by Em Petrova
Elise and Chaz were speaking quietly, heads bent together. When they heard the door, they drew apart and Elise threw her a wide smile. Rushing forward, Elise embraced her.
Fleur was surprised by the show of affection—they’d only had a few hours together that one day in the apartment. And while they’d chatted over TV and movies, she didn’t really consider it a close relationship.
Then again, Fleur had spent a lifetime not having girlfriends, and maybe she didn’t know how to gauge anything.
“You look like you got some sun. Watch you don’t get a burn.” Elise pivoted to toss Chaz a dirty look. “Did you even give this woman sunscreen? You know how this sun gets down here.”
He rubbed at his hair like a boy who was being chastised. “Guess I forgot.”
Elise looked between them, but if she saw what had really made Chaz forget about skin protection, she didn’t say. Instead, she went to the boat that was docked and reached into it. She came out with Fleur’s bag and one other.
“This is yours,” she said, setting it on the deck, “and this is from Bo.”
Fleur came forward. “Bo?”
“Yeah, some clothes and other things to get a girl through, he said.”
“Elise, your ex is weird. I’ve never met a man who loves to shop,” Chaz said.
“Lots of men love to shop. And Bo just knows women’s bodies. He can tell what will look good on them. Believe me, he dressed me for a lot of years and I still occasionally ask him for advice, though Sean doesn’t like it so I try to avoid it.”
Elise looked at Fleur. “He says there’s something in there for you to decide on. I didn’t look, but I’m sure it’s something fun.”
“Thank you.” Fleur didn’t know what to say to the exuberant—and kind—woman. Sean’s family had brought her into their fold, but Fleur still felt she was intruding on their lives.
But after being intimate with Chaz…
No, that was just circumstantial. Like the celebrity sleeping with her bodyguard. It happened when people were thrown together enough. After Fleur was free to go her own way, things would end between her and Chaz.
A small, hard kernel of dread took up residence in her stomach, where it sat the entire time Chaz and Elise talked about what was happening with the family.
“Well, I’ve gotta get back,” Elise said at last. “Chaz, you’ve got the satellite phone, right?”
“Yeah.”
“All right. Stay safe. Guts and glory.”
Elise’s words gave Fleur a start. She’d heard one of the Knight brothers say the same thing to him before they’d left for the cabin, just before they bumped fists, but she’d never heard it from one of the Knight women.
She thanked Elise and threw her a wave as she got back into the airboat and took off into the waterway.
Chaz watched her go too and then turned to Fleur. She held the bag Bo had sent in her hands, afraid of what was inside, afraid of everything right this moment.
“What Elise said… guts and glory. Is that a family motto or something?” Fleur asked.
Chaz’s lips turned up at the corner, cutting a path through one cheek. “It’s something we say in Knight Ops as a greeting or farewell. Elise is one of us in a way, since she helps us get certain information when we need it. I guess it rubbed off on her.”
Chaz’s words stuck out in Fleur’s mind like a flashing neon light. Glaring and painful to look at. Helps us get certain information.
Their heads had been together as they bent in quiet conversation. About what? Fleur’s father?
Or Fleur herself?
Now that she’d had some light shed on the family dynamics—and that of Knight Ops too—everything Chaz had asked her suddenly seemed like an interrogation and not some casual pillow-talk.
* * * * *
Chaz got off the boat and stepped straight into the SUV. His team was all grim-faced, but they had nothing on Chaz. There couldn’t be worse timing to take care of a homeland threat. Leaving Fleur in the care of Bo and the company of Lexi sucked a pair of big brass balls.
“We better not be headed to fuckin’ Mississippi,” Chaz grated out as he slammed the door. Ben took off immediately.
“Fuckin’ Mississippi,” Rocko echoed.
Chaz twisted at the sound of melancholy in Rocko’s tone. “What’s his problem?”
“Lexi’s his problem. Or should I say Bo’s his problem?” Dylan said.
“Shut up, Dylan,” Rocko said and sank back into silence.
“Tell me what’s been happening,” Chaz demanded.
“Nothing new from intel. Unless you count that Elise reported seeing beard burns on Fleur’s thighs after coming from the cabin yesterday.” Sean’s statement came out nonchalantly, but Chaz wanted to knock his head off his shoulders.
“What?” he practically roared.
“C’mon, man. We know you’re fucking her. Just own up to it,” Sean said.
“Fuck off.” Why did it bother him so much that his brothers knew he was sleeping with the woman he’d sworn to protect?
Maybe that was the reason—pure and simple. He felt he was taking advantage of her situation in some way. Though the way she’d begged had been far from taking advantage. If anything, he was the one being used the fourth, fifth and sixth times they’d had sex.
“Let him alone.” Ben’s order made the guys shut up, which Chaz was thankful for.
Sean turned up the radio and tunes drowned out all talk as they all worked to get into the zone and prepared for any pile of shit they were destined to step into.
“Dude, I don’t like this road. We’re heading straight for—” Roades was cut off as the Mississippi state sign came into view.
Sean slammed the heel of his hand off the dash. “Dammit! I should know by now that when you go all quiet about a mission, Ben, that we’re going to be dealing with some ridiculous shit. I’m not sure how many crackheads with a stockpile of C4 are in this state, but we had to have taken out at least half of them by now.”
Ben threw him an amused look. “Maybe not quite half. Hopefully this levels us on that front.”
Groans sounded, but Chaz didn’t add his. His mind was far back in the bayou with Fleur. He’d only had hours with her before being called away. What kind of protector was that? Though his obligations lay with Knight Ops, he couldn’t help but feel he’d let her down.
And the last few hours he’d spent with her, she’d been quiet. She was always quiet, given her circumstances. But unnaturally so. He couldn’t help but wonder what had sparked the change in her demeanor. After Elise had left, Fleur hadn’t been the same. Though Chaz couldn’t think of anything said that would have caused her to go silent on him.
Maybe it was the strain of her situation. Being in hiding was no picnic, even if he could think of worse places to be—or worse people to be with. He didn’t believe his company to be bad. He could cook and they’d enjoyed a playful swim off the dock.
And he’d blown her mind with several orgasms.
Soon Ben started talking, filling them in on the details of the mission, and Chaz had to let thoughts of Fleur drift from his mind for the time being. But she was always there, just in the background. He wondered if his brothers thought of their wives the same way—as a light in the distance, beckoning them home.
* * * * *
Fleur reached into the bag and drew out a box of hair dye. The cinnamon hue was exactly what Bo had told her to reach for next time. But then she reached into the bag again, this time pulling out a box of her own dark brown color.
She gave a hard swallow as she thought of going back to her normal color. It wasn’t as if she was in any more danger no matter what her hair color was. Besides, if any of those guys working with her uncle had gotten word back to her daddy, he knew she was masquerading as a redhead anyway.
Along with the dye were several new outfits inside the bag—comfy jeans and soft cotton tank tops, as well as some cozy sweaters for cooler nights on the bayou.
> The man really knew how to shop.
In the bottom of the bag was a small pouch full of makeup, including sunscreen.
A flush washed over her as she recalled Elise asking if she’d used SPF. And knowing damn well why she hadn’t too. The woman’s sharp eyes missed nothing, and that superpower was probably amplified when it came to her brother-in-law.
Fleur lined up the boxes on the countertop and stared at them and then at her reflection. She felt like a different person, and what was on the outside would never match the inside even if she dyed her hair rainbow and stuck gems all through it. She was a different Fleur, one who’d experienced things that she never would have dreamed of during her easy life on the plantation.
She’d rubbed elbows with the best card players in New Orleans—and won. She’d managed to stay alive after her uncle’s kidnapping, though that credit went to Chaz and his team.
And she’d fallen hopelessly in love.
How? Why now? She was a level-headed person, and this couldn’t be worse timing for her romantic side to pop out of hiding. But she had to finally look into her own brown eyes and admit to herself that Chaz had come to mean something big to her.
She was probably being horribly naïve, as she had been all those years to her father’s dealings. But Chaz had said things, and those soft words had struck a gong inside her, and she was still resonating from them.
She was slowly moving away from her idea of putting blind trust in her father. And now, she had put her trust into a new family, a family who’d shed blood for her. The Knights.
She glanced at the dye boxes again. Her mind was made up.
When she walked out wearing some comfy loungewear and her natural dark brown hair, Lexi and Bo stopped talking and looked at her.
“Wow. Girl, I thought you were beautiful as a redhead, but you’re such a bombshell!” Lexi’s warm greeting had Fleur blushing.
Bo leaned back against the counter and gave her a once-over of approval. “I was spot on.”
She chuckled. “You were. Thank you.”
Lexi came up to her and made a revolution around Fleur, checking her out from all angles. Then she stopped in front of her and let out a low cat-call whistle.
Fleur’s giggle bubbled up. Chaz’s little sister definitely made life more fun when she was around.
Lexi reached out and ran her fingers through Fleur’s hair, fluffing it like a hairdresser would. “Yep—bombshell. Wait till Chaz gets a glimpse of you.”
A flush covered Fleur’s cheeks. “Why would Chaz care that I changed my hair?”
Lexi gave her a face—wide-eyes and lips pursed with attitude. “Are you kidding me? He can’t take his eyes off you. He’s clearly crazy about you.”
Feeling discomfort and a leap in her chest area she did not want to think on, Fleur steered the conversation away from herself.
“What did you two make for lunch? It smells great.” She headed into the kitchen to check it out.
On the counter were fixin’s for tacos, Louisiana style. The Creole sauce smelled mouthwatering, and the bright colors of vegetables had the spread looking more than appetizing.
Lexi handed her a plate and Fleur began to load a taco with shrimp, bell peppers and a host of other vegetables, topping off with a generous dollop of Cajun mayo.
The others gathered their tacos too and they all settled at the table. Fleur wasn’t nearly as uncomfortable as she thought she’d be. While Lexi and Bo discussed her sister Tyler, Fleur listened intently.
“Nobody knows where she’ll go from Parris Island, but we all hope she comes home before she’s deployed somewhere,” Lexi said.
Bo wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. “She’s headstrong and believe it or not, that’s the stuff leaders are made of. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her promoted before she goes.”
“She’s a pain in the ass is what she is. Running off to join up and she didn’t even tell me, her own twin!”
“Wait—you’re twins?” Fleur asked, swinging a glance to the photos on the wall she’d studied earlier. The sisters weren’t identical.
Lexi touched Fleur’s shoulder as she talked, and normally Fleur didn’t love that sort of touchy-feeling person, but Lexi was so genuine that it didn’t bother her. “Yes, we’re twins, though we’re as different as can be.”
Fleur shifted her gaze to Bo, who shook his head no.
“Oh you!” Lexi picked up a shred of bell pepper and threw it at him.
The meal continued with the same playful banter and Fleur was able to sit back and enjoy it without pressure to join in. When they were finished eating, Bo got up from the table and carried his plate to the sink.
“I’m gonna do a spot of fishin’. Might as well take the time when it’s offered.” He walked out onto the deck, leaving Lexi and Fleur alone.
Lexi sat back and looked at her.
“Um… Do I have Cajun mayo on my face?” Fleur asked.
Lexi chuckled. “No. I’m just wondering how you don’t know how my brother feels about you.”
Fleur stared at her. “We’re not exactly in a relationship. Just thrown together while I sort things out.”
Lexi waved a hand. “Don’t think that I don’t know what’s happening just because I’m not on Knight Ops. I have two eyes. Chaz is protecting you from something.”
Fleur looked down at the few vegetables on her plate. “Yes.”
“I don’t know the details and it’s okay if you don’t want to tell me.”
“Thank you.”
“Plus, I want to hear about how you got Chaz to stop being a playboy and hooked him.”
“What? I didn’t… hook him.” She didn’t know he was a playboy either. The thought gave her a small pang.
“I’m curious, Fleur, because I have this guy friend who won’t make a move and I don’t know what to do anymore. I’ve practically thrown myself at him and he won’t even kiss me.”
“Do you work with him or something? Maybe he’s keeping a professional distance,” Fleur said, caught up in the sadness in Lexi’s eyes and wanting to help remove it.
“My brothers work with him,” Lexi said.
Fleur flicked her gaze to the door Bo had gone through.
Lexi laughed. “Not Bo, though he’s gorgeous, right? It’s Rocko.” She smacked a hand off the table. “He’s so old-fashioned, believing he can’t be with me because my family wouldn’t like it. So he won’t even give us a chance.”
“Have you talked to him about it?”
“Girl, I’ve done nothing but talk. It’s like he’s deaf. I even tried leaving town hoping he’d come searching for me, but they sent Bo after me instead. Since then, Rocko has it in his head that I have something for Bo. And I figured I won’t set him straight—let him think Bo is competition. Maybe then he’ll make a move.”
Fleur shook her head. “I’m sorry but I know nothing of men’s behavior.” Hell, she couldn’t trust her instincts anyway, could she? All those years she’d believed her father when he said he was a simple businessman.
“That’s clear or you’d see you’ve got my brother all knotted up.”
She stared at Lexi.
But Lexi surprised her by getting onto another tangent. She cocked her head, contemplating Fleur. “You know, Tyler has a hair straightener here in the cabin. Can I use it on your hair?”
She blinked at the change of topic. “Uh… I guess so.”
“Good!” She jumped up, leaving her plate on the table. Fleur couldn’t help but smile at the woman’s energy as she carried both their plates to the sink.
To be so carefree, so confident and full of life… Fleur had to get her life back on track so she could try to live like Lexi, without fear or a care as to how the world might see her.
“Fleur, I’m ready!” Lexi called from the bathroom.
A minute later, she found herself seated on the commode having Lexi style her hair. The girl-time consisted of Lexi telling her how she wasn’t good at school so she took vo-tech co
urses on cosmetology but didn’t do it for a living because she loved working at the flower shop more. Though she enjoyed doing her sisters-in-law’s hair when they were brides and still cut her papa’s.
When she stopped talking and stood back to inspect Fleur, she gave an enthusiastic nod. “Oh yes, just as I thought. This is your hair the day you marry my brother.”
Shock hit Fleur, and she allowed Lexi to pull her up to look into the mirror hanging above the sink.
When she saw her reflection, her jaw dropped. Lexi had used the straightener but Fleur’s hair wasn’t straight as she expected. Instead, loose curls framed her face, hanging to graze her shoulders. The effect was so good that Fleur had to give her head a test shake just to watch the curls move.
“It’s lovely.”
“I know.” Lexi squealed. “With your veil, it will have Chaz fainting on the altar of St. Pat’s.”
Fleur had to set her straight. She couldn’t let her believe she would be her next sister-in-law.
She turned from the mirror. “Lexi, Chaz and I—”
“Are the perfect couple. Don’t worry, my bro’s not as stubborn as Rocko. He’ll make his move soon. You’ll see.”
Fleur simply stared at the woman, feeling the words were wishful thinking on Lexi’s part but touched that she wanted her in the family. And she had to admit the words rang with a sort of prophetic tone that had Fleur’s stomach hatching butterflies.
* * * * *
Chaz was grubby and had a crust of blood in one eyebrow where an asshole had swung a pipe at him—right before Chaz threw him to the ground and jammed his rifle barrel into his chest.
All he wanted was a hot shower and to fall into bed with Fleur.
She had to despise him, though. After digging into her past, hell, he hated himself. He’d confessed to Elise how fucking horrible he felt for probing Fleur for info. But she’d assured him that he was doing his job, and in turn, protecting Fleur.
Goddammit, Fleur was not a job.
And he had Elise to thank for leading him to that realization. As soon as he got time off, he owed her not one but several babysitting jobs so she and Sean could have some alone time.
It had taken betrayal and a trip to fucking Mississippi for him to realize he was in love with Fleur.