Rough and Ready [Men for Hire 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (7 page)

“Kane! You lousy son of a bitch!”

He turned the ignition and craned his head around to find Jeff hunched over, staring at his right wheel. Pulling the truck out of the parking space, he rolled down the window. “What’s wrong,
bro
?”

Jeff straightened up. His usual grin was gone. “A flat tire? That’s pretty damn low. Even for you.”

“Hey, you know what they say, don’t you? All’s fair in love and war.” The whistle that came to his lips was a rare one, but made all the better by Jeff’s predicament.

Yep. This is going to work out just fine.

Ten minutes later, he was still whistling when he pulled in front of Daisy’s place. Only Alex’s and Daisy’s cars were parked in the back parking lot, which meant Sela had probably dropped Alex off and left. At least he hoped so.

He got out of his truck and ate up the distance to the front door. His fist was lifted and ready to knock when it opened wide.

“What do you want?” Alex fisted one hand on her hip.

If he’d ever seen a prettier woman, he didn’t know it. Alex was all round curves and sizzling sex appeal. His cock twitched, threatening to expose how turned on he was. “I, uh, came by to see how you were.”

“I’m fine.”

He stuck his foot in the door to stop her from slamming it shut. If he didn’t get through to her, he’d leave the door wide open for Jeff. The only thing worse than not getting Alex for himself was letting Jeff have her.

“Alex.” He paused and said the words that came so hard for him. “I’m sorry.”

The cold coming off her could’ve made polar bears move to Florida. When she didn’t say anything, he kept going. He figured the longer he kept talking, the better his chances were.

“I’m sorry about playing darts and ignoring you.” Again, he waited, and again, she stayed quiet.

He took a deep breath and took off his hat. Women liked men who were polite, didn’t they? “It was selfish and inconsiderate and rude.” He paused, trying to think of another way to describe Jeff’s and his behavior. “And inconsiderate.”

“You said that already.”

At least she’d finally said something.

“Right. So, I’d like to make it up to you. There’s a barbecue this Saturday on Main Street. All the merchants get together and open their doors. Kind of like a yard sale for businesses. I’ve never actually gone before, but I was wondering if you’d—”

“No.”

Irritation threatened to take over. Couldn’t she see how hard he was trying? He’d never gone to so much trouble to get with a woman.

“Look, I know you’re mad at us, but get over it, okay?”

Her eyes grew wide. “Did you just tell me to get over it?”

* * * *

If Alex hadn’t already been angry, his telling her to get over it would’ve ignited the searing rage inside her. Problem was, he’d also lit the flame to another kind of burn. The kind she’d experienced with Jeff in the pickup.

Kane was like a steaming volcano and just as dangerous. There was lava inside that steely reserve. Lava hot enough to singe off her skin. She knew she should be smart and stay away, but like that volcano, she was too entranced not to draw near and wait for the explosion. He was a sexual fire that could burn her heart away.

Like a drug she was addicted to, she yearned for more of that sexual burn.

I can’t. It’s crazy. Even perhaps slutty?

Yet being with Jeff or Kane, hell, Jeff
and
Kane, felt anything but slutty. It felt right. Still, that didn’t mean she should act on that feeling.

Damn it. Why does he have to be so fucking hot? Especially when he’s trying so hard to apologize?

What had Sela told her to do? To give them a chance? She’d thought the main word had been
chance
. But was the important word in that sentence really
them
?

Strange thing was. She wanted to do just that. She wanted to give them both a chance.

“I’m not good at this kind of thing so I’m going to say it straight out.”

She tried to harden her heart against him, but found that every time she looked at him, all she really wanted to do was grab him by the shirt and crush her lips to his.

“Alex, I think you’re special and I know we could be good together.” He let out a long sigh as though to say that much had drained him of all his energy.

She loved and hated the tingle zipping over her skin. Hadn’t Jeff made her feel just as special? But it couldn’t lead anywhere. She couldn’t allow it to. “You do remember that I’m here on a temporary assignment, right? I’m not staying in Destiny.”

“Yeah. I know.”

Didn’t he see how impossible it was for them to ever have anything? Even if he could get past her weight issue, even if he could make her feel as wonderful as Jeff had, there was still her job. She wanted to point that out to him again, but instead her heart betrayed her head. “A barbecue, huh?”

A smile she knew had to be rare broke his calm yet intense expression. “Yeah. So is it a date?” His smile widened. “And yeah, I am going to call you Alex whether you like it or not.”

Damned if she didn’t like it. “I supposed that’ll be all right. Besides, I told you that you could.”

“Good. Now say yes to our date.”

She heard the little devil inside her arguing with her mother. Her mother raged on, telling her that a man like him would never want her. The devil told her not to care. As often happened just to spite her mother, she listened to the little devil.

“Okay.”

His relief was short lived. She stuck a finger close to the end of his nose. “This is your one and only shot. Got it?”

“Yeah, I get it.” His dark eyes dove into her, stoking the burn inside her. “And I plan on making the most of it.”

* * * *

Three long days later, Alex couldn’t figure out which outfit to wear to the barbecue. The black skinny jeans Daisy had picked out made her butt look immeasurably smaller, but she wasn’t comfortable in them. She did, in fact, feel like a stuffed sausage.

“You have to suffer to be beautiful.”

At least, that’s what her mother had always said, but her mother had been talking about dieting. Maybe her aversion to pain was why she was heavy.

“You’re beautiful.”

Even now, days later she could feel the press of Jeff’s lips against hers. And against her other lips, too.

She touched her fingertips to her mouth. What would Kane think about what she and Jeff had done? Would it make him angry enough to break the date? Or would his competition with Jeff go into an even higher gear?

She discarded the skinny jeans and pulled on her favorite pair of regular wide-sized blue jeans. Maybe they made her ass more rounded in a not-so-flattering way, but at least she could breathe. Adding a tunic shirt that hugged her curves—then again, what didn’t?—completed the outfit. It’s not like she could drop twenty pounds in the next ten minutes, so why try and hide it? He knew what she looked like.

She hung the skinny jeans back on the hanger. Daisy had pushed her into buying the jeans in a quick girls’ trip into Tulsa, but her friend wouldn’t mind that she’d rejected them for the date. She promised herself that she’d wear them soon enough. Maybe after she dropped a couple of pounds.

She snorted.
A couple of pounds. More like tens of pounds.

In a short few days, Daisy had become a good friend. Every night they’d sat on the porch, sharing a glass of wine or a hot toddy, and talked about the day’s events. But their talks usually ended up in a discussion about Jeff and Kane.

Once again, she wondered if she should’ve told her friend what had happened between her and Jeff. But Daisy had accepted the news with a joyful clapping of her hands. She’d assured Alex that, although Kane wouldn’t like it if he knew, he wouldn’t break the date with her.

“We’ve got lots of men around here who share a woman.”

Alex had questioned Daisy about that, but Daisy hadn’t been very helpful.

“Beats the hell out of me, Alex. I guess it’s just how some folks like it. Fact is, I wouldn’t mind having two or more men lusting after me.”

Two or more men?
Alex stared at her reflection in the full length mirror. Is that what she had going? She bit her lower lip and wiggled her eyebrows at her image.

Damn, I hope so.

“Hey, Alex. You have a visitor.”

Alex’s heart skipped a beat. Kane was early, but that was okay. Being early was better than being late. Or worse, not showing up at all.

“Be there in a sec.” She snatched up her phone and shoved it in her hip pocket. Since she wasn’t driving and because she wasn’t one of those women who primped a lot, she’d leave her purse in her room. Daisy would let her in once she came home.

Taking a moment for one last look, she okayed her appearance and hurried to the door. She was halfway down the staircase before she realized that the man standing in the foyer wasn’t Kane.

She stopped, her hand gripping the railing. “What are you doing here?”

“Hey, sis, how are you?” Avery Martin, her half brother, smiled up at her. “Your pretty friend here let me in.” He settled his smile on Daisy. “If I’d known such a beautiful woman existed in this little town, I would’ve come sooner.”

Daisy’s gaze skipped between them, catching on to Alex’s demeanor.

Alex let her gaze slide past him and out the opened front door. Thankfully, Kane hadn’t shown up yet. “I asked you what you’re doing here.”

“Aw, come on, Alex. Is that any way to treat your long-lost brother?” He stretched his arms wide, ready to embrace her.

She continued down the staircase then stopped several feet away from him. He dropped his arms. “It is when it’s you.” Aside from her body image, Avery was the thing that embarrassed her the most. “Daisy, could you give us a little privacy?”

“Of course. Why don’t you take a seat on the porch while I get you two something to drink?”

“Now isn’t she the sweetest thing?” Avery oozed charm.

Alex, however, wasn’t ready to sit down and act like they were on the best of terms. She knew his slick ways. “No, thanks, Daisy. He’s not staying long.”

Avery Martin was the black sheep of the family. Her father, as far as she was concerned, was bad enough, but his son by the woman he’d shacked up with after leaving Alex’s mother was even worse. Avery had the same dark hair and light-brown eyes as her, but he didn’t have Alex’s responsible and caring manner.

He was a known gambler and had hit up everyone she knew and some she didn’t for loan after loan, swearing on the Good Book that he’d get their money back once he hit it big. As far as she knew, none of those loans had ever been repaid.

He’d burned Alex too many times during her teens and into her early twenties using his good looks and charm to win her over. Somehow, someway, he’d make her forget the last time she’d helped him out, and after she’d forked over the cash, he’d disappear, leaving her to wonder how she could be so foolish yet again.

He had a smile that was as bright as Jeff’s, but there’s where the similarity ended. While Jeff’s smile was sincere, Avery’s held a hint of the con man, like he was already thinking how much money he could scam.

She vowed she wouldn’t fall for his winning ways yet another time.

“I’ll ask you again, what do you want?” She crossed her arms and glared.

“Wow, sis, tough greeting.” He tunneled his fingers through his hair. “Okay, fine. I need your help.”

“So what else is new?”

“Come on, sis.” He flashed his big smile again. “You know you’re my favorite sister. Don’t be that way.”

“I’m your only sister. A half sister at that, and I don’t know any other way to be with you.” How many times had he let her down? But that didn’t matter any longer. What mattered was keeping him from letting her down one more time.

“I don’t blame you. I deserve whatever shit you want to throw at me.”

What was he up to? She hated it when he acted humble and remorseful. That was when he was at his most dangerous.

“Sis, I need money.”

She let out a caustic laugh. “It’s always the same old, same old with you, isn’t it?”

“Not exactly. This time I want to work for it. Although I could use a little walking-around cash in my back pocket.”

She’d never heard him even come close to admitting that he’d taken handouts instead of earning the money she’d given him. It had to be a trick. “What’s your angle?”

He let out a long-suffering sigh. “I don’t blame you for being suspicious, but I heard about the kind of work you’re doing down here and I wondered if you could use a hand.”

“A hand doing what? Are you talking about real work?” He’d held odd jobs off and on, but none had ever lasted more than a couple of weeks. And none of them had involved using his hands. He’d never wanted to get them dirty. At least not with actual dirt.

“I’m trying to turn over a new leaf, Alex. I heard about the tornado these poor people went through and thought I could lend a hand in the cleanup.”

She still didn’t get it. He sounded so sincere. “Are you talking about doing manual labor?” She tried not to appear to be weakening, but she couldn’t help it. She’d long for the day when he’d finally grow up and become a real man. Was this that day?

“If you could help me out, maybe I could help someone else. What do you say, sis? Is there anything I could do around Destiny to earn a few bucks while giving back? I swear I’ll make you proud.”

He was playing her. She knew it in her gut. Yet the hope she still had for him wouldn’t be denied. She couldn’t deny a dream if it had even a tiny chance of coming true. “Most of the cleanup from the storm is finished. But I’ll ask around and see what I can find. As long as you’re willing to do anything.” She hardened her gaze. “And I do mean anything.”

“Just name it.”

“Trust me, I will.” Destiny had only one bank and one ATM. “We can go to the bank tomorrow and get you a few bucks. Until then, I’ll give you what I have. But Avery, you’d better not be scamming me again.”