by Lexi Blake
A wistful smile slid across Rachel’s face. “I remember times like that. Once you get started in with having babies, those times are few and far between.”
“Is this your first?” Georgia was far from having babies. No. Maybe when she hit her late thirties. Maybe. Babies were cute and sweet, but she was still a baby.
Rachel smoothed a hand over her barely there bump. “My second. Paige is with her daddy, well, one of them.” She started to explain.
Georgia waved a hand. “Oh, I totally get it. Two husbands. Twice the sex. Twice the laundry. Twice the putting up with their shit. That’s what my sister-in-law says. Of course, she also says twice the love. She’s happy with my brothers. They’re twins.”
“So are Max and Rye. Max is giving me hell, actually.” She sniffled. “I don’t see why he can’t take anything seriously. Yesterday he was supposed to get a medical exam so we could get life insurance, but instead he punched Doc in the face and got himself arrested.”
“Oh, he sounds like he’s acting out. I used to do that all the time to get attention from my brothers. They would get so involved in their lives, and my dad was never around, so I would pull some stupid crap at school to get Win to come home for a while. It wasn’t fair. I should apologize to him for that.” It hadn’t been fair, but at the time, she hadn’t known what else to do. She’d been selfish. The night before seemed to have changed something in her. She’d gotten a lecture from Logan about halfway through the night. He’d been buried deep inside her, his hips rolling in a lazy, deeply sensual rhythm. He’d talked about communicating. He’d told her she had to talk to him or it wouldn’t work. “Maybe your husband is trying to get your attention.”
Like she’d been trying to get Logan and Seth’s yesterday. She’d tried to please them by dressing up and cooking dinner and making things nice, and when that hadn’t worked, she’d thrown a fit.
Maybe next time, she’d just get naked. They seemed to like her naked.
Rachel’s eyes widened. “Do you think so? I have to be honest. I’ve been worried that maybe he was bored with the whole family thing, and this was his way of having fun. I can treat him like a kid half the time. I don’t mean to. I get in mom mode and I start in on them both. Rye will turn me over his knee and show me who’s boss when I start in on him, but Max seems to pull away. I don’t know why. He would put anyone else on their ass.”
She could guess. “Because he loves you. I don’t think men are always as rational as women are. He could feel as lonely as you are. I’ve heard having kids can be hard on a marriage. My dad tended to get divorced every time he had a kid.”
Rachel’s hands came up, her eyes flaring in obvious revelation. “So he’s doing what he knows to do. Oh god. He’s acting out because he’s trying to get my attention. When we first started dating, we had this deal, Max and me. When he acted like an idiot, he owed me sexual servitude.”
She wondered if she could get Logan and Seth to agree to that arrangement. Sexual servitude sounded nice. “If I had to guess, that’s what he’s doing. Trying to get your attention.”
Rachel smiled and gave her the biggest hug. “Oh, I’m so relieved. You’re a lifesaver. Why don’t you come out for dinner sometime next week? Bring Seth and Logan. We would love to see them.” She turned. “Marie, I need to go find Max and lay down the law. Can you handle this without me?”
“Sure thing.” Marie stepped up to the small podium and everyone seemed ready to start this meeting thing.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Rachel started to take off the shoes.
But Georgia was enjoying playing fairy godmother. She shook her head. “No. He’ll think the shoes are hot. You can borrow them for a while. I’ll use yours.”
They weren’t what she was used to, but they looked comfy. And they fit, and it was worth it to know she’d made someone happy.
“Thank you.” Rachel gave her another hug and ran out the door as fast as the heels would allow her.
Nell was standing next to her. “I do not approve of your footwear, but that was a nice thing to do.”
“Thanks.” She looked Nell up and down. “I love making people over. It’s so much fun.”
“Well, you obviously dress well. I prefer cruelty-free clothes, though.” She ran her hands along her too-long-for-her skirt and shuffled those totally cruel-on-the-eyes shoes she was wearing.
Oh, someone else needed a fairy godmother. “I think I can help you there. I just need my credit card and a computer. This is going to be so, so much fun. I love a good makeover!”
Holly’s head turned. “Did someone say makeover?”
Lucy and Hope turned as well.
“That sounds like fun. I’ve never done makeovers before,” the one named Lucy said. “We should have a party.”
Georgia could totally do a party. She did kind of have the biggest cabin in the town, after all. And if Logan and Seth didn’t like their hideaway being invaded by makeup-loving women, then they shouldn’t have chosen her as their girl.
Marie was standing at the podium. “I think that would be fun for y’all. Now it’s time to get started. Miss Naomi has graciously agreed to teach us all about first aid today.”
A beautiful curvy woman with rich, dark skin and the loveliest hair stepped up. She had a secretive grin on her face, like she was in on a joke no one else knew. “Just in case the son of a bitch you shoot next turns out to be your neighbor. Because that can happen, ladies. Now I’ve brought some supplies and I have a slide show. Let’s get started.”
Georgia took a seat next to Nell and tried to look like she was listening. But her mind was whirling with menu possibilities and how she would set up her party.
Friends. She was making friends, people who thought she was nice, who thought she was worthy.
Nell leaned over. “Do you really think I could find pretty shoes that don’t harm the environment?”
Georgia was a little surprised when Nell actually reached out and grabbed her hand. Tears threatened. She’d been in damn LA so long, she’d forgotten how nice it was to hug and hold hands with friends and know that she would be accepted. “I promise, I will find them. I recently heard about a company that makes shoes out of recycled water bottles. We’ll see if they’re cute.”
Naomi started to talk about exit wounds and CPR, but Georgia was making lists of appetizers and wines she needed to buy for her party.
Being with friends, helping them and becoming meaningful—that was everything she could hope for.
And if she couldn’t find pretty shoes for Nell, she would make them herself. She was a Dawson, after all. And Dawsons persevered.
* * * *
Seth slapped a branch back and wished he’d switched into boots for this particular outing. “Are you sure you’re not being paranoid?”
Logan followed the man in front of him, never looking back. “I know what I saw.”
“Well, it wasn’t an alien. They have ways to hide their presence in the daylight.” Mel was leading this band of merry men. “Unless they’re playing games with us.”
Mel stopped as though the thought disturbed him.
“I don’t think it’s aliens.” Seth felt a deep need to stop Mel before he started to talk about probes. Mel liked to get real in depth about probing, and he could go into gruesome detail. Apparently Mel had been in the thick of the alien wars for a long time, and being a warrior equaled anal probes. Seth had already decided not to get involved with aliens. Though he did intend to get involved with anal probes. Fuck. He so wanted to fuck Georgia’s ass. He wanted to do it in front of a mirror so he could watch the way her eyes widened and her pupils dilated as he entered her. She was so gorgeous. So perfectly sexy. And those damn shoes killed him. She’d been wearing hot pink ridiculously high heels, and all he’d been able to think about was getting those heels around his neck and driving his cock inside.
“Where do you think Momma Marie took her?” Seth asked, trying to catch his breath. Trekking through a mountain at nine
thousand plus feet wasn’t something he was used to.
But Logan wasn’t even breathing hard. He didn’t show a single sign that his muscular body even noticed the stress. “I’m sure she took Georgia to her club meeting. They meet on every second Tuesday.”
Mel turned, his rifle at his side. “That club keeps growing. I’m the speaker next month. I’m giving the ladies tips on how to take down alien species, but mainly I go for the pie. There’s always such good pie there. Not quite as good as my Cassidy’s pecan pie, but Lucy’s chess comes close. Seth, is it true you’re going to pay for alien DNA detection for the upcoming wedding?”
Logan snorted, putting his hand over his mouth to cover his laughter.
Stef Talbot was a son of a bitch. Bastard. Rat-fink motherfucker. He’d sold him out. Seth had talked to him yesterday, inviting Stef and his wife to the cabin sometime, discussing the upcoming wedding situation. Seth was taking about half of the Texas crowd while the rest would be staying at the Talbot estate. Seth didn’t know Wolf Meyer, but he’d spent a lot of time talking to Leo Meyer on the phone and he’d sent Julian Lodge some hefty checks for Logan’s therapy and club membership. And now he had to pay to keep Mel happy. He was going to kick Stef’s ass. “Yep. Can’t have aliens disrupting a wedding.”
Mel took a seat on a rock. The forest was quiet all around them. “Cass is worried that her boys are marrying an alien. It would be just like an alien queen to come after those boys. They’re prime mating material. Sweet boys, of course, but they do have all that alien DNA. And Shelley is averse to beets. Said she wouldn’t allow a beet-filled wedding cake.”
“We’re not having beets at our wedding, dude,” Logan said. And then he shook his head. “I mean Georgia is probably going to want something fancy when you marry her.”
He’d been right the first time, but Seth was counting the flub as progress. The same way he was counting that damn G on Logan’s chest. There was no way it stood for Green. That G, with its romantic curves, was all about their Georgia, and he wanted a matching one on his chest. Georgia could get a sweet L and S on that gorgeous curve right over her ass. They would be inked, linked together forever. That was what he wanted. “Georgia can pass the alien test. Aliens can’t wear her heels.”
Mel nodded. “I’ve heard that even the females have terrible arches. I wonder if Shelley wears heels. Cass would be much happier if she does. We’ll have to see. But we still need monitors. They’re making plans, I tell you.”
Logan slid him a long look, his lips curling up. “They’re always making plans. But I don’t think this is an alien invasion we’re dealing with. Come on. Let’s keep moving. I have a meeting with Nate at one, and I’m on highway duty all afternoon. I get to write tickets to tourists.”
He wouldn’t have to write tickets to tourists if he would let Seth pay his damn tuition. It was stupid. It was stubborn. Seth had money. He wouldn’t miss it even if Logan went to freaking Harvard. But Logan didn’t want to hear it. He’d been like a dog with a bone ever since he’d walked out of his room this morning. He’d told Seth to come with him and then they’d spent a whole lot of time at the sheriff’s office talking to the park rangers. And then they’d walked like five hundred miles to get to even more trees. The forest was beautiful, but he wasn’t sure why they were here. Logan had said something about a light and glinting, and he’d sounded an awful lot like Mel, who was their guide.
Yep. Crazy Mel was their guide, but then he’d kind of, sort of been their guide before. Mel had been a master at taking young men under his wing and teaching them to kill aliens, protect themselves, and to view purely human pornography.
“Logan, come on, man. Why the hell am I up here?”
“Because Nate is in the cabin and Cam has a new baby.” Logan kept striding up the steep incline. “And this has something to do with you.”
“A glint in the atmosphere has something to do with me?”
Logan stopped and turned, frowning. “Nate is going to call us when he sees the glint off our binoculars. That’s going to tell me where this guy was standing. Did you not listen to a thing I told the park rangers?”
He’d kind of been thinking about Georgia at the time. He’d been daydreaming about getting Georgia back in bed and prepping her for what he wanted. Both of them inside her, one in her ass and one in her pussy. Sweet, sweet double penetration. And then Logan had shoved a contract in front of him. He hated contracts. He really hated contracts that put boundaries on sex and love and life.
“Tell me again.” He wasn’t going to explain that he’d been flustered by that fucking contract.
Logan took a long breath. “I saw something up here earlier today. It was either a scoped rifle or a camera. I suppose it could have been someone’s glasses, but the park rangers claim no one is up here right now. At least no one who has clearance. Did you see the footprints on the porch yesterday? They were still there this morning. I didn’t make them.”
“It rained a couple of days ago. We don’t know how long that print has been there.” It could have come from anywhere. The contractors had been working on the house right up until the day before they’d come here.
“It wasn’t there when I got in the day before yesterday,” Logan argued. “The whole place was pristinely clean.”
“What was the print like?” Mel asked. He was carrying his ever-present rifle as he walked up the steep incline.
“Round toed. It was totally human unless aliens have started wearing sneakers. It was an asshole human. How much would reporters pay to get a look at your new place?” Logan directed the last question at Seth.
He shrugged. “Not much. Dude, it’s not like I’m some celebrity. I’m more likely to be in The Wall Street Journal than a paparazzi rag. The Journal doesn’t want pics of my house. They just want to run my stock into the ground.”
But he’d been getting phone calls to his cell that didn’t make much sense. He’d paid to have the number secret, and yet someone with an unknown number kept calling him. Maybe it was time to figure out what the hell was going on. He wasn’t sure he would find the answers on a mountain on the other side of the river though.
“Someone is watching you,” Logan said. “Or maybe me. Or, hell, maybe they’re watching Georgia. Do you want to take a chance on that?”
Fuck. The idea that someone might be watching Georgia got his blood pumping. He raced to catch up. “Why would someone be watching Georgia?”
“Aliens are always looking for women to mate with.” Mel didn’t look back, just kept to his slow and steady climb. “Once they discovered they couldn’t get any babies out of men, they started looking at our women.”
He needed some of Mel’s tonic if he was going to have that conversation. “Logan?”
Logan’s shoulders moved up and down. “I don’t know. I don’t think it’s about her, but I have to consider it. If someone’s watching the house, they’re watching Georgia.”
“If it’s a reporter, they’re likely looking to see who I’m meeting with here. When they realize it’s a vacation home, they’ll go away,” Seth explained.
Of course, he had to consider corporate espionage. There was always some bastard willing to sell him out for a fat paycheck. His processes were protected by about a thousand patents, but that didn’t mean someone wouldn’t pay to get a look at it. Or at any of the hundreds of projects he had going at any given time. Would they follow him out here?
It would be easy enough to find him. The property was in his name. His flight plan had been logged.
Had he once jogged through the mountains without a single problem? Because he had to stop and take a long breath.
He needed to get back into shape. He was perfectly healthy. He jogged five miles every single day, but it was on a treadmill. The mountains were different. The mountains didn’t care that he could run like a mouse on a wheel.
Mel stopped. “I can see the place from here.”
Logan picked up the binoculars he wore around his neck
. “Yeah. This might be the right spot. I can definitely see the window from here. Nate, can you see me?”
He was talking on the walkie-talkie. The sheriff was watching out of the bedroom Logan had used last night.
Nate’s reply came over the radio. “I don’t see anything, man. Are you sure you’re not being paranoid?”
Mel shook his head, giving Logan a pat on the shoulder. “Don’t let them tell you that, son. You’re only paranoid if they aren’t really all out to get you, and we know they are.”
Seth looked down and there was a line of tracks. Athletic shoes like the one on the porch. “I think this is the spot. Look.”
Logan glanced down. “Damn. Tell me that’s not the same shape as the one on our porch.”
“Aliens don’t wear sneakers,” Mel explained. “Unless they’re possessing human bodies. I’ve heard that’s been happening a lot lately. I’m not so sure about Doc. I think they might have taken him over. It makes a person grumpy, having two people in one body.”
From what Seth had heard, Doc Burke didn’t need an alien possession to be grumpy. He did fine on his own. “Give me the binoculars. I want to try something.”
Logan was taking a look around the area. He passed the binoculars before kneeling down. “Fucker smokes. I see two butts here. He hiked in from the road and was here for at least thirty minutes, unless he smokes fast. These are down to the filter.”
Seth looked through the binoculars. He had to adjust them, but he could plainly see the cabin in all its glory. It rose from the lush riverfront. It was everything he’d dreamed of when he was a kid, right down to the woman who was living there. Before he’d gone into town with Logan, he’d moved all of Georgia’s things into the master bedroom. She was right where she should be, and the idea of someone watching them had his heart racing.
“Do you see any other tracks, Mel?” Logan asked. “It looks like he hiked back out the same way he came in.”