by Becca Van
“Whatever,” Enya said, but it was her tone of voice that had Phoenix sighing with frustration and not the word she’d said. Enya sounded as if she didn’t believe a word Katie had just spoken.
Katie sighed with exasperation. “You don’t have to believe me, but surely after you’ve seen what Delta and Violet went through and how their men and the other males banded together to keep them safe, you can’t deny it. You’re lying to yourself if you do.”
Phoenix straightened on his stool, grabbed his coffee mug and took a sip, hoping he looked calm, when inside his gut was roiling. Katie came back into the diner, glanced his way and then picked up one of the freshly brewed pots of coffee and headed over to him.
“Do you want more?” she asked.
“Please.” Phoenix set his mug down.
Katie leaned closer and whispered to him. “Did you hear?”
He nodded and gave her a small smile of thanks.
“I don’t know why she’s scared of the opposite sex, but she is.”
“Do you know anything about her?”
“Not much. She doesn’t talk about herself at all. The only time I’ve ever heard her speak more than a word or two was when she was trying to convince Violet to give her men a chance.”
Phoenix frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. That was a contradiction to what he believed and had just heard. He just hoped that having Enya encouraging one of her business partners to take a chance on love boded well for him, Axel and Camden.
He was more determined than ever to get what he wanted.
Enya.
Nonetheless, they were going to have to be tolerant and keep their heads on straight because Phoenix had a feeling if they lost their cool or got impatient, they would lose their chance at courting the woman of their dreams.
* * * *
Enya finished up and headed out after Delta came in for her shift. She was so tired every muscle and bone in her body was aching. Sometimes she wished she could just fall into bed and sleep for days on end, but that was a luxury that wasn’t going to happen.
Even when she was lucky enough to get a couple of hours of nap time, those horrible subconscious memories always disturbed her rest. But the nightmares weren’t the only reason for her broken sleep. If she didn’t wake up covered in sweat and gasping for breath, she woke up because of the terrible need that set her body to throbbing.
While she’d kept to herself and never had a relationship, she knew what that deep-seated aching throb was. Lust. Pure and simple, but she wasn’t about to acknowledge her needs. As far as she was concerned, to do so was dangerous.
The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, but after a quick glance around she pushed her paranoia aside. Since the incident with Delta, Enya felt as if she was being watched, but she’d never seen anyone taking any particular notice of her.
She was thankful that she didn’t have to worry about some asshole following her to town like Delta and Violet had. Enya was lucky because the fuckers that caused all those nightly terrors were locked six feet under. She had nothing to worry about.
Then why couldn’t she shake the shivers of apprehension that sent shudders racing up her spine?
Enya entered the supermarket and after hooking a carry basket over her arm, she hurried to the fruit and vegetable section. She’d thought about varying her schedule just in case someone was watching her, but decided against it. There was a comfort in keeping to a routine. She didn’t care if anyone thought she was a little unbalanced because she had OCD.
Enya stumbled to a halt and tried to stop her forward momentum as she rounded the corner of the aisle, but she was too late. The breath left her lungs as she slammed into one of the men she’d been trying to avoid.
“Shit! Are you all right?” Camden asked.
A shiver worked its way up her spine and she opened her mouth to answer, but when nothing came out, she quickly closed her mouth and nodded. There was no way she could speak actual words when Camden had his hands on her. She could feel the heat of his palms seeping into the skin of her upper arms through her short-sleeved shirt, and for a moment, she wished she’d worn one of the sleeveless shirts she had hanging in her closet.
“You look tired, sweetheart. Have you been having trouble sleeping?” Camden frowned as he scrutinized her face intently.
Enya gulped and tugged her arms out of his hands before taking a step back. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine. Did you make a follow-up appointment after being in the hospital?”
Although his concern made her heart flutter and filled with a warm fuzzy feeling, she didn’t like being questioned. She lifted her chin toward him and said a little belligerently, “There was no need. I’m fully healed.”
Camden rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “You might be healed physically, but what about emotionally, Enya? Have you been having any nightmares or flashbacks after being hurt?”
She moved closer to him and poked him in the chest. “Listen up. I’m only going to say this once. I’m not your concern. You and your friends aren’t my doctors anymore. So stop being so…”
“Worried? Caring?” Camden quirked an eyebrow.
“Whatever,” Enya muttered as she sidestepped him and hurried away. She didn’t look back when she heard his loud sigh of frustrated exasperation. After grabbing the fresh fruit and vegetables, she turned and headed toward the checkout. She wasn’t surprised to find Camden watching her as if she was a bug under a microscope.
She might not be worldly or experienced with men, but she knew Camden, Phoenix, and Axel were hanging around for a reason. However, she wasn’t about to set herself up only to take a fall. It hurt too much to get close to someone only to have them leave without a backward glance. There was no way in hell she was going to wear her heart on her sleeve only to have it smashed to smithereens.
Sometimes Enya wondered what life was all about. All she’d ever endured was violence, pain, and heartache.
Socializing and getting too close to other people wasn’t in the cards for her. Her mom had been taken from her way too soon and it had taken her years to get over her grief. There was no way she ever wanted to experience that kind of pain again. She’d learned the hard way that it just wasn’t worth it to get too close to another person. Loving and then losing just hurt way too much.
* * * *
Camden watched Enya leave the store and had to fight against his instinctive urges to follow her. There was so much pain in the depth of her blue eyes, it took all of his self-control not to pull her into his arms and just hold her.
He wanted to know every little thing there was to know about Enya Baker and yet he wasn’t sure he, Phoenix, and Axel would ever get the chance to know the real woman behind those sad, pain-filled eyes.
Camden wanted to curse and rail at the gods or fate for putting the woman he and his friends wanted to have a relationship with in their sights, only to have her turn from them time and again.
She was just as attracted to them as they were to her, but she seemed hell-bent on keeping her distance. Other than what he and his friends were doing—eating at the diner when they knew she was on shift, and accidentally bumping into her on purpose in the supermarket—he had no idea what else to do.
One thing he was glad of, however, was that he and his best friends were no longer her doctors. That would have been an ethical nightmare.
But no matter what she did, or how often she turned away from them, Camden, Axel, and Phoenix weren’t going to give up.
Enya was the woman of their dreams.
She just didn’t know it yet.
Chapter Two
Perry watched the sexy bitch from the shadows in the alley across from the supermarket. When he’d first spotted her in the diner, he’d been mesmerized by her beauty. It had taken him a long time to make up his mind about what to do. He aimed his revenge in her direction when he realized he couldn’t go after the main instigator. It wouldn’t be a hardship since he was attracted to her, too.
His family had been ripped apart because of that slut and her friends, and here she was strolling down the street of the small Podunk town as if she didn’t have a care in the world. He’d spent most of his childhood in the care of the state and being shoved from pillar to post each time he’d been taken from one foster care family to another. His life had been a living hell and he was going to make sure she paid for what she’d put him through. After losing another job, his longtime girlfriend had kicked him to the curb and taken off with his son. It was all those bitches fault, and he was going to make sure they paid one way or the other.
Enya didn’t deserve to have a share in a successful business with those other sluts. None of them did as far as he was concerned. And indirectly she was the reason he’d been fired from the security job he’d had three months ago. When he’d seen the power had been cut at the diner a while back he hadn’t done anything to alert the authorities to a suspected problem. How the fuck was he supposed to have known that a power outage could have been because the power supply had been cut? He wasn’t a fucking mind reader. He’d been trying to find a way to get his hands on the deaf cunt, but he couldn’t see a way to get to her. If she wasn’t at the diner, surrounded by other people, those three men she was screwing were with her. He sighed with frustration and rubbed the back of his neck. The only way he could see he was going to get his revenge was to go after one of the other women. The pale, white-haired bitch had recently hooked up with the new deputies, so it looked like he’d have to take her out of the equation, as well. That left Enya. She didn’t have any men in her life that he knew of and since she lived alone, she would be easier prey. One way or the other, all those cunts were going to pay for having a hand in destroying his life.
Perry inhaled the last of his cigarette before dropping the butt on the ground and squashing it under his boot as he exhaled. He shoved his hands in his pockets, and after making sure no one was watching her or him, he strolled down the street as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
He didn’t give a fuck about anything but getting to that bitch. He ignored the suspicious looks he got from the locals and followed Enya from a couple of hundred yards behind.
Every time she turned to glance over her shoulder, as if she was aware she was being watched, he lowered his gaze. He was wearing a Stetson and knew there was no way she’d be able to see his face since the brim shaded his features.
Luckily, he’d been able to get another job at the scrap metal yard outside of town. The old guy who owned the place had jumped at the chance to hire him on. After a week of giving him the rundown on how to run the junk heap, Arnold had left for an extended vacation to Austin, Texas to visit his daughter.
Perry didn’t give a fuck why the old guy was gone, he was just glad he had. Little by little he was selling off the scrap metal and making a shitload of money. By the time Arnold got back from visiting with his daughter, he hoped to be long gone and have a hefty bank account balance. Once he had his revenge, he was going to live the high life.
He slowed when Enya did and ducked behind a large tree trunk. Since there was no one else on the street, if she caught sight of him, she would be even more wary than she already was. Thankfully, she didn’t see him and she opened the small gate to the older style weatherboard home, and hurried up the steps.
When she entered the house, Perry chuckled and rubbed his hands together. Now that he knew where she lived, things were going to be a hell of a lot easier.
It was going to take time to make his plans, but when he had everything set in his mind, he would make his move and have his revenge.
That bitch was going down and he was the man to take her out.
* * * *
“How are we going to get her to give us the time of day?” Camden asked.
“We can’t do anything other than what we have been.” Phoenix combed his fingers through his hair.
“Actually, we’ve been invited to a cookout at the Frost ranch on Sunday.” Axel smiled.
“Do you think Enya will be there?” Camden sipped his coffee.
“There’s no way in hell she wouldn’t have been invited.” Axel scrubbed a hand over his face. “Whether she accepted or turns up is another story.”
“I think she will,” Camden said.
“I agree.” Phoenix nodded. “Delta, Violet, and Enya are pretty tight.”
“I’m glad she has the other women as her friends. They’re so loyal and caring.” Phoenix sighed.
Axel shook his head. “They are, but I don’t think our woman talks about herself to anyone. I’ve seen Violet and Delta, as well as the other waitresses, looking at her with concern.”
“This shit has to stop,” Phoenix stated determinedly. “She needs to talk about whatever is haunting her.”
“She does, but we can’t force her to talk with us, Phoenix.” Camden pointed at Axel. “We have to be patient. We want her to get comfortable with us being around. We want her to realize that we’re her friends before we become her lovers. If she doesn’t think we have her back, we’ll never have the kind of relationship we want with her.”
“I know.” Axel frowned. “It’s just so fucking hard. We’ve been patient and trying for three months and it’s gotten us nowhere.”
“He has a point.” Phoenix met Camden’s gaze.
“Maybe it’s time we were more forceful,” Axel suggested.
“We can’t do that, Axel. If we force her into something—”
“I don’t mean that we force her,” Phoenix snapped.
“What do you mean then?” Camden asked.
“We get in her face more. If she’s at the barbecue we make her talk to us,” Axel said.
“We can’t stop her from walking away.” Phoenix frowned.
“I know that, but from what I’ve seen so far, our woman is polite with good manners. She wouldn’t snub us while at someone else’s place.” Camden couldn’t believe he was getting on board with his friends. Phoenix and Axel were methodical and patient when it came to being doctors, but with anything else they were always pushing and impatient. He’d had to rein them in a few times over the years, but he was as eager as they were to spend more time with Enya. If the only way they could do that was at someone else’s house, then so be it. Hopefully, she wouldn’t snub them by walking away.
Camden had a feeling that once they had her friendship, everything else would fall into place.
He couldn’t wait until Sunday to put their plan into action.
* * * *
Enya peeked out at the window toward the street. She’d been sure that someone was following her but every time she glanced over her shoulder, she’d hadn’t seen anyone. Sometimes she wondered if she was losing the plot. She sighed and dropped the curtain and headed toward her kitchen.
She was hungry because her weariness was affecting her appetite, and she was regularly skipping meals. She worked with food all day every day, and while she loved what she did, once she got home, the drive to cook more, waned.
She was doing okay by herself and planned to keep it that way. Besides the constant paranoia, of course.
No matter how hard she tried to convince herself she was imagining things, she couldn’t quite manage it. She’d learned to trust her gut instincts a long time ago. However, there was no way she was going to voice her fears in case she really was losing her mind. That prickly, being-watched feeling gave her the willies.
And as much as she hated to admit it, if only to herself, the feeling was nothing like when Camden, Phoenix, or Axel set their eyes on her.
Whenever they gazed at her, her blood heated and other parts of her body sat up and took notice. Not that she’d ever admit that to anyone else and she was intent on ignoring the arousal that perked her girly bits up whenever they were around. One on one they were hard to ignore and she knew if they ever got together and came at her from three different directions, she would likely cave.
She had to keep telling herself that she’d onl
y end up experiencing grief again, but her body just didn’t seem to get the message.
Enya rubbed at her tired burning eyes and sighed as she pushed those three men from her thoughts. It was Friday and she had the whole weekend off. Tomorrow she was going to clean the small bungalow type house she was leasing and catch up on laundry. Sunday she’d been invited to a barbecue at Delta’s and while she wanted to go, she was still undecided on whether she would. The only time she spent with other people was when she was working and while she got very lonely sometimes, she was always concerned she would say or do something wrong to upset someone.
Growing up the way she had wasn’t what she’d term as normal and although she tried to be polite at all times, sometimes she was worried that the whole sordid story of her childhood years would come pouring out of her mouth. She was scared if she started, she wouldn’t be able to stop and she knew that she would end up breaking down.
Enya worried that once that locked door in her mind opened, she’d never be able to close it again. She was so on edge she was beginning to imagine things and wondered if she was starting to crack up.
Her exhaustion had to be causing her paranoia. The dreams had returned and no matter how hard she tried to stop them, they wouldn’t.
She’d thought she was over all her childhood horrors and angst, but it seemed she was wrong.
Logically, she knew that talking with someone would probably help, but she didn’t have the money to waste on a psychologist or counselor. After paying Delta what she owed for her share of the partnership in the diner and the rent, she barely had enough money left over to buy food. Thankfully, she was good at making things stretch and she made fulfilling meals from vegetables and generic brands of pasta. She couldn’t afford to buy meat since she needed to pay her utility bills and there was never any money left over.
She’d been thinking about asking Delta and Violet about leasing the small apartment above the diner, but before she’d had the chance, Jaylynn had asked. The other woman looked as if she needed the place more than Enya did, so she kept her mouth shut about her own plans and had agreed for Jaylynn to lease it instead.
