“I don’t know how to thank you for doing this for me.”
“We’ll talk about that after we get the fuel you need.” He smiled, hoping he looked more handsome than vicious as he did so.
Her face darkened with a blush, and his cock hardened. The scent of her arousal filled the air, and it was all he could do not to push her against the side of the vehicle and press his nose to some parts delicate enough to make her punch him harder than she had the cashier inside.
He inhaled, dragging her unique aroma deep into his lungs, reveling in her sweet scent. Not once had he ever been able to smell a woman’s arousal. It was yet another sign that the female standing before him was meant to be his and his alone.
Gladly following the seductive sway of her generous hips with his gaze, he watched as she sauntered around the truck and dropped the tailgate before climbing into the large vehicle, and backing it up to the huge gas pig.
He eyed the large tank and grinned. They all looked similar with their fat bodies and stubby legs. It wasn’t hard to figure out why those in the business called them pigs.
After parking the truck, she shut off the engine and slid from the driver’s seat and walked around to the back of the eight-foot bed.
“Why does this Johnson asshole get away with bullying people?” Ceno asked as he hopped into the bed. He figured he knew the answer, but he wanted to strike up a conversation that would get his mind off rutting against her like some mindless animal. He needed to learn as much as he could about the woman he intended to make his mate.
Everything their father had told him about meeting his mate had come true in less than a minute while he managed to help her out of a predicament. Now, he wanted to spend some time getting to know her.
“It’s because he owns pretty much everything in the area. Most everyone is afraid of him.
”His heart thumped loudly in his chest. His gums and bones ached with the need to shift his shape into his other self, and his cock wouldn’t obey even the sternest of his commands to behave.
Sela was everything he ever wanted in a woman. Her full figure and the scent of her arousal made his mouth water. Ceno wanted nothing more than to pull the gorgeous female into his arms and press his hungry mouth against hers.
In the several years they’d been on Earth, he’d never once met a woman who sent his body into overdrive the way Sela managed to do with just an innocent smile and the sway of her generous curves. He wasn’t certain what attracted him the most—her beautiful face, her tempting figure, or the fact that she could hold her own when insulted. Watching her punch JC had been one of the single most sexy things he’d ever witnessed.
Like most predators, his beast didn’t want a weak female. It wanted a female who would protect their children and hold her own in a fight. Sela had proven she could do just that. Though she managed to punch JC in the mouth, the situation had still brought out his protective instincts.
Every fiber of his being needed to stand up to JC, grab him by the throat, and shake him until every breath left his body. Yet Ceno knew he couldn’t do that. It was a fast track to jail on this world, and he had the feeling that Sela would never forgive him for taking a human life.
He pressed his lips together and barely managed to hold back the low growl he felt rising in his throat. Just the thought of the other man’s greasy hands on her was enough to make him want to tear the man to pieces.
Topping off the first tank, he moved to the second and then the third as he watched her. Her gaze darted everywhere except toward him.
Ceno wasn’t sure what it was about her that attracted him the most. Was it her independence or her beauty? Could it be her ability to stand up to a man and punch him in the mouth or the fact that she could blush so easily? Perhaps it was the fact that her lush body was sexy enough to tempt even the most devout clergy. Whatever it was, he found himself wanting to spend more time with her.
“There you go,” he said as he hopped down. “Pull around to the front of the building so we can pay the man. The last thing we need is for him to call the police and say we’re stealing the fuel from him.”
“Yes.” She nodded, her full lips pursed into a perfect bow. “We don’t need him telling people that.”
Opening the driver’s door, Ceno helped her into her truck. “I’ll meet you around front, and we’ll take care of the bill, even if JC doesn’t want to take your money.”
“I really don’t know how to thank you.” Reaching up, she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “I didn’t really want to have to drive all the way to Hot Springs for propane, but I would have.”
“Well...” Ceno glanced toward the ground, wondering if she would accept his offer or tell him to go pack sand. “You could invite me to dinner, and I could offer to rent a portion of your property for a while.”
“I don’t—”
“Don’t answer me now.” He held up his hand. “Let’s just go take care of the gas bill, and we’ll discuss it over a cup of coffee.” He glanced around. “There is a diner around here somewhere, isn’t there?”
“Of course.” She shook her head. “Though, I’m not sure if any of them will serve me. Cal Johnson really has his hooks into almost everyone around here. Somehow, he makes it so they need money and can only borrow from him, and then, before you know it, he’s foreclosed on the property, and the previous owner then works for him. He’s a pretty powerful guy. You might regret helping me.”
“Never.” Ceno shook his head. “If you can’t believe anything else I tell you, you can surely believe I will never regret helping you today. As a matter of fact...” He paused, giving her another of his practiced smiles. “I believe today is my lucky day!”
Chapter Three
Sela stared up and up at the man she could hardly believe had come to her rescue. Tall and lean, he could have just stepped off the page of a magazine. His blond hair was so light, it was almost platinum and contrasted with his golden tan. His eyes were such a light blue, the irises almost appeared white or clear.
Perfect white blond brows slashed over his incredible eyes. While his mouth had an almost cruel-looking quality when dealing with JC, but when he smiled at her...
Good lord! She fought the urge to fan herself. She didn’t know what it was, but something about him sure made her hot. His deep baritone made her insides melt while his forceful attitude with JC had made her knees weak, which was something she didn’t understand at all.
She’d never really gone for the alpha-male type before. It seemed as though every one of her friends back East who had fallen for an alpha male had ended up abused. Yet, for some reason, she couldn’t see the man who had filled her propane tanks getting all rowdy with a woman unless it was in the bedroom.
Try as she might, she just couldn’t stop staring at the tall stranger while he filled her propane tanks. He’d hopped up into the back of her truck as though he’d been doing it all his life. His hands and body showed the proof of labor. Whether it was in a gym or at a job, he worked hard, and it showed.
Broad shoulders tapered down to a muscular chest and a waist thick with muscle. Thighs, the size of small tree trunks, stretched his jeans tight, and the telltale bulge behind his zipper almost made her blush.
Sela barely held back a snort. He might be a nice guy, and he might get off on helping out women in distress, but the one flaw she could see was the fact that he obviously stuffed his pants almost as much as a flat-chested teenaged girl stuffed her bra. No one could be that big downstairs. It just wasn’t possible, was it?
Nothing could have shocked her more than when he opened the driver’s door for her. He actually trusted her to drive around to the front and not stick him with the gas bill. Was he trusting or gullible?
“I’ll meet you inside then.” He closed the door after she settled herself in the seat.
“Sure.” She smiled and reached for the keys. “I’ll see you inside.”
As much as he scared her into wanting to drive off before
he could follow her home, she drove around to the front of the building and shut down the engine.
“Face it, you idiot, you’re going to let him talk you into taking him home for dinner. Gramps is going to have a heyday with this. He’s going to give you the lecture of a lifetime.” Sighing, she pulled the keys from the ignition, opened her door, and turned to slide out of the driver’s seat.
“Here, let me help.”
Strong hands grasped her around the waist, while even stronger arms lifted her from the seat and set her gently on the ground as though she weighed nothing or next to it.
Too bad he didn’t need to hold me close and let me slide down his hard length, like in all those romances I read. Sela hoped her disappointment didn’t show.
Hell, just the thought of that made her shiver. What was it about him that had her imagining all sorts of hot things going on once they got back to her place? She could put him up in the bunkhouse and then go visit him after Gramps went to bed.
She rested a hand over her belly, hoping to still the fluttering in her middle, which felt like a thousand butterflies flitting around inside her stomach.
“Shall we go pay your bill?” He held out his arm as though leading her onto a dance floor.
“Why, kind sir,” Sela said in her best southern belle accent, her eyes wide, a hand over her heart, “I’m not sure I should accompany you anywhere. I don’t even know your name.”
“Ceno Brewer, at your service, my lady,” he replied in kind. Removing his cowboy hat, he bowed deeply before straightening to his full height, giving her a sexy smile and a wink as he held out his hand.
“Sela Williams.” She rested her hand in his much larger one. How gentle he was when he took her hand in his wasn’t lost on her. She might not be the greatest judge of character, but she believed he was a true gentleman and she could trust taking him home to meet her grandfather.
What was the worst that could happen? She was wrong, and he was an ax murderer? Seriously, what difference would it make? If Ceno didn’t kill them, Cal Johnson would eventually succeed. At least by taking a chance, she was finally living a little. And if a miracle happened and she had finally found her match, she would have help holding her ranch together—or not.
Who knew what could happen? Didn’t he say he and his brothers owned a service station somewhere? Maybe they could all move there and put the prejudices and good-ole-boy system of this backwater town behind them. Bigots shouldn’t even exist anymore. It was twenty-seventeen, for goodness sake.
“I really don’t know how to thank you for your help,” she said as he led her into the convenience store.
“You could invite me home for dinner.”
I knew it. Could she call it or what?
“I don’t really know you, and you expect me to invite you to my home?”
“We’ll meet somewhere for dinner, then. I’m not picky.”
What the hell. Why not?
“I don’t believe I’m saying this, but why don’t you join my grandfather and me for supper?”
There was just something about his open smile. It was as though the entire universe was telling her he was as trustworthy as the old man sitting back on the farm anxiously awaiting her return.
“I would love to, ma’am.” His teeth gleamed white, making her heart pound in her chest. Was it attraction she felt or something more primal—like fear? “I’m trustworthy. I promise. It’s my brother Deno you’d have to worry about raiding your home for valuables. He’s totally uncivilized. You’d think he was brought up by wolves the way he acts sometimes.” He grinned. “Though, I know some wolves who could teach him better manners than what our father managed to pound into his thick skull in the twenty-six years of his miserable life.”
“Does your brother know you bad mouth him like that?” She lifted a brow, wondering about a man who could speak so poorly of his brother behind his back.
“Of course!” He took a step back, his face a mask of surprise. “I say the same things to his face, slack-jawed though it is most of the time.” He grinned, letting her know he was truly fond of his brother, no matter what he said.
“Is he older?” It wouldn’t surprise her. A lot of men liked to talk crap about their older brothers. Then again, she’d heard a few picking on those younger than themselves, as well.
“Nope.” He shook his head as they walked toward the entrance of the store. “That would be Reno. He’s the oldest, I’m second in command; then, the twins take over after that—if you can tell them apart. There are six of us all together, but our two youngest brothers are still with our dad.”
He held the door open for her, and her stomach did another little flip. When was the last time any man had held the door for her?
“You sound proud of them.”
“What, me?” He shook his head. “Whatever you do, don’t tell them that. It’ll go to their heads, and I’ll never get another decent day’s work out of them.” He winked again. “Deno’s the youngest of our little group in Magic, and like it or not, he gets a lot of jeering from the rest of us. Besides, most times he deserves it. He once fed us rotten chicken because he thought the mold covering it was its feathers growing back.”
“Okay. Maybe your little brother isn’t the sharpest pencil in the box.” She laughed as they approached the counter.
JC, wearing what appeared to be a pair of women’s bright pink spandex leggings, stood behind the counter.
“Nice pants, JC.” Sela did her best to keep the grin off her face but still failed miserably.
“They belong to Marla.” He scowled. “They’re her workout pants. It was the only pair of dry pants in the store. I had to run mine next door to the laundromat. I... uh... I spilled something on them,” he lied.
“Yeah, right. How much do I owe you for the propane?”
“Oh, it’s on the house.”
“Don’t give me that crap. I’m not leaving here until I pay for it. You’re not calling the cops on me for not paying.” Sela leaned over the counter and read the total. “Ring it up.” She smiled sweetly, giving Ceno a glance. “Or do I have to ask my friend to make you, uh... spill something on your bright pink spandex pants?”
“Six eighty-nine, then.” He glowered at her, his gaze occasionally shifting to Ceno, as though the other man would pounce on him at any moment.
“Ring it up, and I’ll run my card, and yes, I’ll want a receipt.”
“You heard the lady.” Ceno stepped up beside her, resting his big hands on the counter.
“Yes, sir!” JC hurriedly rang up the gas, took her card, and then handed it back to her with the receipt. “You know, Cal isn’t going to like this a bit. It’s only going to get worse for you when your friend gets tired of hanging around and goes home.”
“Maybe, but I’ll sleep well while he’s here, and goodness knows, Cal and his goons have seen to it that I don’t get much rest. The vacation will do wonders for me. By the way...” Sela made a show of looking JC up and down like a piece of meat. “Those pink pants really show off your package.” She frowned a bit. “Though, you might think about putting on a sweater if you’re cold,” she added, glancing pointedly at his crotch.
“Fuck you, Sela!”
JC couldn’t have known what hit him. Ceno moved so fast, she didn’t even see him reach across the counter and grab the other man by the throat, yet again.
“Apologize to the lady, JC.” He actually growled in the other man’s face. “Apologize, and I might let you live long enough to wash out your co-worker’s pants.”
“I-I’m sorry, Sela. I didn’t mean nothin’ by it. I was just mad. You know how it is.”
“Yeah. I know how it is.” Sela sighed. “Go ahead and put him down, Ceno. He’s got enough to worry about. His rear end is going to be in a really tight spot once Johnson finds out he sold me almost a year’s worth of propane.” She tilted her head and gave JC a tight smile. “You’ll be lucky if he doesn’t send one of his negotiators after you.” Shaking her hea
d, she crossed her arms. “Good luck, talking yourself out of the beating of a lifetime.”
“Shit.” JC whimpered. “You’re right. I’ll be lucky if he doesn’t have me killed.”
“Them’s the breaks.” Ceno dropped him to the floor as though discarding a piece of trash.
“Maybe you should think about leaving town.” Ceno threw several one hundred-dollar bills on the counter. “Go home, pack your shit, and get the hell out of town before Johnson finds out you sold Sela gas.”
“Yes, sir. Yes, sir.” JC snatched the money up off the counter and ran out through the back door.
“Why did you do that?”
“I’m not sure.” Ceno shrugged. “I only know that a man shouldn’t have to die because he was too weak to follow the orders of a tyrant.”
Sela tried not to think about what type of person carried that kind of cash around with them.
“Is that drug money?” Crap! The words were out before she’d even known she was going to say them. “Never mind. It’s none of my business. I don’t want to know.”
“It’s not drug money. I’m not a drug dealer. Nor am I a thief. My brothers and I have a very busy shop in Magic. We make quite a bit of money salvaging things, as well. You could say we were born to do it.”
“Salvaging?”
“You know, abandoned cars, things that fall from the sky. We’ve even been known to dabble in finding lost treasure.” He winked again.
Was he serious, or was that wink to make her think he wasn’t serious when, really, he was?
“You’ll find out more about our salvaging skills tomorrow if you’ll allow me to show you.”
What could he possibly show her? There was nothing on her property worth salvaging.
What about the gold JC told you about?
She told her inner voice to shut up. There was no gold on her property. She needed to keep that uppermost in her mind.
Chapter Four
Magic, New Mexico: Seducing Sela (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Zolon Warriors Book 2) Page 2