Something Sparked-nook

by Mari Carr

Jeannette looked genuinely dismayed. “What? Why?”

  Evan’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean why? To question Billy. He’s a suspect now.”

  Luc couldn’t look away from Jeannette as she assimilated that fact. He hated always feeling in the dark with her. He was head over heels in love with the woman. Couldn’t she see that?

  “What did he say?” Jeannette’s voice, like her face, had gone blank. She was a master at hiding her emotions.

  “He wasn’t there. Apparently his mother took a tumble down a couple of stairs and broke her foot. He’s been in Oklahoma with her for a couple weeks.”

  “Roy tell you that?” Diego asked.

  Evan shook his head. “No. Scott did. He stuck around to take care of Roy, while Billy went to care for their mom.”

  “Poor Roy,” Jeannette muttered.

  Evan shrugged. “Scott’s actually not such a bad guy when he’s sober, which he was last night. He was pretty helpful and obviously worried about his uncle. But damn if he isn’t one mean-ass drunk.”

  “Did you take a look at Roy’s truck?” Luc asked.

  “No,” Evan said. “Billy drove it to Oklahoma.”

  Diego stood, suddenly angry. “So if there was any evidence in the thing, he’s had plenty of time to get rid of it.”

  Luc agreed. “Timeline on this fits, Evan.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Luc was relieved to see Evan was on the same page they were.

  “Timeline?” Jeannette asked.

  “The fires started after Billy came back to town. And there haven’t been any more since your house because he’s been in Oklahoma. Did you take a look at the guy’s criminal record?” Luc asked Evan.

  Evan grimaced. “I’ve got a call into the state police. The ancient computer at the station finally gave up the fight to live a few days ago. Replacement doesn’t come in until the day after tomorrow.”

  Luc never ceased to be amazed by the difference between big-city law enforcement and this small-town, Andy-Griffith style. He didn’t know how Evan managed to do such good work with such limited resources.

  Diego walked over to the window, his fingers tapping out an angry rhythm against the glass. “You realize that ‘mom falling’ thing could be a lie and Billy skipped town.”

  Evan sank down on the couch with a long sigh. “I know, but I don’t have enough evidence to justify putting out an APB on him.”

  “So we just have to sit here and hope that he comes back?” Luc asked hotly.

  Evan nodded, defeat rife on his face. “Yeah.”

  The conversation died. Luc glanced over at Jeannette, who’d gone quiet. His heart ached at the desolation in her eyes. Luc longed for some way to put the happiness he’d just seen back on her face.

  Tyson was the first to break the silence. “I think you guys are missing the point. You’ve spent two weeks looking for a lead and coming up empty. Today, you’ve got a place to start, something to dig your teeth into. Wait for the police report, Evan. Maybe there will be something in there that will help. Not all hope is lost, you know.”

  Luc appreciated Tyson’s pep talk. Luc had always considered himself a glass-half-full guy, but he’d let his frustration get the better of him. Time to—like Tyson said—start focusing on the positive.

  Jeannette was here with them and even though things were still touch-and-go, Luc felt like it was more touch than go. It gave him hope.

  “You’re right, Tyson,” Luc said, when none of the others in the room reacted. “We’re going to catch the asshole. We’re the good guys, the Avengers. They always win in the end.”

  Luc was delighted when his joke put a grin back on Jeannette’s face. “The Avengers, huh? Think pretty highly of yourself, don’t you?”

  Tyson laughed. “If we’re the Avengers, I get to be Tony Stark. Iron Man is damn cool.”

  Evan rolled his eyes. “In what world are you Iron Man? If anybody is Iron Man, it’s me. Tell him, Jeannette.”

  Jeannette laughed. “Don’t look at me. I’m the only girl in the room, which means I’m stuck with Black Widow.”

  Luc watched the three cousins continue to fight over which superheroes they wanted to be for a few minutes.

  “God,” Jeannette said at last. “The more things change, the more they stay the same. I seem to recall the two of you waging similar battles when we were kids. Back then it was a fight over who got to be Han Solo and who was stuck with Luke Skywalker.”

  Luc tried to imagine what it would have been like to grow up in the Sparks family. He’d been the only child of a workaholic mother. He’d been a latchkey kid from the time he was eight, which he was pretty sure had been illegal. How cool would it have been to have a whole gang of siblings and cousins to play with?

  “Come on, Ty,” Evan said at last. “I want to get back to the office to see if the state police have returned my call.”

  Tyson moved toward the front door with his cousin. “I’ll see you guys soon.” Then he gave Jeannette a quick wink and the two of them left.

  As soon as the door closed, Diego turned to Jeannette. “What happened between you and Billy?”

  Luc closed his eyes and sighed. His best friend had a bad habit of going for the jugular. While the rest of them had managed to shake off their concerns for a moment, Diego clearly had not.

  Jeannette bit her lower lip. “I told you.” The answer was succinct and drowning in stubbornness.

  Before Diego made things even worse, Luc decided to call a time-out. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work soon, Jeannette?”

  Jeannette glanced at the clock and gasped. “Shit. Yeah. I was supposed to be there fifteen minutes ago.” She dashed down the hallway to dress. She hadn’t been out of their line of sight more than two seconds before Diego turned on him.

  “What the fuck was that?”

  Luc raised his hand. “You’re going to have to give her some time to take in everything we just found out.”

  “You know as well as I do she’s hiding something from us. Hell, from everybody.”

  Luc ran his hand through his hair, and then rubbed a palm over his stubbly face. “Yeah. I do. And I also know she’s not ready to talk about it. You’re gonna have to let her come to us on her own, D. You can’t bully her into telling you a damn thing. You keep pushing her on this and you’re going to push her away.”

  “So I’m just supposed to pretend that nothing’s wrong?”

  Luc nodded. “For now. I think that’s exactly what we have to do.”

  Diego started to say something more, but Jeannette reappeared, dressed in her Sparks BBQ t-shirt and a tight pair of jeans that triggered a slew of dirty fantasies in Luc’s mind.

  She could tell they’d been fighting. “Listen,” she started, “I know we still have a lot of things to talk about, but—”

  Luc cut her off. “Not now, Jeannette. You’re late for work. We’ve got lots of time to figure this all out. Weeks, months, years.”

  She grinned. “Years?”

  There wasn’t a drop of fear in her voice. It made Luc feel like a million bucks.

  “Years,” Diego replied, obviously as pleased as he was. Diego walked over to Jeannette, cupped her face and kissed her. “Sorry,” he mumbled against her lips.

  “Me too,” she whispered.

  Diego’s hands dropped to her upper arms. “What’s this?”

  Luc watched him lift the sleeve of her shirt to reveal the Band-Aid.

  “SpongeBob?” Luc asked with a chuckle.

  At the same time Diego said, “Did you hurt yourself?”

  Jeannette flushed. Luc was addicted to her innocent blushes. Sometimes the devil in him had him saying naughty things just to provoke that pretty color.

  “Tyson gave me a shot.” Her answer was vague at best.

  “What kind of shot?” Diego asked.

  She looked down, clearly embarrassed. “Birth control.”

  Luc’s cock went from limp noodle to steel rod in two-point-seven seconds. “Oh, hell yeah.”<
br />
  She laughed. “You guys are incorrigible. And I’m really late for work.” She offered them both a quick kiss on the cheek before darting out the door.

  It wasn’t until they heard her start the old car her Uncle Ronnie had loaned her, since hers had burned in the fire, that they realized they let her go without them.

  “Shit. We usually drive her,” Luc muttered.

  Diego nodded. “I know. But it’s not all that easy to walk with a boner the size of the Washington Monument in your pants.”

  Luc grimaced. “I feel your pain, brother. I really feel it.”

  Chapter Nine

  Jeannette ran a comb through her hair as she padded down the hallway to the bedroom she currently shared with Diego and Luc. It was funny how little time it had taken for this house to feel like her home. Diego had cleared out half of the closet and most of the drawers, making sure she had plenty of room for all her new things. Luc and Diego had emptied an entire shelf in the bathroom closet and bought a shower caddy to hold her shampoo and body wash. They’d made room on the desk for her new laptop and given her free rein to reorganize the whole kitchen to her liking.

  And Penny had the run of the place. Sometimes Jeannette felt as if her cat had deserted her in favor of the guys. The shameless hussy was always rubbing against their legs, begging for treats, and it wasn’t unusual for Jeannette to find Penny purring on either Luc’s or Diego’s lap as they watched hockey on TV.

  She’d only gotten home from the restaurant an hour earlier. The place had been ridiculously busy after a tour bus had come through, so they’d been packed with tourists and regulars. Luc had taken one look at her tired face and run her a hot bath as Diego poured her a glass of wine.

  A girl could get used to that kind of pampering.

  Upon entering the bedroom, she found both guys in bed, her spot in the middle just waiting for her. Diego was reading a book, while Luc was playing some game on his phone. Both nighttime rituals were pretty standard.

  “Feel better?” Luc asked.

  “Yeah. Just tired. It was a long day.” She’d anticipated Diego immediately bringing up the subject she had managed to dodge, so she was surprised when he simply pulled back the covers and patted the mattress.

  “We kept your spot warm.”

  She grinned as she took off her robe and placed her glasses on the nightstand. Then, before she could talk herself out of it, she stripped off her pajamas as well. Her actions weren’t lost on either man.

  Last night was the first time they’d seen each other completely naked. The door had been opened and Jeannette couldn’t see any reason to close it again. She wanted to lay next to them with nothing between them.

  No clothing. No secrets.

  Both men were watching as she crawled onto the bed. No one bothered to pull up the quilt. Instead, they kept their view of her body unconcealed.

  Luc and Diego wasted no time in shifting closer. Luc gave her a soft kiss that soon turned into a scorcher. His hand drifted along her waist, caressing her sensitive skin.

  From the corner of her eye, she could see Diego watching them. He’d propped himself up on his side, ensuring he saw everything.

  Every now and then, the slightest trace of unease crept in, but Jeannette pushed it down. She wanted this. She had to find a way.

  When Luc’s hand brushed her pussy, she gasped and forced herself to hold still. She felt both men studying her reactions. She worked overtime to keep her face impassive.

  Luc continued to kiss her, to stroke her body. There were very few places he didn’t touch as Diego simply observed.

  Then, Diego reached for her. As she twisted to face her other lover, Luc snuggled closer to her back, his hand wrapping around her to grip her breast as he kissed the nape of her neck.

  She sucked in a calming breath as she tried to accept his closeness, hoping Luc couldn’t feel her tensing up.

  Diego was still looking at her, but she had her poker face firmly in place.

  He ran his fingers along her cheek. “You’re so beautiful, angel.” He punctuated the compliment with the sweetest kiss she’d ever gotten from Diego. She was used to his passionate, hungry touches. God, she loved them. But she found this gentle side of his just as irresistible.

  Jeannette relaxed.

  Luc’s chest was pressed to her back, his hand lightly caressing her breast, but the lethargic, lusty haze evaporated when he shifted closer, his erection brushing against her ass, through the material of his lounge pants. At the same time, Diego’s hand found its way to her pussy.

  She sighed with pleasure when the tip of his finger stroked her clit. She recalled touching herself there last night as Diego fucked Luc’s ass. For such a small thing, that little button packed a wallop.

  Diego pressed harder. She thrust her hips closer, wanting more of that magical touch.

  “God, angel,” Diego murmured when she began to move against him faster. Between Diego’s wicked fingers and the constant nudge of Luc’s covered cock against her ass, she couldn’t decide which sensation was hotter.

  Luc’s hand left her breast, reaching down to cup her knee. He lifted her leg, guiding it over Diego’s waist. The new position left her open, the cool air no match for the heat pulsing from her pussy.

  Diego still stroked her clit, as Luc’s hand caressed the cheek of her ass.

  Jeannette felt as if she were floating on a cloud.

  It took little more than one touch to send her plummeting back to reality.

  On the next forward thrust of her hips, Diego moved his fingers, one of them penetrating her wet opening, gliding inside and straight to the hilt.

  She gasped then reared away, clamoring over Luc, tumbling off the mattress and crab crawling backwards along the floor until she hit the wall roughly.

  Both men sat up rapidly, their hands out in surrender.

  “Wait, Jeannette,” Luc said. “Shit. Stop. Just stop. We shouldn’t have done any of that without talking first.”

  Jeannette panted loudly, her breath coming out in painful gasps. “I, I can’t…” She looked around the room, trying to figure out how to get out of there, out of the house as quickly as possible.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Diego said, his deep voice leaving no doubt he wouldn’t let her escape. “We’re not going to touch you. Not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to, but you’re not going anywhere. Not like this.”

  Spots clouded her vision and she felt dizzy.

  “Christ,” she heard Luc exclaim. He gently tugged her off the floor and propelled her to the side of the bed, her legs dangling over the edge. “Put your head between your knees.”

  “W-what?”

  “You’re white as a ghost,” he explained. “This will help. Keep you from passing out.”

  She did as he said, though she wanted to assure him she’d never fainted in her life.

  Luc left the bed, kneeling in front of her. She saw him reach out to touch her. His hands hovered just an inch or so away from her before he reconsidered and pulled them back.

  Instead, he just remained close, his soft tone comforting. “In through your nose. Out through your mouth.” Over and over, he offered the simple instructions until she’d managed to get her breathing under control.

  She lifted her head slowly, feeling like fifty different kinds of a fool. “I’m so sorry.”

  Luc gave her a sweet smile. “No apology necessary.” His face sobered up slightly. “Jeannette, are you a virgin?”

  She laughed mirthlessly and shook her head.

  “Who did it?” Diego asked.

  Though he’d been silent, she hadn’t forgotten his presence behind her. She turned at his question. His expression was dark, thunderous.

  She didn’t answer.

  “Billy?” he asked.

  She’d never witnessed true anger until that moment. It should have scared the shit out of her, but instead, for the first time in years, she felt protected.

  “Diego,
please.”

  “Tell me the truth, Jeannette.” Diego’s jaw was clenched tightly.

  “I think…” The words had been locked away so long. So fucking long. “I think he raped me.”

  “You think?”

  “I don’t…I don’t really know…”

  “Did he drug you?”

  She shook her head. This is why she’d never talked about it. She had been a sixteen-year-old virgin with a dead mother and absolutely no knowledge of sex. Her first experience had been…terrifying and painful and so fucking confusing.

  Luc ran his hand through his hair and sank down next to her on the mattress. “Jesus, Jeannette. You’re killing me, baby. Please tell us what happened.”

  Bile rose in her throat. She swallowed heavily, praying she didn’t get sick. She’d never told another living soul about that night. Not her sister or her Aunt Stella or her cousins. Instead, she had locked it away and then retreated. Distance was safety.

  “My parents died when I was sixteen.”

  Luc nodded. They knew that fact. Maybe that was why she started there. She prayed that once she started telling them everything, the hard stuff would come out with the rest. “I was dating Billy at the time. It was sort of typical, first-love kind of stuff. He was my first kiss, the first boy to touch my boobs—over my shirt, of course.” She had hoped that comment would provoke a grin, but neither man made a move.

  “Anyway, he was really sweet to me after I lost my parents. I cried nonstop for days and he was there for me. Then his mom got a new boyfriend and Billy told me they were moving away. Everything in my life was in upheaval. I’d lost my mom and dad, moved out of my childhood home and into Tyson’s bedroom, complete with posters of sports stars and fashion models. I just felt sort of lost.”

  Luc reached out to take her hand. She clasped it, grateful for the support. Without words, he was letting her know he was there.

  “Billy and I went out on a car date. My parents hadn’t ever let me do that, but Aunt Stella knew it was our last date since Billy was moving the next day. And she knew he was a nice boy.”

  Luc’s eyes narrowed, but Jeannette held up her hand. “He was a nice boy. Honest. We drove to the lake and sat there, watching the moon reflect off the water, talking about how much we were going to miss each other. We were both sixteen. Both virgins. We sort of felt like our world was ending.”