by Mia Carson
“Then why would you risk it?” she asked quietly. “You barely know me.”
“I know you’ve been fighting tooth and nail to hold on for a long time,” he replied, and her eyes widened. “And I know you’re getting tired of fighting, but I won’t let you fall.”
She leaned into his touch, and he ran his thumb down her cheek until Danny walked over from the bar and delivered their burgers. He eyed them both with a sideways grin. “Sorry for interrupting,” he said, and Iris shot him a look.
“Right, I’ll be back… little girl’s room.” She scooted out of the booth.
Danny hung around the table, and Alec looked up at him. “Something wrong?”
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “You might want to be careful. Jenson’s spreading the word that you tried to assault him at your gun range.”
“He swung at me first,” Alec murmured. “I have it recorded.”
“Just watch your back, alright? That guy’s bad news, and now that he’s a damn deputy, he’s going to think he’s untouchable. And thanks.”
Alec shook his head. “For?”
“Taking care of Iris. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her even remotely happy,” he said and patted Alec on the shoulder. “I’ll try to listen around and see what else Jenson’s saying, but I thought I’d give you a word of warning from a friend.”
“Nice to know I’ve already made one.”
Danny smirked. “Ha yeah, well, if you didn’t notice, I’m just another black sheep in this place.”
“Well, you just found yourself another one,” he said. “Maybe we should start a club.”
“I’ll get the hats,” Danny told him with a wink then walked back to the bar.
Alec watched him go and glanced around the room. Several pairs of eyes met his. A few were friendly, but many of the men glared openly at him, their hands tightening on their beer glasses. At least he knew how Iris felt when Jenson turned the whole town on her. He leaned back in his booth and smiled widely as if he didn’t have a care in the world about what they thought. His cell buzzed, and he pulled it out from his pocket, frowning at the unknown number.
“Yeah?” he answered.
“Alec! Oh, thank God, I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for weeks! Didn’t you get my messages? I texted you so many times I lost count, but you never texted back,” Nikki cried on the other end of the line. Alec groaned in annoyance. “No, please don’t hang up. I just want to talk to you.”
“I have nothing to say to you, so I’m hanging up. Don’t call me again,” he growled.
“Please, Alec, I’m so sorry for what happened, really I am. If I could just see you, but your mom said you moved away and I don’t know where.”
He cringed, imagining Nikki showing up on his doorstep. “You won’t find me, so stop looking.”
She sniffed hard, and his lips thinned, knowing she was being over-dramatic in the hope he would break. Too bad that ship sailed a long time ago. “Come on, weren’t we good together? We can have that again, I know we can.”
“Yeah, until you cheat on me again,” he snapped. “I don’t want anything to do with you.”
“You found someone else, didn’t you?” she sputtered angrily. “You’re with her now! You can’t move on from me so quickly, Alec, no man can!”
“Looks like I did, honey. I even sold your engagement ring, all three carats of it,” he gloated. “Didn’t get nearly half of what it was worth, but I think I’ll live with the loss.”
“Three… three carats?” she repeated.
Alec snickered and took a long chug of his beer. “Yep, now it’s gone.”
“Alec, please,” she begged. “It didn’t mean anything, I swear it didn’t. Sometimes, things just happen.”
“Yeah? And sometimes, you have to deal with the consequences. Bye, Nikki.” He hung up on her yelling at him and settled back in the booth, letting out a deep breath of relief. A weight lifted off his shoulders, and when he spotted Iris walking back towards their booth, he vowed to show her the type of man she deserved in her life, no matter how long it took for her to see it herself.
Chapter 9
Alec opened his front door and smiled at the truck driver from the furniture store two towns over. “Thank God,” he said, a desire to hug the man leaping into his mind.
The driver laughed and handed over a clipboard. “I take it you’re happy to see us.”
“Very,” Alec told him and stepped aside. “I miss having a bed.”
“Well, we got everything you ordered. Just sign here, and we’ll get everything set up for you.”
Alec scribbled his name on the clipboard. “I have to go get my brother off the floor of his room, so if you can, start with the living room and kitchen first.”
As the man headed back out to his truck, Alec climbed the stairs, ready to throw whatever he could find at August so he’d get his ass up. He knocked on the door, but August didn’t reply so he opened it.
“Hey, get up, the furniture—oh, come on, man!” he yelled and pulled the door closed again. “Can you start hanging a sock on your damn doorknob please! This is my house!”
“What?” August called back. “Do I really need to alert you every time I bring a girl home?”
“It’d be preferable,” Alec argued.
“Hi, Alec!” a woman’s voice said with a giggle.
“Hi, whoever you are. August, the furniture is here and you are washing those blankets again, got it? Get up and get dressed.”
August grumbled something which was followed by the woman squealing. Alec considered throwing open the door again, but he heard a moan and quickly walked away, running his hands through his hair. Sadly, it didn’t bother him that he heard his brother getting it on with someone. They used to have rooms right next door to each other back home. He’d heard it all before, plenty of times, but when the woman moaned, it wasn’t his brother with his new one-night stand who popped into his mind. It was him and Iris instead.
Last night, he’d gone to her place after work to have dinner with her and Sam. He really liked her younger brother, who seemed to be holding up okay. He’d even asked Alec if he had any other openings for jobs at the gun range, something he could do part time to help Iris with the bills. Alec asked how bad it was, since Sam was honest and Iris was out of the room, but Sam had said it was bad enough. Alec told him he’d check on it and let him know soon.
Alec figured Sam would be able to work in only the shop part of the range where he could sit down so he wasn’t on his feet all the time. He hadn’t run it by Iris yet and planned on doing it tomorrow night when he visited again.
Sam had gone to bed pretty early, and he and Iris ended up tangled in each other’s arms, no longer paying attention to the movie playing. The way her body curved perfectly against his, how she straddled him as she kissed him slowly, caught his breath and drove his passion to unimaginable heights. His hands explored her back and her sides, clinging to her hips and wanting to do so much more than just kiss her and hold her, but he didn’t want to rush things and really didn’t want Sam to walk out and hear them getting it on. When he had Iris, it would be in his bed so she would cry out his name.
Much like the woman just yelled August’s. Alec glared at the closed bedroom door then stomped downstairs to tell the guys to save the beds for last. He wandered into the kitchen to make breakfast as his mind drifted again to Iris’s warm body and the tattoos he’d discovered on the tops of her feet. They were tribal, something to remember each of her parents by. She’d asked him about the wolf that covered his right shoulder and draped around his back. He’d laughed and said it was fairly obvious. He got it because of his name when he was in college. He thought it was funny.
Alec’s hands no longer felt the skillet; he imagined them tracing the curves of her heavy breasts as they had last night, how her hardened nipples pressed against his palms, and how his groin clenched when she sucked hard on his tongue.
“You’re burning the bacon,”
August rumbled behind him.
Alec glanced down at the skillet. “Shit,” he muttered and quickly turned off the burner and moved the skillet to the side. “Well, I was trying to make breakfast.”
“Uh huh,” August said with a knowing grin.
“Shut up. Who was that one?” he asked, catching the tail end of black hair as the woman darted out the open front door.
“That was… Ashley,” he said and snapped his fingers. “Bit of a screamer. Surprised you didn’t hear her last night.”
“I got in late,” Alec said and poured himself a cup of coffee.
“I know. You were dreaming about her, weren’t you?” It wasn’t a question, and Alec avoided his brother’s gaze. “You are falling hard for this one. When do I get to meet her?”
“You already did, at the gun range.”
“For like five minutes. Why don’t you have her and her brother over for dinner one night?” He wandered over to the stove and picked up a burnt piece of bacon, sniffing it before he bit off a piece. It crunched loudly, and he grimaced. “I’ll do the cooking.”
Alec nodded absently. “Yeah, we can do that.”
“What’s eating you?” August asked and nudged him as he passed.
“Nothing,” he muttered, thinking about the tight money situation Iris was in with Sam and all he could do to help her if she would just let him. “I have to go run an errand. Can you get the range opened for me and lock the house before you leave?”
“Where are you going?” August called after him.
“To scratch an itch,” he said and grabbed the keys to his truck to head to City Hall. They’d have records there, and he wanted to know what the plans were for Iris’s closed shop. He knew she didn’t want charity, but she couldn’t refuse a gift, could she? Grinning madly, he hopped into his truck and took off, wondering how much she’d hate him after.
***
Iris hummed as she dusted the shop and cleared off another table to shift a few items around. Joe was happy with what she’d done so far and the sales she’d managed in the three days she’d been working. Granted, she had to deal with several people giving her the stink-eye, but a smile stayed plastered to her face. Once they were out the door, she went to the back room and threw darts at an old board Joe had stashed back there. It wasn’t as good as going to the shooting range, but it was enough to take the edge off.
Her mind wandered to last night and Alec’s kisses warming her from her toes to the top of her head. She wanted to move forward with him, but doubts still echoed in her mind about what message that would send to them both. He’d think she was ready to move forward with the relationship, and she’d get her hopes up that it might actually work.
Deep down, she worried they’d both crash and burn, and she’d be completely broken this time.
Joe said he’d be out for most of the day again, but he didn’t say what he was up to and only left after a phone call. She’d asked him who it was, but he mumbled something about telemarketers and ducked out the back door. Iris knew he was up to something and called Sam to see if he’d heard anything, but her brother said he had no idea what she was talking about and promptly hung up on her. She texted Alec, telling him something was going on and asking if he by chance had anything to do with it, but he hadn’t answered her at all. The shop was empty and she was due for a lunch break, so she flipped the sign closed on the front door and moved to the back room. As she pulled her cell out to call Alec, the bell rang and she sighed.
“Damn lock,” she whispered, remembering she forgot to throw it. “I’m sorry, we’re closing for lunch.”
“Good, I’ll join you,” Jenson jeered when he stepped up to the counter.
“What do you want?” she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest, making sure to keep her cell ready at hand. “Looking for a new picture to hang on your wall to cover up the holes you put in them?”
He glared at her and leaned over the counter, but she didn’t move a muscle. “Who said I put holes in my walls? Are you spying on me?”
“I just assumed after the last time,” she pointed out with a nonchalant shrug. “If you’re not going to buy something, then get out. Joe will be back any second, and I know for a fact he does not like you in his shop.”
“Oh? Since when? My father and I are always buying things from Joe to decorate his office at City Hall and his mansion—oh, and my lovely home, of course. My large, new house that’s not falling down around me.”
Her lips thinned, and she kept her mouth shut so she didn’t say anything to set him off.
He tapped his fingers on the counter, his gaze roaming around the room before they landed on the photograph of the Lundy’s. “Where did you get that?” he asked quietly.
Iris glanced at the photo then back at him, every muscle rigid in his body. “It’s Joe’s. He’s had it here for years. Why? You suddenly interested in your ancestors?” Everyone knew the Drayer family was directly related to the Lundy’s. They’d owned the town from the beginning, and no one had been able to get them out of City Hall.
“No,” he growled and made a grab for the photo, but Iris beat him to it. “Give it here.”
“No, this is not for sale, and you’re not going to damage it,” she informed him. “I suggest you leave.”
“You know it’s sad you had to get a job here, of all places,” he shot back loudly. “Right next door to your father’s pathetic store. How’s it feel to see two of your failures in this town every day? That shop and me.”
Iris took a step back at the hatred pouring off him. “You were not a failure,” she muttered, disgusted. “You were a disappointment and a cheating bastard. Now get the hell out of here, or I’ll call the sheriff.”
“And tell him what? The deputy came in to check on Joe’s shop? To make sure no scoundrels were harassing you?”
“The only scoundrel here is you.”
His face tightened, and his hands gripped the edge of the counter until his knuckles turned white. “That friend of yours—Alec? You tell him to watch his back from now on. If he touches me again, I’ll make sure he’s locked up for assault. And if he keeps coming near you, I’ll make sure—”
“You’ll make sure what?” she cut him off. “He and I are dating, so get it through your thick skull that I don’t want you. I want to be with him.”
Jenson yelled and lunged at the counter. Iris staggered backwards, her back hitting the wall as she gripped the photograph hard to her chest as if it could protect her. Sucking in breaths of air as fear warred with rage, she straightened and stared him down.
“Get out and do not come back, you hear me?”
He licked his lips and his eye twitched, but he lifted his hands and stepped back. “Just remember what I said. Besides, he won’t last in this town. Sooner or later, you’ll come back to me.”
Jenson’s heavy steps echoed around the shop. Iris didn’t dare move until she heard the bell jingle and spotted him walking past the shop window. She ran for the door and locked it quickly, backing away as if scared he’d return. Her mind reeling, she walked slowly to the back room and sagged to the floor, holding the photograph tightly to her chest. Her eyes stung with unshed tears of rage and fear at what that man did to her… what he still did to her. She tucked her head down and stayed there until two hours later when Joe let himself in. He said her a name a few times, growing more frantic by the second until she heard his shuffled steps moving closer and his shadow loomed in the doorway.
“Iris? What happened? Why are you on the floor?” Joe asked, reaching down to pull her up. “Iris?” He tried to take the photograph from her arms, but she wouldn’t let it go. She had no reason to hold onto it, but her fingers just wouldn’t give it up and Joe stopped trying. “Iris, you have to say something or I’m going to call Dr. Wallace. What happened?”
He guided her to the stool and sat her down. She sucked in a deep breath, but the shaking didn’t stop. “Jenson,” she managed to mutter. “He was here.”
“What did he do?”
“He… uh, he didn’t do anything, not really,” she said, but he headed to the computer and pulled up the security feed for the shop. Iris watched over his shoulder as he rewound the last hours until he saw Jenson come in the door. She knew what came next, but her eyes were glued to the monitor.
Joe muttered words under his breath that she knew were curses, words he never said. Ever. “That man will not step foot in my shop again. What did he say?”
Iris blew out a breath, puffing up her cheeks and blowing her hair from her face. “He… uh, he wanted me to tell Alec that if he touches Jenson again, he’d lock him up. But he never touched him. They haven’t seen each other since Friday… Joe,” she said when he sighed and hung his head. “What did Alec do?”
“I only found out about it today,” he said, holding up his hands as if to ward her off. “Jenson stopped by your place Friday night. He got in Alec’s face, and they agreed to see who the better shot was at the range on Sunday. Things got out of hand. Jenson went after Alec, but the man can handle himself, apparently. Alec said he got it all on video, so if Jenson comes after him, he has proof.”
Her chest seized by sudden anxiety, Iris jumped off the stool and snatched up her purse. “Where is he?”
“Who? Jenson?”
“No, Alec. I’m going to kill that man!” she stormed and rushed for the front door, the photograph still in her hands. “Joe, where is he? And don’t lie, I know you two were up to something today.”
When she reached the front door, she turned to look back and Joe’s whole body sagged. “Home. He should be at his home.” He rattled off the address, and Iris was out the door in a blink. She stalked down the street, keeping one eye peeled for Jenson in case he decided to return and the other for Alec just in case he wasn’t home. She garnered several annoyed looks from those she passed, but she ignored them all.
Alec was an idiot, a damn fool for messing with Jenson in the first place. He didn’t know what he was capable of, hadn’t seen Jenson lose it completely. She had—enough times to know he was a ticking time bomb and was going to seriously hurt someone one of these days. She was halfway to Alec’s house before she realized she had the photograph in a death grip, but it was too late to do anything with it so she continued on her rampage down Main Street before turning right at City Hall headed towards the outskirts of town where the larger houses were built. It only took a minute for her to find Alec’s beat-up old black truck parked in the driveway. She hurried up the path and pounded her fist on the door.
