Awakening Veronica [Divine Creek Ranch 17] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Heather Rainier

  She giggled as she replied to the next question and stayed focused even when she heard Kemp say, “Someone just pinged the GPS on her cellphone.” When he caught her looking at him, Kemp said, “Focus, sweetie. I think we’ve got him.” He spoke quietly into the headset to whoever was on the other end of his call.

  Duke chuckled as he participated in the chat as the moderator and she glanced at him. He said, “Tall, dark, and scary over there gets all Chatty Cathy when he’s closing in on a bad guy. You’re doing great. By the end of chat I should have his location but keep chatting and see if he’ll hang around after. The group admin just messaged me and said she can announce it if you don’t mind going a bit longer.”

  “Awesome. I’ll keep chatting all night, if that’s what it takes.”

  By the end of the hour they knew the location of the person pinging her GPS, which they’d turned on for that purpose. Hank and Travis had agreed to it with the one stipulation that if they made her accessible like this, they were also physically going after the perpetrator. Kemp and Duke were betting that the ping on the GPS and the IP address for BookAddictedWhore originated in the same location and they weren’t disappointed when they got the results from their search, and from Kemp’s contact.

  Duke yelled at the screen as he got the news. “We’ve got you, motherfucker! It’s the same location as where the bogus invitation to that gathering was posted from. I knew it.”

  Grace was right. Duke was a wicked Internet ninja.

  Veronica thanked all the readers graciously, thanked the admin privately for her help, and signed off. She looked up at Duke and he said, “We don’t even need to book air travel. Who’s up for a trip to Dallas?”

  Dallas was hours away and it was already late. Hank settled his stare on her as if he’d read her mind, and she pressed her lips together, stifling the reply that she hated inconveniencing all these wonderful men. Hank knew it, and he nodded in approval before he voiced his opinion. “I’ll take Veronica to the Hourglass Inn. We’ll bring her laptop with us and wait for word from you.”

  Travis said, “I can’t wait to see this son of a bitch face-to-face.” As a game warden, Travis had arrest authority that surpassed even Hank’s capability so it was logical for him to go with Kemp and the guys.

  Kemp whistled the theme to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, as he started gathering his equipment and packing it away. “The Suburban is gassed up and ready. Ace wants us to stop by and pick him up.”

  Duke turned to her and said, “When I get back from Dallas, I’ll do some checking on Brent Haygard. See if there’s more there to worry about than just a lazy bastard who wants you to come back so he can keep freeloading.”

  “Good,” Hank said. “I’d rather be safe than sorry where that jerk is concerned.”

  Feeling humbled, Veronica rose from her seat and hugged Duke, Kemp, and her men. “Thank you, guys. I’m so lucky.”

  Kemp’s smile transformed his face into a sweet visage and she knew exactly why Summer adored this man, along with his brother in arms, Ace Webster. “I’m bringing the duct tape with me on this trip, Veronica. That bastard has more than earned it.”

  She kissed his cheek in gratitude. The world needed more heroes like the ones filling this room.

  Hank was taking her to the Hourglass Inn until they made contact with the odious person behind BookAddictedWhore. There was no point in opening herself up for attack, especially since she’d done her best to rile BookAddictedWhore up. The threat to shoot her was likely only that, but Hank wasn’t letting that go and she didn’t blame him.

  * * * *

  Veronica opened her mouth as Hank held out a forkful of his omelet to her. The Hourglass Inn Bed & Breakfast in Divine had been wonderful. Heat crept into her cheeks every time she happened to notice the red velvet bondage sashes still tied to the framework of the four-poster canopy bed.

  Hank had made another of her fantasies come true after she’d read to him from the rough draft of Bound at the Bed & Breakfast. He’d tied her to the posters on the bed and flogged her with a soft deer hide flogger until the boundaries between pain and pleasure had blurred. He’d brought her to orgasm with his final strokes before climbing up on the bed behind her and fucking her against the damask rose wallpaper until she’d climaxed again.

  The encounter had inspired her and she’d tossed and turned after they’d dimmed the lights. Hank had finally taken her in his arms and said, “Nika, you need to get it out of your system or you’ll never sleep. Go, beautiful. Go write.” She’d kissed him before taking her seat at the little desk and writing deep into the night.

  Occasionally, her eyes had drifted to the powerful man slumbering in the big, rumpled bed and her heart had felt like it was swelling.

  When she’d returned to the bed hours later, he’d taken her into his warm, strong arms and made love to her again, this time with heart-wrenching tenderness.

  His cock had still been embedded deep inside her as they’d drifted off to sleep spooned together, since they were no longer using the condoms. He’d never gone completely soft and she’d stayed aroused, even as she dozed.

  She’d awakened later to find him hard as a rock inside her. She’d stayed still while he slept, so turned on she was practically vibrating with the need to come but reluctant to awaken him because he needed his rest. His hands had felt so hot, so possessive, as he held her tightly to him in his sleep. With his body tilted slightly over hers, the sensation of being pinned down and so encompassed by him had made her heart pound. She’d finally reached a point of arousal where she trembled uncontrollably, and he’d chuckled behind her and said, “Can’t stand it any longer, Nika?”

  She realized he’d been awake the whole time, torturing her into remaining still while he slept, holding her captive with her love for him because she didn’t want to disturb him from his sleep.

  She’d moaned and thrust her hips back against him, finally moving on his enormous cock, her pussy utterly slick with her juices. The sensation drew a happy growl from him and he’d pinned her facedown and worked his cock in and out of her pussy until she buried her lips in the mattress and screamed so lustily they had to have heard her downstairs.

  “I know what you’re thinking about,” he murmured as he fed her a bite of Belgian waffle.

  “You do?” She sipped her cocoa, heat creeping over her again as he stroked her inner thigh, his fingers sliding high enough to catch the slick arousal that the memory had produced in her eager pussy. She lifted her knee, spreading her thighs wider for him. “I don’t know how you maintain your control like that.”

  “I do. I think of the woman I love, and I give her what she needs, getting what I need as a Dom in the process.”

  “I’m not a good sub, am I?” she said with a giggle, arching against his fingertips.

  “Even when it’s not been easy, you submit at every turn, Nika. And you haven’t apologized or put yourself down even one single time since the other night. I think you’re a very good sub. And look at the way you let me in now, with so much happiness. How could that not please a Dom?”

  Shaking her head, she said, “You’re not what I expected, when Grace told me she knew a Dom. Not at all.”

  “Oh?”

  “You’re even better. You both are. I miss Travis.” she whispered softly as Hank kissed a path up her inner thigh. “Oh, Hank.” She let him pull her down into the bed and moaned when he laid his hungry mouth against her drenched lips, reveling in the way he growled as he enjoyed himself.

  Her pussy was clenching as she whispered, “Fuck me, Hank.”

  “I can’t believe you have me hard again, just with the way you taste, Nika. You’re going to be sore.”

  She nodded as she tugged at his shoulder. “I don’t mind. I need you.”

  He settled his hips between hers and slid deep, moaning as she took every inch of him and wrapped her legs around his hips. “Nika,” he whispered in a low, growly voice. Their lovemaking was slow and easy, with pau
ses in between where he simply stayed deep inside her and kissed her with slow, drugging sweeps of his mouth on hers, whispering his love to her, and telling her how beautiful she was until she acknowledged that not only did he believe it, but that it was true.

  Her orgasm struck in deep, rapturous waves and he followed her soon after, taking her with deep hard thrusts until he finally collapsed over her.

  Panting, she laughed and he joined her, the bed vibrating with their merriment. He said, “I can’t feel my legs.”

  She stayed wrapped around him until the fire in the fireplace died down to embers and he got up to tend it and then filled the bathtub for her.

  She was finishing dressing for their trip into Divine that morning when the Skype notification started chiming on her laptop.

  She answered the video call from Kemp after Hank joined her and waited as the picture came into focus and Travis came on screen.

  “Hey, gorgeous. Can you hear me?”

  “Yes. Hi, Travis.”

  Travis squinted at them and said, “Wow, what I can see of that place behind you, looks really nice. Did you have fun last night?”

  Veronica smiled at Hank and then turned back Travis. “Yes, it was wonderful. I miss you. Do you have good news for us?”

  “Very good,” he said as he lifted his tablet and directed the webcam around a dimly lit, messy room that looked like a reject from the “Hoarders” television show. “We found your stalker.”

  There was activity all around Travis and Veronica gasped. “That guy in the background. Does his jacket say FBI on it? Am I imagining that?”

  “No. It turns out you weren’t his only victim. And there’s another connection, which we might have missed if Duke hadn’t been keeping a keen eye out. Does the name Lucas Jefferson ring any bells?”

  She breathed out, that name, Lucas Jefferson echoing in her head as a distant memory stirred. “Yes! BookAddictedWhore was him?”

  “One and the same. He wasn’t home when we got here so we had to wait for him. When we stopped him outside his run-down piece-of-crap house, he pulled a gun and fired on us. Pretty jumpy, I guess—”

  “Fired on you?” she said with a gasp.

  Travis grinned and pointed at his chest. “I had on a vest under my shirt. He couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with that weapon. But his stupidity gave me just cause to place him under arrest. He started screaming that it wasn’t his house and that he wasn’t guilty, giving us just cause to search the premises. Duke got on his computers and found all kinds of illegal and harassing activity.”

  They could hear a voice in the background and then Duke appeared behind Travis. He waved and gave Travis rabbit ears before speaking so she could hear. “Hey, Veronica! Hey, Hank! I need a shower after being in this guy’s house and on his computers. Nasty bastard. He’s been pirating authors for years, as well as plagiarizing a couple who are relatively well known, changing their books up a little and repackaging them with new covers and self-publishing them, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Veronica, you know this guy, don’t you?”

  “I do.” Hank looked at her and Travis, and Duke nodded onscreen. She said, “He was a member of the first writer’s critique group I joined online, years ago. He’d bring these awful manuscripts to the group, monster erotica short stories. Like…dinosaurs with women. Pretty high ‘ick’ factor for a group of mainstream authors. When he didn’t like a critique, he’d lash out by giving the other authors harsh critiques. There is a market for those kinds of stories, so I tried to help him by making suggestions and I overlooked his rudeness. The sad thing was that he had skills. He just didn’t apply himself to learning his craft.

  “He wanted me to edit, and basically rewrite, his works for him and when I refused he became petulant in the group and started giving me evil critiques on my work. I ignored him. Everything changed when my first book was published and I pulled back from that group, both because he was being so abusive and because I didn’t have time for it anymore. It was a year or two later when BookAddictedWhore started showing up in reader groups, being friendly at first to get into my good graces and to gain access, before he turned ugly.

  “The sad thing is that I searched for his pseudonym online a couple of times, to see if he ever straightened himself out and got published. I guess he expected everyone to pat him on the head and give their approval for his stories when the truth was that he had a lot to learn. I guess instead of doing the work, he decided he’d get his kicks harassing, pirating, and plagiarizing. He was doing other bad stuff?”

  Duke curled his lip and when Travis looked at him and shook his head. Travis said, “Yes, but you don’t want to know, Nika. It’s nasty, honey.”

  The looks in their eyes convinced her to not ask. “Is he still there? I’d like to say a few words to him.”

  “Yes. We called the FBI when we discovered what he was doing. They took great interest in the lengths he’s gone to, harassing you, and would like to talk to you in the future.”

  “I’d be happy to testify.”

  “Kemp was bummed because he didn’t get to use his duct tape on the bastard. Jefferson is right here.” He turned his attention to someone else and conversed briefly, interspersed with nods and shakes of his head that she couldn’t interpret and then Travis turned his attention to her again. “The investigator says you can say what you need to say, but keep it brief because they want to take him in to process him.” Travis curled his lip. “I’d also keep it brief because he’s got a nasty mouth and he’s pretty pissed that we spoiled his fun.”

  “There’s nothing he can say that can hurt me ever again. I love you, Travis.”

  “I love you, too, Nika. Here you go.” The picture jumped and then focused on a man. It was hard to tell how old he was, because of the greasy hair, beard, and dirt.

  He sneered at her and she said, “You know, Lucas, you could’ve been successful if you’d been willing to put in the work. I never minded critiquing your work, even though monster erotica was never my thing. What I did mind was your petulant manner in the group. Look where it’s led you.”

  He bared his nasty teeth at her. “Fuck you, you prim little bitch. You think the world is all peachy keen and that you have the best readers on the planet—”

  “It just so happens I do believe that, Lucas. What you put out into the world you get back in equal measure. And you can’t stand that, can you? If you’d done the work instead of trying to cash in, you’d have fans, too.”

  He suddenly leaned forward and spittle flew from his mouth as he shouted, “Why don’t you rot in hell, Miss Perfect Writer. You deserved every word I ever said to you, and every word I ever wrote in a review for you—”

  “About those reviews. I have to thank you. They were so wacked out and you came across as such a nutcase that I think you actually convinced people to buy my books out of curiosity.”

  He tried to rise from his seat and got shoved back down by someone off camera whom she assumed was Kemp. Off camera an unfamiliar voice said, “Does anyone have duct tape for this fucker’s mouth? He keeps spitting and I’m tired of listening to his nasty ass.”

  Kemp leaned forward so she could see him on camera and grinned happily, and she heard the distinct screech of duct tape being unrolled.

  Hank laughed out loud. “I guess the Duct Tape Dom strikes after all.”

  Lucas Jefferson hollered and roared behind the duct tape as he scowled at her and Veronica took her last shot. “Think of the next few years as research, Lucas. I hope you’ve always wanted a boyfriend.”

  Lucas glared at her before Travis finally turned the camera so all she could see was him. “He’s unattractive when he’s having a hissy fit. This place is disgusting. I’m glad you didn’t come with us. I’m taking a bath in disinfectant when I get home.”

  Veronica heard a bleating noise in the background and she gulped before she finally found her voice. “Um, Travis? Was…oh my gosh…was that a sheep I just heard? That sounded like a sh
eep. Please tell me I was hearing things?”

  Travis glanced at Hank before looking back at her. “Like I said, Nika. I need a bath in disinfectant when I get home. He had several animals in pens. He makes—” Travis clenched his shoulders and looked like he was shuddering. “Duke found some videos.” Travis looked away from the camera for a second and then looked back at her. “Duke says to tell you that what has been seen cannot be unseen and you really don’t want an answer to that question. I can’t wait to come home to your sweet, beautiful face. This experience has made me appreciate my life there even more.”

  Veronica nodded in understanding, actually glad he didn’t give her a direct answer. She didn’t want to know the depths of Lucas Jefferson’s depravity, although she did wonder where he found the time for so many nefarious pursuits. “Will you pass on my deepest gratitude to Ace, Kemp, and Duke when you can?”

  “Of course. Oh, wait. Ace wants to talk to you.”

  The camera moved and Ace’s good-looking face appeared. “Hey, Veronica. You doing okay?”

  “Fine. Thank you for everything, Ace.”

  “You’re welcome, sweetie. We’re nearly done here. We found a weapon stash and a stockpile of ammo. I don’t know if he would’ve followed through on the threat he made last night, but the fact that he was pinpointing your location has me very relieved that we paid him a visit before we could find out if he’d follow through or not. Listen, I want you to promise me something.”

  “Of course.”

  “The next time you feel threatened by someone online, I want you to tell someone who can help you with it. Don’t just take it, okay?”

  Veronica leaned in to Hank as he hugged her. “I promise. Before, I felt alone, with no one to stand up for me. But those days are over. I have friends who have my back now.”

  “All right, then. Here’s Travis.”

  He and Hank finished up the conversation and then Veronica turned to Hank. He kissed her and said, “All right. Now that that is taken care of, are you ready to go explore Divine?”