by Janie Crouch
“You did almost die, Charlie. Cut the man some slack for wanting to take care of you.” Anne laughed. “And you’re embarrassing Violet. So keep your dirty talk to yourself.”
“Don’t mind me.” Charlie waved a hand around in front of her. “I get a little uncouth when I’m not getting what I want. Especially when what I want is around me all the time, but I can’t get him to be hard and dirty enough with me.”
Violet couldn’t help the flush that crept over her face, but it wasn’t just embarrassment that was causing the color. “I want hard and dirty too.” The words blurted past her lips before she could stop them.
Charlie and Anne looked at each other with eyebrows raised before turning back to her.
“Nothing wrong with that,” Anne said, scooping an arm around her and leading her over to the couch. “I mean, I’m not quite as bad as nympho here, but hot sex is never a bad thing. If you’re ready for it, Violet, only if you’re ready.”
Charlie grabbed Violet’s hand and pulled her down so she was sitting in between them. “You know to take me with a grain of salt, right? I’m just talking a lot of smack. It’s easy for me to say all this because what I went through didn’t have any sort of sexual component at all. So I don’t want you to feel like you have to jump on the hard and dirty bandwagon just because I’m running my mouth.”
Violet sighed. These two women had encouraged her more over the past month than anyone had her whole life. She might as well tell them the whole story.
“Last Sunday I went to Aiden’s house. I told him I wanted to have sex with him. But he turned me down.” She pushed the words out in a rush.
“Did he say why?” Anne asked.
Violet shrugged. “He just said he didn’t want me.”
Charlie let out a string of obscenities Violet had never heard together at one time.
Anne ignored her. “Did he say those actual words? Did he say he didn’t want you?”
“I have a gun,” Charlie muttered. “If someone distracts Dorian, we can kill Aiden and hide the body where no one will ever find it.”
Anne rolled her eyes. “Charlie . . .”
“What? I’m just saying that Dorian can find nearly anything in the woods, so somebody’s got to distract him so we can get the body out of town.”
Anne grabbed Violet’s hands, turning her away from the quite violent Charlie. “Seriously, did Aiden say he didn’t want you? That he wasn’t interested?”
Not in those exact words, maybe. “No, but he very definitely didn’t say yes either. I just don’t think he’s attracted to me.”
Charlie and Anne leaned forward and looked at each other again.
Charlie took Violet’s hand now. “Hey, I’m obviously not the flowers-and-romance type. But all kidding aside, I saw Aiden the night after he met you when he couldn’t get you out. He was crushed. Completely devastated.”
Violet closed her eyes. “I believe it. But that’s just who Aiden is. It didn’t really have anything to do with me.”
“To a degree, maybe,” Charlie said, chewing on her lip. “But it was definitely personal.”
She just shrugged. It was a moot point now anyways. There was no way she was going to ever approach him about sex—particularly hard and dirty sex—ever again.
Anne nudged Violet’s shoulder with her own. “You have to understand about the delicate psyches of these Linear Tactical guys. Of all Special Forces guys, probably.”
Charlie snorted. “Delicate psyches? These are some of the strongest and most highly trained people in the entire world.”
Anne laughed softly. “I know. And you put them in a place where they have to survive—no food, no sleep, world on fire, torture every three minutes—and they’ll come out with flying colors. But put someone they care about in that same situation? Make it so they can’t immediately swoop in and be the hero? They are not quite as equipped to handle that. If I had to guess, the same problem Charlie is having with Finn is what’s happening with you and Aiden. I know it’s not that either of them don’t want the two of you, they just want to make sure you’re okay.”
Charlie sighed and stood up. “She’s right. I’m letting Finn get away with it right now because he needs it. He needs to coddle me and show his sweet and tender side. And hell, I’ll deny it, but honestly I need it too.”
Violet let out a sigh, laying her head back against the couch. “I appreciate what you guys are saying, but my situation with Aiden is not the same as yours with Finn, Charlie. Finn loves you. Aiden doesn’t really know me at all and seems pretty content to leave me parked in the friend zone.”
Anne shook her head, then smiled before standing up also. She turned to Charlie. “Call Wavy and Riley. I think I know exactly what we need tonight.”
Charlie began clapping her hands. “Please, please, please tell me this involves Electric Smurfs.”
Anne laughed. “Not for you because you’re still on medication. But for everybody else, I think definitely.”
“Fine,” Charlie pouted. “I’ll be the designated driver.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask what an Electric Smurf is,” Violet said. “But it sounds like the start of bad decision-making.”
“Oh, believe me,” Anne said, “it most definitely is. Charlie and I have been remiss in our duties as your friends. It’s time for you to have a proper welcome to Oak Creek.”
“With a girls’ night out,” Charlie continued. “I don’t even think you’ve been to The Eagle’s Nest yet.”
“No, I haven’t and some of the crew working here were mentioning it. But you know we don’t have to go to the bar if you don’t want to. We can just buy a couple bottles of wine and hang out here. That would be nice.”
Charlie winked at her. “That would be nice. And I promise we’ll do that sometime. Maybe to celebrate your grand opening.”
Anne was grinning bigger than Violet had ever seen her. She wouldn’t have thought the rather shy doctor could get such an evil gleam in her eye. “Another night for the wine and talking. Tonight we’ve got a different goal in mind. We’re going to find someone interested in helping you with your hard and dirty problem.”
Five hours later, walking into The Eagle’s Nest, Violet was sure she had made the worst kind of mistake by agreeing to this.
She was surrounded by friendly women, four of them, all of whom were excited about finding her a man if she wanted one. Or just having a blast if she didn’t.
The jokes about hard and dirty had abounded as they all got ready at Finn’s house, since it was the biggest. Charlie had kicked out her fiancé and his sweet son, Ethan, sending them to hang out with Finn’s mom.
And then the women had gone to work on Violet. By the time they were done, she hardly recognized herself.
“Violet’s got that same deer-in-the-headlights look you did when we got you ready for your first date with Zac,” Riley had said, laughing.
“You two are a little overwhelming for those of us who haven’t spent as much time doing girly stuff.” Anne bumped hips with Violet as she stared into the mirror, unable to believe she was actually looking at herself. “But you look fantastic.”
Her auburn hair had been lightly curled and fell past her shoulders in soft waves. The makeup they’d put on her—dark eyeliner and eye shadow that she’d never be able to replicate—made her eyes look big and bright. The red on her lips was not a color she would’ve ever chosen for herself, but everyone swore it worked.
But it was the black bustier they’d put her in that was going to draw the most attention. It had already caused Wavy’s and Riley’s eyes to bug out of their heads.
“I knew it!” screamed Riley, doing some crazy dance in the middle of the floor.
Violet could only stare. “Knew what?”
“Knew that was going to look wicked good on you. Those curves you have . . . so much more exciting than stick-figure me.” Riley sighed.
“Holy hell, I wish I had boobs like yours,” Wavy said as she cinched th
e waist of the bustier tighter, pressing Violet’s breasts up even further. Paired with jeans, it was the perfect girls’-night-out wear, or so the women had decreed.
“You don’t think this is too revealing?” she asked the other women. All of them were older than her, Wavy and Riley by a couple years, Charlie and Anne by at least another five. But Violet felt like she was the only voice of reason in the room. “It’s a little risqué, don’t you think?”
“ ‘Damn sexy’ are the words I would use,” Charlie said, coming over to kiss her on the cheek. The petite woman looked fantastic herself in a short skirt and halter top.
“You look great, Violet,” Anne said in her soft voice. “The first time Riley and Wavy got their hands on me, I was pretty skeptical too. But the way Zac nearly swallowed his own tongue when he saw me made it worth it.”
“But I’m not going on a date.”
Riley wagged her eyebrows. “You may not start on a date, but you may have one by the time the night is done. Hard and dirty, remember?”
She’d wanted that from Aiden, but would it be the same with someone else?
Charlie drove them to The Eagle’s Nest at about ten p.m. The closer they got, the edgier Violet became.
“You okay?” Charlie whispered as they got out of the car. Riley and Wavy ran on ahead, ready to get started. “You look great, but you know you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. If this is too much, we can still go grab those bottles of wine and head back to the bakery.”
“I’m not worried, as in, afraid I’ll get abducted or anything like that. Knowing Stellman is behind bars helps. But I don’t know if I want to do anything with some random stranger.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Anne linked arms with her. “Just enjoy the line dancing and the Electric Smurfs and having a good time. If you see a guy who catches your eye and you think you want to have some fun, we’ll let you know if you’re picking a good one. Certainly, among the four of us, we know every single man in this town.”
Violet couldn’t even think about men right now, not when every time she glanced down all she could see were the pale tops of her breasts. They were more than adequately covered, but it still wasn’t what she was used to. “I don’t really know how to dance. And even if I did, I don’t think anyone will want to dance with me.”
Her friends pulled her forward. “It’s line dancing,” Charlie said. “You don’t have to have a partner.”
“Plus, finding a partner isn’t going to be a problem.” Anne squeezed her arm. “You just wait and see.”
Chapter 13
Aiden sat on his back porch, sipping a beer. Alone.
Who had two thumbs and was a complete idiot? This guy.
It wasn’t the first time he’d thought that since mishandling the Violet situation so badly a few days ago. It wouldn’t be the last.
When Zac Mackay had approached him about being part of Linear Tactical a little over four years ago, Aiden had immediately agreed. The fact that they were going to open the facility in Zac and Finn’s tiny hometown in the middle of Nowhere, Wyoming, had given Aiden a little bit of pause.
Aiden was a city boy, born and raised in Seattle. To try to offset the change to Wyoming, he’d bought a place in the town proper—such as Oak Creek was—so he could be closer to entertainment. To nightlife and action.
The fact that the action had ended up being a lot of kids riding their bikes, an occasional town-wide picnic, and Mrs. Mazille watching over the neighborhood like a hawk had bothered Aiden much less than he would’ve thought.
Living downtown also meant he was two blocks from what would soon be the new Fancy Pants Bakery. He’d been two blocks away all week from walking over to Violet and explaining exactly what an idiot he had been when she’d come to his house.
Maybe turning her down, at least in that second, had been the right thing to do. The noble thing to do. He took another sip of his beer.
He was still a fucking idiot.
Mostly because he let her get out of his house without making the most important point clear.
Yes.
Yes, what he’d said about her being sexy had all been true. Yes, that kiss had been much more than just an opportunity for him to put a tracker on her. He thought about it nearly every damn day.
And yes, he wanted to have sex with her. Yes. So much yes.
It had taken every ounce of mental fortitude he had to say no. But before he could gather the presence of mind to explain exactly what he’d meant by no, sweet Violet’s feelings had been hurt. She’d been on her way out the door, thinking he didn’t want her.
That he didn’t want to lift her up on that kitchen counter, spread her legs, and use his mouth on her until she was screaming his name.
That he hadn’t thought about taking her on his couch, in his bed, against his front door.
That he—God save him, because he was probably going to hell—hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her lush, naked curves. And how he wanted to see them again, this time with no backdrop of terror around them.
All she heard was no.
Another sip of his beer. Cheers to the idiot.
A fist pounding on his front door had Aiden out of his seat. He opened it, only mildly surprised to find Finn and Zac there. Only they would show up at nearly midnight without calling.
“Got another couple of those?” Zac asked, pointing at the beer. “I think we’re going to need them.”
Aiden left the door open and the other two men came inside behind him. They walked into the kitchen, and he grabbed two more beers, handing them to his friends. “Did you both get kicked out or something?”
Finn shook his head. “I was hanging out with Ethan and my mom when I got called in for backup. So he’s going to spend the night with her tonight.”
“Trouble?” Aiden asked becoming more alert.
“Of the worst kind,” Zac said, then took a long drag of his beer.
For there to be trouble of the worst kind, his friends looked awfully relaxed, sitting on his kitchen-island barstools.
Zac glanced over at Finn. “What should we give them, another fifteen or twenty minutes?”
Finn shrugged. “Last report was that things were getting pretty dangerous. Oh, and that it was all my fault, because, quote, ‘I was being sweeter than Jesus and keeping it in my pants way too much.’ ”
Aiden nearly spewed his beer.
“I thought Charlie wasn’t drinking,” Zac said.
Finn sighed. “She isn’t. But evidently, she feels like this is a good opportunity to express her discontent.”
Realization dawning, Aiden couldn’t help but laugh at his friends’ faces. “What, did Anne and Charlie decide to hang out together and talk shit about you guys?”
Zac took another chug of beer. “Not only that, but Electric Smurfs are involved. So we’re headed over to The Eagle’s Nest in just a few minutes to make sure things don’t get out of hand. Especially since Baby had texted Finn a few minutes ago and told him that just about every guy in town is there, and the gals are in rare form.”
Aiden laughed again. This just kept getting better. “Your brother won’t let anything happen to them.”
Finn nodded. “Oh, I know Baby will watch out for them. I’m not really worried about it. I just want to be there when the fireworks really start.”
“Fireworks? And how much trouble can Charlie and Anne get in, especially if Charlie is not even drinking?”
Finn just smiled. “Oh, it’s not just our women.” He hooked a thumb at Zac. “Evidently, it’s a whole girls’ night out. Wavy, Riley, Electric Smurfs . . . the whole posse.”
“I guess we should get going.” Zac finished his beer as he stood up. “I know how the doc gets once she gets her hands on those blue shots.”
Aiden stretched his leg out on his stool. “I’m a little bit glad right now that I don’t have a woman I have to go fish out of trouble. Definitely less complicated.”
A look passed between his
two friends. And a smile. Aiden’s eyes narrowed at that. He’d spent too much time in the army studying nonverbal communication not to realize what had been happening. This entire little drive-by had been a setup. All he could do now was wait for the blow.
He didn’t have to wait long.
“Yep, Shamrock, you’re definitely the lucky one with no complications.” Finn stood slowly, throwing his beer bottle in Aiden’s recycling bin. “I’m going to walk over to The Eagle’s Nest. Dance with my fiancée. And hopefully stop my brother from picking up the town’s new baker. Word on the street is that a hot young redhead is looking for a good time.”
What the fuck?
Violet?
Looking for a good time?
Aiden stood up so fast he knocked his stool over. Both his friends just grinned.
Zac slapped Finn on the back. “Time for the fireworks.”
Aiden had walked into some of the most dangerous situations on the planet. Situations where he couldn’t necessarily tell the bad guys from the good guys. Situations where there were no good guys at all. Situations where he was convinced he and his team would never get out alive.
None of those held a candle to the one he walked into at The Eagle’s Nest.
Girls’ night out, where the girls were very definitely women and on the prowl . . . He was in a place where a smart man feared for his life.
Aiden had not been able to take his eyes off Violet from the moment he’d walked into the bar. And everyone in here knew it. Except her.
His friends had played him, and he had walked right into it. Baby Bollinger wasn’t hitting on Violet. Nobody was hitting on her. Not because she wasn’t attractive enough—God knew Aiden’s pants had been too tight from the moment he’d stepped foot in the bar and seen her in that . . . thing she was wearing that ratcheted her curves from gorgeous to mind-meltingly hot. Damn near every eligible male in the room was staring at her.