Heat Wave: A Summer Loving Anthology

by Anthology

  Did he not realise animals had fantastic hearing?

  I opened my mouth to speak, but the door to the prefab behind me suddenly opened and laughter spilled into the silent room.

  I turned and looked at the men who entered the room. The man with red hair, Trace said his name was Teller, was there. Teller was with two other men who both were tall and well built. One had blond hair and the other had brown. Both were very good looking. Too good looking.

  The blond man said to his friends, "Mate, you should have seen her friend. It would have been the best threesome I have ever fucking-"

  Trace cut off the rambling man with a loud clearing of his throat. This got the attention of the man, his brunette friend and Teller. They switched their attention to Trace then to me when they saw I was a few feet away from them.

  "My bad." The blond man winced. "I didn't realise we had company."

  I held up my hands. "Please, don't stop your pigheaded account of a possible threesome just because I'm here."

  The man, and his friends, raised their eyebrows at me, then looked to Trace.

  "What did you do to anger her?" Teller asked Trace. "She's only been in here two minutes."

  Trace set his jaw. "Why do you assumed I did something wrong?"

  The man with brown hair gestured to me. "She was pissed off before we even entered the room, my money is on you being the cause of it."

  Trace gave the three men the middle finger. "Fuck you, Bryan, and you two as well. She pissed herself off without my help."

  For real?

  "That's bullshit," I snapped.

  "Is it?" Trace questioned. "You only got mad when you found out it was a construction business operating here and that I co-owned it."

  I glared at Trace. "I'm mad because you chose a site next to my family's shelter when there is plenty of other land for sale that you could have bought."

  "Not that it's any of your business," Trace began, "but this land was the best choice for us. It will be the easiest to level out and build on. We can hardly build our headquarters on a slope, can we?"

  I widened my eyes. "You're building your headquarters here?"

  "Yes."

  "No bloody way!" I bellowed.

  Trace blinked his eyes at me. "Excuse me?"

  "You can't set up your business here. You just can't."

  Trace folded his arms across his chest. "We can and we have."

  "You bastard!"

  Trace's mouth dropped open. "And here I thought you were timid as a little mouse."

  "Don't make assumptions about people you don't know," I countered.

  He grinned. "Noted."

  "This is bullshit," I grunted to myself.

  Trace was still staring at me. "You'll have to speak up, little mouse, I can't hear you."

  He was infuriating.

  "My name is Shay so use it."

  Trace snickered like an immature children. "I prefer little mouse."

  I was surprised when what felt like rage consumed me. I hardly ever got angry, I was a timid person who didn't like anything loud, but all I wanted to do was scream and shout at this idiot for making me feel this way.

  I didn't though, I kept my composure.

  "Is their someone else I could speak to? Someone who doesn't have the mentality of a ten year old boy baiting children in the playground with silly name calling perhaps?"

  Holy sass. Where in the Hell did that come from?

  Trace blinked his big blue eyes at me then glanced to the three God-like men behind him, and when he laughed, so did they.

  "Did she just call me stupid?" he asked his laughing friends.

  Teller snickered. "I think she called you a boy, too."

  Trace turn back to me, his eyes gleaming. "Little mouse has a backbone after all."

  A backbone I'll beat you with.

  I blew out a tired breath. "I'm bored of you. Can I speak to someone else who can actually help me?"

  Trace smirked. "No, I'm the boss," he jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, "and so are they. Talk."

  "I have been talking, but you haven't been listening."

  "Because what you had to say is of no interest to me."

  I set my jaw. "Is it really necessary for you to be an arsehole?"

  Trace's friends cracked up harder than before and it grated on my nerves.

  "I've found it's usually always necessary for me to be an arsehole."

  "God help the woman, or man, who ends up with you," I said with a roll of my eyes.

  Trace's eyes widened. "Or man? Are you shitting me? I'm not gay."

  I blinked. "Teller said you were his partner so I figured you were."

  "He is my business partner."

  "Okay."

  A chuckled sounded from behind me. "Yeah, good looking, there is nothing sexual between me and Trace no matter how much he tries to deny his sexual need for me. I don't bat for that team."

  Trace growled at his friend, "You're not helping."

  I was confused and Trace saw it on my face.

  He took a step forward. "I'm. Not. Gay."

  Why was he getting in my space?

  "I. Said. Okay."

  Trace's eye twitched and it cheered me up.

  I was irritating him... or the now howling laughter of his friends was getting on his nerves. It was one or the other. I didn't care what was annoying him, I was just glad something was.

  "Are you mad?" I questioned, hoping my smirk wasn't obvious.

  "Yeah," Trace glared, "I am."

  "Good," I quipped then walked forward, making sure my shoulder hit against his arm as I forcibly brushed by him.

  I stopped when I was stood in front of Trace's friends. They weren't dying of laughter anymore, they were grinning from ear to ear, but their undivided attention was on me and it made me sweat.

  I pushed my nervousness aside though and stood tall.

  "I'm not dealing with the man-child behind me any further, so I'll present my complaints to you three."

  The man with blond hair groaned. "We're here a few days and there is already someone putting in a complaint? Fan-fucking-tabulous."

  "Chill, hear her out before you flip out," Teller teased to his friend.

  "Bite me, arsehole," Blondie hissed.

  I held my hands up. "Lads, please."

  Teller looked to me with a bright smile. "Lay your complaints on us, darling."

  I lightly flushed at the endearment, but overlooked it when I focused on my reason for being here.

  "One of your workers almost killed me and my dogs today," I said bluntly.

  All three men's jaws dropped open and their eyes widened.

  "Can you repeat that?"

  This question came from behind me and the lure of his voice caused my skin to break out into goosebumps. A shiver shot up through me and I quickly shook it off. I proceeded to answer the question, but spoke to the three men before me rather than the one behind me.

  "I was walking two of the shelter's dogs on a pathway on our property when a tree, branches, and bark fell and almost crushed us. The man was under the impression I was trespassing."

  Teller blinked. "You obviously weren't, but our employees were assigned areas to clear and if you're as close as you say you were to the property line, you can understand why he thought you were trespassing."

  I gnawed on my inner cheek. "I do understand it, but it doesn't change the fact that your workers are causing hazardous debris to fall onto our property. It has to be rectified."

  Teller nodded in agreement. "It will, I assure you."

  I nodded my head once. "Thank you."

  "You should steer clear of any trail walking the borders our property, just to be safe," he suggested.

  I turned and glared at him. "I don't think so. We've been on this mountain a lot longer than you and we have a routine that will not be disrupted for you."

  Trace grinned at me. "You don't like me anymore, do you?"

  Excuse me?

  "I've never he
ld an opinion of you. I only met you last night... you know, when you knocked Hazel down."

  Trace's eyes darkened. "It was an accident."

  "Sure it was."

  I rolled my eyes and it caused Trace to tense.

  "Watch yourself, little mouse, I'm being nice to you right now, don't make me reconsider making things hard for you or your precious shelter."

  I reeled back at the threat.

  "I'm warning you, Trace McCarty," I snarled, "You may think I'm a quiet girl, but fuck with my animals and I'll fuck with your entire life. Don't push me, buddy. I can make it very difficult for you and your friends to run any sort of business around these parts. Trust me."

  I had no idea how I would follow through with any of what I just said, but I would damn well find a way if the shelter was under threat.

  Trace blinked in surprise. "Are you threatening me, little mouse?"

  "No, Trace." I smirked. "I'm promising you."

  He belly laughed at me. "Bring it, short arse, I'm not afraid of you."

  What. A. Prick.

  I balled my hands into fists and narrowed my eyes.

  "I hope you're ready for this battle."

  He laughed at me, "Baby, I was born ready."

  I angrily spun on my heel and stomped out of the stupid temporary office with Trace's laughter echoing in my ear. I made a silent vow to shut him and his laughter up because there wasn't a chance in hell that I was going to let his business ruin mine.

  No. Way.

  If he wanted a fight, I would damn well give him one.

  This meant war.

  To read more of Sheltered, please Visit L.A. Casey’s Website at http://lacaseyauthor.com/

  Acceptance

  by

  Rachael Brooke

  Prologue

  Nick

  ALONE.

  It was amazing how someone could feel so alone in a room full of people. Standing next to my best friend as we watched another of our friends get married, it was a glaring neon light just how alone I was. Over the years, I'd met women I've wanted, only to lose them to someone else, or had women realize that I wasn't the man for them.

  The last woman I was with stood across from me as the bride's maid of honor. Knowing she came with her newest boyfriend didn't leave the greatest taste in my mouth. It actually made me want to run out the door, not because I had any hard feelings toward her. Morgan made the best decision she could, and I couldn't blame her for that, it just reminded me of all I didn't have.

  Then again, the four men standing beside me had been my friends since the beginning of our freshman year of college. They would be my friends for life and walking away from them because they found happiness didn't seem right. Although, I still needed a break from it all and that was exactly why I had a week-long vacation planned for myself, starting right after the festivities were over.

  An elbow to my side broke me out of my self-induced pity party.

  “Pay attention,” Andrew hissed from my left.

  Giving myself a mental shake, I looked up and unwittingly got caught up in Morgan's gaze across from me. A flicker of sadness, maybe pity, flashed through her eyes. Whatever it was, I didn't need to see it.

  Changing the direction of my focus, I listened as the music changed signaling the arrival of the bride. Lauren looked beautiful walking down the aisle on the arm of Morgan's dad. Lauren's dad had a bad history with both Lauren and Josh, not to mention that he was a complete and total asshole. It didn't surprise me to not see him here. And Lauren and Morgan had been best friends since childhood anyway, so it became the perfect solution.

  Friends.

  The main reason I stood there at the front of the church was to support Josh on his journey into marital bliss. First, it had been Caleb, then Andrew, and now Josh. I didn't have a lot of optimism that I'd be added to that list anytime soon.

  Josh, Andrew, and I had been friends since the beginning. We met on the football field and bonded right away. Caleb took a while to warm up to the rest of us, and while we had our fair share of problems, we'd finally worked through them, much to the relief of our friends.

  Lauren's smile radiated throughout the room as she took her place beside Josh. After all of the shit they'd dealt with, they deserved to be happy. What I wouldn't do for a little happiness for myself. The ceremony ended in a blur and before I knew it, the priest turned them to the crowd for the first kiss.

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride,” he intoned.

  Applause filled the room. With all of the jovial feelings, it was hard to not get caught up in the joy of the moment and celebrate with them. Yet at the same time, it was more than evident that I had just become the third wheel no matter who I happened to be with.

  Chapter 1

  Nick

  “ARE YOU SURE YOU want to go alone?” Andrew asked, probably for the third time that week. “I'll go with you. Keep you company.”

  The look on Emily's face said all I needed to know about that plan. I shook my head and chuckled. “Yeah, man, I don't think that's a great idea. By the look on your wife's face, if I tell you to come with me she's either chopping mine or your dick off. I'm not sure about you, but I'm kinda attached to that part of my body.”

  Emily leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “You know me too well.”

  Andrew wrapped his arm around her waist. “Come on, sweetheart, you don't want Nick to be alone for a week by himself.”

  By myself.

  Moving my gaze over to the dance floor, I avoided eye contact with either of them. That didn't stop me from feeling Emily's eyes on me. After a few moments, she said, “I think being alone is the point of him going.”

  Looking back at Emily, I tried to convey my thanks to her with my eyes. The months we spent living together as roommates, helped me learn about her and she learned a lot about me.

  “Besides, my mom is not going to hang around for an entire week to help me take care of Sarah while you go party down at the Jersey Shore.”

  Andrew scoffed. “It's not like she does much more than eat, sleep, and shit at this point.”

  Emily crossed her arms over her chest. Oh shit. How did Andrew always miss the warning signs that he was going too far? Emily had a temper and it wasn't one I wanted to cross under any circumstances. To be honest, she scared the hell out of me when she was pissed off. “All of which she does in the middle of the night. Plus it's not like you spent the twenty hours in labor to bring our daughter into the world.”

  Andrew's faced blanched. “You're right, babe. Of course I wouldn't leave you alone with Sarah.” He leaned over and kissed her on the head. “Thank you so much for bringing our beautiful daughter into the world.”

  That easily, Emily melted into Andrew's embrace. After all of the time they spent together, he knew exactly how to calm Emily down. Not many people could do that with such ease. Angie, her best friend, was the only other person I knew who Emily actually listened to. And their two month old daughter definitely fit that category.

  “I promise I'll be fine. I rented a house and I'm going to spend the week surfing, eating, drinking, and sleeping.”

  “Eating, drinking, and sleeping? What's new about that?” Lauren asked, walking up hand in hand with Josh.

  “Well, if it isn't Mr. and Mrs. Walker,” Andrew quipped when they reached us.

  Josh raised the hand that was holding Lauren's and placed a brief kiss on it. “Finally.”

  Lauren smacked Josh in the stomach. “I'm not the one who waited forever to ask.”

  Pulling her close, he laughed. “All right you win. As long as you're mine, I don't care how long it took to get here.” He placed a small kiss on her temple.

  That familiarity and closeness, the thing I felt like I didn't have in my life. It surrounded me everywhere I went, and while I knew my friends would never shut me out intentionally, they each had their own lives to focus on. For one week, I wanted to be free from the pitying looks and the set up attem
pts. Maybe my forever wasn't out there.

  “Okay, back to the eating, drinking, and sleeping . . .” Lauren started.

  “Josh is headed to the Jersey Shore for a week,” Emily said.

  Lauren narrowed her eyes. “I don't see what's wrong with that.”

  “Oh, stop it, Lauren, I'm not busting on Jersey. It's just that he's going alone.”

  Lauren spun on her heel to face me. “Why would you go alone? I'm sure Caleb would go with you.”

  “Go where?” Caleb walked up with Angie in tow. The slightly rounded baby bump gave her skin a warm glow.

  Emily pointed at me. “He's planning on going away for a week, by himself.”

  I threw my hands up in the air. “What is this, 'Tell On Nick Day'? Yes. I'm taking a trip to the beach by myself. Look at all of you.” I gestured around to the group. Each of them turned to the person, standing closest to them. The reason, I needed to get away, standing all around me. Everyone one of them was connected by the touch of a hand, or brush of a shoulder. And there I was with no one beside me.

  Josh shrugged. “Yeah, what about us. We're your friends.”

  “And exactly why I need to get away. Every time I hang out with one of you there is a fair chance I'm going to be the third wheel, or even worse the guy with the set up date. And that's when you guys have time to hang out at all. I get it. You guys have families, but I need a break from it all.”

  Angie was quick to rush to my defense. “You're not the third wheel.”

  Wrapping my arm around her, I gave her a quick hug and placed a brief kiss to her temple. “Thanks, Ang. You know as well as I do that's not true. Andrew and Emily have Sarah to take care of now and before you know it, you and Caleb will be a happy Mommy and Daddy too.”

  Turning back towards the rest of the group, I nodded at the newlyweds. “And now with Josh and Lauren finally taking the leap, all of your lives are starting on new journeys. I'm not saying I don't want to be friends. I just need a week to regroup and find myself again.”