Cowboy Boots and Uncensored Behavior

by Acres, Natalie

“What do you mean…he’s alive?” Cade rushed him. “Is he here in Texas?”

  “No,” Scott deadpanned.

  Drake shook his head. “That can’t be.” He looked at Cade. “You said you saw him die. You said…”

  “I said—” He quickly turned on Brock. “You’re the one who said he fought the good fight. You’re the one who made us believe—”

  “He’s alive,” Scott said again. “And I can tell you with absolute certainty that he is fighting the good fight and when his fight is over, we’ll all be proud to fight beside him again.”

  “You sorry bastard.” Cade pursued Brock like he was on a mission, but Drake never imagined how physical Cade would soon become.

  Cade tackled Brock. His fist connected with his jaw and the men rolled across the living room floor.

  “You said he was dead!” Cade struck Brock over and over again.

  Everyone but Scott scrambled, trying to stop Cade from striking again. Brock quickly gained the upper-hand, a task that would’ve been impossible if Cade had been in better shape and fighting at full strength and capacity.

  Gripping him by the collar, Brock lifted him forward and threw him against the floor again. “He was in danger, damn you! He was moved to a secure place, a place we couldn’t discuss with anyone here because we didn’t know if this place was bugged or not at the time!”

  Cade’s ragged breath fell to the room like soft thumps. “You lied to us.”

  “And I’ve told you the truth.” Scott stood over Brock and Cade then. “He is alive, Cade. I’ve been with him. He’s still unconscious but he is growing stronger every hour.”

  “I guess because you told us the truth that makes you some kind of hero,” Drake said, pissed because Zelmore didn’t call.

  Zelmore seemed to come and go as he saw fit. He could’ve flown to Texas and met with them privately. He could’ve gone behind Donovan’s back. It wouldn’t have been the first time.

  Cade shoved Brock aside and rose to his feet. He looked pale and off-balance. After swerving to gain his footing, he held the side of his head and took a seat.

  “Are you okay?” Maria asked.

  “Fine.” A blood stain slowly formed on the bandage above his patched eye.

  Brock rubbed his jaw and snarled. Then, he pushed aside his obvious anger and nodded at Maria. “Take a look at him.”

  She rushed to Cade’s side and pulled his fingers away from his blood-soaked bandage. “Let me see.” Before Cade could object, she carefully peeled back the dressing. “We need to get this cleaned up.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Maybe so, but it won’t hurt you to be a good patient. After all, I was hired to look out for you. Let me do my job.”

  “You can drop the good nurse act. I can take care of myself.”

  Maria balked at that. “Suit yourself.” Her gaze connected with Zelmore’s. “My bedside manner isn’t what it used to be anyway.”

  Chapter Ten

  Hours later, Maria collapsed against her pillows. Her mind churned with the events of the day and she tossed and turned before she finally relaxed on her right side, facing the window.

  It was then when she noticed a large shadow relaxing on the small sofa. Lurching forward, she tossed back the covers. At the same time, a lamplight flickered on and she could clearly see Scott’s face.

  She gasped, not so much in surprise, but at the hunk of a man glowering back at her. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Come on, Maria. Did you really think I’d let you sleep alone?” He ran his fingers through his almond-colored hair, brushing the layered locks to the side.

  She’d refused to let her mind go there. She’d practiced mental restraint. To give in to the idea of Scott, to think about him and the relationship they’d once shared, made her susceptible to heartache and disappointment, along with an aching need so profound she couldn’t bear to repeat history.

  He’d nearly destroyed her. She’d opened up her heart and allowed herself to believe in the notion of love and he bailed on her the second she crossed him.

  “Get out.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” he said, stalking the bed and loosening the buttons on his shirt. “As soon as Donovan told you to pick a room, mine was chosen, too. I’m here for the duration of this mission. You can either scoot over and make this easy or—”

  “Or what, Scott? You’ll take what you think belongs to you anyway?”

  His lips twitched, but pain settled in his eyes. “Have I ever forced myself on you?”

  “No, but—”

  “Have I ever taken something that you didn’t want to willingly give?”

  That sexy rasp of his was more than enough to leave her breasts fuller, her nipples harder. “I’m not yours anymore, Scott.” What a liar she was. She might not belong to him in the psychological sense, but her body disagreed with her decision. It cursed her choices.

  “Then you won’t mind sleeping next to me. If you really don’t belong to me, if you haven’t thought of me often…missed me…frequently…” He slowly released the last button on his shirt and let the material fall open. “Then it won’t faze you in the least to lie down beside me.”

  Her mouth watered at the sight of his bare chest. Her gaze dipped and she could almost imagine the taut veins outlining his rigid cock.

  She swallowed once. Damn him.

  Like Pavlov’s dogs, she was conditioned to respond to him. Her body was trained to submit to him.

  He unzipped his slacks, ripped off his shirt, and slid into bed next to her. He rolled to his side and said, “Unless you need a nightlight, you might want to get that lamp.”

  She stared at his back. Those ripped muscles taunted her almost as much as that thick wedge of flesh he practically flaunted in her direction when he stepped away from his slacks.

  “Why are you doing this?”

  He repositioned his pillow and took a heavy breath.

  “Why, damn you?” She slapped his back. It wasn’t a hard smack, just one to grab his attention.

  Before she could think about the consequences of her actions, he flipped over, grabbed her wrist and glared at her as if he didn’t know what to do with her next. “You think I didn’t notice how Cade and Drake looked at you?”

  “There’s nothing between me and Cade.” She started to lead him to believe differently about Drake. Instead, she reassured him. “Or me and Drake for that matter.”

  “That’s good to know.” His lips twitched. His gaze held hers to challenge. He grunted then and rolled back over, fluffing that damn pillow again. “I still won’t sleep under the same roof as you and wonder if they’re in your bed. If I’m here, I know where you are and what you’re doing.”

  “It’s been two years,” she whispered, feeling the tears welling in her eyes. “Two years, Scott. You can’t come in here and sleep with me after…” She paused and rethought her aim. “I have a boyfriend.”

  Scott turned to her once more. “Oh yes, and about him…did you fuck him?”

  “What?” She shook her head in disbelief.

  “The good doctor…what’s his name? Belfour.”

  “Allan Belfonte.”

  “Ah, that’s right.” Scott’s eyes danced with mischief. “Did. You. Fuck. Him?”

  “That’s none of your business.”

  Scott’s grin turned downright wicked. “If you believe that, you’re as delusional as you are beautiful. Now get the light. I don’t want to argue with you. I’ve been traveling with Donovan all day and I’m not in the best of moods.”

  She tossed back the sheets she’d just repositioned and marched to the lamp. Hitting the switch, she turned around and contemplated walking right out that door. In fact, she was pretty sure she’d already taken a step in that direction.

  “Don’t even think about it, Maria. If you do, you won’t make it out of this room. And if you test my testosterone anymore than you already have, I can’t promise I won’t slam you up against that wall an
d fuck you until the damn sheetrock comes down.” Scott never budged while he made his threats.

  After a few huffs and puffs, Maria stomped back to bed. After she was situated, she released a few hard breaths. Each time her chest rose and fell, she was all the more aware of her body’s heated responses. Her throbbing nipples raked against the material of her gown. She became more aware of her sensitive clit and longed to caress the hard bud aching for his touch, his fingers.

  Her pussy was now an inferno. She couldn’t fool herself into believing she could ease the burn or stroke away that unsettling desire.

  “Fuck you, Scott.” She stared up at the ceiling. She was just as pissed then as she had been the last time she saw him in Las Vegas.

  “Goodnight, baby.”

  “I’m not your baby.”

  “Oh yeah?” He threw aside the comforter in one fluid motion and situated himself between her thighs before she could even think about resisting him. He yanked her panties down and nuzzled her mound. “Then do you care to tell me why you smell like warm vanilla sugar smothered in sweet desire?”

  “That’s anger, Scott. You smell anger, if you smell anything at all.”

  He nudged her clit with his nose and she moaned, nearly cried out in pleasure. He kissed her thighs down to her knees and back up again. “No, baby, that hint of vanilla is distinct and pure, as exquisite as the woman who only gave away her true innocence once.”

  “Don’t,” she warned him, trying to push her legs together in spite of his attempt to spread her thighs more.

  “You didn’t fuck the doc, Maria,” he said carefully. “The reason you didn’t is because you’re still mine.”

  “You don’t know what I’ve done.” She snapped her legs closed. Vulnerability strummed through her veins and she acknowledged a truth then.

  She’d never forgotten Scott. She’d never taken another man to her bed because the only man she’d wanted, prior to meeting Cade and Drake anyway, was now towering over her and ready to offer her precisely what they’d once shared.

  “I fucked him.”

  His cheek flexed. “Of course you did.” He laughed at her. “Save it, Maria. You’d never allow yourself a moment of weakness. How do I know? Because I haven’t held another woman since I let you go and I’ll never hold another unless the woman in my arms is you.”

  Any rebuttal she might have possessed instantly disintegrated. She was fully prepared then to submit, to give herself over to the only man she’d ever loved. Only Scott had other plans in mind.

  He shifted forward and cupped her cheek. “Don’t worry, baby, I’m not interested in fucking you tonight. I want you to remember the lust. I need you to crave that desire like I’ve hungered for it every damn night since I left your bed the last time.” He lowered his lips to her ear and added softly, “And when you’re ready, really ready for me, you’ll remember what we shared. That’s when I’ll fuck the daylights out of you on a promise.”

  “A promise,” she whispered. Oh God. Was she actually gasping? Damn it! Her voice didn’t even sound like her own.

  “Yes.” He thrust between her lips and she moaned aloud as their tongues dueled and danced. One kiss rekindled their romance. One stroke of tongue and she was willing to entertain whatever he asked of her.

  “You’ll walk away from the unit, baby,” he breathed, breaking their kiss and nuzzling her neck. “And you’ll walk away because you want to spend the rest of your life loving me.”

  * * * *

  The following morning, Abby and Ace left the ranch. Cade stared after the taillights until the car disappeared in the light fog, a fog that was slow to lift and make way for a new morning.

  “Once everyone settles down, I need to return to Colorado,” Brock said.

  “Far be it from me to stop you.” Cade reached for the coffeepot and poured himself a cup. “You tell Manny I’ll kick his ass if he doesn’t walk out of that hospital soon.”

  “I’ll do it,” Brock promised. “And you keep an eye on Maria. You may not like her, but she’s part of this team and has been for—”

  “Two years?” Cade was curious if he’d been right about the timeframe.

  “About that, yeah.” Brock stretched his arms forward. He glared at his hands, rotating them as if he were in deep thought.

  After a few moments of silence, Cade asked, “Have you ever paid attention to the blood on those hands, Donovan? Have you ever sat down to dinner, picked up a knife or fork and dropped the utensil because the only thing you’ve been able to see on the end is one of your victim’s blood, the blood of someone you were ordered to kill?”

  Brock stared at him then as if he believed Cade had lost his ever-loving mind. “No, Cade, I don’t see the blood of a victim. To say that I haven’t seen blood on my hands would be a lie, but to call out the people I’ve killed as victims would be a poor choice of words. I kill those who’ve put to death innocent people. I save lives when I take a life and until you come to terms with what we do, you won’t be able to sleep at night.”

  Cade glanced at the coffee pot now half-full. He’d been up since four and it was now six-thirty. He’d wasted most of the last two hours thinking more about Maria and Scott than the friends he’d lost. And how sick was that?

  He took a sip of coffee and set his mug on the counter. “I guess it would be wrong to hope or assume that you’ll soon tell us Phillip and David made it out alive.”

  “You would set yourself up for disappointment.”

  “Why’d you lie to us?”

  “I didn’t.”

  “The hell you didn’t!” Cade gulped, fearing he’d celebrated Manny’s life only to have Brock tell him now that Manny had passed away during the night.

  “I didn’t lie at the time. When you were in the hospital, I believed Manny was dead, right along with David and Phillip.” He released a hard breath. “Manny crawled away from the warehouse that night. He called Scott and Drew. They came here expecting to retrieve his body. In the meantime, Scott sent in a friend to help him and he somehow held on until they arrived.” Brock shoved away from the table. “Manny must have a strong will to live. I’ll agree with Drew there.”

  “You’re saying you didn’t know he was alive?”

  “That’s right.”

  “You didn’t go to his funeral or memorial?”

  “I did.” Brock’s eyes met Scott’s when he entered the kitchen. “But someone swapped bodies and the body I saw was burned beyond recognition.”

  “Why would you go to this much trouble to stage Manny’s death?”

  “Because we have too many threats coming in,” Brock explained. “If the threat isn’t neutralized, Manny will give us an edge later. If our enemies believe he’s dead, they won’t be looking for him when he walks out of the hospital.”

  “So Scott gave you an advantage you needed anyway.”

  “Yes.”

  Scott searched the cabinets for a mug and poured a cup of coffee. He always seemed so sure of himself, but at the moment he was cockier than usual. Cade couldn’t help but snicker to himself. Good for Zelmore. He apparently pulled one over on the authority. Now, they were using his actions as a strategic move, assuming Manny fully recovered.

  “Good morning to you, too,” Brock said.

  “If my ass wasn’t in Texas, it might be,” Zelmore said.

  “Got something against my home state?” Cade asked.

  Brock chuckled. “It’s not Texas he’s against. It’s the women living here.”

  “Shut the fuck up, Donovan. You might be my boss but you won’t step over the line and enter my personal life.”

  “So you and Maria have something going on?” Cade asked.

  “No,” Scott deadpanned.

  “Good thing you don’t play poker. You’d give away your cards with that nose twitch you’ve got going on.” Cade spotted Maria at the end of the hallway.

  Scott nursed his coffee.

  “You slept in her room last night.”

 
Scott smirked. “That must’ve been hell for you and Drake, knowing the woman you want was lying in my arms.” He paused, took another drink, and added, “I slept in her room to guarantee you didn’t. End of story.”

  “Sounds like obsession to me,” Cade said. “So there’s nothing between the two of you, huh?”

  “She was a piece of ass. That’s all.”

  As soon as the words fell from Scott’s lips, a creak in the floor gave away Maria’s position. Scott glanced over his shoulder then and looked pained by what he’d said and by what he saw. He dragged his finger around the rim of his cup, staring blankly at the dark fluid.

  Brock slapped the table and rose to his feet. “The last thing I need to worry about is another office romance. You won’t hear me complain if there’s nothing between the two of you.”

  Maria pranced in the kitchen then, working those hips for all she was worth. “Relax Donovan and take my word for it. There’s nothing between me and Zelmore. He was good in the sack, but it was over before it started. You won’t see me groveling over him.” She shot Cade a quick smile. “Or any other fellow operative for that matter.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure, little one,” Cade whispered.

  Scott went rigid. Luckily, he didn’t spew off a round of threats.

  About that time, Maria’s phone buzzed. She glanced at the facing and nodded to Brock. “It’s Marvio.”

  Brock took a deep breath. “Go ahead. Take it.”

  Maria hit the speaker option. “Where are ya?”

  “We ran into some problems. We need to meet.”

  “Why?” She watched Brock for cues.

  “Because I think your little boyfriend can help me.”

  Cade kept a curious eye on a stoic Scott Zelmore. He seemed unmoved when Maria’s brother asked about her boyfriend. His money was on the fact that Maria’s so-called boyfriend was nothing more than an Underground pawn.

  “You’re my brother and we’re family, but I won’t let you use the people in my life to better your position in this cartel war.”

  Laughter filled the line. “Maria, meet at the warehouse. Come with your doctor friend or he’s a dead man.”