by Laurie Roma
“That would work. It could be our secret sex code.”
“You’re a strange guy, Dante.”
He laughed. “I am, but when it comes to sex with you, I’m always ready and willing. Can I take this off now? I can’t breathe.”
Dante pulled the covers off their heads, but kept it snuggled around their bodies. He sobered, his voice lowering as he said, “For the last few days, I’ve been focused on protecting you, but with all that’s been going on, I also didn’t want to bring up any bad memories for you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your past is being thrown in your face right now, Zoe.” He paused before explaining, “I didn’t want to risk touching you and making you think of…him.”
“Oh, Dante, no! I would never think of him when we’re together. I still have some bad moments about what happened to me, but whenever you touch me, all I think of is you and how much I love you.”
That seemed to reassure him. “I love you, too.”
“Damn right you do.”
That made him laugh. “You know, for a classy chick you swear almost as much as I do.”
She sighed again as she rested her head back down. Zoe felt him brush his lips against her temple, and the simple, loving gesture made her smile. He made her happy, and the way he accepted and loved her was a gift she would always cherish.
“I guess it’s because I was told what to say and how to act for so many years. I was told over and over again that ladies don’t curse or show displeasure. When I got my freedom, I realized what a bunch of bullshit all of that was. I’m an educated woman, and I like to swear because it helps me express how I feel and what I’m thinking. It’s my choice. Just as I prefer jeans and a t-shirt to wearing fancy dresses. And if anyone has a problem with the way I am, they can just fuck off.”
“When I first met you, I could tell you were in a class all your own. It was pretty fucking intimidating, considering I’m just a good ol’ boy from a small town in Texas. But you make me feel like I’m your match in every way, even though you’re smarter and a hell of a lot more talented than me. You’ve never let anything stop you, and you face your fears head on. You’re the most amazing woman I know, and I can’t wait to make you my wife.”
“I love you. So much. You make my heart sing.” Tears drenched her eyes as she leaned in to kiss him. She moved restlessly against him as she felt his hard, hot erection throbbing between them. Her blood heated, and her heart was pounding by the time the kiss ended. “Do you have to get back to the bar?”
“Hell, no. My dad is running things just fine without me. I think we’re going to have to give him a night or two each week to be in charge again. I didn’t realize how much he missed it.”
“More time off for us,” Zoe murmured as she moved in for another kiss.
“I’m not going to complain about time off. Here. Let’s get these clothes off you. Have I mentioned I love that you don’t wear underwear at home?”
“You usually don’t wear any, so I thought I’d give it a try. I think I kind of like it.” She let him roll her onto her back as he began to pull her clothes off. “You ruined my pants.”
“I’ll get you new ones.”
“I was going to get all dolled up in some lingerie for you when you got home tonight, but then I saw you running here, and well, I forgot.”
“Yeah? Wanna put it on now?”
She smiled when he had her naked on the bed. “What would be the point?”
“True, I do love you naked better than anything.”
Their gazes locked and she stroked her hand down his bare chest, her fingertips trailing over the tattoo on his torso. “I’m so lucky to have you in my life, Dante. Sometime when I look at you, I can’t believe you’re really mine.”
“Angel, I’m the lucky one,” he said as he lowered his body onto hers.
They made love again, slow and sweet, and when the waves of release washed over them, Zoe’s heart stuttered as he whispered her name like a benediction. The light had faded, and stars glittered over the ink black sky as they basked in the afterglow of their lovemaking, unwilling to break the connection as they kept their arms around one another.
“How long do you think we’ll have to wait?” she asked softly.
“I don’t know, baby. But whenever that bastard shows up, we’ll be ready. Don’t think about it. We’ll have to deal with it soon enough. Just rest now.”
And because she felt safe and secure in his arms, she did as he suggested and closed her eyes.
They’d have to deal with reality again soon enough.
But for this moment in time, all Zoe wanted was to hold on to the happiness she found with the man she loved, and dream of their future together.
Chapter Thirteen
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me…”
The following day, Zoe and Dante showed up early to open the bar only to find Malcolm Fox and Ellie Tate lying together on the couch in the office. Thankfully, they had a blanket over them, because their clothes were littering the floor.
“In the office? Seriously?”
“Shh.” Zoe slapped Dante lightly on the arm. “Quiet or you’ll wake them.”
Malcolm Fox’s eyes opened. “I’m already awake. You two weren’t exactly stealthy when you came in. Now, get out before you wake Ellie and embarrass her.”
“I’m up and too old to get embarrassed about getting caught snuggling with a man on the couch,” Ellie said as turned her head toward Zoe and Dante and smiled. Despite what she said, she still raised the blanket a little to make sure she was completely covered.
“Your man,” Malcolm corrected with a growl. “Not just a man…your man.”
“Oh, lord. He sounds like you. Now I know where you got your caveman tendencies,” Zoe said, making Ellie laugh as both men grumbled. “Let’s give them some privacy.”
“The day is just starting, and I already have a headache.”
Zoe pulled Dante from the room, and they headed back into the main bar. He was frowning, and it made her laugh to see him so out of sorts. “What exactly has you so bothered? You’re the one who encouraged him to ask Ellie out.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t tell him to have sex with her in our office. I didn’t need to see that.”
“That room gets a lot of action. I remember you dragging me back there last week.”
“That was different.”
“Oh, really? How?”
“Just…because.” Dante’s lips tightened when she just laughed at him again. He stiffened as the front door opened, and she noticed his hand moving to the back of his jeans where his gun was nestled against his back. He relaxed as GT walked in, then he groaned. “Oh, sweet Jesus.”
“What?” GT asked as she moved behind the bar. “How come he’s looking at me all weird?”
“Because we just found your mother with Malcolm in the office, on the couch…naked.”
A slow smile spread across GT’s face. “Yeah? Go Mom.”
“I can’t talk to you two.” He stomped away and started taking the chairs off the tabletops.
“Don’t mind him. He’s just being a little prude right now.”
“I heard that,” Dante called out. “And may I remind you that you were the one who was freaking out yesterday when Jessup—”
“Just stop right there,” Zoe told him. She scowled when he grinned at her. At GT’s questioning look, Zoe said, “Jessup heard us last night when we were…against my front door.”
GT’s eyebrow raised. “Were you in your apartment or in the hallway?”
“In the apartment!”
“I had to ask,” GT said with a laugh. “Since I can’t remember the last time I had sex, I have to live vicariously through you. I always loved a good wall banger.”
“I don’t want to hear this!” Dante shouted from the other side of the room.
“Then stop listening!” both women yelled back at the same time. They looked at one another and burst into laughter. Dan
te’s cell phone rang and he answered it, then unlocked the garden patio entrance and walked outside, yelling, “Stay inside, Zoe!”
Zoe rolled her eyes, making GT chuckle.
“God, it’s fun to get him riled up.” GT unzipped her jacket and as she bent down to store it and her purse in the large lock box below the counter, Zoe noticed that she was wearing a skirt.
“What in the world are you wearing? You hate skirts.”
“Don’t mess with me. All my looser shirts are in the laundry I forgot to do yesterday. I only had this tank top and you’d be able to see my gun beneath it if I wore it with jeans.”
“So…how does that translate to you wearing girl clothes?”
GT’s scowl deepened as she stood up, she jerked her skirt up a few inches and Zoe saw a small black band around her thigh holding a small pistol in place.
“Sexy. You know, you don’t have to carry in here. All the guys have weapons and—”
“Hon, you don’t really think I’m going to leave our safety to the guys, do you? You and I are behind the bar. If that asshole that’s after you comes in, it will take them a few minutes to get through the crowd of people even if they are close by.”
Zoe knew she was right. It was the same reason why Dante insisted that Zoe carry her weapon with her at all times. The reminder made her sad, but she pushed her feelings aside and nodded to her friend. “Thank you for doing this.”
“No thanks needed.”
They were interrupted as Malcolm and Ellie walked out of the hallway, into the main bar. Ellie beamed a smile. “Hello, baby.”
“Hi, Mama.” GT grinned at Ellie and Malcolm. “I heard you two had a good time last night.”
The women laughed as Malcolm’s cheeks turned bright red. He mumbled something, then made a beeline for the open door leading to the patio where Dante’s voice was drifting in. Pausing in the doorway, he turned back. “Ellie, you come get me before you leave. I’ll be walking you home…okay?”
“Yes, Malcolm.” Ellie sighed after he disappeared from view. “That man is just too cute.”
“It’s nice to see you looking so happy, Mama.”
“I really am happy,” Ellie said. She sat down on a stool and smile at Zoe. “Now that you and I are settled, we just need to find Georgette a good man to put some color in her cheeks.”
GT groaned. “Good God, stop right there.”
Zoe had always thought it was odd that GT wasn’t with someone since there were plenty of men interested. She was a gorgeous woman, but maybe being a single mother made her more careful choosing a man. “I’m sure when the right guy comes along, GT will know it.”
Changing the subject, GT asked, “Mama, can you pick Sarah up from school today?”
“I’m off today, so I’d be happy to pick the little munchkin up. What time will you be home?”
“I think I might stay on for close,” GT said after casting a quick glance at Zoe.
“You’re the day manager now, GT. You don’t have to stay for the evening shift.”
“I like the extra tips.”
Understanding, Ellie said, “Don’t worry, Zoe. My girl knows how to handle herself, and she can help you take down that little bastard who’s after you if he’s stupid enough to show up here.”
Zoe had just opened a bottle of water and choked when she heard Ellie Tate swear. Ellie was one of the sweetest, most gentle women in town, and Zoe had never heard her say an unkind word about anyone before. “What…?”
“I told her,” GT admitted.
“But I already heard you had trouble looking your way,” Ellie added. “I do work in a salon, remember? We hear about everything going on in town, even the stuff that people might not want others to know about. Bless their hearts, but the men are just plain silly if they think they are keeping it a secret when everyone’s been running around like they’re gearing up for a war.”
Zoe closed her eyes and groaned. This was horrible. If everyone knew, this could mess up their plans. She looked over as GT reached out and touched her arm.
“Don’t worry. The men still think they have everything covered all by their little selves.”
Ellie stood up and yawned. “I think I’m going to head home now. I need a little nap before Sarah gets out of school since I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“Braggart.”
Ellie laughed, and the cheerful sound made both GT and Zoe smile. “It’s been a while since I had anything to brag about. I’ll go collect my man and let him walk me home.” She winked. “Maybe I can convince him to take that nap with me.”
She strolled over to the door leading outside to the patio, and GT sighed. “It just chokes me up to see her looking so happy. So, what do you think about the women knowing about your…situation? Like they wouldn’t notice their men hanging around the bar every night, not to mention every cop in town?”
Zoe blew out a breath. “No, I can’t say that I’m surprised they know. I’m sure I’m going to catch hell for it later, but I did agree to let Dante, Sheriff Wyatt and the others handle it, and the men were pretty adamant about not involving the women.”
“Men can be so fucking stupid when they think they need to protect people.”
“We told you,” Zoe said with a smile.
“I would have kicked your ass if you hadn’t.”
That made Zoe laugh. “Right. Let’s get to work. Hopefully, this will all be over soon and we won’t have to worry about it much longer.”
* * * *
They didn’t have to wait long.
Around nine that night, most of the dinner guests had left The Fox Hole, clearing up the tables for the people who were just looking for drinks and entertainment. Business was good, but nothing like it had been during spring break when they’d had a packed house every night.
Dante sat at one of the tables with Hammer, Jessup, Dare and Hunter. He wasn’t sure why, but he couldn’t seem to settle. They had been sitting at a table for the last hour nursing beers that none of them had really touched.
“This waiting is driving me batshit crazy,” Dante said.
Hunter leaned back in his chair in a casual pose that hid the fact that he was tense and ready for action. “It’ll happen soon enough.”
Dante scrubbed a hand through his thick, black hair in agitation. “Yeah. Now that Zoe’s father knows where she is, it’s just a matter of time before those fuckers come after her.”
Jessup nodded. “We’ll protect her, Dante.”
Dante sighed. “And who else in town will be put in danger because of this? Hell, just thinking about Zoe hurt...I can’t fucking stand it.”
“Of course you can’t,” Dare agreed. “All of us want to protect our women.”
“Storm wants us to take Paul Wei alive,” Hammer reminded them after a brief pause. “He thinks we’ll have a better chance taking down his parents if he’s alive.”
“He’ll have to learn to live with disappointment,” was Dante’s reply.
Dante was a man who valued life, but some people just didn’t deserve to keep breathing. Paul Wei was one of them. He needed to pay for what he’d done to Zoe. And the sad reality was that Paul was too wealthy, too well-connected for the justice system to ever hold him.
So was the rest of the family.
Shen and Meili Wei were playing it up in the media. Dante had seen the news reports. They played the sorrowful parents to a misguided son, but they continued to express their innocence. Hell, they’d even gone as far as try to hint that Zoe had attacked their son, instigating the events that had occurred back in New York. And with Zoe missing, they weren’t contradicted.
“I’m a doctor, and my job is to try and save people, but even I know that Zoe will never be safe if Paul Wei is kept alive,” Dare said.
“We’ve all read the reports. The parents have managed to shift the blame onto their son to avoid the feds from getting too close, but they’re guilty, too.” Jessup’s voice was cold as ice.
“When I
reached out to my contact, he confirmed it,” Dare agreed. “The parents have done enough to block anyone from getting warrants to dig deeper, but they’re dirty as hell. The feds don’t have enough evidence to go after them, not with them blaming the son and saying he acted alone. They’re also doing a hell of a job deflecting.”
Hammer snorted in disgust. “Yeah, I’ve seen the news articles. They’ve been hosting a ton of charity events at their estate. It’s sick.”
“You won’t have to worry. Nikita will take them down,” Dare said softly. He wasn’t cut out for a life of intrigue as a covert agent, but that didn’t mean he didn’t see the need for it. Too many times red tape got in the way of real justice. And when criminals used political connections and greased palms to cover up vital information, it was even more important for those agents working in the shadows to bring those crimes into the light.
Dare’s contact had confirmed that it was just a matter of time before the entire family was taken down and Wei Auctions was exposed for the front it was. But there were also some things he hadn’t told his friends. What he’d learned from his former colleague had been enough to give him nightmares, but Zoe and Dante had enough on their minds already. They didn’t need to know all of the horrible things the Wei family were involved in under the surface.
It was enough to know that it was being taken care of, and the men at the table had vowed to keep Nikita’s secret, even from Storm and the local police…just in case.
Hunter sighed. “Nikita’s having all the fun.”
“Yeah, fun.” Dante snorted. “I’m sure you’ll get to shoot someone soon enough.”
That seemed to perk Hunter up.
Hammer grinned. “I’d be satisfied with breaking a few bones.”
“I’ll see what we can do,” Dante told him. He heard a beep from the link in his ear and knew everyone who worked in the bar and the men at the table had heard it as well. They had found a way for Sheriff Wyatt to tap into the radio link that the bar used. It was a non-verbal way for them to communicate, and one that any outsider wouldn’t know about. Being the paranoid son of a bitch that he was, Storm beeped in a few times a night, just to make sure the line was working.
