One More Time (Red Hook, Texas 1) [Siren Publishing Classic]

by Lee Rose

  He grinned, looking so relaxed and happy. She wouldn’t mind seeing him always looking like this.

  “Great minds think alike.”

  Chapter 14

  Alana put the grocery bags in the backseat of her car. All day she had been feeling as if someone was watching her. She thought maybe she was being paranoid. As far as she knew, her attacker had been very quiet for weeks. It was confusing. She didn’t know if she should relax or stay on alert. It wasn’t good for her nerves.

  She took a deep breath and told herself to calm down. Life had been going good lately.

  She and Noah were spending as much time together as they could after making love three days ago. She felt so much closer to him now. Knowing him as a lover was exciting, and she hoped this feeling never faded. It gave her confidence. He was honest about his fears, and they talked things through. She trusted him, and that was a big step for her.

  She was working four days a week, and she even waitressed a few times when it got busy.

  She still felt jumpy, but she did her best to hide it from everyone. Only Alicia knew she still had nightmares. Not as often, so that made her happy. She was convinced with time they would fade away completely.

  She straightened up and saw a shadow behind her. She let out a loud shriek.

  “Jesus, Alana. You just scared the shit out of me,” Adam told her, looking concerned.

  Alana put her hand over her heart and released her breath. She gave him a shaky laugh. Adam had on his fire station T-shirt and jeans. He wore a pair of dark sunglasses, and his hair was tied back.

  “I just scared myself.” She laughed. It came out sounding a little hysterical.

  “It’s my turn to buy groceries for the firehouse,” he explained. “I saw you and thought I would say hello.”

  “And I scared you instead.” She smiled with a shake of her head. Her ponytail swung in the air. “Ray decided he needed tomatoes and a few other items right away. I volunteered to get them.”

  She had decided it was time to venture out by herself. So far she had never been alone. She wanted to prove to herself that she was strong. You failed, Alana.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked, looking around the busy parking lot. It was the middle of the day, and it was a busy time. People were coming and going. The summer festival had come to an end, and things were back to the normal routine.

  “This is my first time out alone. I think I am just nervous. I told myself I would not freak out.”

  Adam gave her a gentle smile. He patted her on the shoulder. “You did good, Alana. I should have called out your name before coming up behind you.”

  “Thanks, Adam. Maybe I’m trying too hard to be normal.” She took a deep breath. “I always have someone with me, and it makes feel awful. I thought I’d give going alone a try.”

  “It’ll take time to get over what you went through, honey. You already look so much better. And Noah never stops smiling. Liam and I tease him a lot, but inside we are glad he finally got his head on straight. And it’s all because of you,” he said gently.

  Alana loved his calm personality. She truly hoped Adam got his second chance at love someday. He was such a good man.

  Alana felt her cheeks heat up. “He helps me just as much, Adam, but thank you for saying that. I’d better get back. Ray is waiting on me.”

  “Okay. I’m off tomorrow. Maybe we can grill again. Ask Ray and Alicia if they’d like to join us,” he suggested. “I think we could all use a fun day.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Alana got in the car and waved bye to him one last time.

  She drove back without any further scares and convinced herself her imagination was running wild. The rest of the day went by smoothly.

  Noah had to work late, so Alana and Alicia drove home together that night.

  “Let’s make popcorn and watch a movie,” Alicia suggested. “It felt like a long day. Did you see that jerk Jason flirting with me?”

  Alana nodded. “Is he still dating Mary Lopez?”

  Alicia nodded. “I told him next time I would call her myself. She is a nice girl. She deserves better.”

  Alana agreed. “You pick the movie, and I’ll make popcorn.”

  Alana put a bag of popcorn in the microwave and pushed some buttons. She got two cans of soda out of the fridge and set them on the counter.

  She peeked out the small kitchen window over the sink and thought she saw a shadow. She blinked and looked again and saw nothing. Shrugging it off, she put the popcorn in a bowl. Before she left the kitchen, she made sure the back kitchen door was locked. She grabbed everything and went into the living room. She had to stop jumping at every sound and shadow.

  Alicia had picked out a romantic comedy. They settled down on the couch, and Alana found herself involved with the movie. She laughed and relaxed.

  “That was so awesome.” Alicia sniffed. “I love happy endings.”

  Alana pushed her playfully. “You softie.”

  Alicia made a face. Before she could answer back, they heard a noise on the back porch.

  “What’s that?” Alicia grumbled. “If Mr. Miller’s dog is in the trash again, Dad is going to blow his top. We might have a neighbor war.”

  Alana felt the tension in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t want to frighten her sister, but what if it wasn’t a dog? What if she hadn’t been imagining being watched? Her thoughts were running wild.

  Alicia marched to the back door and turned the outside light on. She opened the curtain and screamed when she saw a face encased in a ski mask staring into the window.

  “Oh my God.” Alana covered her mouth to prevent a scream.

  Alicia closed the curtain and picked up the phone. Alana heard her telling someone her address and that they had an intruder.

  Coming out of her frozen state, Alana ran into the living room. She couldn’t remember if she had locked the front door. She reached it and saw the lock was on. She slid the chain into place. It wouldn’t stop an intruder, but it could give them time to hide.

  Alicia was right behind her. Alana grabbed one of her dad’s golf clubs from the closet. Alicia searched and found an old baseball bat from when Ray played.

  “What do we do?” Alicia sounded terrified, and her eyes were watery. “Do you think it’s—”

  Alana grabbed her hand. “Noah and his men will get here quick. There are two of us. If we have to, we beat the crap out of him.”

  Alicia nodded but screamed when they heard the front porch steps creak with footsteps. They watched the front door, waiting for it to be kicked in. They held their weapons tight, ready to attack.

  “I know you girls are alone in there. Let me in, and we can have some fun.” The voice was loud and high-pitched.

  Alana heard Alicia whimper, and it gave her the courage to be brave. She would not let her little sister be terrorized.

  “You’re about to get arrested, asshole!” Alana yelled loudly. How dare he come to her house to terrorize her? Whoever this guy was would not find the same scared woman he could prey on. “Then we’ll see who is having fun. I hope you rot in hell.”

  There was no answer, and a few seconds later, they heard the sirens. Alana didn’t let go of her weapon. She thought maybe her hand was frozen to it from holding it so tight. She heard tires squealing. The cavalry had arrived.

  Chapter 15

  Noah’s heart was racing and about to jump out of his chest. When the call came over the radio, his heart stopped. He wasn’t even sure how he got here. He had run on automatic. He prayed the whole way that he would find the girls safe and unhurt.

  He raced up the steps, gun drawn. He banged on the door, ready to barrel through it if he had to.

  “Alana, it’s me.”

  He heard the lock click and the chain come off. Next thing he knew, he was holding the woman he loved. She was sobbing into his chest, and he felt like he could breathe again. He knew his men were surrounding the house.

  He looked at Alicia and waved her ov
er. She looked pale and scared. He hugged her, too, and asked if she was okay. She nodded but stayed silent. She was doing a good job of holding her tears in. She was holding a bat, and he had to pry it out of her hands and set it down.

  He led both girls to the couch. They looked frantic, exactly how he felt. His heartbeat was just now slowing down.

  “We found this.” Drake came inside and handed him a large yellow envelope. He was wearing gloves. Noah let go of the girls and put some gloves on. He doubted there were fingerprints on it, but just in case, he didn’t want to ruin evidence.

  Alana and Alicia sat on the couch close together. Both girls were pale. Drake was talking to them softly and reassuring them the guy was long gone.

  Ray came barreling into the house with wide eyes. He looked at his sisters and kneeled before them. Alicia threw herself into his arms and started sobbing, telling him what had happened. Drake sat on the couch next to Alana, holding her hand. Noah knew Drake was a family friend, but he didn’t like the idea of anyone touching Alana but himself. He was possessive when it came to her.

  Noah swallowed down his jealousy and sat on the coffee table and opened the envelope. He heard Ray whispering to the girls, and he was glad they weren’t paying attention to him. He sucked his breath in. He pulled out photos of Alana. At least ten. She was working at the restaurant. The picture had been taken through the window. One was of her at the grocery store putting bags in the car. A few of her and Alicia coming home together. He wanted her to know he could get to her. He was livid that someone would do this to her. This was no normal mugging. Someone had singled her out, and he wanted to know why. Alana had no enemies and no past boyfriends.

  “What is it?” Alana cried in a low voice. Tears were falling down her cheek.

  Noah hoped this would not send her backward. He had finally started seeing glimpses of the old Alana. He wanted this guy bad.

  Ray sat on the couch between them. He saw the pictures and let out a few curse words.

  Alana gasped. “I thought I felt someone watching me. I thought I was being paranoid.”

  Noah immediately pulled her onto his lap. He held her as she cried. He felt angry. How long had he been quietly watching her? Why?

  The next hour was spent checking the outside for any clues while Ray guarded his sisters.

  Mr. and Mrs. Garcia were upset and wanted to know how Alana was going to be protected.

  “If he is here in town and he is watching her, how can we protect her?” Mr. Garcia wanted to know. He was hugging Alana tightly as if he didn’t want to let her go.

  Alicia had calmed down and was now angry. She paced up and down the living room floor.

  “He needs to be caught and rot in jail,” Alicia stated angrily. “How dare he watch Alana and come to our home to scare us?”

  Ray hugged her. “We’ll let Alicia loose on his ass.”

  Alana giggled and agreed. Noah knew Ray was trying to lighten the tension.

  “Alana can stay at my house. Liam and I are there every night. Starting tomorrow Adam will be off, too,” Noah suggested. He wanted Alana to move in with him, and this was the perfect excuse. He didn’t care if her family argued about it. She was coming home with him, or he would camp out on the couch here. “I have an alarm system. Tomorrow we search every inch of this town. There is no place this guy can hide. Tony and Matt Smith also volunteered to help. They helped me do security for the festival, and I trust them. They are ex-military and know a lot more than I do about hunting down criminals.”

  Ray nodded. “I have seen them. They are huge mountains on legs and look badass when they walk around town. During the day, Alana will be safe at the restaurant. She will be surrounded by people. He wouldn’t dare show his face there.”

  Mr. Garcia kissed Alana’s forehead. He looked resigned with the idea, but he still gave Noah a silent warning glance. “Take care of my daughter, Noah.”

  “I promise.” That was an easy promise to give. He would not allow this criminal to lay his hands on her again. Whatever it took, he would do. Alana meant the world to him.

  Chapter 16

  Alana and Noah lay in bed that night. Noah held her tightly and kissed her forehead. She was still tense, and she was trying to relax enough to fall asleep. She was scared, though.

  “I know it’s hard not to worry, baby.” He massaged her shoulders, and she let out a soft sigh.

  “I feel safe with you, Noah,” she assured him. She trusted Noah to take care of her. “I just hate the thought of him roaming the streets of our town. What if he attacks someone else in Red Hook? Who is he, and why pick me to stalk?”

  “My night deputies, Sam and Greg, have stepped up their patrols. I even have some volunteers combing the streets tonight. Hank down at the bar promised his bouncers will walk each girl to her car or call cabs and wait with them. People are willing to band together to help out. That’s what we do, baby. We stick together, like glue.”

  Alana sighed, relaxing her body. She kissed his cheek. He was such a good sheriff, and she was so proud of him.

  “I love you, Noah. Thank you for taking such good care of me and the residents in this town.”

  “This is my home town. It’s my duty to protect these people. It’s not just a nine-to-five job for me. And you belong to me, too. I love you. I won’t let him get near you.”

  “I know, and that’s what makes you such an excellent sheriff. You have my vote, sir.” She ran her fingers up and down his chest softly. She hovered above him and gave him a sexy smile.

  He caught her fingers and held them. “I do? What else do I have your vote for?”

  Alana giggled. She loved this playful side of him. She straddled his hips. He reached up and cupped her bare breasts, playing with her nipples. He insisted she not wear a nightgown to bed.

  “Best lover in the world.”

  He tugged on her nipples, and she bit her lip. He knew it drove her crazy to have him tug and suck her hard. She loved the bit of pain mixed with pleasure. It had pleased him, and he had grinned like a Cheshire cat when he noticed that fact.

  “Best lover, only lover, forever and ever,” he insisted, and she was willing to agree. She would agree to anything. Her body was on fire already, and they were barely getting started.

  She leaned down and took his mouth in a kiss filled with desire and heat. She held on to his shoulders and moaned. He kissed her neck and shoulder and worked his way to her full, generous breasts. His hands caressed her ass and ran along the crevice. She shivered at his touch and forgot what they were talking about. She closed her eyes, and his hand moved to her wet mound.

  “Someone is very horny. Having naughty thoughts?” he teased.

  “What makes you say that?” She tried to keep a straight face, and she bit her lip to prevent a moan. She felt his fingers exploring her soaked pussy until he found her clit. She couldn’t stop the moan that came out of her mouth. She knew his brothers were downstairs, and the last thing she wanted was for them to hear her. He was doing it on purpose.

  She wiggled around. The sensation was too strong to sit like a statue. She opened her eyes and stared down at him. He had a smug grin on his face. She smiled and lifted off of him. He frowned until she set herself back down on his hard cock.

  “Fuck,” he muttered and grabbed her hips. She rotated her hips in a slow motion, turning the tables and driving him crazy. She arched her brow as if saying, now what?

  “You’re killing me, baby.” He sounded pained but she thought he looked pretty pleased with what he had started.

  “Hope not. I need you alive and alert right now, buddy.”

  She moaned moving up and down on him. The friction between his rigid cock and her wetness felt amazing. She held on to his shoulders. Her hair landed on his chest. She looked into his golden eyes.

  “I’m liking this sex stuff,” she informed him.

  “Sex stuff? Hell no, baby. We are making love.” He applied a hard slap to her ass. It stung.

  “
Hey!” she protested, but it felt good. Hmm, exploring with Noah was fun. “Okay, fine, we are making love.”

  “Yes, we are. You are one sexy woman, Alana Garcia, and you belong to me.” He said it with such satisfaction that it touched her heart. He made his mistakes, but he owned up to them. She shouldn’t have run away like a little girl. She should have stuck around and fought for them. She knew Noah was just running scared.

  He grabbed her hips and increased her speed. A bolt of electricity traveled through her body. She squeezed her muscles and gripped his cock tightly. He groaned and muttered something about dying.

  She smiled. She put his hands on her breasts, and he tugged on her nipples. He tangled his hands in her long hair and pulled her down so he could taste them with his mouth. She loved how his tongue felt lavishing her tip with rough swipes of his tongue.

  She rotated her hips. Her juices were flowing, and she felt her body igniting into flames.

  She didn’t want this feeling to end, so she slowed down. Noah grabbed her ass cheeks and squeezed them. He gave her another hard slap, and she moaned with pleasure.

  He looked pleased with her reaction. “My baby likes having her ass slapped.”

  “Maybe I do.” She threw her head back and closed her eyes. “Is that bad?”

  “No, you are the sexiest woman alive,” he swore. “I am one lucky son of a bitch.”

  “I’m just an average-looking girl who happens to love her man with her whole heart. But I’m glad I turn you on. You can turn me on with a simple gleam in your eye.”

  Noah’s eyes were shining with emotion. She could see him swallow hard. “You make me want to bawl like a baby. Not cool, baby. ”

  She giggled, feeling light and happy. She never imagined they would arrive to this place. Months ago it all seemed so hopeless. She had just given up on them ever being together. Now she couldn’t believe how lucky she was. She would never take her man for granted. She would do whatever it took to make this work. She loved him now and always.

  “I love you, forever,” he said seriously, grabbing her long hair and pulling her down for a scorching-hot kiss. She felt his lust, his love, and his apology in that one kiss. It was so hot she came with a bang. She didn’t expect it, but she relished it. It washed over her, wave after wave.