Unbridled and Unjustified [The Double Rider Men's Club 11] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (18 page)

“Now what?” Jake asked quietly.

“Nothing we can do except keep them safe as best as we can when they get here. They’re leaving the cabin tomorrow night under the cover of darkness. But I’ll feel better when they are within the DRMC perimeter, and we can control their protection.”

“And in the meantime?”

“Jimmy said in the fax that he’s also sending some digital video from a truck stop called Beverly’s Place. Troy and Ava were in there together. Troy mentioned that she had a tussle with someone near the bathrooms. I want to ensure that guy isn’t relevant to their safety. And that he didn’t follow them after they left the truck stop.”

* * * *

Declan bolted upright in the unfamiliar bed, spotted the wrinkled quilt he was on top of, and then glimpsed the wood-paneled walls before remembering where he was. He took a deep breath and fell back to the surface. The late-afternoon sun he expected to see was more evening than afternoon and already moving into nighttime. A glance at his watch and he realized he’d slept for six solid hours. It would be dark in forty-five minutes.

He rubbed his hands up and down his face a few times in an effort to wake up faster. His belly rumbled, and then the scent of meat cooking brought him out of bed. He was hungry. And he needed more than just food to slake his appetite. He’d been dreaming about Ava as he slept. How long had it been since he’d given more than a passing thought about a woman they’d spent the night with? Years? Probably.

Ava was like a rush of fresh air pushing the door open to fill, fragrance, and transform his jaded soul. It was very unlike him to care so much, but he suspected he was falling for her hard. He and Troy had never looked for a permanent trio like many other members of the DRMC. Nor had they ever talked about it much. Declan took responsibility for that up to now. But he could tell that Troy also had very strong feelings for Ava.

They’d shared a few thoughts after Troy carried her to bed. Troy obviously cared for her more than any other woman they’d ever shared in their past. Not that they had a man-whore-sized list of women littering their history, but Troy was different with her.

Declan rarely thought about a future with any of the women. Not recently or from their distant past. At least not until Ava. He would admit that she was different than any of the others. Something indefinable kept her in his head front and center. She stayed in his head even when he slept. That was unusual.

His free passing thoughts up to now had been spent wondering what it would be like to have a permanent trio with Ava and Troy. The auspicious notion of a lasting relationship didn’t make his soul shrivel in dread at the prospect either. And that was very unusual.

Hell, he’d fallen asleep curled up next to her earlier. It calmed him as he succumbed to the urgent fatigue from being on the run. The subtle fragrance in her hair and the softness of her body pressed to his made him want to continue falling asleep and waking up next to her on a more regular basis. Which was extremely unusual, and in a word, extraordinary.

Declan opened the bedroom door and followed the scent of fried meat. Troy had always been better in the kitchen than he was. He was particularly good at fried steak. Traversing the small areas of the rooms led Declan quickly to the dining room.

He rounded the corner and spotted the dining table. On the surface, three plastic glasses filled with water, three turquoise plates, and the necessary silverware waited atop paper towel napkins for guests. He expected to see Troy at the stove, but instead Ava, fork in hand, tended an iron skillet.

“Hey,” he said. “So you’re the one creating that fabulous aroma?”

She turned and sent him a smile that would make angels sing with joy. His heart skipped a beat. She was so beautiful. She almost took his breath away. Again, she made him feel giddy and in love. A sentiment he hadn’t experienced in a very long time, and hadn’t expected to feel ever again. She gave him hope.

“Hi. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes. And I’m starving, too.”
Because your rare beauty filled my dreams
. “Where’s Troy?”

“Outside. He went to bring some wood in so we can make a fire later.”

Troy entered seconds later with a bundle of chopped firewood heaped carefully in his arms. He nodded once at Declan, dropped the firewood in a bin next to the fireplace, and said, “The steak smells great. I’ll go get cleaned up.”

Declan squeezed past the dining table and sidled up behind her. He buried his face in her hair and hugged his arms around her middle. “You smell as good as what you’re cooking.”

“Well, have a seat at the table, and I’ll bring you something good to eat.”

“
You
are something good to eat.” He grazed his lips along the soft skin of her neck, wondering why she was so intoxicating and different from any other woman he’d ever met.

She giggled. “Well, perhaps later on I’ll let you have a taste. For now, sit down, and let’s have a meal. I’m starving.”

“So am I.” Declan seated himself at the table. She brought a platter of steaks and a bowl of fried potatoes to the table. From the oven, she pulled out a sheet pan filled with golden biscuits and put it on the stovetop. One by one, she placed them on another turquoise plate and handed him the carefully balanced stack.

Troy returned and joined him at the table. Declan handed him the biscuit plate, forked a juicy steak onto his plate with a pile of potatoes, and started in. They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes before Declan asked, “Where did you learn to cook?”

“From my mama,” she said simply. He’d read about her past before he and Troy had visited her home. He already knew that her parents were both gone many years ago.

“I’m not a fancy chef or anything, but I can put a decent meal on the table.”

“Yes, you certainly can,” Troy added. He took another big bite of steak and moaned in reverence.

She looked thoughtful for a moment and said, “But you two make me feel like I’ve prepared a feast. So thank you. My ex-fiancé never cared much for anything I ever cooked.”

“Then he’s a dumb-ass.” Troy saluted her with his glass. “This is awesome.”

“Thank you.” Her smile could light up Declan’s world in a second.

“You broke it off with him though, is that right?” Declan asked.

She nodded, but then looked a bit grim. “But I was so foolish. Or perhaps just too distracted with my education and demanding work life to notice he was screwing another woman the entire time we were together.”

“That’s his idiotic fault, not yours,” Troy said. He grabbed her hand, squeezed until she looked at him. This action brought another small smile to her face. Declan discovered in the moment that Ava was a woman who would be very easy to fall for if he spent any more time with her. Maybe he’d already fallen. Unfortunately, he wasn’t quite sure if he was ready.

Declan put his focus back on his plate. The three of them lapsed into another silence, eating everything she had prepared until there wasn’t a crumb left. Ava had a healthy appetite. Watching her made Declan glad to see that she actually ate something instead of picking over a salad plate like many others in the past.

“That was excellent,” Declan declared after swallowing the final bite of succulent steak.

“Thank you. I only wish I had something to serve you all for dessert. Doesn’t seem like supper without something sweet to finish.” Ava stood and piled her plate and a few dishes into the sink. He thought she was the perfect sweet to finish with.

Declan carried his plate to the sink, turned on the hot faucet, and squirted some dish soap into the stream of water. “Oh, I think you might have something sweet and tasty for us for later on. Don’t you think so, Troy?”

“I know so.”

“What did the two of you do all day?” Declan helped her wash things up.

Troy and Ava exchanged a sly, seductive glance. “Let’s just say, we kept busy.”

“No doubt.” Unfamiliar warmth suffused Declan’s heart at the idea the two of them were exploring each other as he slept. He wondered how much shit Troy would give him if he told him how attached he was getting to Ava.

“Also, Clay called.” Troy recounted the “good news, bad news” conversation, including the suggestion that they might all have to fake their deaths as a last resort. Declan dried the final plate and placed it in the cupboard.

“It’s a bit extreme if you ask me,” he responded. Although having Clay be the one to suggest such a thing meant they really should take the idea seriously.

“Yeah, but he feels bad about getting us involved in this predicament. Probably just wants us to know he’ll do whatever is necessary.” Troy’s gaze shot to Ava. His unspoken thought came through loud and clear. Finding Ava was worth any price they’d have to pay. Even faked death.

Meanwhile, she looked uncomfortable. “I hate that you all are in danger because of me. Even though I don’t know why anyone is so all fired up to get rid of me.”

“Honestly, it doesn’t have anything to do with you or anything you’ve ever done.”

“You just looked like someone in a picture. And now that the assassin has missed killing you at your home, he feels as though he must complete the assignment, or his reputation will be ruined.”

Ava pondered that for a few minutes. She turned her blue eyes his direction. “Hardly seems fair, does it?”

“It’s
not
fair. It’s completely unjustified. But don’t worry. We don’t plan to let anything happen to you.”

“Is that right? And how long will you be keeping me safe?”

Declan reached for her hand and squeezed her fingers. “For as long as it takes.”

“What if it takes forever?”

He shrugged. The idea of spending the rest of his life with her made him suddenly content for the first time in ages. Sometimes Declan felt like a vagabond, going from case to case, never settling down or taking the time to enjoy life. Ava was the first woman in forever who made him want to find permanence.

“What if you get tired of me and find someone else?” He saw tears rise in her eyes and pulled her into his arms before seeing them fall.

“Can’t find someone else, if we’ve stopped looking for others, right?”

Troy squeezed into the small space next to the sink and sandwiched Ava between them. “After today, don’t you know that I’m falling for you? I found you, and I don’t want anyone else.”

Declan looked over Ava’s head at Troy in surprise. Hadn’t he just been pondering the exact same idea during dinner? Ava hugged his waist tighter. His friend gave him a look like he couldn’t help his feelings. While Declan could understand his friend’s feelings, he kept his wayward thoughts about Ava to himself.

“But the two of you are a package deal.” Her head tilted back suddenly and pegged Declan with a tearful stare as if daring him to smite her feelings to the ground. “You both have to want me.”

“I definitely want you. You make me think about things like going to sleep with you at my side each night and the joy of waking you up the next morning. The truth is, I never thought I’d marry again, but you make me want to consider it.”

“Again? You were married before?”

“Yes. In the spirit of full disclosure I promise to tell you anything and everything about my first wife someday. But not right now.” He pressed a kiss to her trembling lips. “For now, I think we should enjoy ourselves. Tomorrow night we’ll be traveling to Colorado.”

“And we’ll be safe at your men’s club property?”

“Honestly, I can’t think of a safer place on earth for you.”

“Okay.”

Troy kissed the top of her head. “I’ll go get a fire started. Maybe there is something alcoholic around here that we can consume to go with our fireside ambience and help warm our bones.”

Declan had noticed a bottle of rum in one of the cupboards earlier. Before he could release her to fetch it, she leaned up on tiptoes and kissed him gently on the mouth. The soft gesture made him forget about anything else. He sank down into her arms as she intensified the kiss with her eager tongue.

She broke from his kiss suddenly and asked, “Have you seen how big the shower is?”

He shook his head, not expecting that question. “Yes. I have. Why?”

She glanced over at Troy stacking logs on the grate. “I’d love to get in there together and have you show me double-penetration sex.”

Declan cleared his throat. “What did you two discuss today?”

A grin formed. “Lots of things. And we
did
some things, too. Including some stretching of a certain rear area to make grizzly-bear cocks fit better.”

“Fuck,” he said. The word slipped out before he could stop it.

“Yes. That’s the idea.” She called over to Troy. “I’d rather get warmed up in the shower than watch a fire at the moment. What do you think?”

Troy dropped the final log in his hands back into the bin and stood. “I’m in.”

Declan was led easily to the unusual bathroom area. The toilet and sink were across from each other as the door opened into the small bathroom space. Just past them was where the old bathtub had been. It had been removed, and instead there was a large floor space leading to three steps down into the add-on at the back of the cabin in the form of a jumbo shower area.