by Sophie Oak
The door closed as Leander and Worthington walked out.
“Well, that went as well as it could go. Damn it, Zane. Why can’t you try to get along with them?” Nate stood over him, a disapproving frown on his face. “They have power in the agency. They can get things done. Why can’t you play the game for once in your life?”
Because he’d tried, and he wasn’t good at it. Zane got up. He was never going to be good at politics. Nate was a natural when he wanted to be. Nate could schmooze and cajole and get people to do what he wanted. He’d shown not an ounce of charm since the day they came to Bliss. Nate had saved it all up for those assholes from the agency.
Zane sighed. Nate’s priorities were all screwed up. He compromised with people who didn’t care and fought with ones who did. Well, he wasn’t making the same mistake. He’d made his choice and that meant making nice with the people he would be neighbors with. It was a weird way to fit in, but he was doing it. He pulled his T-shirt over his head and let it fall to the ground.
Nate’s eyes widened when Zane’s hand hit the fly of his jeans and drew the zipper down. “What the hell are you doing?”
“You want me to play games and compromise?” He shoved his denims down with his boxers after kicking off his shoes. “I’ll play, but only when it counts.”
He walked out of the office as naked as the day he was born. This place meant something to Callie. He was going to prove he could fit in.
Chapter Eleven
Callie took a deep breath as she made it to the lawn. The air held a wonderfully crisp aspect, but she could feel her cheeks burning with heat. She forced a smile on her face as she walked by people she’d known since she was a child. They called out greetings and asked how she was doing. How was she doing? She was falling apart. The last twenty-four hours had been a hurricane of emotion, and she wasn’t sure how to handle any of it.
She was in love, but naturally she couldn’t be normal. She couldn’t fall for a guy and settle in to something comfortable. No, she had to fall for two men, neither one of them easy. Zane had a death wish, and Nate wanted something she wasn’t sure she could give him. If she looked deep down, she wasn’t even sure she wanted to try. She turned at the edge of the lawn, preferring to walk for a bit before she headed to her room.
She strode down the narrow path that led to the front gates. The aspens were beginning to turn to browns and golds. It was almost fall, and soon it would be winter. Where would she be when the snow started falling? Would she be holed up here? Would she be packing to move to Denver? And where would they be? Nate would be waiting for his time to be up so he could move on to bigger and better things. Zane would be drinking in some bar, maybe.
She forced herself to slow down. She could hear the clang of horseshoes hitting the metal post and the jovial laughter of the men playing the game. A small group of women walked past. She recognized a few of them from her mother’s old group of friends. She found a picnic bench and pondered the fact that she felt apart from everyone. She was surrounded, almost constantly, by people she knew and cared about, and she felt so alone. It was last night that had done it. Experiencing that kind of intimacy made everything clear to her. She never felt as connected as she did when she made love with Nate and Zane. She became a different person. When they were alone together, she felt loved and wanted and free.
How could she give that up? How could she keep it?
“Callie Sheppard?”
She turned with a gasp. She hadn’t heard the man walk up behind her. Scratch that. Two men in some serious suits. Cops. She knew two cops when she saw them.
“Agents?” They had to be here about last night. Nothing else happened in Bliss. Certainly nothing that would bring out Feds. There was zero doubt in her mind that these boys were Feds.
“Agent Benjamin Leander. I’m with the Drug Enforcement Agency,” the taller of the two said. His skin was bronze but with the slightest hint of orange that came from a salon rather than the sun. His dark brown hair was impeccable, and she bet he had a skin care regime. Definitely not a rough-and-ready cop. He was a bureaucrat. “This is my partner, Agent Marcus Worthington. We’re investigating the threats against Zane Hollister. You were at the bar when Hollister was attacked last night?”
She glanced at the second man, who looked like a blond clone of the first. “Yes, I was there.”
He studied her behind those mirrored aviators he wore. She couldn’t see his eyes, and it was a bit unnerving. She felt like a bug under a microscope. His mouth was turned down as he took in her clothes. She was suddenly aware of how cheap everything she owned was.
“What were you doing at that bar? From what we understand, it’s a rough and tumble place frequented by bikers. You don’t look like a biker,” Worthington commented.
She swallowed, trying to find a way to properly answer that question without being completely honest. She wasn’t about to admit that she’d gone there to get laid. “I was getting a drink, as one does in a bar. Is there something illegal about that?”
Agent Worthington huffed and turned away. Leander leaned in. “There’s nothing illegal about getting a drink, Miss Sheppard, but that is a known place where outlaw bikers hang out. You don’t seem to keep good company.”
“I didn’t know anyone there except Zane.”
“Like I said, you don’t seem to keep good company, ma’am.” Leander sat perfectly still, almost unnervingly so. “If you didn’t know anyone, why did you go?”
He was starting to annoy her. Why exactly was he treating her like she was a criminal? “I’ve answered that question for you, Agent Leander. I was thirsty.”
“Fine, we’ve established you were thirsty and can’t pick your friends. Let’s move on. What happened when you got to the establishment?”
She folded her hands in her lap and clenched them tightly. She was going to get through this interview for Zane’s sake. “I ordered a drink and talked to Zane.”
“How do you know Zane Hollister?” Worthington stood over her, one foot on the bench, arm negligently across his knee. “Or were you trying to pick up a date for the night?”
“Is this how you question a witness, Agent Worthington?” Nate’s deep voice cut through the condescension. Callie turned, and Nate strode toward her. He sat down beside her, his hand entwining with hers. He didn’t look at her but kept his eyes on the men across the table. “Ms. Sheppard is a witness, not a suspect. She’s also my girlfriend. I expect you to treat her with some modicum of respect.”
Leander sighed. “Sorry, Nate. I didn’t realize you brought a girl with you.”
“We thought she was some local piece Zane was doing.” Worthington snorted dismissively.
Glancing at Nate, she saw his eyes narrow and knew he was about to explode. She needed to avoid that. He wanted to go back to the DEA, and beating the crap out of a couple of agents wouldn’t help his case. It was time to start standing up for herself. A slow smile slid across her face. She wasn’t about to let these jerks intimidate her or make her feel bad about herself. She could do that all on her own.
She pulled her hand out of Nate’s. “I am local, gentlemen. And I’m definitely doing Zane.”
Nate stiffened beside her, his shoulders straightening, jaw tight with obvious embarrassment. At least he wasn’t thinking about punching the agents now. Her heart thudded dully in her chest when she realized his face had turned a bright red, and he wasn’t trying to hold onto her anymore. This was what a relationship would be like with Nate. He would always be ashamed of what they were.
“I thought you said she was your girlfriend.” Leander was talking to Nate but stared straight through Callie.
She shrugged. It didn’t matter what they thought of her. She simply wanted Nate to get out of this with his pride intact. She loved him. She couldn’t put him through this type of relationship. Zane could handle it, if he really wanted to. Nate would never be able to live the way a threesome required, and she couldn’t handle the life he wanted. “I
’m his friend, and I’m a girl. That’s just the way we talk out here in the country. I’m not Zane’s girlfriend, either. I’ve hooked up with him a couple of times. I’m the sheriff’s admin. I run the station house.”
“I bet you do.” That came from Worthington. His sunglasses were off. He stared openly at her.
Then he was staring at Nate’s enraged face. He pushed his big body away from the table and was in the other agent’s space with the inherent grace of a predator. “You back the fuck off. She is my girlfriend, and she is Zane’s girlfriend. It isn’t a friendly relationship. Get it? And neither one of us is going to allow you to treat her with disrespect.”
Worthington pulled back and held his hands up. “Sorry, man. Didn’t realize you and Hollister were…like that.”
Nate hauled her up. Callie stumbled and held on to his waist to stop from falling. Nate’s arm slid under her shoulder and pulled her close. “Yeah, well we are, and it’s really none of your business. I didn’t call you in to judge my relationships. You find a way to get the bounty off Zane’s head. That’s your job.”
Leander stood. He put a hand on his partner, neatly separating the men. His handsome face was all smooth and conciliatory. “Whoa, Nate, man, we didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just a surprise. Of course, we’ll do our best for Hollister.” He nodded Callie’s way. “Ma’am, I apologize for the misunderstanding. We’ll go now, but if you can think of anything that might help, give us a call.”
Worthington backed off with a shake of his head, and the agents retreated through the community’s heavy gates. Nate stared as they walked away.
“Why did you do that? I can handle them.” She took a step back.
He turned, shaking his head. “Why should you have to handle them? They were being jerks. I knew they never liked Zane, but I didn’t think they would be such pricks where a woman was concerned.”
“I’m sure they wouldn’t to a woman they considered a lady,” Callie explained. “But I’m a country girl. We’re good for a quick lay and not a lot else.”
It wasn’t the first time she’d come up against the type. She’d had more than her share of handsy tourists who thought she should be thrilled they were willing to give her a whirl.
Nate’s jaw tightened. He forced her to look up into his face. “Is that what you think of me?”
She shook her head. Nate wasn’t like that, but their problems were unworkable all the same. “I know I’m not an easy lay for you.”
“Damn straight. You’ve actually been really difficult.” His face softened, and he leaned over, brushing his lips sweetly against hers. The sensation made her heart clench. It took everything she had not to wind her arms around his neck and deepen the kiss. He pulled back, his face wary and a bit disappointed. “I love you, Callie. I won’t let anyone put you down.”
And they would in his world. Unless she was willing to change everything about herself, she would be an albatross around his neck. “It’s okay, Nate. It didn’t bother me. So those agents are going to figure out who’s after Zane?”
It was time for a change of subject. She turned from the picnic table and began walking back toward the lawn.
Nate looked like he wanted to argue but fell into step beside her. “We know who wants Zane. We don’t know why, beyond revenge. If Ellis merely wanted him dead, he could hire a killer. I don’t understand the game he’s playing. I know Ellis. I worked with him for years. He’s a bastard but a straightforward one. If he wanted Zane dead, someone would have shot him.”
“Is it a tradition in that club of his to take a trophy?” She shuddered at the thought of someone carving up Zane’s body to prove he was dead. It was a horrible thought, but these were criminals.
“Not that I’ve heard of. The only trophy these guys are interested in is money. This is a business, sweetheart. They can be brutal men, but I’ve never heard of taking someone’s tat. If you leave the club you’re supposed to get rid of the tattoo. If you left on decent terms, you get it lasered off or inked over.”
“And if you get kicked out?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
“They burn it off you,” he replied quietly, and she had to wonder if he’d been forced to witness an act like that. He seemed to shake it off. “But like I said, I’ve never known them to carve it off. I’ve tried to get Zane to start the process of getting rid of that tat, but he’s a stubborn ass.”
She thought of the elaborate tattoo on Zane’s chest. It was a work of art covering his entire left pectoral muscle. There was a fierce snake at the center with flames weaving around it. The multi-colored design must have taken hours and hours to impress on his skin. Her gut twisted at the thought of Zane dying for that damn tattoo. “Are they any good? Those agents, I mean.”
He stopped and took her right hand in both of his. “Baby, I know I haven’t given you a reason to believe me, but I promise it’s going to be okay. I’m not going to let them kill Zane, and I won’t let them hurt you. Leander and Worthington are real movers in the agency. They can bring people together. They’ll find out the information we need. This was a big case and there are still questions to be answered. We locked up the bad guy, but we didn’t find all the money. The DEA still has people looking for Ellis’s accounts. This is almost like a break for them. It’s the first move he’s made since going to prison. Besides, Zane used to be an agent. You have to understand that cops take care of their own.”
She didn’t think they had seemed particularly caring. They had been downright rude when talking about Zane. But she had to trust that Nate knew what he was doing. “All right. Let’s go see if Zane’s settling in.”
“Zane’s gone fucking insane, that’s what he’s done.” Nate shook his head and suddenly his whole face flushed. “Oh, shit. They think I’m sleeping with Zane.”
She smiled, with real amusement this time. She thought he’d misunderstood portions of the previous conversation, but she hadn’t been about to point it out. “If it helps, I think they think you’re sleeping with me, too.”
“Damn it, I am sleeping with you. But this is a perfectly straight threesome. There is nothing weird about it at all. It’s a normal threesome. Well, it’s a normal twosome, and then there’s Zane.”
She stopped, catching her first glimpse of Zane. He stood on the lawn with a group of six other men. His arm came back and then pitched forward, a silver horseshoe flying through the air and perfectly circling the stake ten feet away. He nodded with satisfaction and shook Bill Hartman’s hand before ceding his turn. He, like all the men around him jovially playing the game, was completely naked.
“He’s trying to fit in.” Nate’s lips curled up, and he obviously was stifling a laugh.
Fit in? She looked at the men around Zane. Despite the fantasy of a nudist resort, the truth was it was mostly middle-aged men and women. Six-foot five-inch Zane had at least three inches on the next tallest man who, like many of his friends, sported a pot belly and a body gone mostly soft. There was absolutely nothing soft on Zane. He stretched unselfconsciously as he watched the other man pitch a horseshoe. He laughed at something that was said, his head thrown back, all that black hair shaking. He was broad shouldered and lean waisted. He had a six-pack that made her eyes widen, and his ass was one of the most perfect things she’d ever seen. Even completely relaxed, his cock swung in a…Callie had to take a deep breath. “He’s never going to fit in. He’s so obviously meant to stand out.”
Nate frowned at her. “Like what you see, huh? Fine. He’s not the only one who looks good. I work out.”
Nate started to pull at the buttons on his shirt.
“What are you doing?” She grinned as she watched Nate take his clothes off. She wanted to laugh out loud, but she wouldn’t do anything that might make him stop and think. Nate was running on emotion, and it was a lovely thing. He quickly unveiled his own hot body. It was different from Zane’s, but just as gorgeous as the other man’s. He was powerfully muscled with big arms, and every muscle looke
d like some artist had carefully sculpted it with beauty in mind. She longed to run her hands over the smooth skin covering his body.
“I can fit in, too, damn it.” He made his declaration with the same look of determination she’d seen when he talked about his plans for the future.
He kicked his boots and pants off and strode arrogantly over to join the game. Callie noticed Bill’s surprised expression when Nate walked up and asked if he could give it a try. Bill shook Nate’s hand, and Zane said something that had Nate promising vengeance.
Gina Winters, a forty-something friend of Callie’s, walked up to stand beside her. She was a pretty redhead. Her eyes flared as she looked at the sight in front of her. “Oh, my. When did the boy toys show up?”
An insane sense of satisfaction spread through Callie. “They’re with me.”
“Really?”
They were. At least for now. If she only had a few days with them, why shouldn’t she enjoy it? Callie tugged her T-shirt over her head and toed out of her shoes. “Yes, really. Those are my boy toys, Gina. And I don’t share.”
She didn’t. She didn’t share. It was a freeing revelation. Callie Sheppard had two men, and she wasn’t sharing them.
* * * *
He was naked. He was naked and holding a horseshoe. Nate took a deep breath. He eyed the stake and let his arm flow back. He could do this. It was the same game, despite the fact that his junk was hanging out for all to see.
Actually, now that he thought about it, it felt kind of nice. The air felt different on his skin, softer but strangely crisper. He was more aware of his body without the encumbrance of clothes.
His arm pitched forward, and he released the horseshoe. He’d never actually done this before, and he was horrible at it. He didn’t even get close. The horseshoe landed in the grass with a thud. Nate frowned.