by Sam Crescent
He parked the car round back before walking the short distance to the front door. Jake and Brent were already moving around. Connor went into the kitchen and put the oven on followed by the coffee machine.
Connor grabbed his food mixer and placed it on the counter next to the socket. Once he set it up he washed his hands then moved to the pantry to grab a few ingredients.
“You’re only getting started on the baking?” Jake asked as he came into the kitchen. The coffee was finishing percolating.
“No. I’m making a batch of cakes to take to Zoe. I don’t like the thought of her being alone. Have you seen where she lives?” Connor asked. He measured out ingredients, placing each one in order into the bowl.
“No, I haven’t seen where she lives. I’ve heard about it and know it is in the rough part of town. I don’t like it. Were you out all night again?”
Connor shrugged his shoulders. “I couldn’t sleep. She didn’t leave work ‘til late, and I waited for her. I gave her a lift home and stayed until I was sure it would be safe enough for her.”
“She won’t like you hounding her, Connor,” Brent said, stretching.
“I don’t give a fuck what she’d like. I’m doing what I think is necessary.”
Brent nodded his head going for the coffee. Connor ignored them both and started the mixer. He never could get over how much he enjoyed baking. It was a strange comfort considering his own parents were never inside a kitchen.
He supplied the local bakery and helped with the fun fairs and carnivals that came to town, anonymously, as he didn’t want everyone to know what he did in his spare time.
Once the cakes were in the cases and baking in the oven he poured himself a generous amount of coffee into a mug and waited for the cakes.
Connor felt his other two friends staring at him.
“What?” he asked.
“You’re not sleeping again, and usually that ends with you taking a woman until you fuck whatever problems you feel out of your system,” Jake said.
He sighed. “That’s not going to happen this time.” They did not look convinced. “I’m not going to ruin any shot we have with Zoe. She may seem like a bitch with an attitude problem, but I know she’d be hurt if we went with other woman. I’m not going to risk it.”
“You could talk to us,” Brent said.
Connor shook his head. “I love you guys like my two brothers. Don’t worry about crap that doesn’t exist. I’m fine.” He pulled the cupcakes out of the oven and placed them on a cooling rack.
“Fine, I’m going to get ready for work. Noah and Drew wanted us to open the shop again. I’ve got two engines on the blink with two older guys who refuse to pay,” Jake said after he drained the coffee from his cup.
“I’ll be along in a minute.”
Connor watched his two friends leave while he made the icing. He’d set them in the fridge, and at lunchtime he’d go over to Zoe.
Chapter Four
Jake opened the mechanic shop and wished for the third time in the same day that he was doing something else. Working with cars was fun, but he just wished there was something else to keep him occupied.
“I don’t know about you, but these cars are looking in piss poor condition,” Brent said, slapping him on the shoulder. They walked together to the changing room that their boss kept in the back. Jake was sick and tired of the cost of replacing all the jeans with car grease on them.
“Well, write a decent book and make it so we all don’t have to work.”
“Why would me getting rich, stop you from working?” Brent asked.
“I could be your advisor and Connor your cook. It would be perfect.”
“In your dreams, Jake. I’m happy with the life we’ve got, fixing cars and constantly being rejected by our woman. It makes a guy feel young.”
Jake heard the humour and the pain in his friend’s statement. They all wanted Zoe, and yet they were all growing weary of her pushing them away. The only time he’d seen her walls crumble was last night. He knew she wanted them. What Jake didn’t understand was why she kept pushing them away.
They changed quickly and made their way back to the front of the shop. The town was beginning to wake up. Several people walked past giving them a wave before moving on. Jake liked knowing the people. There were times he wanted to get out of Law Castle, while at others he wanted to do nothing but stay and make his own traditions.
Drew and Noah walked in after nine looking very happy and well fucked. Jake knew they’d dropped Cheryl off at the local bakery. He envied their happiness. When he saw all three together as a family, the way they all were, it was as if the whole world didn’t exist for them. He wanted that kind of relationship. Jake hoped Zoe would be that woman even though he had his doubts.
“What have we got today?” Noah asked.
“The same crap as yesterday. A couple of cars with cheap ass owners. They don’t want to believe their thirty-year car is ready for the junk heap.” Jake grabbed a wrench from the wall where they kept their tools.
Noah shook his head. “Then I guess we fix the car up to the best of our ability and hope the owner changes his mind.”
Connor walked in several minutes later. Jake stared at his youngest friend. He was really worried about him. The quieter Connor got, the more he’d learned to worry.
“You’re late,” Noah said.
“Bite me.”
Noah went to say something else, but Jake gave his boss a warning nod. He waited until Connor was out of ear shot before talking to Noah. “He’s not sleeping again,” Jake said.
“Fucking great. I don’t need a temperamental mechanic in my place. He either sorts his shit out or he’s gone.”
Drew and Noah were two of the few people who knew about Connor’s anger and attitude. Connor would start with the insomnia. That would eventually turn into anger, which made him lash out at anybody who got in his way. Then the fucking would come into it. It was the main activity that Jake hated. He loved sharing a woman with his two friends. When they were all in their right minds it was amazing to watch a woman come apart. When Connor was in one of his moods, it was not fun. Jake knew his friend was trying to forget his past or whatever shit was going on.
They were best friends, and he still did not know everything that went on behind closed doors in the Andrews household.
Jake watched Connor get to work and decided to not worry about anything until he needed to.
****
Zoe groaned as she rolled over in bed. A squeal left her as she rolled over too much and ended up on the floor on her ass. Her face flamed even though she was in her own company. “Great wake up call, Zoe. Real smart.” She untangled herself out of the sheets then made her way into the bathroom.
She flushed the toilet, brushed her teeth, washed her face and then walked into the kitchen. Glancing at the clock she saw it was past ten. She rarely slept for long periods of time. A yawn escaped her as she filled up her small kettle.
While it began to boil she moved back into her bedroom. She glanced around at her small space and winced at the lack of furnishing. The money wasn’t a problem. She’d saved enough to put down her roots, but she didn’t know what was stopping her from taking the next step.
She changed out of her shirt for a pair of jeans and long shirt. No matter how many times she’d tried to buy shorter shirts to show off some of her breasts, she chickened out at the last minute. Long shirts and baggy clothes were what she wanted in order to make herself feel comfortable.
After brushing her hair, she moved to the kitchen and poured herself a coffee. Zoe glanced out of the window and saw several children alone on the park around the back of her building. She let out a hiss of annoyance. Where were their parents? Didn’t they care?
“Fucking figures,” she muttered to herself. On her way out of her apartment she grabbed a book.
Once she locked her door she made her way to the stairwell. She paused for a second when she saw Bill handing over some foil packet to another guy.
Closing off her panic signals, she walked down the stairs hoping Bill would leave her alone. She didn’t know anything else about him other than the fact his name was Bill. Zoe knew he was dealing drugs. She wondered if the Sheriff’s office knew about any of the goings-on over here.
When she’d moved to Law Castle the town had seemed sweet and peaceful. Like most sweet and peaceful places it had a bad side to it as well. The customer Bill was dealing to left. He turned round to her. Bill wore an expensive suit, which was totally out of place where they lived. She knew he wore it in order to make the rest of them feel small. It was his calling card to tell the rest of the world that he owned this side of Law Castle. The Bad Boys owned the good side, while Bill and his thugs owned the part no one cared about. Like her. She was a nothing and a no one.
“Zoe, I was hoping to see you today,” Bill said, stroking her arm. She tried not to vomit from his touch. He was a total creep and a douche-bag.
“Bill,” she said. One of her hands held the cup of hot coffee while the other had her book. Neither looked like a weapon, but she knew if the need arose she’d use them as one.
“When are you going to give it up and be with me?” he asked.
“Never,” she said. He caught her arm as she made to move away. “Let go of my arm, Bill.”
“You’re playing hard to get. I get it. You’ll fall for me. They all fall for me sooner or later.”
Zoe turned around and glared at him. “I’m not just some woman, Bill. I’ll never be yours, so back the fuck off.”
She stamped on his foot. The action made him curse and let go of her arm. “This isn’t over, Zoe!” he shouted to her back.
Ignoring him, she made her way over to the swings and sat down. Several children ran over to her. She smiled at them, then opened her book to read. Every now and then she glanced up to make sure all the children were fine.
Her fears were probably paranoia. Living in the foster care system had given her world a massive wake up call.
She placed her cup down on the floor next to the swing. The time passed pleasantly. Her tummy began to growl with the warning she hadn’t eaten.
A dark shadow fell over her. Zoe gazed up, fearful in case it was Bill coming back for another round.
“Hi, Zoe,” Connor said.
“Connor, what are you doing here?”
He took the swing next to her. She stared at him as the swing didn’t seem large enough to take on his weight or width. “I made you something.” He handed her a cardboard box. Frowning, she handed him her book, then opened the lid on the box he’d given her. There were at least half a dozen cakes she could see in the box. The scent of chocolate wafted up to her.
Her stomach growled, which made Connor chuckle. “I guess you didn’t eat anything before coming out to watch the kids.”
“How do you know that was the reason I was sitting here?”
“I just do. Eat up.”
She lifted out a cupcake, tore the wrapper off and took a bite. The cake melted on her tongue, and the frosting was sheer heaven. Her moan alerted the children playing at the park. They walked over. One by one, she handed each of the kids a cake.
Zoe only got the chance to eat one, but that was more than enough for her. She knew the calories would go straight to her hips.
“Did you make these?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“You’re amazing. I’ve never tasted anything so good before.” She licked her lips as her mouth watered for another bite.
“Wait, you’ve got some right here.” Connor ran his thumb at the corner of her lip. Her heart rate kicked up when he placed the thumb with the little bit of chocolate frosting on it into his own mouth.
“Delicious,” he agreed.
She smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “What brings you over here?” she asked.
“I was worried about you. This is not a great part of town.”
“It is still part of Law Castle, Connor. I’m fine here.”
“I don’t like you here.”
“You don’t get a say in how I live my life. You don’t know me,” she said.
“Because you don’t give me or us a chance to get to know you.”
Zoe took a deep breath. She knew arguing with him would be useless. “Do Jake and Brent know you came over here to bring me the cupcakes?”
He shook his head. “They’re on break.”
She was a little hurt that they hadn’t come over themselves.
Connor reached over and stroked her cheek. “It’s not because they don’t care, Zoe. They don’t know how to approach you. You refuse to open up.”
“Don’t worry about it. I won’t be in Law Castle all that long.”
“Why are you running away?” he asked.
Zoe stared at him. She saw the conflict in his eyes. “I’m not running away.”
“Bullshit. I know fear when I see it. You’ve got nothing to be afraid of, Zoe. Jake, Brent, and I will take care of you. We want to.”
She shook her head in denial. “No, you three want to fuck me and use me as some kind of living, breathing, sex toy. I’m a person. I’m not going to be used.”
Zoe glanced up to see a mother approaching the park area. “I’ve got to go. I need to get some stuff from town.”
“Great. I’ll drive you.”
“That won’t be necessary. I can take care of myself.”
Connor stood over her. His gaze was focussed on her eyes. He cupped her cheeks forcing her to keep the contact of their gaze. “I’ll drive you into town. Don’t argue with me, Zoe. You will not win. That is a promise.”
She nodded her head, hating herself for giving in. Zoe felt the heat of his words go southwards. Her pussy was on fire and had been since the moment he’d joined her at the park. She nodded at the mother who’d finally decided to be a parent. The other woman was too busy looking at Connor. His bad boy reputation must precede him. She glanced at him and saw he wasn’t paying any attention.
“That woman was looking at you,” she said, testing him to see how he’d react.
“I don’t give a shit.”
He followed her up the flights of steps to her apartment door.
“You can wait outside,” she said.
“Dream on, baby. I’ll wait inside.”
She growled in annoyance. Opening the door, she tried to slam the hard wood in his face. Connor caught it and closed the door quietly. Zoe stormed off to the kitchen, put her cup in the sink, her book on the side and grabbed her purse.
When she got back to where she’d left Connor she found him staring at her bare walls and threadbare furniture. “There are no pictures,” he said.
“I don’t own any pictures.”
“Why not? Everyone should have some pictures.”
Her heart felt tight.
She shook her head.
Chapter Five
Connor stared at her for several seconds and thought better of invading her privacy a little more. She was clearly uncomfortable with talking about her past. He let out a sigh. No matter how hard he tried to get closer to her, she tried to keep the distance between them firmly in place. At least he’d finally gotten a look in her apartment. From what he saw, it gave him no hope at all.
He knew she wasn’t running from anything. A woman on the run wouldn’t be in an apartment or start to become attached to children in a park. Zoe was running from something else, but what he had no clue.
“Let’s go before Noah has a real reason to fire me.” He grabbed her hand and opened the front door. A guy stood on the other side with his hand raised to knock. “Can I help you?” Connor asked.
A gasp from behind him alerted him that Zoe wasn’t happy with the man at her door either. “I want a word with Zoe.”
“Zoe, do you want a word with this guy?” Connor asked.
“No. Bill, leave me alone.”
“Are you her boyfriend?” Bill asked.
Connor hated him on sight. He saw the
expensive suit for what it really was. A costume. There was something about the guy that turned his stomach. Bill’s gaze moved to Zoe, and Connor saw the desire in his eyes. There is no way this man was going near his woman.
“She’s mine, Bill. Back off.”
He thought Bill was going to say something else. A quick glance between the two and the other man walked away. “Lock your door.” Connor didn’t let go of hers hand. They walked down to his truck together. He helped her inside then moved round to his own section. “Who was that guy?”
“I don’t know. His name is Bill. That’s all I know.”
“I don’t like him.”
A chuckle came from her. “You wouldn’t. He’s not a good guy.”
“What do you mean?”
“Let’s just say that Law Castle has its bad side as well.”
Connor wanted to ask more. He filed the information away for later. If he could get anything on the guy then he wanted to make sure the Sheriff knew what was going on. Bill was a threat. He’d seen and sensed it in the guy.
Pushing the thoughts away, he started the truck and made his way into town. The market was in full swing with plenty of people wandering around. He parked the truck along the street next to the mechanic shop. Brent and Jake stopped working the moment they saw him. He ignored them both and helped Zoe out of the truck.
The moment they saw her, they moved over. Several of the girls had stopped near a bench next to the shop. Their giggles as they stared at all three of them drove Connor crazy.
“Zoe,” Jake said. He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles.
“It sounds like you have a bunch of admirers,” she said.
Connor cursed. “They’re annoying little school-girls, Zoe. Nothing to feel threatened by.”
She turned to stare at him. He saw the flash of hurt in her eyes. Her walls came up firmly in place. “I’ve got to go. Thanks for the ride.” She brushed past him, and in the next second she’d disappeared into the crowd.
“Wow, what did you do to her, Connor?” Brent asked.
“I’m not giving up, and it’s pissing her off. Have either of you two heard of Bill?” He stared at his two friends.