Then, she was given this assignment, and her happiness went away.
She had learned on the drive from Denver to Celestial that this would be Agent Michaels last assignment… He was retiring. Angelica wanted so much to talk to him about his decision, but mainly she wanted to know if it was because of her. Landon was still young, by the Bureau’s standards, and still had many good years left in him, yet he was walking away from it all. She didn’t understand.
The reality of the situation was oblivious to her, but knowing Landon, once his mind was made up, there was no changing it. As much as she didn’t want to lose him as a partner, she wanted him to be happy.
A soft knock at the door brought her out of her stupor. Turning her head, she said, “Come in.”
The door opened, and Landon stuck his head in. “Hey, Ace. Dinner’s ready, so whenever you’re done in here, why don’t you come out and eat with us?”
“Is he behaving?”
“As best as I’ve ever seen.” Landon smiled.
“That isn’t saying much, Landon.”
“He’s trying, so that says a lot.”
“Fine,” she sighed. “Give me five minutes, okay?”
Landon nodded and quietly closed the door.
* * * *
Walking into the living room, Landon sat on the couch and wondered how he was going to proceed. After picking up Pisces from the gym, Pisces let it slip that Ace had given him an in, which totally shocked the hell out of Landon. Ace had been explicitly clear on her feelings for Pisces, yet for some nefarious reason, she was giving him three shots for a date. It all made no sense.
Was she screwing with his mind? Was she just toying with him? Regardless, Landon didn’t feel right about it all. Ace was up to something, and he needed to figure out what it was before she hurt Pisces. But the main thing he needed to figure out was how in the hell was he going to get Ace into his bed. According to Pisces, they only had three days before she was leaving. Landon had three fucking days to sweep the woman off her feet and persuade her that her life was here in Celestial with him and Pisces. How he was going to accomplish that insurmountable feat was beyond him.
“Is she coming?” Pisces asked, walking into the room. Landon, wearing an apron and nothing else, still couldn’t believe Pisces was all for this three-guess challenge. The man was insane.
“Yeah,” Landon said, rubbing his face. “She said to give her five minutes.”
“Good.” Pisces grinned and then turned to walk back into the kitchen, his ass once again on display. Shaking his head, Landon wondered if Pisces understood the meaning of wearing clothes. Not that he cared. He liked seeing Pisces naked. The man had a stellar body and one swanky piece of meat, which thanks to Ace was now out of commission.
A few minutes later Ace emerged from the bathroom, wearing a soft baby blue sweater and a pair of dark skinny jeans. Her long white-blonde hair was free and flowing down her back. Landon had only ever seen her hair down once back when she first started at the Bureau. Why she chose to wear it contained after that, he didn’t know, because if it were his decision, he would have preferred it down. Angelica was stunning, and the ninety-five percent of the time she wore men clothes, she was still all woman. Landon only wished that she would grasp her inner woman more often, because when she did, she shined brightly.
Getting to his feet, he smiled. “You look pretty, Ace.”
When the woman blushed and said nothing, Landon thought for a second he might have stepped over some kind of imaginary line. Yet, as the color of her blush deepened, making her cheeks a deeper shade of rose, Landon thought that just maybe this was all going to work out. Offering her his arm, he asked, “May I escort you to dinner?”
“I think I would like that, yes.” She blushed even deeper and placed her hand in the crook of his arm. The second her tiny hand touched his arm, Landon felt as if he had just accomplished a magnificent feat. Leading her into the small dining room, Pisces had everything prepared and ready. The table looked beautiful with its white linen tablecloth and two candles lit, illuminating the small room. The dinner service was exquisite, and from the look of it, it was never used. Pulling out a chair for her, Landon waited until Ace was seated, and then took the seat next to her.
When Pisces arrived with the food, Ace sighed and asked, “Where are your clothes?”
“I’m wearing an apron,” Pisces responded, placing the casserole dish in the middle of the table.
“Wearing an apron is not clothes. I can see your ass.”
“Well, thanks to someone who will not be named, Henry is incapacitated and needs room to move around, and thanks to the small swelling in my balls, everything I put on made it feel as if my dick was in a vise. So, to appease your sensitive sensibilities, I am wearing an apron.”
“Pisces,” Landon threatened.
“What! It was her fault. She hit me in the nuts. I can’t wear clothes until the swelling goes down.”
Getting up from her chair, Ace moaned. “Look, maybe this wasn’t a good idea. I’m tired. I’m just gonna head to bed.”
“No!” both men shouted at the same time, but it was Pisces who spoke first.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I did. Please stay.”
Landon looked from Pisces to Ace, and when neither one moved, he thought all was lost. If they couldn’t even sit down to dinner without arguing, then there was no way they were going to get Ace to stay.
“Please,” Pisces whispered. “Truly I am sorry.”
Nodding, Ace sat back down, and Landon finally took a breath.
Not the best start, but it was a start, he thought as Pisces uncovered the casserole dish.
“I hope you like Tater-Tot Casserole. My mom used to make this when I was a kid,” Pisces carefully said, dishing out a big helping for Ace. When she nodded, Pisces smiled. Landon handed Pisces his plate, and before long, everyone was seated at the table, yet no one was eating.
“Do we eat or say grace?” Ace asked.
“Who’s Grace?” Pisces asked, picking up his fork.
“Never mind,” Ace replied, and started to eat.
“So,” Landon began. “I was thinking since we’re all here and no one’s trying to kill each other yet, we could talk about the case. Mr. Hummel will be arriving in Celestial in three days, and, Pisces, Ace and I really needed some information from you.”
“Yeah,” Ace added, wiping her mouth with a napkin. “Please explain to me how you know Hummel.”
“Oh we grew up together,” Pisces said clearly, as if it were common knowledge.
“I thought Hummel was born in Serbia?” Ace asked Landon. Landon shrugged his shoulders and leaned back in his chair. Knowing Pisces, this was going to be a long and confusing story. Therefore, Landon got comfortable because tonight’s dinner was going to take a while. Letting Ace take the lead, Landon listened attentively as she got Pisces talking.
Pisces laughed. “Oh please! That jackass was born and raised right here in Celestial. Serbia! Ha, wait till I tell Apollo. He is going to laugh his ass off.”
“So you know him well, then?” Ace asked.
“Too well. He was a pain in my ass growing up, and he’s still a pain in my ass now. Do you know that idiot was never happy with what the universe gave him? He wanted more, and he used me to get it, all because I was better at it than him. Man that really ruffled his feathers.”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you know that before I became the sheriff here, I was a professional fighter? I was good at it, too, and V wanted to make sure no took advantage me. Of course, I knew he was doing it for his own personal reason, and I wanted no part of it or him. But V got Mom involved. I was stuck. Mom chewed my ass and told me I had to let him help me. That’s how V became my manager. At first, everything was going great. We were getting along fine. He scheduled all my fights, and soon we were rolling in money. Then he scheduled a big fight for me, saying everything was legit, but right before I walked into the ring,
V pulled me aside and told me to throw the fight. When I refused, he said if I didn’t someone was going to kill him. You see, what I didn’t know at the time was that my manager was betting against me, and he lost a big chuck of the money I made to bookies. Well, when one particular bookie agreed to forgive his debt only if I threw the match, I lost it. I was so mad when I went into that ring I damn near killed my opponent. After that, I refused to fight again. I quit, which pissed off V and angered the bookie. After the fight I left and came back home. I haven’t seen him since. Last I heard he was somewhere in Chicago, living it up on the money he managed to squander from my fights. So that’s how I know him.”
“The Bureau has no record of Hummel ever being a manager for a fighter, or him ever living in Chicago. None of this makes since.”
“Just because the FBI doesn’t have a record of it doesn’t make it true. You’ll see. V will show up as promised, and when he does, all hell will break lose. He can be very aggravating when the mood suits him, and he really hates me. I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually tries to kill me.”
“Well, I won’t let that happen. That’s why Landon and I are here. So how did you get a hold of him?”
“Oh, I did a quick Internet search and found his number. V was always predictable. He always has a number listed in case of emergencies.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, you just have to know what to look for. He’s pretty good at hiding his identity, because that bookie is still looking for him. But I found him easily.”
“Damn, if the Bureau knew any of this, then maybe we wouldn’t have to be here and Hummel would already be in jail.”
“I’m glad you didn’t know, because if you did, you wouldn’t be sitting here with me.”
Landon had to give his boy props. He was laying on the charm pretty thick, and from the soft blush on Ace’s cheeks, it was working. Whoever said Pisces couldn’t be charming apparently hadn’t given the man enough credit. Oh, he was still a vain SOB, but when he wanted to be, he could be very sweet. For the rest of the meal, the conversation was light and fun.
Getting up to help clear the dishes, Landon about dropped everything when Pisces ripped off his apron, stretched, and said, “So, Princess Sugar-Britches, are you ready?”
Coughing, Ace spit water across the table. Clearing her throat, she replied, “Ready for what?”
“My first guess.” Pisces grinned evilly, his eyebrows wiggling. “I thought long and hard about our challenge, and since I’m only allowed three guesses, I figure I would need all the help I could get. So, I borrowed your iPod.”
“You were in my room, and you went through my things?”
“First, it’s my room, and I am allowing you dwell there until you come to your senses and join Landon and me in the master suite, where the two of you can worship my body as the heavens intended. Second, I didn’t go through your things. The iPod was sitting on the dresser.”
“Un-be-lieve-able,” Ace enunciated, shaking her head.
“I know I’m just sexy good like that. Anyway, I’m ready to give you my first guess.”
Leaning back in her chair, Angelica grinned. “All right, Pisces, I’m ready whenever you are.”
“Sweet!” Pisces smiled and literally ran from the room skipping and jumping as if he was a small child and his parents just told him they were taking him to Disneyland.
Landon placed the dishes back on the table and kneeled next to her. “Ace, you don’t have to do this. I know you want nothing to do with him. Let me talk to him.”
“It’s all right, Landon. Pisces, I can handle. Besides, there is no way in hell he will guess my favorite song.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because it’s not on my iPod.” She grinned wickedly.
Landon chuckled. “That’s just mean, leading him on like that.”
“You didn’t think I was going to make it easy for him, did you?”
“No, ma’am. You don’t make anything easy,” he whispered getting up, taking the dishes with him. Landon had just put the dirty dishes in the sink when the cabin’s surround sound clicked on and the sounds of Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” vibrated through the speakers. Shaking his head, Landon walked back into the dining room to see Pisces dancing around to the nineties rap song. He had moves, Landon would give him that, but when Pisces turned around, giving Ace a nice view of his naked ass, Landon about lost it as Pisces started twerking.
The man had no scruples…none at all!
Chapter Nine
Angelica couldn’t sleep. It was after two in the morning, and she was hot. The cabin was exceptionally warm as she threw back the covers, letting fresh air hit her overheated body. Since going to bed, all she could think of was Pisces and his stupid Miley Cyrus dance impression. Thanks to Pisces, she had never laughed so hard, and boy did it feel good.
For the first time since she met the naked sheriff, she actually enjoyed his company, which shocked the hell out of her. Generally, the man got on her last nerve, but she had to admit he was trying to be somewhat civil and use what manners he knew.
Then there was Landon, who, against everything she knew about the man, was amazed to find out that not only was he smart, but he was funny and seemed to care about what she thought and did. During dinner, she had never talked so much about herself, and to find two men who actually listened and understood was something she thought she’d never see. She was starting to believe that she really didn’t know either man, and that what she did know about them was a shield. It seemed as if Landon and Pisces were as they were because they were hiding something.
She could see that regarding Landon. The man was typically reserved and quiet, yet around Pisces, he was happy, open, and freer. Letting go of all of his inhibitions, Landon was able to be who he always wanted to be. Yet, she still felt as if she were missing something, that Landon was hiding something else. As for Pisces, who knew? That man was a conundrum. Oh he had his mysteries, but even contemplating what they were was sure to give her a massive migraine. Angelica figured the only way she was ever going to figure Pisces out was if he willingly told her. However, for him to do that, he would have to be serious, and that was something she knew Pisces could never do. The man didn’t have a serious bone in his body.
Getting out of bed, she removed the T-shirt she wore and took off her panties. With the house quiet, she decided to take a chapter out of Pisces’s book. Walking around the room naked, she was amazed at how free she felt. It was weird, because all she wanted to do was cover up. Yet, she was somewhat liberated, almost as if an inner confidence she never knew she had emerged and took root. Stretching her arms above her head, she walked over to the dresser mirror and looked at her naked self. What she saw confused her. Yes, she was a woman, like any other, she thought, yet as the moonlight filtered into the room, there was a glow about her. For the first time, she thought of herself as pretty.
Her long white-blonde hair glistened like the moon. For the longest time, she cursed her hair. Her hair was so thick and wavy there wasn’t much she could do with it, so she generally wore it in a bun at the base of her neck. Then there were the times when she was younger that people made fun of her, thinking she was albino. No matter how many times she said she wasn’t, she never could convince them, and eventually, she just tried to hide it. Yet, now in the light of the moon, she realized that her hair was beautiful, that she was blessed to have such a thick white mane of hair. Her hair was unique, and that made her smile.
Her body was a bigger revelation. For the longest time, she thought her body was nothing special, just a typical female’s body. When she matured, and her breast grew, like most naïve girls, she hid what Mother Nature gave her. It wasn’t until she started at the Bureau that she tried to experiment with different clothes, but it only backfired. Thanks to that humiliating experience in the pageant, her coworkers chuckled and snickered, calling her beauty queen. After that, she vowed to hide her body and let her mind do the talking. H
owever, looking at herself now, what she saw was a curvy woman, with a narrow waist, full perky breasts, and a flat stomach. Her skin was creamy, almost like churned butter. Her legs were long and shapely. She was a woman, and for the first time in her life, she began to feel comfortable in her own skin.
Looking outside, she smiled, wondering what it would be to walk out there, naked. The sliding glass doors were only a few steps away. No one would see her, and the guys were sleeping. All she had to do was step outside and she would now what Pisces felt. However, what she needed now was courage, courage enough to do the unthinkable.
Taking a deep breath, she walked over to the sliding glass door, opened it, and walked out onto the back deck. There was a nip in the night air as she looked up at the mountain range, smiling, for a summer storm was brewing. Leaning her elbows against the railing, she caught the scent of rain on the breeze. The clouds darkened as they rolled across the sky. The deep rumble of distant thunder sent low-level vibrations through the ground, which she could actually feel under her feet. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back and listened to the sounds of nature and the heavens above. She felt invigorated standing outside naked, and as the breeze picked up, calmness blanketed her. Her mind cleared as she just felt.
As the tremors of the brewing storm began to fade, she heard footsteps on the deck. Angelica didn’t bother turning around. She already knew who it was. He never was a heavy sleeper, and her movements probably woke him. She should have known better, but it was too late to do anything. He had already seen her, there was no going back, and she steeled herself for another rejection.
Clothing the Naked Sheriff [Celestial Nights 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 8
