by Tonya Brooks
When the door closed behind her, he took a deep breath, exhaled harshly and drained the rest of his beer in one swallow. Damn that was one hot woman. Everything about her screamed sex and he knew he was in trouble. Temptation like that he did not need. What the hell had Harley been thinking?
~~~~
Cyn couldn't help thinking about the irony in her decision as she turned onto the drive lined with gorgeous old oak trees. Her Aunt Harley had run from a bad situation in Lakeside years ago and sought refuge at Cyn's home in Florida. Thirteen years later, Cyn was running from a bad situation in Florida and seeking refuge at Harley's home in Lakeside. Talk about coming full circle.
But Harley had been running from a bad marriage and Cyn was running for her life. Okay, maybe that was a bit dramatic, but the police had strongly suggested she get out of town before the whack job stalking her escalated his attempts to get her attention. When the offer of a job in Lakeside came up, she grabbed it and ran.
She didn't have a clue who the stalker was, but a bachelor's degree in psychology assured her that the guy wasn't just going to give up and go away. Unfortunately, like most stalkers, he was intelligent enough not to leave any clues behind so the police didn't have much to go on. The only real recourse that she had was to get far enough away from him that he couldn't find her.
Cyn knew that there were five basic types of stalkers, and she didn't want to tangle with any of them. The Rejected Stalker was an individual who had experienced the unwanted end of a relationship and was trying to force a reconciliation. Since her last relationship had ended three years ago, with her being the one rejected, she seriously doubted that was the issue.
The Intimacy Seeking Stalker often saw a complete stranger as their true love and began to behave as if they were in a relationship with that person while believing that their love was reciprocated. The Incompetent Stalker also saw a complete stranger as their true love and began to behave as if they were in a relationship with that person, but they were fully aware that their feelings were not reciprocated and still continue the pursuit.
Either one of those could apply since the guy had started by sending her flowers before the hang up phone calls began. When she'd changed her number he'd started calling her at work and at home which really creeped her out since he always knew where to find her. Finding a dead kitten on the hood of her Jeep had prompted her to contact the police because the guy was proving to be dangerous.
The Resentful Stalker experienced feelings of injustice and desired revenge against their victim rather than a relationship. Their perception was that they were the victim who had been wronged. The Predator Stalker had no desire for a relationship, but wanted to exert power or control over their victim. They found pleasure in fantasizing about physically and/or sexually assaulting their victims.
In her professional opinion, neither one of those applied since the last two types of stalker would not have showered her with flowers. They would have gone directly to the dead kitten and escalated from there. Cyn hoped like hell that her opinion was right and her days of looking over her shoulder were over.
It was time to start a new chapter of her life and she was excited for it to begin. Cyn would only be working for John for a few months until she started her career as a children's mental health counselor. She adored children and was really looking forward to working with them. That she would be helping them deal with the trauma of living in an abusive home would not be easy though.
One of her professors had warned her not to go into this particular field of therapy. Cyn had a soft spot for kids and she knew that this job was going to rip her heart out daily. Her own childhood trauma would make it that much more difficult. But if something didn't kill you it made you stronger. She was living proof of that.
She was also living proof that abstinence wouldn't kill you. It had been a long time since she'd had any interest in sex and she'd never felt desire this strong before. Since it seemed her new boss preferred to separate business and pleasure, Cyn could wait until she no longer worked for John to bang his headboard against the wall.
She hoped.
What the hell had Aunt Harley been thinking?
~~~~~
Harley Baker was a sly fox and she knew that her niece and brother-in-law would be a match made in heaven. The two of them had so much in common that they were sure to hit it off. Not that she thought for a minute that it would be as easy as all that. Nothing ever was. The pair had some obstacles to overcome first.
Cyn had trust issues that would not allow her to let anyone in and John was a love 'em and leave 'em bad boy. Yeah, those were some serious obstacles alright. But the path to true love never ran smoothly, which was why she had been determined to keep them in close proximity. Not only would Cyn be living in the house with him, but Harley had persuaded John to hire her niece as a waitress at his club.
Once they spent time together and got to know each other, Harley was fairly certain the pair would come to the realization that they were meant to be together. It wouldn't hurt matters that she and the other ladies were determined to give them a nudge in the right direction every chance they got. John and Cyn would be happily married before they knew what hit them.
She hoped.
When she finished showing her niece around the house that had inspired her love for interior design, Harley said, "When she's finished, this will be my masterpiece."
“This place is incredible, Aunt Harley.” Cyn said in awe as they walked outside to the verandah after her aunt had given her a tour of the Baker family home. It was a genuine antebellum mansion that she had almost completely modernized without losing an ounce of its charm. “That pool is huge.”
Harley couldn’t help laughing at that. It was huge. Olympic size to be exact. “Mark got Kylie a pool, so naturally Jed had to have one,” she explained and saw the other woman nod her understanding since she knew the children well. “Matthew and Mark are very competitive and they’re spoiling the kids rotten trying to outdo each other.”
“Well, they’re obviously doing something right,” she pointed out with a well pleased smile. “I’ve never seen you so happy.”
“I’ve never been happier,” Harley admitted.
When Harley had divorced Matthew thirteen years ago, she and their son Jed had moved to Florida so she could attend design school. Cyn's mother, Josie Benton, had been thrilled to open her home to her cousin Claire's daughter and grandson. Cyn had been thirteen at the time and the precocious teen had started calling her Aunt Harley, and claimed little Jed as her cousin. When Desiree Anderson had moved in with them a few months later, she had acquired another aunt as well as another cousin in Desi’s daughter, Kylie.
“I can’t wait to meet Matt,” she said cheerfully and then gave her aunt a knowing look. “If he’s half as hot as John, I know why you’re so happy.”
The older woman could barely contain her excitement at that. Ha! She had known the pair would be attracted to each other and it looked like she was right.“The bad Baker boys are all gorgeous,” she confessed cheerfully.
“Geez, you could have warned me,” she complained. “I mean you said John was tall, dark and handsome, but sweet lovin' Lord, that was a major understatement.”
“Did I mention he was single?” She asked in an innocent tone that didn’t fool her niece for a minute.
“Like any woman could hope to hold onto a man like that for long,” the younger woman derided. She barely held back a shiver of pure desire. John was too sexy for his own good.
Harley shook her head and said seriously, “When the Baker men fall, they fall hard. John just hasn’t found the right woman yet.”
“Aunt Harley, are you matchmaking?” She asked suspiciously.
“Damn straight,” Harley readily admitted with a mischievous grin. “He’s perfect for you.”
John really was perfect for Cyn in so many ways. He was sensitive enough to understand her nieces fears, and strong enough to overcome them. His gentle nature
would allow him to deal with a confident woman while his bad boy attitude would prevent her from walking all over him. They were both fun loving, and easy going, not to mention their mutual love of music.
Cyn shook her head adamantly in denial and countered with, “He's a player if I ever met one.” Although that didn't deter her from planning on getting that gorgeous man in her bed once or twice. She hadn't been attracted to a man in so long that she'd thought her girlie parts had quit working. One look at John had assured her that they were primed and ready to go.
“In spite of his bad boy reputation, John really is a good man,” the older woman assured her.
“Don't get your hopes up, Aunt Harley. I am not in the market for a relationship," was the firm response.
Harley didn't think it would take her niece very long to change her mind once she got to know the Baker men. Their father had taught them to treat a woman with love and respect. If anyone could melt the wall of ice around her heart, it was John. "Let me tell you a little bit about the family," she began.
Once upon a time in the small town of Lakeside, there lived a family of handsome men better known as the Bad Baker Boys. The patriarch of the family was Matthew Jedidiah Baker. In his youth, Jed had been in an elite Special Forces unit, and he had gone places and done things, that no man should ever have to endure, or live with the memories of.
At the age of twenty-seven, he had left the military and came to Lakeside to have a look at the house that a distant relative had left him, and was floored when he discovered it was a genuine antebellum mansion that had been in his family for generations. He'd never even met the woman, but as her only surviving heir, she had left him the home and acreage that sat atop a prominent point along the river. The house had fallen into disrepair over the years, so with no plans for his immediate future and nothing better to do, he moved in and began to renovate her room by room.
The people in town knew little about the handsome young man who appeared to be the last of his families’ line, except for the fact that he had been in the military, and that was only because of the tattoo on his arm. Jed kept to himself and had little to do with the local residents until he met seventeen year old Virginia Lawson. Ginny was like no one he had ever encountered before. She was as innocent and trusting as a newborn babe and there was no guile in her. She set her sights on the handsome, mysterious newcomer and nothing could change her mind.
Jed refused to have anything to do with her. She was perfect and pure in her innocence and he was tormented with images from the past and couldn't bear the thought of tainting her perfection with the demons that drove him. Ginny would have none of his excuses. She wanted him and she knew that Jed felt the same about her, no matter what he said. So what if he was ten years her senior? Age didn't matter and neither did the fact that he refused to talk about his past. She was only interested in his future, with her.
He couldn't believe someone so young and innocent could twist him into so many knots that he didn't know if he was coming or going. In spite of everything he'd been through, Jed had been raised as a gentleman and there was no way he could take advantage of her innocence. She was a lady and he couldn't treat her as anything less than that. Giving up the fight, Jed had gone to her father to ask for her hand in marriage and been told in no uncertain terms to stay away from Ginny. The Reverend Lawson also warned his daughter not to go near the older man again, not that it did a bit of good.
One rainy afternoon, his Gigi, as he had called her, had taken matters into her own hands and seduced him. Jed hadn't been strong enough to fight her and his own desire any longer and he had given in and made love to her. As luck would have it, her father caught them. Once again, Jed offered to marry the girl, much to her delight and her father’s fury. The Reverend Lawson was a hell fire and brimstone Baptist preacher and he'd been livid over his daughter's fall from grace and flatly refused to let them get married. He'd had the younger man arrested for statutory rape and Jed sat in a jail cell for over a week while Ginny was kept locked in her room.
Judge Mason had pulled Jed's service record and the parts of it that weren't classified assured him that the young man was a bona fide hero with an impressive list of commendations and a chest full of medals. He also knew that the good Reverend was a vindictive bastard and was certain that he was keeping the couple apart just to punish them. After he discovered her father was keeping Ginny a prisoner in their home, the judge dropped the charges and married the couple himself.
Word got around town about Jed's military background and the stories of his supposed missions got more dangerous with each telling until they were almost as bad as the truth. Before he knew how it had happened, he had a reputation for being a badass as well as the respect and admiration of people he'd never even met.
Except for his father-in-law's congregation. Rumors began to circulate that he was a murderer and seducer of innocent children on a par with the devil himself, according to the holier than thou crowd. Just to spite the Reverend, who had publicly disowned his daughter, Jed bought a liquor store and named it Wicked Spirits much to the town’s amusement and had a highly successful business.
He and Gigi shared ten wonderful years of love and laughter and she chased his demons away with her gentle touch. They had four boys, each of them two years apart, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, their names chosen due to her gratitude to God for allowing her to marry the man of her dreams. Ginny was pregnant with their daughter when she fell down the stairs and broke her neck, losing the baby in the process. The fact that her death had been instantaneous was of no consolation to Jed. He was inconsolable without his Gigi and lived in the bottom of a bottle for months, unable to come to terms with the loss of the woman he loved more than life itself.
One morning he awoke on the floor at the base of the stairs, where he had passed out the night before and finally came to his senses. Eight year old Matt was kneeling over him, pounding his fists on his father’s chest as he screamed hysterically, “Don't die, Pop! Please don't die and leave us, too.” Matt had been the one who had found his mother and seeing Jed lying in almost the same spot, his first reaction was that his father had died as well.
Realizing that his sons were suffering as much as he was, Jed pulled himself out of the torment of grief and dedicated himself to raising sons that his Gigi would have been proud of. The holier than thou crowd in town referred to them as the bad Baker boys with good reason. They were all a little bit wild, but considering who their parents were, that much was to be expected.
Matt was the oldest and a hellion from the moment he was born. He was his father's son, of that there was no doubt. From the coal black hair and eyes right down to his fiery temperament, he was Jed Baker made over. He was a handsome devil with an abundant supply of bad boy charm and the ladies loved him. From the time he was old enough to walk, he had joined his father for a morning workout in the old carriage house that Jed had converted into a private gym.
Matt possessed the natural instincts of a killer and Jed knew his namesake needed to learn how to discipline himself or he'd wind up hurting someone. He could track a man or an animal with deadly accuracy and as stealthily as a jungle cat. In hand to hand combat, he fought as tirelessly as a demon and could run for miles without breaking a sweat. He'd be a perfect candidate for the military and Jed did everything in his power to ensure his son did not follow that path as he had done.
He got Matt a summer job at a garage pumping gas when he was twelve and by the time he was sixteen, Henry had hired him as a part time mechanic and was amazed at the way the boy had with an engine. When he was twenty-one, Henry sold him the garage because there was nothing Matt loved more than working on cars. At least there wasn't until he had a son of his own and the boy became his whole world. It was just too bad his marriage didn't work out the first time around, but now that he and Harley were back together, he couldn't imagine his life without her.
Mark was their second child and the complete opposite of his brother except
in looks. Had it not been for the age difference and the fact that Mark had dark brown eyes, he and Matt could have passed for twins. He had a wicked devious streak and a temper when riled, but most of the time he was laid back and easy going and his one true love was football. From the time he was old enough to hold the ball in his hands, he never put it down. The child excelled at the sport and spent every waking moment in the yard practicing throwing the ball through a series of hoops that he had hung from the trees. His accuracy was amazing and the older he got, the more powerful his arm became.
By the time he made it to high school, college scouts were already coming around and he had his pick of scholarships to choose from. After college he had gone on to play professionally and that first season, his team had won the Super Bowl. Then the worst happened and he was involved in a car accident that crushed his right arm. The specialists did everything they could to repair the damage, but they assured him that his shoulder would never be the same again. His career in professional football was over.
Mark had returned home and opened a bar that all the ladies in town flocked to just to be near the handsome owner and he loved it. Thankfully he'd had the foresight to take advantage of his education and had dual degrees to fall back on. He had a bachelor’s degree in finance as well as an associate’s degree in business administration and had managed to accumulate a healthy portfolio in a short amount of time that supported his playboy lifestyle nicely and then some. And then Desiree Anderson and her daughter Kylie came into his life and before he knew it, his days as a playboy were over and he was thrilled to be a husband and father.
Luke was the third child and the thinker of the family. He always had his nose in a book and was as different from his brothers as daylight and dark. He rarely lost his temper and more often than not refereed when his brothers got into it with each other. Luke was the voice of reason and he always thought an issue through before he acted on it. There wasn't an impulsive streak in his nature and he had never once behaved in a reckless manner that anyone knew of, except for jumping headlong into a fight if his brothers were in the thick of things.
