“I think so, but I better make it clear, especially with you wearing this top.”
“What’s wrong with this—”
He pulled her close and kissed her deeply, cutting off her words and making it clear that she definitely belonged to the McCurran men.
* * * *
Bear followed Michaela out of the parking lot of the bar. She had given him a wave the moment she exited the building and grabbed her bike. She spotted him immediately and that calmed his concern. He wasn’t stalking her. He was just worried about some guy trying something.
After the incident in The Station tonight and the mention of the video, he kept thinking that some guy or guys might try to hurt her or challenge her. He couldn’t leave. Not until he knew she was safely home. She seemed to be able to handle herself, and that was reassuring. But why should she have to? A woman as beautiful and sweet as Michaela shouldn’t always be defending herself against some guy with a gun, or a drunk in a bar challenging her, and preying on her femininity. That shit really pissed him off.
Bear followed in his truck and watched her pedaling the bike. Those damn short shorts she wore accentuated her ass and her thighs. Every up and down motion she made as she pedaled while standing up gave him a harder cock.
He imagined what it would be like when she rode him as they made love. He could play with her plump, sexy breasts as he glided in and out of her.
He gripped the steering wheel tighter as she approached the street to her house. He felt obsessed. His feelings for her were growing every day. He missed her and thought about her at work. To see her tonight, to know how late she would be getting home and that the chances of seeing her were slim, bothered him. He wanted to hold her in his arms, get to know everything about her, and see where this attraction led.
He parked the truck and got out. She was getting off the bike. His eyes roamed over her ass, and she turned to look at him.
She crinkled her eyebrows as she placed the bike onto the front porch.
“Billy, are you okay?”
He looked her over and felt the need to hold her become overwhelming. Her shirt was slightly lifted, revealing a belly ring and her flat belly. She wasn’t too thin, and had toned arms and great, muscular legs. Probably from all the physical work she did.
He walked up the steps and met her by the front door.
“Billy?” she whispered.
He pulled her into his arms, lifted her up, and pressed her against the front door.
“Baby, did I tell you how much I missed you today?”
She began to shake her head, obviously shocked by his move, and he leaned down to kiss her.
As that kiss instantly grew deeper, he couldn’t seem to get close enough to her. He plastered his hand over her ass, squeezing, massaging, and letting his fingers stroke her pussy from behind. She lifted her hips and allowed him to touch her over the material of the damn jean shorts.
His cock felt about ready to burst through the damn zipper of his jeans, he was so aroused. And then she ran those damn delicate fingers of hers through his shoulder-length hair, and he lost it.
Pulling his mouth from hers and kissing along her neck, he squeezed her tighter. “You drive me wild. Let’s go inside.” He continued to kiss and lick her skin.
She grabbed onto his hair and stared into his eyes. “Billy, we need to slow down.”
He was disappointed. Hell, he was never in this type of position before. Michaela wasn’t like other women he’d known. She was fearful, resistant to trust, and he needed to put on the breaks and work at gaining that trust, not bulldozing over it.
He slowly pressed his forehead to hers.
“Well then, I guess we should say good night.”
She swallowed hard and looked disappointed. That was a good thing.
“Because if I come in your house, I can’t promise to keep my hands off of you.”
She smiled. “Don’t think for one second that I don’t feel the same way about you. You’re such a good-looking man, Billy. You’re so big and strong and sweet.”
“Sweet?” he asked, cringing from the wimpy term.
She chuckled and then tugged his hair in a playful manner. “Sweet is good, Billy. Sweet and compassionate and caring. Those are all great qualities that you and your brothers share. But it is late, and you worked all day, I worked all night, and we both have work again tomorrow. I appreciate that you stayed and followed me home. But I can take care of myself, you know?”
He cupped her ass and pressed her snugly against the door. “Oh, I know all right. I was there tonight, at The Station, when you knocked that guy on his ass.”
“And I appreciate that you came over before he decided to do something stupid.”
“Laying his hands on you was stupid. I was worried, and well, jealous.”
“Jealous? Why, Billy? I wasn’t flirting. You know I don’t date. Heck, you and your brothers have been very patient and taking your time getting to know me. It’s helping and I don’t want some stupid drunk guy to ruin what we have.”
“We have something?” he asked and gave a small smile. Michaela smiled wide, and then ran her hands over his shoulders and snuggled closer. Her lips were inches from his.
“Oh, we have something. A beginning. Now kiss me good night, and get home to bed so you’re in top condition for work tomorrow.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He kissed her softly, imagining and hoping that one day he and his brothers would share her bed, and come home to Michaela.
* * * *
“So what do you think? Are we making progress?” Billy asked Hal as they finished getting dressed after taking showers, after work. It was Thursday night, and every night for the past couple of weeks except for Friday and Saturday when Michaela worked at The Station, they would visit her. Jake would stop in and have lunch with her, and then tell them about their conversations.
In those two weeks they had grown fonder of her, but still couldn’t seem to get her to divulge information about the gunshot wound, her past, her family if she had any, or her plans of remaining in Treasure Town.
“I think so. I mean tonight she asked that we come over for dinner. The house is still under construction but that hasn’t stopped us from seeing her.”
“I’m looking forward to it. I miss her during the day. Isn’t that crazy?” Billy admitted.
Hal smiled. “I do, too. I think it’s because this is the real deal. No bullshit. I’ll feel a hundred percent better about the four of us once I know for sure that she’s not lying about anything. I know she has the right to keep her own secrets, or to not share everything about herself, but after Lisa, I need that reassurance.”
“Me, too. Maybe we’ll make some progress tonight.”
They headed downstairs and Jake was there.
“You two ready or what?”
“Let’s go,” Billy said and they headed over to Michaela’s.
* * * *
“His name is Clyde Duvall. He’s a tracker, Michaela, and he may have been hired by Solomon,” Alonso stated over the phone.
“A tracker? You mean to help find me?”
“Yes. He was last seen in Jersey City. Do you remember that little apartment you stayed at until you discovered Treasure Town? Well, he located it, questioned the landlord at the place you stayed.”
“Oh God. Does this mean I should leave? Relocate?”
“I don’t think so. The Feds are close to finding Dipero. He’s the shooter. He was sighted in New York City. There’s a good chance that they’ll catch him.”
“So what do you think Solomon and this tracker want?”
“Either to find you before Dipero does, or to help finish the job the killer didn’t accomplish. But I can’t see why he would help Dipero when Dipero was sent to collect money owed and to kill Solomon. There’s more to this situation. The Feds think so, too. I can’t get into all the leads we’re working on, but I’m hoping something pans out quickly. I may not have a choice, Michaela. I may need to contact that sheriff friend of yours sooner than later.”
“Oh God, I don’t want them to know. I was just beginning to feel safe with them and here in this town.” Alonso was the closest thing she had that could be considered a friend and someone she sort of trusted. Well, she did trust him because she’d just informed him about Jake, Billy, and Hal and the ménage thing. He wasn’t as shocked as she thought he would be. Then he told her about his sister, Maria, and her three husbands. They lived out in Texas.
“I still think that you need to be careful. Have you told them anything about New York, and about Carlucci and Solomon?”
“Of course I haven’t told them. It’s not an easy conversation to have. I’m still not sure if I should get involved with them. Besides, I might have to leave in a hurry, so it may be better to remain friends and nothing more. Especially with the information you just shared with me. I’m scared.”
“Michaela, if what you’ve told me about them is all true, what they’ve done, the empathy, the compassion, I’d say you were crazy not to take a chance. Hell, you deserve happiness.”
“I appreciate that, Alonso, but how can I take that risk when there’s still a bull’s-eye on my forehead? When there’s another man, a tracker, trying to find me?”