“Drew?” Baron all but shoved Patience in the drummer’s arms. “Get her out of sight. I want to handle this.”
“Baron, don’t!” Patience called out to him, but it was too late. Baron had closed the limited distance between himself and the tabloid’s crew. Drew prevented Patience from stepping between Baron and Peterson.
“Keep walking,” Drew muttered, taking her elbow and steering her to his truck.
“You don’t know Baron like I do. He’ll end up and get arrested if these guys don’t back down.”
“Shit.” A tall and skinny fellow, Drew peered over the truck. “Looks like they aren’t backing.”
Peterson called out, “What’s it gonna be, Miss McKay? Will our readers enjoy a story from your mouth or one from mine?”
“Let me go talk to him, Drew.”
He blocked her path. “You don’t understand how this guy works. It doesn’t matter what you say. He’ll still tell his own version of the story. That’s the way he rolls.”
“All right then, we’ll record the interview with our phones.” She peered around Drew and hurriedly shouted, “Mr. Peterson! We don’t have a lot of time before the show tonight so if you’ll follow us, I’ll speak to you at the fairgrounds.”
“You heard the lady.” Surprisingly enough, Baron was levelheaded. He took a step back but then made a grave mistake by adding, “If Mark doesn’t mind you talking to her then you can—”
“Wait a minute. Did you say Mark? Don’t you mean Spenser?” Max stepped forward and thrust his microphone in front of Patience. He smirked at Baron and then shot Patience a look full of condemnation. “I knew it!”
Baron glanced over his shoulder and his expression spoke volumes. He’d fucked up and knew it.
“Your relationship truths were bound to come out sooner or later,” Drew said in a barely audible voice.
“Now wasn’t the choice place or time,” Patience said, realizing it would just take one off-color remark before Baron would respond.
“Agreed,” Drew said, handing her the keys. “Get behind the wheel and pick us up. Max is a douche. This is about to get ugly.”
“So apparently the rumors are true,” Peterson said, tapping his fingers against his thin lips. “You’re Spenser’s and Mark’s mistress?”
“What she is and isn’t doesn’t concern you,” Baron said in a loud voice. “Patience is her own person. She isn’t a mistress to anyone. More importantly, unlike some, she isn’t a media whore!”
As soon as he was challenged, that was all she wrote. Microphones and camera equipment flew through the air. Max and Peterson antagonized the situation with crude comments. Each caught a left hook, one punch thrown by Baron and the other one by Drew.
Patience clumsily stuck the keys in the ignition and started the truck. By the time she backed out of the parking space, another camera crew was swarming the vehicle. She threw it in park, sat there for a minute, and then finally put it in drive again. Then, she inched forward, afraid to give the truck too much gas for fear she would hit an innocent bystander.
A crowd of spectators gathered around. Baron and Drew pushed their way to the truck. She leaned across the seat and quickly opened the door. A microphone was immediately thrust in her face.
“Miss McKay, do you have any comment on the relative topic? Are you sleeping with both McCoy brothers?”
“Why would you ask me that?” She quickly shook her head, but to deny the accusation was almost as bad as rebuking her love for them. She couldn’t do that.
Immediately, she remembered her father’s words. Daddy Joshua had once said, “Young lady, if you’re gonna drop ‘em for a couple of guys, make sure they’re worth it. And you’d better be ready for the consequences when you do. People talk and they pay close attention when the news is good and juicy. If you’re gonna do the crime, you fess up to how you spend your time. You owe the men in your life that much.”
“Miss McKay!” The microphone was right under her chin then. “Are you denying the accusation?”
Patience snapped out of her temporary stupor. Mark and Spenser had tried to protect her. Drew and Baron were there doing the same thing now.
She didn’t need protection from the press. She didn’t want to run and hide. More importantly, she wouldn’t run and hide.
She was loved and she wouldn’t dare bow her head in shame.
“No, I’m not denying anything,” she said. “But Baron and Drew told you to talk to the McCoy brothers. You should probably save your questions for Mark and Spenser. In the meantime, go ahead and report what you must. I’m well loved and you can only spin that so many different ways.”
Chapter Six
“Are you out of your damned mind?” Baron hadn’t uttered the first word since they’d peeled out of the diner’s parking lot. “What were you thinking back there?”
Now at the fairgrounds, Patience left the truck and slammed the door. Shaken, she couldn’t think of the right words to say. It was bad enough that the media had swarmed her, but Baron never raised his voice with her. “I didn’t know what to do.”
“The hell you didn’t,” Baron said, now at her side. “You could’ve listened. I—we—were trying to protect you!”
“Here now!” Drew snapped, unlocking Mark’s and Spenser’s bus and moving aside for Patience to pass. “There’s no reason for you to get all bent out of shape. What’s done is done.”
“What’s done is she didn’t keep her mouth shut and now the entire week will be about the tabloids trying to make her out as some two-bit whore!”
“I’m not,” she said quietly, giving Baron a fierce look. She couldn’t believe he wanted to do this now. “And you weren’t too worried about keeping my mouth shut earlier.” She climbed inside the RV, aware of Drew’s snickering behind her back.
“She makes a strong case,” Drew said.
“What’d you know? You haven’t been traveling with us.” Baron was clearly pissed and it didn’t take a scientist to dissect the reason why.
“I didn’t have to be a fly on the wall to know what kind of humpin’ and grindin’ was goin’ on behind closed doors. Just be glad I spotted Peterson’s entourage when I did. Imagine what kind of story they would’ve featured if they’d caught the two of you coming out of the restroom together.”
“He has a point, Baron,” Patience said, collapsing on one of the leather recliners and propping up her feet. “And I can’t worry about what people suspect or what they know.”
“Suspect, hell! You basically told them you were fucking both McCoys.”
“And that bothers you why?” Drew asked, carrying their luggage inside. “You realize that is the truth. Right?”
Baron’s heated gaze met hers. She understood what was on his mind and she could guess why her response to the accusations had bothered him. He didn’t want her in the tabloids, especially if the articles would depict her as Mark’s and Spenser’s girlfriend.
Drew did the whole gaze bouncing thing again. “For crying out loud, man. Pull it together! Believe me. I wouldn’t mind fucking her lights out, but I’m a bit smarter than that. Spenser is obsessed with her and Mark plans to marry her.” He returned to the truck for the rest of their luggage.
“Should I kill him now or later?” Baron asked tightly.
She was somewhat relieved when his lips turned up in a cute boyish smile. “Let him live another day.”
“As long as he keeps it in his pants,” Baron said, shaking his head. “I’m still boiling. He had no reason to talk to you like that.”
“Drew carries on with something all the time. I don’t pay any attention to him.”
In an hour or so, Mark and Spenser would come through that door with good loving on their minds. In the past, Baron had been known to take a walk or watch a movie, but he wasn’t the same Baron. A lot had changed between them. Baron probably wasn’t going anywhere until they all sat down to a powwow.
Drew returned with the last of their luggage. Baron closed th
e door behind him and took a seat on the sofa across from Patience. He splayed his legs and crossed those thick arms over his chest, taking on a dark, brooding persona.
A woman didn’t challenge a man like Baron. She didn’t tempt or tease him.
Baron was a good fuck waiting to happen. He was a man who embraced his sexuality, his carnal presence. Guys like Baron knew their way around a woman’s body. Women like Patience knew the score. Tallying it placed the weaker sex at a grave disadvantage particularly when witnesses were nearby.
Her focus shifted to Drew. “Did you say you wanted to fuck me?”
“If you’re just now catching that, it’s probably not lookin’ too good for the home team—me.” Drew paused long enough to shoot her a quick wink, then opened and closed cabinets over the sink. Locating what he wanted, he pulled out a tube of ointment and dotted the clear substance on his scraped knuckles. Holding up the tube, he asked, “How about you, Baron? You need some?”
“Do you need a bandage, too?” Baron laughed. “And no, I’m fine. Thanks.”
“You didn’t even look at your—”
“I’m fine,” he bit out.
“All right then,” Drew said, grabbing a beer from the fridge. “Mark and Spenser made it to the store last night. You guys are stocked up.” He thumbed the back of the bus. “The rest of us are two trailers back. This festival is the biggest in South Cali. We’ve talked to folks who’ve been here in previous years. It’s apparently one big party. Once it starts at nine tonight, the shows are back to back for three solid days.” He checked his wristwatch. “Guess you guys better get some rest.”
Patience didn’t comment. Baron only grunted.
“Or whatever it is you need to do so you can enjoy the rest of your week.” Drew opened the door and started down the steps. He paused one last time and addressed Baron. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
“No.” Baron never moved.
“All-righty then. Have it your way.” Patience expected Drew to leave. Instead, he faced them both. “Mark and Spenser are good guys. I’m not telling either of you anything you don’t already know. What you may not know, Patience, is they gave us both permission….but ultimately only you can make the choice. I’ve never pressured you because it’s not my place.” He narrowed his eyes on Baron. “Yeah, I know about the phone call the other night. I was here when you spoke to Spenser and Mark. After you guys discussed your feelings for Patience, I told ‘em what was on my mind, too.”
“So you had a talk with them?”
“You knew we’d discussed you.” Other than the short reply, Baron never moved a muscle. Her gaze dipped. On second thought, he’d stirred where it mattered.
“You still with me?” Drew asked, waving his hand in front of Patience’s face. He’d clearly caught her staring at Baron’s crotch.
“Yes,” she replied, angst-ridden now that Drew had thrown another knot in her not-so-simple life.
She’d always been attracted to Drew but she hadn’t thought of him as a potential lover due to his undeniable charms with most members of the opposite sex. If she ever considered Drew as a partner, he would need to change his ways. He had quite the reputation, one he’d worked hard to earn. On second thought, he was pretty to look at, but beyond that? She wasn’t interested in damaged goods.
“The fellas told you to live well. You’ve been told to take whatever it is that life offers you because Mark and Spenser know there’s something between you and Baron. That ‘live and enjoy your life’ bit they gave you a few years back? That was for Baron.
“If I’ve heard them say it once, I’ve heard both of them say it a hundred times. They’re on the road, but Baron is home with you. Hell, I’m not even in your bed and I feel better knowing he’s with you.
“Look at you two. The sexual tension in here is so thick, you can see it.” He glanced down at Baron and shook his head. “Not that I’m looking at your cock, bro, but I mean, come on now. You look at her and get a boner.” He focused on Patience then. “Just do your thing and tell them about it later. They already think it and they’ve accepted that you have feelings for one another. You’re only hurting yourselves. Besides, I’m afraid if y’all don’t hurry up and fuck each other, when you do finally get together, you’ll just about kill one another.”
“Or stay in bed a while,” Baron suggested in a guttural voice. He dropped his clasped hands between his parted legs.
Patience’s mouth watered as she focused on that snug package between his thighs. Her breasts were fuller, her nipples as hard and tight as little beads.
In that moment, all she could think about was the recent past. Making out with Baron at the diner had been hardcore sexy. When he’d pushed her up against that bathroom wall and reminded her how it felt to be a woman, how it felt to be a woman truly wanted by a man, she’d known then. She and Baron had an undeniable chemistry, one which had grown stronger with each passing day.
“By the way, Peterson and his crew were probably held up at the gate. I’ll make sure they don’t get near this bus.” Drew sighed. “Well then, since I’m not needed for anything else…” He let his voice trail, likely expecting an invitation. When he didn’t receive one, he added, “You two kids have fun.”
“We will,” Baron whispered, gaping at her as if he were trying to decide where he wanted to start and just how much foreplay he’d make her suffer through before he gave her what she needed.
The soft hum of the generator in the background made Patience even more aware of the potent connection she and Baron shared. The tension was electric, powerful. Baron’s all-male rogue look made her mouth water, her pussy clench. The physical dynamics between them were certain to combust once they embraced their sexual chemistry and enjoyed one another in the more carnal sense.
After a minute more of silence, Patience leapt to her feet. She needed fresh air and time to clear her head.
Baron, apparently, had other ideas.
* * * *
“Stop.”
Patience came to an abrupt halt as soon as he spoke. Her shoulders slumped as she released a deep, apparently held, breath.
“Turn around.” Baron was tired of playing games. Drew had said it best. Mark and Spenser wanted Patience to live. They’d discussed their feelings with Baron and he’d been honest with them. Two years ago, Baron had told them he had feelings for her and those feelings had deepened.
His friends were playing the good old boys game. They were standing back and waiting. They were on the road so they weren’t exactly pushing her into his arms, but they weren’t going to stand in his way either. They realized she had needs, desires, and they more or less approved of a third male in Patience’s bed. To hear Drew tell all, they’d approved a fourth as well.
Like he’d stand by and let that happen.
“Baron,” she whispered, pivoting to her left.
He leaned back on the bench-style sofa. He spread his legs wider, placed his hands on his thighs, and eyed the curvaceous little vixen in front of him. God bless, she’d ripped up his world. He’d lived and breathed for her, everything about his existence screamed Patience McKay. Even Kane had noticed.
“Take off your shirt.” His vision blurred. His fingers burned. He wanted to eat up the very sight of her before he let himself touch her, before he lost himself in her lust-driven kiss again.
“Baron.” She took a deep breath, her heavy chest rising and falling as she said his name.
“Mind me, Patience.”
She jerked. Her flushed face turned a brighter shade of pink and those tight little nipples pressed against the thin shirt she wore.
His husky voice definitely turned her on. Without a doubt, his demands made her crazy. Damn if they didn’t drive him out of his mind as well.
Baron had always known it would be like this. He’d suspected she would eagerly respond to his voice. He’d dreamt of moments like these, more intense moments than what they’d already shared.
“I still belong to them.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
“Not like before, Patience.”
“How could you say that?”
“Want me to spell it out to you?” Baron had waited for the opportunity. “I had planned to talk about this when they were here but you and I can go ahead and cover the basics. They haven’t collared you. They haven’t signed a contract with you. They’ve told you to live and to experience everything life has to offer you. You’re committed to them and they are to you. I don’t doubt that for a minute, but your long-distance relationship has more distance than ever before. Do you want to know why?”
She quickly shook her head.
“You need to know.” He stood then and went to her. Cupping her cheek, he dragged his thumb across the swell of her bottom lip. “Because they’ve always known it wouldn’t just be you and them, Patience. I’ve always been there. I’m the one you count on, Patience.”
Those big brown eyes were his undoing when they softened like warm milk chocolate. Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes but they didn’t fall. Instead, she lowered her gaze to the floor and bowed her head. “Yes, Baron. You’ve always been here for me.”
“You can look at me,” he said, feeling the need to grant her permission.
Patience had been reared in a loving home with parents who lived in the lifestyle. By all accounts, Vicky McKay enjoyed her position as a shared submissive wife. Thanks to her parents as well as her fetish club Clink, Patience wasn’t just vaguely familiar with the lifestyle. She had witnessed pretty much everything and often had a front row seat to some real kinky shows.
Her awareness had been one of the reasons Baron had been drawn to her. He’d wanted a woman knowledgeable about the lifestyle, a woman who would trust him without question.
“You never cease to amaze me,” he whispered, realizing then that he wanted Patience for so many different reasons. She made him smile, made him laugh even. She pushed him to his limits and made him as horny as he’d ever been and he’d grown tired of self-pleasure or worse—taking another woman when the buildup became too much to handle on his own.
Sex Fest [Cowboy Sex 8] (Siren Publishing LoveEdge) Page 7
