Broken Justice (Justice Brothers)

by Halliday, Suzanne

  Stretching, Lacey reached overhead with both hands and let leftover nighttime kinks work out. Bending slowly forward and relaxing her spine she let her chest fall toward her legs. With both hands planted firmly on the ground, she felt the stretch along her thigh muscles two seconds before she noticed a tiny, green lizard darting between the scraggly shrubs that lined the patio. She certainly wasn’t on the East Coast anymore.

  Remembering that Cameron had said he’d come by and get her in the morning, she wondered when he’d make his presence known. He was an early riser so she had better get her butt in gear if she wanted to be ready to step into this strange, unexpected opportunity that had come her way.

  Hating to leave the beauty of the morning’s unveiling, she drank in the spectacular scenery for a few more seconds before turning to go back inside. A shower was definitely in order. There was nothing like greeting a new day with clean hair and fresh clothes. Okay, maybe what she really meant was she wanted to greet Cameron fresh from the shower. Damn the hair and clothes.

  Hot water pounded his back where he stood, hand braced against the muted colors of the travertine tile in his shower, head bowed, while long minutes ticked by. From that vantage point, with his eyes cast downward, Cam could only grimace at the sight of an erection that simply didn’t want to cut him a break. The shower had begun in freezing fashion but even that hadn’t helped. Eventually giving up, he’d turned the temperature steamy while his dick mocked him where it jutted out straight from his body under the pouring water.

  He’d dreamt about her all through the night. Hot, insistent dreams that cranked his awareness level to high and stiffened his manhood. Fucking, eh. Any hope that a new day would bring the return of reason to his mind was shot all to hell. Reason? What was that? All he knew was his cock was throbbing like a son-of-a-bitch.

  Sighing, his free hand reluctantly lowered until he had his rock hard dick in a firm grip. The last thing he wanted to do right then was jerk-off but taking himself in hand was clearly going to be the only way to dispense of the raging case of wood he’d awoken to. Talk about a Louisville slugger.

  In the end, he’d been so turned on that it hadn’t taken but a few quick tugs to have him shaking like a leaf. Visions of his Ponytail with her gorgeous legs wrapped around his waist while her feet dug into his ass as she bucked and shook under him was all it took to send him straight into an orgasm that seemed so out-of-place in the solitary shower. His shoulders heaving, Cam squeezed his staff low around the base and then quickly stroked with a tight fist. When the explosion came, his growls of completion echoed in the tile enclosure.

  Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Orgasm accomplished and he still felt like hell. Coming by himself and by his own hand was a far cry from his true desire. He couldn’t ever remember feeling like this. Handling the crude demands of his sex, when what he really wanted was to lose all awareness inside a soft body, was not improving his mood. He wondered if she would take him into her mouth and just like that his cock woke up yet again. Slamming his palm against the tile wall, he let loose a series of vulgar oaths that pretty well summed up how fucked he was.

  Screw the shower. Apparently he was doomed with a perpetual hard-on that wasn’t going to back off. The way he felt, he could stand there the whole damn day, stroking himself, and it wasn’t going to bring any real relief. He needed to see the Ponytail. Wanted to hear her voice.

  Toweling off with a brutal intensity, Cam tried to bring his emotions into check. His conversation last evening with Alex had been a disaster. So had the struggle to leave her be. He couldn’t even count the number of times he’d considered going to her. Time to get his head on straight before he lost control. As if jerking off in the shower like a horny teenager wasn’t a damn good sign of how little control he actually had.

  Sighing, Cam went about his morning business. He had some damage control to do with Alex and a new life to introduce Lacey to. It was going to be an interesting day.

  She felt her breath quicken and heart race as the low growl of a truck signaled its approach. He was here. Checking her reflection in the mirror and noting the plain scoop neck tee and newer jeans she’d picked to wear, Lacey liked what she saw. Confidence restored, she drew a deep breath to steady her nerves and pulled open the arched door just as her dark knight strode up the cobbled walkway, clutching a large box.

  Trying for light-hearted she chimed, “Hola, Cameron! It’s a beautiful morning, isn’t it?” as she held open the door for his arrival. She seriously hoped some of the self-assured poise she was hoping to project was hitting its mark. Eyeing the carton in his arms she quirked an eyebrow at him, laughing. “What’s in the box? I hope it’s nothing slimy. So far I’ve made friends with a lizard and something I think was a jack rabbit but I’m definitely not ready for anything that slithers, just yet.”

  After getting him to laugh at her silly jokes during the long ride in his truck, she hoped that his smile might make a brief appearance at her jovial attitude. Judging by the hooded gaze he kept to himself, she was, as they say - shit-out-of-luck. There was no way she would give up that easily though. It was going to take a whole lot more than his brooding nonsense to deter her.

  He was still achingly gorgeous, sexy, and very, very yummy to look at first thing in the morning. True to his habit for dressing mostly in black, today he wore what at one time passed for a concert t-shirt and faded dark jeans. A pair of broken in cowboy boots completed his attire. Taking a cue from the t-shirt he wore she kept up a non-stop stream of verbal drivel hoping to get some sort of a reaction from him.

  “You don’t strike me as a Foo Fighters kind of a guy. I figured you were more the Keith Urban type,” she joshed good-naturedly. “I must say Cameron that your t-shirt has seen better days. Looks like it is going to end up in a bucket full of truck-cleaning suds any minute.”

  Holy Cow. Was that the faint glimmer of laughter shimmering in his eyes? If she wasn’t mistaken, he was clinging pretty hard to that somber thing he had going on while fighting to keep a smile from cracking his usual reserve. Good. She was making headway. Truth was, she’d thought of nothing but him since letting him take her to bed. He might be running but she was in close pursuit. Mister Cameron Justice was mistaken if he thought for one minute that she wasn’t going to do everything in her power to knock some sense into his thick skull. He couldn’t scare her away with a few dark looks and some ridiculous narrative about being broken and without real emotion. She knew better, even if he wasn’t quite there yet.

  “Do you always start rattling off the minute your eyes open, woman?”

  Nice try, cowboy, she thought. Game on! “No, of course not! Must be your sparkling wit and clever repartee that sets me off. You need to learn to be quiet more, Cameron. Sheesh! Give it a rest why don’t you?”

  Sashaying ahead of him into the kitchen, Cam was left staring at her crazy, sexy ass in the snug jeans she was wearing, while she continued to needle him with her sassy mouth. No wonder he couldn’t get his rampaging dick under control. All she had to do was smile like that and tease him with her sexy voice and he was struggling to catch up.

  Following close on her heels, he picked up on the subtle scent of her shampoo and marveled at how something so simple could strike such a blow to his senses. Dropping the carton of provisions brought from his own kitchen, he reached into the box and pulled out a huge travel mug that he thrust at her. “Tea. Hot and sweet. The way you like it.”

  Her gasp of delight, when she whirled around to accept the mug, cracked a tiny hole in his reserve. “Okay. I’m letting you off the hook because of this,” she said while waving the steaming container at him. “Thank you.”

  The thanks he expected. The swift, soft kiss she placed on his cheek took him by surprise. It was all he could do not to turn and capture her lips for a searing kiss that would tell her all the things he couldn’t.

  “Seriously. What’s in the box?”

  The box. Oh, yeah, right. The box. He pulled out a bunch of ripe bananas,
a loaf of store-bought bread, and some packets of sugar and dropped them on the counter. A couple of cans of soup followed as did a container of eggs, a carton of milk, and boxes of cereal. He pretty much grabbed whatever he had in his kitchen until the box had been crammed full of all sorts of stuff she’d need.

  Lacey watched him while taking small sips of the tea he’d brewed specifically for her. It had come as a surprise that he even had tea bags but once he found them, he quickly set about making the hot drink. Noticing the small scrap of paper on the counter with a modest shopping list he told her, “There’s a lot of ground for us to cover this morning but we can head into town later to do a grocery run.”

  “It was hard to see much in the darkness last night but I gather this place is enormous. How many people work and live here?” she asked.

  Opening the refrigerator, he stowed away the eggs and milk, and he paused at her question to consider his answer. Leaning his hips against the counter he did a quick mental count. “Besides Draegyn, Alex and myself, there are several others living here in the compound. Carmen comes and goes but Alex’s cook, Ria, lives behind the barn with her husband Ben, the property manager. He looks after things. One of his projects is a sustainable garden, a greenhouse, and a bunch of other things that get put to good use when there are clients or consultants staying.” He shared her surprise because the incredible amount of vegetables and fruits Ben harvested throughout the year was staggering. The man had a serious green thumb.

  “There are others, mostly seasonal people, like the guy who trains our security dogs. You’ll meet Gus, too. He’s in charge of everything from the horses to the ATVs to the motorbikes. That’s who to see if you need a vehicle of any sort. We have clients and security personnel who get training and brush up on their skills all throughout the year. Those folks are in a residence a ways from the main house.”

  “Wow. I had no idea. Did Betty have an office, then? “

  “Yep. The office is here in the main part of the compound. I’m afraid it’s something of a mess at the moment. You have your work cut out for you, Ponytail.”

  “I won’t let you down, Cameron,” she whispered. For a brief second he saw something that looked like anxiety flash in her eyes.

  Why did he have this need to reassure her? He probably should be examining his motives and responses but that sort of straight thinking seemed to be in short supply of late. Instead, he reached out and tucked a wayward strand of blonde hair that escaped her ponytail, pushing it behind her ear. Touching her had been a mistake because he couldn’t stop from tracing the shell of her ear with his fingertips. The shiver that shook her at his touch almost brought him to his damn knees. He cleared his throat and stepped away, desperately trying to reign in the desire to lift her up onto the nearby wooden table and step between her thighs so he could do a whole lot more than caress an earlobe.

  “Uh…..so. You ready to meet the lord and master of this crazy place? Alex will be waiting for us. He’s, um…well, he’s curious to meet you.”

  “I bet,” she snorted in amusement. “I’m thinking you don’t bring many girls to the old homestead, huh? Well, don’t worry. I’ll be on my best behavior.” She laughed while elbowing him playfully in the ribs. “Oh, and I promise not to tell anyone that you really do know how to smile. That’ll be our little secret, hmmm?”

  He tried not to but it couldn’t be helped. It took a few seconds, being as out of practice as he was, but eventually a half-smile twitched on his lips. “What have I gotten myself into?” he groaned in mock dismay. “C’mon Ponytail,” he chuckled while smacking her firmly on the ass. “Let’s get moving before I teach that sassy mouth of yours a better way to drive me crazy.”

  Her smoky laugh rang in his ears as they left the casita and climbed into his truck for the three-minute drive to the main house. He seriously hoped Alex was ready for the surprise he was about to get. There was no way his ripe imagination had conjured up a picture of Lacey that would even come close to reality.

  It took all of Lacey’s strength to keep things light and easy with the man at her side. She hadn’t missed the telltale bulge in his jeans and had done everything in her power to keep from staring at his groin like a hungry predator. Did he know how desirable he was? Probably not. Men seemed to think that desire was a one-way street inhabited only by them. He’d no doubt be shocked by how naughty her thoughts were where he was concerned. At one point she even put her hand on the kitchen table to test how strong it was while her imagination went crazy with erotic fantasies of laying back on said table, naked and begging for his possession.

  Good grief. Two days ago she’d been a complete innocent but after a couple of hot kisses and one night of total surrender she was practically overcome with arousal whenever he appeared. Pressing her thighs together in the tight jeans, she tried to quell the slow burn starting between her legs. Mental note to self - get more undies. She was going to destroy the few pairs she had with the way his dark, good looks made her panties damp after each encounter. Even an innocent conversation turned her into a wet mess.

  She was relieved that he didn’t seem as driven to push her away this morning. If anything, there was a pulse of protectiveness that he wasn’t trying all that hard to hide. Maybe the walls around his heart were breaking down. She could only hope that was the case. They were good together, in more ways than one. She’d even gotten an unexpected grin when teasing him about the smile thing.

  In the daylight the magnificence of the Spanish influence on the main portion of the villa was nothing short of breathtaking. Driving into a large, open courtyard, Cameron pulled the truck to a slow stop near a stone walkway that led to the home’s massive front door. The subtle scent of desert sage and the flowering yucca trees filled the air. From her seat in the front of the truck, Lacey tried to take it all in. Nothing about the place had been what she expected at all.

  Sensing his eyes upon her, she turned toward his gaze, smiling softly. “It’s so beautiful, Cameron. Thank you again and again for bringing me here.”

  He didn’t say anything; he just sat still and watched her. When he exited the truck and came around to her side so he could help her jump down, she put her hands upon his shoulders when he offered his assistance. As her feet hit the pavement she moved her hands from those impossibly broad shoulders to the back of his neck and leaned in for a swift kiss.

  When she stepped back to look him straight in the eye and said “Showtime!” he looked shocked. And pleased. Showtime, indeed.

  They’d barely stepped through the wide, heavy front door when he heard a shouted greeting in lightly accented English. “Welcome home, Meeester Cameron!”

  “Hola, Carmen,” he replied, his voice heavy with tenderness. "¿Cómo estás?"

  Alex’s trusted housekeeper glided down a set of massive wooden stairs from a long, second floor balcony that looked down into the huge foyer. She was one of those ageless women who could have been anyone’s favorite grandmother, with a long dark braid mixed with grey that wrapped around her head and a wide mouth set with a hearty smile.

  “You’ve been missed you scoundrel!” She laughed as Cam drew her into a warm bear hug.

  “Ah, scoundrel, huh? Your English has gotten too good, Senora! Next you’ll be telling me how good-looking I am,” he teased.

  “Big chance!” she snorted while beaming her obvious fondness at him.

  “Uh, it’s ‘fat chance’, and one can hope.”

  “Oh. Did you hear about Liang? Meeester Alex, he was………peeessed? Is that right?”

  “Pissed covers it quite nicely, I think, and yes, I heard. The bat cave looks like someone was more than pissed if you ask me.”

  Carmen laughed. “Bat cave! Good one, amigo! I must use that word with Javi. My grandson, he loves the superheroes, that boy.”

  For a brief moment, Cam recalled another young boy who was into all things Batman. A shadow gathered in his mind that he just barely managed to dismiss, but the reminder was there nonethele
ss. Great. Without warning he felt a trickle of sweat roll down his back.

  “Hola, Miss Lacey. Meeester Alex told me you are staying in Casita de Corazon. My name is Carmen. Whatever you need to make your stay comfortable, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

  Cam watched the two women greet each other. Carmen, of course, was welcoming and direct while Lacey offered a shy greeting that made the older woman grab her in a firm hug.

  “Welcome, welcome! It’s good to have another woman around this old house now that Betty has been away. These men,” she gestured with her head in a conspiratorial fashion, “they need us to keep them in line!”

  When Ponytail laughed, he knew a bond of friendship had been formed between the two.

  “Alright, alright. Enough of that! The only person needing to be kept in line is you, old woman. Why, you’re lucky we don’t hire some fancy New York butler instead of putting up with your antics.” Without realizing at first what he was doing, Cam finished the teasing with a simple smile.

  Carmen looked back and forth between he and Lacey, and a devilish grin spread across her face. Apparently she also noted the unusual appearance of a smile on his face. What the hell was happening to him? The sparkle in Lacey’s eyes told him she approved. He rather liked that blue sparkle. It lit up her face in the most charming way. Maybe he could try smiling some more if that was the reaction he was going to get.

  “Off with you two, now. Meeester Grumpy is prowling out in the back. Good luck. He’s already made Benito’s life a living hell this morning over something silly. Whatever you do, don’t ask about that ridiculous fish pond they’re planning. Apparently, fish don’t like living in a desert. Nice meeting you, Lacey. We’ll see each other again at lunch.” She nodded in their direction and strode away.

  “Fish pond?”

  “Yeah. Don’t ask. Sometimes Alex gets these ideas. It’s hard to explain. Takes his mind off ……other things.” He didn’t elaborate that the other things generally referred to the flare-ups of pain and mobility problems brought on by his old injuries.