Mikayla [Orchidea: Love on the Bayou 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (22 page)

“Can I at least try to work from here? There is a lot of work to be done, and I understand in regards to the house showings and being all over town.”

“I might be able to rearrange my schedule to work out of here,” Pierre offered.

“Are you kidding me?” Mikayla stated.

“I have to work from the warehouse today. I was thinking she could come along with me,” Douglas said next. And Michael was thinking that he needed to make sure a thorough investigation was being done to figure out who this jerk was harassing Mikayla. Never mind his regular duties. He was currently working on something for a higher-up in the Federal government.

“What about Leon? He is more than capable of keeping an eye on me and protecting me while you guys take care of your businesses.”

Michael was shocked at her suggestion. Pierre looked pissed, and Douglas, he just looked about ready to reprimand Mikayla.

“Don’t give me that look, Douglas. We went over this last night,” she told him, holding his gaze. Michael wondered what went on between them. He was shocked when Douglas shook his head and then shrugged his shoulders.

“Let’s see if Leon is able to stick around for a few hours. You should be done by two o’clock or so, right?” Michael asked.

“How about five o’clock? I really do have a lot to do today,” she added then gave them some puppy-dog eyes that had them accepting her idea.

“Five o’clock sharp, be ready to leave,” Pierre warned her then pulled her closer so he could kiss her on the mouth. Once he released her, Michael kissed her and then Douglas, who swatted her on the ass in warning.

“You try using those soft, sweet puppy-dog eyes too often and you’re gonna earn yourself a punishment.”

Mikayla turned a nice shade of red, and Michael and Pierre chuckled.

Ellena met Deputy Leon Rue at Mikayla’s house around five thirty in the evening. She and her sisters were concerned even though Mikayla said it was probably nothing to worry about. Michael had asked Ellena to gather some clothing of Mikayla’s that she could use for the next couple of days while she stayed at their estate.

Deputy Rue had been with Mikayla all day today.

“So how did she really seem, Leon?” Ellena asked as they met in the driveway of Mikayla’s place.

“Not even a kiss hello, Ellena? Right to the point as always,” he stated, sounding annoyed. Like she really wanted to be this close to Leon and alone with him?

They were both silent as she looked up at his face. He was handsome as ever, in need of a shave but the whiskers made him look rugged and untamed. She felt the ting of awareness. She had liked him, thought about him for a long time. But then she and his brother Troy had a little fling while he did some electrical work for her at Aubert’s Restaurant. They hadn’t slept together, but they might as well have.

All four of the Rue men were the silent, brooding type.

He touched her waist, and she snapped out of her fog and stared at him. When he raised his hand to touch her cheek, she shyly tried to duck out of the way.

“You’re as beautiful as ever, Ellena.”

“Please don’t say such things, Leon. God, I haven’t seen you or your brothers in a while.”

“Not our fault. You ignored our calls after Angelique’s incident, and you didn’t accept any of our invitations to dinner or for a date.” He pushed and she didn’t want to talk about it. A relationship with any of them wouldn’t be right. They were all so busy, and she had feelings for Roy, Mack, and Troy.

He pulled her to him. His holster felt hard against her ribs.

“Woman, you’ve got to come to your senses. You’ve got to hear me and my brothers out.” When she tried to step out of his hold, he refused to let go. Truth was, it felt really good in his arms. She didn’t want to fight him, but she couldn’t come off as easy either.

“I don’t think the four of you get it. I don’t think you know what it’s like to make a commitment to a woman. I own a restaurant with my sisters and it’s a hard business. It doesn’t give me enough hours to be at one man’s beck and call, never mind four.”

“Woman, you’re crazy if you think I’m gonna accept that as an excuse. You listen here and you listen well. Time is running out. We’ve been patient, but men can only wait so long.”

“Are you threatening me with other women?” she asked, really pissed off now as she turned her back on him and tried to walk away.

He swiftly turned her around and pressed her body against the police car.

“No other women, Ellena. What I’m telling you is that my brothers and I are tired of waiting. We’re coming to get you. We want you in our lives and, damn it, in our bed.”

Before she could retort, he covered her mouth in a lethal kiss that was meant to knock the wind out of her. He explored her mouth with his tongue, caressed her body, and caused a wealth of emotions and tantalizing sensations to explode inside of her. Just as she felt the walls she’d built up begin to slowly weaken, he released her lips then pulled her back away from the car, turned her toward the house, and gave her a smack on the ass.

“Now move it. I’ve got to get Mikayla’s clothes to the Fromm estate before six thirty.”

Not wanting to argue, and truthfully being unable to form a complete sentence, she gave him her best dirty look then turned and hurried up the stairs. As she got closer to the front door, a smile formed on her face.

Damn, could Deputy Leon Rue kiss.

* * * *

Mrs. Spencer pulled Mikayla into her arms and hugged her.

“You poor thing. I hope Michael catches the bastard right away.” She released Mikayla and smiled.

“Thank you. I’m fine really,” Mikayla replied as she sat down on the stool by the island. Isaac brought her a glass of red wine and smiled at her.

“Your men should be in shortly. I’m glad that you’re okay,” he stated then quickly headed out of the room. Mrs. Spencer glanced at him and shook her head.

“He’s never said an entire sentence in front of me before.”

Mikayla laughed then wondered what was taking Michael and the others so long. Leon dropped her off to Isaac, and Isaac said that Pierre, Michael, and Douglas were in a meeting. She wondered how Antoine was doing. When she called the hospital, they said he was still in major surgery. It had been hours.

She took a sip of wine and began to relax a little, but then she closed her eyes and visions of the items on her desk came to mind. She felt the set of hands on her shoulders, and she jumped up, nearly dropping the glass of wine.

“Whoa, sugar, are you okay? Did I scare you?” Pierre asked, and she immediately turned toward him and hugged him tight. He held her close, his arms of steel making her feel content.

“It’s okay, sugar. You’re safe now and you’re staying here with us.”

“What’s going on?” Douglas asked as he entered the kitchen. Mikayla looked up at him and smiled.

“Ever just need a hug?” she asked.

He shook his head, so she moved away from Pierre and went to Douglas. “Liar,” she teased then held him to her. He in return hugged her back then ran his hands along her lower back and to her ass. Big surprise there. He was always caressing her ass.

“Antoine will be late,” Michael announced, and Mrs. Spencer had a plate of food already covered and set aside for him.

“Will you need anything else tonight?” she asked them.

“No, thank you, Mrs. Spencer. We’ll see you tomorrow night.”

She smiled then said good-bye and left the kitchen.

Mikayla pulled away from Douglas and grabbed Michael’s hand. He seemed distracted still.

“Watch out, Michael, she’s got this theory on people needing hugs tonight,” Douglas teased, but she wasn’t certain if he was also being sarcastic. It seemed like Douglas kept his distance when it came to human contact. But he sure didn’t keep his distance with her.

Mikayla pulled Michael to her and hugged him tight.

“Feel better?” she asked, and he laughed.

“I feel a lot better when you’re in my arms.” He leaned down and kissed her.

“Let’s get something to eat. Leon said you skipped lunch today and only had an apple,” Pierre interrupted.

Mikayla pulled from Michael’s arms.

“Leon told you that? I’ve got to talk to that man about using discretion with you guys.”

Michael pulled her back against him and gave her a smack on her ass.

“I don’t think so, Mikayla. He knows that we’re in charge.”

The doorbell rang as Douglas served up plates of food. A few moments later Isaac arrived carrying a large garment bag and Mikayla’s overnight satchel.

“Hey what are you doing with that?” she asked, surprised.

“We asked Leon to go by your place and grab some things. He dropped them off. You’re staying here for the next few days,” Michael told her.

“At least the next couple of days,” Pierre added.

“He went to my house and went through my things?” she asked, shocked as they set the counter up with wine and food.

“No, we had your sister Ellena meet him.”

Mikayla’s mouth dropped. She stared at them, and they didn’t bat an eye.

“You sent Leon? To meet with Ellena to get my stuff? Alone?” she stuttered.

“Yeah, what’s the big deal? I mean the guy basically suggested it,” Michael stated.

“He did?”

“Yes. What’s the big deal?” Douglas asked, but she had a feeling they knew this was a big deal. They were all friends with Leon and his brothers.

“I have to call Ellena.”

“Why is that?” Pierre asked.

Mikayla took a bite of the chicken from the chicken and pasta dish.

“No reason,” she stated and all three men stopped what they were doing and stared at her.

“What?”

“No secrets, Mikayla, remember the rules,” Douglas reprimanded her this time.

“Oh brother. Well, I guess it doesn’t matter anyway. You guys all know Leon and his brothers.” She went on to tell them about how Ellena really felt about the Rue brothers and how they felt about her. Before long Michael was talking about his conversation with Leon and his decision to not wait on Ellena any longer.

“He told you that?” she asked as she lowered her fork. She was concerned that Leon and his brothers Roy, Mack, and Troy might push too hard. Ellena was complicated, the oldest of the Aubert sisters, and had difficulty trusting men. Mikayla figured it had to do with the way their father had treated their mother when they were children. Mikayla didn’t have much of a relationship with her father. None of them did. They were always with their mother who cared for them completely.

She felt the hand on her knee. “You got awfully quiet there, sugar. Is everything okay?” he asked.

She nodded her head and reached for her spoon.

“Mikayla?” Pierre said her name in a raised voice. She dropped the spoon and looked at him.

“Remember that we’re here for you. Don’t ever feel that you can’t talk to us. If something upsets you or bothers you, we want to know so we can help.”

She absorbed his words, and she knew that he cared, that they all did.

Honesty was the best policy. She stared at him.

“I was just thinking about Ellena and when we were kids,” she began to tell them. She had their full attention and didn’t need to look at them to see that. No forks moved. It was silent so she continued.

“You know she’s the oldest and she can be quite stubborn. When you told me about what Leon had said, it concerned me because Ellena doesn’t trust men. I think it had something to do with my father.”

“Why do you think that? Did he do something to her?” Michael asked.

“Well, as far as I can remember my parents hadn’t gotten along very well. But Angelique and I are the youngest. We were only kids when our parents passed away. I remember them fighting a lot, and I remember my father drinking too much. But they were getting back together, trying to work things out when they had a car accident and died.”

“Who took care of you?” Douglas asked.

“We took care of one another. Ellena and Angelina took responsibility for bills and financial stuff, but we all worked, got jobs, and started chipping in as a family. But Ellena was still the oldest and when something went wrong, she took responsibility to fix it. I think it was toughest on her the most,” Mikayla told them.

“Sounds to me like you all had it pretty damn tough, Mikayla. Your relationship with your sisters sounds special,” Michael told her.

“It is special. I would do anything for them, and they would do anything for me. That’s why we’re all partners in the restaurant and even the lingerie stores now with Angelique. I was hoping that my real estate company would take off well, but seeing that some bad luck is interfering with me trying to run a business I might be washed up in the next few months.”

“What? Don’t be crazy, your company is doing great,” Pierre said.

“Yeah, well I had four new people who were supposed to start working for me today, and after the scene in my office and mention of rope, broken windows, stalkers, and burglars, I basically lost two of them. They decided they didn’t want the job after all. I could lose more employees if this idiot isn’t caught.”