Force of Nature Series Boxed Set (Books 1 - 4) (5 page)

She thought of the three good-sized boxes and decided that it really wasn’t. She told him that she’d take care of it, then moved on to the house and Austin Force.

“I don’t want that ass to have this place. He’ll have to deal with whoever buys it. I won’t be bullied into anything.”

“I did a little research on him. Apparently, he and your dad had a bit of an issue. Your dad put up the fence to keep them off his property. I can’t find anything that shows the Forces were ever on the place. Your father claimed that they were pissing on his trees and marking them. The police didn’t even do much more than nod at him and go on.”

CJ sat at the little table and looked at her plate of food. “He…Mr. Force…did he ever get hurt by him? Did my father ever…you know, hit him?”

CJ thought it was unlikely because of the sheer size of Austin, but asked anyway. She still felt the impact of her father’s fist when he’d hit her all those years ago. He had hit her mom; she had little doubt that he’d hit other people as well.

“No, sweetheart, he didn’t…not that I’m aware of. But he was abusive verbally. According to a few police reports, he’d find Mr. Force and scream at him in grocery stores and any other place he’d come across the younger man. Austin would simply let him have his say then walk away.”

CJ pushed her breakfast away, suddenly not hungry. She knew Phil would understand even if no one else would. “Gift the property to him. I don’t want anything for it. Make it so he doesn’t have to pay any taxes on it either. Send me the paperwork and I’ll sign it. I’ll be out of here by Friday.”

Three days to put to rest any ghosts she might have was more than enough time, she thought. She was grateful that Phil only said he’d take care of it and had not asked her any questions.

After making arrangements to get her a vehicle, they hung up. She went to the bedroom and looked at the first of the boxes. Phil was right; there were a few pieces of jewelry, but the one that made her break down was the necklace she’d given her mom before she left for college, a locket that had both their pictures in it. Pulling the long chain over her head, she finished with the first box, with most of it in the save pile, before Phil showed up to take her car hunting.

~
Chapter Four
~

Austin woke with a start. He didn’t know where he was or, for that matter, how he’d gotten there. The last thing he remembered…he groaned.

“Yes, I’m sure I’d feel the same way if I were you. How’s your head?”

Austin looked back at his brother Dallas, who was sitting in the big chair in his room.

“Hurts. I must have…how did I get here?” He sat up and felt his nose. Nothing seemed to be out of place, and he knew because of his species, he would have healed by now.

“Your mate called us and told us to come and fetch you home before she rolled your ass out on the porch. Mom liked her.”

Austin wasn’t happy about the humor in his brother’s voice. “She pissed?” Austin stood up and stretched. His mate. Christ, he’d fucked that one up.

“Who? Mom or CJ? Mom’s beside herself with happiness. Already planning a Christmas wedding. She seems to think you’ll have her…let me see, she said, ‘whelping and happy’…well before then. It’s the week of Thanksgiving, so I’d hurry if I were you.”

Austin looked at his brother when he chuckled. “And CJ? I would imagine she’s kind of upset with me too.”

That would be an understatement. He’d pissed her off royally in less than ten seconds before he’d tried to mate with her against the wall. He would be lucky if she didn’t use her gun on him the next time she saw him.

“Now there is a woman. Did you know that she’s Webber’s daughter?” Austin sat down hard on the bed again. “Apparently not. I found out from Elise at the grocery. She said that there had been a big fall out when her mother died and he disowned her. Seems to think the girl is back now only because he’s dead.”

Now what? His mate was the daughter of the man who had tried to kill him. Austin looked at his brother.

“Fuck, this is going to make Mom mad. How far into her plans is she anyway?” Austin stood again and began pacing. “I’ll just have to avoid her…CJ, that is. I’m not going to have anything to do with that bigot’s daughter. Hell, for all I know she could have the same nutty genes in her that he had.”

“Thought you’d say that.” Dallas stood then and clapped his brother on his back. “I’m leaving today. I’ve got to be in Columbus, Ohio in the morning if I want to be back by Thanksgiving. Try not to hurt Mom too much with your announcement.”

Austin went into his bath to take a shower after his brother left. With the water running full blast, he looked at himself in the mirror, wondering what had gotten into him to have nearly taken the woman the way he had. Deciding that he’d just ignore her, he figured he would simply deal with her attorney.

He was standing under the spray when he thought about how she had felt against him. Her body had been perfect for his—breast to chest and groin to groin. She wasn’t tall, but Christ, she was beautiful.

Long hair that had been tousled from sleep was the first thing he’d noticed when she opened the door. Dark and curly, he remembered how the silken strands felt as they’d slipped through his fingers. Her skin had been creamy and soft; her neck…damn, her neck had beckoned him to bite. Austin had felt his canines lengthen when he licked her pulse point. He wondered if he would have bitten her and marked her if she hadn’t hit him.

Austin reached down and stroked his cock. He could still taste her, the rich taste of female. His female had been delicious. Up and down he fisted his cock until he felt his balls tighten up. He wanted to take her, to find her now and press her over something and take her hard and fast. She’d scream when she came, scream out his name as he leaned over her and bit her. Austin moaned and his cock spurted as he came. Hot streams of cum splashed against the wall as he imagined fucking her. Even as he leaned against the wall for support, Austin knew he was in trouble.

He found his mom in the solarium, pruning her herbs and tying them together in small bunches. He’d built the addition for her right after they’d built the house five years ago. He knew she found comfort in the flowers and plants she grew there, and had already planned to have one put on the little house he’d wanted to buy for her. He was going to have to figure something else out. She spoke before he could.

“Dallas left. He told me that you are going to avoid the Webber girl. Is that true?”

Well, that
explains
her being in here
, he thought.

“Yes. I don’t need the complication of what she might be as a mate. Plus, I’m not going to be her…how did you figure out what she was to me, anyway?”

She didn’t turn around, but continued to snip plants. “She told me that you licked her neck. I’ve never known you to have a woman be pissed off at you for being…friendly, so I guessed. I’m right then, aren’t I?”

“She’s Webber’s daughter. I can’t be mated to a woman like her. You have to see that, Mom. She is probably just as nutty as he was.”

She put some parsley in her basket and turned to him. “Probably. I’m going into town to get the last few things I need for Thursday. Would you like to come with me? I still have to pick up the turkey from the meat market and get some things at Pansy’s.”

He wanted to tell her to stay away from the Webber girl, but knew that if he did she’d see her anyway. Instead, he simply told her that he had work to do. She had been gone about ten minutes when the house phone rang. He answered it on the second ring.

“Hello Mr. Force. Phil Campbell here. I have spoken to my client, and she has decided to sell you the property. She would like for you to give her until—”

“What do you mean she’s decided to sell? I thought that…after this morning, I didn’t think she’d…what the hell?”

Campbell laughed at the other end, and for reasons he couldn’t explain Austin was embarrassed. “Yes, quite. If you would like to meet me in my office sometime on Monday, I’ll have the papers drawn up. Like I said, she will need until this Friday to move the last of her family’s things out. There is the matter of her rig. She is currently trying to decide if she is going to sell it or go back on the road, so if you could see your way to—”

“She’s not going anywhere.” Austin flushed again. “I mean, she and I have to talk about some things. She…I’d like to have a few minutes of her time before we sign off on the papers, if she’s agreeable.”

The silence on the other end assured Austin that he wasn’t going to like what the lawyer had to say. That was confirmed when Campbell sighed.

“I’m sorry Mr. Force, but CJ is leaving today. She won’t be back until after the papers are signed. Now, as I was saying, the matter of her rig—”

“Then we’ll wait. Where is she anyway? I want to talk to her now.” Austin didn’t want to see her, he kept telling himself. But damn it, he was going to tell her. She was not leaving before he got a chance to tell her he didn’t want to see her.

“Mr. Force, I’m not sure what happened between you and CJ, but she’s my friend, and if you think I’m going to let you hurt her like that prick did then you and I will have something to talk about. I’ve tried to be nice like she told me to, but frankly, I’d just as soon knock your lights out than to do what she told me to do.” Austin raised a brow at the lawyer’s tone, but before he could comment, Campbell continued. “The house is yours, free and clear. The rig that you won’t let me ask you about? I’ll have it moved tomorrow. Good day, sir.”

The phone didn’t so much as slam down as it exploded down. Austin was sure he’d still hear the ringing a week from now. He looked down at the receiver and wondered just what the hell was going on…and more importantly, who was the prick that had hurt her? And she was not going to give him the house free and clear…not without an explanation. Austin grabbed his coat and was out the door before he gave any thought to where she might be.

~~~

She walked around the Jewel and decided Phil was right. Not that she was going to tell him anytime soon, but he was. She loved the place, mostly, she knew, because her father had failed at making it work and she wouldn’t; but that was only the icing on the cake.

The bar was beautiful even under the inch of dust. The liquor had been taken out, but she could see the bottles all lined up across the back. The glasses, now in boxes in the basement, would gleam over the bar, and she loved the bar itself.

Walnut and cherry, the thing was at least ten feet long. CJ knew that she’d have to replace most of the bar stools, if not all of them, because they looked worn and torn. She also knew that the kitchen was in good working order, but would need to be updated if she wanted to make a go of the food part of the business. CJ knew that she’d have to have the place updated with computers and phone lines as well. Wandering over to the office door, she opened it. 

Large and airy with bars on the window, she knew that her father had probably spent most of his time there rather than out on the floor. She had to laugh at the thought of him only being open for just over three months before he decided—or the bank had decided—that he couldn’t make a go of it. The matter of unpaid bills had made the bank foreclose.

She walked around the side of the office to the stairs that were there. Going up, she was surprised again at the beauty of the woodwork in the place, and wondered if she would find the same kind of workmanship in the apartment above. Opening the door at the top of the stairs, she grinned. This she could live in.

The open room she’d stepped into was large, and the skylights overhead made the room look bright even at dusk. Hardwood floors were gleaming with wax, and she could smell the fresh scents of cleaning products. The room boasted a wall of windows that looked out over the woods behind her, and if she stepped closer she could see the parking lot below. Walking to the built in wall unit, she ran her hand along the wood and wasn’t surprised to find it was smooth and silky to her touch.

There was another door off to her left, but she decided to look at the kitchen first. The room wasn’t large, but it was functional. After living in a semi for eight years, she knew efficiency when she saw it, and every bit of space was being utilized in the tight kitchen. There was a dishwasher and even a large freezer along with the stove and refrigerator. Behind a closed door, she found a pantry and a stacked washer and dryer. The butcher block in the middle of the room looked used and worn, and she loved it immediately. 

Going to the small powder room, she could see that the same crafter had worked in there as well. The vanity and the shelf over the commode were made of the same walnut and cherry design as in the bar. Even the mirror over the sink was beautifully done.

The bedroom was huge, much larger than the kitchen and nearly half the size of the bar below. The windows had slated shades over them made of the same dark wood as the headboard over the bed. She could see that the bed had been custom made to accommodate the large room, and wondered for a second how well Austin would fit in it. Shaking her head at the thought, she went to the bathroom and was amazed to see that it had a shower as well as a garden tub. Comfort in this apartment had been someone’s priority. 

Phil had told her she could move into the apartment right away and the bar could be opened in as little as a month. CJ decided to do just that. She could live up here and work on the lower area as needed. As she went to the bed she sat down.

CJ hadn’t lived anywhere that was her own for a long time…not since she was in college, and then she’d shared an apartment with seven other girls. She decided to stay there for the night, and maybe for the rest of her life. Depressed more than she wanted to admit, she got up and went to her new car.

Car, she thought as she locked up the bar, was a gross understatement of what she’d ended up with. The big monster SUV had been hers the moment she’d seen it. Black and sleek, she didn’t even look at anything else. But she did have the good sense to know how to haggle. Leaving the lot with the thing had been a major accomplishment to her, and getting it for twenty grand under sticker had made her happy as well. Phil told her he was going to take her with him the next time his car went in for repairs. Maybe she could get the mechanic to stop charging him so much. CJ decided to buy him the little red sports car he kept glancing at and trying hard not to drool over. It was the least she could do after all he’d done for her.

The malls were still open, lucky for her. She had fun playing in all the stores, and she spent way too much money. She bought so much stuff at the kitchen store that it was tricky getting it all in her car. The bed and bathroom place had been very nice in that she was able to get all her needs there before going on to the furniture store. By the next afternoon, she’d have her living room ready to use. She would have to come back with someone who knew about televisions and computers, but she was confident that she’d done well on the laptop and the portable TV for the kitchen.

By the time she’d unloaded all the boxes and bags, it was well after midnight. She was just putting the comforter on the bed when her cell went off.

“I just drove by and saw your lights on. I’m guessing you like the place.” Phil sounded very pleased with himself.

“Yes, I do. Come back and see what I bought. You are not going to believe how much I spent tonight. I’ll order us a pizza.”

“Can’t. I have court early in the morning. Tomorrow night it’s a date, and I don’t want pizza. How much begging would I have to do to get a home cooked meal out of you?” She laughed at his pleading tone.