by Avery Gale
“Holy hell, sister, you’re a hoot. We really do have to finish our conversation about the garage.” Tobi saw Bode’s puzzled look, but waved him off. “It’s business. Nothing to worry your pretty little head about, sweetie.” Gracie’s howling laughter from beside her sent Tobi into a fit of giggles. “God, it did my heart good to say that to someone else. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that, I’d thumb my nose at those mega-million lottery commercials.”
“Kitten, you are skating on thin ice.” The amusement in Kent’s voice wasn’t a deterrent, but she tried to act repentant. From the laughter surrounding her, Tobi assumed she should probably scrap her plan to take up acting.
“It’s the tequila. Gracie’s a terrible influence.” Gracie’s horrified gasp next to her sent Tobi into another fit of laughter. Colbie was wiping her eyes as the men stared at the three of them with barely restrained frustration.
“A bad influence? Girl, you’re one to talk. Who made those tequila grenades, anyway? Wasn’t me!” Gracie gave Tobi a shove with her shoulder and laughed. “Holy hell, who gave Lilly a cannon? Damn, that was loud. And that guy screaming all the way down like a fourteen-year-old girl. Kind of a fitting end to his pansy-ass if you ask me.”
Colbie’s snort of laughter was the only sound in the room for several seconds before Tobi joined in.
“I’ve been telling everyone you had a ruthless streak, but no one believed me. Damn, I hope one of Micah’s ten zillion cameras caught that. I’m saving it forever!”
“I’m not ruthless, I just believe in karma.” Gracie’s faux indignation made Colbie smile.
Tobi yawned and stretched her legs. “I’m tired. I’m going”
“Nowhere.” Kent’s hand on her shoulder pressed her gently back down. “You’re not going anywhere alone until they finish interrogating the pickup guy. He’s a local kid and doesn’t appear to be involved, but we aren’t taking any chances.”
“So, the bad guy hires some trusting kid to give him a ride to the airport and doesn’t bother to mention he’s planning to shoot Colbie on the way. Nice.”
“I think I should be insulted at the casual way you put that out there, but I’m having trouble getting there. Probably because the tequila is wearing off, and that’s a pity.” Looking up at Bode, Colbie batted her eyes so dramatically, Tobi had to slap her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. “Seems a pity to waste a half pitcher of margaritas. I mean… there are starving children in… oh, wait, that’s not quite right.”
*
LIAM MOVED IN front of Colbie and shook his head at her adorable confusion. “You look lovely, Spitfire. I’m looking forward to finding out what other services you enjoyed at the spa.” His little head was already imagining how her silky-smooth pussy was going to feel against his tongue. “Since we don’t have to leave the building, we’re free to go.” She surprised him by jumping to her feet and nodding.
“Yes, let’s go. It’s been an interesting day. Strangers smearing wax on my pink bits and then yanking out hair by the roots. Hours in a chair getting my long hair back though, that was totally worth it. A half-wasted pitcher of margaritas Bode won’t let me go get, and some ass-hat who wanted to shoot me doing a swan dive off a cliff.”
“Spitfire, I promise we’ll make sure the end of your day is memorable enough to make everything else fade to a distant memory.”
Epilogue
Six months later
COLBIE LEANED HER HIP against the desk she rarely used and looked out from the glass-enclosed crow’s nest of the newly expanded Prairie Winds garage. All the bays were filled and the mechanics busy with a variety of cars as they worked to get things wrapped up before the end of the day. It was mid-afternoon on Friday, and she’d encouraged them to have everything out the door before they closed for the weekend.
The past six months had been hectic to say the least, and Colbie was grateful things finally appeared to be leveling out. She’d been involved in every aspect of the building’s renovation and was continually amazed by how quickly the Wests could get things done. Working with Tobi and Gracie was fun and challenging, both women processed information at the speed of light and could be difficult to keep up with. Their longtime friendship enabled them to communicate in a form of verbal shorthand that often bewildered those around them. But the two entrepreneurs had taken Colbie’s idea and run full-steam ahead with it.
Colbie had finally tapped into her untouched trust fund when she became a partner in Tobi’s and Gracie’s consulting business. It made her smile to think about her parents’ money being used to set up a garage. In the end, they’d funded the very thing they’d wanted to keep her away from the most. The irony of that had been the topic of a recent poolside discussion between Colbie and the men who now owned her heart.
Strong arms encircled her, and Colbie didn’t have to look to recognize Liam’s touch. “What had you so lost in thought you didn’t hear me come up behind you, Spitfire?”
“I’m getting married tomorrow. Joining my life with the two most amazing men in the world. I think that gives me reason enough to be distracted.” Actually, she’d done very little of the wedding planning. Lilly West had been thrilled when Colbie asked for her help. She’d taken on the project with an enthusiasm that humbled Colbie and taken the sting out of not having her own mother nearby during what should have been a joyous occasion they could share.
The death of the man who’d vowed to make an example of her had given Guinevere Colbert-Lister the opportunity to return to her previous life. But Colbie Clark had decided what she had now was so much more, and she’d been unwilling to give it up. MI6 agents had gone to her parents and explained the situation, but they’d expressed little interest in reconnecting with her. She’d be lying if she said it hadn’t hurt, but she had too much to be thankful for to focus on what she’d lost.
As if he’d read her thoughts, Liam leaned down and gently bit down on her ear. “My parents are thrilled to be getting a daughter, Spitfire.” His fingers traced over the diamond and platinum collar she wore, bringing a flood of memories about the night she’d stood naked in front of their friends and pledged her heart to Liam and Bode. In her mind, her vow to belong to them, to trust them with her body and soul, was every bit as important as those she would make tomorrow. Each ceremony would hold an important place in her heart.
“Did you get them settled into their hotel?” Lilly had offered to host both families, but Liam’s and Bode’s families insisted on staying at a nearby hotel. The last Colbie had heard, they’d reserved every room in the entire facility.
Liam chuckled, the rumbling against her back making her wish they didn’t have to leave in the next few minutes for the rehearsal.
“Don’t even think about skipping rehearsal.” Tobi’s voice came from behind them, and Colbie suddenly wondered if there wasn’t a serious design flaw in the room she called her office. “Lilly will go bananas.”
“And no one wants that. People get blown up and jump off cliffs,” Gracie giggled from behind Tobi. Colbie couldn’t hold back her own laughter any longer.
“Parker made us promise to keep her away from anything with a firing pin this weekend, but I think that’s an unreasonable request.” Kent walked in, and suddenly Colbie was wondering how many others were going to file into the rapidly shrinking space.
“I got her a white satin fanny pack and decorated it with lace and pearls. I’m telling you… that thing must weigh ten pounds. She’s filled it with everything you’d need to survive a nuclear holocaust. J-Lo in The Wedding Planner has nothing on her.” Tobi’s laughter was contagious, and Colbie felt some of the tension drain from her shoulders as the banter continued. She just needed to make it through the next thirty-six hours, then the three of them would have two full weeks to themselves.
*
COLBIE CURTSIED AT the end of the waltz she’d shared with Liam and laughed when he turned her into Bode’s waiting arms. The traditional service had been for the public an
d Liam’s parents, who didn’t know about their son’s polyamorous relationship. Bode’s parents had attended both the church ceremony and the joining. Colbie found it amusing that the two couples had been longtime friends, but Benjamin and Carolyn James seemed blissfully unaware of Oliver and Elizabeth Ford’s D/s relationship.
The late afternoon church service had been elegant and a dream come true for Colbie. Beautiful white flowers were almost luminescent in the flickering candlelight. She’d cried when Bode sang Elvis Presley’s, I Can’t Help Falling in Love. His deep voice filled her heart with joy as the underlying message settled around her. It was perfect, but the private ceremony in the Wests’ office held the most meaning for her. The joining ceremony had been performed by a member of the club, and his words had woven a magical spell, linking their hearts for eternity.
“What are you thinking about that’s put that smile on your face, wife?” Bode might have smiled as he asked, but Colbie wasn’t naïve enough to believe it was really a question.
“Well, handsome husband, I was thinking about what an amazing day we’ve had, and how much I’m looking forward to our honeymoon.” Colbie felt Bode stiffen against her and pulled back to look at him just as he spoke.
“What the hell?” Colbie followed his line of sight to the door. She recognized the petite blonde as Dr. Tally Tyson, Senator Karl Tyson’s widow; she’d seen the woman on television several times since her husband’s plane had crashed, almost a year ago, in South America. Colbie didn’t know the man talking animatedly to Kyle West, but his possessive hold on the trembling woman left little doubt about their intimate relationship. “Come on, let’s see what this is about.”
As they approached the rapidly growing group surrounding the table where the Senator’s pale and clearly shaken wife was now seated, Colbie noticed the surface was covered with photographs.
“Koi, have you contacted any of your former contacts in the Agency?” Kyle West asked.
When Colbie finally managed to push her way closer, her mind tried to make sense of what she was seeing. A man, barefoot and wearing what appeared to be the tattered remnants of clothing, stared blankly into space. He was chained to a large post in the middle of what looked like a grass hut with a dirt floor. She’d been so riveted to the man’s lost expression, the words written along the bottom of the photograph hadn’t registered until the doctor’s trembling fingers traced a line beneath the two words Colbie knew had rocked the other woman’s world.
He’s alive.
The End
Books by Avery Gale
The Wolf Pack Series
Mated – Book One
Fated Magic – Book Two
Tempted by Darkness – Book Three
Masters of the Prairie Winds Club
Out of the Storm
Saving Grace
Jen’s Journey
Bound Treasure
Punishing for Pleasure
Accidental Trifecta
Missionary Position
Another Second Chance
The ShadowDance Club
Katarina’s Return – Book One
Jenna’s Submission – Book Two
Rissa’s Recovery – Book Three
Trace & Tori – Book Four
Reborn as Bree – Book Five
Red Clouds Dancing – Book Six
Perfect Picture – Book Seven
Club Isola
Capturing Callie – Book One
Healing Holly – Book Two
Claiming Abby – Book Three
The Knights of the Boardroom
Book One
Book Two
Book Three
The Morgan Brothers of Montana
Coral Hearts – Book One
Dancing with Deception – Book Two
Caged Songbird – Book Three
Game On – Book Four
Well Bred – Book Five
Mountain Mastery
Well Written
Savannah’s Sentinel
Sheltering Reagan
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Epilogue
Other Books by Avery Gale