Brendon (21 page)

Z was standing on the front porch, his face a blank mask.

Pulling the door open, he took a step back and allowed Z to enter.

“Where’s RT?” Brendon asked.

“Followin’ the suspect,” Z stated firmly, his eyes darting from one person to another.

Kaleb had snatched up Mason, holding him on one hip, his other arm protectively around Zoey’s shoulder. Cheyenne was standing beside them, her eyes wide with fear.

Before Brendon could even lock the door, RT appeared on the front porch. He looked as though he’d been running, but surprisingly he was only slightly out of breath.

“Any luck?” Z asked.

RT shot him an
are you fucking kidding me
look before stepping inside.

“So, he’s here? In Coyote Ridge?” Cheyenne asked, her voice hoarse. Brendon moved to her, pulling her against him and holding her tight as he looked to Z for a response.

“Looks like it.”

“Y’all know who this person is yet?” Kaleb questioned.

“As of fifteen minutes ago, yes,” RT confirmed. “Martin McDonald.” RT looked to Cheyenne as he said the name. “Sound familiar?”

Cheyenne shook her head.

RT’s phone chirped and he pulled it from the clip on his belt, glancing down at the screen. He started reading off details, “Thirty-seven-year-old male from Austin, Texas. Two previous restraining orders against him for stalking women in the apartment building he lives in. Neighbors say he’s a little unstable, but otherwise a nice guy.”

“Nice guy?” Brendon snorted.

“What do we do now?” Cheyenne questioned, her voice quavering.

“We catch that fucker,” Z answered, his eyes darting to Zoey and then back to Cheyenne. “ ’Scuse my language.”

“We’ve heard worse,” Zoey told him.

“Austin’s workin’ to get a complete profile. Strange that we get the intel at the same time we spot the suspect,” RT said, his attention turning to Z.

“Too much of a coincidence,” Z added.

“What does
that
mean?” Brendon asked.

“It means this guy just happens to live conveniently nearby and shows up all of a sudden,” RT stated.

“We don’t believe in coincidences,” Z informed them. “We need to get these three home.” Z looked at Kaleb. “And we’ll call the sheriff in on this one. My guess is our guy is close, too fucking close. If RT’s hunch is correct, this Martin McDonald is a red herring—someone to throw us off the trail.”

Brendon feared this asshole was smarter than they’d given him credit for. The question was . . . why was he going to all this trouble?

chapter
TWENTY-FIVE

C
heyenne was at a loss for what to say or do. The entire afternoon had been ruined because of some stalker wannabe? She wasn’t sure she understood what the hell was going on, but she knew that Kaleb, Zoey, and Mason had been whisked away by RT, and Z was looming over her in the kitchen as she attempted to make something for dinner.

It wasn’t that she minded Z being there. In fact, the guy was quite witty. She liked listening to the stories he told about growing up with Brendon, but it was how astute he was that kept throwing her off. It was as though he heard and saw every little thing. Although he wasn’t jumpy, she damn sure was and she had nowhere to send that nervous energy.

Brendon set the table and when Cheyenne finished with the Shake ’n Bake chicken, she brought the food in. About the time they were going to sit down, there was another knock on the door, but Z had already started heading that direction, so Cheyenne figured RT was back. Hadn’t stopped her heart from going from zero to one hundred in two point one seconds.

“It’s gonna be okay,” Brendon assured her when they were alone in the kitchen. “I won’t let anything happen to you. Promise.”

Cheyenne wrapped her arms around him and tried to soak up his warmth, his security. She trusted him with her life, there wasn’t any doubt there. However, she feared for his. If anything happened to him, she wasn’t sure she’d survive it.

“The sheriff’ll be here in an hour,” RT informed them when they walked into the kitchen. “I seriously don’t think we have anything to worry about with this Martin guy, but we’re on the lookout.”

Everyone took seats at the table and plates began to fill quickly. Cheyenne wasn’t hungry, but she did her best to pretend to eat while the three men spoke about nothing in particular. By the time they were finished, Cheyenne’s gut was churning, her anxiety level redlining.

“We’ll get the dishes,” Z offered, his concerned gaze sliding over her and then darting to Brendon.

The next thing Cheyenne knew, Brendon was leading her out of the room. They didn’t stop in the living room, instead going straight for the guest room, where she was still spending her nights until her room was finished. Brendon closed the door behind them, locked it, and moved to the bedside table to flip on the lamp.

“Come here,” he urged, crooking his finger at her when he sat on the edge of the mattress.

Cheyenne’s feet moved, but she didn’t think she was directing them. She was almost nose to nose with Brendon when he was sitting down. He cupped her face, his eyes staring deep into hers. The next thing she knew, he was kissing her.

If he was working to distract her, it certainly helped. Before her brain could register what was happening, Cheyenne’s hands went around his neck, her fingers tangling in the cool, silky hair at his nape.

When he shifted, forcing her onto the mattress, his lips never leaving hers, she simply moved with him. And the moment his erection pressed between her legs, she moaned, welcoming him. Things moved fairly quickly from that point. Somehow he managed to remove their clothes and not once did Cheyenne think about the fact that Z and RT were in the next room. Nothing else mattered but feeling the hard warmth of Brendon’s body against hers, absorbing his strength as he hovered over her, guiding himself into her.

Her body bowed as he filled her, the sensation lighting her up from the inside out. She would never get enough of this man.

“Chey,” Brendon whispered, his mouth trailing along her jaw, then down her neck. “Baby.”

She loved the sound of his voice, the eagerness mixed with a hint of desperation—as though he couldn’t get enough of her, either.

“Wrap your legs around me,” he instructed and Cheyenne didn’t hesitate.

He slid deeper, withdrawing slightly and pressing back inside. This wasn’t a frantic joining, he was making love to her, showing her with his body just how much she meant to him, and Cheyenne had the overwhelming urge to cry from the sheer ecstasy of it all.

Holding on to him tightly, Cheyenne lifted her hips with every thrust, meeting him, forcing him as deep as she could take him.

“Chey, look at me.”

Cheyenne hadn’t realized her eyes had closed until she forced them open. Brendon was staring down at her, his hand brushing her hair from her forehead as he continued to love her, impaling her so sweetly, she knew she’d never last.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered.

Tears pricked her eyes but she forced them back. She was hanging by a thread, but no longer did she feel out of sorts the way she had earlier. Brendon managed to right her world in ways he would likely never understand. He could’ve spent hours trying to comfort her with words, but this . . . She needed this more than she needed anything else.

Brendon’s forehead pressed to hers as he increased his pace, filling her with shallow thrusts of his hips. “Come for me, baby.”

She was so close, but she didn’t tell him that. If it were possible, she would’ve continued all night. When his other hand slid between them, his thumb finding her clit, Cheyenne gasped, the glorious sensation pushing her closer to the edge. She was going to come, there was no stopping the brutal orgasm that was brewing like a spring storm inside her.

“Oh, God,” she moaned.

“That’s it, baby. Come for me, Cheyenne.”

Giving herself over to the pleasure, her orgasm detonated, sending an electrical current along every nerve, hitting every extremity until her body shook from the release. And when Brendon came, his hips stilling, his body lodged deep inside her, she came again, a mini-explosion that linked her to him in every way possible.

“I love you, Chey.”

Cheyenne opened her eyes again to see Brendon looking down at her, so much emotion etched on the hard lines of his face, and the tears did come, but she forced a smile. They weren’t sad tears. No, these tears were her heart’s way of telling her this was exactly what she’d wanted.

The only thing she needed.

BRENDON DIDN’T MOVE
from his position above her. He’d just announced his love for her and the next thing he knew, Cheyenne was crying.

Before he could ask her what he did wrong, she said the sweetest thing he’d ever heard in his entire life.

“I love you, too. So much.”

Brendon swallowed around the lump of emotion that made it difficult to breathe. He hadn’t meant to confess his feelings for her, he’d merely been hoping to distract her from what was going on. Then again, he’d known this moment was coming. He’d wanted to profess his undying love for her for days now, never finding the right time.

Apparently, this moment right here was the perfect moment. In fact, he would remember this for as long as he lived.

Rolling them over so that he was beneath her, Brendon managed to remain lodged inside her, his cock hardening once more. The adrenaline that coursed through his veins no longer pertained to the situation outside of the bedroom. No, this was due to everything coalescing inside him, coming together in a perfect storm.

“Ride me, Chey. Make me come inside you again.”

Cheyenne pushed up, her hands pressing against his chest as she began to rock against him. Her pussy clenched around his cock, milking him once again. He was still sensitive after his first release, but not enough to make him want to stop. It only heightened the sensations, pushed him closer to the edge once more.

He settled on watching her, the way her head tilted back, her beautiful tits swaying above him as she fucked him so sweetly.

“Touch me, Bren.”

He lifted both hands, cupping the generous swells of her breasts, teasing the hardened tips between his thumb and forefinger. The harder he pinched, the more forceful her thrusts became. He felt her muscles locking on him and he feared he wasn’t going to hold off. Releasing one breast, he found her clit with his thumb, gently circling the little bundle of nerves until Cheyenne was panting, moaning his name over and over again. He sensed that she was close and he wanted to come with her again.

Gripping her hips with both hands, he held her still. Lifting her slightly, he began thrusting upward, driving himself into her hard, pulling her back down to meet him until, once again, Cheyenne cried out his name and, once more, he came as she did.

His head was spinning when he came back down, holding Cheyenne against his chest, inhaling the sweetness of her, the subtle scent of strawberries filling his lungs.

“Mind if I take a bath?” she asked, her voice soft.

“Not at all. I’ll get it ready for you.” Another minute or two passed before Brendon forced himself off the bed. After a quick shower, he started the water for her and returned to find her staring back at him from where she lay on the bed.

“Did you mean what you said earlier?”

“When I told you I loved you? Yeah, Chey,” he said, leaning over her and pressing his lips to her forehead. “I meant every word.”

“Me too.”

“Get in the bath. We’ll be in the livin’ room when you’re done.”

Cheyenne nodded and the smile she sent him was one of the greatest gifts he’d ever received. As he stepped into the living room to join Z and RT, Brendon vowed to keep her safe, no matter the cost. Nothing and no one was going to take her from him. He didn’t care who they were.

chapter
TWENTY-SIX

O
n Thursday afternoon, after nearly two full days of no news, Brendon busied himself by helping Cheyenne with the yard. The weatherman was predicting rain for the next week and she had insisted on getting the lawn mowed before it was too wet to make it possible. Z and RT had insisted she stay inside on Wednesday, so by midday, Brendon could no longer contain her. She was going stir-crazy and he honestly couldn’t blame her.

Sheriff Endsley had come by and they’d given him all the details on the man RT and Z had seen lurking in Cheyenne’s yard. Endsley was going to work with the Austin Police Department to pick Martin McDonald up for questioning. Technically, the man hadn’t done anything wrong; however, RT was hoping they could find out who had set him up. Whoever they were dealing with was not an idiot—just a lunatic. The fact that he hadn’t sent any additional notes meant he was likely in the process of coming after Cheyenne—at least according to Z.

And that was why Z and RT were in the yard helping out, something Brendon found highly amusing. They were armed and it was obvious to anyone who saw them, but they were doing yard work. Not a very good job of it, but they were making their presence known.

Brendon knew Cheyenne was attempting to keep busy so that she didn’t have another panic attack, which was the only reason he didn’t argue when she insisted on driving the riding lawn mower. She had assigned him the task of clearing the weeds in the yard, but when he found out she had some dinky-ass electric Weed eater, he’d laughed.

And then he had called Braydon, asking his brother to drop off the gas-powered one they owned.

Braydon had told him it would be a couple of hours, so Brendon had called Ethan. His younger brother brought it over and left with a smirk on his face.

Now, as Brendon placed the yard tools back in the garage while Cheyenne disappeared inside to take a shower, he heard the familiar sound of an engine and looked up to see Braydon and Jessie pulling into the driveway. Brendon was closing the garage door when Z and RT came to stand beside him, all three of them watching the new arrivals with interest.

“Well, it’s about time y’all did somethin’ productive,” Braydon said with a smile as he approached, his arm sliding around Jessie’s shoulders and pulling her against him.

“Too bad the same can’t be said for you,” Brendon retorted, matching his brother’s grin.

“Damn. Y’all really do look just fucking alike,” RT muttered. “How the hell do people tell y’all apart?”

“I’m the nicer one,” Brendon snapped, giving Braydon a knowing look.

His twin just laughed, as did Jessie. Oddly, Brendon didn’t feel any tension between the pair and he had to wonder why that was.

“Seriously, what’re y’all doin’ here?” Brendon hadn’t been expecting Braydon to show up unannounced. Not that he wasn’t happy to see him.

“Wanted to stop by to chat,” Braydon answered, his gaze locking with Brendon’s. That look meant Braydon wanted to talk to Brendon alone.

“Is Cheyenne inside?” Jessie asked, pulling away from Braydon. “I’ll leave you two alone so you can
chat
.”

Braydon pulled Jessie back to him, crushing his mouth to hers in a lingering kiss before releasing her once again. She giggled and swatted at his chest, but headed toward the house with a big-ass grin on her pretty face.

Calling after Jessie, Brendon said, “She’s in the shower, but she should be out in a few.”

“I’ll wait for her in the kitchen,” Jessie told them. “You two can come help me.”

“Help you what?” Z asked, following behind her.

“Does it really matter?” RT asked, punching Z on the arm.

When they were alone on the front porch, Brendon perched on the railing while Braydon took a position against the wall, his ankles crossed.

“A little strange to see you bein’ all domestic and shit,” Braydon muttered, pacing back and forth on the porch.

Brendon didn’t have a comeback, so he continued to watch his brother. It was obvious Braydon had come with something specific to talk about, but it didn’t appear the guy knew how to spit it out. A few more passes on the porch and finally Braydon came to a stop.

“Jessie and I set a weddin’ date,” Braydon announced.

“Seriously? That’s awesome, man.” Brendon was truly happy for Braydon and he hoped like hell his twin could see that.

“It is awesome,” Braydon replied. “I think it’s time we move forward.”

“I do, too,” Brendon confirmed. Long past time, but he didn’t mention that aloud. “So, when’s the big day?”

“February thirteenth. We’ll wait for Sawyer and Kennedy to get hitched, but then we’re next.”

Brendon grinned. “Not runnin’ off to Vegas, huh?” He knew for a fact that Braydon would prefer to have a simple ceremony as opposed to a big to-do, but their mother would have his ass if he even tried.

“Not for lack of tryin’,” Braydon told him, his gaze moving to the yard. “What happened the other night?”

Brendon frowned, trying to figure out what Braydon was referring to. “When we had someone lurkin’ outside?” he asked.

Confusion marred Braydon’s formerly calm countenance, but he shook his head and said, “No. Somethin’ else happened. Somethin’ major. I . . . felt it.”

Brendon swallowed hard. He knew exactly what Braydon was referring to. Brendon had had a similar feeling when Braydon and Jessie had finally worked things out between them.

“I told her that I loved her,” he admitted.

Braydon nodded. “I figured as much.” A smile tipped his twin’s mouth. “Did she say it back?”

“Damn right she did,” Brendon replied, laughing.

“Good.”

Brendon looked down at his boots. “Doesn’t mean things are gonna work out though, man.”

Brendon had yet to talk to Cheyenne about what would happen when she went back out on the road. He didn’t want her to leave him behind, and he’d actually had some ideas on how they could make it work, but he still remembered how she’d told Kaleb and Zoey that she wasn’t ready to settle down yet.

The problem Brendon had was in the fact that he was ready to settle down. He was ready to put a ring on her finger and give her his name. He had no intentions of trying to halt her career, but he wanted to find a way to tie her to him, to show her that he was in it for the long haul.

“Why’s that?” Braydon questioned.

“She’s still gonna be out on the road,” Brendon said.

“Doesn’t mean you have to stick around here,” Braydon told him. “You know, you’re still gonna make money on Walker Demo, regardless of whether or not you’re there. You’re a partial owner. You could go out on the road with her.”

“I could,” he said slowly, lifting his gaze to meet Braydon’s once more. “If she’d want me to.”

“Man, I know this is the pot callin’ the kettle black, but you’ve gotta talk to her. So much shit went down between me, you, and Jessie because we couldn’t talk to each other. And then I couldn’t figure out how to tell Jessie what I wanted, how I felt. It doesn’t work unless you talk.”

“I’m figurin’ that out. And I will,” Brendon told him. “As soon as we get this fuckin’ asshole off our backs.”

“So someone was lurkin’ around here? How come I didn’t know about it?”

“Because I didn’t tell you?” Brendon retorted snidely.

“Obviously. Any leads on where he is?”

“Somewhere in Austin, most likely. However, he’s not the guy. At least Z and RT don’t seem to think he is. They believe Cheyenne’s stalker is gettin’ closer. If they know more, they’re not sharin’.”

“So, what? Y’all are just gonna hunker down here until they find him? How are they gonna do that if they’re hangin’ around?”

“I trust Z, Bray. He knows what he’s doin’.” Brendon knew that Z wouldn’t have invested this much of his personal time—Sniper 1 was doing this off the grid, intentionally keeping things on the down low within their own organization so that Cheyenne stayed off the radar—if he didn’t think they were getting close. Not wanting to dwell on the subject for too long, Brendon opted for a question of his own. “Have you told Mom and Dad? About the weddin’ date?”

“Nope,” Braydon said, his earlier smile returning. “We’ll announce on Sunday.”

“Well, I’m really happy for you. I know you don’t believe me, but even before this,” Brendon motioned toward the house, referring to Cheyenne, “I would’ve been able to handle you marryin’ Jess.”

“I know you would have. But I’m not sure
I
would have.” Braydon’s eyes dropped to the floor and he pushed off the wall, his hands thrusting into his pockets. “This is weird for me too, Bren. This separation between us . . . it hasn’t been easy for me, either.”

Brendon’s eyebrows lifted into his hairline. That was the first he’d heard that his twin wasn’t willingly running headlong into the future, which in Brendon’s head meant he was running away from him.

BRAYDON WATCHED AS
surprise registered on Brendon’s face. Considering Braydon had spent the last few days thinking hard on all of this—what he was going to do as they both moved on—he understood his twin’s reaction. Maybe it hadn’t become real until Braydon realized that Brendon was falling in love and Brendon’s life was about to change drastically, which in turn would affect Braydon.

Brendon was falling in love with a famous country star who spent the majority of her time on the road. That meant—more than likely—Brendon would be on the road with Cheyenne, and Braydon wouldn’t see him all that much. Although he knew it would be what was best for Brendon and Cheyenne, Braydon didn’t like it.

Selfish? Maybe.

Whatever the reason, his gut churned when he thought about spending so much time away from his twin. Braydon had no right to insinuate himself into any of Brendon’s future plans because he’d all but pushed his brother away when his own confusion had gotten the best of him. That didn’t mean it didn’t pain him to realize how things were going to end for them.

Brendon sighed, drawing Braydon’s attention back to him.

“For as long as I can remember, it’s been the two of us against the world. Sure, we had the others and Mom and Dad, but it’s always been you and me.” Braydon sensed the emotion in Brendon’s tone, realized he wouldn’t look his way as he continued. “Never in a million years did I think that we’d go our separate ways. It might sound childish, but I always thought we’d live together under the same roof. No, I wasn’t thinkin’ about the future, about settlin’ down, gettin’ married, all that shit. I wasn’t even sure I’d ever want that. Then Jess came into the picture and I felt the chaos as it began to stir inside. Almost instantly, I realized she was different. She was special. And shortly after that, I realized why.”

Brendon tossed a sideways glance his way before he continued.

“That was the first time I’d realized that the road map of my life hadn’t been set in stone. There were a few bumps I hadn’t accounted for. It freaked me the fuck out.”

Braydon nodded. He understood, but he kept his mouth shut.

“When I tried to alter the course, I’d known what I was doin’. I don’t think I cared because I was . . . Fuck.” Brendon thrust his hands through his hair. “I was scared, bro. So fucking scared. I knew that Jessie would take you away from me. I knew there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop it. You needed her and she needed you, that much was crystal fucking clear. It still didn’t make me feel any better. Obviously I didn’t handle that well.”

No, he hadn’t, but Braydon wasn’t going to tell Brendon as much. They’d been through so much in the last year and Braydon honestly hadn’t paid much attention. He’d been worried about himself, about Jessie. Sure, he’d been concerned for Brendon, but until recently, he hadn’t really thought about what that meant to their relationship.

“It didn’t help that I had some crazy feelings for Cheyenne,” Brendon went on as he stared out into the yard, the darkness quickly stamping out all the light. “You know, I still remember the day I met her? I remember what I felt when I saw her for the first time.” Brendon chuckled. “I also remember the way she’d turned me down flat, but how she had kissed me that night anyway. I’ve been fucked-up ever since.”

Brendon turned to face Braydon.

“I’m not perfect. None of us are, but we do the best with what’s thrown our way. This is long overdue, I know, but I’m sorry. I’m sorry for fuckin’ shit up for you. I’m sorry for bein’ an ass, sayin’ stupid shit, doin’ worse. I think the only lesson I’ve learned through this is that I don’t deal with emotion well.”

“No shit,” Braydon teased, keeping his voice low. “But I’m sorry, too. I took so much for granted. Runnin’ off to Devil’s Bend was selfish, I get that now. I think it was necessary, but that doesn’t mean I don’t regret the way I handled it. Even lately I’ve been a hypocrite. I’ve wanted Jessie all this time, alone and to myself, but I never really considered what this much space between you and I meant. I’ve had a hard time with it, I’ll admit that. But . . . I really do want you to be happy. Hell, I want us all to be happy.”

“So are we good?” Brendon asked, his eyes darting to the front door.

“We’re good. As long as you’ll be the best man at my weddin’,” Braydon told him.