For the Love of Beard

by Lani Lynn Vale

  “Are you going?”

  I held up a finger to my chest.

  “Me?”

  He nodded. “I’m…no. I’m not going.”

  “Do you want to go?”

  That was from Tobias.

  My gaze jumped to his. “You want me to go?”

  He shrugged. “I wasn’t going to go because I didn’t want to be the only loser on the cruise without someone with me. But if you go, I wouldn’t feel like I’m the third wheel.”

  I opened and closed my mouth a couple of times, surprised that he would even ask me to go with him.

  He barely knew me!

  “I have to…” I started to say.

  His grin had my back straightening.

  “You’re scared of boats, aren’t you?”

  I started to deny it, and then I shrugged.

  “Honestly?” I asked.

  He nodded.

  “I’ve never been on a boat. Or a plane, for that matter,” I admitted. “So I have no frame of reference. That doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t do damn well on a cruise if I set my mind to it.”

  He snorted, as did the other two men.

  “Then it’s settled,” Nelson said. “You’ll take this little lady right here with you, and I’ll tell Carla to get you booked. You got the cake?”

  Tobias nodded.

  “Yeah.”

  I started to tell them that I wasn’t going to go, but Leida ran up to me with an empty wagon trailing behind her.

  “I did it!” she shrieked.

  I grinned and held out my hand, which she promptly slapped so hard that my hand stung.

  “Geez, girl,” I said, rubbing my hands on my pants. “You broke my hand!”

  She grinned. “Uncle Tobias!”

  She trailed off.

  I looked at her.

  “What?”

  She pointed behind me, and I backed up just as a kicking and screaming man was being yanked through the door.

  “Well, I think that’s our cue to leave,” Tobias said. “I’ll call Carla in the morning.”

  I grinned as I made my way down the steps toward the truck that Tobias had parked illegally at the curb.

  “Alrighty, girl,” Tobias lifted the wagon and placed it in the bed of his truck. “Time to get home and get that homework done. Your daddy made me promise that you’d do your schoolwork today. Don’t think I’ve forgotten.”

  Leida did the cutest ‘sir, yes sir’ gesture with her hand and climbed through the door I was now holding open for her.

  Once she was settled, I pushed the door closed and turned, only to come to an abrupt stop when I found Tobias there, just a few inches away from me.

  “Jesus,” I slammed my hand over my chest, surprised at his sudden nearness.

  He stared at me with an intense gaze that let me know that what he was about to say was big.

  “I’d never let anyone hurt you,” he promised me. “You may not want to talk about it, but if you ever change your mind, I’m here. All those motherfuckers,” he shook his head. “They’re cops, and yes, they’re intimidating as fuck. That’s the whole point. They have to be authoritative and appear as if they won’t take any shit. Because if they don’t look like that, they’ll end up dealing with a whole lot more shit than they’re already dealing with.”

  My lips twitched.

  “Any motherfucker who even thinks about trying to hurt you will have to go through me. And if they get through me, then they’ll learn real quick that you have the entire club at your back. You shouldn’t worry. Not even a little bit, got it?”

  My heart felt like it was two sizes too big for my chest.

  “All right, Stone Cold,” I laughed as I said it. “Let’s go.”

  His brows rose.

  “Stone Cold?”

  She shrugged. “You’re like a blend of Stone Cold Steve Austin and Dwayne Johnson, The Rock,” she said. “Like, I seriously think you could pass for their love child.”

  His lips twitched.

  “Get in the truck, girl.”

  I got in the truck.

  But I did it while also watching him do the same.

  Something strange was happening in my chest. Though I wasn’t ready to admit it yet, I had a feeling it could evolve into something beautiful.

  Chapter 4

  When shit hits the fan, and you see me smiling, you should be scared.

  -Note to self

  Audrey

  It was Valentine’s Day, and I had the house to myself.

  What better way to spend it than looking for apartments?

  At least, that was what I told myself.

  After walking in on my brother and his wife practically doing it on the kitchen counter this morning, I realized two things.

  One, I needed a place that didn’t have my brother in it. Although I loved the hell out of him, I was starting to feel like I was cramping his style.

  Two, I needed to get a life.

  Seeing my sister-in-law happy again, living her life, and spending it with the man that she and I had thought was dead for so long, was truly an eye-opener.

  I only did things with my brother and Mina, and lately, Tobias.

  Although, I hadn’t seen Tobias since I’d helped his niece sell her cookies.

  It’d been four days, and I was getting anxious.

  Where was he? What was he doing? Did he miss me like I missed him? Would he want to go apartment hunting with me?

  As these thoughts occurred to me, I gathered up what was left of the trash and headed for the door.

  Today was trash day, and I’d been tasked with putting it out for the trash collectors to pick up.

  Apparently, Mina and I were terrible at emptying the trash and now Tunnel wanted me to get it to the curb on the correct day.

  I couldn’t really disagree with him.

  I could barely remember what day it was.

  Since I hadn’t had a job in well over two months, I rarely ever kept track of the days of the week.

  Though, I should.

  Muttering under my breath, I headed for the front door, pushing it open only after I peeked through the blinds on either side of it.

  Not seeing anything overtly suspicious, I hurried down the walk and headed straight for the trashcan that was already at the curb.

  “Jesus, Tun,” I muttered. “You asked me to do it not even fifteen minutes ago. I was going to do it!”

  As I muttered to myself, I was unaware that I had a stalker across the street watching every move I made.

  So, there I was, heading toward the trashcan while running my hand through the rat’s nest that was my hair. I was wearing a faded t-shirt that was two sizes too big—one that I’d picked up at Goodwill over three years ago—with a pair of yoga pants that rolled over at the waist. Topping off this look, I was picking at a fucking wedgie as I made my way to the curb.

  I was two feet from the trashcan when I finally looked up at the sound of laughing.

  My body froze at the sound at first, not really registering that the sound was one of mirth. It wasn’t sinister in any way. Not like that laugh.

  No, this laugh was full of humor, humor I saw written all over the man’s face.

  “Did you find whatever you were searching for?” Tobias teased from his perch on the back of his tailgate, two houses down from mine.

  I blinked.

  “I’m unsure of what you speak of,” I lied.

  His snort also held the same lie.

  “Is that right?” he questioned.

  I pursed my lips.

  “What are you doing here?”

  He pointed to some boxes. “My brother bought a bed for Leida and wanted me to pick it up from the store.”

  “Oh,” I said. “That was nice of you. What kind of bed is it?”

  He shrugged. “A fucking heavy one.”

  A thought occurred to me, and instead of questioning it, beat
ing it to death from all angles, I just went with it.

  I rolled my eyes. “What are you doing after this?” I asked on a whim.

  He looked at his watch.

  “I have to be somewhere by four fifteen this afternoon, but nothing until then. Why?”

  I pulled at the hem of my shirt.

  “Do you want to go look at apartments with me?”

  His answering shrug was nonchalant.

  “I guess. Do you mind if we ride my bike?” he asked.

  I bit my lip thoughtfully.

  Did I mind?

  The answer was kind of scary.

  No. No, I didn’t mind.

  I wanted to ride on his bike. I’d been wanting to ride on it again for a very long time now. Longer than I cared to admit.

  “That’s fine,” I tried to sound nonchalant.

  And by the look he gave me, I’d failed.

  “Want to help me bring this into the house?” he asked, gesturing to the boxes.

  I looked at them.

  “Are they heavy?”

  He shrugged. “Not too bad.”

  Twenty minutes later, I was covered in a fine sheen of sweat, staring at the hole in my shirt.

  “This was one of my favorite shirts!” I informed him. “Do you know how hard it is to find worn, soft shirts?” I asked. “Really, really hard!”

  He looked at my shirt, then at me.

  Then, without pause, he shrugged his shirt off and handed it to me.

  “Same size, it looks like. And it’s soft.” He shook it when I didn’t take it.

  My hand came up on autopilot and grasped the soft material.

  “Thank you,” I said, pulling it to me. “But what are you going to wear now?”

  He winked at me and walked back into the house, coming back out moments later with one of his brother’s t-shirts.

  “He won’t even notice,” he explained. “Are you going to go change, or wear that?”

  I looked down at the t-shirt that still had a large gaping hole in it. “I’m going to go change really quick.”

  That, and I wasn’t wearing a bra. My hair needed brushing, and I didn’t normally wear the yoga pants out, no matter how much I wanted to.

  He gestured to the truck. “I’ll go lock up and wait for you.”

  That was my cue to go, and after looking both ways, I crossed the street and power walked to the house. The door was still standing wide open, and I went inside. Without, I might add, closing or locking it.

  Which was a huge accomplishment.

  When I was home alone, doors got locked. Windows were checked to make sure they were locked as well. Blinds were pulled. The bathroom was locked when I was inside it. Clothes were set out on the bathroom counter.

  Basically, if it had a way to be locked, I locked it. It didn’t matter how long I was going to be inside of it.

  I left nothing to chance.

  Nothing.

  Not after what had happened to me.

  I was super careful and always tried to pay attention to my surroundings.

  So yes, leaving that door open was huge.

  But I knew that with Tobias there, he’d make sure nothing happened.

  And when I came out thirteen minutes later, it was to find Tobias leaning against the front porch beams. Not in the truck where he said he’d be waiting.

  Always watching out for me, I thought.

  “Ready!”

  He grunted and pushed off the pillar, gesturing to his truck.

  I started down the steps, but not before I locked the door and checked to make sure it was.

  He watched me, not missing a thing.

  “Ready when you are,” he rumbled.

  ***

  “Not this one.” Tobias shook his head. “The outdoor lights don’t work. There are no security doors to ensure no one unauthorized gets in, and you don’t have an assigned parking space. That means anyone could park in front of your apartment, and you’d be stuck out there in the boonies walking across a dark fucking parking lot when you got off of work.”

  “How do you know I even have a job?” I challenged.

  He gave me a look.

  “Tommy Tom’s in the MC with me. I knew the moment you were offered a job. Maybe even before you did,” he said.

  My lips twitched.

  “Hmmph,” I grumped. “Well, we’ve already looked at four complexes, and there’s only one left. If we don’t like that one, what the hell am I supposed to do?”

  He looked at me, likely gauging whether I would take what he had to say next the right way. I saw the moment he decided ‘fuck it.’

  “I have a guest house,” he offered.

  I automatically started to shake my head.

  “Negative,” I said. “I’m not moving into your place. I’m trying to get away from the crutch, not swap the crutch for the cane.”

  He snorted, tossing me a sideways glance.

  “The offer stands if you ever need it,” he promised. “Now let’s go look at this last place. I have roughly an hour and a half before I have to go.”

  “Where are you going?”

  He turned to stare at me.

  “The travel agent,” he answered. “Do you want to go?”

  I hesitated, and he grinned. “Come on. You told me you’d go. I guess you should at least have a say so in where our room is.”

  I stared at him.

  “Okay,” I blurted.

  He didn’t gloat. Didn’t laugh. Didn’t wink.

  Nothing. He just walked out of what might have been the shittiest apartment complex in the city and held the door open for me to follow.

  My eyes strayed to his sexy ass, and I cursed myself when he caught me staring.

  His mouth didn’t open, but his eyes said all they needed to. He enjoyed catching me appreciating him.

  Duly noted.

  Chapter 5

  I hate it when I see an old person and realize we went to high school together.

  -Things Tobias doesn’t like to think about

  Tobias

  “You can come in and take a load off while I go change my clothes,” I grumbled, ripping my brother’s shirt off my body and tossing it in the general direction of the laundry room before continuing on to my room.

  Those little fuckers at the last apartment complex better be glad that they were only kids, or I would’ve unleashed holy hell on them.

  I fucking hated wearing wet clothes.

  I did it enough while at work. I didn’t want to do it on my days off.

  Her laugh followed me into the bedroom, and I had to suppress the urge to laugh with her.

  The last apartment we’d gone to, I had to admit, was actually a good one.

  It was a newer construction right off the interstate and had excellent security. It had a clean and modern feel to it that the other apartments didn’t have.

  Although this particular complex was at least a hundred and fifty dollars a month more than the other places I’d checked out with her today, I had a feeling that she was going to do it.

  The building itself was fantastic.

  From a cop’s perspective, this place was perfect for a single woman.

  A gate surrounding the entire complex. Lots of lighting in the parking lot as well as through all of the hallways that led to the different apartments.

  Then there were the steel reinforced door jams along with a security system that each individual apartment had.

  However, the apartment’s security system was an extra fifteen dollars a month.

  I’d gladly pay that for her, though, just to ensure that she had that peace of mind that she deserved.

  I’d seen the way she’d taken in the security. I’d also listened as she asked question after question about who was allowed in, how the visitor situation worked, and what the response rate was for the fire department as well as the police.

  The thing that made me
think she was going to take this place? The fact that there were kids around.

  The same kids who’d shot me from a third floor balcony with water pistols, and continued to do so while I walked to my bike and backed out.

  Shaking my head at the memory, I pulled my gun from the holster at the small of my back and placed it on the bed before shucking my pants.

  Thinking it was best to go ahead and change completely, I walked to the dresser and dropped my underwear just as I heard a gasp from the door.

  “Jesus, Lord have mercy,” Audrey said. “I’m so sorry.”

  I turned to find her standing in my doorway, her hands covering her eyes as she tried to back out of the door.

  The thing was that she was standing sideways, so all she kept doing was backing into the wall, and then ended up even further inside the room instead of closer to getting out of it.

  “Hold on,” I laughed at the way she bounced. “I’ll get some clothes on and then you can open your eyes.”

  “I thought you were just changing your shirt, or I wouldn’t have followed you in here.”

  Grinning, I moved slowly—more slowly than I normally would have—and stepped into my boxer briefs.

  The moment they were up over my semi-erect cock, I reached for the first pair of jeans that were on top of my dresser and stepped into those as well.

  “I’m decent,” I said once I had them over my hips.

  Keeping my eye on her, I buttoned up my pants and then zipped up the zipper.

  “I only saw your butt,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

  Grinning, I reached for the shirt that was in a pile next to my pants and shrugged that on, too.

  “I like that t-shirt,” she said, eyeing it.

  I looked down at it and grinned.

  “I was a soccer player in high school,” I told her.

  She scrutinized my shirt. “I’m surprised that a high school would allow you to wear that.”

  I laughed. “I don’t think that they understood what the shirts meant. But we did. We also fucking loved it.”

  The shirt said, “We do it for ninety minutes, from eleven different positions.”

  “Can I have it?” she asked.

  I shook my head. “You already got my favorite. This is my second favorite. Not gonna happen.”

  She smiled at me sweetly. “We’ll just see about that.”

  Then she stopped as she got her first good look at my wall.