Britt propped his elbow atop his forearm. He tapped his fist against his mouth, contemplating his foe. “Since you have such a keen interest in Miss Shepherd’s property, I’m left to wonder why your club didn’t bail out Canyon Ridge, so that you could have access to such prime hunting grounds.”
A fissure crackled its way across Norwood’s control, leaving a blackened, jagged trail in its place.
Britt smiled. “You tried, but my little brother outbid you. Or was it that the club denied your request?”
“My club is run by idiots—” Norwood caught himself. “Jonah Steele’s motivation was a great deal more personal than the club’s interest.”
“In what way?”
Too late. Britt didn’t see the trap coming until Norwood’s eyes brightened right before he pounced, landing a perfect punch.
“Jonah wanted to ensure gainful employment for all of his brothers.”
Reid took two menacing steps toward Norwood. Britt’s hand shot out, stopping his brother.
“We’ve all done just fine without Jonah’s help,” Britt said.
“That might be true for Griffin and even you, to some extent, if one could say banging nails all day was a lifelong ambition.” Norwood nodded toward Reid. “However, the Beret’s injury took away his future—until his baby brother came to his rescue.”
It was the wrong nerve for Norwood to poke.
Reid surged toward Norwood again. “You don’t know shit about me.”
“On the contrary, I’ve come to learn a great deal—about all the Steele brood.” Unconcerned about a pissed-off Green Beret bearing down on him, Norwood caught Britt’s eye. “Seems the Steele family has a few delicious secrets tucked away in the closet.”
“Reid, hold up—”
His command came a second too late. One second Reid was charging toward Norwood and the next, he was on the ground. Behind him stood a slender Asian man decked out in a dress shirt, dinner jacket, gold medallion, and slacks. He was the epitome of sleek elegance—like a black leopard sporting a diamond collar.
“Gentlemen, may I introduce you to Jun Ito. He holds a black belt in a number of hand-to-hand combat disciplines, as you see.”
Reid rolled to his feet, preparing to strike back, though Britt could see his brother favored his injured leg. Ito had known where to strike. Norwood hadn’t been bluffing about his knowledge of the Steele clan.
“Reid, stand down.”
“Fuck that. I’m going to show this guy what a proper greeting looks like.”
“We’ll deal with this another way. Head to the truck.”
Britt willed his headstrong brother to listen to him just this once. Although Britt had no doubt that an uninjured Reid could take on Jun Ito, he didn’t have the same confidence about the Reid who stood before him. The brother who’d spent the past several months in physical therapy, strengthening his knee. He would do what he had to do to protect his brother. Even if it was from himself.
Jun Ito neither smiled nor smirked. He simply stood before Reid, awaiting his opponent’s next move. Reid backed away from the fight, but not without sending Britt a you’ll-pay-for-this glare.
“Wise decision on your part,” Norwood said. “Jun is quite lethal to his enemies—and his prey.”
“How about we set aside the drawing room bullshit?” Britt said. “If I find you or one of your members on Steele or Shepherd land, I’ll have you arrested for trespassing and poaching.”
“What could possibly be on your land that would entice us to break the law?” Norwood mused. His cronies chuckled behind him. “It wouldn’t be that lovely pack of endangered red wolves, would it?”
25
Randi dragged herself out of bed around eight the following morning. For many, this was still early. For her, she’d just wasted half a day. But after her falling-out with Britt, she couldn’t make herself care about all the things she wouldn’t be able to get done now because she’d slept in.
No matter how many times she reminded herself that Britt’s accusations had been formed in a vapor of grief, they still hurt. Did he trust no one?
Pulling her favorite coffee from the cupboard, she replayed his harsh words for the hundredth time while rubbing at the dull headache in her temple. He didn’t believe in coincidences. Neither did she. So there had to be another explanation for how Mellow was discovered. Something they were missing. Her mind kept returning to the Carolina Club and her sudden streak of bad luck.
The thought that they could’ve orchestrated all the chaos in her life seemed fantastical. But she had to consider the possibility. What good would that do her, though? The police had found no evidence of wrongdoing at her mom’s accident site. How would she go about proving that the club had influenced her financial advisor? She was no PI, and the police would need more than her and Britt’s suspicions.
She hit the brew button on her coffeemaker, and soon a stream of scalding dark liquid splattered into a large mug containing French vanilla cream.
After indulging in her guilty pleasure, she showered, dressed, and headed into town to run some errands.
Stopping at Blues, Brews, and Books first, she checked in to see how things were going with the morning crowd.
“Good morning, Miss Shepherd,” said her handsome new barista, Brock Blackwater, the moment she came through the door.
“Morning, Brock.” Scanning the storefront, she checked for tables that needed to be bussed and signs of unhappy customers. She found none. Beautiful. “Did Kris tell you we’re on a first-name basis around here?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He poured milk into a metal cup. “It’ll take awhile for me to break free of my grandfather’s teachings and military training.”
With his close-cropped black hair, wide-set brown eyes, honey-brown skin, and endearing manners, Brock had become a customer favorite, especially with the ladies.
“The café looks wonderful.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
Smiling, she made her way to the grocery store. She didn’t enjoy traversing the gargantuan store when she only had a few items to purchase, but she loved the place for her big Sunday shopping excursions. So many choices, and the place had a pick-up-your-dinner-and-go café. Heaven for a single woman.
Grocery cart full, she dodged traffic in the parking lot. When she paused to make way for an RV-wanna-be pickup truck, she spotted Britt’s broad shoulders and blond hair weaving through the rows of vehicles. She adjusted her sunglasses to make sure it was him and not something her bruised brain had conjured.
She took in his shaggy, sun-kissed hair and square jaw. Yep, that was the real deal. Seeing him so soon after their argument made her throat clog.
She wanted to call out to him, but had no idea of what to say. Rather than risk the awkwardness, she made a beeline for her Jeep. She braced herself against discovery, certain he would try to intercept her. Or worse, ignore her—like she was doing to him. Ignore wouldn’t be the right term. More like avoid, not that the word choice made the action any more palatable.
Throwing her groceries into the back, Randi held her breath until she pulled out onto the road, leaving the store—and Britt—behind. Before heading home, she stopped to get gas and cash at her bank’s ATM. By the time she drove down her street, her heart and nerves were back under control.
Britt and his brothers frequented her bar quite often. She couldn’t allow something like this to turn her into a fleeing coward. Wading through the first dregs of a breakup was not new to her, though this thing with Britt affected her on a different level than all the other guys before him.
Randi straightened her shoulders, promising herself that any future Britt sightings would be handled with a great deal more maturity than she’d displayed this morning. At least that was what she told herself until she saw Britt propped against the side of his truck, waiting for her return home.
“Pluck a biscuit!” She sent a frustrated glare heavenward. “Did you really need to test my mettle this soon?”
Absent a garage, she pulled into her normal spot in front of the metal shed that sat adjacent to her bungalow. Jumping out, she peeked out the rear window in search of Britt under the cover of retrieving her bags.
“Need a hand with those?”
Randi startled, bumping her head when she reared back. Stars sparked, blinding her. This morning’s breakfast did the wave in her stomach. She reached out to steady herself, and a big hand grasped her wrist.
“Whoa.” Britt took the bags from her hands. “You okay?”
Sweat broke out on Randi’s forehead an instant before all the blood drained from her face, leaving an icy path behind.
Britt angled around to see her face. “You’re pasty white.” His expression hardened. “You promised, Randi. You promised to go see your doctor.”
Although he’d barely raised his voice, his words carved a path right through her skull, making her shrink away.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “Let’s get you back into your Jeep, and I’ll drive you to urgent care.”
“No. I’ll take a couple ibuprofen and be fine.”
“You’re worse today.”
“I hit my head on the car. It’ll pass.”
He guided her away, taking slow, careful steps. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s okay. I didn’t expect you by my side so fast.”
“Figured you might need some help.”
“Oh? Why?”
“Saw you leaving Hoffman’s and it looked like you’d stocked up for the week.” He held up the bags. “Seems I guessed right.”
“Thank you.” Had he planned to come here before he saw her at the grocery store? He didn’t seem upset, but Britt had a way of masking his feelings. Did he come here to break it off? Or to apologize?
Unlocking the front door, she motioned for him to enter. “You can set those on the counter, if you like.”
He did so, then started unloading the bags.
“Britt, you don’t need to put away my groceries.”
“It’s the least I can do for causing you to hit your head. I’ll take care of the perishables while you find something to take for your headache.”
Although it was a sensible suggestion, she got the impression that his assistance had as much to do with stalling their conversation as it did with saving her milk. Under normal circumstances, she would have scolded him for ordering her around. But not while the pounding in her head threatened to turn her stomach inside out.
A quick glance in the bathroom mirror revealed that she looked as haggard as she felt. Not much she could do about it. She reached into the medicine cabinet, praying the pills kicked in ASAP.
Returning to the kitchen, she asked, “How are your ribs? Any broken?”
“I got lucky—just badly bruised.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” She couldn’t stop herself from inspecting his body. Not that she could see past his clothes. Outside of a few scratches on his face and arms, he looked well. “Can I offer you something to drink?”
“No, thanks.” He glanced around the room, anywhere but at her, then up at the clock. “Did I come at a bad time?”
“Not at all. I’d planned to hang out at home for the rest of the day.” In an even voice, she asked, “What’s up?”
Bracing one hand on her small island, he raked the other through his hair. “Look, I suck at apologies. The words never come out right.” He caught her unsympathetic gaze and released a breath. “I’m sorry for insinuating that you’d shared the location of the den. At the time, my mind couldn’t wrap around any other alternative, even though I knew, knew you wouldn’t do so.” Both hands now gripped the edge of the island. “I thought you might have accidentally said something that led a hunter to the wolves. When you denied the possibility, I should have believed you.”
“And now? Do you believe me now?”
“Yes.”
The hurt Randi had been living with for the past twenty-four hours slowly evaporated. She understood how emotion could clog reason. It had happened to her more than once. If their roles had been reversed, she might not have been able to get beyond the fact that all had been well until she’d trusted someone new with her secret.
Reaching across the island, she covered one of his hands with hers. “Thank you for stopping by. I didn’t like the way we left things yesterday.”
“Neither did I.” He turned his hand over, and she splayed her palm over his. “What can I do to make this up to you?”
What can Mommy do to cheer you up? A semi rolled over her chest, crushing her organs, shattering her bones. Her mother’s voice echoed between them.
In the early days, when her mother had tried to be an attentive parent, she would coax Randi out of her mood with that simple question. The tactic had lost its effectiveness many, many years ago. Her mom’s world had revolved around protecting the environment. All else took second place. Even her daughter.
Randi could not go back there. It had taken her years to understand that her mother’s frequent absences had nothing to do with her and everything to do with her mother’s priorities. The knowledge still stung to this day. But the heart-wrenching lesson had formalized into one unbreakable promise to herself. She would not settle for the number two spot again. Especially not with the man with whom she would share a bed, a life, a family.
She stared into Britt’s soulful brown eyes and saw the devastation he could cause her by putting his interests before their relationship one too many times. A black cloud blanketed her kitchen, snuffing out every bit of light, every bit of joy, every bit of hope.
Bracing her feet apart, Randi withdrew her hand and straightened her spine. “Your apology is enough.” Her gaze dropped to the tan, cream, and black swirled pattern in the island’s granite countertop, collecting the right words until it became clear that there would be no perfect way to deliver her message. “I’ve enjoyed our time together. Very much. However, this incident with the wolves has made me recall a long-ago promise I made to myself.”
He shifted his stance and it was as if a powerful vacuum sucked up every trace of vulnerability he’d displayed during his apology. “Which was?”
“When I found a guy I might want to be with, I would be number one in his eyes.”
What had been hard, cold angles on his features seconds before were now contours that burned with determination. He strode with predatory slowness around the island. His attention riveted on her face.
Arms at his side, he stopped a hand’s width away. “If you wish it, nothing will ever come between us.”
Randi couldn’t hear her voice over the fireworks in her heart. “But that’s just it, you put your work with the wolves before your belief in me. If you can do that at this stage, what will our relationship be like in fifteen years?”
“I made a mistake. My grief overrode my good sense.” He lifted his hand to cradle her cheek. “I didn’t put my work before you, though I did give you a good glimpse of my flawed self.” He palmed her other cheek. “If you’re going to give me the ax, do it because I was an idiot and didn’t think things through before reacting—not because you believe I value the wolves more than you. Nothing could be further from the truth.” Angling his head the tiniest bit, he bent closer until their breaths cleaved together. “Do you believe me now?”
He lobbed her words back at her, in challenge or plea, she couldn’t be sure. Randi swam in a fog of uncertainty and desire. More than anything else in that moment, she wanted his mouth on hers, his body against hers, his feelings matching hers.
How did she feel about him? Her connection to him had definitely grown into something special, something intense. Months of watching him come into her bar, together but somehow apart from his family, had caught her attention. Months of sensing his gaze on her, but neither of them mana
ging to say more than a few words, had intrigued her. Months of wondering about the quiet, watchful Steele brother had primed her for this moment.
Ah, hell. What a twisted, sadistic joke her life had become. Of all the men her heart could have settled on, the fickle organ picked the man who would freaking break it the fastest.
But a lifetime of avoiding everything that was important to her mom could not be erased by his heart-reviving declaration. The pain of wanting a deep, loving connection that would never come to fruition had embedded itself into every fiber of her young girl’s soul. Was she brave enough to step into a relationship with a guy who possessed all the same obsessive passions as her mom?
“I do believe you,” she whispered.
Satisfaction lit his features, and he moved to cover her mouth with his.
“However”—she reached between them and placed an index finger against his chin, stopping him—“I need some time to think this through.” The pad of her finger traced the edge of his lower lip. “From the second we crossed paths in the woods, my world has been spinning at a dust devil rate. I haven’t had a moment to blink, let alone evaluate what I want from this thing between us.” She smiled a little. “If you want a stripped-to-the-bone truth, I was just getting used to the idea of our friends-plus agreement.”
His expression shifted from satisfaction to wariness to a sort of resigned understanding.
“While you’re searching that brilliant mind of yours for answers, remember this.” He kissed her, starting soft and slow before building to an unchecked tangle of lips, tongues, hands, and grinding hips.
Need tore through Randi, even while her mind tried to put on the brakes. But Britt’s warm mouth, big body, and intoxicating scent all conspired against her reason. She wanted him. She wanted him now.
Her hands flew to his belt buckle, and his fingers fumbled with the single button and zipper of her capris. After peeling off her panties, he lifted her onto the island, sending fruit and canned goods in all directions.
Loving Deep: Steele Ridge Series Page 21