Veronica looked at Jesse and Barry, who shrugged, but still had frowns on their faces. Jesse said, “If they show their faces in Divine, you can bet we’ll be happy to help Hank and Travis deal with them. But Hank’s right, they’d make themselves scarce if there was a chance the law was being called to break up the fight.”
Veronica nodded and then shrugged as her men went to her and hugged her. Hank said, “They’d have to be insane to show up in this town, knowing how many men are gunning for their asses, besides several branches of law enforcement.”
Veronica giggled and said, “They’ve never struck me as being overwhelmed with intelligence.”
Travis took out his phone and said, “I’ll let Deke know that we had a sighting. Maybe he can give us an update on the investigation.”
The waitress delivered a round of drinks to the table. As it turned out, Ethan and Ben had decided to do that for all the tables in proximity to the bar to apologize for the trouble. Presley Ann nearly choked on her Divine Margarita when she happened to look over at the door and spotted two familiar faces. Two identical familiar faces and that of a tall, rather scary, but also familiar bodyguard, walking in behind them. She grabbed Jared and Kendry but before she could say anything, Kendry said, “On it.”
“Kendry—”
“It’s cool. They called earlier and told me they might be here.”
The bodyguard, Paul, didn’t look happy, but he relaxed as the trio was greeted by Kendry. Presley Ann glanced around and saw curiosity in the eyes of her friends as the three men walked up. They were dressed like bikers, in black leather riding jackets, beat-to-crap jeans, and shitkickers. True had cut off his hair and now sported a crew-cut, and he and Noble had shaved off the scruffy beards and moustaches that had given them both a savage, pirate-like sexiness. A red bandana was tied across Noble’s forehead and he sported very intricate ink around his neck and on his hands, which Presley Ann assumed were well done temporary tattoos. The disguises were very effective but Presley Ann knew they would still attract attention. Women all around the room were staring at them as they joined the group.
Jared shook their hands as if he too had been expecting them and introduced them around to the group.
“Everyone, these are friends of ours from Abilene. He pointed at True and said, “This is ‘Eric’ and his twin brother, ‘Aaron’, and their associate, ‘Richard’…but you can call him Dick.” He gave Paul a big toothy grin when he glared at him. Presley Ann pretended she was licking salt from her lip as she bit it to keep from laughing.
If the shitkicker fits…
Kendry caressed her neck and said, “And of course, guys, you remember our fiancée, Presley Ann.”
Suddenly she was like a deer in the headlights as all three men turned to her. She smiled and nodded as she gave each of them a hug, trying to be cool. The men smiled and nodded as they were greeted by the others and drawn into the conversation. She began to think that maybe their disguises were working.
Eli came up behind Rachel and she suddenly gasped and jumped as if he’d goosed her. Rachel introduced him to the newcomers and then said. “Eric, Aaron, you look familiar to me. Have we met before?”
Eric grinned and said, “We get that a lot. We must have those kinds of faces. They say everyone has a doppelganger.”
The others laughed and “Aaron” frowned at him before turning to give his attention to the band that was playing what she had recently discovered was one of their number one hits. “They’re good.”
Grace chuckled and said, “They sound pretty close to the original, especially considering that they’re playing such a popular song. I swear if True and Noble Strong ever showed up in this place, the single women would probably swoon.”
Presley Ann bit her lip, wondering if Grace had caught on but nothing else was said.
“Eric” got Jared’s attention and said something to him quietly, while “Dick” stood by shaking to his head, nixing whatever “Eric” was saying. Jared gave a quick nod, his face not betraying his mood. “Dick” didn’t like whatever was being said but “Eric” clearly didn’t care as he came around to Presley Ann and held out a hand to her.
“May I have this dance?”
Jared and Kendry both nodded to her, reassurance in their eyes as she looked to them to judge their reaction. “Have fun, angel,” Jared murmured and kissed her.
She felt eyes on her as she followed True through the crowd, his hand warm around hers. Bizarre didn’t begin to describe how she felt as he turned to her, a tender look in his eyes.
“You look starstruck, gorgeous,” he murmured as she placed her hand in his and put her hand on his shoulder.
“I think I am. Are they all watching?”
True grinned and nodded. “Of course they are. They’re staring at the beautiful woman and the lucky guy she’s dancing with. That’s all. Congratulations on getting engaged.”
“Thank you. I wish I’d known you were coming. Where are you staying at?”
“We were able to get a room at the Hourglass Inn when they had a cancellation. The bus is in Morehead, where it draws less attention. How’s Whit?”
“He’s fine. He’s spending the night with his grandfather and his great-uncle.”
“That’s cool. I’d like to meet your dad sometime, too.”
“He said the same thing.” She smiled, thinking of the manner in which her dad had made the request. She’d reminded him that True hadn’t known about Whit or he would’ve been there sooner.
“You okay?” he asked as he guided her in the two-step.
“I’m still processing the surprise. How are you doing? Did you have a nice Christmas?”
“It was okay. The tour kept us from spending much time at home but we were able to see our parents at least. We’ll be here until day after tomorrow and I wondered if it might be possible to spend some time with you and Whit.”
Presley Ann looked down at her hand in his and then looked up at him.
“Honey, if you were single, I wouldn’t be asking, I’d be begging to spend time with you, trust me. I talked to your men and it sounds like they care about Whit—and you—just as much as I do. They were crystal clear about you being engaged now but they understand that there’s a connection between us as well. You and I need to catch up, and I would expect that if I spent time with Whit that you’d want to be there, too. After all, you don’t know me well. I could be an uncaring bastard who’s just efficient at hiding it.”
Presley Ann shook her head. “No way. I can see what kind of man you are. It’s in your eyes. Now, your brother? He’s another story. He’s scary.”
True threw back his head and laughed. “I’m telling him you said that.”
“Fine, I know he doesn’t like me.”
True shook his head. “You have him all wrong. He gets billed as the dark twin, and he pulls off that intimidating persona pretty well but he’s not really like that. He’s loyal as hell, and what you saw last week was him protecting me. He’s good at hiding his feelings. After he had a chance to cool down and I talked to him, he felt bad for the things he said to you. You have no way of knowing it but when we’re on the road, there are all kinds of security measures that have to be taken because some people are crazy. We have awesome fans but there are those who take it to a whole new level of obsession. He saw the resemblance with Whit and thought you were planning to extort money from us.”
Presley Ann shook her head and let her eyes close for a moment. “I barely have time for the basics without hatching some crazy plot.”
“I know that, and so does he now. Before he met you, I think he thought that the woman who inspired all our hits was just my overactive imagination building you up to be more than you actually were.”
The song ended but he kept her on the floor as the next one began, and True chuckled and looked around as the band played another song. He quietly began singing along with the vocalist so only she could hear him.
“One of yours?” she whispe
red.
True nodded. “One of yours.”
Mine? She looked up at him, trying to school her expression so she didn’t look like she was gaping, which was how she felt. He sang about a man meeting a woman and how, despite her different tastes and style, he fell in love with her. His voice was velvety soft, and she smiled as she recalled the way he’d sung to her that night and she realized he’d been composing the song right then.
Magic.
True nodded at her and smiled as he quietly sang along while leading her in the dance. “So, do you think it might be possible to spend some time with y’all?”
“Of course. I might even be able to get off from work, or…if you’d like, I think it might be okay if you wanted to come to the house and relax, and you could spend time with Whit there while I’m at work.”
“You’d trust me like that?”
“Yes.”
“Unfortunately, Paul needs to hang out with us, too, just in case.”
“Why?”
He looked reluctant to mention it. “We’ve had some threats lately.”
“What? Like death threats?”
“No. More along the crazy stalker variety. ‘We’re meant to be together, True’ sort of thing. It happens to both of us. We were careful when we left the bus so nobody knows we’re here, and if we spent the time out at your place in the country it’d be great. Jared and Kendry already said they were fine with it if you were. I just wanted to make sure that it was okay with you.”
“This is still really weird, isn’t it?”
True smiled and squeezed her hand. “It’s not the way I would’ve liked it but…it’s still good. Life on the road is hard. I’m not sure you’d like it. And I appreciate that they’re so protective of you. I know you’ll be happy. And I’m really happy to know that I have a son and that he has a great mom.”
Heat filled her cheeks, thinking what a gentleman he was for giving in gracefully to the news that she was off the market but he wanted her in his life anyway. Her thoughts turned to the blank line left on Whit’s birth certificate as “Eric” escorted her back to their group.
Chapter Eighteen
Kendry let out a sigh of relief as Presley Ann slid into the spot meant for her between him and Jared. She squeezed him around the waist and eyed him with concern. “He said he’d been talking with the two of you.”
Kendry nodded. “Are we busted?”
Her lips curled up in a Mona Lisa smile. “It would’ve been nice to know in advance.”
“I’m sorry. We didn’t want you to worry.”
“And I would have,” she said as she leaned her head against his chest. “He asked to spend time with us, and I agreed. He said you did, too.”
“As long as he understands the boundaries, we’re fine with that.” She looked up at him and he couldn’t read the emotions in her blue eyes. “You’re a part of our lives now, as is Whit. He’s Whit’s father. As much as we love Whit, we know True must be feeling the same. But the fact that we’re a ménage doesn’t mean we’ll welcome another man into our threesome.” God, please don’t let that be a problem. In the days since the scene at O’Reilley’s and their discussion afterward they’d been giving her a little space. He knew the whole revelation had to have been a head trip for her but it’d break his heart if that was what she wanted.
She shook her head. “That’d be a disaster.”
Kendry glanced over at Leah and her men and said, “I don’t want you to have any regrets.”
She came up on tiptoe to him and whispered, “I don’t. If you were worried that was what I wanted, you need to stop.”
Grace and Leah chose that moment to approach, and given the sparkle in their eyes, he wondered what they were up to. He noticed all of the other women at their tables were also rising from their seats, moving like they were already on the dance floor, their men watching with hooded, appreciative eyes.
“Mind if we borrow your woman, Kendry and Jared?” Grace asked as she winked at Presley Ann. “It’s a girl’s dance.”
“Sure,” he said, his jaw dropping as Presley Ann turned to face him and Jared, biting her lip and lifting her arms in graceful arcs as she swung her hips in a hypnotic motion that had him drooling and made his cock tingle. She followed her friends to the dance floor as he recognized the first verse of the hit song the band was covering, “Ready Set Roll” by Chase Rice.
“Damn,” Jared murmured as they watched her ass sway as she sauntered away. She looked over her shoulder at them, and the twinkle in her eyes had him imagining her dancing for him naked at home behind closed, locked, barred doors.
He looked over at True and Noble, who had been talking to Jared, and caught them staring as well. As if they felt his eyes boring into the sides of their heads, they turned to him, and Noble grinned unapologetically before turning his attention back to Presley Ann and her friends. Kendry bristled until True knocked Noble in the chest with his elbow and said, “Knock it off. They’re all taken.”
Kendry said, “Not all of them. But the one you’re eye-fucking is taken.”
Noble shrugged and grinned. “Things change.”
Kendry was preparing for the second brawl of the evening as True held up his hands to stop the ensuing confrontation. “Stop it, Noble. You’re just trying to start shit. Besides, you were such an asshole to her the last time she saw you, Presley Ann can’t stand your belligerent ass. Rather than pissing her men off you should be convincing her you aren’t a dickhead.”
Noble grinned and said, “Maybe it’s better if she believes that.”
True turned his stare on his brother. “Liar. That’s not what you were telling me the other night.” He scoffed and then turned to Kendry and Jared. “I apologize. But you also need to understand something.”
“What?” Jared asked, moving to block Noble’s view so he couldn’t stare at Presley Ann anymore.
Noble was the one who answered, his eyes dead serious. “Your woman is the flesh and blood incarnation of the fantasies we sing about to thousands of fans. You love her, and you’re lucky to have her in your arms, but in our own way we love her, too.”
Jared leaned toward them and said, “You just be sure to keep that head fuck to yourself. She’s hurting enough over this as it is.”
True shook his head and said, “No one wants to hurt her, Jared.”
Noble continued as if they hadn’t said anything. “I’ve always believed that the real woman could never measure up to the muse that fueled True’s songwriting, and that meeting her would ruin performing those songs for us. The only reason I gave in when True talked about driving through Divine was because I didn’t believe we’d cross paths with her. After meeting her in person, and talking with True afterward, I realized she wasn’t ‘less’…she’s ‘more.’ So you’ll forgive me if I can’t take my eyes off of her. It’s lucky for you that she’s already in love with you. If that wasn’t the case, you two would have some serious fucking competition.”
As Noble finally ran out of steam, True rubbed his forehead and said, “We’re not here to make any trouble. Matter of fact, that’s the last thing I want, because of Whit. But Noble does have a point and I think it’s better if we didn’t front about it.”
That was the crux of Kendry’s fear and always had been. Presley Ann and True had parted with unfinished business and now they were inextricably tied together because of Whit. There was no messy break up to look back on, just unresolved feelings and the knowledge that the connection was a permanent one.
True looked at him and said, “Right now I wish I was a bastard so I could play on your fears and try to win her over. But Presley Ann told me how much she loves you both. If she’s hurting over this, like you say, Jared, then the pain she feels is over hurting me because she’s a good person. But she clearly loves the two of you, so let’s stop with the chest beating. Being at each other’s throats will only upset her.”
Kendry nodded as she and the other ladies returned and he caught the way her bro
ws furrowed a little as she looked between the four of them. When the next song started, the band’s rendition of “Leave the Night On” by Sam Hunt, Kendry wasted no time asking her to dance with him.
“What were the four of you arguing about?”
“Not arguing, just establishing some boundaries.”
Presley Ann smirked and shook her head. “It looked like arguing to me.”
He couldn’t deny it. He’d been ready to bust Noble’s smirky mouth. “You’ve got to admit, this is an unusual situation. We were just coming to a better understanding of each other’s positions.”
“Noble looked like he had plenty to say. Jerk. He looks exactly like True but he’s nothing like him.”
Kendry chuckled and shook his head. He was tempted to be a bastard, too, and agree with her, but instead, he said, “Actually, I think he’d surprise you to hear him talk about you.”
“He thinks I’m a heinous gold digger or a freeloading slut.”
“Actually, he’s about half in love with you, maybe more.”
“Gag. Whatever,” she muttered.
“You should have more faith in your abilities,” Kendry said with a chuckle.
“What ability?”
He tilted her chin up and kissed her long and slow, enjoying the way she clung to him and the dazed look in her eyes when she finally opened them. “The ability to steal a man’s heart.”
She smiled up at him and sighed, Noble Strong and his brother seemingly all but forgotten. Mission accomplished. Kissing is like my superpower or something.
Somehow they managed to last until midnight, and Kendry’s personal mission was making sure Presley Ann wasn’t within arm’s reach of True and Noble when the countdown started. They were even avoiding Paul, who had been showing a quieter side of his personality. True had evidently been able to convince him that Presley Ann wasn’t taking advantage of him. He’d spent the evening keeping his eye on the brothers and the occasional brief phone call.
Absentminded Angel [Divine Creek Ranch 20] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 24
