vehicle plenty of room to pass her safely.
Since she couldn’t watch its approach with the headlights in her eyes, she turned to the side and shielded her face to keep from being blinded. Just as it drew close, she heard the tires change direction and looked up in time to see it swerve toward her. Taylor panicked and dove to the side into the grassy ditch. Pain seared her hands as she tried to break her fall. She had no idea how deep this part of the ditch that lined the side of the road actually was, but she prayed it didn’t have much water in it.
When she finally stopped rolling, an outcropping of rock stopped her descent, bruising her side and ribs unmercifully. For a brief second, she thought she would pass out from the pain, but she managed to breathe through it. She couldn’t hear anything outside of the roaring in her head as her blood rushed through her veins and her heart beat wildly in her chest. Finally everything calmed down, and she was able to take stock of her situation.
She was able to move all of her arms and legs without much discomfort which probably came from scrapes and bruises. She didn’t feel any major cuts and was able sit up with only a twinge to her side. When she focused, it was to find that she was only a small drop away from a deep section of the ditch where icy cold water waited below.
“Oh, God. How am I going to get back up that bank?”
She looked around and noticed a slightly less steep area a little farther down the ditch. If she was careful, Taylor was sure she could reach it and climb back up to the road. But what awaited her there? Had the car continued, or was someone waiting to see if she’d climb out of the ditch? She realized that she had immediately jumped to the conclusion that it hadn’t been an accident. Was she wrong and whoever it had been had either not been paying attention or was just drunk and never saw her?
Taylor slowly moved along the edge of the ditch, hanging on to every clump of grass she could find. Once she reached her targeted area, she quickly scrambled up the side and collapsed on the gravel in relief. When no one jumped out to grab her, she told herself she’d been overthinking a simple accident and should have never been on the road at night in the first place.
Much closer now, she hurried to her street and almost ran the rest of the way home. How she’d managed to hang on to her purse through everything, she didn’t know, but was forever grateful since it had her keys in it. The second she was inside with the door locked, Taylor felt the tears swarm her eyes and spill down her cheeks. She’d never been that scared in her life.
As soon as she managed to peel off her dirty clothes, Taylor ran a tub of hot water and sank into it, the bone deep cold slowly dissipating in the warmth surrounding her. She lay there for a long time just letting the water soothe her aches and pain before she washed and climbed back out of the tub to dry off.
When she assessed the damages in the mirror, Taylor had to admit it was going to look worse tomorrow. She just hoped the antibiotic salve and Ibuprofen she swallowed would work magic and keep the pain to a minimum. She still had to open the shop at seven, she checked the clock on the bedside table and winced. It almost wasn’t worth going to bed. She would get less than two hours of sleep now.
Setting the clock, she gave in to the need for rest and closed her eyes anyway. Immediately the two men, Max and Sawyer, filled her thoughts. Their sexy physiques and dark good looks seemed almost mystical. She couldn’t ignore the way they’d affected her body, but neither could she ignore the fact that they were a little bit scary as well. Some women got off on the tall, dark, and dangerous type, but Taylor preferred her men to be a little less intimidating. That thought made her snort. Who was she kidding? What men? She’d only really dated a few, and nearly a year had elapsed between James and the one before him.
Sexy thoughts of both men pleasuring her burned her eyelids as she settle down to let the dreams take her wherever they might. She wasn’t going to fight them after the night she’d had. Maybe she’d actually enjoy them.
Chapter Four
Sawyer followed Max out of the realtor’s office and sighed with relief. They’d found their perfect plot of land and made an offer. It was perfect for their needs. Far enough from town to offer some privacy while being close enough for convenience. They would also be close to the club in case of an emergency when they might not be around. All that remained once the deal went through was finalizing their plans and finding a builder.
“Are you satisfied with the land?” he asked Max as they climbed into Max’s Escalade.
“Actually, I am. I think it’s the perfect piece and in the most advantageous spot for us. I can’t wait to get started building. In Spain, I would have handled the sale myself and already be on the phone with construction companies getting quotes. This waiting for a go-between to earn their part is for the birds.”
Sawyer couldn’t help but chuckle at Max’s impatience. He was usually fairly patient with business, but for some reason he really wanted this house built. Perhaps it meant more to him than he let on. He sure hoped so. He wanted Max fully in when they claimed their wife. Right now, he was a little worried his partner thought he’d be able to leave the loving part up to Sawyer. Well he wasn’t having any part of that. It would take both of them to make a ménage relationship work.
“How about some coffee before we go back to the club? Maybe a sandwich to go with it,” Sawy
er suggested.
Max looked over at him. “We just had breakfast at the diner earlier. I really don’t want to show up there again after the way that waitress fawned all over us. She’s much too young.”
Sawyer’s face broke into a wide grin at the memory of Max trying to let the poor girl down gently. Her smile had slipped into a dainty pout when he’d explained that she was too young for them. It was obvious she wasn’t planning to listen to him.
“I’m on board with that one hundred percent! I thought we could stop by that coffee shop up on the corner again. They had sandwiches as well as those delicious cake things.”
“I didn’t notice the sandwiches.” Max frowned but nodded and turned back toward the building. “It’s a little after one. Do you think they’ll still have anything left after the lunch crowd?”
“Perkins City isn’t all that big, Max. I doubt there are enough people to form a crowd for lunch around here.” Sawyer shook his head.
Sometimes his partner forgot that they weren’t in a large city anymore. He still did things like they were, like whip around the little town as if they were on a busy interstate. He couldn’t wait to see how he handled getting a ticket from one of the local law enforcement people. Max prided himself on following the rules. Breaking the speed limit would be a blow to his pride.
“Still, I doubt they keep a large number on hand.” He parked them behind a ratty looking Honda and climbed out.
When they walked into the shop, Sawyer noted there were still several tables of people lingering over their coffee. When he checked the counter, it was to find the same woman from the night before refilling someone’s coffee. When it was their turn to place their order, she looked up and smiled. The sight of a bruise on one cheek and a scratch on the other instantly had him seeing red. What had happened to her since they’d seen her last night?
Sawyer opened his mouth to ask her what had happened to her, but Max’s deep voice drowned his out.