Cowboy Boots and Unadulterated Pleasures [Cowboy Boots 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Natalie Acres

  Smoothing her palms down her moist cheeks, she reminded herself of how she’d changed since they’d last been together. She’d gained thirty pounds and colored her hair after tolerating a surgeon’s meticulous work and purchasing much-needed implants. If they passed her on a crowded street, they probably wouldn’t take a second look. They wouldn’t recognize her right away.

  Oh, who was she kidding? When their unit “shadows” had first arrived, she’d walked by them in the casino and later returned to the security office to review the tapes, convinced until then no one from her old life would recognize her.

  Replaying the segment that day, she’d watched as the operatives’ firm bodies had tensed. With balled fists, Crue had slowly turned thirty degrees and watched her in his peripheral. A profound sadness had lingered in his eyes as she’d strolled by him, keeping her eyes downcast as Lorenzo led her through the throng of casino patrons.

  Oh yes, they’d known. From the moment she’d approached them, their body language had changed. Gabe had stood frozen in place long after she’d walked by them, acting as if her presence there crushed him from the outside in.

  Her fellows—and that’s the way she’d always consider them—hadn’t changed a bit. Every last one of them still looked exactly as she remembered—handsome, mysterious, tough as nails, and completely dangerous.

  “So I take it my father told you I’m having a little bit of trouble.”

  Kemper snarled. “Define a little bit.”

  “Nothing I can’t handle,” she fired back.

  “I doubt that, Kelly,” Brand said, his nostrils flaring. She could only imagine the graphic details they’d been provided. While her father undoubtedly issued the orders, the shadows would’ve filled in the blanks her father failed to explain.

  “I’ve got this,” she assured them.

  “Ah now. Don’t be greedy. You know how Colt loves to dabble around in trouble,” Kemper said with a sexy smile.

  “That he does,” Brand agreed. Those green eyes of his still destroyed her. A mysterious man existed behind those eyes, but his gaze wasn’t at all what she remembered most. She couldn’t look at Brand without remembering how well he performed with those moist, bow-shaped lips. His mouth had been her undoing on several occasions.

  Shaking off those old brewing desires and refusing to credit them for burning anew, she said, “I have to give you props. It didn’t take you long to find me after you heard the news.”

  “We knew where you were,” Colt told her, obvious pain lingering in his words.

  “But of course you did,” she said. Hurt strummed through her veins, too. They’d known all along where she’d been hiding. Naturally. Of course. She’d been hiding in plain sight. “Let me guess. You were too busy to drop by and say hello. Probably never even occurred to you until you caught wind of my engagement.”

  Colt threw his head back and laughed. “You’re not getting married, sweet thing.” He clucked. “At least not yet.”

  His jaw set in determination and she shuddered against the chill in the air. Her sex felt tighter and wetter as she imagined him pounding into her, reclaiming his stake in her body, reminding her of who took her virginity all those years ago.

  “You waited too long, Colt,” she bit out. “Now, look at the three of you standing there. You act like you’re raring to go, have someplace you need to be in a hurry. Well you’re too late.” She backed away from her desk and meant to leave the room.

  Instead, she glanced back, curious because they were silent rather than pitching objections right and left.

  “You have no idea what kind of hurry I’ve been in, darlin’,” Colt rasped, that hard edge of enticing male ripping through her system like a tornado.

  Colt had always been the kind of guy who could look at a woman and have her longing for sex. He could whisper in her ear and make her panties wet. And yes, he’d talked her into more than one orgasm. Phone sex with Colt was almost as good as being in bed with the man himself.

  “Let me guess, you’ve been on a mission you can’t discuss and because of duty, you took the long way home?”

  “Home?” Kemper visibly jerked. “Sounds to me like we’ve still got a chance, boyfriend or no boyfriend.”

  “You don’t. And he’s not my boyfriend. He’s my fiancé.”

  Brand hopped off his perched position. In a low, almost inaudible voice, he said, “We’ll see about that.”

  “You may have a ring on that third finger, but you aren’t getting married, Kelly. You know it. We know it.”

  “Care to place a bet on that, Colt?” she asked, staring down at the glimmering stone on her left hand.

  Colt stroked his chin. He took two steps closer to the camera and stood on his tiptoes. She could easily see every pore in his skin. She also noted the resolve in his dark, tortured eyes. “I’ll place a solid bet there. In fact, I’ll split the happy pair and double down on a wager with or without an ace in the hole for show.” He bit down on his lip and paused for a minute. Then, he said, “No, Kelly. You aren’t getting married, doll. There is no way in hell I’ll stand by and let you marry that asshole. If you think I will, then maybe you don’t know me as well as you once thought you did.”

  “I don’t know you at all,” she barked.

  “Well I know you. And I understand you well enough to know there are few men who can make you scream, only a handful who can make those pretty, long legs tremble. Five, to be exact, Kelly. And one of them is me.”

  Chapter Two

  The lift finally delivered them to the top floor, where they found their three-bedroom suite. Colt would remember to thank Daniel Martin at a later date. He’d gone out of his way to provide the best in luxurious accommodations. The question was—did he have a motive, or was he going the extra mile because he feared his daughter’s life was hanging in the balance? If the latter held true, it would be the first time in a long time.

  “How much you wanna bet Kelly stays on this floor?” Brand asked, tossing his luggage to the wayside.

  “Most likely,” Colt said, pursuing the wet bar. Retrieving a water bottle from the refrigerator, he tossed the plastic cap in the garbage can and walked to the picture windows. Floor-to-ceiling glass provided a magnificent view of the glamorous Las Vegas Strip, a view many gamblers would love to enjoy just once.

  Normally reserved for the high rollers, the suites at Poker Cristal Casino were among some of the best in Vegas. Appointed butlers and round-the-clock maid service were part of the perks along with a rooftop swimming pool, cozy lounge, and a private state-of-the-art gym, an exercise room reserved at specific times for the suite occupants. Somehow they ended up with the five-o’clock morning slot and ten-thirty evening slot. He felt his lips twitch. Kelly arranged those times to ensure they weren’t taking advantage of their time in Vegas and partying until the wee hours of the morning.

  As if he would.

  His cock had been stiff since he’d learned of this assignment. Unfortunately, until he wrapped his arms around Kelly’s sweet little body, he had a feeling he would remain rigid and uptight.

  Brand stood at his right. Kemper at his left.

  “When were you going to tell us?” Kemper asked, never looking anywhere except straight ahead.

  “Tell you what exactly?” Colt asked, his gut clenching as he thought of some of the things that bastard had done to Kelly. He’d see Lorenzo Molinelli dead before he’d see him towering over Kelly’s body.

  Fuck. He closed his eyes and pursed his lips. The shadows, two of the Underground Unit’s finest operatives—one of them his brother—had bugged her suite right after her father had hired them to tail her. The things Lorenzo had done to Kelly made Colt’s fists clench. He longed to make a physical connection with Lorenzo, punch him the way he’d beaten Kelly. Take him down in a headlock and leave him with a few parting words right before he snapped his pathetic neck and ended his sorry life.

  “Don’t hold out on us, man,” Brand said, turning to him. “He’
s abusing her. Isn’t he?”

  “Why would you say that?” Colt asked.

  “You’ve been walking a fine line between rage and heartache since Daniel called us in. I’m betting he’s had the shadows on this for some time and you already knew something wasn’t quite right. You just didn’t know what. Then, we arrive and Kelly doesn’t greet us? She’s afraid of him. Otherwise, she’d be here now.”

  The last part Colt hadn’t considered, but Brand was probably right. “I just found out and didn’t want to believe it. The thought of someone hurting her…” His voice trailed, and he shook his head. “I can’t wrap my head around the idea that someone would want to abuse her.”

  “You didn’t believe it until she didn’t show. Did you?” Kemper asked.

  “Believe what exactly?” Colt asked, unwilling to confirm anything specific. Lorenzo Molinelli was a dead man, but he was Colt’s target. Not Kemper’s. Not Brand’s. His.

  “She may just marry him, Colt. The Kelly we knew would’ve been down here greeting us. She would’ve walked away from an important business meeting or moved hell and high waters just to have been here.” Kemper massaged his nape. “She’s hooked on this guy. I want to know why.”

  “She’s afraid of him,” Brand suggested. “That’s the only explanation. Right, Colt?”

  Colt dug his hands in his pockets. Retrieving a small white piece of paper, he said, “I need to make some calls.”

  “Well there ya go,” Kemper said, gritting his teeth. “When we don’t get a direct answer, we have everything we need to know.”

  “I’m going to find her. Maybe she’ll talk to me,” Brand said, frowning.

  “No,” Colt told him firmly. “We wait here. If I know Kelly, eventually she’ll come to us.”

  “And if she doesn’t?” Brand asked.

  “She’ll wish like hell she had,” Colt said, thinking of all the ways he could arrange to bump into her later in the evening. The shadows watched her every move. She couldn’t take a shower in private. She couldn’t have cocktails with a friend. And God forbid if she had a moment of privacy with Lorenzo.

  Then again, from recent reports, Lorenzo hadn’t been fucking her, if he ever fucked her in the first place. Colt had his opinions about that as well. Still, Daniel believed Lorenzo had been tipped off to their surveillance, too, which may have been why the shadows didn’t have a lot of recent activity to report.

  According to Daniel, some of Kelly’s trusted friends and employees of the casino had been recently interviewed. Many of them reported seeing Kelly badly bruised, severely beaten at times. Right after that, the shadows closed in and Lorenzo backed off, disappearing for hours on end.

  Colt knew what that meant. He’d realized he was being watched.

  “Daniel mentioned something about the tip-off,” Kemper said, narrowing his gaze. “He was talking about the beatings. Did they stop after someone reported him, or do you think he suspects Daniel has someone watching him?”

  “I can’t be sure,” Colt said. “The beatings didn’t stop entirely, from what I gather. He’s knocked her around a few times, but apparently she isn’t going to work black and blue anymore.”

  “And that’s all right with you?” Kemper asked, obviously enraged.

  “Fuck no!” he yelled, trying to rein in his temper. The thought of any man raising a hand to Kelly clawed at his soul.

  “She was going to work black and blue?” Brand asked, his brows furrowing.

  “Yeah,” Colt replied, offering nothing more.

  How Crue and Gabe had managed to stay in the shadows while that lowdown piece of trash used Kelly for his own twisted pleasures, Colt would never know. Maybe his brother’s damned lifestyle helped out there, but he didn’t see how. Crue was a Dom with specific rules in place. He didn’t take kindly to those who abused their women.

  There had to be an explanation somewhere. Why didn’t Crue and Gabe stop Lorenzo? Were they held back by the Underground Unit’s authority? If so, he’d hold Brock Donovan’s feet to the fire if he’d placed Kelly in unnecessary danger all for the sake of protecting a job.

  He expected answers from Gabe and his brother, too. Crue and Gabe cared for Kelly, but they couldn’t love her. That much was a given. A man couldn’t love a woman and let harm come to her. Could he?

  Colt took a deep breath and grabbed his cell phone from the coffee table where he’d left his wallet and other personal belongings upon entering their suite.

  “How bad is this, Colt?” Kemper asked, studying him intently.

  “She’s in pretty deep. We don’t know who the players are or what is involved, but it must be bad for Daniel to call us in.”

  “That’s what I was thinking,” Brand muttered.

  “Who is this Lorenzo guy anyway?” Kemper asked, pacing. He acted as if Lorenzo’s disgusting name poisoned his tongue. “How did he end up in Kelly’s bed, and why can’t we just pay him a visit and give him a warning?”

  “Warning, hell. I’d like to kill him,” Colt said.

  Brand frowned. “You’re not the only one.”

  “We’ll know more after we meet with Daniel. The shadows have been watching her for over three months now. Daniel believes the casino and the Underground Unit as a whole may have been targeted specifically by Lorenzo and his men.

  “Other than what Daniel has told me—which is little to nothing—we know Lorenzo has strong ties to several weapons- and human-trafficking organizations in Ireland and Italy. He seems to have endless resources—money, drugs, anything he wants, he has at his disposal.”

  “Is Kelly using?”

  “God, I hope not,” Colt muttered, dragging his hand down his face. He hadn’t thought about that.

  “Her mother was an addict,” Brand reminded them. “Drug use would explain her unusual behavior.”

  “He’s right,” Kemper said, twisting his mouth as if he couldn’t fathom the idea.

  Brand frowned. “Her mom was hard to handle during her darker years. No one could get through to her. Even Daniel couldn’t reach her. She just ceased to care about the people she once loved.”

  “I can’t see Kelly walking down that path. She knows the consequences of casual use. She wouldn’t go there.”

  “Colt, you have to prepare yourself for the worst,” Kemper said. “If she really believes she’s in love with this Lorenzo fellow, then anything could be possible. He could’ve introduced her to a drug and she may be hooked.”

  “If she’s marrying anyone other than Colt or Crue, drug addiction is a possibility,” Brand said.

  Colt took a deep breath. Kelly had a good head on her shoulders. She wouldn’t try drugs. She wouldn’t develop a bad habit she couldn’t break.

  He was her only addiction. Well, he knew that wasn’t entirely the case. She had an addiction for him and the rest of them, a bad habit she’d never been able to shake. He closed his eyes and hurriedly prayed that much had remained true.

  She’d once told him that very thing while in the heat of passion. He still recalled how her natural curls had fanned around her pretty face. Her dark eyes had moistened with tears as their time together had drawn to an end.

  They’d made love for the better part of that particular afternoon, and out of nowhere, she’d said the unexpected. She had told him how much she loved him. While he’d longed to tell her how much he loved her, too, he’d bit back the words. As a lover, he’d done the unthinkable. He’d cursed the idea of expressing himself and withheld information he was required to keep secret.

  She’d cried. Through muffled sounds that had broken his heart, she’d explained how she’d always known she couldn’t have him for her own. At the same time, she’d said, “But you’ll always be my obsession, Colt. No matter what the future holds, you’ll always be the biggest part of me.” Then she’d wrapped her legs around his waist, pulled him to her, and whispered, “You’ll always be the very best part of me, Colt. You and Crue. You are the very essence of who I am.”

  In re
turn, he’d said, “I’ll never be able to get enough of you.” Those words had often eaten at him. He’d said them to her in a guttural voice, in a raspy tone that might as well have come from a gigolo. They’d fallen from his lips with callousness, as if he didn’t have any concern for her other than using her body for his infinite pleasure. In fact, nothing could’ve been further from the truth. He loved her. He’d known then as he knew today. Kelly Martin was the love of his life.

  Kemper snapped his fingers in front of his face. “Are you gonna dial that phone or just cradle it in your hand?”

  Brand flicked Colt on the back of his head in passing. “I’m jumping in the shower. We have a few hours of free time before Daniel meets us. If I were you, I’d quit daydreaming about the past and get your head in the game before he shows up. If you look all bedazzled and goo-goo eyes over Kelly, Daniel will yank you off this case so fast your head will spin.”

  “That’s the most he’s said in one sentence in well over a year,” Colt remarked after Brand left the room.

  Kemper said, “He’s right. How you handle yourself in front of Daniel determines how much you’ll see her. Daniel will either pull you out or he’ll put her in your custody. He knows you’ll protect her with your life.”

  “You wouldn’t?”

  “Damn straight I would,” Kemper admitted. “But I’m not as foolish about her as you are. When the hell are you gonna tell her how you feel?”

  Colt opened his phone and dialed Daniel’s number. “We both know I can’t make that move, and we all understand why. With Daniel breathing down our necks, how can I tell her how I feel? Besides, I haven’t seen her in a year.”

  “Your love for my daughter hasn’t disappeared in a year?” Daniel asked, answering the phone. “You boys drive a hard bargain. What’s it gonna take to make you understand? My Kelly deserves better than a man—or men—who are always tapping on death’s door.”