by Lynn Stark
Merck and Jace each took a hand. She felt like a little kid between them. “These are my men, Mommy, Daddy. You know Jace, but you haven’t met Merck Rushton yet.”
Though her father was obviously not pleased by the situation he found himself in, he was too well-mannered to blow his top in public, if it could be called that. He would be as emotionless as always. He would save berating her for when they were in a private setting. But she had no plans to be alone with him before she had time to gather her thoughts and bolster her courage.
Since there was a definite lack of surprise, Piper guessed her father had already known about Merck and Jace before arriving in Silver. He was here to put an end to her relationship with her men and to take her home. It wasn’t going to happen. She had made her decision and she was sticking to it, for better or for worse.
Merck and her father shook hands. “Rushton. You’re that cowboy she was pestering.”
Pestering. Her father made her sound like a mosquito. It wasn’t very flattering.
“Yes, sir.”
Two bellboys came in with her parents’ luggage, pushing it across the lobby toward the desk. Seeing the mountain of designer cases she winced. They were obviously planning an extended stay. They would stay as long as it took him to convince her to do his bidding.
Douglas Barrows looked at Jace with eyes that said it all. He wasn’t quite as polite with his former employee. “I knew you had something to do with Piper taking off.”
Though she doubted he would believe her, Piper wasn’t going to let Jace take the blame for something he had no involvement in. “I left on my own, Daddy. Jace had nothing to do with it.” Both of her hands were given firm squeezes. She hoped it was positive reinforcement and not a warning.
“I doubt that.”
Of course he did. What else could he do? That was the problem. Douglas Barrows only believed what he wanted to believe. No one would be able to change his mind. So why was she even bothering to try? It was a huge waste of time and energy.
“We have to go in to supper now. Everyone is waiting.”
Everyone. Her heart slammed into her ribs and her eyes widened in horror as she looked around. Piper stiffened between the two men. She’d completely forgotten about Mink! Oh, shit, what was she to do about her brother? The moment he saw their father he would take off. And he might blame her. Worse, he might believe she had tricked him.
The answer to her problems came out of nowhere. “Douglas, Camilla,” Colt greeted smoothly, “it’s a pleasure to see you again.” He moved past Piper, Merck, and Jace, bending to kiss her mother’s cheek.
The expression on her father’s handsome face told Piper that he believed it was anything but a pleasure. Still, he responded with civility. “Redford.” They shook hands briefly, almost as if they were two fighters in the center of a ring touching gloves. “Are you responsible for this?” he asked, looking at her and her men. “I will not stand for Piper being involved in an unconventional relationship with these men. It’s outrageous, as well as disgusting.”
“Piper is her own woman. It’s up to her to decide with whom she’ll be in a relationship with.” Colt changed the subject. “Will you be joining us for supper? We’re celebrating Piper’s new business ventures.”
Cool gray eyes moved over her. Piper stiffened her new backbone, meeting and holding her father’s gaze. Douglas Barrows shook his head after a moment. “Thank you, but no. It was a long trip. Piper, you can tell me about this business venture of yours tomorrow.”
“Perhaps we can do that tomorrow night, Daddy. The grand openings are tomorrow and I doubt I will have the time. We’re expecting a large turnout for it.” Large was an understatement. The entire town would turn out, even if they weren’t serving free food and drinks. She smiled with genuine pleasure. “But I will be sure to come by here tomorrow after everything is wrapped up, to talk to you and mommy.”
Since she had just spent the last few minutes addressing both of her parents quite informally, she took it one step further. Moving before she could change her mind she closed the space between them, first kissing her mother on the cheek before going up on tiptoe to kiss the square line of her father’s jaw. There was no bending even then. No returned kiss and no warm hug. Had she ever gotten such a thing from either of her parents?
Piper frowned. She couldn’t remember.
Forcing a smile to her lips she looked at her surprised mother. “I’ll see the two of you tomorrow night. Have a good evening.”
They made their escape then, Jace and Merck both putting a strong arm around her. Their obvious physical strength helped soothe her. She forced a smile to her lips as they walked into the large dining room. A cheer went up and she blushed. She knew they were terribly late.
Piper looked around at all her new friends. There were nearly fifty people and she felt her heart swelling with pleasure and love. Even if she hadn’t fallen in love with Merck and Jace she would never be able to leave Silver. It would be impossible. It had captured her heart years ago. But since returning, the magic, the uniqueness of the town, and the people who made it the way it was had wound itself around her mind, body, and soul.
No, she could never leave Silver.
Chapter Ten
As Piper sat at the head table with her men on either side of her, she looked at those sitting at the flanking tables. Clarissa and Bliss were there with Colt. They were officially dating now. No sex, just dating. Colt said it was odd, but he was willing to do it to see if they were really meant to be together. Mink was still the odd man out. The looks her brother gave Colt nearly broke her heart. It was obvious he cared for the older man a great deal, but she didn’t know if it was love or something else.
Others attending the supper were her new employees, several business owners in and around Silver, and even the elderly man who’d volunteered to work at the pet help center to keep himself busy and out of his wife’s hair.
Marley was seated between Grayson and Roarke. She was blushing and giggling and it was obvious something was happening beneath the table. Piper’s lips twitched. She had heard all about Marley giving her men blow jobs while they were at the Silver Garden Restaurant one night. She had been shocked by the tale, but that hadn’t lasted long. No one seemed to care as long as it wasn’t being done in the middle of Silver.
Piper’s gaze moved down the table. Logan MacMillan was an imposing man. He was huge and wore a rather grim expression most of the time. Unless he was attending to his wife, Peaches, as he was at the moment. Whatever she had said to him had him grinning from ear to ear. A word from Ryan, one of his two partners, made the grin leave his face instantly. He looked like he wanted to punch the guy. Then there was Damien, obviously the moderator. Whatever he said seemed to smooth everything over with Logan as the smile finally returned and he leaned over to kiss his wife. Piper giggled when a long arm reached beyond Peaches and a hand connected with the back of Ryan’s head.
Piper shook her head and smiled to herself.
She had met them a few weeks ago when they had come into town for pizza and she had been at the restaurant with Colt and Mink. She had liked all four immediately, though she thought Logan might be a little scarier than her father. With Silver being a relatively small town she found that Colt’s friends were quickly becoming her friends. It wasn’t a bad thing.
She loved the interaction between the husbands, wives, and partners. Peaches’s family was tame compared to her sister Cherry’s. The four Preston brothers, Mick, Cody, Collin, and Jake were a bunch of clowns and at the moment they were teasing the sixth in their loving partnership. Gracie sat between Cherry and Collin. She was absolutely glowing as her men teased her, laughing and shaking her head as one of them said something to her. She leaned against Cherry, as if for protection, the other woman’s slender arm slipping around her. She tipped her dark head back and Cherry kissed her softly on the mouth, their lips lingering. Collin took advantage of the moment to run his tongue from his wife’s cleavage up
along her exposed throat. This sent Gracie into a fit of giggles as she swatted her husband with a tiny hand. Piper grinned and went back to eating her asparagus until she heard a shriek come from the other side of the table.
Wesley Kimura had his phone out and was pointing at it and looked like he was about to go into a meltdown. Nick Walker grabbed his partner and pulled him onto his lap, taking the phone from him to look at it. Nick shook his head and laughed, handing the phone over to their partner Breck Gordon. Breck chuckled and gave it to Teddy. Wesley’s twin had the same reaction as his brother. The phone was passed around the table and Piper discovered what had horrified the two men. She laughed as she saw the photo of two cats which had obviously encountered a baby who had been playing with finger paints, said baby in the background with as much paint on herself as she had put on the cats.
“Do you like kids?” Merck asked curiously, obviously noting her smile as she looked at the baby.
Piper wasn’t able to hide the grimace as she passed the phone on down to her brother. Mink laughed as he looked at it, and then passed it on.
“My sister is terrified of kids. You’ve got your work cut out for you, if you’re planning on having any with her. You’ll have to tie her down to get her pregnant.”
“Is that true, Piper?” Jace asked in amazement. “Are you really afraid of kids?”
“Well,” she said carefully, wishing she could choke her brother just a little for spilling her secrets. “I’d never been around any until I got here. I’m just not used to them.” When neither man said anything she risked a glance at each one. Their expressions were a combination of surprise and understanding. “Okay, I’m terrified of them,” she admitted finally, her fingers toying with a fork. “If this thing works out between us, do you think it’d be okay if we waited for a while to have a baby?” She shuddered again and worried that she’d never be comfortable enough to have one of her own.
“If this thing as you put it works out,” Jace told her quietly, “you have all the time in the world to think about it. We’re not going to rush you, kitten.”
“Yeah, sweetheart, take all the time you need. Besides, I’m pretty selfish. I only want to share you with Jace right now. A baby will want one or all of us waiting on it hand and foot.” Merck leaned close to nuzzle the side of her neck. Goosebumps shivered over her skin. Her nipples hardened. Merck growled softly against her ear and she moaned as pleasure coursed over her body like a waterfall. It cascaded over every hill and valley, winding its way around her, until it pooled between her legs. He laughed softly, knowingly. “Like that, did you?”
“Yes,” she whispered, turning her head to look at him. His golden eyes were filled with fire and promises. “I liked it a lot.”
“You know, I haven’t forgotten how you wanted to put a rope around me and then give me a ride like one of my bulls.”
Being reminded of one of the most embarrassing moments of her life made Piper groan and hide her burning face in her hands. She shook her head, wishing it away, until she started laughing. Lifting her head she looked at the man who was determined to torment her.
Jace’s laughter joined theirs. Piper looked at him. “Merck told you, too?”
“Yes. We’ve shared a lot while getting to know each other. Are you coming home with us tonight, sweetheart?”
Piper bit her lip, trying to decide.
It was certainly tempting. She wanted to. Her entire body was begging for her to go for it. There were parts of her that especially wanted their brand of attention. She would have to go home with them, because with her parents in a room upstairs, Piper was not going to risk having one of them come to her room. She couldn’t do the things she was hoping to do with her men if she was in the same building with them. Having Douglas and Camilla Barrows have access to her was something she would avoid at all costs. At least she would try to do so until she had regrouped and prepared herself mentally to see them again. Daily phone calls from her father hadn’t really done that for her.
The past few weeks had been all but perfect. Piper truly enjoyed her newfound freedom. She liked being able to make choices. Good or bad, they were all hers.
Now she had another choice to make.
Piper nodded. “Yes, I’ll go home with you.”
There was stunned silence for a moment. Everyone at the tables seemed to be staring at her and Piper felt herself blush again. When had they gotten so quiet that they all heard her answer? She had really missed that.
“You will?” Merck was grinning from ear to ear.
Piper nodded and let him take her hand in his. It was big and calloused, with long fingers she imagined brushing over her skin. Oh yeah, she was looking forward to that.
“Do we have to stay for dessert?” Jace asked, chuckling as he took her other hand and leaned close to kiss her ear. Pleasure shivered over her skin. “I say we just take it with us.”
“We can do that.”
Though everyone else in the room seemed to be comfortable with being all kissy face with each other in a public setting, Piper wasn’t there yet. Everything she was feeling for these men was brand-spanking new and she wanted to keep it to herself like a new toy and play with it in private.
Just when she thought she would be dragged from the room by two panting men Colt stood up and raised his glass of champagne. She heard both Merck and Jace groan in frustration, causing her to smile. Colt looked at her as everyone else lifted theirs. All eyes fixed on her. Smiles sent her way were genuine and full of warmth.
Piper was now a part of something and she loved it. It was as good as her next breath.
“To Piper. We wish you every success in love and other important endeavors.” He winked at her and she blew him a kiss. “We love you. Good luck.”
After thanking everyone, and witnessing Teddy and Wesley go into another meltdown over yet another photo on the cell phone, Piper left the party. She guessed it would go on for a while, even without her. She didn’t mind.
Before they could leave Piper had to get her pets. Jace chuckled as Merck grumbled. “Do we really have to take the killer pig with us? That animal hates me. I don’t mind the cat. And the dog is cute. But your little pork chop needs to learn some manners.”
“There’s nothing wrong with her. She just has good instincts. And don’t think I won’t be keeping an eye on you,” Piper warned as they went into the luxurious suite. She turned suddenly just inside the door. She looked up at Merck as she poked him in the chest with a manicured finger. “If you keep dissing the pig, you’re not going to get beyond holding hands with me, Mr. Rushton. Now, what’s it going to be?”
Merck looked down at her, laughter lighting his golden eyes. The corner of his firm mouth twitched. “Would Sparkle like her own room?”
She grinned up at him, enjoying his playfulness. “Better,” she told him, nodding.
He moved closer. Jace pressed against her back as he had in the lobby. The breath left her body in a rush as hands reached for her. “So, what would it take for me to see those beautiful breasts of yours?”
Her head tilted to the side. “How do you know they’re beautiful?”
“I have a very good imagination and a positive attitude.”
“They might sag to my knees when I take this bra off,” she warned ominously.
Jace’s spontaneous burst of laughter nearly made Piper all but jump out of her skin. She spun around to glare up at him. “If those puppies sag to your knees, I’ll kiss my brother on the mouth the next time I see him.” He threw back his head and laughed when Piper made a face which reflected her thoughts on that possibility. He grabbed her and pulled her hard against his body. There was something poking her in the stomach which told her just was going to be happening soon. “Now, why don’t we get you packed up and moved out of here?” He glanced around. “As nice as it is, we have a much more intimate place to take you. We’ll give your babies a nice place to stay, where they can’t do any harm to Merck, then it’s all about us.”
The men gathered everything up, including pet carriers. Sparkle, always single-minded, refused to stay in her carrier. Piper didn’t force the issue, even though either man could have carried pig and carrier easily. Though she was small for a pot-bellied pig, Sparkle wasn’t a lightweight. Besides, Piper thought with a grin, she doubted any of the hotel’s other guests would appreciate a spoiled, angry pig squealing. Lord help her if her parents heard the commotion. Still, the thought made her chuckle as they left the suite and headed for the private elevator.
They were in the lobby when Sparkle did the unexpected. She left Piper’s side and took off across the polished floor toward a man standing just inside the entrance. She winced as Sparkle began squealing and attacking the man, whom she recognized as one of her father’s men. Other than Merck, the pig had never shown a dislike toward anyone.
It was Merck to the rescue, however, when Steve Harner, her father’s employee, kicked Sparkle. She grunted as her body flew several feet to land hard on the floor. Harner was the second thing to hit the floor as Merck punched him hard in the jaw. He went down like a ton of bricks and was out cold.
Piper didn’t spare him a glance as she rushed to her pig. Sparkle was on her feet, but she was obviously stunned. “Ah, baby, are you okay?” She ran her hands over the animal, over bristle-covered skin, touching the place around her ribs where she’d been kicked.
“Is she okay?” Jace asked, squatting down beside them. Merck and everyone from the restaurant and the guests from her party were appearing, circling around them.