The reason was simple.
Just shy of seven years ago, Honor’s innocence had been shattered in an act of violence so revolting that even now it turned his stomach to recall it. Being kidnapped and raped when she’d been only fifteen years old had definitely shaped the way the young woman dealt with the world around her. Abel would never forget the night they’d found her dumped in a sinkhole to die and rot. Nobody that had stood there while she’d been pulled out of that pit would ever get rid of that memory.
Five men had hurt Honor McKinnon that long ago chilly autumn night. Of those five, three of them were dead, including Harmony’s twisted ex-husband. Simple math said that left two animals out there, roaming the streets of Paradise. That grim knowledge was enough to make even the coldest man’s blood freeze in its veins. Abel could only imagine what it did to the young lady currently perched between Maggie and Zeke as she spoke softly to Zeke’s brother, Ice, when he stopped to chat at their table.
Watchful and wary, Honor kept all except a select few at a polite distance. It wasn’t that she was unfriendly or cold. No, it was quite the opposite. Honor was the warmest, friendliest woman he’d ever met in spite of what had happened to her. She just kept her private pain close, hiding it from everyone but those that knew her the best.
Fortunately, Abel knew her better than most, and right now, she was wishing she was anywhere but where she sat. Exchanging a faint smile with her, Abel watched as Honor edged away from Zeke on the bench. He saw her nod toward him, her eyes begging Abel to come rescue her from her current predicament.
Not likely.
Ezekiel Monroe was one of the few men that he considered a true friend. And whether Honor would admit it or not, the sheriff was good for her. More importantly, he was good to her. The poor son of a bitch had been in love with Honor for years – not that she believed it. But it was true. Everyone saw it but her. She continued to willfully wear blinders to the way things were, and he wondered just how long Zeke was gonna allow that shit to continue. Hell, he knew – along with everybody else in town - that the young woman had demons she needed to face, not the least of which were the two remaining unknown rapists running around their hometown. What Honor didn’t seem to realize was there was no better man to help her face her past than the one currently sitting beside her, watching her with amused eyes.
Abel turned his eyes back to the dance floor as the song began to taper off and watched as one of Paradise’s newest residents and business owners, Hunter Quaid, escorted Patience off the dance floor toward the bar. Hunter had opened up the town’s one and only tattoo parlor a couple of months ago and dated Patience briefly. Abel wasn’t worried about where their relationship was headed. Like him, his Patience didn’t do repeats. She’d been there and dated that, and she wasn’t gonna go back for seconds. She’d already decided that what she wanted wasn’t on Hunter’s menu. And that worked for Abel. He knew that she might dance and have a good time with the guy she’d once dated, but she wouldn’t go home with Hunter.
Thank God.
Abel sighed as he watched Dusty Fairchild, one of the town’s local insurance agents, approach her. The guy was nice enough, Abel supposed; he’d graduated a few years behind Abel and had taken over his dad’s insurance brokerage firm a couple years back, but he definitely was not Patience’s type. He was way too nice and unassuming to keep up with a hellion like her. No, she needed a man that wouldn’t be afraid to stand up to her and take her across his knee when the situation warranted it. And she absolutely needed a man that could hold his own against that stubborn streak she possessed and a man that wouldn’t back down from the challenges she’d undoubtedly throw down on him.
The undeniable truth was that Patience McKinnon was always gonna be a handful and she needed a man like him – not that she’d ever admit it. And she was gonna get him, too. Fuck her ‘no repeat’ rule.
He wanted her.
He’d always wanted her.
And that drunken night when he’d already had her shouldn’t count, damn it! He’d been shitfaced and hurting, and three years ago, he’d blindly accepted the comfort she’d offered him. He had finally ended a long-term relationship with a bitch that he wouldn’t waste precious time thinking about now, and he had been in a bad emotional headspace. Patience had been sweet...a virgin who’d offered him an incredible gift...but he’d been too consumed with his own fucked-up life and by his own pain to appreciate what she’d offered him. He’d made a mess of things with her. But he was gonna fix it; tonight, if he had his way.
He was gonna get his fucking do-over with her. He was going to show her that he was no longer the player she thought he was. Not that she could judge him. Patience had enjoyed her fair share of male attention in the last few years. There’d been a bevy of guys marching to the beat she set, but she’d never allowed any of them to get serious. No, the moment any of those morons started making noises about wanting ‘more’, she was done. Gone. Finished. The end.
And she never went back.
He could respect that. When he’d been playing the field, he rarely indulged in seconds himself. It was just better that way, cleaner for all the parties involved. But for her, he was going to break all his own rules. Because he’d finally figured it out… the reason he could never put her out of his mind and forget that night between them. That epiphany had come while she’d bled all over him and gotten shot before his eyes. When he thought about those moments following the shooting, he still felt the raw ache of powerlessness throbbing in his chest.
He’d known then…he’d known in his gut!...she was his. It had taken nearly losing her to wake his ass up.
But he’d be damned if he wasn’t wide awake now.
Looking at her now, he knew she’d never be easy to love. Opinionated as hell and mouthy as all fuck, she was sass personified. She’d added indigo streaks to her pale blonde hair and wore the pinkest damn lipstick he’d ever seen and she drew every available man’s eye in the joint to her, each one wondering how those full, plump lips would look wrapped around their dick.
Jesus, he was fucked. Dressed in a blue-sequined dress that fit her like a glove and accentuated every single one of her stunning assets, Patience was a walking, talking temptation – and he wanted her with an intensity that made his heart hurt, his balls ache, and his dick throb. And almost every other man at this party felt the same pain. Watching as Dusty cupped a hand around her hip and tugged her against his side to lean down and whisper something in her ear that made her laugh, Abel knew if that jackass’s hand drifted one inch lower toward her heart-shaped ass, he was going to lose what was left of his mind.
Granted, it wouldn’t be a great loss, considering he was teetering on the edge of his sanity. The goddamn edge, people!
And wasn’t he just the luckiest bastard ever to have company on his descent into darkness?
“Hey, man, I don’t think your powers of mind control are working,” Abel heard his brother, Cain, joke from his left. “She’s still cozied up to him.”
Abel heard another familiar voice chuckle on his right. “But if you stare at my future sister-in-law any harder, I’m afraid she might spontaneously combust.”
Turning his head to look between the two men goading him, Abel inhaled deeply. “Fuck off, jackasses.”
His brother rolled his eyes as he took a pull from his own amber bottle of beer. “The legal eagle of Paradise County with the golden tongue strikes again.” Dropping his bottle to the bar, Cain Turner leaned his elbows back. “Dad’ll be glad to know his money was well-spent on your legal education.”
“Formal education never prepares a man for how to deal with the opposite sex,” Jake Stone added helpfully as he tried to hold back a snicker...and failed, his own eyes going back to where his future wife stood talking to her wedding dress designer. “God knows that nothing I learned in school prepared me for Harmony. And I doubt anything Abel here learned at his fancy-ass college prepared him for the likes of Patience McKinnon.”
&nb
sp; Cain nudged his brother. “You wanna tell us what exactly has got you fucked up over Patience this time? She try to run you over with her Mustang again? Man, when will you learn not to get in her flight path?”
“Hell, she only winged you last time, man.” Jake grinned widely as he drained the last drop from his Sam Adams. “She did worse to Phil Jackson when he tried to stop her from parking in the handicapped spot at the post office last week. He’s still wearing a knee brace and bitching about hormonal women.”
How in the hell was he supposed to tell these two guffawing dumbasses that, this time, he and Patience had transcended their normal rat-a-tat reality and moved into the realm of eternal damnation? Sleeping with Patience McKinnon was not something that he was about to joke about...and having her reject him after the fact was more than adding insult to injury. It was the death knell as far as he was concerned.
He had been seduced by Satan...and she had led him into a pit of desire that had left him breathless and begging for more, only to find out that there was nothing left.
Lips tightening, Abel’s teeth ground together as he watched Dusty drag one blunt fingertip over the skin exposed on Patience’s back. Christ, he was losing it. Watching the other man touch what his gut already considered his was enough to have him already taking a step in their direction. If his brother’s hand hadn’t grabbed his shoulder, he’d have been halfway to where the couple still stood.
“Don’t do it, Abel,” Cain warned, his deep voice low and amused even as he kept his hold on Abel’s shoulder. “She won’t thank you if you storm over there and make a scene in front of everybody.”
Shrugging off his brother’s grip, Abel turned to glare at him. “What the fuck are you talking about?” he growled, feeling his cheeks flush as his twin laughed in his face.
Jake snorted. “You know exactly what Cain’s talking about. You were gonna go make a jackass of yourself, embarrass Patience, start a fight with whoever that guy is, and probably get your ass handed to you for the effort. By Patience, of course. I think you can probably take the dude over there,” Jake stated evenly, his dark eyes going back to the man standing beside Patience. “He looks like a beanpole.”
“Dusty’s a decent guy,” Cain chuckled, then nodded toward the other guy as he slowly slunk away from Patience. “But he’s definitely not Patience proof. You should feel better, brother. Looks like she shot him down.”
Abel’s shoulders slowly relaxed as he turned to catch sight of Patience tossing back a shot as she stood, now alone, at the bar. And, damn it, he did feel better. Hell, he was ecstatic. It was no secret that Dusty was considered a catch in Paradise – almost as big a catch as he himself was revered to be. The fact that Patience had sent the other man on his merry way in record time went a long way toward soothing Abel’s frayed nerves.
“Question is,” Jake drawled, “Now that she’s all alone, whatcha gonna do, Abel? Gonna leave her all by her lonesome or actually pull your head out of your ass and make a play for her before some other son of a bitch does?”
“Ohhh, can I place a bet?” Cain asked eagerly. “I got a twenty that says Patience leaves his broken, bleeding body on the dance floor. I’ll put an extra ten down on her cutting off his junk once he’s down on his back, too.”
Abel scowled at both men. “Has anybody ever told you two that you’re as nosy as women when it comes to what I can do with my dick? Fucking assholes,” he muttered, all while keeping Patience within his sights.
“According to my reliable source, there’s very little you can actually do with your dick. In fact, they say it’s your biggest fault,” Jake informed him, straight-faced, though his eyes danced with mirth. Seeing Abel’s eyes flash, Jake snapped his fingers. “You know, though, it’s okay! For every problem, there’s a solution. I was in the bookstore just the other day and saw that “Sex for Dummies” was on sale. Half price! I’m sure if you trot on down there, you can still grab a copy, man.”
“Again, and forever, fuck off. My dick does just fine,” Abel spat at them both before stomping toward Patience. It was time to put the rumors to rest and prove himself once and for all to the one demon responsible for his current mood.
~~**~~
Her plan to drive Abel Turner insane was working exactly like she’d planned!
And Patience McKinnon couldn’t help smiling into her shot glass as she felt his heat hit her back. Oh, she knew exactly who it was hovering behind her even before his familiar shadow fell over her, his hands coming around either side of her body to rest on the bar top as his clean, woodsy scent surrounded her. Feeling his warm breath fanning against the nape of her neck as he bent his head to her ear, she fought the shiver building inside her.
There was no way in hell she was giving the asshat the satisfaction of knowing how much he affected her.
By God, she was the one doling out the disturbances tonight, not him. It was only fair. He’d been jumbling her thoughts for years. It was about time that she got some payback.
Glancing down at the tiny dress that barely covered her ass, she’d known it was a little over the top, but she’d worn it with the sole purpose of getting under Abel’s skin. Swallowing the last of her tequila, she knew her outfit had the desired effect when Abel growled roughly to the bartender, “Jack on the rocks.”
“You’re hittin’ the hard stuff tonight, aren’t you?” she asked as innocently as she could while she watched the new woman they’d hired the previous week reach up for the bottle of Jack Daniels on the shelf behind her. “What’s the matter? Had a rough day?” she asked lightly, glancing over her shoulder into the ruggedly handsome face of her arch-nemesis.
“Yeah,” he grunted, shifting to the side and propping his hip against the bar. “And my night’s not shaping up to be much better,” he added with a long hot look down at her. “What the hell were you thinking when you put on that get-up tonight, Hellion? I’ve seen strippers on the pole wearing more than you are tonight.”
Turning slightly on the bar stool to smile sweetly at Abel, Patience shrugged. “Hunter liked it. And Dusty loved it… said he wouldn’t mind helping me out of it, too. But then, neither of them has a stick shoved up their asses,” she shared as much to rile him as she did to soothe her wounded ego. She’d be damned if she’d let him make her feel like shit.
Abel’s jaw clenched as the muscle in his cheek flexed. “I don’t doubt he did. Every man in this place that isn’t attached has been eye-fucking you since you walked in the door,” he bit out, snatching up his drink and offering the red-headed bartender a slight nod as he brought it to his lips and belted it back.
“That was kinda the idea, Abel. I’m a young woman on the prowl,” she said, shooting the men at the end of the bar a flirtatious smile. Hell, she didn’t want either of them, but Abel didn’t know that. To needle him, she waggled her fingers in the guys’ direction.
Following her gaze, Abel glared at the two men lifting glasses toward her before turning back to Patience. “Enough, damn it,” he growled, shifting down until his face was in hers. “I’ve had it, woman. Get up.”
“Excuse me?” she questioned sharply, trying to yank her arm from his sudden grip. Feeling herself pulled against him, Patience caught her breath as she stared up into his serious face, his dark blue eyes glittering with dangerous intent. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Abel?”
“What I should of done months ago, Sweet Cheeks. I’m takin’ you in hand. Either turn around and walk somewhere where we can have some privacy, or I’m puttin’ you over my shoulder and takin’ you back to my place. We’re talking, Hellion, and we’re doin’ it without an audience.”
“You’ve completely lost your damn fool mind if you are stupid enough to think you can give me ultimatums, Abel Turner! How the hell much have you had to drink?” Patience asked, accusation edging her voice as her bright eyes flashed ominously as someone bumped her from behind and sent her stumbling into Abel’s hard chest.
Catching her by the hips as she
fell against him, Abel’s hands tightened. “Not nearly enough, but I wanted to be sober when you and me have our “come to Jesus.” This tension has gone on long enough, darlin’. We’re gonna work it out the old-fashioned way.”
“Really? ‘Cause I’m not armed right now, and the only way I see this workin’ out for me is by puttin’ a bullet in your head. The southerly one, not the northerly one!”
“Does this mean that you’re not gonna be a good girl and lead me to a nice quiet corner where we can have a chat?” he asked with a faint grin.
Narrowing her sparkling eyes, Patience shook her head. “Hell, no!”
“You know, Baby Girl, I was kinda hopin’ you’d say that,” Abel returned, before bending quickly and putting her over his shoulder before she could react.
Patience gasped as she suddenly found herself hanging upside down over his shoulder. Balling her hand into a fist, she slammed it against his back. “Abel, I swear to God, if you don’t put me down…”
“Simmer down, Hellion,” Abel ordered, slapping a hand against the firm globe of her ass and pulling an enraged scream from her lips as he strode through the bar. “I’ll put you down when I’m sure you’ve got nowhere to run.”
“You bastard!” she squealed, kicking her legs as she beat against his back, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment. “I’m going to kill you, Abel! I swear, there won’t be enough of you left to fill a coffee can, let alone a coffin if you don’t put me down!!”
“If you think you’re big enough, sweetheart, I look forward to seeing you try,” Abel replied with a grin in his voice as he wove his way through the amused crowd, offering Zeke and Honor’s table a little wave as he passed them.
Ready, Willing and Abel (Passion in Paradise: The Men of the McKinnon Sisters Book 3) Page 2
