by Chloe Lang
Before that moment she’d run into the courthouse, Eric had been ready to bring her down. Now, he couldn’t stop thinking about Megan. Her nervousness seemed to surround her every move in the hearing. How had Kip found such a sweet creature? More than that, how had the creep got Megan to agree to marry him?
He followed Scott across the street, hoping Megan would consider his brother’s crazy proposal. The truth was, though he would never admit it to Scott or anyone, he wanted to learn more about the curvy blonde.
* * * *
Megan tensed as the door to Lucy’s opened. The bell chimed the arrival of the two men who had forced her to Destiny in the first place. They were still in their suits, though Scott was carrying his jacket now. They both wore cowboy hats, which fit them perfectly.
Every table, booth, and barstool at Lucy’s Burgers was taken.
“Here you go, ladies.” Lucy set down two pieces of pie. “Your burgers will be up shortly.”
“Dessert before lunch?” Megan asked.
“Sweetie, we don’t follow any rules here in this town. Why not have dessert first and then your meal?” Lucy stepped back into the aisle between the booths and the tables and spun the Hula-Hoop around her waist, moving her hips to keep it from falling to the ground. The woman’s figure was amazing. Lucy stopped her demonstration and placed the toy back in her left hand. “I’ve been having dessert before my meal for quite a long time, Megan. Look at me. I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been. Now, enjoy.”
“Sounds good to me,” she said, peeking over the woman’s shoulder at Eric and Scott Knight. Her heart stopped. They were headed straight to her and Phoebe.
“The Knights are here,” she whispered.
Phoebe turned her head to the guys’ direction and then held out her hand to them. “Hold it right there, boys.”
They didn’t, which sent a new set of shivers through her. Why was she reacting this way to these men? Because when it came to men, she was always at a disadvantage. Case in point—she’d accepted Kip’s marriage proposal after knowing him for only a blink of an eye.
“Hello, Phoebe,” Eric Knight said, keeping his piercing blue stare fixed on Megan, not her attorney.
Scott Knight held out his hand to her. “Hello, Mrs. Lunceford.”
Phoebe scooted out of the booth and moved right in front of the men, clearly trying to block them from moving closer. “I don’t want you talking to my client. Whatever you have to say, you can tell me. I will convey it to her.”
Phoebe was at least an inch and a half, maybe more, taller than her. The top of Phoebe’s head came to the middle of the brothers’ chests. They were six three at minimum, a full foot taller than Megan. They were giants, which made her feel even tinier.
Glad to be sitting instead of in Phoebe’s place at the moment, she grabbed her fork, trying to ignore her sexy accusers. She would’ve done just about anything to be away from here—away from Eric and Scott Knight.
“We have an offer for Megan, Phoebe. Hear us out.” Scott’s voice reminded her of a summer breeze.
She was so tempted to look back at him but instead took a forkful of Lucy’s apple pie. The bite exploded with sweet deliciousness in her mouth.
She closed her eyes, relishing the taste.
How long had it been since she had any real food? Days. She’d been living on chips and off-brand sodas for the whole trip. Before that, mostly ramen noodles.
Lucy was right about having dessert first. The filling of the pie definitely hadn’t come from a can. This was homemade goodness through and through.
Famished, she took another bite, closing her eyes again. The luscious treat slid down her throat, warming her insides up and helping her body relax. God, she needed rest in the worst way. As she chewed on the yumminess with total abandon, exhaustion wrapped its sleepy fingers around every cell in her body. She and Granny Gremlin would need to find a place to hole up for the night. Shouldn’t be hard to find in these rural parts.
“Megan, are you okay?” Phoebe asked, pulling her from her dreamy state.
She opened her eyes and saw three other pairs staring at her. Her cheeks flamed hot from embarrassment. Crawling under the booth’s table seemed like a good idea at the moment.
“I’m fine,” she said, noting how tiny her voice came out.
“You were moaning,” Scott said. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Moaning? She placed the fork on the half-eaten pie’s plate. Her pulse was racing in her veins. “Just eating Lucy’s pie. It’s delicious.”
“We know.” Eric’s eyelids were narrowed. “We’ve had her pie. When was the last time you ate, Megan?”
Why was he asking her that? Was it to get more information to use against her next Tuesday? She wasn’t about to give him what he wanted. “Should you and I be talking, Mr. Knight? Phoebe, didn’t you just tell them to go through you?”
“I did, but I think his question is valid.” Her attorney’s eyes were filled with obvious concern. “You look like you’re about to drop, Megan.”
“Did you drive straight here from Texas?” Scott asked, sliding into the booth next to her.
The Knights were clearly used to people answering their questions and following their orders. They were billionaire moguls. Why wouldn’t they? But she didn’t work for them. Kip had. Kip. The male gender was a mystery to her. She was an idiot when it came to men, but no more. She’d steered clear for five years. These two weren’t going to get her off track.
“That’s none of you or your brother’s concern. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get something out of my car. Will you let me out?”
Scott didn’t move, but remained so close to her she could feel the heat from his body. Eric did move, sliding into the booth opposite her and Scott.
Phoebe remained standing at the edge of the table, but her eyes never moved, remaining locked to Megan’s. “Don’t tell me you drove straight here in that sorry excuse of a car of yours?”
“Okay. I won’t.” Her nerves were frayed. Whose wouldn’t be? The two men who wanted to take the only thing she had left in the world—her mother’s house—were hemming her in. “Mr. Knight,” she said to Scott. “Will you please move so I can get out of this booth?”
He shook his head. “You’re about to drop, aren’t you?”
“Scoot over, Eric,” Phoebe said. When he did, she moved into the seat next to him. “From Dallas to Destiny has to be at least a fifteen-hour drive.”
Megan didn’t correct Phoebe that it was actually seventeen. She was already uncomfortable with all the attention she was getting from everyone. “I’m fine. Really I am.”
“Everything okay over here?” Lucy placed two plates on the table. The smell of the enormous cheeseburgers made Megan’s mouth water. The piles of shoestring fries next to each sandwich were just as tempting.
“No, it isn’t.” Megan’s heart was thudding fast in her chest and her jitters and fatigue had mingled into a heady brew just shy of bravery but spot-on defiance. “These two men are bothering us. Can you have them removed from our booth, please?”
“I see,” Lucy said with a grin and wink. “We might need to talk to Sheriff Wolfe. He’s at the counter. Would you like me to get him, dear?”
The woman’s mocking tone wasn’t lost on her, but she didn’t care. “Yes. Please.” As Lucy turned to go to the local lawman, Megan looked at Phoebe. “Perhaps I should represent myself, Phoebe. You seem to be a little too chummy with these two.”
Scott chuckled. “She’s got fire.”
“Guts, too.” Eric’s already-too-beautiful face became even more so when his manly lips curled up into the most mind-blowing smile she’d ever seen. He reached across the table and touched the back of her hand. “You need food and rest, Megan. We have an offer I think you’ll like, but we can talk about it later. After.”
“After what?” she snapped, pulling her hand into her lap. Why was she reacting so strongly to him, pushing him away? Sure, they were acting nicey-nice
now, but what about the lawsuit? Eric and Scott were her enemies, not her friends. If what happened with Kip taught her anything, she knew there was only one person she could count on. Herself. Megan. No one else. Phoebe had been sweet, but that didn’t mean a damn thing in the long run. Kip had been sweet, charming, and more. She would never forget how that turned out. Phoebe was not a friend. Eric and Scott were men, the gender she really would never trust again. Never, never, never.
Lucy walked up to the booth with the sheriff. “Your wish is my command. Megan, let me introduce you to our sheriff, Jason Wolfe.”
“Order up,” Norm called from the kitchen.
“Hold your horses, dear husband.” Lucy filled hers and Phoebe’s glasses. “I’ll be back. Have more hungry patrons to take care of.” The woman darted off, twirling her Hula-Hoop around her waist.
The sheriff stepped up to the booth. “What seems to be the trouble?”
Scott thrummed his fingers on the table. “We’ve got a woman who refuses to be honest, Jason.”
Why were the Knights pushing this? What was their angle? She studied both of them.
Scott smiled at her, a broad grin that made his chocolate eyes even brighter, helping her warm to him even more. Of the two brothers, he looked much more approachable.
Eric’s unhinging blue-eyed stare sent a hot shiver through her body. His intense gaze never left her. “We’ve got this covered, Jason.”
She folded her arms over her chest, fighting the weariness inside her body. “Sheriff, you may remember me back in the courtroom. I’m Megan Lunceford.”
“I know who you are, Mrs. Lunceford. Everyone in Destiny knows.” The man turned to Phoebe, and their eyes locked in a way that seemed to show they had some kind of history, a painful one likely. After a few uncomfortable moments, Jason turned back to Megan. “She’s your client, counselor. What do you say?”
Phoebe blinked and turned to her. “Megan, Eric and Scott are right about you. You’re on the verge of collapsing, aren’t you? Starving, too, I’m sure.”
Megan’s defenses were weak. Why should she trust any of them? Of course, she shouldn’t. For whatever reason—overwhelming fatigue, crushing hunger, or staggering loneliness—the truth vibrated on her lips, but before the words came out, her eyes betrayed her, releasing sudden tears. She closed her eyes, ashamed for the outburst. She’d only cried in front of two people, besides her mother, in her entire life. The memory of that day when the two men rolled out the sheet-covered body of her mom from the hospital room called forth a new set of sobs. Damn her exhaustion for making her so weak, so open, so vulnerable.
Megan tried to tamp down her waterworks, but failed.
She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders, Scott’s arm. “It’s going to be okay, Megan. Trust me.”
God, she wanted to, but how? Her instincts were worthless. History had proven that. Kip had verified, notarized, and filed that away. When it came to men, any men, she was mentally incompetent.
Fingers touched her cheek, Eric’s fingers.
She opened her eyes and looked at his handsome face filled with what seemed to be concern. “I–I a–am so sorry about everything. God, I hate crying in front of people.” Wiping her eyes, she turned to Phoebe. “You’re right. I’m tired. Really tired. Please forgive me for my outburst.”
“There’s nothing to forgive, Megan.” Scott pulled her into his muscled frame, and she couldn’t resist. She leaned into him, enjoying the strength he was offering. “Eric, what do you say now?”
She looked at the other brother. A storm brewed behind those eyes that sent another round of shivers through her body.
Eric brushed the hair out of her eyes. “You don’t have to worry about anything, Megan. We did this to you.”
She shook her head. “No. You’re not responsible for me.”
“We are now,” he said, turning back to the sheriff. “Like I said, we’ve got this.”
“I think you do,” Jason said. “I’ll leave you to it then. Nice to meet you, Megan.”
It was clear that she was the last person to be in charge here at the moment. No sense in asking the lawman to stay. He wouldn’t. So, she answered, “You, too.”
The sheriff turned to Phoebe. “Later.”
“Bye.” Phoebe’s single syllable seemed laden with unspoken volumes from the past between the two. As Jason exited for his seat at the counter, Phoebe watched him.
Megan wondered what had happened that had caused the obvious rift. Maybe Phoebe didn’t have good instincts about men either. She’d have to ask her about it one day. One day? How about seven? She shuddered, remembering why she was here in Destiny in the first place.
The Knights were suing her for ten million dollars. If she lost, they could even take the last thing left to her, her mother’s home.
Pulling away from Scott, she took a deep breath and shook off the fogginess in her mind. She needed to think clearly and stay focused.
“Eat your lunch, Megan,” Eric ordered in a tone that undeniably meant he didn’t want any debate, only compliance. “Scott and I will talk with Phoebe about our offer to drop our lawsuit against you.”
Had she heard him correctly or was her exhaustion and hunger now impacting her hearing? “Do you mind repeating that, Mr. Knight?”
“You’re the one who asked us to go through your attorney, didn’t you?”
She nodded.
“Okay. We’ll give her the details about our offer.”
“But you said something about dropping the case, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I did.”
None of this made any sense to her. She was Mrs. Kip Lunceford, despite her desire to get her marriage to the bastard annulled. Like everything else in her world, her funds had prevented her from pursuing a change to her marital status. Besides, she needed to know where Kip was being held, and the government wasn’t forthcoming about those details. Not one damn bit.
Even with the little Megan had learned about Kip’s time at TBK, she knew they had every right to hold a grudge. Kip had almost cost them their company, not to mention their freedom. How they’d been able to clear their names she had no idea. But they had. Here they were right in front of her, sexy flesh and hot blood.
She needed to rein her mind into control. “I’ve got to stop.”
“Stop what?” Scott asked.
Had she spoken her inner thoughts aloud? She must have. She was more tired than she realized. “Stop wasting time and get to eating this delicious meal Norm made.”
“I agree with you. Eat up, like Eric said.” He sent her a smile, not the approachable kind she’d seen earlier. This one was hot and tempting. Scott’s lips, so beautifully male, had likely ensnared many a woman. If she wasn’t careful, they might do the same to her.
Scott and Eric left the booth. They walked to the counter where three seats had opened up.
Phoebe smiled. “Be careful with those two, Megan.”
“Isn’t that what I have you for?” She filled her fork with another bite of the delicious apple pie.
“We’ll see what they have to say. I’ll be right back.” Phoebe walked to the brothers and took a seat between them.
Megan turned her attention to the cheeseburger. She took a bite and immediately knew Norm was a genius with ground beef. It was seasoned perfectly and so juicy, and she relished the flavors. Another bite and her hunger vanished. Why did this feel like a last meal of sorts? Because it most likely was. Luck never went her way. Whatever the offer, it wouldn’t change her fate.
Watching the three talking gave her hope. The dream of better days sprung up inside her like a fountain, but she shoved it down. This had to be some kind of trick or negotiating tactic by Eric and Scott. They might not get ten million from her, but they could get her mother’s house. Even in its current state of disrepair it was worth just shy of two hundred thousand dollars. For billionaires, it probably wasn’t much money, but it was some.
Why would Eric and Scott even consider droppin
g the case?
The answer was—they wouldn’t.
Chapter Four
Eric kept his back to the counter at Lucy’s, sitting opposite on the stool of what was expected from customers of the burger shop. He didn’t care. Taking his eyes off Megan wasn’t an option for him. Not now.
“Tell me what you have in mind for my client, guys.” Phoebe was getting right to it. So like her.
The sheriff and his brothers still had it real bad for Phoebe, but none of the three would ever let on. Too bad for them, especially Jason. The breakup had been messy and unfortunately the talk of the town. Had it only been three years since Jason had arrested Shane, Phoebe’s brother, landing him in prison for possession? One thing about Jason, he was a stickler for the rules. No way would he ever turn a blind eye to something illegal, even if doing his job meant losing his and his brothers’ fiancée in the process.
“We want to drop the case.” Scott was the worst poker player in Destiny, a total open book.
“Hold on, bro.” Eric watched Megan gobble down her cheeseburger in a flash, proving to him how truly hungry she must’ve been. His brother was right. She was not the hacker. But someone was, and that someone had used her IP to get to TBK. That couldn’t be good for her. “There’s a stipulation. That’s what we agreed on.”
Scott cursed. “Damn it, Eric. You still can’t believe she’s guilty.”
“I don’t, but she might be in danger.” When he saw Megan yawn, he had the oddest urge to run back to the booth, grab her up, and carry her to his bed—not for sex but for rest. The frail thing needed help, and whatever it took, he would do it.
Phoebe looked concerned. “What do you mean by ‘she might be in danger’?”
“He’s right.” Scott took a sip of his iced tea. “We need to stick to the plan or she runs back to Texas and right into the crosshairs of whoever is using her to get to us.”
“Exactly,” Eric agreed. Mesmerized by every bite Megan took, he thought of about a dozen other things he wanted to do for her. Many of them had to do with seducing her out of her clothes. Who could blame him? She was gorgeous. Her body was a sheer delight for the eyes. But it was so much more than a one-time fling with her. His mind was turning over and over. Her need was so present and tangible to him, not just about money, of which clearly she had little if any, but also about trust. As a Dom familiar with teaching subs and new Doms about the life, he’d helped many find deeper and deeper levels of true intimacy. Trust meant something. Earning it meant even more.