Easton's Claim (Colebrook Siblings Trilogy Book 3) (12 page)

Their interlude might be over but they still had unfinished business between them to settle. Before his time home came to an end on Sunday night, he intended to make her his.

Charlie stumbled down the stairs the next morning, eyes still half-closed. She didn’t even know what time it was because she’d left her phone downstairs last night but the sun was already up so it had to be after seven.

After getting only a handful of hours of sleep she was in desperate need of coffee and had smelled it brewing from up in her room. She yawned and scratched at her shoulder as she hit the last step—and jerked to a halt when she saw the man standing in her childhood home’s kitchen.

His back was to her but there was no mistaking who it was.

Agent Jamie Rodriguez. Tall, built, dark-haired, bronzed-skinned and sexy-beyond-all-reason man she’d gotten a taste of and wished she’d gotten a helluva lot more.

“What are you doing here?” she blurted, surprise obliterating her manners. It wasn’t uncommon for one of them to invite someone to spend time at the farm, but Easton hadn’t mentioned anything to her about this. He must have forgotten with everything that had been going on with Piper.

He turned to face her, his expression both wary and amused. “Easton invited me down to stay a few days if I wanted. Hello to you again too, by the way.”

She ignored the last part. “Wait, you’re
staying
here?” On her family’s property? Where she’d have to see him on-and-off for the duration of his stay?

“Yeah, here.” His lips twitched, his eyes daring her to say anything about it.

Well, damn. She looked away from his chiseled face to the coffee machine set on the counter, next to the sink. “Did you make that?”

“I did. Want some?”

Her gaze snapped back to him. Maybe he didn’t mean it as an innuendo, but it sure sounded like one and the heated, lazy look in his eyes made heat flare inside her. “Yeah,” she fired back.

He stilled, surprise lighting the depths of those amber-brown eyes for a moment as her meaning registered. Without a word he turned away to get a mug down from the cupboard and then filled it, allowing her to look her fill at the way he filled out his T-shirt and jeans. The man was ripped.

Her socked-feet were silent on the wooden floorboards as she crossed the room to take the mug he handed her. “Thanks.” He was even bigger up close, about the size of Wyatt. She wasn’t a tiny woman but standing next to him she felt like she was, and he made all her senses buzz with female awareness.

“Welcome. I already got the sugar and cream out.”

“I like my coffee dark, and I don’t take sugar because I’m sweet enough as it is.”

One side of his mouth lifted. “Are you?”

“Well, apparently my mouth is. You don’t remember?” she asked, feigning insult.

You taste so damn sweet.

As his words from a few months ago echoed in the silence between them, his smile disappeared. “I remember,” he murmured, and stepped away to put the creamer back in the fridge. Trying to escape her? Interesting.

She’d met him at a club back in April, where she’d gone with a few co-workers. He’d been there with some other DEA people and the spark between them had been instant and undeniable.

A few hours of dancing and flirting had led to the single hottest make-out session she’d ever experienced while clothed, up against the wall outside the back of the club. And then he’d found out her last name and disappeared. No calls, no texts. Nothing.

It hadn’t been until she’d done some digging a few days later that she’d found out why. He was her brother’s teammate.

“So, you guys just got back from A-stan the other day, huh?”

He nodded. “When did you get here?”

“Couple nights ago.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “You staying in the cabin with Easton?”

“Yes. I parked out behind the barn. We’re out of coffee over there so I had to come in here.”

That explained why she hadn’t seen his truck when she’d gotten home at two this morning. And at least it meant she wouldn’t have to be tortured with his presence in the house often.

“Where were you last night?” he asked, sounding curious.

“Out with friends.” She sipped her coffee and went over to sit at the table, turning her chair to face him. “So. How do you want to do this?”

He blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Are we going to tell Easton we’ve met before, or do you want to pretend we just met now?”

“We’ll tell him we met before.”

But we won’t tell him that you had your hands and mouth all over me outside that club
. She nodded once. “Okay.”

She liked him, wanted the chance to get to know him better, but it wasn’t like she wanted anything long term. People thought Easton was the wild one in the family, but she was wild too—just in a more subtle way. She was only twenty-eight, and not in any hurry to settle down.

Charlie didn’t see the point in not going after what she wanted. After losing her mom at a young age, then nearly losing both her dad and Wyatt within the space of a year, she knew exactly how short life was.

“Did Easton tell you what’s been going on here?” she asked.

“Sort of. He said that there’s a situation going down with someone close to you guys.”

“Piper. She’s like family to us.” And, if she read Easton right, maybe one day Piper would actually become a Colebrook.

She gave a quick rundown of what had happened, leaving out the part about Easton’s feelings for Piper. “If you had plans to fish and ride and hunt, you might have to do all that solo this visit, because Easton’s going to be sticking close to her.”

Hopefully
really
close. She wanted her brother to be happy, and thought he and Piper were a good match. But this had just as much chance of ending in heartbreak as it did in a happily-ever-after, and that was what worried her most.

“Okay, good to know.”

She raised an eyebrow. “If I get some time later, maybe I’ll take you out…riding.”

He paused with his mug partway to his mouth, his dark-honey stare locked on hers. Slowly, he lowered his mug. “Yeah?”

She shrugged, enjoying the flirtatious banter. It had been way too long since any man had fired her up, and this one had practically incinerated her with his kisses. “Maybe. Depends on how you play your cards.”

He tilted his head a fraction, and she loved that he didn’t back down from the subtle gauntlet she’d thrown down. “I think you’d find I’m pretty good at it. I love to ride, as long as I’m the one holding the reins.”

His sexy challenge sent an invisible shiver through her and her heart rate quickened. There was no mistaking what he meant, and it confirmed what she’d sensed in him that night in April. He liked control, and that meant in the bedroom as well. Imagining the many ways that would translate into sex with him made her mouth go dry.

“I’ll bear that in mind,” she murmured, managing to keep her voice steady.

“You do that,
pequeña
.”

Little one.

Her abdomen fluttered at his deep, intimate tone. As she sat there staring at him while desire rushed through her body, without another word he set his mug in the sink and walked past her, out the back door.

As his footsteps receded in the distance, Charlie smiled to herself and leaned back in her chair. Well, well. It appeared things weren’t finished between them after all.

****

“Is this smooth enough now?” Piper leaned back to squint at the spot on the wall she’d just sanded for what felt like the eighth time.

Easton paused rolling paint on the opposite wall to set down the roller and come hunker down next to her. He ran a hand over the spot, the muscles in his arm flexing, and her nipples tightened, her breasts growing heavy at the thought of feeling that hand on her naked skin later.

After the picnic yesterday and that mind-blowing make-out session, getting naked with him was all she’d been able to think about, no matter how hard she’d tried to stop. She still couldn’t believe she’d given into temptation like that. Now the desire was worse than ever.

“Yeah, looks good. Give it a wipe and I’ll start on the wall as soon as I’m done with this one. Shouldn’t take me more than fifteen minutes to do both.” His knees cracked as he pushed to his feet and returned to his paint tray.

The kisses they’d shared had been wonderful, but they hadn’t changed her mind about moving. She was taking that job waiting for her.

It was still so hard to believe that Easton wanted her, let alone how much. She’d never known her body could come alive like that. Then he’d touched her, kissed her, blanketed her with his body and made her liquid with need. He’d answered her questions yesterday and told her what he wanted, but she still sensed he was holding something back. Something important.

She was dying to know what it was, and a little afraid, too.

There were so many things she admired about him. His loyalty, his work ethic. She loved that he was dependable and protective. And holy hell, the man was sexy. He tied her in knots without even trying, and yesterday…

Leaving him behind when she moved was going to be hard, but he was leaving for Alexandria and then back overseas again soon anyway. She’d never imagined what it would feel like to be the center of attention for a man with his kind of sensuality. It was so natural from him, simply a part of who he was. Every time she looked at him now her heart thudded. And when he looked at her…

She blew out a breath and took out her dusting rag to wipe down the wall and floor to get rid of the sanding dust. Her mind wouldn’t let the idea of them together go. Was he really able to commit to her that seriously?

She was lonely, true, but also bitterly disappointed by her marriage and afraid to risk opening her heart to a man again. While she didn’t think Easton would ever hurt her the way Greg had if they got involved, the idea still scared her to death. If Easton hurt her it would be worse than with Greg because he wasn’t selfish and wouldn’t do it on purpose.

Sex with Easton would be powerful and raw, but once the initial fireworks and excitement wore off, would he lose interest? He’d built her up in his head for so many years. He’d have certain expectations. What if the reality of being with her didn’t measure up? She didn’t want to find out she was a disappointment.

She was on her way to the kitchen to check if Charlie needed help when her phone rang. It was the lead detective on her case. “Hello.”

“Hi. We’ve got a possible lead I want to talk to you about. Can you come down to the station?”

She glanced over at Easton, who’d stopped and was watching her, his roller still on the wall. “Sure. Give me twenty minutes.”

“Is Agent Colebrook there with you?”

“Yes, he is.”

“Bring him too.”

“Okay.” She’d planned to anyway.

Easton drove her to the station and sat next to her while the detective and FBI agent laid out what the latest developments were. They hadn’t found a print on the tracking device, and techs were still trying to trace the signal back to whoever had been monitoring it.

“We’ve done some digging, and managed to come up with a possible suspect,” the detective said, turning the computer screen on the desk to face them. A man’s mug shot appeared, along with his name. Brandon Gallant.

Easton tensed and sat forward, his attention riveted to the screen. Piper glanced at him.

“You recognize him?” the detective asked him.

“Yeah.” Easton sat back and rubbed a hand over his mouth. “We did a raid a few years back in D.C. and arrested him. Drug trafficker.”

The FBI agent nodded and folded his arms across his chest. “That’s right. Our records indicate that Mr. Rutland had dealings with Gallant while he was sheriff.” His gaze shifted to Piper. “Is he familiar to you at all?”

She shook her head. “No, not at all, and I don’t recognize the name either.”

“Given the history between him and your ex-husband, and the connection with Agent Colebrook, we feel it’s best that you take precautions until Gallant is apprehended.”

“She’s staying at my family’s property outside of town,” Easton said. “One of my teammates is there as well. She’ll be well protected.”

The agent nodded. “Good.”

Outside in the hallway, Piper grasped Easton’s forearm and he stopped and looked at her. “Maybe I should leave town for a while. Until they catch him.”

Easton’s mouth thinned into a flat line and he shook his head. “You’re safe with us. My family is trained, and no one’s as motivated to keep you safe as we are. I won’t entrust your safety to strangers, Piper, so don’t ask me to.”

She blinked at him, taken aback by his vehemence. His family had been through more than enough already without taking on more of her shit.

He sighed and softened his expression. “Look, all of us know that land like the backs of our hands. You’ve got Jamie and me there, and Charlie can handle herself, and my dad can still shoot just fine with his left hand. If anyone comes looking for you there, they’ll be sorry. And if necessary, we can use one of the trails to get you out of there.”

Hands in the pockets of his leather jacket, Brandon stayed in the shadows and watched as two of his men supervised Greg while he searched through the storage unit. They’d had to wait until the security shift change at two in the morning. A few hundred bucks in product for the new guard, and he’d been happy to go on break to get his fix and let them do whatever they wanted.

“Make sure you check everything in there,” he said, watching with a sharp eye.

Before he’d been a corrupt sheriff, Greg had served in the Army and done combat tours. He was better trained than Brandon and his hired muscle. Even beaten to a pulp and half-starved, Greg was a threat. If he made a move to try and escape, Brandon would shoot him dead before he ever made it out of the storage unit.

“We got nothing, boss,” one of his men said a few minutes later.

“Because it’s not here,” Greg said, his voice strained and angry. “Like I already told you, it’s not goddamn
here
.”