Covington, Cara - Love Under Two Strong Men [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Cara Covington

  Peter dropped his boxers and got into the tub with them.

  She looked at him, and this time he met her gaze. She tilted her head to one side. “It looks like I’m not the only one who can’t keep my emotions off my face.”

  Peter took a sip of his drink, then set the glass down. He groaned, scooped some water, and rubbed it over his face.

  When he came up for air, he sighed, leaned back, and looked directly at both her and Jordan.

  “I have a confession to make.”

  Tracy had wondered if Jordan had picked up on the vibes that Peter had been sending out, too. That question was answered when, beneath the water, Jordan laced his fingers with hers and squeezed.

  “Go on,” he said. “We’re listening.”

  Peter sighed. “I’m not really on vacation. I’m here, away from Dallas, because it’s come to light that Miguel Ramos has put a contract out on me, and my boss wanted me out of the area.”

  “Damn it to hell, Peter. And you didn’t think to tell us? Why the hell not, exactly?”

  Tracy caught the edge in Jordan’s voice. He sat forward, let go of her hand, and gave Peter a look the likes of which she’d never seen on him before.

  “You know why, Jordan.” Peter ran his hand through his hair, frustration rife in his tone.

  “Why don’t you say it out loud? In just so many words?”

  Peter sat forward, his gaze on Jordan. “You have issues with my job. I understand that. Cops don’t make good bets when it comes to relationships, and I get that, too.”

  “No, you obviously don’t,” Jordan said quietly. “And that’s as much my fault as it is yours.”

  Tracy waited, knowing full well how important this conversation was. Not that she didn’t have something to say herself on the subject of secrets. But she was perfectly willing to let the men hash out their misunderstanding first.

  “I know I didn’t handle it well last month when you got shot,” Jordan said. “There was a lot going on in that moment out at the airstrip. Not just that you’d been hurt, but that you’d been hurt rescuing my family. I felt guilty as hell.”

  “You never told me that, and you sure as hell had no cause to feel guilty,” Peter said. “I’d been waiting for Rogers to make a move on that Piper since Tamara landed it so that I’d be able to nab him red-handed. Your brothers happened to be there, but I’d have moved on him anyway.” Peter laughed, but it didn’t sound full of humor. “As a matter of fact, considering the bastard had two men with him, one who proved to be a bit trigger happy, your brothers likely did me a favor. If not for them, I’d have gone into that situation alone.”

  Jordan exhaled. Tracy thought he looked like a man who’d just been relieved of a tremendous burden. Then he sat forward, and urgency hummed from every part of him.

  “As to the rest…Peter, I’m not going to lie to you and tell you I won’t worry when you go to work, especially if you’re executing warrants or taking part in a bust. How can I not worry? I love you. But I also know that being a cop, in the way you’ve chosen to be one, is a part of who you are. I fell in love with the whole man, even that part of you the bad guys shoot at sometimes. I know you’re good at your job, but more, I trust you to take care of yourself.”

  Peter’s eyes shined with tears. “Thank you. Jordan, that means a lot to me.” Then he happened to look at Tracy, and tilted his head to one side.

  “You’re scowling.”

  “You bet your very fine ass I’m scowling.” Tracy kept her tone even. “I always scowl when I’m pissed off.”

  Jordan raised one eyebrow, chuckled, and leaned back against the side of the tub. Clearly he was willing to let Peter face her wrath alone, and that was fine with her. She had no doubt that some day in the future, Peter would return the favor.

  “Um…okay. I take it that you’re pissed with me?”

  Tracy had to suppress the urge to smile. Peter was venturing his words very carefully, as if at any moment one of them would blow up in his face.

  “Yes, Peter. I’m pissed with you.”

  “And you’re pissed because I didn’t tell you that I wasn’t really on vacation?”

  Again his words came carefully. She realized he was feeling his way in the dark. When it came to the relationship the three of them were building, though, they all were, more or less. “Yes, that’s part of it. Keeping secrets is never a good idea, especially if you’re keeping them from the people you love—the people who love you.”

  “You’re right, and I’m sorry. Really, Tracy. I am sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

  She looked at him for a long moment. “How sorry are you, Peter?”

  Now he looked at Jordan, one eyebrow raised. Jordan shrugged, clearly having no advice to give his other lover.

  She supposed she’d strung this out for as long as she should. “Are you sorry enough to tell us the rest of it?”

  Peter froze, and tried to control his facial expression. Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending—not before she saw the look that flashed across his face, confirming her suspicions.

  And to his credit, he didn’t ask her what she meant.

  “Man, I won’t ever be able to get away with anything with you guys, will I?” Peter sounded disgusted, but not necessarily upset that she’d caught on to him.

  “I’m going to remember this night, in case I ever think to pull a fast one and not be completely open with you both.” Jordan smiled, then said, “Well, Peter?”

  * * * *

  Peter exhaled and rubbed his face again. Where to begin?

  “One of the young men we nailed in that ops last week recognized me, by name, as the cop who’d relieved Miguel Ramos of his diamonds. He said Ramos had put a price on my head.” He was too far away from his lovers. Sitting across from them made it seem as if he was on the opposing side. He didn’t want this to be a confrontation, but a sharing.

  Peter moved, his intention clear. Jordan and Tracy made room for him between them.

  “The SAC—Special Agent in Charge—of the Denver office, Mac Dwyer, thought it would be prudent for me to appear to leave the task force, take personal time, while he and the others tried to ferret out the gang member they felt certain had been tagged to try and kill me.”

  “Okay. That makes sense,” Jordan said, “and given what you thought I was dealing with, I can understand why you wouldn’t have said anything. But please tell me you’ve spoken to Adam about this.”

  Peter sighed in relief. “Yeah, I not only spoke to him, but I’ve been working in his office, trying to follow the money trail from the last two places we busted, back to Ramos. He’s a wily son of a bitch, that Ramos, but I almost have him. More, I think I’m close to finding his base of operations—and it’s right here in Texas.”

  “That’s all well and good. But something changed, didn’t it?” Tracy asked.

  He turned to look at her. “How did you know?”

  Tracy shrugged. “I just had the sense that when you confessed earlier, you were leaving something out.”

  “Yeah. Adam asked Manny Ramirez to contact his former associates in Houston, do a bit of snooping around, with the goal of maybe finding out which one of the locals had taken the contract. Turns out, no local has.”

  “He’s hired a professional,” Jordan said.

  “Yes, and in a way that’s better for me. I need to step up my investigation, because once we have Ramos in custody, the pro will go away. A local, or someone out to make a name for themselves among the gangs may have just kept coming at me.”

  “You do have a talent for making lemonade out of lemons,” Jordan said.

  Peter shrugged. He felt just a twinge of guilt for not mentioning to Jordan the odd results Matt had gotten when he’d tried to look into Joe Grant’s background. The gaps he’d found probably meant nothing. The average person didn’t go around constructing their backgrounds to make a seamless past that would show up if someone looked. There could be completely innocent people who came up all c
lean and shiny like Grant had.

  Certainly there was no need to mention to Jordan that Peter had his employee investigated in the first place unless they came up with something concrete. If Jordan felt guilty because of that dustup at the airfield last month, Peter could only imagine how he would feel if he thought he’d brought someone, who proved to be false, close to home.

  No, Morgan and Henry were on alert out at the airfield, and Adam and Matthew were on alert here in town.

  Peter was on alert, period. But he felt reasonably satisfied he had all the bases covered.

  “What are you doing to protect yourself?” Jordan asked.

  “Everything I can,” Peter answered. “Adam and Matt are keeping their eyes open. The whole town notices if any strangers pop up these days,” he said. “I’m as safe as I can be. The best thing I can do is nail Ramos. When I do that, this will be over.”

  “I’m not going to make you promise nothing will happen to you,” Jordan said. “I did that last month. So I’ll tell you, instead, that we’re both trusting you to do what you have to do to keep our lover safe.”

  “Don’t worry.” Peter figured those two words were wasted, because likely both Jordan and Tracy would worry, and maybe that was okay.

  Worrying about each other was what families did.

  * * * *

  He was glad the days of playing this role were nearly at an end, and it was nearly time to kill Alvarez. As the moon climbed high in the sky, as night settled in, he stretched out on the bed and folded his hands behind his head. Sleep would come, but not until he had satisfied his own need to review everything in his mind one more time.

  There was no such thing as being too prepared.

  Behind closed eyelids, he went over all the information he’d gleaned over the last few days. He’d begun this journey by envisioning his mission, and then he’d worked out the very best plan, the one that had the greatest chance for success.

  Hell, he’d been chosen specifically because he was in the best position to have the greatest chance of success. But that didn’t mean he could afford to get cocky.

  How many before him had made that mistake? How many had become full of themselves, convinced of their own invulnerability, only to fail? He would take nothing for granted, not one thing.

  He figured he was being watched. Always best to go in with that assumption. Of course, he’d drawn some attention to himself, but that couldn’t have been helped. He’d had to take advantage of the opportunity when it arose, for to do otherwise would have looked suspicious as hell. Worse, failure to seize the moment wouldn’t have been professional.

  One thing above all others would take him to the very top of his field. He would be a professional, always.

  He felt a vibration against his thigh. Only one person had the number of this cell phone, a phone purchased solely for this mission. He reached into his pocket, pulled the device out, and answered.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I want to know how soon until you make your move. I grow impatient.”

  “I will move as soon as everything is in place, Don Miguel. I need just one more small piece of the puzzle. I should have that by tomorrow, at the latest. That is when I will move, and not before.”

  “See that you do. I don’t want to think that I made a mistake in selecting you for this assignment.”

  He understood the message behind Ramos’s words. Failure was not an option. He wanted to smile, because he was going to be even more successful than Ramos could ever have imagined.

  A small-minded man would have accepted the assignment as it was, within the strictures and limitations offered.

  He was not a small-minded man, so he had looked at the big picture, and he had known that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

  Why settle for the reward being offered, for a simple piece of the prize, when he could have so much more? By the time he was ready to spring his trap, not only would his original assignment then be completed successfully, but he would reap one very lucrative fringe benefit.

  He’d have access to all the money Don Miguel Ramos thought he had safely tucked away.

  Chapter 18

  Tracy had always been a very patient person. Even when it came to something she wanted badly, she’d always been able to bide her time, believing that patience and persistence would win the day.

  Until now.

  She knew she should be thrilled with the progress the three of them had made. She, Jordan, and Peter had cleared so many hurdles in such a short time already. Their relationship was growing and strengthening every day. She should be filled with a sense of accomplishment, and for the most part, she was. But she wanted more.

  Damn it, she wanted it all! She wanted a commitment asked for and given, and a date chosen for the ceremony, and yes, she wanted her engagement party right here at Lusty Appetites.

  She wished Julia was home. She would have called her and asked her over for lunch. But her best friend was spending the day in Waco, in meetings with her new employer. Not being able to sit and vent to her friend just made her feel grumpier.

  “That’s quite the fierce look you’re wearing, Tracy, and I haven’t even asked you for that favor yet,” Kelsey said.

  Tracy blinked, and brought her attention back to the moment. The kitchen around her held the various aromas of their morning’s endeavors—vegetable beef soup, roasting pork, and chocolate. Kelsey stood before her, hands on her hips and a laugh on her face.

  “Sorry.” Tracy shook her head. “My mind was wandering, and I was thinking about something else entirely.”

  “No worries. I’ve seen that same facial expression from time to time in my very own mirror. As far as I know, only one thing can create such a look, and that’s men, and I do mean plural, as in your men.”

  “Yeah.” Tracy exhaled a bit of a laugh then shook her head. “I’ve waited this long to have my heart’s desire. You’d think that now that things are finally going my way, I’d be able to be patient, take this relationship one day at a time.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Personally, I think you probably used up your life’s allotment of patience waiting for Jordan Kendall to see you as the perfect woman for him.” Kelsey stepped closer. “But that’s just because you’re one of my best friends, a wonderful human being, and my goal at the moment is to support, approve, and applaud whatever it is you’re thinking or feeling.”

  “Hmm, understanding and flattery. What was it you hadn’t asked me yet that you think needs understanding and flattery to make it more appetizing for me?”

  Kelsey laughed. “Okay, you got me. Henry called a little while ago and wondered if we could do a lunch run again today for them. I told him it would be up to you since you’d be the only one available to take it out to them.”

  Tracy nodded. “I’m not surprised. Tamara told me on the phone last night that they’re trying to finish up putting that plane back together in order to meet their deadline for the charter they have tonight,” Tracy said. In truth, she was the only one who could be spared to make a food delivery out to the airfield. The lunch crowd would keep the waitresses busy, and Kelsey preferred to work the lunch orders herself.

  “Maybe you should look into hiring someone who can be free to make these deliveries,” she said to Kelsey.

  “I’m still working on a prospectus for having a ‘takeout’ business,” Kelsey said. “I like to be careful about these kinds of decisions. It would be like adding a second full business to the first. I need to weigh all the options, first.”

  One thing Tracy had always admired about her friend and boss was her attention to detail, especially when it came to her business. “I hear you. But the truth of the matter is, once others in town hear about a couple of lunch orders being delivered out to the airfield, you’re bound to get a flood of requests. And knowing you, you won’t be able to say no to any of them.”

  Kelsey closed her eyes and sighed. “You’re right. Of course I am, and of course, I won’t. I don’t kn
ow what I was thinking.”

  “Cheer up. Business is just going to get better, and that’s good for all of us.” She grinned as she said that, and Kelsey laughed.

  “Sure, it will be good for me until you decide to start a business of your own. Then what will I do?”

  Tracy just grinned. She’d told Kelsey more than once that she had no plans to open her own restaurant, bakery, or catering service. She knew that Kelsey believed her—sort of. Tracy figured she’d just let time prove her right.

  Owning a restaurant of her own had been Kelsey’s dream, but it had never been Tracy’s.

  She looked at the clock that hung above the double sinks. It was almost eleven thirty. If she put the special order together now, she could be out and then back before the crush of the noontime crowd hit. “Is it soup and sandwiches again for four?”

  “Yes, also, and I quote, ‘any little dessert-type thing you might happen to have on hand.’”

  Tracy laughed. “Yep, no doubt about it. Henry called in that order.” Jordan’s brother loved her sweets with a passion. It continued to amaze her that he could maintain his trim physique, considering how much he could eat.

  Kelsey said, “He sure does love his sweets.” One of the oven timers beeped, and she went to attend it. “Anyway, he said no hurry, just whenever you get the chance.”

  “Why don’t I do it now, and then you won’t be left shorthanded during the lunch crunch?”

  “Sounds good—and why don’t you take them one of the chocolate cakes you made this morning?” She brought a tray of pork roasts out of the oven and set it on her working counter.