by Sophie Oak
Caleb looked up. “That’s fair.”
“It more than fair, Caleb. You are far too interested in prostate exams,” Alexei said with a frown.
Noah looked poleaxed. “Max got married? I get Rye, but Max?”
Rachel threw her head back and laughed. “Okay, I like him. Someone tell me who he is.”
Rye sidled up to his wife, his hand tracing the curve of her hips. “Jamie’s brother.”
Rachel’s eyes widened. “The one Max curses every time he has to call in the animal doc from Del Norte?”
“I curse everyone,” Max admitted, coming up on the other side of his wife. “Except you, baby.”
Rye shook his head. “I have tapes. I’ll play them when I need to.”
Noah stepped forward. “I think Hope needs to stay here. She doesn’t have anywhere else to go. She should rest here.”
“I came to take her back to our place.” Rachel hugged each hubby and then turned to Hope. “She needs someplace quiet.”
“And your baby is quiet?” James asked. “Not to mention Max. I’ve heard he even growls in his sleep. You have people coming in and out of that place all the time,” He frowned her way, his brows forming a V over his handsome face. “I might be pissed at my brother and wondering why he’s inviting women to stay at my ranch, but he’s right. This is the best place for Hope. People Doc says she needs rest and to be less stressed. She can do that here.”
That was a terrible idea. She needed to leave Bliss, not sit around and stare at James Glen and his impossibly gorgeous brother. “I can go to the Movie Motel.”
“No.” James and Noah managed to say it at the same time and with the same inflection.
She had to make them see reason. She couldn’t stay here. Watching James with all his conquests would kill her. Being close to Noah and knowing she couldn’t have him would make her crazy. “You have too many guests, James. You have your brother and Trev and his family. They haven’t moved out of the big house, have they?”
James smirked. There was no other word for it. “They took over the guesthouse. I have three free rooms, darlin’. You want to bring a friend? And I haven’t decided if I’ll let that one back in.”
Noah’s jaw tensed. “I can always leave.”
Noah seemed like the only piece that didn’t fit. He’d been so kind to her before. She wasn’t sure what his whole story was, but she liked him. It was easy to see these were two brothers who had a lot to work out. James had never even mentioned he had a brother. “I think you should talk to your brother. And it would be easier for you to work out your differences without another person in the house. I’ll be fine. I have a little money saved. I can stay at the motel.”
“I hear Gene say motel is all booked,” Alexei said, dashing her hopes. “Many witches come to town.”
She’d forgotten about the annual psychic festival. It wasn’t organized by anyone in Bliss, but it was a nice a way for the businesses to make a little money in between the end-of-summer hiking crowd and the snow bunnies who would be out in full force in eight weeks or so.
“God, I hate Woo Woo Fest.” Max put his head in his hand and groaned.
“I don’t think that’s the proper name,” Laura pointed out.
Nate seemed to agree with Max. “I’m planning on getting Callie pregnant and having the baby every year at this time so I don’t have to work through Woo Woo Fest. Congrats, Cam. You’re going to get to be sheriff to the freakiest people in the world.”
“I am deeply disappointed in your intolerance, Sheriff,” Nell said with a frown. Her husband stood behind her. It was obvious Henry was ready to protest the Sheriff of Bliss’s attitude.
“Well, you should be used to it,” Nate replied.
The argument started fast and furious. Caleb zipped up his bag and then looked at James and Noah, pointing to the kitchen. He crooked his finger, an obvious order for her to follow. She walked out of the living room as Nell accused Nate of trying to start another Salem witch trials.
Caleb leaned against the countertop, frustration evident in his stance. “Hope, you need a place to stay. I would offer to take you in, but Holly’s cabin is small and the guest room is now my stepson’s room. This is the best place for you. James has already offered. Why aren’t you accepting?”
For a multitude of reasons that Caleb didn’t need to hear. The worst reason was that she wanted to. She wanted to stay right here and play house with James and his brother. “It doesn’t seem right.”
“I don’t get it. Why don’t you want to stay here? Why would you rather stay at a motel where no one can look after you?” James asked.
“I think you and your brother have some things to work out. You two don’t need me hanging around when you obviously need to talk.”
Noah and James had the same look of startled disgust on their faces. They might not be blood relations, but they were so alike it hurt.
“We’re not talking,” James said with a dismissive shake of his head.
“She makes it sound like we need therapy or something.” Noah’s boot tapped on the floor.
She’d never seen people who needed therapy more. Well, until she looked in the mirror.
Caleb laughed a little. “Hope, you don’t understand how men work. Alexei and I don’t talk when we have problems. We growl at each other. He threatens to shoot me. I threaten to punch his kidneys. We get over it and watch some form of sports. I suggest James and Noah do the same thing. And take care of Hope. Did someone call and have her car towed?”
“I called,” Noah said. “Trev was going to tow it, but then Hope passed out and we just wanted to get her back here. Long-Haired Roger is going out to get it.”
More money was flying away. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I’ll pay for it, Hope.” James looked to his brother. “She doesn’t have a lot of money. She’s always worried about it, and she’ll lie when you ask her.”
Maybe James knew her better than she thought.
Noah’s eyes swung toward her. “Yeah, she already did that with me. I told her I didn’t like lies.”
James’s eyes were on her, too. She got the feeling if these brothers ever got their crap together, they could be a very intimidating team. “Nate’s the only one she really talks to. If I wasn’t so sure Nate was in love with his wife, I would think she and Nate were a couple.”
“What?” She practically screeched out the word.
Caleb’s cool green eyes rolled. “Guys, she needs rest. And some stress relief. We’ve gone over eating and drinking water, but let’s talk about sex. How long has it been?”
Caleb Burke was not going there. “That is none of your business, Doc.”
“Your health is my business. Sex is a great stress reliever. Get some. You’ll feel better.” Caleb smiled broadly. “I know I do. James here has slept with everyone else in the valley. Give him a try.”
James’s head fell to his hand. “Doc, you’re a bastard.”
Caleb shrugged as though that was a foregone conclusion. “It’s true. But your blood work shows you’re healthy. Hope’s healthy. Look, if you don’t want to sleep with James, I advise you to masturbate. It’s good stress relief, too. I mean, you could jog or something, but no one really likes to do that. Okay, my work is done. Hope, take some time off, let the men help you out, eat, and drink a lot of water. I’ll run your blood work in and call you later.”
Caleb strode out of the room.
“Your people doc is crazy,” Noah said as he watched the door swing shut.
“Well, we don’t have much to compare him to. We haven’t had an animal doc in four years,” James said, accusation plain in his tone.
They squared off again. Noah’s fists clenched. “Well, you have one now. I’m back, brother. I can stay here on the ranch our parents built together, or I can head off into town and find a place. Either way, you’re going to have to deal with me.” There was a long moment of silence. The air filled with the distinct possibili
ty of violence. Then Noah turned. “Fine. Be that way. Hope, get your things. You’re coming with me.”
“I don’t have any ‘things.’” She nearly rolled her eyes. She could see what was happening now. James ignored her until it was brutally obvious that his brother was interested. Noah didn’t know enough about her to know whether he really liked her. He was reacting because his brother suddenly seemed like he gave a damn.
Caleb thought this would be relaxing?
“She’s not going anywhere. Doc said she had to stay here,” James insisted.
Noah leaned in, his jaw a hard line. “Doc said she needed someone to make sure she was eating and drinking enough water and getting enough sleep. He didn’t say it had to be here. Doc also talked about your insanely active social life. We wouldn’t want to disrupt that now.”
Hope was deeply grateful that neither mentioned the other thing Doc had told her to do. “Why don’t you two just deal with each other? You don’t need to deal with me. I’ll go talk to Nell and Henry.”
She would be in for days of tofu and long discussions of global poverty and the evils of gas wells, but it was for the best. She really couldn’t run without a car. She didn’t really want to. The fact that half of Bliss was currently in the Circle G’s living room because they gave a damn about her made her want to stay. She didn’t want to lose another family.
She was just about to walk out of the kitchen when strong male arms lifted her up. She was off her feet before she could protest.
“You aren’t going anywhere,” James said, his arms going under her knees and around her back. “Except back to bed.”
She felt so small against him. It took a lot to make her feel small. She threw her arms around James’s neck. She’d wanted him for so long. It seemed unfair that the only way to get him to take her to bed was to pass out and need medical attention.
James walked her through the house, not paying a lick of attention to the calls from the peanut gallery.
“’Bout damn time, James!” Max shouted.
“Give him hell, Hope!” a feminine voice called. She thought it was either Laura or Holly.
“Don’t listen to them. You give me hell and you’ll feel the flat of my hand on your pretty backside.” James’s face looked like it was made of granite.
He was a spanker? She should have seen that coming. So why did the very thought of James Glen’s big hand smacking her backside make her pussy hot and wet? She could feel it. Her girl parts were softening and getting ready to sing a hallelujah chorus. “Neanderthal.”
She had to at least put up a good fight.
“You’ve spent too much time with Nell, baby.” He used the flat of his boot to kick the door open and entered the guest room. At least he hadn’t taken her to his room. “I think a nice spanking would do you a world of good.”
A lot of things about James Glen could do her a world of good. It had been forever since she’d had the solace of another body against hers. She’d practically forgotten how good it felt to hold a man, his cock sliding in and out of her pussy, rocking them both to perfection. Forgotten? Had she ever really known? Her past threatened to rush in. She closed her eyes. Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it.
“Hope? What’s wrong? Goddamn it, you’re shaking.” He set her on the bed.
She opened her eyes to see him looking down, staring at her with a singular purpose. She flexed her hands. She shouldn’t think about that time. Usually she was really good about not thinking about it, but the last few weeks had turned her carefully held-together world upside down. “I’m just cold.”
“No. You went white. You’re scared. Are you scared of me?” He said it like the entire idea horrified him.
She sat up. As much as she worried about James finding out about her past, she couldn’t let him think she was afraid of him. He might break her heart, but he would never harm her physically. Hell, he wouldn’t allow anyone else to harm her. It wasn’t her in particular. It was simply James Glen’s way. “I’m not afraid of you, James. I told you, I’m just cold.”
Except she suddenly wasn’t. She wasn’t cold at all. He loomed over her, his body so close to hers that she could feel the heat coming off of him. James was a big man. Six feet three inches, with corded muscles that covered a big-framed body. His broad shoulders blocked out the early-afternoon light streaming in from the window.
“I can think of some ways to warm you up, Hope.” His voice had gone deep, cajoling. She’d rarely seen him without his ever-present Stetson on his head, but now his golden-brown hair curled over the tops of his ears and brushed his eyebrows. It was messy and overly long, as though James just hadn’t wanted to be bothered with a haircut. It was shaggy, and Hope thought he looked utterly perfect.
“Don’t.” But even as she said the words, her hands found their way to his shoulders as though her body wanted something her mind knew was a spectacularly bad idea.
“Why not?” He hovered over her, his chest nearly touching hers. She could feel her nipples tightening.
“You don’t like me.” The words made sense. They were logical and sound. Her hands curled around the muscles of his shoulders.
His blue eyes flared. “Is that what you think?”
She wasn’t an idiot. She pulled her hands back. She wasn’t going to play his fool. “James, I asked you out once and you practically turned green and ran. Don’t pretend you’ve changed your mind.”
He shook his head, his body still far, far too close for her comfort. “No. I haven’t changed my mind, but my circumstances have changed. Hope, baby, you’re not like the other women I’ve dated. You’re not just looking for a good time.”
“You don’t know that.” He’d never asked her what she wanted. A good time would have been nice. Maybe. Any time would have been better than the utterly loneliness of the last eight years. She’d never fooled herself that James would want her for the long term. She’d just wanted the solace of another body holding hers.
Who was she kidding? She could have gotten that if she wanted it. For the last year, she’d stayed away from men altogether, with the singular exception of James. She only wanted James. The only other man who had sparked her deep interest was Noah.
Yeah, she wasn’t very smart.
“I do know that. And if you’re telling yourself that we could spend a night in bed and get up and walk away in the morning, then you are an idiot. Hope, I feel a connection to you, and that scares the crap out of me. I don’t know if I want it. My parents had it, and it destroyed them when it was broken. After my mom died, it didn’t take long at all for both of my fathers to follow her. I don’t know if I want to love someone like that.”
Her heart seized a little at the very idea that James could really care for her. But if it wasn’t something he wanted, then it couldn’t work out. And she needed to move on. Despite what Nate had said, and perhaps because of all the wonderful people who had shown up to check on her, she needed to leave Bliss. Even if Christian’s former followers hadn’t caught up to her, it was only a matter of time before someone did. It could be the Followers of the Light or the law, but sooner or later Hope’s time was going to be up.
“James, I’m not asking you to love me.” She wouldn’t. Loving her was a bad idea.
And still he leaned closer. He was so close their noses touched. “Well, lately I’ve been thinking that I should just find someone I like. I’m not getting any younger, girl. And neither are you.”
It was a horrible reason to date someone. Hope felt her indignation rise like a tidal wave. No way was she going to be his convenience. She opened her mouth to tell him he could take his like for her and go straight to hell when he pressed his lips to hers. In a single heartbeat, all her righteous anger turned to lust. James stopped trying to hold his weight off her and sank, his big body covering hers, pressing her into the mattress. His lips played, his tongue seduced.
This wasn’t a soft opening volley. It was a full-on assault, and Hope felt everything
feminine in her respond. James dominated her mouth. His tongue found hers and glided over and around, his lips fused to hers. His chest nestled against her breasts, and his legs gently pressed at her knees. Before she knew it, her legs were splayed wide, and he’d made a place for himself at the center of her body. As he kissed her, she could feel his cock pushing against her pussy, lengthening and hardening. His hips moved as though they were dancing, but the only music Hope could hear was the mingled sounds of their breath and the soft moan that was forced from her throat.
So good. He felt so good. She could let him take over, and she would feel so much better. It wouldn’t be like the other times. This time would be different. She wouldn’t strive and work and not find satisfaction. James ground against her as he started to kiss her neck, and already she could feel a little pleasure. Warm. Her pussy was warm, and she was already wet. She could feel her folds moistening. She wanted to move against him. She didn’t want to lie there. She wanted to sink her nails into the skin of his back and force him to shove his cock inside her pussy.
She didn’t recognize herself, and that felt good, too.
“James.” His name was a breathy plea coming out of her mouth.
“Yeah, baby. Yes. I knew it could be like this.” His lips turned up in a sensual smile as his hand claimed her breast. “Let’s get you out of these clothes, and we can have a real good time.”
She froze. A real good time. Good-time girl. That was what she’d been before Nate had found her. She’d been a good time—except she hadn’t had one. She’d been looking for a way to obliterate herself, and she’d used booze and sex to try to do it.
“Hope?” James had stopped, his body going still on top of hers. His baby blues were wide with concern.
“I thought she was supposed to be resting, not getting pawed by her host.”