The Sinful 7 of Delite, Texas 3: Her Double Delite Warriors (8 page)

Chad seemed to blush a little. “Those kinds of women were different.”

“How so?” she asked, not understanding Chad.

“A man’s got needs that’s all,” Michael snapped, and she instantly got what he meant but didn’t understand why he was so snappy about it. She looked forward. So far this date wasn’t going too well.

“Enough of that kind of talk. Tell us what your favorite food is,” Chad asked her as they headed into town. Now he was being bossy. They were intimidating and she really felt unsure about this. She had to give it a shot though. She didn’t want to say she never went on a date before. She had to see this through.

“I like lots of things.”

“Like what specifically?” Michael asked as he pulled his truck into a parking spot in front of Delite’s Café and Diner.

“I really do eat just about anything. I like chicken marsala, I like steak and burgers, too, and I love pizza.”

“I love pizza and especially steak,” Chad stated as they got out of the truck. He gave her a hand to help her step down, and she immediately felt his warmth. He hadn’t released her hand like she expected him to. Instead he sort of enclosed her against the door, reached up with his other hand, and caressed her cheek.

“You sure are pretty, baby doll,” he whispered, and she felt her cheeks warm. She was getting used to him calling her baby doll. It was a sweet endearment.

He took her hand and led her toward the sidewalk. She pulled her hand from his as Michael opened the front door and let her enter first.

There were lots of people in the diner, and the aromas were enticing.

“Good afternoon, Chad and Michael. Table for three?” a waitress asked.

“Sure thing, honey. Perhaps our table in the back if it’s available?” Michael replied, giving the older waitress a wink.

Alexa walked between Chad and Michael. She felt Chad’s hand on her waist right before the waitress stopped by a private booth in the back of the diner. Once again, they placed her in between them. Both men moved in close to her despite the amount of room the booth had.

She glanced around the room and noticed a few glances her way. Some were from females in the diner and they appeared ticked off as they looked her over and the men nodded and winked. She opened her menu and took a look.

“You’ve eaten here before right?” Chad asked as he leaned closer to her. She glanced up at him and shook her head.

“Really?” Chad asked, sounding surprised.

“Why not?” Michael asked her. She looked up at his stern expression. She was coming to realize that Michael looked serious and somewhat unapproachable most of the time. It was like he was on the defensive no matter what. He was a very good-looking man. He appeared older, more sophisticated, and she was definitely attracted to both of them.

“I’ve only been in Delite for six months or so now. I work at Dixie Chix Tuesday through Saturday.”

“You never go out for breakfast or lunch?” Chad asked.

“Not really. I’m usually sleeping until noontime.”

“What?” Michael asked, sounding surprised, or maybe like he thought she wasted the day like some teenager.

“Well, you’d sleep that late, too, if you didn’t come home until four o’clock in the morning some nights.” He raised one eyebrow at her in response to her attitude, and she quickly looked back down at the menu. To her left, she heard Chad chuckle.

“Y’all want to hear the specials?” The waitress returned in the nick of time right when Michael was about to respond to Alexa.

“Sure.”

They listened while she ran down the list of yummy items for the lunch special.

“Do you know what you’d like to have, Alexa?” Chad asked her as the waitress smiled waiting for her response.

“I’d like the cup of soup and half turkey sandwich on whole wheat please.”

“And to drink?”

“Sweet tea would be fine, thank you.”

“You know what we like, sugar. Make them rare and with Swiss not American cheese,” Michael stated and Chad gave the waitress a smile. The older woman walked away knowing what these two men wanted without asking. She assumed they ate here a lot.

She suddenly felt very hot with the sweater on. It seemed that the diner had already turned the heat on with the colder fall temperatures.

“Are you okay, honey?” Chad asked.

“Yes, I just feel a little warm.”

“Take off the sweater. Lilly, the owner, always keeps this place nice and cozy, especially in the wintertime,” Chad stated and she began to maneuver her arms out of the sweater. She felt a bit self-conscious about the top she wore underneath, but taking off the sweater was a must or she would pass out.

* * * *

The moment she took off the sweater, Chad stared in appreciation at Alexa’s top. It was cut low leaving a small amount of cleavage displayed, indicating that their woman was well endowed. She attempted to lift it a bit higher but her attempt was a waste of time. The shirt was meant to show off her curves.

“Better, baby doll?” Chad asked her as she folded her hands on her lap and she nodded.

The waitress came over carrying their drinks and placed them down. They were secluded back here. It was the only table in the back corner of the room and the high seats of the booth hid them well from prying eyes. Chad felt a bit jealous just thinking of the way men would surely look at her.

“So where are you from originally?” Chad asked her as he placed his hand over her thigh. Her legs were crossed but he felt her tense.

She looked up at him with doe eyes and then reached for her glass of sweet tea.

“South,” she stated then took a sip of her drink.

“Figured as much with your accent, baby doll. Where specifically?” Chad asked her.

“Georgia. What about you two? Are you originally from Delite, Texas?” she asked.

“We were raised here. Had a place a few miles outside of town,” Michael stated.

“So you have family around town then?” she asked.

Chad looked at Michael and Michael turned away and toward the wall.

“No. No family around here,” Michael stated and Chad moved his hand from her thigh to her hand then brought it up to his lips. He kissed her knuckles and held her gaze. She shyly lowered her eyes until his brother, Michael, placed his fingers under her chin so she would look at him.

* * * *

Michael couldn’t help himself. She smelled so good and looked so beautiful, like a porcelain doll. She was too perfect for the likes of him. He was trying to act calm and not get all caught up in his attraction to her, but he just couldn’t wait. He had to taste her lush red lips.

“Baby doll, I can’t hold off on this. You’re so pretty and sweet and especially your lips.” He leaned closer and she closed her eyes right before he kissed her softly on the lips. He pressed his hand against her neck and shoulder as he kissed her mouth fully before slowly pulling away. He didn’t want to scare the heck out of the woman.

He opened his eyes and caught her eyes fluttering open.

“Very nice,” he whispered as the waitress delivered their food.

He saw her cheeks redden and her head lower. She was so shy. God, she was just so damn beautiful, and like a wrapped package, he wanted to take his time peeling away the paper and getting to the good stuff.

The waitress asked if they needed anything else after placing their burgers and Alexa’s soup and sandwich down in front of them. As she left she smiled and Michael looked back at Alexa.

“This looks incredible,” she stated.

“Sure does,” Michael replied and she looked up to see him staring at her. It was a corny thing to say, but he meant it. She was more appealing that anything on this table.

“Well let’s eat so we can take advantage of the good weather and start using that new camera of yours,” Chad said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Nate yelled as he took another punch to his stomach. His hands were tied above his head to a rope attached to a metal ring in the ceiling. He could barely remain on his tiptoes.

“Liar! You work for US government. What are you after?” one of Francisco Santos’s enforcers yelled at him. This time the guy kicked him in the gut. Nate swallowed the pain best he could. He wouldn’t give up the operation or his friends. He had to escape.

“We want to know what you saw and why you are spying on our operation,” the man yelled at him just as the door behind Nate opened. He wasn’t going to give them shit. The pictures were on a thumb drive that was hopefully on its way to his friends. They would know what to do. They would know who needed to die.

“I saw nothing. I’m a tourist. I don’t understand why you are doing this. I want to go to the US embassy.”

“Fuck US embassy.” He struck Nate repeatedly, causing him to lose focus. His head hung down now. The blood dripped from his lips and from the gash in his cheeks. He could hear someone else approach, and looking down to the concrete flooring, he saw the designer black boots. Fear hit his stomach. They were going to kill him. This was it. They didn’t fear that he could identify him, a man the CIA searched over two years for.

“You think you tough American,” the man with the black boots stated in a very thick Spanish accent. He sounded gruff and mean but young. Nate tried not to look up. He was as good as dead, but he didn’t want this man’s face to be the last thing he saw before he died. Nate was a good soldier and a great asset to the United States government. Dying while on a mission had been one of the possibilities that came along with the hefty paycheck. His sister and the kids would be well off. He left them everything he had made over the years, including the ranch and the property.

The man gripped his head, forcing him to look up into his eyes. Holy shit. He was staring into the face of Solandro Cruz.

“I know about your operation. I know about your piece-of-shit American friends. You cannot destroy my operation and I’m going to send a clear message.”

Cruz gripped Nate’s hair tighter, making Nate’s head go back so that his throat was fully exposed. The other guy handed him something, and Nate blinked his swollen eyes as he tried to see what it was. He realized too late when the sharp blade of the knife sliced across his throat.

* * * *

“This is so beautiful. Look at all the leaves and the trees in the distance,” Alexa stated as she snapped pictures with her camera.

Chad came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She lowered the camera and stared up at him.

“My turn, baby doll.” He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. She reached up and cupped his cheek with her hand as his forearm brushed across her breasts where his hand cupped her cheek. Her nipples hardened and she instantly felt aroused. Chad and Michael had been causing those sensations all afternoon.

He slowly released her lips and smiled at her. “Perfect,” he whispered. She blushed. It felt so right to be kissed by both Michael and Chad. She didn’t like one more than the other. They were both so different, yet together they were whole. It was so strange to see. Chad released her and pulled out his camera. Across the way she saw Michael and he had been taking pictures of her. He probably even caught her and Chad’s first kiss on camera. Now that was a hell of a memory.

He put down his camera and pulled out his cell phone. She snapped a few pictures of him and of Chad. She watched Michael’s expression change to concern once again. His small smile was gone and was now replaced with worry.

“I think we should head inside somewhere. I’m tracking the storm and as it’s approaching it’s increasing in speed and intensity,” Michael stated.

“A storm?” Alexa asked in a panicked state as Chad grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the truck.

“We’ll be fine, Alexa. Let’s get into the truck.”

They quickly gathered their things and headed across the park and to the parking lot in the center of town. She immediately noticed many people heading for shelter and closing up the storefronts.

“What’s going on?” she asked, immediately sensing the intensity of the situation. Something told her this wasn’t a simple storm.

“Come on.” Chad easily lifted her up into the truck and jumped in beside her just as Michael did on the driver side. She was close to them and had the urge to hug one and close her eyes. Outside the wind picked up. The sky grew darker and darker as they headed out of town.

“I don’t like this. We need to get to the closest place for cover,” Michael stated while Chad looked at the radar on his phone.

“What’s that red thing on the top that’s flashing?” Alexa asked, as Michael turned left instead of straight. Chad looked past her at Michael.

“Severe thunder and lightning storms and tornado watch.”

“What?” she practically screamed.
Oh God no. Why now? Why while I’m with them on our first date?

She closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing. She couldn’t let them know how scared she was. She felt the hand on her thigh and knew it was Chad. He gave her leg a squeeze just as Michael abruptly turned the truck to the right and then the left. Her shoulder hit his side and Chad pulled her back next to him. Opening her eyes, she saw the rain coming down, the wind sending tree branches into their path on the road.