It Takes Special Forces [Love on the Rocks 9] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever)

by Dixie Lynn Dwyer

  “Who?” he asked, and she chuckled. He had taken on a sort of older brother role as he realized how quiet and shy she was. He warned her of what places to stay clear of and even avoiding specific bars even with friends.

  “Precious and some guys from the dojo we work out at.”

  “Really? Not Ronin and Bobby, I hope,” he said, sort of reprimanding her as if they weren’t good enough for her and it was his business. She chuckled, blowing him off.

  “They’re just friends, and will probably be there.” As she said that, she got a funny feeling and thought she better add something about not being interested in dating anyone at all.

  “Besides, you know I don’t date. It’s just friends hanging out. I haven’t been out in a while.”

  “Yeah. If I recall correctly, the last time you were out you were acting funny for the rest of the week.”

  She cringed remembering that. That was at Precious’s celebration, and the Stames brothers had been hitting on her and trying to start a conversation, but she was a scaredy cat and wound up taking off.

  “I think I’ll be fine this time,” she said and smiled.

  “Well, I might see you there, so if you need anything, or any guys start bothering you, you get to me, and I’ll scare them off,” he said and uncrossed his arms and sort of flexed. She smiled but wanted to laugh. He was a big guy, but not as big or as capable as the Stames brothers or Slayer.

  “I appreciate that, Stewart.” He gave a confident nod.

  “Well, maybe you’ll let me buy you a drink this time. You’ll like my friends. There’re three women and four guys, all good people, and all live locally. They’re involved with different businesses in the area, too. One of them is trying to promote this new line of water sports products. I was thinking you could give him some pointers because of your business experience you mentioned.”

  “Sure thing. I’ll be happy to meet them.”

  He stared at her and looked like he wanted to say more. She felt a little funny and hoped he didn’t like her and want to ask her out. The last thing she needed was an uncomfortable situation.

  “Well, I should get back to work. I need to leave on time to be able to get ready for tonight. I have to hit the store on the way home, too.”

  “Oh, sure thing, doll. I’ll see you tonight then,” he said and then walked out of the room.

  She went back to work and didn’t give the conversation another thought. Her mind was on Slayer and the Stames brothers. Yikes.

  Chapter Four

  “Slayer, I’d like for you to meet our girlfriend, Precious.” Magnum introduced Precious to the guy she and Essie met at the café the other day, and she wondered how Magnum knew him.

  “Hey, Essie’s friend, right?” she said and stuck her hand out to shake his. He nodded his head.

  “Essie’s friend? How do you know Essie?” Magnum asked.

  “We met days ago at Helen’s place. She rents the apartment from her in the back of the gift shop.”

  “Oh yeah, Kyle’s mom. How is she doing?”

  “Seems to be doing well.”

  “Great. I bet your cousins are happy to have you back home, too,” Magnum said, and Carlyle came over, shook Slayer’s hand, and then placed his hands on Precious’s hips behind her.

  “Wait, cousins?” she asked.

  “Yes, Slayer is the one this gathering is for. He just returned from a mission and was gone for months.” She smiled, putting it all together. Holy crap, Slayer was cousins with Cobra, Ford, Turbo, and Max and he lived with them. Jesus, Essie was going to have a stroke. Just then, she saw Essie arrive, walking in with Ronin and Bobby.

  “So, how long are you going to be in town for this time?” Magnum asked Slayer, but Precious noticed that Slayer caught sight of Essie immediately. So did Ford, who went over to her and asked her something. She nodded, and he guided her toward the bar. But then Essie looked their way, saw Slayer, and Precious waved her over with a smile.

  Essie touched Ford’s arm and pointed over, and as they headed their way, Precious saw Ford place his hand on her shoulder. Precious wanted to pull her to the side and let her know that the guys were related, but it was too late. Ford made the introductions as his other brothers, Cobra, Max, and Turbo arrived.

  “This is our cousin, Slayer. He’s the guest of honor,” Ford told her as Essie locked gazes with Slayer.

  “Hey, sweetie. Long time no see,” Slayer said to her.

  “Cousins?” she asked him and then looked at Ford, who narrowed his eyes, and then Precious chuckled.

  “Come on, guys, let’s leave them alone,” Precious said to Magnum and Carlyle.

  “Leave them alone? No way, this is getting good. You know Slayer, Essie?” Carlyle asked despite Precious holding on to his arm and pulling.

  “We met at the beginning of the week at Helen’s place,” she said to Carlyle and then pushed a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear.

  “Monday?” Cobra asked. She nodded.

  “So, she was why you were late arriving home your first night back in town?” Max asked and smirked.

  “We just met, and things got crazy at Helen’s. It was too much fun to leave early,” he stated, still holding her gaze.

  Precious smiled wide.

  “Now, let’s leave them alone,” she whispered to Carlyle.

  “Holy shit. I’ll be damned. Good luck,” Magnum said to Cobra and gave him a slap on his shoulders as he, Carlyle, and Precious walked away.

  * * * *

  Essie was shaking like a leaf. She couldn’t look at any of them. Her mind was in a blur. It barely registered when Ford told Slayer that Essie was the woman they had their eyes on for a while now, but that she’d turned them down and was a no-show at the self-defense classes he trained. Then she felt a hand touch her hand and squeeze. She looked up, and Slayer was pulling her closer. He reached up and cupped her cheek.

  “You like my cousins, too?” he asked her.

  She looked at them surrounding her, then felt the hands on her hips from behind, and she tightened up.

  “Be honest, honey. This is not some scam. This is fate,” Turbo said holding her hips.

  “You all seem like nice guys,” she said, and Slayer shook his head. He stroked her cheek and glanced at his cousins, which was a complete shock to her still that they were related and probably lived together. Holy God. She teetered. Slayer pulled her against his chest and wrapped the arm that held her hand around her waist, keeping her hand locked with his hand and behind her.

  “Easy, sweetie. This is a lot to take in, especially for me,” he said. She tilted her head up at him, absorbing the scent of his cologne and the feel of muscles beneath her chest. She was glad she wore the skirt and nice top, plus the low heels. She had taken Precious’s advice to heart and was going to try to be friends with the Stames brothers first. Now she didn’t know what she was going to do. She was attracted to all five men.

  “How about a drink and we sit down and talk things over?” Cobra suggested.

  She had to be strong here. These were five military men. Big, sort of scary in a totally sexy, all muscles kind of way, but still capable, military men. She pulled back and took a deep breath. She looked at Slayer who was straight-faced and then Ford.

  “I’m still not taking your self-defense class yet,” she said to him and he chuckled. He placed his arm around her waist and smiled. He wore a beard well. It made him look rugged and sexy.

  “We’ll see about that,” he added and winked, and she shook her head. Ford and Slayer led her to a table in the corner with high stools. Ford assisted her, holding the stool as she got up and crossed her legs. They surrounded her, Slayer taking the seat right next to her and putting his hand on her knee. She looked at him.

  “So, how does it feel to be back home and with your cousins?” she asked, trying for nonchalant conversation.

  “Right about now, with you here, it’s feeling pretty interesting,” he said to her, looking at her lips.


  “Slayer.” She went to correct him, or reprimand him, or just try to get across to him, to them, that she wasn’t accepting anything and was still declining any dates, but he shook his head, and she froze.

  He ran his hand along her knee and leaned closer.

  “No lies, no denials, just hang out and enjoy the night. Whatever happens, happens,” he said to her, but she knew by the look in his eyes, and a glance toward his cousins that tonight wasn’t going to be just any night. Things changed in a flash. Suddenly she wanted things she swore off out of fear.

  * * * *

  Cobra looked at Essie as she smiled then laughed at a joke Max told. Her eyes were so telling and the darkest, prettiest blue he had ever seen. Those thick, dark eyebrows and long, thick eyelashes made her eyes stand out even more so. The blue blouse she wore enhanced her eyes, and when her lips parted, it was hard not to stare and wonder what they tasted like. She had a sweet, soft tone of voice and a way about her. He felt like he needed to keep his hardness, his commanding tone in check. She was feminine and classy.

  He didn’t know what was really happening here. All he knew was that Essie affected all of them and especially Slayer. He never saw him so in tune to a woman, hell, another person. Slayer was still being quiet, but he kept caressing Essie’s knee, and even Ford was stroking her shoulder. Then Max reached out and placed his hand on her thigh, giving it a tap as he told a story, then looked at Turbo, who shook his head with his arms crossed in front of his chest denying the events that were told. It was all so normal, and he wondered when it would go wrong? What would come of this attraction, and were they out of their minds? Essie was in her early twenties, and he and Slayer were closing in on forty.

  “Would you like another glass of wine, Essie?” Max asked her.

  “No, thank you. I have to drive home.”

  “We could give you a ride,” Max told her.

  She gave a soft smile and shook her head.

  She started to slide off the barstool.

  “I’m going to go use the ladies’ room.”

  “Okay, we’ll wait here,” Ford told her, and they all watched her walk away. Cobra kept his eyes on her and the way some guys checked out her ass as she walked past them. He felt jealous, angry.

  “Hey, what’s with the daggers?” Turbo asked him. Cobra turned to look at him and his brothers. Slayer took a slug from his bottle of beer, leaning against the table, his arm still over the chair Essie had vacated.

  “I’m fine,” Cobra stated and then felt the hand on his shoulder.

  “Hey, Cobra, you didn’t even come over to say hello,” Stephy said to him. She was a woman he’d met months ago. Her other friends came over, too, and were standing there trying to strike up a conversation with all of them.

  As he turned to the right while Stephy carried on about shopping and then about trying one of the classes at the dojo and wondering which ones he taught or suggested, he spotted Essie. She locked gazes with him and then Stephy and the other women, and Essie had an expression of upset before she abruptly turned to the right, bumping into some big guy. He held her hips and turned her.

  “Cobra, are you even listening to me?” Stephy asked.

  “No. I’m not interested,” he said and gave Slayer and Ford a nod to the right. They looked that way, but now he couldn’t even see Essie, the guy was blocking her from them. Cobra started heading over there and caught sight of Essie. She was smiling and nodding her head, looking amused as the big guy talked to her a mile a minute. When he got closer with Slayer towering over the guy, Essie looked up at him. The man turned to see who was interrupting the conversation.

  “Essie, is everything okay?” Cobra asked firmly.

  “Yes, why?”

  “We were standing there waiting for you and saw this guy blocking you in,” he said and gave the man the once-over.

  “Hey, buddy, I was talking to her. Want to go wait over there? I’m making progress,” he said, and Essie rolled her eyes.

  “Stewart, seriously?” she said to the big guy. He squinted at her.

  “Essie, come on, go with it.”

  “No. This is silly. You probably know these guys or have seen them around. Cobra, Slayer, Ford, Max, and over there is Turbo. This is Stewart. He works with me at the insurance agency,” Essie introduced them.

  “Really,” Cobra asked, arms crossed in front of his chest.

  “It’s temporary,” Stewart said on the defensive.

  “No, it isn’t. You love it there,” she scolded.

  Cobra reached for her arm. “You coming back to the table?” he asked her, and she looked past him and at Stephy and the women who joined them without an invite, and then looked at them. She shook her head.

  “Too crowded. You go on, though. I should mingle, catch up with Stewart, and then go see Precious and the guys before I head out. It was nice talking to you before,” she said, then started walking toward the bar. Stewart gave them all a look and then headed with her.

  “What the hell happened?” Cobra asked.

  “I think we pissed her off,” Max said.

  “She got jealous because your flock of bimbos swarmed in as soon as Essie walked away,” Ford said.

  “I’m going to get another drink,” Slayer told him and they parted ways, but Cobra kept his eyes on Essie. She sure did go from hot to cold fast. He remained nearby, and the moment Stewart walked away, Cobra came up behind her, wrapped his arm around her waist, and whispered into her ear.

  “You’re bored out of your mind with him,” he told her and then ran his palm along her belly. She tightened up, feeling so feminine. He could wrap her in one arm and hold her snugly.

  “I am not,” she replied and turned sideways. His lips were inches from hers. “Honey, I am really good at reading body language, and I can tell you’re bored. Lose the geek and come hang out with me for a bit?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “There was no need to be jealous over those women. They ruined our good time.”

  “Who was jealous?” she asked him, slightly turning in his arms. He pressed her against the bar, and she stared up at him, her body sideways. He placed on hand on the bar caging her in on that side while he held her close with his other hand still firm against her hip.

  “Isn’t that why you didn’t come back over?”

  “No, Cobra, it isn’t why. I told you guys I’m not interested in getting involved with anyone.” He stared down into her eyes and at her lips.

  “Why is that, I’m wondering,” he said and stroked her hip.

  “Don’t do that.”

  “Do what?”

  “Try to play games with me.”

  He stared at her perfect, youthful skin and he felt old, damaged.

  “Your skin is beautiful. I can’t stop touching you, or wanting you close,” he said to her. She licked her lower lip.

  “I want to kiss you.” Her eyes widened.

  “Don’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it will make things worse.”

  “I think it might make things better,” he said and leaned closer. She turned only slightly as if she was curious, too, and he pressed his lips to the corner of her mouth.

  “Don’t push me away. Push us away,” he whispered as he pulled slightly back. She stared at him. She blinked her eyes several times. Her voice cracked.

  “It’s better this way,” she said, and he didn’t understand what she meant.

  He shook his head and followed his gut.

  “What are you so scared of?” he asked her. She just stared at him.

  “You don’t like me because I’m older?”

  “What? No, why would you say that?”

  “Is it because the five of us come as a package deal?” he asked, and her cheeks blushed. He stroked her hip and then up to her ribs.

  “Honey, I’m the leader of that group. They’re my family, my life, my everything, so don’t play games with us. I don’t mess around. The truth. Are you attrac
ted to us?”

  She sealed her lips and stared at him. She turned slightly so that she faced him and he kept one hand on the bar, his arm against her side and one on her lower back.

  “Yes.”

  “Good, we’re making progress.”

  “No, we aren’t,” she replied.

  “Sure we are. All I need to do is find out what you fear about us and fix it.”

  She looked away.

  “Is it our sizes? I know we’re big men, but we can surely keep you safe and warm between us,” he said to her and licked his lower lip as he stared at her gorgeous blue eyes. Her cheeks reddened.

  “Cobra, this isn’t a good time for me.”

  “Bad break up?” he asked, his gut clenching.

  “I don’t date, and I don’t want to right now.”

  He reached up, stroked her cheek, and pushed her hair behind her ear. He saw the small diamond stud earring, and it was delicate and feminine like her.

  “I need a better explanation than that.”

  “Cobra.”

  “Essie,” he repeated, and she exhaled.

  “Lots of things intimidate me about you and your brothers and Slayer. I’m going through some personal things right now and I’m not really a good judge of character at the moment, and I really think it’s better if I just focus on me right now.”

  “Who was he and how did he hurt you?” Cobra asked her, and she looked shocked.

  “Come on now. Does the dick live around here?” he asked and looked around them. “Point him out, and I’ll kick his ass,” he said, raising his voice.

  She covered his mouth with her hand. “Stop that,” she said, her other hand on his chest. He pulled her closer, and she released his mouth but kept her hands flat against his chest. He slid one hand over her ass and the other snugly around her waist.

  “God, you smell edible,” he said and sniffed her neck, making her laugh. She had a contagious laugh, and he couldn’t help but to chuckle. Jesus, she was so perfect.

  He kissed her cheek, her jaw, and then her lips. She turned away and gave his chest a slap.