by Becca Van
“My ma…men could do with a tidy up, as well,” Pixie said. “Do you have any of your equipment with you? Would you be willing to work even though you’re on vacation?”
“Shit, Pixie, give Tami a chance to answer before you ask another question,” Karter said as he moved closer to Tami.
She glanced his way with a grateful smile, and Zayn almost growled with approval when her pupils dilated with desire. She shifted her gaze toward Jace, and her breath hitched as she squeezed her thighs together. Tami might not know him and his brothers yet, but she was reacting to them physically. Zayn just hoped that she ended up accepting the offer to use their spare room, so they could get to know their mate and she them.
He’d be devastated if she left Ambrose before they had a chance to date their woman.
* * * *
Karter couldn’t take his eyes off his mate. She was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. She had a beautiful face and an amazingly lush body. Her breasts were on the large side, and he licked his lips as he imagined those ripe globes spilling from his hands. Were her nipples pink, a dusky rose, or brown? He shifted his gaze from her breasts down to her narrower waist and over her rounded hips. Her thighs were toned, and her legs seemed to go on forever, even though she wasn’t anywhere near as tall as he and his brothers were. He wished he could move behind her, or she’d turn around so he could see her sexy ass. He salivated as he imagined taking a bite out of one of her butt cheeks before soothing the sting with his tongue.
When the aroma of her desire assailed his nose, he closed his eyes and savored the sweet, musky scent. She smelt so fucking good, like chocolate and vanilla. He wanted to strip her down and lie her out on his bed so he could kiss and lick every inch of that sexy body.
“I do have my equipment with me,” Tami said. “I would love to cut your hair for you.”
“Don’t feel obligated to do it if you don’t want to,” Jace said.
Karter wanted to punch his brother in the face for saying that. He was hoping to word everyone up in town to get a haircut while Tami was here. In fact, he was thinking that maybe they could fit out the empty shop across the street from their store and next to the pub as a salon. Would she want to stay if she had her own business? He hoped so. Women liked to be independent, and if he and his brothers set her up with her own salon, maybe she’d want to hang around.
“But not today,” Tami said. “I’m hungry and tired from traveling.” She gazed at both Kenzie and Pixie. “Is there somewhere I can stay for the night?”
Karter looked at Zayn when his brother huffed out a frustrated breath. He had a feeling this topic of conversation had already come up.
“I’d like to be able to say yes,” Pixie said as she surreptitiously glanced at Zayne, Jace, and Karter. “But the motel is booked out for the weekend. The pub is putting on a show tonight and tomorrow night. They’ve got musicians playing, and whenever that happens, the rooms are snapped up quickly.”
Tami sighed, and her shoulders slumped with dejection.
“You can stay with…Zayn and his brothers,” Kenzie said. “They have a spare bedroom. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind you sleeping in the guest bed.”
“We wouldn’t,” Karter said immediately.
“We’d love to have you.” Jace nodded.
Karter held his breath as Tami thought their offer over. He was just glad Kenzie had changed her invite and suggested their place after Pixie had elbowed her in the arm. Pixie had picked up on the sparks zipping from him and his brothers to Tami and back again.
* * * *
Tami was exhausted. She’d been on the run for four long weeks and was so tired her eyes were burning and gritty. All she wanted to do after she’d eaten was shower, crawl into bed, and sleep. She was emotionally tired as well as physically tired. She hadn’t had time to grieve the death of her father since she’d been too busy running, and while she was too scared to stop, she didn’t think she could keep going.
Tami knew deep in her heart and soul her father hadn’t taken his own life. Someone had murdered him, and whoever had killed him was after her. She’d been so scared, and when she’d told the police she thought she was being watched, they’d just looked at her as if she were lying.
She understood why they’d react that way after the letter her father had written before he’d died, but Tami knew deep in her gut that he’d been coerced into writing it. The question she couldn’t answer, though, was, who had stood over him while he’d penned that note before murdering him?
She had no doubt she was under suspicion from the law, too, but she didn’t have anything to hide. Tami hoped the cops realized that and released her bank accounts soon. If not, she was going to have to start cutting hair wherever she went. She’d taken whatever jobs she could, working in a café as a kitchen hand, washing dishes and helping with food prep. She’d waitressed in a diner and even served in a service station, but her passion was cutting hair. These friendly people were giving her the chance to earn some money as well as a place to stay.
And the plus to all this was that she wasn’t getting any bad vibes from them.
Tami had nothing to lose and everything to gain. She’d be a fool to pass up such a great opportunity.
“If you find me somewhere to work, I can start cutting tomorrow.” Tami gazed at Zayn, Jace, and Karter. She sucked in a breath when she noticed they were watching her intently. She should have felt like a bug under a microscope, but she didn’t. For some reason all three of those men set her body on fire. “If the offer’s still open, I’d like to take advantage of your kindness and use your spare room.”
“It is,” Jace answered.
Tami shivered as she stared into his heated blue eyes. When he licked his lips while looking at her mouth, she almost licked her own. Thankfully, she was able to stop herself in time. Other than the men being super good-looking, she was drawn to the three Strike brothers but had no idea why. She’d seen handsome men before, but none of them had ever affected her the way these three did.
“You said you were hungry,” Pixie’s statement drew her gaze to the smaller woman’s, and she nodded. “There are a couple of places you can eat. The diner serves great simple food, but if you’re wanting something a little more upscale, then the pub would be the better choice.”
“Thanks,” Tami said. “I don’t care where I eat as long as it tastes good.”
Pixie smiled. “Both places serve great food.”
“They do,” Kenzie said as she nudged Pixie’s arm with her own. “I’m surprised you didn’t try and get Tami to eat at the diner since you and your men own the place.”
Pixie shrugged. “It’s Tami’s choice.”
“If you don’t want to eat at either of those places, we can cook for you,” Zayn said.
“Uh…Zayn, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Kenzie said. “Remember the barbecue you all put on a couple of weeks ago.”
Tami almost grinned when Zayn gave the other woman a sheepish look, and he blushed. She suspected that he and his brothers weren’t that proficient in the kitchen or on the grill.
“At least we tried.”
“You did.” Kenzie giggled.
“I can cook,” Tami said. “If you want, I can whip up something.”
“Thanks for the offer, Tami, but you look tired. Why don’t we all go to the pub and have an early dinner and then we can go home?” Karter suggested.
“You can meet Emmy and Dusty. Emmy and her men own and run the pub and motel. Dusty and her guys often eat at the pub after finishing up in the clinic,” Pixie said.
“The pub it is.” Tami smiled and glanced at her watch. “What time do they start serving dinner? Isn’t it a bit early?”
“Not anymore,” Kenzie said. “They used to have a set time of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They’re no longer doing breakfast, but meals can be ordered from eleven a.m. through to nine p.m.”
“Sounds good,” Tami replied as she grasped the handle of the small suitcase and started toward the
door.
“We’ll come with you,” Zayn said as he hurried around the shop counter.
Tami didn’t gripe when Karter brushed her hand away from her bag, lifted it from its wheels, and carried it with ease. It wasn’t that big, but she’d packed as much stuff in it as she could, and it was heavy, but Karter didn’t seem to feel the added weight. He looked as if he were carrying a feather.
Another surge of lust coursed through her body, heating her blood. Tami thought she’d known herself very well, but it seemed she was learning new things about herself all the time. She’d never been so attracted to a man and ended up with soaked panties before.
What the hell was her body doing lusting after three men?
Chapter Two
Jace was over the moon to be sitting at a table in the pub sharing a meal with his mate. He didn’t care that Tami wasn’t talking that much. She looked exhausted, and every now and then she’d stop chewing when she blinked. Those blinks were getting longer and longer, and he wondered if she was going to fall asleep at the table. The pub was noisy enough to wake the dead, so he knew that his and his brothers’ mate had to be very, very tired. She’d eaten only half of her dinner, and now she was pushing her food around the plate. She had her elbow resting on the table and her head propped up in her hand. Her eyes closed again, and when her breathing started to deepen and even out, he knew it was time to leave. He glanced at Karter and smirked when he saw his brother was staring at Tami as if he were mesmerized. He probably was. Jace hadn’t noticed he’d been staring at his mate until she’d met his gaze a few times before quickly glancing away as she blushed.
Zayn was watching her, too, but his commanding brother was frowning. Jace didn’t need to ask his older sibling what he was thinking because they knew each other well. He was wondering how Tami had ended up in Ambrose looking so sad and tired. He figured she’d come in on the afternoon bus since he hadn’t seen a strange car parked in the street. Plus, she had a suitcase with her.
The second Jace had set eyes on Tami he knew she was their mate. Smelling her delectable fragrance of vanilla chocolate had confirmed it.
There were so many things he wanted to ask her. What her favorite food was, as well as her favorite color. Where she’d grown up. If her parents were still alive and what had put that fear and sorrow in her eyes. His wolf hadn’t stopped pacing since he’d entered the shop, and the little shit had tried to escape him a few times. Thank fuck he’d heard how the other shifters’ inner beasts had acted when their mates had showed up in town. If he hadn’t, he might have changed into his wolf form in the middle of the shop.
“Karter, go and pay the tab. We need to get our mate home and into bed,” Zayn commanded in a voice too low for a human to hear.
Karter shoved to his feet and hurried toward the bar.
“Do you think I should carry her out?” Jace asked as he watched Tami continue to sleep.
“No. We should wake her. We need to give her time to get to know us before we go manhandling her,” Zayn answered.
Jace glanced over to where the retired FBI agents and Kodiak shifters—Preston, Gabriel, and Liam Louis—and Karter were chatting. From the frown on his brother’s face, whatever they were discussing didn’t look good. Karter glanced over at Tami and frowned. He crossed his arms over his chest and ground his teeth. He didn’t look happy at all. In fact, Karter looked downright angry. Jace had a horrible feeling he wasn’t going to like hearing what his brother and the Louis brothers were discussing, but he’d have to wait until they got home before finding out what was going on. They needed to get their mate home and into bed.
Jace nodded to acknowledge Zayn before shifting closer to Tami. He removed the fork from her hand and then stroked a finger down her cheek. She sighed, and her eyes fluttered open. She blinked a few times and then quickly sat up straighter in her chair. Her cheeks pinkened as she blushed and lowered her gaze to the table before she covered her face with her hands.
“God! I’m so sorry.”
“What are you sorry for, darlin’?” Jace asked.
“I fell asleep at the table. I’m so embarrassed.”
“You have nothing to be embarrassed about, baby,” Zayn said. “You’re tired.”
“Yeah.”
“Have you had enough to eat, Tami?” Jace frowned.
“I have.”
“Then let’s go home,” Zayn said as he shoved to his feet and held his hand out to Tami.
“Thanks,” she said quietly as she grasped Zayn’s hand and rose.
“Here’s your purse, honey.” Jace grasped the strap, lifted the purse from floor, and handed it to her. “I’ll get your bag.”
“Are we ready?” Karter asked abruptly as he joined them after paying their bill.
“We are,” Zayn answered. “Why don’t you go and bring the truck around so Tami doesn’t have to walk too far. She’s asleep on her feet.”
“Sure.” Karter hurried toward the door.
Jace had a feeling his brother was grateful to get away from their mate. That didn’t bode well for any of them.
“I can walk,” Tami said.
“We know you can,” Jace said as he came up to her other side and clasped her elbow. He didn’t want her tripping and falling since she was weaving with each step she took. If Jace had his way, he’d sweep her up into his arms and carry her to the truck.
“What time does the band start playing?” Tami asked as they guided her outside.
“Normally around eight,” Zayn answered.
“I haven’t seen a band in ages,” Tami murmured. “If I wasn’t so tired, I would have loved to stay and listen.”
“Maybe you’ll feel up to it tomorrow night,” Jace suggested.
Tami frowned up at him before nodding.
“Here’s Karter,” Zayn stated unnecessarily when Karter pulled the truck to a stop near the pavement.
Zayn opened the rear passenger door and held it open while Jace helped Tami up into the back seat. When she slipped, he dropped the case and swept her up into his arms.
“Oh. Sorry,” she whispered and glanced down as her face tinted pink again.
“You have to stop apologizing, darlin’.” Jace set her down on the seat and climbed in after her as she scooted across the bench.
Zayn passed him her case before getting in the front passenger seat.
“You should have just let me fall,” Tami said. “You probably hurt your back catching me.”
“Don’t say things like that,” Jace stated sternly. “You don’t weigh anywhere near as much as me and my brothers.”
“I’m still overweight,” Tami murmured.
“You’re not overweight, baby,” Zayn said after turning to gaze at Tami from the front seat. “You’re fucking perfect.”
Tami snorted and glanced out the side window.
“You need to put your seatbelt on, honey,” Karter said as he put the truck in gear. “I don’t want you getting hurt if we get in an accident.”
Jace was glad that whatever had upset Karter wasn’t coming through in his tone.
“The road’s empty.” Tami turned to meet Karter’s eyes in the rearview mirror.
“It is now,” Jace said, “but we get a lot of trucks going through town heading toward the border. We’ve been lucky to have law-abiding drivers slow down for the town’s speed limit, but there’s always a chance to get a rogue driver or two.”
“How long have you all lived here?” Tami asked.
“Nearly six years,” Zayn answered.
Karter piped up from the driver’s seat. “This town was a ghost town not that long ago. Most of the men living here all served in the military together. When we all decided to opt out of the Marines, we pooled our money and bought this place from the government for a song with the condition that we patrol the border. We had to fix everything up, but we like it.”
* * * *
“It’s a pretty town. How many people live in Ambrose?” she asked.
Jac
e shrugged. “I’m not really sure, but less than forty I think.”
“That’s not many people.”
“We don’t like being around a lot of people after serving for our country,” Zayn said. “We saw a lot of bad things while in the Marines, as did our friends. This quiet lifestyle suits us all now.”
“Understandable. Thanks for your service, keeping our country and the people in it safe,” Tami said.
“You’re welcome,” all three of them answered simultaneously.
The home she’d shared with her father had been seized by the bank, and all the bank accounts had been frozen, including hers, while the police and FBI investigated the claims of embezzlement.
Pain ripped through her heart at the thought of her father being a criminal. She’d like to deny those accusations, but Tami wasn’t sure her dad had been innocent. Over the last couple of years, she’d often caught him sitting behind his desk at home staring into space with a frown on his face. Whenever she was about, he made sure to smile, but she’d been able to tell he was worried about something. She wished she could go back and demand he tell her what the problem was, but she couldn’t. Of course, she’d asked continually, but he always said that things were fine. Hindsight being what it was, if she’d persisted, her father might still be alive.
Tami discreetly wiped the tears which had welled over her lids, from her face and pushed her disconcerting thoughts aside. There was no way in hell she was going to fall apart in front of these three, sexy, confident men.
“Are you okay, Tami?” Jace asked.
Hoping the evidence of her tears was no longer visible, she turned to face Jace and answered, “I’m fine. Just tired.”
Jace frowned as he scrutinized her face, and she quickly turned to stare out the window again. Before she could take much in, Karter slowed the truck and pulled onto a gravel drive. She turned to peer out the windshield at the modern home. It wasn’t small, but it wasn’t as large as the mansion she’d shared with her father.
God, Dad, I miss you so much.