To Protect the Heart of a Brazen Woman [Brazen Sisters 6] (Siren Publishing Classic) (20 page)

“So you pulled me over. I don’t think that would have gotten you on her good side.”

“No, but she wouldn’t have been able to refuse to talk to me.”

“Maybe not, but how far would you have been willing to take it? Would you have broken out your cuffs?”

His smile was answer enough, but he said, “I might have to just to get her to stay still long enough for us to talk.”

“Give me two days and I’ll come up with something a lot better.”

“Just like that you’re going to help me?”

“No. I’m a good judge of people, but I need to talk to Molly and get some more information before I set you up. But I’m guessing you two have some issues to work out.”

“Fair enough, so I guess I’ll wait to hear from you.” He smiled as he pushed off the car and offered her his hand again. “It was really nice to meet you, Bobbie.”

Bobbie laughed and put her hand in his. “You say that now, but you might regret it later.”

“Bobbie,” Jake said from behind her.

She gasped and tightened her grip on Adam’s hand as she spun around. “Jake.”

Adam must have taken her surprise as fear, because he stepped between them. Bobbie could tell by his smile that Jake wasn’t the least bit intimidated. She put her hand on Adam’s arm and stepped forward.

“Jake, what are you doing here?”

Jake didn’t speak. He just grabbed her arms and pulled her up against him. His mouth came down on hers, capturing her squeal. This kiss was somehow different from all the others they’d shared. The hunger and passion were there, but Jake wasn’t holding back anything this time. They were both breathing heavily when he lifted his lips from hers.

He looked into her eyes. “Bobbie, I love you.”

She’d waited so long to hear him say those words. “I love you, too.”

“So I take it you know this guy?” Adam asked.

Bobbie laughed and made the introductions. The guys hit it off right away. Within a few minutes she would have thought they’d forgotten she was there if not for the way Jake kept her tucked up against his side.

When Bobbie found out it had been Cameron and Joey who brought Jake down to her, she wondered why when they could’ve just given him the address. She knew Cameron had family about an hour or so away, and he said it was the perfect excuse to visit with them. Bobbie figured it was more than that. Her sisters probably wanted a firsthand account of what happened.

Jake normally shied away from Bobbie when in public or if there was a chance they’d be seen, so she hadn’t expected that Joey would have much to report. An hour after his arrival, she realized she was wrong. Jake held her hand, put his arm around her shoulders, and kissed her in front of everyone. Joey and Cameron had announced that they’d decided to stay at the B&B for a few nights, which Frank refused to let them pay for, since Joey offered to help out while they were there. That night, Bobbie had moved from the room she shared with Molly into one with Jake.

With Joey there helping out, Bobbie was able to steal away some time with Jake, too. She wanted to talk about why he’d come and what the future held for them, but at the same time, she wanted to just enjoy the moment. He’d said he loved her, he found reasons or ways to touch her if they were in the same room, and when they were alone he was all over her. They explored the area around the B&B, taking time to share some passionate kisses in the little apple tree grove. They’d even had a picnic one afternoon. Bobbie didn’t shirk her duties, though.

She had the place running almost as smoothly as Beth did. Molly was coming around, too. She’d quickly picked up the light cleaning schedule and reservations system, but when it came to cooking the meals it seemed like she hit a brick wall. Most things she made came out burned or raw. One night, after she managed to burn Sam’s premade macaroni and cheese—which only needed to be defrosted and then baked for forty-five minutes—Bobbie decided to make her an offer no sane person would refuse.

“You know, I think you should come up to the lodge for a visit and let Sam teach you to cook.”

“If I wasn’t here I wouldn’t have to cook,” she groused as she scraped the hard pasta into the trash and set the pan in the sink.

“You can’t eat out forever.” Molly had grudgingly confessed that she lived mostly on takeout.

“Hey.” Molly pointed a soap-suds-covered finger in Bobbie’s direction. “I keep my fridge stocked with salad stuff and fresh veggies, so I’m not at risk of starving.”

“And if you’re in the mood for pasta or steak?”

“I hit a restaurant, or get takeout. It’s no big deal.”

Bobbie decided since they were alone it was the perfect time to stealthily switch the subject to Adam. “Well, since you know how to shop you’re making the next run to the store.”

“Why? You and Jake could go together and spend some time alone.” Molly raised her eyebrows a couple times.

“I’d rather take him for a moonlit walk in the garden. Besides, last time I got pulled over.” Bobbie watched Molly’s expression, but didn’t see any distress or concern.

“The way you tore out of here that’s not surprising, but with your experience with law enforcement I’m sure you could have talked your way out of a ticket.” Molly was probably right about that.

“Probably, and it wouldn’t have been hard, but this guy was so hot I might have resorted to trying to flirt my way out of it.” Molly looked up from the sink. “But it didn’t come to that, because I wasn’t speeding.”

“Then why did you get pulled over?”

“Because he thought I might be someone else.” Bobbie walked over and leaned against the counter beside Molly. “In fact, he thought I might be you.”

“Shit.”

“Not the reaction you’d expect to get from a girl when a really hot guy is pulling over strangers hoping it’s her just so he can say hi.”

“Adam wants more than to say hi.” Molly grabbed the hand towel hanging on the cabinet door and in rough, agitated movements dried her hands before tossing it onto the counter. “He was supposed to be out of town.”

“Would you have turned Frank down if you’d known he was back?”

“No. Beth is my sister and I’d do anything for her. I just would have kept it quieter about me being back.”

“Adam seemed like a smart guy to me—”

“Smart-ass is more like it.”

Bobbie smiled at the jibe. “I think he would have eventually come to the conclusion that you might come home to help your sister.”

“Yeah, well, Adam’s not a typical guy.”

“You got me there. Want to talk about what’s going on between you two?”

“There’s nothing going on.” Molly’s rigid stance and stiff shoulders were a clear sign she was lying.

“Maybe not now, but something happened. I’m an impartial stranger. Maybe telling me what it was will give you a fresh perspective.”

Molly shook her head. “It’s a long story that doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Give it a try.”

“Fine.” Bobbie sat there silently and waited for her to say more. “Adam and I used to flirt, a lot. I never thought anyone noticed. Then one day at school his girlfriend, Macy, and some of her followers cornered me in the bathroom. She said she just wanted me to know that Adam only liked me because I was a virgin, and that once he took care of that little problem for me he’d go right back to her.”

“What a bitch.”

“Yes, she was, probably still is. Anyway, when my sister came home from school she found me in my room crying. I told her what had happened, and she was furious. Before she let her fury loose on Adam’s girlfriend, she went after Adam. He swore that he was sorry it happened and that he wasn’t playing with me. That he really liked me. So the two of them concocted a plan to get back at Macy.”

“I hope it involved abject humiliation.”

“It did, but more for me than her. Their plan, while devised for my benefit, backfired.” Molly walked over and sat down at the table.

Bobbie followed. “I’ve got to hear this.”

“What I didn’t know was that Adam had recently dumped Macy. They’d argued over going to the prom, which was over a month away and he told her to find someone else to take her. Macy had laughed and said she would and that he’d stay home alone since no one was going to go with him. She was probably right because no one would have wanted to be on her bad side.”

“I’ve known a few girls like that.” Bobbie thought about Carla.

“So anyway, Beth and Adam decided he would show Macy she was wrong by taking me to the prom as his date. That wasn’t enough, though. I...we had to pretend we were dating until then. A few days after the prom, I was supposed to dump him in some big display during lunch.

“For the next month, Adam drove me to and from school. He held my hand, and most of the time he had his arm slung around my shoulders. He’d flirt with me and carry my books as he walked me to as many classes as he could. He was always around, and I have to admit, it felt good having him pay attention to me.”

“I’ve seen him, so I can totally understand.” Bobbie waved her hand in front of her face.

Molly laughed. “Adam really wanted to sell our act, so we went bowling, to the movies, and to a few parties where we’d be sure to be seen. And there had to be kisses to prove we were a real couple.”

“Of course.” Bobbie had a pretty good idea where this was heading.

“Things started off innocently enough, but there were a few times that thing almost got out of hand. To tell the truth, if was as if we’d both fallen for our own sham. One afternoon about a week before the prom, it was raining and Adam picked me up at the library. We got a flat. Instead of changing the tire, we decided to wait for the rain to let up little. We sat there listening to the radio and talking, which led to kissing. Even though we were alone with no chance that anyone would see us. It was something we both enjoyed.” Molly sighed and her lips curved up into a sad smile. “A lot.”

“I’m sure.”

“Well, this time things quickly got out of control. Adam tried to call a stop to it, but I knew it was something we both wanted to happen. So I kind of took the lead. Like most women, I can be pretty persuasive if I really want something bad enough.”

“So was Macy right?”

“No. Turns out Adam was a virgin, too. We were each other’s first. Hell first, second, and tenth. It was like we’d opened floodgates. The more I got of him the more I wanted. We were both cautious, and kept the fact that we were having sex just between us.”

“I don’t see a problem with that.”

“You will. The night of the prom was magical. After a few hours of dancing, Beth and I left Adam and her date for a few minutes while we went to the bathroom. When we came back out, Macy and Adam were standing a few feet away. She spotted me and threw herself at him. I realize now that Adam was an eighteen-year-old guy and a really hot girl was rubbing herself against him, so it should have been no surprise that he didn’t push her away. It still pisses me off, but not as much as it did that night. I marched up to them and said, ‘At least we both will always know I was his first.’”

“Good for you!” Bobbie wondered for second if she would have had the guts to do something like that, and smiled knowing she would have.

“Yeah, except the music had died down and the entire junior and senior classes heard me. I was mortified. I spent the rest of the night avoiding Adam, which was practically impossible. So I hid in the bathroom.”

“Wow. That really, really sucks.”

“When Beth and I got home, we both pretended nothing was wrong so my parents wouldn’t get upset. My mother was telling us about our aunt who was very pregnant and just put on bed rest. Her and her husband didn’t know how they were going to handle it with an active six-year-old and no family or close friends nearby. Beth instantly volunteered to go stay with them, but she had graduation coming up and my parents refused to let her miss it. Though they didn’t know it, for me, the timing was awesome. I left the next morning. I spent the entire summer there, and by the time I came home Adam had gone off to college.”

“So you’ve been avoiding him for how long?” Bobbie asked.

“About five years. There were two times he managed to sneak up on me, but neither of them went well for either of us. The first was at Beth’s wedding. We both had way too much to drink. Adam dragged me into a closet where, after trying to get me to talk to him, he kissed me. I kissed him back and we would have done more, heck we were damn close, when someone walked in on us. I ran and just kept going.”

“Wow!”

“The second time was at his sister’s college graduation party. I was told he wasn’t going to be able to make it, so I came home. He was there with a gorgeous, long-legged blonde on his arm. I figured I was safe, but I guessed wrong. He followed me into one of the back bedrooms where I’d gone to use the phone. We argued, and this time when he kissed me, there was no holding back. I’m guessing the blonde was his girlfriend, because when she found us having sex on the floor she screamed and stormed out. Adam didn’t follow her, but I got the hell out of there before anyone else could come along. I think he likes proving he can make me want him beyond reason.”

“Maybe it’s more than that. You always leave first.” Now Bobbie understood why Adam thought he might need the handcuffs.