by Mia Carson
Iris’s hands fisted in his shirt, and she pulled him down until their mouths met. The kiss was sweet at first, gentle, but the heat building between them sprang to life, and suddenly, they were desperate to have each other. Her lips parted on a sigh, and his tongue dove in, exploring her mouth until she moaned for more. His hands gripped her ass hard, and insane desire flashed through her. She wanted to feel his bare skin on hers, hear his harsh breathing, touch and explore every inch of his body. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and they walked through the shop, their lips never leaving the other’s as she maneuvered them towards the back shop and out of view of the windows.
Alec turned her, lifted her, and set her on an empty table. His kisses moved from her lips down her neck to the hollow of her shoulder, and Iris’s head fell back, her fingers digging into his shoulders as passion overwhelmed her. She and Jenson had never had moments like this, filled with such heat, such desire, that she was dizzy from it. Hell, when they did have sex, if she could call two minutes of him groping her ass and climaxing before she even really got started, she never once climaxed with him. Not once. It was disappointing, to say the least, but the idea that Alec could be the first to send her over that edge into oblivion sent a thrill through her body.
When Alec’s hands lifted the edge of her shirt, Iris breasts grew heavy with sudden want. Her nipples hardened before he even touched them. He tossed her shirt to the side as she fumbled for his, yanking it up, desperate to see the hard lines of his muscled chest. When it was free of his body, several strands of his hair fell from his ponytail, and with a soft touch, she pushed them back from his face and the look in his eyes pulled a gasp from her throat.
The hunger in his eyes reflected the same burning want coursing through her veins, but it was what lay beneath that gave Iris a deeper glimpse into who this man was. Protectiveness, possessiveness, and a fierce desire to do both at the same time. He didn’t just want her for a night, but for so much longer and for so much more. A hint of doubt crept into her mind, knowing she couldn’t give him everything he deserved in a girlfriend, or anything more than that, but when he cupped her cheeks gently and leaned in to brush his lips over hers, his touch told her he would take whatever she was willing to give.
The bell above the door chimed in the shop, and Iris cursed. “Iris! I’m back, caught quite a few fish,” Joe called out.
Iris hopped down from the table, both of them stifling their laughter as he handed over her shirt and she tossed him his. They got themselves clothed and their hair straightened, stepping out of the back room just as Joe reached the counter.
“That’s great,” she said breathlessly and shoved her hair out of her face.
Alec was right behind her and waved. “Hey, Joe, just stopped by to check on Iris.”
Joe set his tackle box on the glass counter, his eyes narrowing on them, and Iris felt her face grow raging-inferno hot. He was going to fire her, she knew it, but the older man let out a booming laugh and held out his hand for Alec’s.
“I knew I liked you, son,” Joe said. “Hoped you would be good for her.”
Alec grinned and nodded. “I’m going to try to be.”
“You’re… you’re not mad?” Iris asked, mentally kicking herself for opening her mouth.
“Why would I be? Because you’re finally acting like any normal woman your age?” Joe asked. “The shop looks much better, by the way,” he added as he walked past them towards the back room. “I’ll close up if you two want to head out!”
Iris stared after him, her mouth opening and closing until Alec reached out and, placing two fingers under her chin, lifted it up.
“I think we should take him up on that offer,” he suggested and leaned in to kiss her again.
Her toes curling and eyes sliding closed from his touch, Iris nodded. “Let me… let me grab my purse.” She moved to the other end of the counter to grab it when the photograph of the Lundy’s caught her eye. She picked it up and asked, “Hey, Joe? When did you move this here?”
“Move what where?” he called back.
“This photograph? I could swear it was on the wall the other day.” As always happened with the photo, the woman’s eyes drew her in. She stared at it, running her fingers over the picture and wondering about the woman staring back at her.
“You look just like her, you know,” Alec said, and she jumped, forgetting he was there.
“I can’t, we’re not related,” she told him.
“You sure?” Alec asked.
“Pretty sure. The Newtons had nothing to do with the Lundy family,” she said, clearing her throat, not sure why the words wouldn’t come. “Though it is weird.”
“What’s weird?” Joe asked as he poked his head out of the back room.
“How did my parents get those heirlooms if they were hers?” she asked.
Joe shrugged. “Perhaps they were gifted to a relative at one point or another, or maybe there’s more to the story.”
“I still don’t see those items in the shop,” she said pointedly. “Joe, I sold those to you so you could sell them for yourself.”
“I’m having them cleaned,” he explained, but the mischievous look in his eyes said he was doing anything but that. “Now go, get out of here and enjoy your date.”
She wanted to argue with him more but not with Alec there. He was already looking at her curiously, and she knew there would be more questions at dinner. After another glance at the photograph, she walked to the door, hand in hand with Alec, loving every second of his body so close to hers.
Alec’s imagination wouldn’t stop drifting to what might have happened if Joe hadn’t walked into his shop when he did. His lips still felt the soft skin of Iris’s neck, her shoulder, wanting to seek out the mounds of her breasts and lower still. Watching her from across the table in their booth, he undressed her, piece by piece, until she was naked before him. Thank God they had chosen a table to sit at tonight so he didn’t have to try and hide the bulging erection in his pants. He shifted again on the seat, trying to ease the strain, but when Iris sipped her beer and licked a few drops from her lips, it grew worse and he cursed.
“Problems?” she asked with a crooked grin.
“Around you, always,” he grunted and took a drink from his beer. “So the other day, when you were talking to Joe, I overheard him say something about a shop you used to own.” Her shoulders sagged and she nodded, playing with the label on her beer. “What happened to it?”
“That closed-down store next to Joe’s place? That was it,” she said quietly. “My dad’s antique store. He loved that place, loved finding treasures from all over the northern states and bringing them to Lundy. I was always a lot like him.” She stared past Alec towards the windows, and her eyes took on a faraway look. “We both wanted to discover what was out there. He was easier, though. He just wanted to find and save antiques. Me, I wanted to go out and dig them up myself.”
“Why aren’t you out on some dig then?” he asked. “Finding mummies or whatever.”
Her smile was sad and quickly turned bitter. “Sam got cancer while I was in college, and it hit us all hard. I stayed to help run the shop and the museum so they could be there for him, but when they died…” She choked on the words and wiped at her eyes. “When they died, I took over the shop and did my best to keep it running, but I just couldn’t do it.”
Alec reached across the table for her hand and squeezed it. “I’m sorry,” he said, and she covered his hand with her other one.
“I hated that damn shop, hated that I was trapped here because of my brother, because of them, but now that it’s gone, all I want is to have it back.”
“If you need a loan or something, I could help you,” he offered. “The gun ranges bring in a hefty profit, and I have a huge trust fund I’ve barely even scratched the surface of.”
“No,” she said firmly, her eyes hardening. “I won’t take charity.”
“It wouldn’t be,” he argued gently. “It’d be a lo
an of some sort. We could work out a partnership. Please think about it.” He felt her pulling away and reached across the table to turn her back to face him. “It’s not charity, Iris. Not even close.”
“Then why would you risk it?” she asked quietly. “You barely know me.”
“I know you’ve been fighting tooth and nail to hold on for a long time,” he replied, and her eyes widened. “And I know you’re getting tired of fighting, but I won’t let you fall.”
She leaned into his touch, and he ran his thumb down her cheek until Danny walked over from the bar and delivered their burgers. He eyed them both with a sideways grin. “Sorry for interrupting,” he said, and Iris shot him a look.
“Right, I’ll be back… little girl’s room.” She scooted out of the booth.
Danny hung around the table, and Alec looked up at him. “Something wrong?”
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “You might want to be careful. Jenson’s spreading the word that you tried to assault him at your gun range.”
“He swung at me first,” Alec murmured. “I have it recorded.”
“Just watch your back, alright? That guy’s bad news, and now that he’s a damn deputy, he’s going to think he’s untouchable. And thanks.”
Alec shook his head. “For?”
“Taking care of Iris. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her even remotely happy,” he said and patted Alec on the shoulder. “I’ll try to listen around and see what else Jenson’s saying, but I thought I’d give you a word of warning from a friend.”
“Nice to know I’ve already made one.”
Danny smirked. “Ha yeah, well, if you didn’t notice, I’m just another black sheep in this place.”
“Well, you just found yourself another one,” he said. “Maybe we should start a club.”
“I’ll get the hats,” Danny told him with a wink then walked back to the bar.
Alec watched him go and glanced around the room. Several pairs of eyes met his. A few were friendly, but many of the men glared openly at him, their hands tightening on their beer glasses. At least he knew how Iris felt when Jenson turned the whole town on her. He leaned back in his booth and smiled widely as if he didn’t have a care in the world about what they thought. His cell buzzed, and he pulled it out from his pocket, frowning at the unknown number.
“Yeah?” he answered.
“Alec! Oh, thank God, I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for weeks! Didn’t you get my messages? I texted you so many times I lost count, but you never texted back,” Nikki cried on the other end of the line. Alec groaned in annoyance. “No, please don’t hang up. I just want to talk to you.”
“I have nothing to say to you, so I’m hanging up. Don’t call me again,” he growled.
“Please, Alec, I’m so sorry for what happened, really I am. If I could just see you, but your mom said you moved away and I don’t know where.”
He cringed, imagining Nikki showing up on his doorstep. “You won’t find me, so stop looking.”
She sniffed hard, and his lips thinned, knowing she was being over-dramatic in the hope he would break. Too bad that ship sailed a long time ago. “Come on, weren’t we good together? We can have that again, I know we can.”
“Yeah, until you cheat on me again,” he snapped. “I don’t want anything to do with you.”
“You found someone else, didn’t you?” she sputtered angrily. “You’re with her now! You can’t move on from me so quickly, Alec, no man can!”
“Looks like I did, honey. I even sold your engagement ring, all three carats of it,” he gloated. “Didn’t get nearly half of what it was worth, but I think I’ll live with the loss.”
“Three… three carats?” she repeated.
Alec snickered and took a long chug of his beer. “Yep, now it’s gone.”
“Alec, please,” she begged. “It didn’t mean anything, I swear it didn’t. Sometimes, things just happen.”
“Yeah? And sometimes, you have to deal with the consequences. Bye, Nikki.” He hung up on her yelling at him and settled back in the booth, letting out a deep breath of relief. A weight lifted off his shoulders, and when he spotted Iris walking back towards their booth, he vowed to show her the type of man she deserved in her life, no matter how long it took for her to see it herself.
Chapter 9
Alec opened his front door and smiled at the truck driver from the furniture store two towns over. “Thank God,” he said, a desire to hug the man leaping into his mind.
The driver laughed and handed over a clipboard. “I take it you’re happy to see us.”
“Very,” Alec told him and stepped aside. “I miss having a bed.”
“Well, we got everything you ordered. Just sign here, and we’ll get everything set up for you.”
Alec scribbled his name on the clipboard. “I have to go get my brother off the floor of his room, so if you can, start with the living room and kitchen first.”
As the man headed back out to his truck, Alec climbed the stairs, ready to throw whatever he could find at August so he’d get his ass up. He knocked on the door, but August didn’t reply so he opened it.
“Hey, get up, the furniture—oh, come on, man!” he yelled and pulled the door closed again. “Can you start hanging a sock on your damn doorknob please! This is my house!”
“What?” August called back. “Do I really need to alert you every time I bring a girl home?”
“It’d be preferable,” Alec argued.
“Hi, Alec!” a woman’s voice said with a giggle.
“Hi, whoever you are. August, the furniture is here and you are washing those blankets again, got it? Get up and get dressed.”
August grumbled something which was followed by the woman squealing. Alec considered throwing open the door again, but he heard a moan and quickly walked away, running his hands through his hair. Sadly, it didn’t bother him that he heard his brother getting it on with someone. They used to have rooms right next door to each other back home. He’d heard it all before, plenty of times, but when the woman moaned, it wasn’t his brother with his new one-night stand who popped into his mind. It was him and Iris instead.
Last night, he’d gone to her place after work to have dinner with her and Sam. He really liked her younger brother, who seemed to be holding up okay. He’d even asked Alec if he had any other openings for jobs at the gun range, something he could do part time to help Iris with the bills. Alec asked how bad it was, since Sam was honest and Iris was out of the room, but Sam had said it was bad enough. Alec told him he’d check on it and let him know soon.
Alec figured Sam would be able to work in only the shop part of the range where he could sit down so he wasn’t on his feet all the time. He hadn’t run it by Iris yet and planned on doing it tomorrow night when he visited again.
Sam had gone to bed pretty early, and he and Iris ended up tangled in each other’s arms, no longer paying attention to the movie playing. The way her body curved perfectly against his, how she straddled him as she kissed him slowly, caught his breath and drove his passion to unimaginable heights. His hands explored her back and her sides, clinging to her hips and wanting to do so much more than just kiss her and hold her, but he didn’t want to rush things and really didn’t want Sam to walk out and hear them getting it on. When he had Iris, it would be in his bed so she would cry out his name.
Much like the woman just yelled August’s. Alec glared at the closed bedroom door then stomped downstairs to tell the guys to save the beds for last. He wandered into the kitchen to make breakfast as his mind drifted again to Iris’s warm body and the tattoos he’d discovered on the tops of her feet. They were tribal, something to remember each of her parents by. She’d asked him about the wolf that covered his right shoulder and draped around his back. He’d laughed and said it was fairly obvious. He got it because of his name when he was in college. He thought it was funny.
Alec’s hands no longer felt the skillet; he imagined them tracing the curves of her
heavy breasts as they had last night, how her hardened nipples pressed against his palms, and how his groin clenched when she sucked hard on his tongue.
“You’re burning the bacon,” August rumbled behind him.
Alec glanced down at the skillet. “Shit,” he muttered and quickly turned off the burner and moved the skillet to the side. “Well, I was trying to make breakfast.”
“Uh huh,” August said with a knowing grin.
“Shut up. Who was that one?” he asked, catching the tail end of black hair as the woman darted out the open front door.
“That was… Ashley,” he said and snapped his fingers. “Bit of a screamer. Surprised you didn’t hear her last night.”
“I got in late,” Alec said and poured himself a cup of coffee.
“I know. You were dreaming about her, weren’t you?” It wasn’t a question, and Alec avoided his brother’s gaze. “You are falling hard for this one. When do I get to meet her?”
“You already did, at the gun range.”
“For like five minutes. Why don’t you have her and her brother over for dinner one night?” He wandered over to the stove and picked up a burnt piece of bacon, sniffing it before he bit off a piece. It crunched loudly, and he grimaced. “I’ll do the cooking.”
Alec nodded absently. “Yeah, we can do that.”
“What’s eating you?” August asked and nudged him as he passed.
“Nothing,” he muttered, thinking about the tight money situation Iris was in with Sam and all he could do to help her if she would just let him. “I have to go run an errand. Can you get the range opened for me and lock the house before you leave?”
“Where are you going?” August called after him.
“To scratch an itch,” he said and grabbed the keys to his truck to head to City Hall. They’d have records there, and he wanted to know what the plans were for Iris’s closed shop. He knew she didn’t want charity, but she couldn’t refuse a gift, could she? Grinning madly, he hopped into his truck and took off, wondering how much she’d hate him after.
