He looked like an angry lion. He grabbed the band and let the hair fall free. “No. Hell no.”
She laughed. “All right, then, leave it down.” She ran her hands through the length, marveling at how silky and smooth it was. And thick and amazing. “You have enough hair for both of us.”
“I love your hair,” he said, pushing back the thin, soft strands that liked to fall over her forehead.
“Thanks,” she said.
“But no, I’m not leaving mine down. I need to tie it back so I’m ready to do battle with Bentley.”
“Speaking of which, I think my dad is planning a boat trip,” she said. “So probably not much battle.”
“A battle on the seas, then,” he said. “Good thing I have a better six-pack.”
“I think we’re just going out on the sailboat,” she said with a giggle. “So behave yourself.”
“What are you wearing?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
She laughed. “What’s it to you?”
“I don’t want other people seeing your body,” he pouted.
She laughed. “But you want to see it, right?”
He nodded eagerly. She laughed at how transparent the big man was when it came to her. Maybe he hid everything else, but his feelings for her were very apparent.
“I promise you’ll like it,” she said. “All right. Should we go down and say hi to the others?”
“Sure,” he said. “You go ahead. I’ll be right down.”
She frowned. “What is it?”
“Just gotta grab a few more things.”
She nodded. “I need to stop by my room anyway.” She picked up the last Danish remaining on her plate and nibbled it as she headed down the stairs.
She took a deep breath as she prepared herself to meet anyone that was up and about. She saw Bentley walking down the hallway toward the other guest rooms on the bottom floor and purposely turned toward her room to avoid him.
She wanted to grab her phone, which she’d left in her room in her hurry to find breakfast this morning.
She was caught up in thoughts of how the day would be with Hercules and didn’t notice until she got to her room that something felt amiss.
She could swear she’d shut the door, but it was now ajar.
She put her hand on the handle and pushed it open, peeking around to see if someone was inside.
A little chill went through her as she saw no one was there.
But someone had been there. Someone who had disguised their scent with something else. She went into mission mode, analyzing everything around her. She walked to her dresser, seeing someone had rifled through it, and then tried to make it look like no one had touched anything.
But someone had definitely touched her underwear. They were folded half-heartedly, but not how she folded them. And no longer in their color-coordinated arrangement.
She put a hand in her hair, suddenly wanting to run from the room. Why would someone have done this? She didn’t think even Bentley, who’d been a little jerk even when they were kids, would invade her privacy like this.
She took a step backward and looked around the room. She didn’t see anything else disturbed. So they’d just come in and creeped on her underwear? Maybe she needed a bodyguard after all.
Hercules. Should she even tell him? He was likely to fly off the handle, being the jealous lover he was. But then, as a professional, he would want to be kept in the loop. Curse their relationship for being so complicated right now.
Still, she backed out of the room and looked up the stairs to see he was already coming down. She whistled quietly and waved to get his attention, and he jogged down the stairs and came over to her.
She saw her mom and dad looking curiously at her from the entrance to the kitchen, but she ignored them and pulled Hercules into her room.
His expression was confused, but he withheld judgment until they were inside and alone again. When he saw the disquiet in her eyes, he put his hands on her arms to steady her.
“Hera, what’s wrong?”
“Someone’s been in my room,” she said, trying to not look wide-eyed. She’d been in tense situations. This was nothing compared to that. Yet it was so very personal. And she wasn’t a soldier anymore. She was just a regular woman and couldn’t believe someone had violated her space.
“Calm down,” he said, looking over her face and rubbing his hands over her arms to calm her. She loved the feel of his big, warm palms on her sweater-covered arms. With him here, she felt fully insulated.
“They were… in my underwear drawer.”
He dropped his hands and his eyebrows came down. Lethal anger radiated off of him. “What?”
She nodded to the drawer and led him over to it. He looked down, flushing slightly as his finger moved toward the silky items inside the drawer.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “When I came down here, the door was ajar, and I’m sure I didn’t leave it that way. And the underwear was like that, and it’s not how I left it.” She gestured to the closet. “As you saw, I put my clothes in a specific arrangement.”
He grabbed her in and held her close to him, then put her at arm’s length. “I’m going to put cameras down here, okay? When we get back from sailing. I don’t want the family to know about this now. I don’t want whoever did it to know we’re on to them. I want them to just keep acting as they are.”
“But—”
“Obviously, I’ll protect you, Hera,” he said.
She hugged him. “I know. I just… It’s so gross and uncomfortable.”
“Yeah, someone here is a huge perv. And they’re gonna get it. I promise. But for now, we need to keep it on the down low.”
She nodded.
“From now on, lock your door whenever you leave. Not that it will keep them out, but then we’ll know what lengths they’re willing to go to to break in.”
She nodded. “All right.”
“You sure nothing else was bothered?” he asked.
“Yes.”
He took her hand. “Okay, for now we have to go out there and pretend like nothing happened, okay?”
She looked up at him. “I don’t know how you can be so calm.”
“I’m not calm. I’m pissed as hell that someone messed with you.” He put a finger under her chin. “But I also know there’s no one that can mess with you as long as I’m with you. So I’m not worried.” Then he kissed her lightly on the lips, sealing his words with a silent promise. Her body melted in against him, and she felt her worries wash away.
“Okay,” she said. “I trust you.”
He cocked his head. “That means a lot.”
She put her hand in his. “Good. Okay. Out to meet the day.”
He laughed and led her out of the room. “Think I’ll make a good sailor?”
She nodded. “I think so. As long as you don’t fall off the boat.”
“Honey, not unless you fall in and I have to go in to save you.”
She snorted. “Honey, I’ve grown up around boats all my life. Unlikely.”
“Well, just know I’ll be there to rescue you if you do.”
She laughed at that and they walked out into the hallway to greet the others.
“Get your swimsuits!” May called out, wearing a colorful cover-up and flip-flops.
Rob checked his watch. “Gotta get out before the water gets choppy.”
Hera gave Herc an apologetic smile. “Here we go.”
“It’s fine,” he said. “It’s always an adventure with you.”
Then he grinned and let her hand go to return to his room. She watched his ass all the way up the stairs, a small grin on her face.
Chapter 10
Hercules had to admit Hera’s family had some nice ways of doing things. The private pond he’d seen turned out to be more of a private lake, and there was a boathouse on the other side, where a large sailing boat was docked. Plenty big to hold all of them and definitely different than any b
oat Hercules had been on.
He felt acutely out of place, but at the same time, whenever he looked at Hera, he felt at home again. At peace.
She was relaxing on a padded bench and letting the breeze hit her face and lift her hair as her dad and mom handed out finger sandwiches and little flutes of champagne. Hercules took his and sat next to her, paying no attention to Bentley, who was loudly proclaiming it was about time for a swim.
Without warning, Bentley pulled his shirt over his head, ruffling his short blond hair, and proudly bared his chest, which was broad and showed the signs of someone who’d been carefully hitting the gym.
He looked over at Hera, and then his face fell in disappointment as he realized she was currently busy feeding Hercules a piece of sandwich with her fingers.
Hercules sent a cocky grin to the other man as he slowly chewed her offering and then pulled off a piece of his sandwich and placed his between her waiting lips. Her blond lashes closed softly, and she swallowed and then looked up at him.
Feeding her was a bit erotic. Well, everything with her was a bit erotic.
He heard Bentley clear his throat. “Are we just going to sit around, or are we going to swim?”
Hera looked out around them. “In the lake?” She had on a white crocheted cover-up and beneath it, Herc could make out the tantalizing hints of a dark-blue bikini that highlighted all the right curves. Then again, all her curves were right to him.
Bentley snorted. “Of course.”
“Isn’t it a little cold?” May asked, sitting next to her husband, who was watching the exchange as usual.
Bentley snorted, a sign of disrespect that had Rob scowling, but kept his attention on Hercules and Hera. “You think it’s too cold, John?”
Hercules raised an eyebrow at the water around him. He could remember swimming through water with chunks of actual ice in it. “Nah, looks comfortable.”
“Then why aren’t you in your swim trunks?” Bentley asked with a smirk. “Afraid you can’t measure up? Guess guys with bulk can’t be cut. Don’t feel bad about it,” he said, running a hand over his own abs.
Behind him, Adam smirked.
Dean, who’d been eating a sandwich and sitting by May, narrowed in on the situation with interest. Herc didn’t know why, but he got the vague feeling the other man was on his side. He’d have to look into that more later.
“Don’t feel bad if you’re a little fat,” Bentley said to Hercules, who simply raised his brow again. “Just what happens to big guys when they aren’t active.”
Hercules eyed the other man’s six-pack disinterestedly, then looked at Hera. “Valerie seems to find my body adequate.”
Rob nearly choked on his food, and May had to rub his back. Hera giggled and put a hand over Hercules’s stomach.
“So you can just put that shirt back on, Bentley, if it’s a contest you’re wanting,” Herc said.
Bentley folded his arms. “Isn’t anyone going to swim?”
Dean stood. “I could go for it.” He pulled off his tee and revealed a row of tight abs. Now that Hercules looked, the other man was probably what women would consider fairly handsome, but he was proud to see Hera didn’t even look him over.
As Dean walked to the edge of the boat and prepared to dive, Hera put a hand on Hercules’s arm.
“Want to go in?” she asked.
He looked down at her cover-up, unable to deny he wanted to see her swimsuit. “Might be a good day for it.”
“You’re going in?” May asked. “But it’s cold.”
Rob laughed and put an arm around his wife. “You didn’t always think it was so cold, back when we used to swim in it.”
She flushed, and her husband held her tighter.
Hercules cocked his head.
“Has your family always lived here?”
Rob nodded proudly. “Every generation. And it’s my hope Valerie will settle here, too.”
Hera was quiet at that and just leaned in against Hercules. Was that what she expected, that he would stay here with her like a kept man?
He shook his head, banishing the thought. She’d told him she had no expectations. She only wanted them together. They would have to work out how that could happen.
He heard a splash and saw Dean had jumped in. He looked over and saw the brown-haired man surface, treading water with a little shiver. “Not bad,” he said, waving at them. “Come on in.”
Hercules glanced at Hera, who made as if to pull off her cover-up.
He put a hand out to stop her. “Don’t.”
She looked up at him curiously. “Don’t you want to swim?”
He shook his head. Not with Bentley.
She ran a hand over his abs, whispering only for him to hear. “You know you could put him to shame…”
“I don’t care what anyone thinks but you,” he said, running a hand over her hair.
“You know what you two should do?” May called out, standing with a flute of champagne in her hand. “You should take a dinghy out and show Hercules our other little pond.”
Hercules’s eyes widened. “Other pond?”
Rob nodded. “On the other side of the estate. You could take a golf cart over there.”
Hercules looked at Hera.
“Isn’t anyone getting in?” Dean called from the water.
All eyes turned to Bentley, who stared Hercules down. “Who are you, anyway?”
Hercules was quiet, folding his arms over the white T-shirt he wore over his swim trunks. “No one who has to answer to you.”
Apparently, the thought of Hercules getting alone time with Hera was too much for Bentley to stand, and he walked forward, past Hera, and jabbed Hercules in the chest.
Rob stood, a look of warning on his face, but Hercules remained calm, appraising the other man.
“I don’t know of any banker named John in my circles. So how else could you know Valerie?”
Hercules let his lip curl at the other man. “I don’t think you want to run in my circles,” he muttered for Bentley’s ears only. The other man’s face went pale. “And if I were you, I’d stay out of my fiancée’s room, too.”
Bentley blanched. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Hercules narrowed his eyes on him, trying to tell if he was lying or not. He looked around to see the family’s stares on him, but it didn’t look like anyone had heard him. He put a hand out and pushed Bentley back easily.
“I think I’ll take your advice, May,” he said as Dean pulled himself back onto the boat and took a towel from a waiting May.
“Thanks for lunch,” Hercules said to May, who just nodded, confused by what had gone on between him and Bentley.
Hercules had a bad feeling about the other man. He just knew he was up to something.
No man should act that interested in another man’s fiancée.
He took Hera’s hand. “Come on. Let’s go.” They faced the water and then jumped in together and swam to where it was shallow enough to stand.
He put an arm around her and then swept her into his arms, and she shivered slightly. “Cold?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her.
She nodded. “Better than being on that awkward boat, though.”
“Would you really want to stay here?” he asked. “For life?”
She thought about it until they reached the shore and he put her down, rubbing her arms for heat. “I don’t know,” she said, leading the way to a small shed at the side of the house. There were spare towels there, and she wrapped one around herself and handed one to him. “I know my parents would like it.”
He pulled her against him, trying to get them both dry. “What would you like?”
She shook her head. “I’m all they have. Who else would take over Dad’s company?”
“Could you run it remotely?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I mean, you have to understand they’ve done everything for me. I don’t know anything about your family, so I don’t know if yo
u understand that, but it’s true. They’ve been good to me. I owe a certain duty to them.”
He nodded. He couldn’t really understand. Not at all. But he appreciated her loyalty. Just another factor to plug into the impossible equation he was trying to make work so they could be together.
He had to figure it out.
He took her hand, and she led him to another small outbuilding at the back of the house, where several golf carts were stored.
Hera got on one and gestured for him to join her, and then they took off out into the sunlight, Hercules holding their towels.
He looked behind him to see the other lake disappearing in the distance as they wound along a small path in the forest and came out to a sun-soaked clearing on the other side. And another pond.
“Wow,” he said.
“We’ll have privacy here,” she said, stepping out of the cart.
“I like that.” He took her hand as they walked toward a small dock at the edge of the pond, where a small two-person craft floated.
“A ride, my lady?”
She laughed. “Sure.”
He swept her off her feet and into his arms and carried her down the dock to place her in the boat. She looked up at him as he got in, being careful not to let his weight tip it over.
Then he got the oar and started to row them out onto the pond. She looked around them and let out a little sigh at the ripples spreading over the surface around them.
“What a beautiful day,” she said.
He agreed. Mostly because she was there. The sun was drying her cover-up, and he was wanting to see what was under it. “You can take that off now.”
“Oh?” she asked playfully, reaching for the hem.
He nodded vigorously.
“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours,” she said.
He whipped his shirt over his head, baring his torso, and enjoyed the mouthwatering look she gave him. “You’ve seen it before,” he said. “You saw it last night.”
“I was a little distracted,” she murmured.
Then she pulled off her cover-up, and his whole mouth went dry. It was one thing to see her in the darkness; it was another to observe every curve in the light.
“You’re gorgeous,” he said, moving forward to sit in front of her, one hand on either side of the boat to keep them from tipping.
Bear-ly Human (Bear Claw Security Book 4) Page 8