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Taking Whatever He Wants: The Cline Brothers of Colorado
Taking Whatever He Wants
The Cline Brothers of Colorado
Book 2
Copyright ©2016 C.M. Steele
All Rights Reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, copied or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without written expressed permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is purely coincidental.
Cover design: SK Designs
Cover Photographer: Reggie Deanching, R+M Photography
Model: Connor Smith
The use of actors, artists, movies, TV shows, and song titles/lyrics throughout this book are done so for storytelling purposes and should in no way be seen as advertisement. Trademark names are used in an editorial fashion with no intention of infringement of the respective owner’s trademark.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or if it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and please purchase your own copy.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior express, written consent of the author.
This book is intended for mature adults only. Contains sexual content and language that may offend some. Suggested reading audience is 18 years or older. I consider this book as Adult Erotic Romance.
Contents
Acknowledgements
There are many people to acknowledge, however I’m sincerely terrible at saying anything other than thank you. Not because I don’t appreciate their help, but I’m awkward. Anyhoo, there are people who need to be told that even if they didn’t have a personal hand in this book they were inspirational or have helped me in some way shape or form.
My husband Mark and my mother Terry:
You two are my biggest supporters and the two that help me manage day to day with work and three kids to take care of. It’s because of the two of you that I had an opportunity to become who I am. Supporting me even though, I get so involved in my work that I don’t want to do anything else. Who needs the sun? Right? I happen to like my pale skin. I digress. I love you both so much and thanks for being my biggest fans!
To the rest of my family (There’s way too many to list):
Thanks for supporting my endeavors and mentioning me wherever you go.
Lisa:
Thanks for being the awesome fan who has become my editor. You’re fast and I’m sure I drive you insane with all my misplaced commas or cut off sentences. (Those were times when I dozed off or chased a child away from something dangerous.)
Melinda and Evelyn:
You two are awesome betas who manage to catch the missing words that I somehow don’t notice aren’t there.
Sonya:
You’ve been there making my day by being you and helping me through my emotional breakdowns. Also you’re one hell of a cover designer and I appreciate that you keep me sane.
Lynne:
Well you’re the opposite of Sonya and you revel in the insanity and spread it around. I never go a day without laughing at your sense of humor. Thanks for reminding me to be me. #CMMFS
Sansa:
Introverts Unite! Well from far away and only once in a while. You understand that I’m impulsive and antisocial. I like to do things on my own because I like it my way. (Which I consider the right way.)
To all my Steele Riders:
You all show your support and awesomeness every time I post something. The “Can’t wait” comments mean a lot. When I shout it’s live, one-clicks are going off like fireworks on the 4
th
.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C.M. Steele was born and raised on the Southside of Chicago. She comes from a large family. There are cousins all around. And now that she has a family of her own has added to the massive group. C.M. has three children with her husband of over a decade. When she isn’t tending to them she’s writing away. Introverted as they come she hides away from all and lives up to the hermit writer stereotype.
She has been writing since 2011, however did not begin publishing until 2014. With over 30 novellas under her belt she’s ready to produce full length novels. She doesn’t like to write about herself so this it is.
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WEBSITE:
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The sky was starting to darken and it was only four in the afternoon. A quick storm was on its way in. I was going to be in some serious trouble if I didn’t get to my destination before the skies rained down on me. I was starting a new job in a new town. I’d done that type of job for the past year, but I needed to make a change, a massive change, in scenery. So far, this trip was definitely that.
I thought about going to college, but it wasn’t in the cards at the moment. Saving money was what I needed to do. Living in a big city made that very difficult. Everything was three times the price, including the rent. Hopefully I could make some extra cash to save by working more hours and less bills.
I leaned forward and took a better glance at the sky, and I hated the way it was looking. The sky was getting uglier by the second. I turned up my music, rocking out to some Zeppelin on the radio to shake my nervousness. I had the auxiliary cable wire for the car, but I left it in the apartment I shared with a roommate, a man I’d soon rather forget. There was no way in hell I was going back to get it. Fucking creep.
Thankfully, my boss was my cousin. I knew I could trust him to have my back. Brent wasn’t too picky about what time I got there as long as I got there. I came from the plain states with their flat roads. Hell if I was accustomed to the winding roads or the uneven terrains. It was like Death Wish Central up in this area. He had been on the money; I was over my head because my driving skills weren’t up to par. My old, dark blue Chevy Malibu was taking a beating. It was a long drive but my only way of traveling with my things. I didn’t know if I could make it all the way to his place before my car crapped out. Fingers crossed that nothing else would need to be fixed before I got to the destination. I stopped halfway because my gas gauge had been broken and I ran out of gas. It had been through years and years of car rental abuse before I got it, and I sure as hell didn’t have the funds to repair the car like it should have been.
I looked down at my smartphone. Not really a smart move on a winding road, but I thought I was lost. I had to be; there was nothing but a cracked road and tons of trees. The navigation was off. I had to hurry up and set it. Thank goodness for location feature on the phone; it tracked exactly where I was at.
“Three hundred feet and your destination will be on your left,” the female voice on Google Maps said. I breathed a sigh of relief and looked back up just at the right time. There was branch lying halfway in the middle of the road. I swerved just in time to only run over a small part of it. Though I made it safely out of that mess, my tire didn’t. I pulled into the bar’s parking lot with my limping car hobbling into the first available spot. Closing my eyes, I thought about the positive. This was a way better situation for me because there was no way I was going to go crawling to my mother and her husband and I couldn’t go back to my life back in Chicago. I had to make it here.
Before I could even get out of my car, my cousin rushed out the door to the bar and straight over to me. He had a massive smile on his handsome face. He had the looks of a lady killer but a heart of gold. One day he’d find the right one. If he found the wrong one, I might have to gut her.
“You made it, Yaya,” Brent shouted. His giant frame scooped me up and hugged me close before spinning me around. I laughed at the big buffoon. He was my favorite cousin and like the brother I never had. We were both the outcasts in our family. For one reason or another, we never quite fit in with the others. I didn’t know if it was because I had been too outspoken and Brent going against the grain and starting his own business, but whatever it was we were estranged from the rest. It didn’t matter because he and I were the best of friends.
“Yeah, I made it, but not without casualties,” I said, pointing my head toward my rear driver’s side tire. It looked sad. My poor beaten down ride was on its last limbs and I made it worse.
“Oh shit, what did you do to it?” He walked over to the flat tire and squatted down to see the mess I made. He ran his hands over it then shook his head at me. “The rim is dented as fuck.”
“There’s a tree halfway in the road and I didn’t see it until it was too late. My tire hit the edge of it and popped on the spot. I assume me driving it the rest of the way is what bent the rim.”
“Don’t worry too much. I’ll call the guys down the road to take a look at it and have it fixed by the end of the day. You want to get settled in upstairs before I show you around?”
“Sounds great. I can’t pay a lot so I hope they’re reasonable.” I was really worried about the cost of a new tire. I didn’t have the money for a new tire. Maybe if they had a used one that would work with my budget.
“Don’t fret. I got this. Besides they are reasonable. It’s the tourists that get their pockets picked at the gift shops.”
“Thanks, and I’ll pay you back.”
“No, you won’t. Now come on. Let’s get your shit and move it on up.” I only had two bags packed because I didn’t want to give Mike any chance of catching me alone in the apartment again. He’d gotten out of hand the day before yesterday and that was one time too many. I hadn’t told Brent and I wouldn’t. There was no way in hell that he would be rational about the situation. Brent would be doing life if he found out the details.
He helped me take my bags out of the trunk, then we walked around to the back entrance to his place. He had two bedrooms up there, so I wasn’t going to be sleeping on the couch. I could do a happy dance just for that. My body was sore from the drive.
“I don’t have chicks up here, so you don’t have to worry about that. Besides for next ten days I’ll be on vacation and you’ll have to hold down the fort.” He unlocked the door and opened it to a huge loft looking space. Wood was everywhere from the floors to the walls and the wood beams supporting the ceiling. Most of the space was open except for the private areas. It looked like a great bachelor pad, fully loaded with a huge flat screen and sports memorabilia all around the room. I wondered how much sports stuff would be there. Brent was a Cowboys fan, but since we were in Colorado, I bet everything downstairs had to be about the Denver Broncos.
“Going any place special?” I asked, looking into the kitchen area, which was only separated by a half-wall breakfast nook. He probably told me, but my mind had been in a different world when he asked me to come down.
“Yeah, a trip to the Bahamas, baby. I need a real getaway for a change.” Brent and I were five years apart in age, although it didn’t come between us. He’d been a grownup for so long that I knew he needed a break from reality. With money he won gambling on his 21
st
birthday in Vegas, he opened up this place. It came as a shock to the family, but he loved his bar.
We walked up the stairs and he opened the door on the right. “Here’s your room. It’s not very big, but I hope it works.” The room was pretty nice, but it looked like a guy hurried to make it look feminine. Brent wanted to make me feel at home.
I turned to face at him with a big smile and rushed to hug him tight. “Thanks, Brent. Really thanks.”
“Hell, you were doing me the favor.” He never took credit for anything. Some woman was going to be a lucky broad one day.
“But it came just at the right time,” I admitted.
His expression changed. Brent growled, grabbing my hand in his. “And one day you’re going to let me know who the SOB is that left that mark on your wrist.”
I pulled it away gently. “Not until you can keep yourself from going to prison or committing prison worthy offenses,” I warned him. I knew that he was just being protective, but I had to be the same way.
“Do you remember that time at the banks of the DuPage River when I knocked out Bobby Stevens because he tried to kiss you after you told him to drop dead,” he said, reminding me that he had always been there, even when we were seven and twelve.
“He didn’t listen, but this is different,” I said. I had to remind him this was a risky subject to discuss.
“Yeah it’s more serious. We were kids. When a grown man puts his hands on a woman he deserves to get his ass handed to him and then some. Sweet Yaya, tell me he didn’t do anything that’s going to make me find him, did he?” I knew right away what he meant.
“No, he didn’t. Trust me when I say that nothing more than angry tug on my wrist. I promise, so don’t look at me like that.”
“I love you, Sonya. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” There was that ridged voice that came through gritted teeth when he was worried about me.
“I promise I’m going to be just fine. Now do you want to show me the ropes so you can spend some time in paradise starting tomorrow?”
“Sure thing, but let me give the shop a call. You start getting settled.”
Brent walked out of the room, pulling his cell from his pocket and giving me a wink before disappearing from sight. I plopped down on the bed. It was comfortable. I didn’t want to put away my things, I just wanted to rest for a minute. Sleep wasn’t something I had much of in the past twenty-four hours.
Thinking about the fight with Mike as I was leaving our shared apartment, I couldn’t imagine how things would end up between us. How could I have not noticed that he wanted me? How could I not notice that dangerous look in his eyes? I was glad to be away from him. I didn’t care that I wouldn’t get my things back and that he probably sold everything or tossed it. We were only roommates for a year and never once were we romantically involved. In fact, I heard him bring home women sometimes and could even hear them fucking. There were no signs that I could see, but the mark on my wrist was evidence that I missed something.
Brent knocked on the wood trim of the door. “Hey, sleeping beauty. Are you ready for the grand tour?”
I arched my brow at him. “I wasn’t sleeping, but yeah, boss. Show me your badass bar.”
I hopped off the bed and straightened my clothes. “So... they’re going to come and fix your car. It’ll be done in the next two hours. They’re usually busy, but the owner’s going to send one of his best to check it out.”
“Thanks, B. Really, I can work to pay it off.”
“Honey, I wouldn’t let you do that. Besides, I had to call them so they can pull the branch off the road before someone else crashed into it on the way to my bar. I don’t need people trying to sue.”
“People can sue you for that?” I asked with a twisted expression. I didn’t get people sometimes.
“Well it’s a part of my property, so I never doubt someone, particularly a tourist, being a major dick and suing for the last ten dollars in my pocket,” he grumbled.
“And the pack of Big Red gum,” I laughed.
“Oh, no. Don’t say that. I couldn’t lose my gum.” He grabbed at his chest, like he was going to pass out from such a thought. He’d been chewing Big Red gum since we were kids. It’s like his favorite. I don’t know how he could do it. I knew it tasted good, but it made my tongue raw after a couple pieces.
“There’s a name for that, you know?” I teased with wide eyes and a big innocent smile.
“I know I have an oral fixation, but it could be worse.”
“Whatever. Show me around.” I led the way back downstairs. Once we got to the front door, he took over and led me to his bar. It was so much cooler than I expected, even though it was full of Broncos helmets and jerseys.
“So, this is my place. What do you think of the setup?” He looked at me expectantly like I wouldn’t like it.
“It isn’t so bad. Although I think you could change the Broncos gear with the Bears.”
“Yeah, not going to happen. If I’m not going to feel the wrath for the Cowboys, why would I do it for the Bears? Sorry sweetheart, try again.”
“It was worth a shot.”
“Not if you want to get shot. These boys up here take their football seriously,” he replied.
“Do they, now? I get to bust their chops. Awesome,” I said with an exaggerated nod.
“Give them hell, Yaya,” he approved. I loved football, and even though the Broncos won the Championship their odds of winning again were less. My Bears and his Cowboys weren’t going to do any better according to the stats, but we weren’t fair-weather fans. So if they won it all or only won a game, they were still our teams.
After about two hours into my first shift, the owner of the tire place called Brent and told him that he couldn’t send someone out until the next day. Brent told him it was fine because there was an accident down the road and luckily everything was okay, but they needed to handle the tow of both cars.
“You can borrow my car while I’m gone, but I know they’ll take care of it tomorrow.”
“Do you need me to drive you to the airport?”
“No, I have a friend of mine picking me up, but thanks.”
~~~~~
The next morning, I was all alone in the apartment. Brent was gone and that meant I was the boss for the next week. Nerves struck me. I was going to meet his staff. There were three other employees, and I knew they wouldn’t like me since I was an interloper. Brent told me that was nonsense because they were all nice.
I hurried down there to see four people waiting for me. One guy was leaning over the bar with his elbows. There were two women sitting at a table with the most attractive man I’d ever seen. I took a big gulp of air because suddenly I felt like I couldn’t breathe. My eyes immediately moved to his. Brent only had three staff members here, so who was the other person? The man in the chair stood up and I took a step back. Holy shit, what did they feed people here? I really hoped the over grown six foot something giant wasn’t a part of the staff. The feeling rushing over me just from the first glance hit me like a brick wall. It was straight up lust. I wanted to climb up him and grind my untouched body against his strong one.
