by CP Smith
“Yep.”
“I’ll get to work,” he mumbled, then turned on his heel and left.
“Told ya Bo would handle it,” Poppy chuckled.
I looked back at Bo, shielding my eyes from the sun. “He’s a very naughty man. You wouldn’t believe the things he said to me.”
“Nope, no way. I don’t want to hear it,” she snapped, backing up. “Just keep all the good stuff to yourself. I can’t look at Devin now, what with Cali and her ‘no recovery time needed’ comment. In fact, I’m writin’ a new Wallflower code. A non-disclosure code. You break it, and it’s an automatic divorce.”
I bit my lip. I couldn’t lie to save my life. I may not have slept with Bo yet, but his recovery time in the shower was remarkable, and I knew she’d read between the lines.
She narrowed her eyes. “Not him, too?”
My eyes widened. Apparently, I couldn’t lie through facial expressions either.
“You both suck,” she groused, then turned to leave. “First time out of the gate and both of you land Superman.”
“Poppy, come back,” I called out.
She flipped me off.
I sighed and went to follow her. Looked like it was time for more green magic fairy potion.
Six
THREE OF A KIND BEATS A PAIR
THE ROAR OF A HARLEY announced Devin and Cali’s arrival. Poppy and I rushed outside, thankful for the break. I’d amassed two cuts while chopping lettuce for the salad, and the tomato up next seemed to be laughing at me. I’d be lucky to make it through the meal prep with my fingers still intact.
“Together at last,” Poppy cried out as we ran to Cali’s side.
Devin shook his head and rolled his eyes.
“What?” I asked.
“We came here to help, not burn the place down.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Cali snapped.
Devin snagged her around the shoulders and drew her close. “Exactly what I said. The three of you together are a lethal combination.”
Cali snorted, then kissed him soundly on the mouth. “Go play cowboy while the girls and I handle the rest.”
Grinning, Devin turned and headed toward the corral, where Bo and Troy were presently wrestling with a calf.
Cali sighed as he stalked across the yard, his masculine form graceful like a panther’s. “I could watch that man walkin’ away from me all day.”
“Get a room,” Poppy grumbled.
“Yes, yes, you have great taste in men, but can you cook is the better question?” I asked hopefully.
“Devin will say no. But I make mean eggs.”
“Explain how we made it this far without culinary skills,” I commented as we took the back steps to the kitchen.
The moment we crossed the threshold, Cali stopped dead in her tracks and took in the chaos. “It looks like a war zone.”
“The lettuce is winnin’,” I chuckled, picking up a knife. “It won’t be satisfied until all ten of my fingers are wrapped in Band-Aids.”
“Maybe between the three of us, we can avoid losin’ a digit.”
The kitchen door swung open behind us, and Clint stepped through. He scanned the three of us and smiled. “Fringe benefits,” he muttered, heading for the fridge. “I haven’t been around this much beauty in a while.”
Then he winked at Poppy.
I looked at Cali, and she bugged out her eyes.
“Did you need somethin’?” Poppy snapped, stepping in front of the fridge.
Clint raised a brow. “I was hopin’ for a bottle of water. The barn’s hotter than Haiti.”
Poppy opened the door and snagged a bottle, shoving it into his gut. “You’ve got it now, so back to work.”
Clint didn’t seem perturbed by her behavior in the least; instead of getting angry, his mouth pulled into a sly grin. “You’ve got a temper on you. I like it.”
“And you’ve got a lot of nerve winkin’ at any of us. And before you make the mistake of winkin’ at Cali over there,”—Poppy jerked her head in our direction—“her man, a very big, badass man, will tie you in a knot if you so much as glance at her. So, take your roamin’ eye and get back to the barn.”
Clint continued to grin at Poppy then took a long pull from his bottle of water. His attention turned to Cali and me, dismissing Poppy. “Ladies,” he said, inclining his head before heading for the door and leaving.
“Poppy needs to blow off some steam,” Cali whispered.
“Poppy needs a man who isn’t an asshole,” I returned under my breath.
“Poppy can hear you,” Poppy snipped.
“Do I need to break out the green magic before you go postal?”
Poppy grabbed a tomato and picked up a knife, then began mutilating the poor thing. “Winkin’s the same as catcallin’ in my book. He started with you, then moved to me when he saw you had a man. He’s not choosy. He’s just flirtin’ with whomever he thinks he’s got a chance with. Typical man!”
With each word she bit out, her knife made mincemeat out of the villainous tomato.
“Step away from the vegetable,” Cali said cautiously like a negotiator talking down a potential jumper.
“Technically, a tomato is actually a fruit,” I said.
“A fruit is sweet. Tomatoes are not sweet. I don’t care what anyone says, it’s a vegetable.”
Poppy looked down at the mess she’d made and grimaced. “Perhaps I’m a little on edge.”
“Devin’s less on edge when he’s lecturin’ me about biker bars. What gives?”
I looked at Poppy and waited to see if she would confess to Cali about Blake.
Sighing, she grabbed another tomato and slowly began cutting it into chunks, then she recounted the entire tale from the beginning for Cali.
“I need a knife,” Cali groused when she’d finished. I handed her one, and she grabbed a cucumber and began chopping away with vigor. “Anything else I missed?”
“Sienna’s a virgin, and she doesn’t know who her dad is,” Poppy blurted out.
Cali’s eyes shot to mine. “First Poppy and now you?” She shook her head. “And you all gave me heck for not lettin’ you in.”
I glared at Poppy. “You’re like a little sister who tattles without givin’ all the facts.”
“What facts?” Cali asked.
“I didn’t tell Poppy until today. I was keepin’ it from both of you.”
“But why did you keep it from us?”
I shrugged. “I suppose the same reason Poppy didn’t tell us about Blake. I waited for the wrong man, and now I feel like an idiot.”
“And your father? Why wouldn’t you tell us about that?”
I pulled out a stool and sat down. “My whole life I was different from my family, the odd one in the bunch. Admitting to anyone that my mother had an affair, and that I was the product of that mistake, made me more so. My father barely speaks to me, and my brother and sister look at me like I’m a leper.”
Cali laid down her knife and took my hand. “Different means special, not the other way around. If they can’t see what a beautiful person you are, then they’re the odd ones, not you.”
I nodded. I knew she was right.
“And Bo?” she questioned. “Are you really ready to lose your virginity to him?”
I opened my mouth, then shut it, then opened it again. “I know I want him. That he’s everything I’ve been lookin’ for in a man.”
“And if it doesn’t work out between the two of you? Will you feel like Poppy? Will you feel like you’ve lost something precious you should have saved for another man?”
I started to say no, but I hesitated. “The only thing I know for sure is that when Bo touches me, I feel safe, wanted, worshipped. I ache deep within my bones for what you have with Devin; the intimacy that comes with being close to a man, closer than anyone else in your life. I also know that Bo is the kind of man I could, without reservation, fall deeply in love with. And that he would never intentionally hurt me. The rest
I’ll figure out when it happens.”
Leaning against the wall, just outside the kitchen, Bo lowered his head. He’d seen Clint enter the back door while he was talking with Devin, and he’d gone on red alert. Something about the guy pushed all his buttons, so he’d jerked his head toward the house and Devin followed. They’d walked up just as Poppy gave Clint the lay of the land, confirming his suspicions, so they’d waited for Clint to exit. He made it two feet outside the door before Devin had him by the collar. “Eyes to yourself, or you’ll deal with me.”
Clint nodded, so Devin shoved him back, growling, “Back to work like the lady said.”
Before he and Devin could check on the Wallflowers, the conversation inside had turned abruptly to matters of the heart. He’d paused, not wanting to interrupt, so he’d stepped back and waited for them to finish, unable to tear himself away from their conversation.
A myriad of emotions coursed through him as they talked about Poppy’s history, Sienna’s family, and her feelings toward him. He felt possessive when she said he made her feel safe, wanted, worshipped. And felt hope when she admitted she could fall deeply in love with him, solidifying his resolve to do whatever it took to make that happen. She trusted him not to hurt her, to do what was right for her, and he was determined to earn that trust. He wouldn’t take her virginity until she was ready, until he’d earned the right to possess her fully. Until he’d proven to her that she’d trusted the right man with her innocence. And he’d do that by being patient, by giving her control when she’d lost so much of it in her lifetime, by simply waiting for her to come to him when she was ready.
Pushing off the wall, he looked at Devin then jerked his head toward the corral.
“Someone needs to find this Blake and teach him some manners,” Devin bit out.
Bo nodded in agreement. Poppy deserved better than the cards she’d been dealt in life. “You got someone in mind?”
“I’m thinkin’ the man who needs to hand him his ass is the man who takes on the woman,” Devin stated.
Bo cocked his head. “She got someone on the hook?”
“Yeah. He just hasn’t come to terms with it yet.”
Bo started to ask who, but his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw a text message from John William, the man in charge of his cases for the week.
Daniels was found in an abandoned warehouse. He’d been beaten within an inch of his life. He’s in a coma.
Bo’s blood ran cold. His case involving the Wallflowers turned from bad to deadly.
“Jesus.”
At his tone, Devin turned, his eyes on full alert.
“Larry Dwayne Daniels, the Serpents’ prospect who chased the Wallflowers, he’s been beaten and is in a coma.”
Devin’s jaw ticked. “Tell me this is unrelated to the Wallflowers.”
“No clue. But my gut says no.”
Devin looked back at the house, and Bo’s eyes followed. Laughter rang out from the open kitchen door. Three women who’d done nothing but stop for a drink were now caught up in some unknown danger, and Bo couldn’t fix it as long as he was here.
“They’re safe here. We’ll figure this out when we get back. In the meantime, as a precaution, they aren’t out of our sight unless another man we trust is here.”
“Only one other man I trust besides you,” Devin growled.
“He’s not here,” Bo pointed out.
“He will be,” Devin stated, pulling out his phone. “He’ll need time to cover the bar, so until he arrives, the herd stays up the ridge.”
“Then we keep them with us at all times until he arrives.”
Both men turned and headed for the house.
“You think we’ll survive this?” Devin muttered.
“If we keep them away from horses, pigs, and small machinery, we might stand a chance.”
Laughter broke the air again, and both men smiled. “We’re fucked,” Devin sighed.
“That we are,” Bo agreed.
“How in the hell did we end up with unpredictable women?”
Bo didn’t hesitate to answer. Once he’d stopped fighting his feelings for Sienna, the blinders came off. Their unpredictable personalities were what made them unique. And also, he suspected, what drew men like Devin and him to them.
“Their inner light drew us in. They’re like a beacon shinin’ the way in the darkest of nights. Once you’ve seen it, there’s no fuckin’ way to change course.”
Devin stopped and looked at Bo. “Jesus. All that and looks to boot?”
Bo’s lip twitched at his own words being thrown back at him. “Yeah. And then some.”
“What about your other problem?” Devin asked. “You sure enough about the woman to go there before she’s ready?”
“I’m sure enough. But I’m not goin’ there until she is.”
Devin nodded and began to walk again. “Should make stickin’ to her like glue interestin’.”
“I make it through this without killin’ anyone, it’ll be a fuckin’ miracle.”
Devin flashed Bo a smile. “You do, I’ll nominate you for sainthood.”
The object of his desire walked out the kitchen door and smiled at him. His own mouth pulled into a grin as he climbed the steps and stopped in front of her. He wanted to take her into his arms and kiss that smile right off her face until she was frantic with need for him. He started to reach for her, then remembered his promise to earn her trust, so he dropped his hand. “We need to talk.”
“First, light the grill,” Sienna announced, holding up a lighter. “Hamburgers are on the menu for dinner.”
Devin snatched the lighter from her hand, mumbling, “Grillin’s a man’s domain.”
Sienna’s eyes lit up, and she rocked back on her feet, swinging her arms behind her back with a huge grin. Then she looked over her shoulder at the window and winked like a child with a secret.
She was so damn cute, so damn happy at that moment, Bo hated to ruin her mood, but he didn’t have a choice. He needed to set things straight before it was time for bed.
“Walk with me,” he muttered, grabbing hold of her hand. She peered up at him as they headed down the steps and around the house. Bo kept his face neutral as he led her back to the meadow near the lake. Once they were far enough away, he pulled her into his arms and rested his chin on her head. He didn’t know how else to say what he had to say, so he didn’t beat around the bush.
“I think we should slow down.”
Sienna stilled in his arms, then started to pull away. “I knew the resemblance to your mother would be an issue,” she whispered, stepping back. “It’s fine. I get it. No harm, no foul,” she choked out, then turned her back on him and let out a sob.
Bo reached out and turned her back to him, crushing her to his chest. “That’s not what I meant,” he whispered. “I don’t want to rush you into sleepin’ with me. I don’t think you’re ready, and when I take you for the first time, makin’ you mine in every way possible, I don’t want there to be any regrets.”
Sienna buried her face in his chest but didn’t reply, so Bo wrapped her tighter in his arms and leaned down until his mouth was next to her ear. “I take it my slowin’ things down doesn’t sit well with you?”
She shook her head, then shrugged.
“So you’re okay with my decision?”
She nodded, then shook her head, then nodded again, confusing Bo.
“Which is it?”
She tilted her head back and cried out, “Both. I want to, but a part of me is still afraid you’ll change your mind about us. But I’m also afraid you’ll get bored with me.”
Bo blinked.
“You think I’ll get—”
He threw his head back and laughed.
“This isn’t funny,” Sienna snapped. “Men like you can have anyone you want, so why would you settle for a borin’ virgin?”
Unable to contain his laughter, he buried his head in her neck and continued to laugh, tightening his hold on Sien
na until she was breathless.
“Can’t. Breathe,” she gasped.
Bo loosened his hold and tipped his head up, choking on a chuckle. “Baby, you gotta know, you couldn’t be borin’ if you tried.”
“I couldn’t?”
“No,” he answered, then leaned in and brushed a kiss across her lips. “You save your friends from killers, climb trees to save a calf, and take on a dangerous biker with a Yeti. A fuckin’ Yeti, for Christ’s sake. You’re far from borin’. And the virgin part? Jesus. Just the thought another man hasn’t touched you drives me to distraction. I’m fuckin’ hard knowin’ I’m the only man who’ll ever hear you moan while I taste your sweet heat. Over the fuckin’ moon I’m the only man who will use his hands, his mouth, his cock to make your body burn.” Her eyelids grew heavy as he spoke, and she began to pant as he described what he planned to do to her. Then Bo made the mistake of looking at her lips. “And I’m fuckin’ thrilled I’m the only man who’ll ever watch you take his cock into your mouth. You are my desire,” he rumbled low, wrapping his hand in her hair to pull her closer to his mouth. “My ideal. My fuckin’ wet dream,” he rasped out, claiming her mouth with a possessive need.
Heat spiked instantly between them. He chased her tongue, tangling it with his own until desire burned away into the purest hunger he’d felt in his life. When she began to lead the kiss, he pulled back, trying to ebb the flames sparking between them. But she wouldn’t let him retreat. If they’d been alone in a room, he’d have been in trouble, but the sounds of the ranch around them kept him grounded in reality. With a groan, he ripped his mouth from hers and took a step back.
“Go,” he bit out.
“Go?”
He closed his eyes and counted to ten, trying to rein in his need to claim her on the spot.
“Go before I drag you inside and break my promise to give you more time.”
“You’re serious?”
Bo’s gray eyes shot to her face, and he narrowed them. “About this? Yes. I want you, but only when you’re ready. You’re not, so give me a minute to calm the fuck down.”
She started to say something, but he shook his head. “Don’t.”
