Acres, Natalie - Sex Club [Cowboy Sex 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (18 page)

“Your brother-in-law said you’re all mine,” Tristan announced, entering the office.

“Do you expect me to believe that?” Ansley asked, grabbing her keys from the antique walnut desk. With polished wood and a glass top, the magnificent piece was the room’s focal point, but not because of the marvelous craftsmanship. The furniture was piled high with stacks of invoices, purchase orders, food catalogs, and plate-presentation DVDs. It was a miracle that Ansley could even locate the brass ring. Then again, the keychain was hard to miss with the oblong, gold-plated attachment that read “rich lil’ bitch.”

She shuffled papers. “Brock would not send me home with a man he just recently met. Period.”

“His words verbatim,” Tristan teased, thinking he’d lighten the mood.

“Want me to text him and find out if that’s true?”

“Fact is, and all jokes aside, Brock does want you with me tonight. He said something about holding me personally accountable if anything happens to you.”

“Fabulous,” Ansley remarked. “Could this day end any better?”

“Probably not,” Tristan replied, resisting the urge to tell her how much he was looking forward to the hours ahead.

“She can stay with us,” Graham quickly offered. “She’ll be safe at our place.”

“Nope, boys,” Tristan said, shaking his head. “She’s with me tonight.”

“We’ll personally guarantee her safety,” Elliott assured him. “Besides, how much trouble can this Jordie Anne cause?”

“Like I said, Ansley is my responsibility. Ansley staying at your place doesn’t work for me.”

“Well I don’t care if it works for you or not,” Ansley said, marching toward the door. “Since earlier today, you’ve been acting like my guardian. You are not my keeper.”

“We’ll see about that,” Tristan said, his eyes meeting Bailey’s as he entered the room. “Is everything closed out up front?”

“Yeah,” Bailey replied. “I locked up, counted the cash, put the drop in the safe, and ran the reports. Everyone helped clean up. The staff seemed pretty excited to be out of here early on a weekend.”

“I bet,” Ansley grumbled. “Do either of you have any idea how much money we lost tonight?”

“What’s more important, Ansley?” Tristan asked, irritated that she didn’t take the threat on her pretty little head more seriously. “Your life or a little bit of profit after a busy night?”

“It’s not just the money,” she said, turning toward the Killian brothers. “I’m sorry this happened. Your crowd was expecting a good time and I failed you.”

Graham’s head leaned slightly to the right. He looked as if Ansley’s words broke his heart. “Ah, honey. You didn’t fail us. The party ended early. So what?”

Elliott laughed. “He’s right, Ansley. It isn’t a big deal. In case you didn’t notice, most of the guys with us were three sheets to the wind by the time we walked in this place. The exhibitor’s party was out of hand. We had three kegs tapped before five today. Those guys will survive an early closing. Believe me.”

“Well they shouldn’t have to cut their night short because some woman wants to kill me!”

“And I’m glad you said that,” Graham remarked. “You need to take this threat to heart.”

“He’s right again, babe. You don’t need to worry about anyone except yourself,” Elliott pointed out.

“Your safety is all that matters,” Graham quickly added.

Tristan stood back and watched the Killians as they comforted Ansley. Elliott gathered her in his arms and stroked her back. There was too much familiarity there, and Tristan found himself wondering how much history she shared with Graham and Elliott. Obviously, they’d been lovers. They had a sexual past. But where were they now? Were they fuck buddies or involved to a greater degree?

“Let’s get going,” Tristan suggested, tapping her shoulder.

“Do I have a say in this whatsoever?”

“No,” Tristan replied, turning to Bailey. “You can come, too, if you’d like.”

“Can we?” Elliott asked, frowning.

Great
. Allowing these two cowboys the opportunity to spend the night with Ansley wasn’t exactly an ideal situation. He pondered the possibilities for a second.
Shit
. With Graham and Elliott along for the ride, he could end up on the couch. There, too, he also had more eyes to watch her, more bodies to protect her.

What was worse? Having the Killians tag along or telling them they couldn’t go and throwing the light of suspicion on himself and Bailey? He should’ve kept his big mouth shut and called Bailey after they left the club. Now, he didn’t have a choice. “Sure. There’s plenty of room.”

There, the spotlight had been successfully dimmed.

* * * *

Bailey drove Ansley to her house so she could pick up a few changes of clothes and other personal belongings. Then, they drove out to The Grove Park Inn. Instead of stopping at the main hotel, Bailey sped past the entrance and wheeled into a parking place located next to a walkway which led to the private gardens.

“Tristan is staying in a residential cottage. We’ll park here and walk. I’ll help you with your luggage.”

“Have you been here before?” Ansley asked curiously. She hadn’t pegged Tristan and Bailey as drinking buddies or pals who kicked back on a Sunday to watch a game.

“Yes,” he replied. Propping his elbow on the wheel, he turned to face her.

Bailey looked as if he’d received recent highlights right in the crown of his head. The streetlight above them cast a brilliant shimmer on his sandy-brown hair. He studied her like he might look at an interesting woman he’d just met. Maybe he was simply viewing her in another fashion, in a way he’d never considered. “I’m…”

A long pause separated them then. She felt the stretch of her neck as she nodded her head, practically urging him on without breaking the silence. Finally, she couldn’t stand the suspense. “You’re what, Bailey?”

“I’m attracted to you,” he admitted, though his confession wasn’t exactly enthusiastic. “And I have been since we met, which sort of presents a problem—”

Maybe it was the beautiful moonlight lighting the way into the secluded courtyard, or it could’ve been The Grove Park Inn itself. Asheville’s pristine landmark served as a majestic reminder of days gone by which ultimately set the stage for romance. Perhaps her actions were inspired because of the danger looming, the fact that her life could soon end with one shot to the heart.

Whatever it was, she made the first move. She pursued him without reservations, without caution, sliding closer as she wrapped her hand around his neck and drew him into a succulent kiss.

“Ansley,” he crooned, breaking their brief connection by nuzzling her. “Oh honey, you don’t know how long I’ve wanted to hold you like this.”

“Shh,” she whispered, her fingertips tracing his mouth. She framed his face with her palms and allowed her tongue an intimate invasion, dragging the tip over the seam of his lips. She hushed him with her kiss, thrusting her tongue inside his mouth as she gave him something to believe in, something to hold on to, a kiss she dared him to try and resist.

He bunched her hair in his hands and returned the favor, taking the lead as a man should, locking his tongue inside her mouth until the moment turned passionate, hot, and totally more than she’d bargained for.

As his hands wandered, Ansley guided him, pushing his arm down, holding his palm against her hip as they laced fingers, held hands, and kissed some more. Hearing voices on the other side of the window, they soon parted ways and caught their ragged breaths.

Ansley watched as a young couple traipsed up the sidewalk, arms entwined. She longed to experience a romantic connection like the young man and woman appeared to share. Shooting Bailey a sideways glance, she said, “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Yes, you should have,” he assured her, twisting one of her curls around his forefinger. “It took me long enough to even admit how I feel.”

“I thought you liked Kimberly.”

“I do,” he readily admitted.

“You said you only worked for Clink because of my sister.”

“It’s true.”

Ansley felt a stabbing sensation. Was she actually jealous of her own sister? If so, that was pathetic, and she’d talk to Kimberly about it. The last thing she needed was a blasted man coming in between the loving relationship she and Kimberly had always shared. They were more than twins. They were best friends. They talked about everything, even their occasional sibling rivalry and insecurities.

“Kimberly knew how I felt about you. I thought about quitting because of the company policy. Kimberly told me to ignore the papers I signed and said if you ever showed interest in me, I was welcome to pursue you.”

She missed her sister terribly right then. She longed to have Kimberly in town. If she’d been in North Carolina at that very moment, she would’ve smacked her upside her silly little head! She knew Bailey was interested in her and failed to tell her!

“So you don’t want to bang my sister, take her to bed, and make wild, passionate love to her?”

He laughed. “No, but I can’t say the same thing about Kimberly’s twin.”

Surprised by his bluntness and quite relieved at the same time, she swallowed the lump in her throat. “Why are you just now telling me this?”

“Timing doesn’t matter. Does it?”

“To me, it does. When did you decide you were interested, exactly?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” he replied, grinning. “I guess my interest began the first day I saw you.”

“Now you sound like Tristan.”

“Maybe there’s a reason for that,” Bailey said, turning sideways in his bucket seat. “We’re brothers, Ansley.”

His confession jolted her. “What?” How could that be? She wouldn’t have guessed. “Since when?”

He blinked as if he didn’t understand the question. “Well, since birth actually. Tristan is my older brother. He’s twenty-eight. I’m twenty-five.”

“How bizarre,” she said, unsure why they’d hidden the fact they were related.

“Yes, sometimes I think it’s quite odd, too. We’re opposites. That’s for sure.”

“Seems you’re both pretty good at keeping secrets,” she remarked coolly, grabbing her handbag from the floorboard. “Why haven’t you said something?”

Bailey took a breath so deep, his chest swelled. “It’s complicated.”

“When someone says, ‘it’s complicated,’ it generally means a woman should steer clear. How come you have different last names? Do you have different fathers?”

“No,” Bailey readily replied. “I wish we did. And if that were the case, I’d take the bad one we were dealt in a dead man’s poker game. That way, Tristan wouldn’t need to keep looking over his shoulder.”

“Funny,” she muttered.

“Trust me. Our lives haven’t been much to laugh about.”

“No…uh, that’s not what I meant,” she stuttered. “I mentioned a dead man’s hand earlier this morning when Tristan and I were locked in the cool—never mind. It’s not important. Apparently, you had your reasons for hiding the fact you’re brothers.”

“We did.”

“Can you tell me why?”

Bailey rubbed his forehead. “Ansley, Tristan will probably kill me for telling you this, but we’re running from the mob. We’ve changed our last names numerous times, and generally live in different towns. Under a plastic surgeon’s scalpel, our appearances have been altered so we really don’t resemble one another.”

“Fantastic,” she remarked, processing. This day couldn’t become much worse. She was hiding, trying to stay out of sight while a madwoman plotted the best way to kill her. Tristan and Bailey were running, apparently in an effort to stay under a hit man’s radar, while someone out there refused to let them live normal lives.