by Alison Bliss
“Seth?”
The mattress beside me pressed down with his weight. “Don’t worry, baby. I’m right here. I’m not going to leave you.”
“Okay, what now?”
His warm mouth ran over my beaded nipple, wetting it with his tongue. “Now you need a safe word.”
A safe word? Jesus. What the hell was he planning on doing to me? I giggled. “Why in the world would I need a—” His teeth nipped at the rigid bud in his mouth, and a sharp spike of adrenaline shot through my system so fast that my mind went fuzzy. “Oh. Um, okay. How about…leprechaun.”
He laughed. “Leprechaun? Really?”
I couldn’t stop the indignation from coloring my tone. “What’s wrong with leprechaun?”
“Nothing, I guess. I just figured you would pick something a little…um, sexier.”
“I can change it.”
“Nope. Too late. Now you’re stuck with it. At least I know that I won’t confuse that with anything else you might mutter.” He chuckled again. “Okay, so here are the rules. If you use that word, I’ll stop doing whatever it is I’m doing in that particular moment. It doesn’t matter what it is. As long as you say leprechaun, I’ll stop.”
“You promise?” I didn’t know why I was asking this, since I didn’t plan on ever using the safe word. I had always liked everything Seth did to me when we were having sex.
“I promise,” he assured me. “You say it and I stop. Got it?”
“Yep. But one question. What’s your safe word?”
“I don’t need one.”
“Well, that’s not fair. If I get one, you should have one, too.”
“Fine. My safe word is harder.”
“Seth.”
He groaned. “Okay, fine. If you do anything at all that frightens me, I’ll just use yours.” With the way he said that, I had no doubt he was rolling his eyes.
“Okay, sounds good. Now what?”
“Now you tell me what you want me to do to you.”
Confusion had me furrowing my eyebrows. “I’m naked, blindfolded, and on a bed. Isn’t that already established?”
He grunted at me. “No. Say it. Out loud.”
I giggled. Maybe this wasn’t going to be as bad as I thought. “All right. I want you.”
“No,” he said, his frustration clearly growing. “Stop being difficult and tell me what you want me to do to you.”
I sighed wearily. “Don’t tell me you forgot how to have sex. I feel like I’m with a teenage boy who must still be a virgin because he doesn’t know shit about how to please a woman.”
A strangled sound came from his throat. “Okay, that’s it,” he said, grabbing my waist and flipping me over onto my stomach. Then he pulled my hips up and back to force me onto my knees. Before I could even take a breath, there was a stinging slap on my ass, and then his palm ran over my cheek, soothing the area.
Desire coursed through me, and I moaned from deep within my throat.
“That’s what bad girls get when they don’t play fair,” he said, sliding his fingers between my folds, measuring the evidence of my arousal. “Oh yeah, baby. You’re liking this already, aren’t you?”
What the hell was there not to like? “Mmm-hmm.”
“All right. Let’s see if you can give me another reason to spank your beautiful little bottom, shall we?” His long, thick fingers tunneled inside of me, and I nearly collapsed back onto the bed. But he held me steady as he thrust them in and out of me, curving them slightly so they rubbed directly against my G-spot. “You have two minutes to come.”
“And if I don’t?”
He grinned. “Ah, baby, you’re making it sound like you’re going to have a choice in the matter. Trust me, you don’t.”
Well, hell. When he puts it like that…
…
Early the next morning, Seth and I had just finished eating breakfast and were loading the dishwasher when he must’ve heard something outside. He walked over and peered out the nearest window. “Uh, Bobbie. Did you happen to mention anything to your friends about my past?”
“Oh damn. Yeah, I did. I asked Jake to do a background check on you because I knew you were hiding something from me. But don’t worry. I’ll call him and tell him not to worry about it anymore.”
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because your cavalry just pulled up in front of the house. All four of your boys are getting out of the truck and they’re all packing heat.”
My eyes widened. “What? Let me see.” I moved past him and peeked out the window to see Jake, Cowboy, Ox, and Judd walking from the truck to the house, each of them carrying weapons. “Dear God. They look like they’re loaded for a bear hunt.”
“I know.” Seth grinned, clearly flattered by the idea that it would probably take that much ammo to take him down. “Just stay inside and let me handle this, okay?”
“What? No way.”
“Bobbie, I’m not kidding. I’ll take care of it.” He patted me on the rear. “Just keep that sweet little ass inside like I told you. Got it?”
“But I can explain it to them so they don’t—”
“No. I said let me handle it. I don’t want you in the way in case this all goes in a different direction than I think it will. I need to know you’re safe.”
“So you don’t want my help with this?”
“Nope.”
I crossed my arms. “Okay, fine. You’re on your own.”
Seth walked over and opened the door, grinning. “Hey, fellas. Wanna come inside for some coffee?”
All four of them grabbed Seth, yanked him outside and off the porch, and put him on his knees in the grass just off from the stairs. Then they all four pointed their guns at him, although he didn’t even seem to put up a fight.
“Guess not,” Seth said, chuckling.
I walked out onto the porch. “Stop it!” I yelled. “Don’t hurt him.”
Jake pointed to the house. “Bobbie Jo, go back inside.”
What the hell? Why was everyone telling me what to do on my own property? Ignoring them, I started down the stairs, anyway.
Seth shook his head and glared at me. “Don’t move, Bobbie. Stay right there.”
“Don’t listen to this asshole,” Jake said, then glanced up and saw that I was coming toward them. “Damn it, Bobbie Jo. I told you to go inside. It’s for your own safety.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I said, crossing my arms. “What the hell’s going on? Let Seth go.”
“No. I’m here to question your boarder.” His hard gaze fastened back on Seth. “Were you in the Army or something?”
Seth grinned. “No. I was the Army.”
Judd laughed. “Whatever, Mr. Badass. No one has a one-man Army.”
“I beg to differ,” Seth said, chuckling.
Cowboy grabbed Seth by his collar and shook him. “What are you? Some kind of government spy or something?”
“Nope. Wrong again,” Seth said, clearly enjoying the fun game he was playing.
I rolled my eyes. “Would you guys knock this crap off and let him up already. You’re making a huge mistake.”
Jake shook his head. “Bobbie, there are things you don’t know about him.”
“Jake, stop. I know all about him being a mercenary.”
He blinked at me. “What the hell do you mean you already know? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Because I’d only found out last night. But I didn’t say that, since I didn’t think it would go over very well. “Look, it’s not what you think. Just sit down with Seth and let him explain it to you.”
Cowboy shook his head. “What’s to explain? He got paid to do things. Bad things. Things that weren’t right. Mercenaries are killers, Bobbie Jo. You’ve been living with a murderer.”
I cringed at his words. “He’s not a murderer. Just listen to him and you’ll—”
“Damn it, Bobbie,” Seth said, glaring at me. “That’s e
nough. Stop defending me.”
Ox cocked his gun. “Watch the way you’re talking to her, dickhead.”
I stepped over toward Seth. “I’m not staying out of this anymore.”
He chuckled. “You haven’t stayed out of it since I opened the door.”
I glanced around at all of my friends. “You have it all wrong. Now put the guns down, let him go, and get the hell off my property. Otherwise, I’m going to go get my gun and we’re going to see who’s a better shot.”
All of their mouths dropped open, but Seth just grinned and winked at me. “Damn, baby. Do you know how fucking hot that was?”
I couldn’t help but smile back.
Jake finally spoke up. “I’m not leaving you alone with him. Are you insane?”
“I’m not afraid of him.”
Ox shook his head. “We have him, Bobbie Jo. He’s not going anywhere until he starts talking.”
Seth must’ve had enough of their foolishness because he exploded from the ground and quickly disarmed Ox, knocking his feet out from under him. Judd tried to grab him with his meaty hands, but Seth ducked and twisted his body around him until he ended up behind Judd with Ox’s gun pointed directly into his back. “Now who’s got who?”
Jake and Cowboy lifted their weapons and pointed them at Seth’s head, a move that sent shivers down my spine. “Drop the weapon,” Jake ordered.
Seth grinned. “No problem,” he said, shoving Judd toward them while he unloaded the weapon and tossed it to the ground, leaving him defenseless and completely at their mercy. Now who was the insane one?
Cowboy stepped forward to grab him, but Seth used some mixed martial arts move to block Cowboy’s hand, twist it up around his back, and then he grabbed Cowboy’s gun and unloaded it before shoving him to the ground. “Jake, shoot the bastard already,” Cowboy yelled, holding his arm on the ground.
I stepped in front of Seth. “Don’t you dare.”
Seth put his hands on my waist and lifted me, moving me to the side with ease. “Sweetheart, you are going to get your little ass spanked again if you don’t get the hell out of the way.”
“Again?” Ox said, grinning.
Heat pulsed in my cheeks. “Oh shut up. Like you guys didn’t already know we were sleeping together.”
Jake was the only one who still had a weapon trained on Seth. “What the hell, Bobbie? What’s going on?”
“It’s okay, Jake. Just put the weapon down. You always want me to trust in you guys, then you should do the same for me. Seth isn’t a threat to any of us.”
Jake lowered his weapon. “Fine. But he better talk fast, and this better be good.”
I invited them all inside and got an ice pack for Cowboy’s arm while they sat around the dining room table listening to Seth talk about his time in The Resistance. I sat in the chair next to him, and when he got to the part about losing the little boy, I squeezed his hand under the table. He gave me a sad sort of smile, and I knew he was remembering all of it so clearly. But I think talking about it last night and again today had helped him a lot. He suddenly seemed lighter on his feet, as if he’d released some of his demons.
And once my boys had heard the whole story, they each took turns apologizing to Seth for their actions today. Well, except for Cowboy, who shook his head and said, “I ain’t apologizing for shit. The fucker nearly broke my arm with that fancy move he did.”
Seth just grinned. “Want me to show it to you?”
Cowboy grunted. “Hell if I’m going to stand there and let you do it to me again. But you can do it to one of these other morons. I wouldn’t mind seeing it a second time.”
In a gross display of male bravado, all of my boys went outside onto the front lawn and let Seth unarm each of them in order to learn his trademark move.
The idiots.
Chapter Eighteen
A few weeks passed, and things were finally looking up for me.
All of my boys were getting along well with Seth, and the bed and breakfast was nearly complete. He’d worked overtime to refinish the hardwood floors and the staircase, and both came out beautifully. All there was left to do now was decorate the rooms and get all of my paperwork in order before I could officially open for business.
And then there was the best news of all. Although the court date was coming up soon, Jeremy seemed to be losing interest in picking Austin up. He’d brought him home early twice recently, citing that he had better stuff to do than watch a kid. Well, that was fine by me. Not only had I documented the incidents for the court, but I was happy to have my son home where he belonged.
In fact, I had hoped Jeremy would bail out on picking Austin up today, since the Jam Session Fair kicked off this morning. Since he was born, I’d always been the one to take him to the fair. But of course Jeremy wouldn’t miss the opportunity to spite me by picking him up. He even got off work early to do so. At least the asshole promised to bring Austin up to the fairgrounds for a little while and let him ride some of the rides. That was something, I guess.
The Jam Session Fair was a fun occasion for people of all ages that featured two things in particular: music and food. Local rival bands performed against one another to see who would be crowned the Jam Session Kings every year while others participated in the jam-tasting contest by putting their best jams on display for the judges inside the tent.
There were rides, concession stands, games, the Jam Session beauty pageant, a pie-eating contest, a fireman dunk tank, and a dance-off for all ages. As usual, everyone I knew would be there. It was our yearly tradition.
It was a hot day, so I wore blue jean cutoffs, a thin cotton shirt the color of sunflowers, and a pair of yellow flip-flops. Seth had on a pair of khaki shorts, a plain white T-shirt, and a pair of sneakers. We walked through the crowd with his arm around my waist, and every once in a while, he pulled me in for a quick kiss. Every time he did it, my heart fluttered.
Seth hadn’t told me that he loved me yet. At least not verbally. But he showed it in all the little things he did. To me, that seemed more important than actually saying the words. But it still would be nice to hear them. Besides, it wasn’t like I’d told him that I loved him yet, either. I mean, I wanted to. But I just didn’t want to be the only one to say it. So I was hoping he’d take the lead at some point.
Hopefully soon.
As we neared one of the concession stands, I spotted Jeremy sitting on a bench looking at his cell phone while Austin sat beside him with a snow cone. Most of it had already melted under the hot sun, and the sticky syrup was already running down his fingers.
“Hey, monster,” I said, smiling at Austin. “What are you doing?”
“Momma! Seth! Look what I got.” He held up his snow cone and more syrup leaked over the edge onto his lap.
“I see that. Can I have a taste?” I asked.
Austin held it over to me, and I took a big sip off his straw so the syrup wouldn’t spill over the edge anymore. Well, at least not until it had melted down some more, anyway. “Mmm. That’s good. Blueberry?”
“Yep, it’s my favorite.”
I smiled and ruffled his hair. “I knew that already.”
Jeremy rolled his eyes. “You ready to go jump on that bounce thing,” he asked Austin, diverting his attention away from me.
“Yeah!”
Jeremy got up to leave, so I gave Austin a quick kiss on the forehead. “Be sure to stop by the bathroom on the way and wash your hands and face. You don’t want to get the other kids sticky while you’re on the jump castle.”
“Okay, Momma,” Austin said, waving as he left with Jeremy.
I gazed up at Seth, who had fire blazing in his eyes. “Ya know, every time I’m around that prick, all I want to do is rearrange his face.”
I patted his chest, in hopes of calming him down. “I know. But that wouldn’t help the situation any. Just ignore him.”
“Hard to do when the guy is all but asking for a fist to his face.”
I lifted onto my tipt
oes and brushed my lips lightly across his. As I started to pull away, Seth captured the back of my neck and brought my mouth back to his in a steamy kiss that had my toes curling.
An older woman’s voice came from behind me. “Woowee, girl, don’t just give it away for free. Make that man earn it.”
I recognized the voice immediately and laughed as I turned toward the lady who, for some strange reason, thought she was a grandma to all of us. “Hi, Momma Bell,” I said, waving to her. I motioned to the man beside me. “Have you met Seth yet?”
He offered his hand to her. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you.”
Momma Bell ignored his outstretched hand and said, “Sonny, bless your heart. Do you even realize that your horse is almost out of the barn?”
“My what is where?” Seth asked, completely confused.
I glanced down, and sure enough, Momma Bell was right. “Ahem,” I said, nabbing his attention. Then I pointed down to his crotch, grinning because I knew Seth never wore any underwear.
He realized his mistake and immediately turned away from us to zip up his shorts.
When he turned back, Momma Bell continued to look him over, even circling around him and sniffing him like she was a drug dog hooked on cocaine…with him being the cocaine, of course. Hell, I couldn’t really blame the woman. I was pretty hooked on him myself.
“There’s something familiar about you,” Momma Bell said just as she zeroed in on his eyes. “Why, you’re Junior’s nephew, aren’t you?”
He nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“I met you before. Your momma came for a visit during the Jam Session Fair once when you were just a little thing. About Austin’s age, I think. You had to go to the bathroom, but the line was long, so I told your momma to let you water the tree while no one was looking. It sounded like a cow pissing on a flat rock,” she said with a wide grin. “I always said anyone who could pee that loud had to be well-endowed below the waist.”
Seth grinned and gave her a little wink.
Of course he did. The cocky bastard.
Momma Bell cackled and gazed over at me. “Lord a’mighty, I bet you were on that piece of meat like a duck on a June bug.”