One Heart Remains: Wallflowers, #3

by C. P. Smith

  “You ever pull a stunt like that again, and I’ll tan your hide,” Nate vowed, squeezing my posterior to make his point as he drove up deep, filling me completely.

  Water sloshed over the side of the tub with our movement, drenching the floor, but who the heck cared? The dragon was gone, my father was home, and Nate loved me.

  “You’re more important than a few scrapes.” I moaned when he rolled his thumb across my clit with delicious results.

  He glowered at me, but never lost his rhythm. If this was angry sex, I was all for making Nate mad. “Your fuckin’ safety’s more important than my pride.” He gritted the words between clenched teeth, anchoring me to his shaft with his hands at my shoulders. “The city’s full of vagrants who’d like nothin’ more than to corner a defenseless woman.”

  Despite the sparks of heaven surfacing deep in my groin, I rolled my lips between my teeth to hide my guilt as he leaned forward to suck a nipple into his mouth. He caught the move, and his eyes narrowed dangerously, correctly guessing I’d seen a vagrant on my run over. “I only saw one, and he was too drunk to chase me.”

  I rose up and slammed back down, hoping to distract him from my stupidity. I should have been smarter than running through the dark streets like I had, but I’d do it again if this was the result.

  I opened my eyes and tried to look innocent, but it didn’t work. He grabbed my hips and pounded into me, his jaw flexing as he tried to hold back from yelling at me, his face flushing with anger. I watched in amazement as his skin deepened in color with every thrust. I didn’t think it was possible for Nate to turn that shade of red.

  Reaching up, he grabbed my neck and pulled my mouth to his. “Swear to Christ, you’re gonna be the death of me,” he growled before devouring my mouth.

  Yikes! Time to tame the beast. Or feed the wolf. Or both!

  Heck.

  Yes!

  Neanderthals were so dang cute when they were peeved!

  “Probably,” I admitted when I broke free, biting his bottom lip while reaching between his legs so I could caress him. “But I can promise, you’ll die happy.”

  Sixteen

  EPILOGUES ARE FOR ENDINGS

  . . . WE’RE NOT DONE YET

  A LOW GRUNTING NOISE WOKE me from a sound sleep. Rolling to my side, I peeked out the open door in time to see Nate doing sit-ups in his living room. I was happily sore from Nate keeping me up all night, so I was amazed he had the energy to exercise.

  I watched his abs contract and relax as he pulled himself up. They were the best abs this side of the Mississippi, and I suddenly wanted to taste them again. Sitting up, I winced at the soreness. My tush felt like I’d been in the sun too long, thanks to Bo Strawn. Well, not Bo exactly, Nate had a hand in it. Bo was just the messenger who woke the beast up. Apparently, my run through Savannah in the middle of the night hadn’t gone unnoticed by the police, which meant Nate was true to his word. He tanned my hide last night. He also kissed it when he was done. Neither I minded, if truth be told.

  I stood and rushed into the bathroom on sore feet to brush my teeth. Morning breath wasn’t conducive to sexy times. I found an unopened toothbrush in his cabinet and went to town on my teeth then threw on one of Nate’s dirty T-shirts on the way out the door.

  He was doing push-ups as I crept up behind him and lowered myself onto his back. He didn’t even pause when my weight hit him. We just went up and down, up and down.

  I sat up and crossed my legs, holding onto his shoulders as he continued to rise and fall. “Feel the burn, mister. Work those muscles. Move like a butterfly and sting like a bee.” I felt his body shake with laughter. “Come on, Rocky, you’re gonna eat lightnin’ and crap thunder.”

  He moved then, and I found myself on my back.

  “You said crap,” he whispered in my neck.

  He was all hot and sweaty. Just the way I liked him the most.

  “Yes. But to properly quote a line from Rocky it was necessary.”

  “You hungry?” His hand moved up my body, under the shirt.

  “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed this,” I inhaled sharply when his thumb brushed my nipple, “but you don’t have any food in your house. Or coffee . . . or books.”

  With a whoosh, he pulled his T-shirt over my head then watched his hand cup my breast. “I eat at the bar. Got a coffeepot there as well.” He leaned down and flicked his tongue over my now pebbled nipple. “And I read on my iPad.”

  Oh, my God. He was perfect for me!

  “We can eat later,” I answered breathlessly, because at that moment my nether region began to tingle deliciously.

  “You can eat later,” he mumbled, “I’ll eat now.”

  Heck.

  Yes!

  “Nate.” I grabbed his head to stop him. He looked up with hungry eyes. Eyes I loved more than anything. “I love you.”

  His expression flashed from hunger to something else entirely, and he reached up to pull my head up so he could capture my lips. “Mine,” he growled fervently against them, “that’s how this story ends. With you mine.”

  I didn’t have to hem and haw over that. I was totally his, and he was mine.

  Trope 11) Sarcastic graphic artist meets Neanderthal-slash-bodacious bar owner and they live happily ever after. The end. La Fin. Das Ende.

  _______________

  “So then what happened?” Sienna asked, wide-eyed.

  I was explaining how I’d run through Savannah to get to Nate. Bare feet and all.

  I winced. “Well, I’d forgotten to shut my door when I left my apartment,” I began. “The little old lady who lives on the first floor saw me run off in practically my skivvies and phoned the police. They found my door wide open, of course, then they got a call about a crazy woman runnin’ around half-naked, almost gettin’ hit by a car. They put two and two together and knew it must be me. Unfortunately for me, the officer who was sent to check my apartment was at the beach when we knocked out Gayla Brown. He knew who I was and called Bo.”

  “You should have seen his face,” Sienna giggled. “He barely said a word before he ran out the door to check on you. And when he came home, he looked smugly satisfied.”

  I wiggled a little on the seat. My rump still burned from Nate’s hand. I shivered at the memory. Who knew a little spanking could feel so good?

  “If I ever tell you Neanderthals are cute when they’re peeved, hit me upside the head.”

  Sienna’s eyes glazed over. “He punished you, didn’t he?”

  I swallowed at the reminder and heat pooled in my loins. “Somethin’ like that.”

  There was a choked cough, so I turned my head and smiled brightly. Our father sat slack-jawed at the table, looking between us with a sort of blank, dazed look on his face.

  “Knox?” I asked. “You okay?”

  His eyes refocused before he growled with fatherly outrage, “I can’t decide if I want to ground you for the rest of your life or have a lobotomy.”

  I pointed at Sienna immediately. “It’s her fault,” I whined.

  “Is not,” she defended.

  “Is so. You brought it up.”

  Knox stood from the table without a backward glance, color rising up his neck as he stormed away, and headed over to the bar where Nate, Bo, and Devin were sitting.

  I grinned at Sienna. “This is gonna be so much fun tormentin’ him.”

  She nodded with enthusiasm and winked.

  Cali sat down in the seat Knox had vacated. “Can you break free tonight?” she whispered. “I’ve got meetin’s all week after work, so we won’t be able to hit the rental agencies until next weekend if we don’t go tonight.”

  “What’s got you so tied up?” Sienna questioned.

  “Alexandra called this mornin’. An author she’s been tryin’ to steal away from a rival house just signed with Poe. We’re meetin’ with her this week to knock out the details. She wants to meet Jolene Cartwright and me to get a feel for our editing styles.”

  Sienna whis
tled. “She must be big time if Alexandra’s goin’ to this much trouble.”

  Cali nodded. “It’s Nicola Royse Vaughn. AKA Grace Martin.”

  Sienna and I sucked in a breath. “Grace Martin. The Grace Martin?” I asked. “Author of Highlander’s Woman and Highlander’s Gift, Grace Martin?”

  Cali nodded. “The one and the same. She’s got a new series she’s workin’ on. Historical, but based in Alaska instead of medieval Scotland. Think lumberjacks, bears, and prospectin’ for gold.”

  “Lumberjacks,” Sienna and I both breathed out.

  “Lumberjacks,” Cali echoed in her own breathy voice.

  We sat for a moment lost in bibliophile bliss.

  “So tonight?” Cali asked again. “Can you both make it?”

  We looked over our shoulders at the three men sitting at the bar. Devin was turned slightly talking to Nate and glanced our direction. We turned back quickly and picked up our menus, trying to act innocent. I caught Cali blowing kisses at Devin and wiggling her brows. “Like putty in my hands,” she giggled, picking up her own menu.

  _______________

  “Should we synchronize our watches?” Sienna questioned.

  The sun was low in the sky, colors of brilliant pink and orange melted together to create a breathtaking sunset after a short rainstorm. We were currently sitting across the street from Tybee Vacation Rental. We’d told our men we had to run to the office for an impromptu meeting with Alexandra, though it hadn’t been necessary. Bo had been called to a homicide before we even had our excuse lined up. Nate had a restaurant full of customers to deal with, so he kissed me soundly and headed to his office, saying he’d meet me at my place when he got off work. And Devin had mumbled something about having to meet his cousin at his office to approve a desk she had ordered.

  The planets had aligned. Lady Luck was smiling. And the rainbow over the ocean said there’d be a pot of gold, or Uncle Joe’s full name, waiting for us at the end of this mission.

  “We don’t need synchronized watches since we’re goin’ in together, you ninny,” Cali chuckled.

  “Hey,” I scolded, shoving her arm from the back seat of Sienna’s car. “I’m the only one who gets to call her a ninny.”

  “Thank you, Sister,” Sienna giggled.

  “You’re welcome, ninny.”

  Our plan was simple. Cali and Sienna would go in first. I would follow a few minutes later like I wasn’t with them. There was only one associate working this late on a Sunday, so all they had to do was keep her attention turned while I slipped past and hid in a closet or bathroom. They’d ask about any rentals on 18th Street for our search, thumb through pictures until it was closing time, then walk out with the associate to keep her busy while I downloaded the files we needed from their computer onto a flash drive.

  Easy peasy!

  “It’s go time,” Cali stated. “Sunglasses?”

  “Check,” Sienna and I called out.

  We all crawled out of the car and headed our separate directions. Cali and Sienna across the street, wearing sundresses and hats to disguise them, and me to the ice cream truck for a treat, clad in a bathing suit and cover-up like I’d just come from the beach.

  I purchased a cone then ambled across the street, window-shopping as I went. When I opened the door to the rental agency, the girls had the associate at the computer, pulling up the rentals we needed. She didn’t even look up when I came in.

  “A friend of a friend rented from you last Fourth of July with his family. He said your rental was one the best on the Island,” Cali said casually. “I wonder which one he rented?”

  The associate beamed proudly at her and clicked her mouse a few times, peering at the screen as I crept behind them without her noticing. There was a small kitchen to the right with lights out, so I felt confident she wouldn’t check it before locking up for the night.

  “Do you have a name?” the associate asked.

  I blinked. It couldn’t be that easy.

  “Joe somethin’. Gosh, what was it?” Cali snapped her fingers like she was tryin’ to pull up his last name.

  “No Joe’s that I can see. That weekend we had a John Black, an Asher Mayson, and a Dorothy White booked.”

  “Oh . . . Which ones did the men rent? Joe was traveling with his family, so it could have been one of them who booked the rental.”

  The associate didn’t hesitate. She printed off the rentals so Cali could check them out. Unbelievable. We wouldn’t have to break and enter anything at this rate. Cali’s innocent lavender eyes worked on the same sex as well.

  “Let me know if you want to see any of those. I’ll be back tomorrow at nine if you do. Two were vacated today, so they’ll be open for viewin’ tomorrow afternoon when the maid service is through with them.”

  That was my cue to quit hiding since I didn’t need to stay behind. I darted out of the kitchen and walked back down the hall, right past the associate and the girls without looking at them. “Thanks for the use of your bathroom,” I called over my shoulder and walked outside, right into Nate.

  Petunias!

  I looked past him and saw Bo and Devin leaning against the wall as well. Busted. Turning back to Nate, I smiled like my hiney depended on it.

  “Fancy meetin’ you here,” I rushed out.

  The girls came barreling out of the rental agency, hot on my tail. Cali stopped short when she saw Devin, and Sienna crashed into her.

  “What are you doin’ here?” Cali accused.

  The associate was locking the door behind them, so Devin held his tongue until she walked off, glancing longingly at Cali before walking away.

  Well, that explained her cooperation.

  “Tryin’ to figure out what you’re lyin’ about,” Devin accused back. “The three of you keep comin’ to Tybee, and I want to know why.”

  Cali, having been raised by Bernice, flipped her hair over her shoulder, pouted then lied through her pearly whites like a pro. “You’re spoilin’ the surprise,” she whined. “I wanted to rent a cottage big enough for all of us to spend a weekend together, doin’ nothin’ but relaxin’ and playin’ in the surf.”

  I thought she sounded reasonable and would have believed her lie in a heartbeat, but Devin pushed off the side of the building and stood in front of her, narrowing his eyes.

  A staring contest commenced. My money was on Cali. Devin had a weakness where she was concerned.

  Cali raised a brow and looked at Sienna and me like he was being funny, then shrugged it off. Devin stepped back like I thought he would, glancing between the three of us like he could read our minds.

  “Are you finished with your work? Want to grab some dinner while we’re here?” Sienna said, trying to break the tension.

  I looked up at Nate and smiled, thinking we’d gotten away with it.

  He glared down at me with the heat of an atom bomb.

  “What?”

  He scanned my body from head to toe and shook his head. I was in a two-piece, hot pink bathing suit that I’d paired with a fishnet cover-up. He looked pointedly at Cali and Sienna who were in sundresses and hats.

  “Explain to me why you’re ready for the beach if you’re just here to look at vacation rentals.”

  I was about to answer when I caught sight of a red ponytail billowing in the wind as a convertible drove past. It was Natalie Rhodes. And she wasn’t alone either; I’d recognize that jogger-slash-Good Samaritan-slash-phone stealer anywhere.

  “That’s the guy who stole my phone,” I sputtered, turning Nate around to point at the couple as they sped past.

  “What?” Sienna asked.

  “Natalie,” I answered, pointing in the direction she went.

  We’d been standing under an awning out of direct sight of traffic, so Natalie hadn’t seen us from the road. Without hesitation, I grabbed Nate’s arm and started tugging him toward his Harley.

  “What are you doin’, Kitten?”

  “We’re followin’ them, that’s what we’re do
in’. None of what you told us yesterday rang true to me. I saw her face when we first showed at the station, Nate. She was jealous when she saw us together. All that bull she sold you doesn’t make sense. I want to know what they’re up to. I want to know why they stole my phone.”

  Nate thought about that for a second and nodded in agreement. “All right, but you’re not dressed for the back of my bike.” He marched me back over to the girls and pointed to Sienna’s car. “You three, back in your car. We’ll all follow and see where they’re headed.”

  Nate didn’t wait for us to comply; he turned his back and started talking with Devin and Bo as they headed for Bo’s truck.

  That was all we needed to hear. The girls and I ran across the street and piled into the car.

  I watched the men jump into Bo’s truck while Sienna pulled out and followed Natalie in hot pursuit. We caught up with her three blocks over stuck at a light. Bo was right behind us, so I turned in my seat and waved. All three men shook their heads. I rolled my eyes. What a bunch of grumpy Guses.

  “How’d they figure out we were lyin’?” I asked, blowing Nate a kiss.

  “GPS probably,” Cali sighed. “That man really needs to be taught a lesson.”

  “Do you think they bought your excuse?”

  “Do pigs fly?” was her response.

  I showed her the flying pig she sent me in text. “Anything’s possible.”

  We watched from two cars back while Natalie and my Good Samaritan, aka the thieving jogger, argued.

  “Boyfriend?” Cali wondered out loud.

  “I still don’t get why she stole our phones,” I questioned out loud.

  “I wondered that myself,” Cali replied. “Mine is password protected. She wouldn’t be able to access my texts.”

  “Mine’s not. I keep forgettin’ passwords, so I keep it unlocked.”

  They turned and looked at me like I was nuts.