“I am really sorry,” she stated one more time then began to walk toward the machine as if there were nothing more she could do or say about it.
He wasn’t going to let her off that easily.
“How about a towel or something?” he asked, and he pulled his shirt off and began wringing out the material. When he looked up he locked gazes with a very stunned and adorable-looking Stacy and she obviously liked what she saw. He was shocked at how relieved he felt. It was a first for him. He knew he had a good body. It was the kind of body that men who did hard labor work like him wound up with. Women drooled over it, but for some strange reason, that confidence and cockiness he had with other women wasn’t present with Stacy. He actually was concerned that she may not like him or find him attractive.
“Um…let me just run inside and get you something to cover up.” She sounded as if she stuttered, and he found that to be appealing as well. He winked at her then followed her toward the cottage’s front door.
He stood on the front porch, not wanting to get water on her rug. He could tell as he peeked through the screen door that she was going to redo the rooms as well. There were series of color-sample strips lining every wall and the hallway, too.
She reappeared a few seconds later holding a thick burgundy towel against her chest as if it were a security blanket.
“Thank you,” he told her as she swallowed hard and tried not to look at his chest, but it was nearly at her eye level. He began to dry off as he watched her lean against the post on the porch and look out toward the pasture.
“What were you thinking about when I showed up?” he asked.
She turned to him, looking like a deer caught in the headlights, then quickly recovered.
“I guess I was just daydreaming, that’s all.”
He wanted to tread carefully. He was going on pure gut instincts here, and he didn’t want to scare her or piss her off. Max had already told him what happened earlier today and about the donut comment.
“I don’t want to intrude or anything, but you looked kind of scared.”
She shot him a look of surprise. He was right.
“Then don’t intrude, Eric. Leave the towel on the chair when you’re done,” she stated and walked off the porch before he could get another word in.
“Whew-wee.” That girl had a temper on her. He watched her and that perfectly round ass of hers until she disappeared around the house.
He walked around the side of the house and saw her sweeping up the debris from the area she power washed.
“So when are you going to start working at the Triple C?” he inquired. She stopped sweeping for a second, looked at him, and then went back to sweeping. He never saw a woman look so damn sexy in a pair of worn-out jeans with holes in them. Something told him that she would look sexy in just about anything, although he would prefer to see her in nothing at all. Boy, would he take his time exploring every inch of her body.
“I already told Max that I wasn’t interested.”
She interrupted his thoughts, and he felt his cheeks warm. If she only knew what he was thinking about her.
“That’s not what I heard. Marie said you would be available and that she only needed your assistance for the first day of camp.”
“We’ll see,” she stated as she finished up then looked around the yard. It was getting dark, and he didn’t want her wandering around outside on her own. She was a city girl and didn’t know about the potential dangers. Never mind what Max and Ron had said about Gutry.
“Let me help you clean up. It’s getting dark out, and you’ll want to be inside,” he stated as he stood next to her.
“So it’s getting dark, what’s the big deal?’ she challenged him, and he couldn’t resist teasing her.
“You don’t want to be wondering around in the dark when there are wild animals hunting for prey,” he whispered next to her ear. She glanced around them, trying to see as far as she could see now that there was little light. In just about another five minutes or so, it would be pitch black.
“There are poisonous snakes and barn rats,” he added, and she turned toward him. Without even realizing it, she was pressed against his body and both their hands held the broom.
He reached down and caressed her cheek, letting his thumb slide along those sexy, soft lips of hers.
“Let’s finish up, darling. I’ll keep you safe,” he whispered, and he nearly came in his pants when she batted her eyelashes and held his gaze.
“Snakes, huh? I don’t like snakes,” she whispered, and he was drawn to her lips and the sound of her seductive tone. How would those lips feel wrapped around his cock? He shifted his stance, and she pulled herself closer to him.
“Let’s finish up, honey,” he told her as he tapped her hip and held his hand against her jean-covered hip bone. Stacy immediately finished up, and they walked together back to the cottage.
“Thank you for your help. It really wasn’t necessary, and I’m sorry for spraying you.”
“Why don’t you make it up to me and invite me in for dinner?”
She placed her hands on her hips and scowled at him.
“I don’t think so, buddy. Maybe those cute dimples and sexy body get into women’s pants in a snap, but it takes more than that to bed me. Good night!” she exclaimed in a huff and tried to turn away from him. He caught her hand, and she stopped but wouldn’t turn toward him.
“I’m sorry it came out that way. I was teasing you and I wasn’t trying to ‘bed’ you,” he told her then chuckled. It was a mental workout just talking with the woman.
“Fine. Whatever,” she replied, looking over her shoulder at him.
“I can’t leave with you upset like this. I really didn’t mean anything dishonorable by my comment.” He couldn’t believe that he was groveling for forgiveness from a flirty comment.
“I forgive you, now will you let go of my hand and leave?”
“On one condition,” he stated, and she let out an annoyed breath.
“You don’t climb that ladder and go up on the roof on your own tomorrow.”
“What? No, I’m not listening to you. I’m a big girl and I can handle it.”
He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her waist. She held his forearms, but she didn’t scream for release. Maybe he was making progress.
“You’re going to listen to me, Stacy. I don’t want anything to happen to you. If I find out that you climbed that ladder and didn’t wait for me or Max to get over here, I swear I’m going to tan this pretty little ass of yours.” He lightly tapped her rear, and she stirred against him. He held her gaze and gave her one of his looks that meant business. Let’s see what the little tough girl thinks about this.
“Let me get this straight. You’re telling me that if I climb a ladder to fix my roof and gutter tomorrow and not wait for you and Max, then you’re going to spank me?”
He nodded and squeezed her a little tighter.
“There’s no need for you to take any unnecessary chances. I don’t want to see you get hurt, Stacy. You’re perfect, and we want to keep you this way,” he whispered, and she stared at him as if he were crazy.
“I think you should let me go. You’re making me feel uncomfortable.” Stacy pushed against him as if she were frightened about Eric holding her. Her body tensed in his arms as if she were on guard.
He slowly released her and took a few steps back and she was appeared grateful.
“We’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“I don’t need your help,” she stated abruptly, and Eric could hear the intensity of her tone.
He raised his eyebrows, and she clenched her fists by her side.
“I will not be ordered around. I don’t need your help or your brother’s help.” She turned around, walked into the house, and slammed the door shut.
She was going to be a handful.
Chapter 5
District Attorney’s Office, New York City
“So, Detective Belogio, please tell m
e more about this Stacy Porter. I understand that you were the responding detective to a break in at her home after numerous threatening calls were made to her cell phone,” Investigator Sam Pellot asked. He had been investigating Barry Weiner for months now on allegations of sexual harassment, rape, and assault. The four women who were ready to press charges either turned up dead or dropped their charges.
“Yeah, I was in charge of her case. I looked into it and came up with nothing.”
Sam raised his eyebrows. “This woman receives numerous threatening phone calls, strange packages containing everything from lingerie to dildos, and then has someone break into her apartment and rearrange her place, and you don’t find any possible suspects, not even her boss who she claims is responsible?”
“She was fired from the job and wanted someone easy to blame. The boss turned out to have an alibi, and he seemed like a straight-up fellow,” Detective Belogio replied sarcastically as he chewed his wad of gum and sat sideways in the chair. He acted like a typical wiseass except he also had a badge of authority. Sam thought the combination meant bad news.
“If you did a thorough job investigating Miss Porter’s allegations, then you would have seen the other charges against Barry Weiner. Two of those charges were rape and assault and the other two sexual harassment.”
“Those cases were dropped.”
“Only because three of the women turned up dead. The other one knew those women and was in fear of her life, so she dropped the charges.”
“If you had proof of that, Weiner would be in jail right now. You know what I think?”
“What do you think, Detective Belogio?” Investigator Pellot asked. He had no idea what shit this guy was going to spew, but as soon as this meeting was over, he was going to investigate him as well. Maybe a call to internal affairs was in order.
“Have you seen what this Porter chick looks like? She’s fucking hot and a body made for sin. She’s been trying to get a promotion for months. I think she did Weiner and he duffed out on the deal of promotion. Now she’s pissed and she wants revenge. The dude is loaded.”
Investigator Pellot was shocked. He knew a lot of really great detectives, and this asshole didn’t belong in the same category as the rest of them. He took a deep breath and tried to remain calm when all he wanted to do was rip Belogio a new one.
“Where is Miss Porter now?”
The detective looked at his fingernails then smirked.
“I think she left town. I haven’t heard a word from her since the last package was sent to her two weeks ago.”
“What was in that package?”
“Oh, she got real creative in her game she’s playing. She put handcuffs, duct tape, and some off-the-wall porn DVD in there, too. I think there were even pictures of her with her two hot girlfriends.”
Investigator Pellot couldn’t take it any longer. He’d had enough.
“Whatever evidence you have in your possession, I want it. You did follow procedure and had it checked for fingerprints and logged in to the evidence storage room?”
“I think I have it in a box. She was really reaching with that one.”
Pellot lost it just as the door to his office opened and his partner came walking in.
“I’ve had enough of this asshole. I already called his commander, and I have guys confiscating the evidence and anything else this piece of shit touched,” Investigator Morton declared as he pointed his finger at Belogio, indicating for him to follow him.
“Hey what did I do?” Belogio asked as he got up out of the chair and began walking toward Investigator Morton.
“Hopefully you didn’t just get another innocent victim murdered,” Pellot stated as he watched his partner escort the detective from the room.
He immediately picked up the phone. “Yeah, I need to locate a Stacy Porter. This was her last known address.”
* * * *
Stacy climbed the ladder leading up to the roof. She had already replaced the broken gutter on one side of the house and now was finishing, fixing the shingles on the other side of the house. How dare Eric threaten her? She had learned how to do construction work as a teenager as she accompanied her father on numerous jobsites. She had to hide when the bosses came around, but in between, her father taught her a lot of good stuff. God, she hadn’t thought about him in years. Once mom left them and took off, her father had changed. He tried to mold Stacy into the woman he thought she should be. Brad Porter was a hard-ass, and it was sad how he let alcohol and gambling ruin his life. If he had stayed straight and listened to her when she tried to talk him about his alcohol problem and overdrinking, maybe he would still be here. She hammered away at the shingles, gripping the roof with one hand and using her boots as leverage. Her hip was pressed against the shingles in an awkward position because of the eave hanging above the widow.
She reached for another sheet of shingle, feeling how difficult it was to carry up the shingles, remain balanced, then do the labor work. It had been years since she did it. Sitting behind a desk made her soft. She laughed at that possibility as she scooted closer to the windowsill and near a piece of shingle that was lifted up as if it were warped. It appeared as if something was wedged underneath it. She first tried to use her hands, which were covered in a pair of construction gloves. She pulled and yanked, but it wouldn’t come undone. Turning her hip, she adjusted her position to gain better leverage as she used the back of the hammer to try and pull the shingle off.
“I thought I told you not to climb up on that roof.”
She heard Eric’s voice and looked down to see him and Max staring at her from across the grass. They were a good ten yards or so away. She rolled her eyes then gave another yank on the shingle. In a matter of seconds, large black carpenter ants began flowing from the shingles. She screamed as they ran across her legs up and down the roof. Losing her footing she began to slide down the side of the house, nowhere near where the ladder was. In an instant she was hanging off the side of the house.
She gripped the gutter with her gloved hands and stilled her body. It wasn’t that high, and she figured she could drop right into the bushes but instead Max and Eric were yelling orders at her. One glance over her shoulder and she knew she was in big trouble.
* * * *
Max and his brother ran as fast as they could to get to Stacy. Max’s heart was pounding in his chest as he reached her. He was scared out of his mind.
“We’re right here, Stacy, just let go and I will catch you,” Max yelled to her.
“No you won’t,” she replied, and he could see the fear on her face.
“Yes, he will. He will catch you Stacy just let go of the gutter,” Eric ordered.
She shook her head, denying their order.
“Goddamn it, Stacy, if you don’t let go of that gutter, I’m going to tan your hide, woman!” Max yelled.
Max watched as she lowered her head then looked over her shoulder at him.
“Move out of the way and I’ll fall into the bushes.”
“I will catch you. If you fall into the bushes, you’ll break your freaking neck. Trust me! I’ll catch you.”
There was such fear and distrust in her eyes it killed him inside. The thought that she would rather land in the bushes and take her chances of breaking her neck instead of trusting in him pissed him off. He was going to get to the bottom of this stubbornness of hers.
“Let the fuck go now!” Eric stated.
“Okay.”
“On two, baby. One…two.”
She let go, and Max caught her and pulled her into his arms, squeezing her tight. Her legs were wrapped around his waist, and her arms wrapped around his shoulders as he held her against him.
“I was so scared, honey. Thank God you’re okay,” he whispered as he caressed her hair. She began to pull away, but he wasn’t ready to release her. Especially with her breasts pressed up against his upper chest. His brother was behind her, caressing her hair and her back.
When she looked at Max, he
saw the fear in her eyes and shock.
“You caught me,” she stated as if she really hadn’t believed that he would.
“Of course. I told you I would, honey.” He shook his head then pressed his hand over her neck and under her hair to the back of her head. “Don’t you ever do that again,” he stated then leaned forward and pressed his lips over hers. He kissed her tenderly as his fear lessened as if holding her calmed him. When he felt her hands press over his shoulders then lean closer, kissing him in return, he felt triumphant.
Slowly he released her soft lips, loving the taste of her in his mouth. Before she could give any sort of comment, Eric placed his hand against her cheek, causing her to turn toward him. “You scared the hell out me,” he whispered then leaned forward and kissed her just as deeply as Max had. Max relinquished his hold on her to his brother, giving Eric a chance to hold her and confirm that she was indeed safe.
After thoroughly kissing her, Eric carried her toward the pickup truck and placed her on the tailgate. In this position and height, they were eye level with her.
* * * *
Stacy was shaking so hard the moment they released her. The events unfolded in her mind, and she wasn’t sure which part scared her more. Whether it was the fact that she fell off a roof and hung for her life, that Max and Eric actually caught her like Max said they would, or that both brothers just kissed her better than any man ever had. She felt some sort of connection to them. She hardly knew them, yet they felt so familiar. She couldn’t trust them though. They had to be after something, even if it was just sex. Her belly and her pussy warmed at the thought. Both men were so fucking sexy her eyes couldn’t stop looking at them. And she felt feminine and dainty in their arms. She had been in both of their arms and let both men kiss her passionately. There was nothing innocent about their attention. Nothing.
Max stepped between her legs and caressed her thighs. Eric leaned against the truck, placing a hand on the bed of the truck right next to her right thigh.
Dwyer, Dixie Lynn - Stacy's Destiny [The Town of Pearl 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 7