by Anne Rainey
“He’s right.”
They both turned. Cherry stood in the doorway, her arms ful of cleaning supplies. He could’ve kissed her right then and there. “You aren’t alone. Besides we both know you’d do it for any one of us.”
Gracie nodded. “Of course I would.”
Cherry grinned. “Good, it’s settled then. Where do I start?”
Dante came through the door then, carrying several empty boxes. “I thought Gracie might want to store any valuables that managed to escape the destruction. Until this is al over with, I mean.”
Gracie pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and said, “I didn’t even think of that. Good idea.”
“Come on, you can start on the kitchen.” Wade led Cherry to the other room. “Most of the dishes are broken. Be careful where you step.”
Cherry dropped her supplies on the table and glanced around. “Wow, he real y did a number on this place, huh?”
Wade felt his anger rise. The son of a bitch would pay. “Her bedroom is even worse. Panties, nightgowns, makeup, it’s al ruined.”
Cherry visibly shuddered. “I can’t imagine how she must feel. It’s such a horrible invasion of privacy.”
“Once things are in order, she’l feel better.” He hoped like hel that was the case anyway.
Cherry cocked her head to the side, no doubt seeing more than he wanted her to see. Their long-standing friendship meant they could read each other like a book most of the time. “How are you holding up?”
He clenched his fists at his sides, feet braced shoulder-width apart. “I want the bastard, Cherry. Dead or alive, it doesn’t matter.”
“Careful,” she warned. “The soldier in you is showing through.”
“If this was an op, I would make sure he never hurt another woman again. He would simply disappear, and Gracie would be safe.”
Cherry stepped forward and placed her hand on his forearm. He figured the gesture was meant to soothe him, but the only thing that would do that was seeing Gracie’s stalker behind bars . . . or dead. Preferably the latter. “This isn’t an op, though. You aren’t in the army anymore, Wade. You have to play this right. Let the police do their job.”
“They haven’t done shit so far. I’m tired of them dicking around. He’s out there somewhere, watching her, waiting. What wil he do next, Cherry?”
“It won’t matter, because you’l be there. You wouldn’t let anything happen to her.”
Her conviction brought him down a notch. “Damn straight. He won’t come within a hundred feet of her.”
“You real y care about her that much?”
Wade pushed his hands in his pockets. Suddenly he felt like a little kid again, shy and uncertain. “I care.”
“She’s lucky to have you in her corner, Wade. You’re a good man.”
He smiled. “So you no longer think I’m taking advantage of her?”
She rol ed her eyes and waved a hand in the air. “Gracie can take care of herself. I was stupid to think otherwise.”
He denied that with a shake of his head. “She’s more vulnerable than you think. This has real y taken a tol . I’m worried about her, Cherry.”
“She’s not had the easiest life, Wade. She’s withstood a lot. And now she has someone standing with her. That’s more than she’s ever had before.”
“Thanks, Cherry. Your friendship means a lot, to both of us.”
“You’ve been there for me too, Wade. I’m glad to repay the favor.”
“Wade?” He turned at the sound of Gracie’s soft voice. “I hate to interrupt, but your brother and sister are here. Jonas too.”
Wade strode across the kitchen and took Gracie in his arms, needing the connection to keep his sanity. If he let go of his control now, he wouldn’t stop until the sick asshole was in the ground. “In a few hours your apartment wil be livable once again. Once it is, we’re going to start the process of making it safe.”
She groaned. “A security system.”
“Yep. Jonas is going to instal it, along with a few other little gadgets. You won’t be staying here, though. Not until this is al over. If you have a problem with that, we may as wel deal with it now.”
She shook her head and looked up at him. “I don’t want to be here. Not now that he’s . . . touched everything. Al I want is to get it cleaned up.
Soon my lease wil be up, and then I’m leaving here for good.”
“Leaving?”
She pushed out of his arms; that determined look she always got when she was readying for battle came over her face. “I’l find a new apartment. I can’t stay here now.”
“You could move in with me. Make it permanent.” Damn, he liked that idea. A lot.
Gracie bit her lip and glanced quickly at Cherry. “We should talk about this later, Wade.”
He heard Jonas arguing with Deanna in the other room and wanted to curse. “You’re right. We’ve got things to do here.” He could tel she was relieved, maybe a little too relieved. His chest tightened. Didn’t she like the idea of living with him? Was he moving too fast? A commotion in the other room splintered his thoughts.
Taking Gracie’s hand in his, Wade steered them out of the kitchen. “Come on. We’d better separate my sister from Jonas before she hurts him.”
“They don’t get along?”
“More like she purposely tries to rile him. She gets a kick out of driving the man crazy. I never could figure those two out.”
As they entered the living room he spotted the pair of antagonists immediately. Jonas looked ready to spit nails, and Deanna was grinning like the cat that had just spied the canary. “What’s the problem with you two this time?”
“Your sister is the devil; that’s what the problem is.”
Deanna laughed, and even Wade had to admit that it sounded just a little evil. “You just aren’t used to women tel ing you no,” she said.
Wade stepped forward, his gaze locking on Jonas. “What the hel did you ask her?”
Jonas crossed his arms over his chest and started to speak, but Deanna talked right over him. “He asked me on a date. I turned him down.”
Wade saw red. “You aren’t dating my sister, Phoenix. So forget it.”
Dean, who’d been deep in conversation on his cel phone, chose that moment to end the cal . “You have the hots for Dee?”
Jonas held his hands up, as if in surrender. It wouldn’t do him any good, because Wade was going to kil him. “Did you two miss the part where she turned me down?”
“I heard,” Wade growled, “but why’d you ask in the first place?”
Deanna stepped in front of Jonas, her protective stance shocking everyone in the room to silence. The heat in Jonas’s eyes as he stared at the back of Deanna’s head was unmistakable. Forget death, Wade would castrate him instead.
“You act like I’m some ugly, little trol .” Deanna pointed a finger first at Wade, then at Dean. “Did it ever occur to you two morons that maybe I’m a big girl and can speak for myself?”
“No,” Dean and Wade said in unison.
Deanna stepped forward, her anger palpable. “Wel , guess what? I’l date whomever I choose. Neither of you have any say in it whatsoever.”
Wade tried for calm. The last thing he wanted was Deanna with her back up. She gave stubborn new meaning when she set her mind to something. “You’re our baby sister, honey,” Wade said, his voice gentle. “Jonas knows he shouldn’t have asked you out.”
“What you real y mean is that he shouldn’t have thought of me as a woman.”
Great, now he’d hurt her feelings. Wade felt like he’d fal en down the damn rabbit hole. “That’s not the way I meant it. He’s my partner and my friend, which makes you off-limits. There’s a code here.” Wade glared at Jonas. “Tel her you know that, Phoenix.”
Jonas slumped. His entire demeanor baffled Wade. He’d never seen his friend so defeated before. “Yeah, sisters are off-limits.”
Deanna swung around. “You’re taking their side?”
Jonas reached toward her. Deanna moved out of reach. His gaze hardened. “I’m not taking anyone’s side, Deanna. But Wade’s right. If I had a sister . . . Wel , let’s just say I see your brother’s point.”
Deanna was quiet a moment; everyone in the room seemed to hold his or her breath. “Then I was right to turn you down,” she said, her voice not quite as firm as before. Wade didn’t like that. Deanna was a fighter. She’d always had the backbone to go against anyone and win. Right now she looked . . . crushed. The whole situation was bizarre as hel .
Crazier stil , Jonas paled. The man Wade had watched take down drug lords in foreign countries without so much as breaking a sweat looked visibly shaken. “Deanna, don’t.”
Deanna waved a hand in the air. “Never mind. At any rate, we’re not here to debate my personal life. We’re here to help Gracie get her apartment back in order. I say we get to it.” With that, she headed for the kitchen.
Jonas watched her until she disappeared, then he cursed and walked out the front door. Wade looked over at his brother, wondering what the hel they’d just done. Dean just shook his head, every bit as confused.
A soft, feminine hand touched his forearm. Wade knew that hand. He cherished that hand. Looking over, he saw Gracie smiling up at him.
“Sorry about the family drama. Things aren’t usual y this . . . weird.”
She quirked a brow at him. “Uh, family drama is something I’m quite used to, Wade.”
He knew Gracie was referring to her father, but al he could think about was the look on his sister’s face. “I don’t think I handled this very wel .”
“She’s your sister; she’l forgive you. But can I give you some advice?”
He pul ed her into his arms, soft curves fitting against him. Damn, he wished they were back at his place. “I’l take anything I can get right now.”
Gracie leaned back a few inches, her gaze caressing his face. “Deanna seems like an intel igent woman to me. If she chooses Jonas, then maybe you should trust her judgment.”
Women and their logic. “I’ve seen him with women, Gracie. He’s not exactly the boy next door.” Wade left out the part that they’d even shared women. Jonas with Deanna? His stomach turned just thinking about it.
“She strikes me as the type who can handle it, though. If it even comes to that. In the meantime, it could put a wedge between you and your sister if you try to stand in her way.”
He mul ed that over and came to one conclusion. “If she wants him, then I’l step back. But if he pushes her, even a little, there’l be hel to pay.”
Wade couldn’t make any promises where Dean was concerned, though, and his brother tended to be damned protective of his twin.
Gracie came up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. Wade growled low at the contact. Cupping the back of her head, he held her stil , reveling in her sweet flavor. The satiny softness of her lower lip beckoned him to bite. He heeded the cal and nibbled on her a moment before pushing his way into her mouth. Their tongues played, and Wade’s cock hardened to the point of pain. Gracie was the first to pul back. “We need to save the rest of that for later, when we’re alone.”
“Mmm, I’m going to make you beg for me, baby.”
“I’m pretty sure I’ve already done that, darling.”
Wade groaned as he watched her walk away, the sway of her hips a thing of beauty. He looked at the mess around him. Hours. It’d be hours before he could get her in his bed. One more thing to lay at her stalker’s feet.
His Gracie Lynn wasn’t supposed to have friends. She had her loser father, and she had him. He knew everything about her. The people she worked with, the books she read, the few brief relationships she’d had with men. But as he sat in his car across from her apartment, he watched a tal brunette walk out her front door carrying trash to the Dumpster. He frowned. Where had they al come from? And she wasn’t learning from the lesson he’d tried so hard to teach her, either. She should be begging his forgiveness by now. Trying to get back into his good graces. Instead she was surrounded by friends, and they were helping her clean up the bits and pieces his outburst had created.
He thought over the previous night for the hundredth time. He hadn’t meant to lose his temper. He’d only been trying to show her that he wouldn’t tolerate her slutty behavior. She’d caused him pain, and he couldn’t al ow that. The instant he’d seen her leaving with that big oaf, something had snapped inside him.
At first he’d been exhilarated to be inside her apartment. Touching things she’d touched. He’d spent time in her bed, letting himself imagine what it would be like when he final y had her al to himself. He’d savored the release that visual had afforded him. But then he’d remembered the other man, standing at her window, bare chested. He’d gotten angry al over again. As he went through her dresser and saw al the silky panties, he’d started picturing her wearing them for the stranger. Her beautiful body encased in silk for another man. Something in his mind had snapped. It had scared him a little. He’d literal y floated outside himself, watching as his body had moved through the rooms, destroying the things Gracie Lynn treasured.
“It was necessary,” he reminded himself. For her, for his perfect Gracie Lynn, he would do whatever it took to save her from herself. She would thank him for showing her the way. He knew that in his gut. Love wasn’t always easy, but theirs was beautiful and timeless. And worth the extra effort of preserving it. Besides, the fates were on his side. He hadn’t known she wouldn’t be returning. He’d taken a huge risk staying so long, chancing getting caught. Yes, the fates had approved of his lesson, and they’d made sure he’d had enough time to do it right.
Gracie Lynn belonged to him. No other had a right to touch her. She was his love, perfect and sweet. That man, the one stuck to her like glue, he was the real problem. He was corrupting his sweet Gracie Lynn. Turning her into a whore.
“I can’t let it continue.” He watched, mere feet away, as another of her friends carried more trash to the Dumpster. “Soon, my love,” he promised, as he took the worn scrap of paper out of his hoodie pocket and clutched it close to his heart. “Soon.”
20
After cleaning her apartment, they’d al gone out for a late dinner. For the first time in months, Gracie had been able to relax and enjoy being among friends. She’d gotten to know Wade’s brother and sister better. It was inevitable that she found herself comparing Wade and Dean.
Both men had short, dark hair and the same dark brown eyes, but Wade was somewhat tal er and a little less intense. Dean was every bit as muscular, but maybe rougher around the edges. He was friendly enough, but Gracie couldn’t help feeling there was something dangerous about him. Deanna, on the other hand, had been ful of questions. It seemed the woman was intensely curious about the new woman in her brother’s life. When they’d gotten onto the topic of interior design, however, her entire demeanor changed, became more animated. It had been the perfect change of topic. Being the center of attention wasn’t Gracie’s forte.
At first she’d been wracked with nerves. Having Wade’s siblings’ approval was important to her, which was crazy. Who knew if she’d even see them again? Gracie’s mind snapped back to that moment in her kitchen, when Wade had asked her to move in with him, to make her stay a permanent one. She liked the idea way too much. Living with a man was a big step, especial y when she’d only spent a few days with said man. Gracie stil wasn’t sure if he would get bored with her once her stalker was caught. And had his offer been a spur of the moment thing, one he’d later regret?
Her nervousness came back ful force as she stood in the middle of his bedroom watching Wade from across the room. He leaned against the doorframe, his entire body relaxed, as if he had al the time in the world. But his quiet intensity was doing a number on her. He was acting so strangely. He’d been silent on the drive back to his place. She was about ready to jump out of her own skin.
“Shouldn’t we be looking through my blog posts? You said there mi
ght be a clue there, that maybe he reads and comments.”
He nodded. “And those e-mails as wel . We need to read through them careful y, see if anything clicks with you. But there wil be time for that tomorrow. I’ve got something else in mind right now.”
“You do?”
He nodded. Gracie watched with fascination as Wade’s sexy mouth tilted sideways. “Yes, I do.”
Gracie was about done with this new game of his. She crossed her arms over her chest and said, “Care to fil me in then?”
Without answering, Wade moved away from the doorway, his long strides eating up the distance between them. When he came to stand behind her, her pulse began to beat out a wild rhythm.
“Look to your left, Gracie.”
Curious, she did as he asked. Their reflection in the dresser mirror fil ed her vision. Fascinated, Gracie watched Wade’s gaze wander the length of her. Her flesh tingled to life as if he’d physical y stroked her. “You’re so handsome, Wade. Every inch of you. I saw women staring at you at the shooting range, you know,” she admitted. “It made me crazy.”
His gaze heated. “Jealous?”
Gracie bit her lip and nodded. “I’ve never been the jealous type. I’m not sure I like it one bit.”
Wade stroked a finger down her cheek, his voice dropping an octave. “I know the feeling, sweetheart. If I could keep you locked away so other men could never look at you, I think I would.”
“You would?”
“Mmm, I know what they’re thinking when they see you, because I’m thinking the same things.”
“Things?” Gracie asked. Suddenly it became imperative that Wade explain, in great detail, what sort of things he thought when he looked at her the way he was looking at her now.
