The Wells Brothers: Aaron

by Angela Verdenius

  Scrubbing a hand over his eyes, Cole said gruffly, “Bloody hay fever.”

  “Absolutely,” Aaron agreed.

  “Gets me going sometimes.” Red eyes peered up at him before lowering in embarrassment.

  Placing a hand on the teenager’s shoulder, Aaron steered him towards the back door. “Let’s go get your sister and Marietta.”

  “Yeah. Good idea.” Taking a tissue from his pocket, he blew his nose.

  Aaron waited until Cole was securely settled in the SUV before getting in the driver’s side, buckling in and starting the engine.

  As they pulled out of the driveway onto the road, Cole took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders, obviously determined to appear calm and composed for his sister.

  “So,” he said casually. “Took you long enough to finish. What’ve you been doing?”

  “Playing computer games, what else?”

  Cole gave a bark of laughter and they settled into comfortable silence for the rest of the journey to the hospital.

  Chapter 15

  Settled back in a chair with his bare feet propped on the veranda rail, Aaron gazed serenely out at his backyard. Ginger was lying on the veranda under his chair, Red was flopped lazily on one of the steps, and Carrot was stalking a butterfly along the rail.

  Cole dropped down beside Red on the step, giving the cat a tickle under the chin. “Doing your Zen thing?”

  “Mmm?”

  “That’s what Jason calls it, your ‘Zen thing’. You know, chilling out, being all quiet and introspective.”

  “Is that what he calls it?”

  “Yeah. What do you call it?”

  Aaron smiled slightly.

  “Are you seriously going to be all dark and mysterious about it?”

  Aaron continued to smile slightly, enjoying messing with Cole’s head, but it was different to messing with Luke’s because Cole didn’t bother to linger too long on things he couldn’t answer.

  As expected, he shifted to another topic. “My love life is back on track.”

  Aaron’s gaze drifted to his face. Interesting.

  “Janet is fascinated by ghosts.”

  “What happened to Susan?”

  “She didn’t get it.”

  The boy went through girlfriends like he went through food, and that was pretty impressive even for a growing boy.

  “Aunt Elspeth should be arriving any minute.” Cole checked his watch.

  Ah, the ghost hunt. Once introduced to all the technological paraphernalia used to find ghosts, Cole had become as intrigued as his new nutty family. It was nothing unusual for Elspeth, Mikki and Cole to go off on a ghost hunting weekend loaded down for ghosts, as Cole put it.

  It had always been Aaron’s personal amusement that Luke reluctantly went with them as their protective escort, not liking it that the women went alone, but now that Cole joined them Aaron had given his brother a break and assigned a bodyguard to the group.

  He’d no idea Kennedy was a reader of all things supernatural, so without giving it away that he’d discovered Kennedy’s stash of horror books when they’d fallen out of his locker due to carelessly not securing the lock properly, Aaron assigned him the task of overseeing the group’s protection each time they went out. It wasn’t a regular occurrence, but it did happen about every two to three months.

  Small price to pay for their safety, and it eased Shea’s mind when the burly bodyguard pulled up in the driveway to pick Cole up with a stoic face but his eyes sparkling with eagerness.

  Luke practically crowed with delight when Aaron broke the news to him that he no longer had to go out on the ‘bloody hunts in weather cold enough to make my balls shoot back inside my body or hot enough to fry them’, as Luke so eloquently put it, punching his oldest brother in the shoulder and announcing to one and all that he bloody owed him big.

  Aaron had looked him right in the eye while calmly stating that he’d collect one day. Luke had immediately demanded how, and Aaron’s lips had quirked as he’d walked away. That had left Luke perturbed, and boy, did Aaron enjoy the wary looks he got from his younger brother. Aaron hadn’t meant a word of it, but he did love messing with his brother’s head.

  Shea came out onto the veranda just as a horn tooted from the front of the house. “Got everything?”

  “Yep.” Cole leaped to his feet. “Got the file packed with details of where and when the apparition appears, details of the features, history of the area and-”

  “I meant clean clothes.”

  “Oh. Sure.”

  She followed him into the house. “I mean more than one pair of undies!”

  “I told you,” Cole’s voice drifted back through the hallway, “I turn them back to front and inside out. That way you don’t wear them out too quickly.”

  Aaron’s eyes crinkled at the corners in amusement.

  “That is so gross.”

  “It’s also more environmentally friendly.”

  “Are you kidding me? By the time you get those jocks off the trees will be wilting.”

  “I could just go commando.”

  “Don’t even think of going there.”

  She was carefree, happy, Cole enjoying life, both of them so much more settled since Phillip Cartwright had gone to gaol. True to Elspeth’s words, Shea’s business didn’t suffer, rather people were fascinated and it helped to spread word about her business. Cole was a minor celebrity at school, the fact that his sister had been rescued by the well-known Wells Security. Also true to Elspeth’s words was the very real fact that time moved on, other newsworthy items caught people’s attention and the fascination died away leaving Shea with a good business and a sigh of relief. Cole, of course, said the gossip had made him a chick magnet, but Aaron knew that both of them were happy to be just ordinary people again.

  And just as Aaron had told Shea, her past didn’t affect his business.

  Smiling contentedly, Aaron gazed out at the vegetable patch Shea and he had put in five months ago after she and Cole had moved into his home. Cole had been tinkering on his computer while he and Shea had dug, planted and stolen kisses. Roses along the back fence provided prettiness, veggie patch provided nutrition, and a patch of green grass provided colour and gave the cats something nice to roll on. It was the only change Shea had made, both of them too busy with the businesses to spend a lot of time in the garden.

  Apart from the obvious things that came with people shifting in, there were so many little things that naturally appeared throughout the house as they settled in and time moved on. Cole’s computer magazines were often to be found lying across the coffee table in the lounge, while Shea’s cross-stitch that she’d only recently taken up once again sat in a small basket with a lid beside the armchair. Often in the evenings she’d pick it up and stitch away while Cole did his homework and Aaron watched TV or read. Family time.

  Ginger hair also had a way of clinging to his black suit jacket and he’d had to invest in a roller brush just to get the hair off. Not to mention he’d quickly learned to live with three cats with three very different personalities. He found them both entertaining and soothing, often stroking them absentmindedly when doing work on his home computer. Carrot quickly got bored and would take off to pursue mischief somewhere else in the house, while Red would flop on the floor next to the small filing cabinet and snooze. Ginger was often sitting sentry on the edge of Aaron’s desk.

  His quiet home was now filled with love and laughter, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Tipping his head back, he closed his eyes and let his little family’s humorous exchange filter through his brain. Voices, the slam of a car door, another horn toot followed by the sound of the Elspeth’s ghost-hunting van, driven by Kennedy, pulling out of the driveway.

  Minutes later he felt Shea come to a stop beside him. Without opening his eyes he reached out, snagged her around the waist and pulled her onto his lap, keeping his feet propped up on the rails so that she tipped right onto his chest just wher
e he liked her.

  “They’re gone,” Shea announced as he settled her.

  “Mmm.”

  “Off for a wild weekend hunting ghosts.”

  “Yes.” Fitting her against his chest, he smiled slightly as she rested her head on his shoulder.

  Shea sighed happily, one arm loose around his neck as she idly traced a pattern on his arm where it rested across her thighs.

  As they sat in contented silence he inhaled the scent of her light, flowery perfume, enjoying her warmth, her soft curves against his harder frame. She fit so perfectly into his arms, his life, his heart.

  Heaven on earth.

  Feeling Shea stir, her bottom wriggling on his lap then her soft breast press against his chest, his lids lifted. Whiskey-coloured eyes kindling with simmering desire gazed back at him.

  Okay, he could think of another place he’d like to be right now.

  “So,” she drawled. “We have the weekend off work and all to ourselves. Just you and me. All alone.”

  Heat started to heat down low in his loins at the mischief dancing behind the desire. Oh ho, he knew just where this was going, and heartily approved.

  “Except for three cats,” he couldn’t help but point out.

  “They won’t tell a soul,” she promised.

  “In that case…” He caught her around the nape, tugged her to him for a hot, deep, drugging kiss.

  One kiss was all it took, her usual quick response so carnally delightful, the stroke of her tongue sending fire scorching through his veins.

  Hot, decadent fire.

  Breaking the kiss, he murmured, “I think we should take this inside.”

  “Worried about your reputation if Mrs Thorn catches sight of you and me out here doing the dirty deed?” she teased.

  His smile was slow, sinful. “Mrs Thorn is an elderly woman. I don’t want to be the cause of her heart attack.” At Shea’s laugh, he grabbed her hand, placed it between them on his burgeoning staff beneath the work material of his cargo shorts.

  “Mmm.” Hand rubbing him to a state of aching stiffness that would only be eased by sinking as deep inside her as he could go, Shea whispered hotly, “I see what you mean. That’s a dangerous weapon you have there, Mr Wells.”

  “Then you better take care of it, Mrs Wells.” Still holding her hand as she stroked him so wickedly slowly, he felt the smooth wedding band on her ring finger.

  Loved seeing that ring on her finger, loved knowing every man would realise at a glance that she was taken. Made him feel dominant, protective. Proud. So damned proud to have Shea as his wife.

  “Mmmm.” She kissed him, licked deep, purred her approval when his hand tightened over hers, his other hand sliding down to cup her bottom, fingers biting just a little as he flexed against the lush curves. “Let me see what I can do, Mr Wells.”

  “Then I’ll see what I can do about your fire.” He dipped his hand lower, eased under her skirt to slide lower still until his hand lay against her secrets through her panties.

  “If you feel that strongly about it…” Her eyes twinkled at him.

  So full of heat.

  So full of love.

  Wanting her as he always did, craving her touch, her taste, her scent, Aaron caught her lips, kissed her deep, kissed her hot, kissed her gentle, pouring everything he had into it, needing her so damned much he ached.

  When he finally broke the kiss they were both breathing a lot more raggedly.

  Linking both arms around his neck, breasts pressed against his chest, Shea looked deep into his eyes. “There’s nowhere else on this earth I’d rather be right now than here, Aaron. Right here, right now, with you.”

  God, she was so perfect. So perfect for him. All he could softly say was, “There’s nowhere else on this earth I’d rather be right now than here, Shea. Right here, right now, with you.”

  “Forever and ever, amen.”

  “Forever and ever, amen.”

  They smiled at each other.

  “I love you, Mr Wells.”

  “And I love you, Mrs Wells.”

  ###

  BIO

  Angela Verdenius lives in Australia where she is ruled by her cats, adores reading, and thinks a perfect day is writing and drinking Diet Coke, followed by reading or a good horror movie. She has a weakness for potato chips, Pavlova & rainy days.

  To date, she has written numerous novels in sci-fi romance series and BBW contemporary romances, 2 novellas, and several short stories, one of which is a zombie story she had great fun writing. Her books have won many reviewers’ awards, as well as having been on the Fictionwise best-seller list and winning the Golden Rose Award.

  Connect with Angela:

  Monthly newsletter for updates and new releases

  Her website

  The lighter side of life Books, Cats & Life blog

  Author pages at Goodreads & Book Bub

  Kindle & print books available from Amazon

  Keep reading for a list of all available books in both ebook and print.

  Other Books by this Author

  BBW Romances

  Big Girls Lovin’ trilogy

  Doctor’s Delight

  Cop’s Passion

  Vet’s Desire

  The Lawson Boys duet

  The Lawson Boys: Alex

  The Lawson Boys: Marty

  The Virgin Sex Queen

  The Mackay Sisters duet

  Call on Me

  Lean on Me

  Seducing Sam

  Adam’s Thorn

  The Goodbye Girl

  The Gully’s Fall series

  Burn for You

  Fall for You

  Lie to Me

  Fly with Me

  You’re the One (not BBW)

  Second Chance

  Promises

  The Wells Brothers trilogy

  The Wells Brothers: Luke

  The Wells Brothers: Aaron

  Heart & Soul sci-fi romance series

  Heart of an Outlaw

  Soul of a Mercenary

  Heart of the Betrayed

  Love’s Sweet Assassin

  Soul of a Hunter

  Love’s Bewitching Thief

  Heart of the Forsaken

  Soul of a Witch

  Heart of a Traitor

  Soul of the Forgotten

  Love’s Beguiling Healer

  Heart of a Peacekeeper

  Soul of a Predator

  Love’s Winsome Warrior

  Heart of a Smuggler

  Soul of a Guardian

  Love, Heart & Soul Moments

  Shattered Soul

  Box Set

  Heart & Soul bks 1 - 4

  Novellas sci-fi

  Operation Seduction (BBW)

  Blast from the Past

  Free Short Stories

  Zombie Hospital

  Perceptions