“So, I’m supposed to be okay with him maybe attacking someone else as he waits for me.” She exhaled. That would never be okay. Not for her. She couldn’t be that callous.
“No, not okay with it. That’s why you’re occasionally leaving the community to help draw him out.” Sawyer patted her hand. “You can say it’s a coordinated effort to catch the man.”
“All right, we’ll do it.” She nodded. Hopefully, they bought it. “I just hate having to lie to them.”
“Sometime in the future, you’ll be able to talk to at least one of them about it.” Sawyer dropped a kiss on her cheek.
“And she’s going to be so pissed at me.” She lowered her head. Maria would feel deceived. And Tempest couldn’t blame her.
“Relax. She’ll understand eventually.” Sawyer kissed her again. “Now, relax and enjoy your visit. I’ll let you put it all on me when she finds out.”
The doorbell rang. He rose to his feet. “Stay here. I’ll bring them in.”
“Okay, and Sawyer, thank you.” She smiled. This relationship might still be strange, but he was good to her. They all were.
“You’re welcome, treasure.” Sawyer waved and then left the room.
She glanced around. Everything was ready. The food was warming and the drinks, nonalcoholic, since Maria and Kelly had classes even if they didn’t have work today. It would be great to visit with them, but nagging guilt tightened her gut.
“Hey, girl, you’re looking good. The secluded life must agree with you.” Maria strolled in. Kelly followed her, and Jesse stalked in after Kelly. His eyes fixed on her black haired friend.
Sawyer came up behind him and grabbed his arm. “Come on, Jesse. I still need some help with that thing.”
Jesse tensed but took a deep breath and then went along with Sawyer. Tempest tilted her head. What the hell? Was he interested in Kelly? That look had been intense.
“Thank you, Maria. And I have left the community a few times, so I’m not exactly completely secluded.” Tempest smiled and led them into the dining room. “Sit. Are you hungry? I have food in the oven staying warm for us.”
“What about the guys? Your Sawyer and his friend.” Maria raised her brows.
“Actually, it’s friends, and they’re working on a project. They have food and will eat in-between working.” Tempest waved her hand. They’d stay out of the way so that her friends could be more at ease.
“Well, then we can eat and then dish. We’ll help you bring in the food and drink.” Kelly smiled.
“This way into the kitchen. I’ve got pineapple ginger sparkler for our drink today. No alcohol, because you both have things to do today.” She smiled as she went to the refrigerator and pulled out the pitcher. Today wasn’t the day to get even a little drunk anyway. She had to keep her mind sharp. No mistakes.
The heady aroma of beef, vegetables, and seasoned rice filled the room. The meal would be delicious. Hopefully, she could get through this as if it was a normal lunch.
“Sounds good.” Maria smiled. “Now, let’s get that delicious food out and start eating.”
Tempest put the pitcher on the counter and grabbed some pot holders. She pulled out the first pan. Savory, with a hint of pepper, the beefy scent wafted up to her.
“Damn, that smells good.” Kelly hummed.
“Grab some plates from that cabinet and we’ll dish this out. “Sawyer did these. I did the rest of it.” She put the pan down.
Maria took another pot holder and pulled out the pan of seasoned rice. “You know, I tried to make this with your recipe one night last week. Didn’t come out good.”
“It takes a little time to get it right. I had to work on it several times before it came out edible.” Tempest waved her hand. A straight week of bad rice, stuck rice, over seasoned, and under seasoned rice.
“Yeah, I figured, but I’m not exactly a great cook anyway.” Maria put the rice down on the counter near the steak.
Kelly brought over the plates, and Tempest dished out the steaks. Those would be so good. Maria ladled out the rice. Tempest went back for the roasted vegetables, which she spooned onto the plates, and they carried them into the dining room. Tempest and Kelly went back into the kitchen for the glasses and the pitcher. Once back in the dining room, she poured the sparkler and sat down to eat.
“How are you doing?” Maria asked. “Have there been any more incidents?”
“Not really. But that’s because I’ve been here for the most part. It’s part of why they’re taking me out periodically.” She stared down at her plate. Time for the lie.
“What do you mean?” Kelly asked.
“If I’m here, he can’t get to me without taking a big chance. But if he doesn’t have that opportunity, he might go after someone else. I couldn’t live with myself if someone else was hurt because of me.” Tempest bit her lip. Who knew who those bastards might target next, and they’d be out there without protection. Somehow, they had to catch those hunters.
“So, you’re using yourself as bait. Is that smart?” Maria reached out and touched her arm.
“It’s in controlled circumstances. We need to know who he is, and he has to think he can get to me. If we don’t do it this way, he could reappear later when I think I’m safe.” Tempest waved her hand. At least, that had been what their police officer friend had said. “And I’d rather not discover he’s back just when I think I’m safe.”
“Yeah, that would suck. But still, I don’t like the thought of you putting yourself in danger.” Kelly shook her head.
“It’s as controlled as they can get it so I’m relatively safe. But enough about me and my rather boring existence for the moment. Tell me about what’s going on in your lives.” Tempest waved her hand and dug into her steak. Especially since she couldn’t tell them anything about what was really happening.
“Your life isn’t boring, but mine is in deadly dull routine at the moment.” Maria sighed. “Work, home, school, home, and occasional classroom observation. Rinse and repeat.”
“Hey, you’ve been looking forward to the classroom work for a while. I’m surprised you’re not more excited about it.” Tempest tilted her head. It was another step toward finishing college and starting a new life as a teacher.
“The classwork, yes, but this observation isn’t for preparing me to teach. I have a class that requires observation as part of the coursework. The teacher I’m watching is on my nerves.” Maria rolled her eyes. “She doesn’t seem to care at all.”
Kelly ate silently.
Tempest tilted her head as she cut a bit off the roasted squash. Silence was not a good sign with her friend. “What’s up, Kelly? You’re too quiet over there.”
“Nothing’s the matter.” She waved her hand.
“Nope, not buying it.” Maria tapped her fork on the plate for a bit. “You’re not bitching about your teachers, and the work in the classes sure isn’t the problem, because I’ve never heard that complaint out of you.”
“So, that leaves work or the boyfriend.” Tempest speared a piece of steak. Probably the boyfriend since she hadn’t been talking about him lately.
“Well, work was fine yesterday.” Maria nodded. “I’d probably guess that it’s the boyfriend. She hasn’t exactly been happy with him for a while.”
“How do you know I haven’t been happy with him for a while?” Kelly frowned.
“You’re very shary when you’re happy with your boyfriends. Oh my God, that thing he does with his tongue is so good. Isn’t it sweet that he got me flowers?” Maria shrugged “When the relationship is just chugging along, you’ll text and call the man often. Usually with this annoying little smile on your face. But when you’re not happy, you go really, really silent about him.”
“And that’s how we know that it’s probably him.” Tempest smiled. Judging from the expression on her face, it wasn’t just normal relationship boredom. “So, what did he do?”
“Cheated. Which is why the bastard is now an ex-boyfriend.” Kell
y exhaled and shook her head. “I don’t know how long he’s been doing it, either. I’ve been so damn busy that I didn’t realize until I got off early one day and went to see him. I caught him with the woman.”
“It’s not your fault. He’s the one who cheated. I hope you kicked him and left him writhing in pain.” Maria leaned forward.
“No, I didn’t want to risk getting arrested. That could ruin everything for me.” Kelly shook her head. “He’s not really worth the risk.”
“I can see him calling the police on you.” Maria frowned. “Since you didn’t get to hurt him, I hope there was some stuff for you to at least put out to get stolen or ruined.”
“Yep, all of his clothes and an iPad in a box. Wouldn’t you know that it rained before he picked it up? Since he waited two days to do that, it’s totally not my fault. If he really wanted it, he would have come by to get it before then.” Kelly smiled. “I have proof that I sent that message and am keeping it, just in case he decides to get pissy.”
“An iPad is little enough price for being a piece of shit creep.” Tempest rolled her eyes. “I can’t stand cheaters.”
“Yes, it is. How are you dealing with being here? Have you found something to keep you occupied?” Kelly tilted her head.
“I’m doing okay. I’m actually doing some mini-courses. Nothing that will count as hours to my degree, but it’s getting me some practice with coding and design. That will help when I get back to my studies.” Tempest smiled. Yet another example of the guys’ thoughtfulness.
“And it keeps you busy.” Maria smiled.
That it did. “It also keeps the feeling of confinement at bay, because I’m actually doing something that might give me a step up later.”
They talked for over an hour after they finished the meal. Finally, Kelly and Maria had to leave, and Tempest had Sawyer call for their escort. When they left, she stood by Sawyer’s side and curled an arm around him. Damn, having him close was so good.
“So, what was the deal with your friend Jesse following Kelly?” She poked her finger against his chest.
“She’s his and his bond partner’s. So, you’ll have your friends close.” He smiled. “How about I help you finish up the dishes and then we can see if we can find something to do?”
“Sounds good. Do you have some interesting plans?” She raised her brows. Something with considerably less clothes had definite merits.
“He better not.” Jesse stopped in the doorway.
Sawyer groaned and lifted his head. “The something interesting will have to wait, but I’ll still help you with the dishes.”
She nodded. That would be good. It would also be great if she could be open with her friends and not lie to them.
Chapter Twenty
Sawyer ran the sander over the length of the table. A few more steps and then this large piece would be done. He glanced over at his office. The door was closed to shut out the noise.
Tempest worked on her laptop within the closed off room. Soon, he’d go over to see how she was doing. Probably order something for them and the two guards who’d accompanied them to his workshop today. Maybe they could wait on ordering food and bringing the guards inside again.
This workshop within the community was smaller than the one he had outside of it, but if using it kept trouble away from his girl, he’d gladly deal with it. All his projects were moved here. As long as he had no meetings with humans, he shouldn’t need to go to his other one. Human clients were the main reason he had that other workshop.
The two guards were outside at the entrances because of the noise of the sander. They wouldn’t put on the protective ear gear because it would interfere with their hearing. It could prevent them from hearing someone entering the building.
But them being outside did have benefits. Very pleasurable benefits. It was just Tempest and him with no chance of interruption. All the better for a little time alone with his woman.
He stalked toward the door. Maybe he should use that time instead of doing a few of the small tasks on his list. They could wait. It wasn’t every day that he managed to get some true alone time with her since the extra guards had been placed.
He pulled open the office door. She glanced over and smiled. The v opening of her deep green shirt dipped low, allowing him a glimpse of the valley between her breasts. What piece of delicious lingerie was she wearing today?
“Hi, Sawyer, I didn’t expect to see you for a little while.” She glanced down at her computer. “It’s not quite noon yet.”
“With your guards outside, I thought that I’d take the moment to be with you. The chance to be alone is too good to miss.” He walked over and sat on the edge of the desk. Unfortunately, she wasn’t wearing a skirt, but he’d skim her out of those jeans.
“It does sound very interesting. What do you have in mind?” She pushed her computer to the side and put her headphones to the side.
“I thought we might talk and get rid of a few clothes.” Sawyer lifted a shoulder. Her naked was always great. He loved that sexy body.
“Get rid of a few clothes? I don’t think we’d talk very long if we lost a few of our clothes.” She laughed.
“I’m not saying that we’ll get into any in depth discussion, but we might learn a little more about each other.” He rested his hand on his thigh. She was probably right about not lasting long, but he still had a lot to learn about her.
“All right, I’ll start. They told me that you and your brothers were actually a little closer now that you live in a different city. Is that true? Did you do woodwork there, too?” She leaned forward.
“Actually, the woodwork is part of what caused the difficulties between us. Almost all of us did it. And we were always competing for clients as well as our father and grandfather’s approval. So yeah, now that I’m not there, it’s much easier to get along with them.” He smiled. His brothers weren’t the assholes he’d sometimes seen them as.
“You would fight over clients?” She frowned. “Didn’t the person come in to talk to one of you specifically?”
“Not all the time, and on top of that, we shared a big warehouse where we did our work. There were occasional fights because designs came out too close in appearance.” He smiled. All natural stuff from being in close proximity, but telling any of them that at the time wouldn’t have worked. “It sounds silly now, but it was very serious then.”
“Not so silly. I can see that each of you would want to be the best, especially if it was a family business.” She twisted in the chair. “It’s natural to be a little competitive.”
“I answered your question. Why don’t you take off your shirt?” He ran his eyes over her. Finally, he’d see what she had on underneath that pretty shirt.
She unbuttoned her shirt and took it off, putting it on the desk. “So, what’s your question?”
A green bra cupped her full breasts. He licked his lips. Bits of pale skin showed through the lacy creation. So fucking delicious.
“You’re an only child. Did you grow up alone, or did you have other young children around, neighbors or family?” He tilted his head. Was she lonely as a child?
“I had both. There were neighborhood children around and my cousins, a whole slew of them, often visited or we went to their place.” She smiled. “Since that was so easy, I’ll give you another one before I ask for your shirt.”
“All right, that’s generous of you.” He tilted his head. What to ask her? “You waitressed at that restaurant. Was that your only job, or was there something you did on the side?”
“Yes, that was the only one. I made enough with tips and pay to cover my expenses. It was easier since I didn’t have rent thanks to my grandfather’s house.” She smiled. “I was even able to save up a little. Now, take off that shirt.”
He took off his blue shirt and dropped it to the floor. “Now, your question.”
“I know you met Noah when you came here to do a project, but were you ordered to do that? From what I gathered, you all
worked as part of your family’s business. Was it something that specifically had to be you or could any of your family have done it?” She tilted her head.
“No, I wasn’t ordered, but I was the one who had to come. I had some of my work at a gallery, and the owner of the house saw my work there. I came here to look over what he wanted done and give him an estimate. I stopped by the community to introduce myself, and my life changed for the better.” He slid his eyes down her body. Those black jeans had to go. “Pants.”
She laughed and stood up. The button slid through the hole and she tugged the zipper down. The snug material skimmed down her thighs. She wiggled her hips, shimmying as she pushed the material down. Probably to tease him, because she was a wicked woman. That side to side sway sent blood surging south. An ache throbbed in his cock.
She stepped out of her pants and put them on the desk. “All right, done. Now, ask your question, because I want to see some more of your skin.”
“How long have you known Maria and Kelly? Where did you meet them?” He eased forward. Prickling electricity coursed through him, and he itched to touch her. This talk wouldn’t last much longer.
“We met freshman year in high school, but we didn’t become friends then. Barely even talked. I had a couple classes with Kelly and one with Maria, but it wasn’t until we all started working at the same fast food place that we got to know each other.” She smiled. “All of us were saving money for our first car.”
“Tell me more. What drew you together other than saving for a vehicle?” He tilted his head. The closeness between them was obvious. Those women had bonded.
“We liked some of the same things. Not all by any means, but we just clicked. And we’ve been friends and watching each other’s back ever since.” She lifted her shoulder. “Now, take off those pants.”
He hopped down from the desk. This wouldn’t go on for much longer. His hands tingled. The urge to stroke and caress thrummed through him. He unbuttoned his pants and skimmed them down his legs. Her gaze followed the movement. Heat shown from those gorgeous brown eyes. He stepped out of the tight material.
Hunted Flame Page 14
