Mercy's Angels Box Set (39 page)

“It was deliberately lit, bombs of some sort,” Charlie murmured. An ugly feeling akin to guilt filled my stomach and I felt instantly queasy.

“Is this because of me?” I asked, horrified.

“I get the feeling someone is trying to scare you,” Charlie replied easily.

“Strangely enough, it’s working,” I said nervously, watching the flames. “Oh shit, Jax’s business, all your stuff!” My voice was steadily climbing to panic. “What about the computers, paper work, oh my God, Charlie, your DVDs.” I was close to hysterics now. Charlie pulled me tight to his side and pressed a kiss to my head.

“Settle down, Betty Boop. The computers are backed up every night and kept at Jax’s place. As for my stuff, it’s just stuff. You’re here beside me so I’ve got everything I need right here.”

I leaned my head against the solid warmth of his chest as we watched the firemen in front of us begin emptying water onto the uncontrolled inferno. The whole picture before me was surreal and I felt strangely detached from it, like I was watching someone else’s life unfold. But this was my life, this was my mess, and never have I wanted my cozy, boring life back so bad.

Fuck! My mind was having trouble processing anything beyond that simple monosyllabic word. Fuck!  While Ella comforted Rebecca, Dillon and Braiden filled me and Jax in on what they have found out so far about Rebecca’s unaccounted for sister, Emily. And it wasn’t good. I rubbed a hand down my face and took a deep breath. My lungs were assaulted with the sharp, bitter scent of smoke that lingered on my clothing. Rebecca was fast asleep as I navigated the gentle curves of the mountain range. Much to Rebecca’s protest, we were taking a short vacation to my cabin. She was worried about leaving behind her business, her home, and her missing sister. There were enough people to take care of her business and home, and Dillon assured her as soon as they had news on Emily that they would call. The higher we got into the mountains, the better I felt. There was still a cluster fuck of shit spinning in my mind, but the further we pulled away from town, the more I felt Rebecca would be safe, and in turn, it made me feel calmer. As I slowed the car and left the asphalt to the gravel drive, Rebecca woke.

“Wow,” she whispered as I drove down a short driveway lined on both sides with forest. Pulling into the clearing, my log cabin sat overlooking the fog drenched mountains on one side, tall firs and pine forest at its back.  “When you said cabin I was expecting some sort of hillbilly run down shack. This isn’t a cabin, this is a chateau.”

I couldn’t help but grin. I loved this place and bringing Rebecca here was all kinds of right. It wasn’t a small cabin, but it definitely wasn’t a chateau either. It was a two story dwelling with a front porch that ran the length of the building, and yeah, it was as pretty as a picture. I pulled my truck into the large three-door garage attached to the side of the house, and turned the engine off. Rebecca was scrambling from the front seat before I even had my door open. I grabbed our bags, but left the groceries I bought before we left town. I’d come back for them once I showed Rebecca the house. I was pretty sure she wasn’t willing to wait. Seeing her bounce around excitedly at the door that led from the garage into the house made me chuckle.

“Impatient much?” I asked, pushing the door open.

“Charlie, I’ve never been in a mountain lodge before and it’s been years since I’ve had a vacation. Give me an hour or two and I will totally come down from my buzz.”

“It isn’t a lodge, it’s a cabin,” I said smiling, but I appreciated her enthusiasm for my happy place. Rebecca lunged through the door and into the open kitchen. It was clean as a whistle with brand-new stainless steel appliances and granite countertops surrounding a kitchen island, which could serve as a second preparation counter or dinner table. She glanced quickly out the large windows which overlooked the forest out back then scampered through the open space living area. A stone fireplace sat at one end surrounded by a horseshoe style leather couch and large rustic wood coffee table. A state-of-the-art stereo sat against one wall, but no TV. I came up here to get away from the world, but I still indulged in a few luxuries. Two massive bay windows provided unobstructed views of the mountains before us, and the front door led out to a wide sweeping porch.

“Fuck, Charlie, this is incredible,” Rebecca said on a wistful sigh.

I grabbed her hand and led her up the staircase to the second floor. I could have easily fit three bedrooms on the second floor, but instead opted for two large bedrooms, with a large adjoining bathroom. My bedroom overlooked the mountains, the spare room overlooked the forest.

“That’s my room, all my stuff is in there, but if you would prefer it, take it.”

“The other room will be fine.” Rebecca wandered into the spare room. It had a large bay window, a queen size bed and large walk-in closet. I placed her bag on the end of the bed before heading to my own room across the hall. It was much the same as the spare room, except I had a king size bed and a leather recliner sat in the corner beside a bookshelf full of paperbacks.

“You like to read?” asked Rebecca, a little surprised.

Perhaps I should have been insulted, but I wasn’t. “Yep, help yourself to anything. I don’t have a TV here, but I’ve got music and books.” I threw my own bag on the bed as Rebecca explored the two way bathroom.

“Shit, you’ve got a Jacuzzi.” She sighed.

I joined her in the bathroom. “Maybe you’d like to take a shower, wash your hair and get rid of the smoke smell.”

Rebecca sniffed her clothes and grimaced. “Shower now, Jacuzzi later,” she whispered, her eyes staring at the damn Jacuzzi.

That got a rise out of my cock—the thought of Rebecca in that tub, the thought of both of us in that tub. “Go ahead, there are fresh towels in the cabinet below the sink. I’m gonna go get the food out of the truck and turn the heat up.” I escaped the far too tempting confines of my bathroom, with a soon to be naked Rebecca in it.

Once the food was put away, I locked up downstairs, and attempted to lock down my libido as I made my way back upstairs. Neither of us had had much sleep last night, and though the sun was up, my mind and body were screaming for a break. Luke Hollywell was looking less and less like the perpetrator of Rebecca’s attack. Part of me wished it had been him. That would have been simple. I would beat the fucker to within an inch of his life, problem solved. The lack of evidence and lack of suspects was frustrating as hell. My eyes stung, my mouth was dry, my head throbbed, and I was exhausted, I noted as I sat at the end of my bed and threw my boots aside.

“Hey,” Rebecca’s sweet melodic voice pushed all the weepy, pitiful shit away, and in its place was raw desire. Holy hell, I wanted her. I wanted to pick her up, wrap those beautiful long legs around my waist and fuck her hard and fast against the wall. I looked up to see Rebecca standing in the bathroom doorway, a pair of cute yellow flannel pajamas covering her beautiful body. God she was gorgeous. She could wear anything—t-shirts, skin tight fifties style dresses, sneakers, sexy as hell pumps, fucking pajamas—it made no difference to me. I’d want her anyway I could have her. She looked nervous and I remembered why we were here. This wasn’t a romantic getaway; my motivation for bringing Rebecca to my cabin was to keep her safe. I couldn’t feel like more of a shit head if you paid me. Here I was imagining my cock buried in her body while she was struggling with thoughts of intimacy. I jumped up quickly, which took her by surprise, but she didn’t step away.

“Shower,” I explained, placing a quick chaste kiss to her forehead. Under the hot spray, I washed away the smell of smoke. I grabbed Rebecca’s shampoo to wash my hair and the familiar vanilla scent gave me an instant hard-on. I groaned and decided to do something I hadn’t done in a long time. I clenched my fist around my thick, hard length and began to work myself to some form of release. I thought back to that one night I had spent in Rebecca’s bed, how the light sheen of sweat on her pale skin looked almost like glistening diamonds. How her eyes fluttered shut with overwhelming pleasure as I thrust into her beautiful body. My hand clenched harder at the memory of her hot pussy wrapped around my cock. I didn’t even hear the door open, my pleasure and imagination fully occupied.

“Charlie?”

Fuck! “Yeah,” I somehow managed to say without my voice cracking.

“Uh, this is probably stupid, but—” She was quiet for a moment, standing on the other side of the frosted glass door while I stood under the water with my hand on my dick.

“Babe?” And now my voice cracked like a pussy.

“Can I just sit in here? I mean, I’m not going to watch you shower like a weirdo or anything. I’m just nervous being out there alone. I’ll just sit at the door here until you’re done.”

Oh God. I somehow pried my fingers from around myself and took a few long, deep calming breaths.

“Shit, how pathetic am I. I’m sorry, I’ll just put my big girl panties on and wait outside,” she muttered.

I pulled the frosted shower door open and peeked out, keeping my lower half covered. “Baby, just sit and chill, you don’t even have to ask.”

She looked at me for a moment uncertainly, then finally leaned back against the tile wall and sank to her cute little ass. I pulled the door back and started thinking of anything other than sex. I needed to get my raging hard-on under control. It seemed as though when in Rebecca’s presence, my cock was in constant need of attention.

“Why don’t you live here?” Rebecca asked. “Permanently, I mean. And FYI, I don’t feel so bad getting your apartment burned down knowing you have this.”

I laughed. “Too far from town, otherwise I would.”

“Why did you build so far away?”

“I needed my own space, a place I could come to have a time-out of sorts. Sometimes I kinda lose my shit; I have anger issues in case you haven’t noticed.” Rebecca was quiet for a moment and I hoped my admission didn’t frighten her.

“Charlie Cole has anger issues? You’re telling me the man who filled Jax’s shampoo bottle with blue food coloring and carries a whoopee cushion in his truck can’t control his temper?”

I chuckled, the little minx had been snooping around my glove compartment. “I know, outrageous. But yeah, I kinda get spitting mad and sometimes it takes something pretty insignificant to set it off. I was worse as a teenager, but Mercy put me in line when she made me start working my summer vacations at the shelter.” She went quiet again as I turned the water off.

“That’s why you spoke to Dave,” she whispered. Obviously Ella or Jax had been gossiping about me, but the fact that they hadn’t told her much of anything confirmed the friendship I had with them was solid. They would never betray my confidence.

“He’s a good man, and an even better listener. Maybe you should try it sometime.”

“What did Dillon and Braiden have to say about Emily?” I didn’t call her out on the obvious and evasive change of subject, but I didn’t answer her right away either. “Charlie?” she growled. It was so cute I actually smiled.

“I’ll tell you, just give me a sec.” I pulled the frosted glass door open. Rebecca’s eyes zeroed in on my groin, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment or desire, I don’t know. I had no problem being nude and she’s seen it all before anyway. “You keep staring at it like that, and he’s gonna start demanding attention,” I moaned as my dick twitched under her scrutiny. She surprised me with a wicked grin and finally looked up at my face.

“Perhaps you shouldn’t put him right in front of my face then.” She smirked. The thought of that face, those lips even closer made my dick start to rise. Rebecca’s eyes were drawn back down as she reached above her head and pulled a towel off the rack. She threw it to me, still looking at my cock, that I just talked down from a hard-on only moments ago, and was now quickly growing stiff again.

“Perhaps you should mind your manners and turn around,” I countered. Rebecca grinned and it was a beautiful smile. I wanted to pull her to me and devour her lips like I had done the evening before.

“Emily?” Rebecca reminded me.

Hard-on once again contained. Once I finished drying off, I wrapped the towel around my waist and offered Rebecca my hand. She took it without hesitation, and I pulled her to her feet. I led her toward the door that led into the guest bedroom and she hesitated. 

“You want the other room?” I asked, more than willing to give her my bedroom. She looked up at me through her thick blond lashes and blushed. I really wasn’t used to this nervous and shy Rebecca, but it was just as sexy as the independent and fiery Rebecca most people were used to.

“After the last couple of days, I’m kinda nervous about being on my own,” she murmured, and I understood what she meant right away. My heart jumped at the thought. I simply turned around and led her back into my room. I pulled the quilt and sheets down, and as Rebecca climbed in, I pulled the curtains across the wide open bay window to dim the room a little. I grabbed a pair of boxers from a drawer and quickly changed, feeling every bit of Rebecca‘s heated gaze on me as I did. Once in bed, I pulled the blankets over us and didn’t think twice about pulling her into my arms. After a short silence she started again. My Betty Boop, ever the tenacious woman.

“Emily.” Her voice was level and calm, but I knew she was seconds away from losing her patience with me.

“Okay, but no interrupting. You can ask questions once I’ve finished.”  Rebecca made a show of zipping her lips shut and locking them closed with an imaginary key. I was tired as hell so I took a moment to gather my thoughts and recall everything Braiden told me earlier.

“Braiden called me with information about Emily—I’m not sure how he got it, I’m not even sure if I want to know how he got it.  She doesn’t go by Emily Donovan anymore, but Mrs. Emily Levier—"

“SHE’S MARRIED?” Rebecca screamed, which made me wince right before looking over at her and raising a brow. I knew she wouldn’t be able to stay quiet for long. She breathed deeply and re-zipped her lips.

“Married to one William Levier whose father, Jonas Levier, is well known to every law enforcement agency in America. Jonas is suspected of killing three women in Vegas.” Rebecca’s eyes lit up with angst and fear. “Obviously Emily is fine because she is here in Claymont somewhere, but yeah, he’s bad news, and we assume his son is, too. William has been in trouble with the police as well, but nothing like Jonas, just petty stuff—criminal mischief, small thefts, and public intoxication. At a glance, William’s father comes across as a legit, rich and powerful business man, but the police have been after him for a while and know for a fact that he’s involved in some seedy shit. Apparently he is a self-proclaimed dom with a dash of masochist tendencies thrown in, like full on Fifty Shades of Grey crazy shit.” It was Rebecca’s turn to raise a brow.