Texas Hustle

by Cynthia D'Alba

“No.” Her reply was a little too short, too firm. The suggestion seemed to rattle Mallory. “Why would I? What would I say? It’s an ugly truck and makes the front of the store look bad? It’s a public street. I know he’s not doing anything illegal, but it just doesn’t pass the smell test.”

  “Okay, but if this person threatens you or does anything other than park his truck in the area, call Sheriff Singer immediately.”

  “Will do.”

  Damn him. Mallory was right. If it was Slade, parking on a public street wasn’t illegal or even threatening. And even if she did decide to talk with the sheriff about it, it’s not as if Slade’s text messages had been more than demands for money. A case might be made for harassment, but she doubted it.

  Later that day, she was finally able to get Tina on the phone. Yes, Tina agreed the guy was creepy and that he had black tats on his neck. But she also agreed that he’d done nothing other than park his truck and stare at the store. He’d never spoken a word to her, nor to any of the bakery employees that she knew of. No one was complaining about him, but Porchia’s employees had talked among themselves and decided that no one would be in the bakery alone until Porchia got back. There was just something about the guy that seemed sinister.

  It was only when she heard the roar of four-wheelers that Porchia realized the entire morning had passed. She hurried to the bathroom to check her hair and brush her teeth before Darren got back. She didn’t want to meet him with a face full of worry and concern. Damn man could read her like a book.

  “Hey! You here?”

  Darren’s shout had her doing a quick rinse of the toothpaste from her mouth.

  “Bathroom. Be right there,” she called back.

  Her first sight of him made her groan and laugh simultaneously. He was covered from head to toe in dirt and mud, and the grin on his face reminded her of a kid with a new toy.

  “Looks like you had fun,” she said, rolling her eyes at the mess.

  “Damn Reno. He rooster-tailed me.”

  “Excuse me?” She covered her mouth to contain her laugh.

  “Sprayed me with his back tire,” he explained.

  “Because?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe I might have thrown a little dirt his way.”

  She shook her head but couldn’t contain her laughter. She’d never had a sibling, but if she had, she’d have wanted to be as close to that sister or brother as Darren and Reno were.

  “Don’t come in,” she warned. “You’ll have mud everywhere.”

  “You want me to strip on the porch?” He pumped his eyebrows. “You know all the other women will never be satisfied with their men once they get a look at me.”

  Her mouth ached from her wide grin. “Yes, I can see how that would be a problem. Leave your boots on the porch and head for the shower. And don’t you dare hug me.”

  After toeing off his mud-caked boots, he walked toward her, the glint in his eyes warning her that he would, without fail, hug her.

  “Don’t,” she warned and danced backward.

  “Oh, come on, honey. Give me a kiss.” He smacked his lips and moved closer.

  “Darren, I swear…”

  But that’s all she got out before he caught her in a tight bear hug and gave her a kiss that tasted like dirt and sweat and Darren. The kiss should have been offensive, but it was Darren, and to her, nothing he did seemed offensive.

  She pushed him away with a chuckle. “You. Shower. Please.”

  “Going,” he said.

  “Porchia,” he called from the shower. “I can’t reach a spot on my back. I could use a hand.”

  Her momma didn’t raise no fool. There was nothing wrong with his back, but what the heck? She’d play along.

  She stepped in, shut the door and leaned on the counter. “What’s the problem, stud boy?”

  “I might need a little help reaching all the muddy areas.” The teasing tone totally blew his lie.

  “I see,” she replied in a serious tone. She quickly stripped off her clothes, which were dirty anyway from his hug. Now that she thought about it, this had probably been his plan all along. “Now, where’s the problem?” she asked after opening the shower door.

  Darren pulled her under the warm spray and pressed her against his granite chest, slick with water. He kissed her, slipping his tongue into her mouth with practiced ease, touching and tasting her exactly how she loved it.

  “Okay, I’m here. Show me the problem.”

  She slid her hands down his wet, slippery back, appreciating the tone and muscular development formed by daily hard labor. She worked her hands down to his ass until she could grab his cheeks in the palms of her hands. Then she pulled him tight against her.

  This was not like her. She wasn’t a take-charge woman when it came to sex. But Darren brought out a side of her she hadn’t known existed, and it might be hard to get the genie back in the bottle after this week was over.

  “You’re getting close,” he whispered in her ear, making goose bumps pop up on her arms.

  She released him and grabbed the bottle of liquid soap. “Turn around,” she ordered, and to her surprise, he did. He turned and stretched out his arms, bracing himself on the shower wall. She swallowed…hard. He looked like pure sex standing there.

  After lathering up her hands, she worked them down his back, over the rigid muscles and into the valleys between. The dip at his waist and narrow hips sent her heart dropping to her knees. The muscles in his ass tightened as her fingers worked them. Having this powerful man under her control made her head spin and the embers of lust in her gut flare to life.

  She squirted more soap, rubbed her hands together and slid them around his hips until she felt the crinkle of his pubic hair. He drew in a breath and held it. When she wrapped her fingers around his granite shaft, he groaned and let his head drop to the wall between his hands.

  Slowly, she massaged up and down his cock with a gentle twist of her hands. She dipped down to his sac and rolled the soft flesh between her fingertips. He stiffened at the first brush of her fingers on that delicate area but didn’t say anything.

  Pulling her hands back around him, she stroked down his legs, enthralled with the strength she found there.

  With knees bent, she rested her ass on her heels. “Turn around.”

  There was a moment of hesitation and then he turned. His face was serious, his eyes dark with passion. His gaze dropped to her sitting at his feet.

  She ran her palms over his feet and up his shins, rising up on her knees with the movement.

  His velvety cock strained upright on his abdomen and appeared to become even more impossibly hard when she licked her tongue up the inside of his thigh.

  He hissed in a breath.

  Warm water flowed down his chest, onto his groin and finally onto her as she worked his scrotum with her tongue, lapping at the supple flesh, using the tip of her tongue to roll his testicles between her lips.

  Grasping his cock, she pulled it to her mouth and sucked the tip between her lips.

  He fisted her hair, tugging it tight. “Fuck,” he groaned.

  She drew his penis in as far as it would go into her mouth. Then, as she moved off, she scraped her teeth down the sides.

  His breathing was erratic and loud in the enclosed space. His gaze never left the space where she tenderly made love to his shaft.

  After a few minutes of licking and sucking and even a little nibbling around the rim of the head, he jerked her to a halt.

  “I can’t take another second of that,” he said through clenched teeth. “I’m going to come.”

  She allowed her eyes to lift until their gazes met, then, while holding his stare, she ran the flat of her tongue down the underside to the base and back up. When she sucked him back into her mouth, he groaned and held her head steady as his hips pistoned his cock in and out of her mouth rapidly.

  It didn’t take but a few strokes before she felt the hot liquid on the back of her throat. As his cock twitched for the
last time, she could have sworn she heard him mutter, “God, I love you.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  The week passed in a blur of contented happiness. Darren poured maple syrup on his pancakes while keeping his eye on Porchia refilling her coffee mug. Even the simple, everyday task of her pouring coffee gave him pleasure. He almost laughed at himself. How he’d made fun of Reno’s facial expressions when he looked at Magda. Darren suspected his face bore the same goofy expression Reno’s had when his brother had been falling in love with Magda.

  Nonetheless, his situation with Porchia was different from any relationship he’d ever had. Since the night in the shower when he’d inadvertently blurted out his feelings, he’d watched for some change in Porchia’s behavior. He was sure she’d heard him on Tuesday, but now he wondered. She hadn’t reacted then and hadn’t said anything about his comment over the following days. She’d neither pushed him away nor drawn him closer. She’d stayed the caring, attentive woman she’d been since she’d kissed him last Saturday.

  “I can’t believe today’s Friday,” Porchia said, dropping into the chair beside him. “Where did the time go?”

  “You ready to head back on Sunday?”

  She shrugged. “Yes and no. I miss the bakery. Getting my hands in the dough. The different aromas in the kitchen. Even miss my night baker, Mallory. But sleeping in every day to almost eight the last two mornings has been a luxury. I’d forgotten what it was like to wake up with the sun rather than before the sun.” She sipped her coffee.

  “Mom and the rest of the women have enjoyed having you do those baking lessons this week.” He put his arm around her and pulled her over for a hug. “You didn’t have to, but I appreciate it.”

  “Are you kidding? I loved it. Your mom is great. So’s the rest of your family. You’re very lucky to have them. You know that, right?”

  He nodded. “Yup. I do.”

  And they would love having you as a permanent part of the family, he thought but knew he couldn’t say it aloud.

  “What’s on the agenda today?” She stole a piece of bacon off his plate.

  “Reno asked if I’d run to town with him on some errands. Do you mind?”

  “Not at all. Magda and I are baking up something special since it’s the last weekend, so I’ll be tied up most of the day. But we should be done sometime after lunch.”

  “Great. How about a ride this afternoon?” When she giggled and arched an eyebrow, he chuckled. “I was talking about a horseback ride, but hey, I’m flexible.”

  “You can say that again.”

  When she followed the comment with a saucy wink, he laughed, drawing the attention of others at the table.

  “What’s so funny down there?” KC called from her end of the table.

  “Private joke,” Darren said.

  Porchia squeezed his knee. He laced his fingers through hers and brought their joined hands to his mouth for a kiss.

  “Hey, bro,” Reno shouted. “If you can tear yourself away, we should get a move on.”

  “Coming,” Darren said, not taking his gaze from Porchia’s face. “You and Magda don’t get into any trouble while we’re gone.”

  Her answering smile made his heart swell until he could hardly breathe. “Flour, eggs and butter. How can we get into trouble with that?”

  “What are you making?”

  “I’m not exactly sure yet. I know all the Montgomery kids are coming in this afternoon. Magda said something about Adam loving chocolate chip cookies, so probably cookies for the kids.”

  “You know I love those too, right? Maybe you could stash a few for our cabin.”

  She leaned forward and kissed him. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  Darren slammed the door of Reno’s truck after he climbed in. “Okay, bro. This had better be some fabulous road trip. You’re making me miss time with Porchia.”

  Reno laughed as the engine roared to life. “How are things with you and Ms. Summers?”

  “Okay, I guess. It’s like she’s got this shell around her that I can’t get through.”

  “So things aren’t getting serious?” Reno stopped at the end of the road and waited for the security gate to open.

  Darren hesitated. There was no one he was closer to than his brother, but if he actually admitted his feelings out loud, he wouldn’t be able to take them back at a later date. And if Porchia finished out the week with a kiss and a brush-off, Reno would never let him forget it.

  “Wow,” Reno said. “No answer. It’s worse than I thought, isn’t it?”

  “Depends on what you’re thinking.” Darren decided to not give his brother any ammunition.

  Reno glanced over and shook his head. “You’ve got it bad. Have you told her yet that you’re in love with her?”

  Hearing the word spoken aloud jarred Darren unexpectedly. He knew his secret but how—

  “And now you’re wondering how I knew, right?” Reno asked. “It’s written all over your face. You look at her and your mouth goes all slack. Your eyes glaze over. And there’s this stupid grin that ends up on your face.” Reno shook his head. “You’re a goner, whether you’ll admit it or not.”

  Darren started to ignore his brother, but at the last second said, “Yeah. Are you the only one who knows?”

  Reno laughed. “Are you kidding? Mom has already starting planning a double wedding for me and you.”

  Darren rubbed his hand down his face. “Shit.”

  “Yeah, well, I’ve got that part fixed.”

  “What part?”

  “The double-wedding part.”

  Darren frowned. “I don’t get it.”

  Reno grinned. “Well, our big trip today is to pick up the marriage license Magda and I filed for this week.”

  Darren whipped his head toward Reno so fast his neck popped. “Are you shitting me?”

  “Nope. Last weekend’s surprise wedding was so awesome we decided to steal the idea. We filled out the paperwork for the license earlier this week. The license should be ready today.”

  Darren slapped his brother’s shoulder. “Damn, boy. That is freaking great. I love Magda.”

  “Me too,” Reno said with a laugh.

  “What about all the other wedding crap? You know, rings, cake, whatever it is brides have to have to make it work.”

  “Magda’s not like most brides. She doesn’t want all the flowers and candles in a church. We picked out rings the same day we filed for the license. Hers had to be sized. It should be ready today too.”

  “Mom is going to shit a brick,” Darren said with a laugh.

  “I know, but we really didn’t want to do all the parties and big wedding stuff. You know Magda’s not that kind of gal. She likes things simple.”

  “What about her dad?”

  “Zeb and Blanche will be in today. They are bringing the older Montgomery kids back to camp for the weekend and staying overnight.”

  “So this wedding is…?”

  “Tonight.”

  Darren shook his head. “Nuts, man. This is totally wacked.”

  “But fun, huh?”

  “Oh, yeah. It’s gonna be fun.”

  Darren waited in the truck while Reno ran into the courthouse and picked up the marriage license. Then they drove to McRae’s Jewelers. This time, Darren got out and went in with his brother.

  As Reno made his way to the back of the store, Darren perused the cases of diamond rings. Even if he and Porchia were to that point, which they weren’t, he didn’t have a clue what her taste in diamonds would be. Round? Marquis? Oval? And then again, he wasn’t sure she’d want an engagement ring. And if she did, if she’d want a diamond or sapphire or whatever.

  “Can I help you, sir?”

  Darren’s gaze jerked from the sparkling gems to a trim woman standing behind the counter, a set of keys in her hand.

  “Can I show you something?” She indicated the diamond rings in the case.

  “Oh. No. Thank you. I was just waiting for my brother. He�
��s picking up a ring for his bride.”

  “Are you sure? You never know when you might be in the market for a ring.”

  “No. Not in the market. Thank you.”

  “You looking at rings already, bro? Damn, man. I knew you were a goner, but this is worse than I thought.”

  Darren glared at his brother, who’d just walked up carrying a small plastic sack.

  “I don’t need an engagement ring,” he said to Reno through clenched teeth.

  “But Mom could have the double wedding of her dreams,” Reno chided.

  “Thank you,” Darren said to the sales clerk. “We’re leaving now.”

  He elbowed Reno hard enough to make him sidestep, but even that didn’t ruin Reno’s mood.

  “Not cool, bro,” Darren said when they were back in the truck.

  Reno just shook his head. “You do realize that at one time you would have played along, picked out different rings for the three or four fake fiancées you’d make up on the spot to shock the saleslady? Lord, man, you were green just thinking about picking one out. And that’s how I know you’re in love.”

  After fastening his seatbelt with a loud click, Darren shook his head. Damn if his brother wasn’t right, not that he was going to give Reno the satisfaction of telling him so.

  Reno had a few other stops to make, so it was well after lunch when they finally turned back into the Whiskey Creek drive.

  “Your future,” stated Darren, pointing to the two young boys playing tag in the yard with a black and white dog nipping at their heels.

  He’d meant it as a joke, but one look at Reno’s contented smile told a different story.

  “I know,” Reno said. “I can’t wait,” he added in a quieter voice.

  The screen door of the lodge opened and the woman under discussion exited, followed by Porchia.

  “You realize we have the two prettiest women here, excluding Mom,” Reno said.

  “Very true. Listen, there’s something you need to know.”

  Reno looked at him, an eyebrow arched in question. “Yeah? What’s that?”

  “It’s about Magda and when she came to work for us.”

  A smug smile inched its way onto Reno’s face. “You mean the fact that you and Mom cooked up the whole idea of hiring Magda as our housekeeper to get us back together?”