Best of 2017

by Alexa Riley

  A click sounded from the foyer.

  “What was—”

  “Shh.” He dropped his voice to a whisper. “Someone’s trying to get in.” He got to his knees and straightened his pants. Snagging my pants and panties, he shoved them into my hands then hurried into the foyer.

  I yanked my pants on as the front door handle gave a familiar squeak. I’d made it to my knees when the door swung inward, and a young man walked in.

  “Shit, Hart.” Garrett walked out to greet him. “I was about to fucking clock you.”

  Hart laughed, his voice a pleasant baritone. “I still technically live here, you know.”

  I got to my feet and tried to ease out of Hart’s line of sight.

  He turned toward me at the movement.

  Fuck.

  His bright green eyes narrowed, then widened with recognition. “Sidney? What are you doing here?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  GARRETT CROSSED HIS ARMS over his chest and glared at me. “Who’s Sidney, and what the fuck is going on?”

  “I can explain.” Can’t I?

  Hart stared, his handsome face contorted into a mask of confusion. “How did you get here? Are you still doing that pine beetle study thing? The research?”

  “Oh, so you’re a researcher, Sidney?”

  There was no way out of this. Both men wanted an explanation, and what was more, they deserved it from me.

  I straightened my back and walked into the foyer. “Okay, so you know I’ve been looking for my father.”

  “You have?” Hart shook his head, his light brown hair flopping over his ears.

  “Yes.” I gave him the frankest look in my arsenal. “Hart, I’m sorry, but when I met you, I lied to you. My name isn’t Sidney, and I’m not doing research on southern pine beetles. My name’s Elise, and I was asking you questions about the woods around here to see if you had seen any trace of my father or anything strange.”

  He ran a hand over his clean-shaven jaw. “This is sort of a mind-blown moment.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry. It’s just that I didn’t know if I could trust you.” I glanced to Garrett as my cheeks heated. “I didn’t know if your family had anything to do with my dad’s disappearance.”

  “Disappearance?” He looked from me to Garrett, then back again. “What are you talking about?”

  “Maybe we should all sit down?” I motioned toward the dining room.

  “No. Go on.” Garrett’s tone edged on dangerous.

  “Okay.” I met his fierce gaze. “I looked up your family. I found Hart was a student at a university just a few hours away. I figured he would be my best bet to ask questions about the property without raising suspicion. So, I pretended to be studying the woodlands for my thesis. Hart was kind enough to answer my questions and talk to me.”

  Hart smirked, the look almost as devious as the one his brother often wore, but with a hint of innocence from a perfectly placed dimple. “I talked to you because you were hot, not because I’m kind.”

  Garrett thrummed his fingers on his bicep, irritation rolling off him in waves.

  I hurried along. “So, I asked him about the woods, if he’d seen any beetle activity or human activity because I, um, I said that beetles were attracted to man-made things like houses, shacks, cars, any of that.”

  Garrett drew his brows together. “Hart, you fell for that shit?”

  Hart shrugged. “Did you hear the part where I said I would have told her anything she wanted to hear? Look at her.” He scanned me with open interest.

  “Stop looking at her like that.” Garrett’s voice held a chill.

  “Hart is the reason I knew to search here. He saw my father’s car on your property. That’s why I’m here. I swear, Garrett, that was it. I wasn’t trying to trick him or you, I just didn’t know who to trust.”

  He stepped toward me, his arms still crossed. “So you still don’t trust me?”

  “No, I do.” I rested my hand on his forearm.

  “Then why didn’t you share this information?”

  I dropped my eyes to the floor and chewed my lip. “I intended to. I just didn’t, but I should have. I guess I was embarrassed about the lies, so I was holding off for as long as I could.” I caught his eye again. “And there’s one more thing.”

  Hart whistled. “Sorry to interrupt, but I still have no clue what’s going on.”

  Garrett ignored him and zeroed in on me. “What’s the other thing?”

  “I snooped in Lillian’s room” —His jaw tightened even more, so I sped my explanation— “and I found my father’s Braves cap and a memory card with photos on it.”

  “Photos of what?” Hart asked.

  I shook my head. No way I could explain it all. “Probably better if I just show you.”

  Garrett pinched the bridge of his nose. “Your dad’s car has been on the property this whole time, yet you didn’t say a word?”

  “I’m sorry.” I clasped my hands together. “I wasn’t sure about you, and I …” What else could I say?

  “Well, are you sure now?”

  “Yes.” I said it easily, no holding back. “All cards on the table.”

  Garrett narrowed his eyes. “No more secrets.”

  I nodded as regret settled on me like a fine ash. “I promise. You know everything. I swear. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

  He seemed to relax a little, then glanced to Hart. “A beetle researcher? What else have you fallen for while you’ve been away?”

  Hart grinned. “Well there was this one chick who said she was on the pill, but—”

  “What?” Garrett barked.

  I breathed a sigh of relief that he’d turned his ire on Hart instead of me.

  Hart laughed. “I’m just dicking with you. Calm down. There’ll be no little Blackwoods running around anytime soon. Promise.” He glanced to me. “Unless there’s something you’ve forgotten to tell me.”

  “Such an asshole.” Garrett gave a grudging smile and wrapped his arm around Hart’s neck. Both men were large, Hart’s thicker frame complementing Garrett’s more wiry one. “About time you came home to visit.”

  I stepped around them and headed for the stairs.

  “Where are you going?” Garrett asked.

  “I figured you two wanted some, you know, brother time?” I hesitated on the bottom stair.

  Garrett released Hart. “Go in the kitchen. There’s some leftover baked chicken and green beans in the fridge.”

  “Are you shitting me? Real food in the house?” He glanced at me. “I’m still not sure who you are, but thanks for cooking.”

  I pointed to Garrett. “Actually, he cooked it.”

  “Well fuck me running.” Hart bounded down the hallway, the promise of food the only lure he needed.

  Garrett walked over to me and cupped the back of my neck. “You think I’d let you get away that easy?”

  God, when he said things like that, it was all I could do to not curl my toes. “I-I don’t know.”

  He leaned closer, his lips at my ear. “I forgive you, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be punishment.”

  A tingle shot up my spine. “Garrett—”

  “No way out of it, Red. Not unless you call black.” He released my neck. “Now, let’s go get you reacquainted with my brother. Then I want to see the photos you mentioned. We’ll save the punishment for when he’s out of the house.”

  “Okay.” Did I just agree to punishment?

  “Go on now.”

  I walked past him and yelped when he gave me a firm smack on the ass.

  He wrapped his arm around my waist. “Couldn’t resist getting a head start.”

  “LET ME SEE YOUR LEG.” Hart plopped down next to me on the couch.

  “Excuse me?” I gawked at him.

  Garrett, Hart, and I had spent the morning getting up to speed on my surveying project and the issues surrounding my father’s disappearance. Hart had taken it well, far better than I could have hoped. Of the two br
others, the younger one was far more easygoing, and I couldn’t see the dominance that Garrett hinted lived beneath Hart’s surface.

  Hart patted my knee. “I changed majors to pre-med. Maybe I can help.” He shot me a disarming smile and dropped to his knees. “Let’s see how it’s healing up.”

  “All right.” I rolled up the leg of my black lounge pants.

  He bent over and ran his fingertips along the scars. “Too bad about the marks, but they’ll fade.”

  “I figure they’re going to be permanent.” I shrugged. “Nothing I can do about it. Bonnie brought some cream that I put on them every night. I can’t really tell a difference, but she swears by the stuff.”

  “Any muscle damage?” He began kneading my leg, his strong fingers working my flesh as I leaned back against the cushions.

  “That feels amazing, and no, I think the tusks went clean through. It feels weird to say this, but I think I got lucky with the injuries. And I know I lucked out with Garrett saving me that night.” I moaned when he reached a particularly knotted spot toward the top of my calf.

  “You might not have any lingering muscle damage, but your leg needs a good working over to get it back in shape. Relying on the right leg has weakened the left.”

  “Yeah?” I peered down at him, his bright eyes shaded by the hair along his brow.

  He tried to run his fingers to my knee, but the rolled pants blocked him. “Do you mind? I can’t get a good idea of what sort of things might help without a look at the whole leg.”

  “I, um…” I started to shake my head, but he pressed his fingers along my calf again, the sensation akin to a knotted ball of string unraveling.

  “Let me help.” He snagged his fingers in the waist of my pants and tugged. He made an mmm sound and pulled again.

  I grabbed his wrists. “I’m not sure if this is—”

  “Hart!” Garrett’s voice ricocheted around the living room like a shot as he stormed in. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

  I yanked my pants back into place. “He’s pre-med. He was just checking my leg and—”

  Garrett strode over, fisted the back of Hart’s polo, and dragged him to his feet. “Pre-med, huh?”

  Hart grinned, mischief all over his face. “Pre-law and pre-med are practically the same thing.”

  I shot to my feet. “You asshole!” Mortification painted my cheeks pink.

  “Oh, come on.” He ducked out of his brother’s grasp. “She owed me one after the beetle crap I fell for. And really, what’s a little perving—nice lace panties by the way—between friends?”

  Garrett took a menacing step toward Hart, who backed away and almost tripped over the ottoman.

  Garrett’s glower darkened. “She’s my guest. Mine.”

  “Sorry, my bad.” Hart’s smile undermined his words.

  Garrett lunged for him, and Hart darted around the back of the couch and out into the hall. He winked at me before dashing toward the stairs. Garrett followed, but Hart was already pounding up the steps.

  “Fucker!” Garrett called after him.

  Hart’s laughter grew fainter until a door upstairs slammed and cut it off entirely.

  Garrett stalked back into the living room, his eyes focused on me. I stood my ground, even as he churned toward me like a hurricane on the sea. When he reached me, he took my face in his hands and smashed his lips to mine.

  Possession. He lowered me to the couch, his body covering mine as we sank down. I gripped his forearms, digging my nails into his skin as he filled every corner of my being with thoughts of him.

  When he released me from his all-consuming kiss, he stared down at me, his eyes darkened with desire.

  “You’re mine. You probably think you can just leave here when you’re done with all this.” He pressed his thigh against me, rubbing between my legs. “Maybe find some asshole who closes his eyes as he fucks you so sweetly.”

  “I—”

  “Not a man like me who takes what he wants.” He slid a hand down to my breast and squeezed until it hurt.

  I leaned up to capture his lips, to soothe the beast. But he hovered out of range, his stormy eyes raging.

  “You’re mine.” He moved a hand to my throat. “I won’t let you go. I can’t. I’ll destroy any man who tries to take you from me.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.” I ran my palm along his scruffy cheek. “I’m here with you.”

  He kissed me again, this time gentler, though his need—his need for me—burned me deeper than anything I’d ever felt.

  Raw and rough, he spoke his heart. His words created a new sensation inside me, an inexplicable cocktail of hope, heat, and something stronger. I didn’t dare define it, but as I ran my fingers through his unruly hair, I wished the feeling would never stop.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  GARRETT CARRIED MY PACK out the front door along with a small one of his own. I finished lacing my boots and followed him out into the brusque wind. The sky was overcast, promising rain later as a front moved in. We had until about three in the afternoon to do our first bit of surveying before the rain arrived.

  “You sure today’s the day?” He stowed our packs on the back of the red ATVs and glanced at the clouds.

  “Yes. I can’t wait around for the sun to pop out in a few days.” I stretched my bad leg, happy with the absence of pain or discomfort. “Besides, I’m already behind.”

  I’d scouted the best route to a mounded area on the southeast edge of the property. The ATVs should be able to make it there and back again with ease. I also hoped to check out another odd spot on the satellite image. I’d shown it to Garrett, and we both surmised it was some sort of shack hidden in a thicket along the edge of a dense stand of pines. He’d been just as puzzled as I was about it being on his property. We were equally stumped by the photos in Lillian’s camera, and Garrett couldn’t determine which hunter’s mark graced the trees in the background. Square one wasn’t so bad, though, now that I had Garrett to scout with me.

  I hurried to my car and snagged the pistol from my glove box.

  Garrett eyed me as I walked up, then reached behind his back and pulled out his own handgun. “We’re armed to the teeth. I don’t think any boars are going to get the drop on us.”

  I slung a leg over my ATV. “It’s not the boars I’m worried about.”

  He walked over and tipped my chin up. “You’re safe with me. Nothing is going to happen to you on my watch.” Leaning down, he kissed me with a sweetness that infused me with delicious warmth.

  “Is that a gentler version of ‘I’ll cut a bitch’?” I smiled against his lips.

  “I’ll do a lot worse than that if anyone lays a finger on you.” He claimed my mouth again, more urgent this time.

  I answered, my tongue sweeping against his as he roped my ponytail around his fist. It had been five days since I ran from him. We’d spent hours lying in bed, plenty of mealtimes cooking together, and our nights sleeping together. After that, I’d had a couple more days of laughing with Hart, the two men playing off each other and amusing me to no end.

  After Garrett had marked his territory via loud, rough sex on the living room couch, Hart didn’t try any more come-ons. The night before he’d returned to school, he’d told tales of campus conquests until the wee hours, though I suspected half of the women he claimed to have bedded were solely in his imagination. Entertaining all the same, and something about him being around lulled Garrett into a happier mood. Quicker to laugh and throw witty comebacks, quicker to kiss me whenever we got a moment alone.

  He pulled back. “If we don’t stop, I’m going to drag you into the house and fuck the day away.”

  I pinned my lips between my teeth and shook my head. “No can do. Work first.”

  He groaned and dropped another kiss on my lips, his beard tickling my cheeks, before backing away. I admired the low-slung jeans, button-down red plaid shirt, and simple sheepskin coat. When he turned to finish stowing his gear, the view of his pe
rfectly toned ass almost made me change my mind about staying home.

  “Oh, one more thing.” He grabbed the black helmet hanging from his handlebar and walked over. “Put this on.”

  I worked my ponytail down until it hung low against my neck, then slid the helmet on. It fit well, and the visor did a great job of blocking the wind while still giving decent visibility. Once satisfied I was concussion-proof, Garrett walked back to his ATV and mounted it.

  I flipped the visor up. “Where’s your helmet?”

  His signature smirk appeared. “I live dangerously, Red.” He cranked his machine and drowned out my protest.

  I glared at him and hit the ignition on mine. It roared to life.

  He pulled my map from his pocket, checked it once, then pointed past the house and into the woods. I nodded and gripped the handlebars.

  He eased down the cracked driveway. I followed, puttering along. Then I got a wild hair. Twisting the handle, I gave it some gas and motored around Garrett.

  I zoomed across the driveway and onto the leaf-strewn lawn. The tree line loomed ahead, but Garrett flew past me. I tried to bite back my laugh as he gave me an exasperated stare, though a smile crept along the corners of his lips.

  He slowed as he came to the edge of the woods. “Keep up, Andretti, and stay behind me.”

  I bobbed my head and followed him under the canopy of trees. It took me fifteen minutes, a couple of rotten trees, and a handful of small streams to get the hang of the ATV, but once I figured out my limits, we made good time. We headed straight for the mounded area that could indicate Native American activity.

  Garrett followed the map well, and I couldn’t help but be impressed with his skills at navigating the rough terrain and leading us through the tougher areas. We reached the mound just before eleven and parked under a huge oak at the edge of the rise.

  “Lunch, then work. You warm enough?” He walked over and pulled my helmet off before removing his gloves and pressing his palms to my cheek.

  “I’m warm. Don’t worry.” I ran my palms along the backs of his hands.

  “You sure?” He grabbed my fingers. “Your hands could be warmer. I’ll start a fire.”