Brendon (16 page)

Cheyenne stopped him by holding a hand up. “Shut up,” she commanded, glaring at him. “Let me finish, please.” Sighing, she waited until Travis’s mouth closed. “Are you gonna listen to me or not?”

Brendon moved to stand beside her, but he hadn’t touched his coffee. His arms were crossed over his massive chest, a stance very similar to Travis’s, only, in her opinion, Brendon looked sexy doing it. Travis just looked . . . Well, he just looked pissed.

“I had to beg him not to tell you,” she went on to explain. “He said you’d want to know and although I didn’t disagree, I didn’t want you involved. I’m hiding out here in Coyote Ridge. No one knows where I am. Not even my manager or my record label. The only address I’ve given them was my post office box, which is in Round Rock.”

Travis’s eyes softened somewhat.

“Truth is, I didn’t want Brendon to know. I didn’t want anyone to know. This isn’t something I want anyone I care about to be involved in.”

“We need to know,” Gage said, his tone level, not reflecting an ounce of anger.

“I know. I do. But it’s not easy for me. Not only am I hiding out from the stalker who’s been following me around the country for the last year, but I’m hiding out from my parents.”

Travis knew all about her parents and the relationship—or lack thereof—that she had with them, so she didn’t feel the need to explain again.

“Brendon insisted on calling a friend of his to help.”

“Who?” Travis barked.

“Z.”

That one letter must’ve told Travis everything he needed to hear because he didn’t say a word. In fact, Cheyenne was pretty sure that was pride she saw reflected in his narrow gaze.

“Who’s Z?” Gage asked.

“Zachariah Tavoularis,” Brendon explained.

“Sniper One Security?” Gage questioned, his eyes wide.

“Yeah. He’s a guy Braydon and I went to school with. We’ve remained friends over the years.”

“I remember him,” Gage mentioned. “Didn’t know he worked for Sniper One.”

“Going on ten years now,” Brendon replied.

“What’s he say about this?” Travis asked, sounding rational for the first time since he walked through the door.

“As of five minutes ago, after I sent him the letter,” Brendon said, nodding toward the bar, “he said he’s workin’ on somethin’ and would call me back.”

“Wait,” Cheyenne said, glaring at Travis when he moved to the bar to retrieve the letter Brendon referred to. “How do
you
know about this?”

“I’ve told you before, Chey, I know everything.”

Cheyenne rolled her eyes at him although she knew he wasn’t joking. He truly believed he knew everything. Granted, the fact that he’d somehow stumbled onto this must’ve meant he had some serious connections.

Travis read both letters and then handed them over to Gage, neither man’s expression giving away his thoughts.

“You should’ve fucking come to me,” Travis growled, his focus once again on Brendon.

Brendon’s back straightened. “I didn’t need your help.”

“No? You’ve got some psycho out there lookin’ for her and you thought you could handle it on your own? I’m the one who’s kept an eye on her for the last seven years. I don’t need your help.”

“I’m not helpin’
you
,” Brendon snapped. “I’m protectin’ what’s
mine
, goddammit! And I don’t need
you
to protect my girlfriend.”

Cheyenne’s head snapped around to look at Brendon.
His girlfriend?

Okay, so she knew how serious this situation was and how pissed off these three men were, but that simple acknowledgment very easily erased all of her anger.

Hell, it pretty much changed her entire outlook on the day.

chapter
EIGHTEEN

W
ho would’ve thought that he’d be the one to silence a room?

Brendon hadn’t meant to blurt out what had been going through his head since the second Travis stormed the house, a furious man on a mission. But, there it was.

Daring a glance in Cheyenne’s direction, he saw that she was staring back at him wide-eyed. He wished he knew what she was thinking. But he also prayed she wasn’t thinking he was some sort of a lunatic for claiming her like that in front of his brother and his brother-in-law.

“Is that what this is?” Travis asked, but this time his question lacked the heat and accusation the way it had earlier.

“What?” Cheyenne asked, turning back to look at him.

“Are the two of you . . . together?”

“Yes,” she answered confidently, and that tightness in Brendon’s chest eased somewhat.

Not completely, but enough that he could breathe easier.

Brendon met Travis’s gaze head-on. He wasn’t going to back down this time. It was apparent that Travis didn’t trust him with Cheyenne, but since his oldest brother didn’t have a fucking say in the matter, Brendon tried not to let it bother him. Cheyenne and Travis were friends and he would never attempt to interfere with that. Not as long as Travis understood the boundaries.

However, he also had to keep in mind that he hadn’t set any parameters with Cheyenne regarding this relationship, either. Although he’d claimed her as his, that didn’t mean she was in agreement. Could be that she was just trying to placate Travis for the time being.

His stomach churned at the thought.

Before he could dwell on that any longer, his cell phone rang and he pulled it from his pocket. He met Travis’s questioning gaze as he hit the Talk button and went out onto the back porch for a little privacy.

“What’s up?” he asked Z when he was outside.

“Sorry I couldn’t talk earlier. Tons of shit goin’ on here. But I did want to call and let you know that we’re trackin’ someone. We don’t know for a fact that this is our guy, but I think it’s a safe bet.”

“Where’s this guy at?”

“Well, see, that’s where the problem is. He seems to have disappeared on us momentarily.”

Brendon sighed. He didn’t know anything about the security business, but he assumed it wasn’t a good thing to lose a person of interest. Considering Z was doing this as a favor, Brendon figured it wouldn’t do well to read him the riot act. The guy knew what he was doing.

“So what happens from here?” Brendon asked, keeping his tone calm.

“I’m followin’ another lead, but I need to tell you that it’s a damn good possibility this guy has picked up her trail. I’m sure she thinks she’s secure, but I managed to tie her back to that house she bought down there with little effort. My guess is this asshole has, too. Don’t leave her alone, Bren. Not for a fucking second.”

Brendon’s anger bubbled in his chest. If this bastard thought he was going to get his hands on Cheyenne, well, he better fucking think again. “We’ll keep an eye on her.”

“Oh, and tell your brother to stop lookin’.”

“Huh?”

“Travis,” Z clarified. “I know he’s got some resources with that husband of his bein’ an ex-cop and all, but he’s throwin’ up some red flags. Ask ’em to lay low for now.”

“Will do,” Brendon assured him. “Let me know as soon as you hear somethin’.”

“Absolutely.”

The call ended and Brendon took a deep breath. When he turned to go inside, he found himself face-to-face with Travis. They were alone though, which meant Cheyenne and Gage were inside.

“Who was that?” Travis asked, his gruff question sounding more like a command than a request.

“Z.”

“And?”

Brendon fought the urge to tell Travis to go fuck himself, to let his brother know that he was a grown fucking man and he could easily take care of the woman he loved. “He said they’ve got a suspect. Didn’t give me names. But, they said the guy has temporarily gone off the grid and they’ve lost him.”

“What the fuck?”

“Sniper One is the top security company in the US, I’m not worried. Z will find this asshole. In the meantime, he said that Cheyenne should have someone with her at all times.”

“I can get—”

“No!” Brendon barked, doing his best to keep his voice low. “I don’t want you getting anyone. Do you hear me? I’m not handing over this responsibility to you or anyone else. Got that?”

Travis didn’t respond, but the anger that glittered in his eyes said he didn’t like Brendon’s tone. Too fucking bad.

“Oh, and Z said to ask you and Gage to stop digging.”

“What the fuck? Someone’s gotta find this bastard and we’ve got resources.”

“Resources that are throwin’ up red flags, according to Z. They’ve tracked your requests, probably even know your sources.” Lowering his voice once more, Brendon met Travis’s gaze head-on. “I’m not gonna ask again, Trav. Stay out of this. When I need your help, I’ll come to you.”

Travis’s gaze softened, surprising the shit out of Brendon.

“This ain’t just a thing for you, is it?” Travis questioned, his words soft.

“What? Cheyenne? Not by a fucking long shot,” he assured Travis.

Travis nodded, but remained quiet.

“I’m gonna stay with her or she’ll stay with me until we get this taken care of. I’m also gonna give Endsley a heads-up. We need all eyes open.”

“And you’ll let me know if you need anything?” Travis asked.

“Yeah.” Brendon forced his shoulders to relax. “And for the record, I know how important her friendship with you is, but I’m serious, Trav, I need to do this. I . . .” He couldn’t quite get the words out, but he knew what he was feeling. Based on the expression on Travis’s usually stony face, he didn’t need Brendon to clarify.

“Okay. We’ll stop diggin’. For the record, her record producer, Clayton, is a buddy of mine. He’s the reason I found out. They’re worried about her, since she went off the map.”

“Can’t blame them. But that doesn’t mean you need to waltz in here and take over. Despite what you think, I’m quite capable of takin’ care of her.”

“I know you are,” Travis told him. “And if you’re in the right place here”—Travis tapped his temple—“and it seems you are, then I don’t have anything to worry about.”

That was as close to a compliment as he was going to receive from Travis, so Brendon accepted it by nodding his understanding.

“Let me know what I can do,” Travis stated.

“Yep.”

With that, Brendon made his way inside. As difficult as that conversation was, he knew the hard part was ahead of him.

Telling Cheyenne.

EXPECTING BRENDON AND
Travis to have a knock-down-drag-out on her back porch, Cheyenne was surprised when they both walked in, calm and collected. Well, as much as could be expected.

“Was that Z?” Cheyenne asked Brendon.

She’d hopped down from the counter and had been busying herself around the kitchen, making small talk with Gage when Travis had slipped outside. Despite her need to know what was going on, she’d somehow managed not to interrupt, but it hadn’t been easy.

“It was,” Brendon told her, moving to stand in front of her. He lifted her chin with his finger and stared down at her. “They’ve got a lead on someone, but he’s disappeared on them. They’re workin’ to find him. He mentioned that it wasn’t hard for him to tie this house back to you either, so he fears this guy—if he’s got any skills at all—may have done the same thing.”

Crap. That was not what she wanted to hear.

“I’m gonna talk to Sheriff Endsley, give him a heads-up. He’ll help keep an eye on things around here. People’ll be on the lookout for anyone they don’t recognize. And in the meantime, I’m your new shadow.”

Cheyenne recognized the way he easily slipped that last statement in there. Truth was, she didn’t mind that one bit. Not only was she enjoying her time with Brendon, she also felt safe with him. She knew, regardless of what this was between them, that he would keep her safe.

“Okay,” she said affably. She wasn’t going to argue. There wasn’t anything she could argue against. This was serious and the death threat was proof.

Brendon turned to look at Travis and Gage. “And I’ll let you know when I hear anything at all. The more people who’re keepin’ an eye on her, the better.”

“Agree,” Travis said warmly.

Cheyenne watched him for a moment. This was a side of Travis she rarely saw. He had always been the take-charge kind of guy. The man who didn’t let anyone else dictate how things went. It seemed as though he was taking a step back and allowing Brendon to run the show. And honestly, that made her feel good. No matter how she felt about Brendon, it was nice to know that Travis had complete faith in his brother. With all of Brendon’s ups and downs over the last year, he’d been in a bad place. She’d seen it, heard Travis’s concern when they talked about him.

“Well, we’re gonna get outta your hair, then,” Gage said, his hand coming to land on Travis’s shoulder. “Y’all need anything at all, just holler.”

“We will,” Brendon stated.

Cheyenne hugged Travis and Gage briefly and then stayed back in the kitchen while Brendon walked them out. A few minutes later, he returned, a gleam in his eyes.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, backing up when he stalked her across the kitchen.

“What you said earlier? Did you mean it?”

Cheyenne had no idea what he was referring to, but she did her best to replay the conversation that had taken place since Travis and Gage arrived.

“When you told Travis we were together,” Brendon filled in.

“Yes,” she told him quickly. “Did you mean what you said?”

“And what was that?” he asked, pinning her between his big body and the kitchen counter.

“That I’m . . . yours? That I’m your girlfriend?” Cheyenne couldn’t disguise the hope in her voice. Just remembering Brendon’s declaration made her body heat.

“I meant every fuckin’ word,” he told her softly, his mouth moving in closer to hers.

She expected his lips to come down on hers, so when Brendon reached for her, lifting her onto the counter, she let out a squeak of surprise. Once she was settled with him coming to stand between her legs, he finally kissed her.

Cheyenne threw her arms around his neck, pulling him to her and meeting the firm thrust of his tongue with her own. The kiss was brutal, not sweet and gentle, and she loved every second of it. This was Brendon claiming her, assuring her that she did belong to him. It was so good.

His fingers went to work on her shorts and the next thing Cheyenne knew, she was sitting on her kitchen counter completely naked.

“Fuck,” Brendon growled into her mouth. “I don’t have a condom.”

Cheyenne pulled back and looked into his eyes, studying him for a moment. “I’m on the pill. And I’ve always . . .” She didn’t finish the sentence, but it apparently wasn’t necessary.

As Brendon unbuttoned his jeans and thrust them down over his hips, he never took his eyes from hers. “I’ve never either, Chey.”

“I need to feel you,” she told him, inching closer to the edge of the countertop. She wanted him inside her, wanted to feel the blinding pleasure of being filled by him.

And then she was.

“Oh, fuck,” Brendon growled. “Holy shit. Don’t move.”

Cheyenne stilled, pulling back to look at him as he penetrated her, filling her so completely. “Somethin’ wrong?” she whispered.

“No. Everything’s just fuckin’ perfect,” he answered in a low growl. “So fuckin’ perfect.”

Brendon gripped her hips and pulled her closer to the edge once more before withdrawing and then slamming into her.

“Oh!” Cheyenne held on to him tightly, loving the exquisite feel of him inside her without a barrier.

“So fuckin’ tight. So damn hot. Shit.” Brendon continued to thrust, deep and hard, and torturously slow.

“Fuck me,” Cheyenne pleaded. “Fuck me hard.”

Brendon’s eyes met hers, locked, and then he was plowing into her. She fought to keep her eyes open as the pleasure accosted her, sending chills across her skin, making her nipples pebble and her sex to spasm around the delicious intrusion.

“Brendon,” she whispered, her nails digging into his shoulder. “You’re gonna make me come. Oh, God, you’re gonna make me come.”

“Come for me, Chey. Let me feel you come all over my cock.”

He continued to pummel her, the pleasure so vicious, it stole her breath. Tightening her knees against his hips, she clenched her inner muscles as he continued to drive into her over and over again until she couldn’t hold back, her orgasm taking root and then exploding, radiating all the way to her scalp, leaving tingles in its wake.

“Fuck!” Brendon roared as he filled her, his cock pulsing, the warmth flooding her.

Cheyenne knew in that instant that the words he’d said earlier, the way he’d verbally claimed her, would be nothing compared to the way he was going to take her heart.