Indulge (9 page)

But I didn’t need to live in Harmony to pull it together—especially
if Caleb would be there. Lawrence and I had multiple businesses around the nation
that ran just fine with the right guy at the helm.

I stood outside looking in for a while, considering which
of my guys would be best to help Caleb see it through, when I heard my sister’s
name called out. A strange nag caused me to peek in the direction it rang from,
expecting to find another Julia replying. But instead, there she stood,
surrounded by a group of girls.

What the hell?

I marched straight over, thinking of nothing but the
girls who hung around Josh’s and taking Julia home. When I reared up behind
her, I grabbed her arm, startling the entire group.

“Logan!” she squealed as I hauled her a few feet away. “Let
me go!” she continued, smacking my hand.

When I finally released her, she jutted her chin out,
ready to claw at me.

“What the hell, Logan!? Why are you here?”

I lurched back. “Me? Why are
you
here?”

She glanced warily at her friends then took my arm,
guiding us farther down the sidewalk and out of earshot. “It’s a Friday night,
and Mom said I could go with friends to check out the school.”

“Bullshit. It’s after ten—there’s nothing at the school
to check out at this hour. Plus, I thought you said you were here last week.”

She sighed. “I’m allowed to check it out more than once.
And Mom said it was fine. I’m staying the night with a friend, Logan. What are
you
doing here?”

“Which friend?” I asked, eyeing the group and ignoring
her question. The girls looked normal enough, all dressed in jeans and warm
coats—nothing provocative. She pointed to one of the girls who was watching us subtly:
a tiny brunette I’d seen her with over the years.

“So you drove all this way on a Friday night just to hang
out?”

“
Yes
,” she huffed. “I need to make some local
friends before the move next summer, okay?” She pushed past me. “Good night,
Logan.”

“Julia!” I called after her.

She disregarded me, but I followed her.

“Let’s go,” she said to the girls and they started
walking away, staring back at me like I was some crazy stalker instead of a
concerned older brother.

I couldn’t hear their conversation as I lagged behind for
a few moments, considering my options, but one girl’s enthusiasm over “Josh’s
place!” rang loud and clear through the mumbles and hung over me. There was no
way my little sister was going there.

A car pulled up to the sidewalk and I hunched over to see
another girl was driving. No boys inside; that was a good sign, but didn’t mean
much. Right away, my sister’s group started to climb in.

“We have to find—” Julia started, but I grabbed her back
before she could finish or duck inside.

“Don’t even think about it,” I threatened.

A growl rumbled from within her and she held up a finger
for her friends to wait. I followed her a few feet away.

Her voice was soft but stern. “Logan, I love you, and you
have been an amazing brother, but you have to understand that I’m not a kid
anymore. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Yes, I do,” I said quickly. It was true. It was all I
knew. All I’d done over the past two and a half years was care for those I
loved. What else was I supposed to do? What else was there?

“Where are you girls going?” I asked, aware of the eyes
on us.

“I’m not telling you, because I don’t have to. I’m not
Jax. I know what I’m doing.”

I opened my mouth to tell her I knew she wasn’t as
careless as Jax, but she continued before I could speak.

“I have to make my own decisions and my own mistakes. You
know that.” Her big, round eyes searched mine.

I wasn’t sure what to say. I did trust her—it was
everyone else that worried me. I sighed deeply, running my hands through my
hair and down my face.

“All right. Go. Have fun.” It took all the restraint I
could bear to say those words.

Her face lit up, eyes growing wide. “Really?”

“You better hurry before I change my mind, throw you over
my shoulder, and bring you home in my trunk.”

She gave me a quick hug and whispered, “Thank you.”

I smiled, basking in her happiness, but I knew it
wouldn’t last. We had a bigger issue to settle, and one we’d both held tough
against. But I wasn’t her keeper, or her father—just a brother with nothing
better to do than look out for her, and I wouldn’t leave her in the middle of
nowhere alone. She may not have needed me yet, but I wanted to be close if she
did.

When she pulled away, I held onto her arm. When she
whirled back around to complain again, I let go of my objections and thought
only of her happiness.

“I’ll take care of your schooling.” My gaze flickered around
us, taking in the town. “If this is where you want to go, then okay.”

Her grin grew wide, eyes twinkling. “You’re the best
brother. You know that right?”

A weight lifted. “Yeah, yeah. Better hurry before they
leave you.”

She jogged back to the car full of girls and I called out,
“Stay the hell away from Josh’s place! Got it?”

She gave a thumbs-up and climbed in. Within moments, the
car was disappearing into the mass of student traffic.

That was that. She was moving to Harmony, and Caleb was
going to try his hand at running the diner there.

I hated change.

Chapter 8

Fate

I
was continuing into the night, unsure how my
life was going to change without Caleb and Julia around as often, when I
crashed into someone. I straightened and winced when I saw it was the older
woman the blonde, Cassandra, had helped earlier. The box in her hands hit the
ground, papers scattering around us. It was then I noticed she’d been crying.
She wiped her eyes, apologizing for her haste.

“It’s my fault,” I told her, attempting to catch as many
papers as I could despite the gusts of wind.

“Oh,” she replied, sobbing harder, “just let them go. Let
the wind carry it all away, just like it did my darling.” She lowered herself carefully
onto the steps outside the building, bracing herself on the railing. “I can’t
run this place without him, and I know what those young suits want to do with
it. I won’t let them shut this place down and turn it into some computer-box
newspaper.”

I held back my grin at her lack of knowledge on the Web.

“You want to see the paper come to life again,” I said,
sitting down beside her. I had nowhere else to be, and I hated to see a woman,
of any age, in tears.

“I do, but it’s not going to happen. I need to accept it
already. No one reads the blasted thing.” She grimaced, rubbing her wrinkled
little hands together for warmth. “No one in this town cares if the paper even
exists anymore.”

“I doubt that’s true. Maybe you need to focus on new
topics, or bring in some younger blood?” I offered.

“Maybe.” She looked hopeless.

“Or maybe you just need someone with a passion for it.”

“Yes, exactly, but I don’t have time to keep looking. The
vultures are circling, and I’ve no other options.”

I knew exactly the girl with that passion. She wasn’t
ready yet, but after college she would be. And in the meantime, I could use her
on staff to revive the paper. It was like any other business, I figured: all
about hiring the right people for the job.

I wasn’t sure how it’d work, but I knew Lawrence could
manage the home office and that Caleb was right about how Oliver would love the
open space of the country. It was as though the blocks were lining up just for
me to trip over and see that maybe this was the change I needed.

“Can we go inside to talk a moment?” I asked, standing
and holding out my hand to help her up.

“I’m sorry, young man. I’m in a hurry tonight. I’ve lost
my head, and now I’ve lost track of time.”

I held firm, my features sincere. “Please. I think I can
help.”

She regarded me cautiously. I stood there under her
scrutiny until, very hesitantly, she agreed, taking my hand as she stood. “I
have pepper spray in my pocketbook.”

I chuckled. “Always best to play it safe.”

“Indeed. Well, come on then, let’s get out of the cold.”
I followed her back inside the building she’d emerged from:
The Harmony Tribune
.

T
here’s something to be said for a strong-willed
woman, and Louise—it took forever, but I finally got the elderly woman’s name—was
as tough as they came. We talked for over an hour, discussing her dreams for
the paper and the price she was asking for it. It wasn’t about money as much as
a certain request: She wanted to stay on in any way possible. She’d grown up
helping out there, and she wanted to end her days the same way.

I agreed easily and watched her face light up, her
expression softening. Turned out that why no other so-called vultures were good
enough was because they saw her as a liability, whereas I saw her as the charm.

We shook hands, agreeing I’d be back in a few weeks with
contracts before I headed back out, ready to accept the massive and
unpredictable waves I’d set in motion. It was irresponsible on multiple levels,
but for the first time since I’d become a father, I dived in, confident Oliver
and I would enjoy the swim.

I sent a quick text to Caleb.

I’m in.

I’d explain the rest later.

It only took a minute before the phone dinged with his
reply.

Good, but ur missing out over here. No gag reflex. heaven.

There was always fun to be had with Caleb, and I was
about to hit Reply and explain that I was on my way back when two women in
their late twenties approached me. Both were tall brunettes, and one had an ass
in the shape of a peach. My mouth watered. Caleb was on his own.

“Hello, ladies.” I smiled just enough.

“Hi,” the Peach replied. “We saw you walking out here all
alone, and were just wondering if you needed a ride.”

“Depends—where do you want to take me?” I replied
salaciously.

“You live around here?” she shot back.

I shook my head. “No. You?”

“Yeah, in a way. A town over. This is the closest place
to come to find, um…” She searched for the right words.

“You have a thing for college boys,” I finished for her.

“What can I say? They have hard bodies and excellent
stamina, and are always eager to please.”

My brows rose. I was impressed with her honesty. “Well,
I’m not in school, but I can provide the rest.”

The women, both dressed in jackets and tight jeans,
stepped closer to me on the sidewalk.

“Just to clarify, is this a fee-based invite?” I
questioned, running my fingers up the Peach’s arm. I didn’t pay for sex.

She didn’t even wince at the insinuation. “We’re just two
bored girls looking to get off.”

My grin broadened. “Then you’ve come to the right guy. Is
there a hotel around this place?”

“Not one I’d visit, but we know a place that’s always
open.” The Peach wrapped her arm around me and slid her hand into my back
pocket, squeezing my ass. “We’re parked over here.”

I followed without complaint, unconcerned with where this
so-called place was.

The drive wasn’t long, but it held nothing except trees
to watch as we drove away from Main Street. I sat in the front seat with my
hand between the Peach’s legs, cupping the mound hidden under the tight fabric
there as her friend watched from the backseat. There were no houses or buildings
to be seen from the windows until we were suddenly pulling into a driveway.

There was a gate she knew the code for, and we pulled in.
The house had to have been the largest in Harmony. It was noticeably out of
place compared to the rest, but situated so far out it was its own place. The
only thing around it was the small house next door, meek and ordinary in
comparison but appearing well cared for.

The For Sale sign we’d passed in front had my gears
turning.

“Who lives here?” I asked, climbing the front steps.

“No one,” replied the Peach. “It’s been on the market for
a while.” She opened the lockbox on the doorknob and removed the key, unlocking
the front door effortlessly before flipping the light switch to illuminate the
space’s beauty.

“You’re in real estate?” I asked, strolling in casually,
more interested in a tour of the house than their luscious bodies.

“I am.” The Peach’s voice was heavy with seduction. “You
ready to learn a few more things about me?”

I moved past her, ignoring the fact that she was removing
her top slowly in an effort to put on a show.

“Are you the agent for the property?”

“Um, no…but she’s a friend.” She sounded as confused as
she looked.

From one room to the next, the place was everything I
could want for Oliver and me. I peered out the back window and found an in-ground
pool, covered for the season. It was small, but there was plenty of space to
expand it. The back of the property held nothing but a row of trees leading
into dense forest.

I wasn’t sure what I was feeling or where it was coming
from, but like Caleb had put it, it just felt right. Though aware it was too soon
to make a decision as significant as purchasing a house, I knew there wouldn’t
be another like it in Harmony. I was going with it, and Monday morning I could
figure out where everything fell.

“Who lives next door?” I asked.

Soft, persistent hands wrapped around my waist from
behind, covering my cock that was still tucked away.

“A family?” I needed some information before I could take
my head off the house and put it back into the game.

A family right next door could be good for Oliver,
especially if it included young kids. I could buy him a small dirt bike, build
him a fort—whatever he wanted. The more I let the ideas expand, the more I
wanted them to come to fruition.

“No,” the Peach answered, nibbling the shell of my ear. Her
friend stepped in front of me, her clothes gone and hands working at my pants.

“A local girl. She keeps to herself, takes care of her
property. The perfect neighbor.”

I pulled away, oblivious to their pouts, and moved to
other side of the room. My pants were unbuckled and the women followed
anxiously, waiting to regain my attention. When I gazed out the window at the
house next door, the lights were on inside, but it was the back porch that drew
my attention. There was a silhouette in the shadow.

The Peach tugged my shirt over my head, blocking my view.
I hurried it off and tossed it aside.

After a few exchanged giggles, they both stood beside me,
wrapping their naked bodies together and sharing a kiss. It was all tongue and
roaming hands, and as much as I wanted to give them my full attention, I
couldn’t help the curiosity that pulled me in as I hoped to catch a glimpse of my
potential neighbor. It would be a deal-breaker if she didn’t appear ordinary. I
needed my son safe from crazies—especially that far out in the country.

I was ready to give up, my curiosity overruled by the
sensual moans echoing around me. I’d made the ladies wait too long as it was,
and I’d go above and beyond to make it up to them.

I started away from the window, but stopped mid-step as I
caught a flurry of blonde curls fluttering around a petite frame. I leaned to
the side to get a better look just as the blonde sweetheart I’d all but forgotten
about stood from a patio chair with a book in hand, wearing skin-tight leggings
and an oversized sweater.

Son of a bitch.
What were the chances? A smirk
formed over my lips, my erection growing.

“If you want a showing during normal hours, I can set it
up,” the Peach offered, irritated.

I barely heard her, focusing instead on Cassandra. I
wouldn’t be able to move until the summer, but if I did go ahead with it, I’d
make a point to take my time with her—reel her in slowly. I’d have to play it
smart, not only because we’d be neighbors, but also because it’d been too long
since my dick had reacted so intensely to any female.

“I brought you here to screw, not to sell a house, but if
you like it…” The Peach let her words hang.

Cassandra disappeared farther into her house. My interest
was caught, and I relished the idea of a new plaything.

“So…you like it? Are you ready to see what my friend can
do for you?”

“It’s perfect.” A smirk curved my lips as I turned back,
indulging in the view of the nude women already spread out across a blanket on
the floor in front of me. “Let’s break it in.”