Peaches 'n' Cream (14 page)

The sound of shouting male voices from outside, as well as Logan swearing as he followed her, and then ducked into his room, made her have to shift her focus. There was someone else here. She knew it. The hairs on the back of her neck came up as she came to the last room. It was a spare bedroom that had come to be used as a catchall by the three men.

She turned the knob slowly, prepared for anything. As she pushed the door open a blast of cold air hit her. Her nipples puckered into rigid beads. Swearing, she searched the room, the closet, and under the bed, then made her way to the open window. Peering out cautiously, she saw that the second assailant had dropped down from the window, landing in the deep snow below the window.

Rotten luck. Damn! Peaches looked around, following the trail in the snow. She doubted he had gotten hurt. Now he was on the run.

Turning back, she ran into Logan and Damien. Both men were pale, obvious in fear for her, but otherwise steady. “He’s running,” she stated needlessly, her tone flat. Her heart was pounding in her chest. The adrenaline was still pumping through her. It would take a while before she came down. When she did, it would be to crash.

“He can’t get far in this snow. We’ll go out with a few of the men. Go get some clothes on.”

But the man did get away. They followed his tracks through the snow. Even as deep as it was in places he had still managed to get to the lane, then to the road, and to a vehicle they had obviously left there. The men were furious when they returned. The sheriff came and went. The body was removed by the coroner. The dead man was not anyone she could identify.

He hadn’t been part of the robbery or the ensuing attack for revenge. Fingerprints would be sent down to the detectives investigating the convenience store robbery.

“Okay,” Damien said, setting his phone down on the kitchen table. His face, like the others, was grim. “A crew is going to come clean the room.”

“We’ll move all Peaches’s things to my room. That room will give her nightmares now.”

“Why your room?” Ryan demanded in the manner he used whenever he was determined to needle his friend. “Why not my room?”

“When was the last time you cleaned your room?” Ryan flushed guiltily. “Exactly.

Besides, my room has the largest bed. You won’t fall out, if you don’t want to cuddle whomever you’re sleeping beside.” The younger man’s color deepened even more.

71

Peaches sat at the table, quietly contemplating what happened and what could possibly happen in the future. Juno and Roxie had finally come out of hiding and were now sitting on the counter by the back door. She stared at them, they stared back. When she patted her thigh both cats jumped down, their bouncy little trot over the tile floor bringing them quickly to her.

They both leapt up onto her lap. She kissed each sleek head, stroking their arching backs and long tails.

“You okay, baby?”

Blinking, she looked at Logan. It was the softest she had ever heard his deep voice. It gave her goose bumps, as did the look in his beautiful golden eyes. Forcing a smile to her lips, she nodded. “I’m okay, just a bit shaken. Now I’ll have to start all over with Tad. At this rate, I may never get out of therapy.”

“This Tad is your ex-boyfriend? Ryan told me.” He explained how he had come to learn the information. They hadn’t had much time alone before now. She hadn’t personally told him anything about her past. “And your best friend is married to him? Doesn’t that feel weird?”

“Is that more or less weird than my planning on marrying three men? No.”

“You’re too sassy for your own good. When you’re feeling better, I believe I’ll turn your pretty ass pink.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

Logan scowled at her. “It’s supposed to be a punishment. You’re not supposed to look forward to it.”

“But I’ve never been spanked before.” She looked at him through her thick lashes. The tip of her tongue poked out to wet her lips. “I bet you’re really good at it, too.” She was purring as much as the cats on her lap.

The men noticed. Ryan moved closer, as did Damien. Logan just continued to sit there and give her the evil eye. “Ten to start.”

“Tie me up first?”

Amber eyes filled with fire. “That’ll get you another five. Yes, I believe I
will
tie you up first.”

“Whipping chair or St. Andrew’s Cross?”

“What do you know about these things?”

“She used to work in a BDSM club,” Ryan told him eagerly. “Isn’t that great?” Logan stood up to tower over her. Peaches looked up the length of his body, admiring every inch she could. “What the fuck were you doing working in sex club?”

“Earning a paycheck. It was a very lucrative source of income. Hell, I figure I got five years retirement from it. And I got some really sexy shoes.” She grinned. “I wish I’d brought them.”

An imp took hold of her. To Ryan she said with some enthusiasm, “You said you went to a sex club while you were in town. I do need a job. And since I’m familiar with the workings, maybe I could get one there.”

“Colt would probably give you a job.”

The memory flashed. “Seeing that yummy, tall, sinfully handsome sex god would be as good a reason as any to go to work every night.”

“You’re up to twenty.”

72

The man seemed to be determined to take the hide off her ass. Her pussy heated up, drenching her panties. Peaches wondered what was up with that. She couldn’t remember ever having a desire to be spanked, let alone be tied up while getting her ass warmed. Looking at Logan, she knew deep down inside that he would be the only man to ever make her feel such things. The cats leapt off her lap as she rose from the chair. She slid her arms around Logan’s hard body. She smiled up at him.

“Don’t be jealous, sweetheart. I have my men.”

A dark brown brow rose. “Jealous? Me? I don’t have an insecure bone in my body. But I think I’ll go make Colt a little less pretty. Just for the fun of it.”

“Bliss and Clarissa will take you out.” Damien laughed, going to coffeepot. He poured coffee into a cup, carrying it over to place it on the table where she had been sitting. “There wouldn’t be a place far enough away for you to hide.”

“Who are Bliss and Clarissa?” she asked curiously, looking at him as she rested her head on Logan’s wide chest. His heart beat steadily beneath her ear. He hadn’t given in yet. He still wasn’t returning her embrace.

“Colt’s subs. They adore him.”

“I’ll look forward to meeting them.” She looked at the coffee. “Mm, that looks good. My stomach is finally starting to settle.”

“No coffee for you.”

“One cup is not going to hurt me,” Peaches protested, tipping her head back to look up at him. For good measure, she poked her lower lip out in a pout she hoped was irresistible and adorable.

They scowled at one another, two equally strong wills. More creaking. “One cup. But we’ll be getting decaffeinated for you. And it will still be only one cup a day.”

“What’s this all about?” Damien asked, laughing as he watched their little power play.

“The baby. If there is a baby yet. She’s going to take care of herself. We’re going to go in to see the doctor tomorrow. She’s going to get a checkup. You can call for an appointment. Ry-an will help you choose the right one. He knows everyone in town.”

“Anything you say, cupcake.” Peaches hugged him again before going for the coffee. She pointedly ignored his growling.

Ryan, whom had been in the process of taking a drink of coffee, spluttered and spit it out as he laughed. “Cupcake? Did you just call Logan
cupcake
?”

“I did. Do you have a problem with that?”

“No, baby. No problem at all.”

“If you do, I’m sure Logan can straighten the problem out for you,” Damien grinned.

“He’s really just looking for any excuse to beat you to a bloody pulp. I think going to the doctor is a good idea.”

“Me, too. We’ll all go. Then we’ll go look at baby furniture.” Ryan’s middle name was probably Enthusiasm. She would have to ask. She also couldn’t wait to meet his mother. His father had died two years ago, which was a shame. Ryan had spoken of the man with love and respect.

“Can we wait until I find out if I’m pregnant?”

Though he was certainly more reserved than the other two men, Peaches could see that talking about a baby pleased Logan. She saw it in his eyes, could see the softening of his hard, 73

chiseled features. It made her feel good inside. It helped reassure her about the decision she had made. It also made her look to the future with a positive attitude. These were good, solid men. Even the light-hearted Ryan was a man she could count on.

When Logan and Damien told her they were going out to patrol the ranch with the other men, Damien came and kissed her long and hard, his arms reassuring as the passion between them flared. She didn’t want to let him go, as her pussy began throbbing. Ryan, who was staying with her, even kissed her, before plopping down on a kitchen chair after scooping Juno up to set him on his lap. It was Logan, who was stomping his feet into his boots, who seemed to need to learn how things were going to go from now on.

“Uh, cupcake,” she said as he finished putting his coat and hat on. He looked at her with hard, suspicious eyes. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“What?”

“I’m waiting for my kiss. Damien and Ryan gave me one.”

“I kissed you earlier.”

“You did a lot of things to me earlier. Now I want a kiss before you go outside.” The creaking was almost audible this time. They stared at one another before he crossed the kitchen and swept her up into his arms to give her a kiss that nearly sent her into orgasm.

“Wow!” she gasped when he released her. With her knees weak, she leaned back against the counter. “That was a mighty fine kiss.” She blinked, still panting for breath. “Whew! Jeez, I’m going to start hoping you go outside a lot.”

Smug, Logan slapped her on the ass before he headed out the door.

Chapter Ten

Damien was pleased with the way Peaches and Logan seemed to be working things out.

Not that the two of them wouldn’t butt heads from time to time. They were too alike. But Logan was softening and that was a very good sign. He wondered if it had anything to do with his near-death experience. Had it made Logan more willing to take a risk again? Though he was a big, tough guy, he had really given his softer feelings over to that woman, Sally. Bitch.

After her he had closed up tighter than a drum, his feelings all trapped inside.

Thank God Peaches and Sally were nothing alike. Logan seemed to enjoy the challenge a strong woman presented. It sparked something in him. One thing was for sure, it wasn’t going to be boring.

“What the fuck are you smirking about?” Logan growled, seeing exactly that on his face.

They were walking along the path cleared between the house and the outbuildings. It was still snowing lightly, but the wind was beginning to blow snow across the path. With a call for strengthening winds and dropping temperatures, they wouldn’t be able to stay out long. They would take snow machines out to patrol close to the ranch, then along the road to see if there were any signs of the men who’d come into the house. The sheriff had told them that they hadn’t passed any vehicles on the way. It was possible that the getaway vehicle had gone off the road. If that was the case, it could be weeks or months before it was found.

“Nothing.”

“Yeah, right. You’re thinking I’m a wimp.”

“I was thinking that it would never be boring with you and Peaches around.”

“She’s a nice woman.”

Damien stopped him. “Nice? You fuck the woman senseless and all you can say about her is that she’s nice?”

“Okay. She’s bordering on
really
nice. Don’t push it, Damien. I’m not all touchy-feely like you two bozos are.” Damien grinned, stifling laughter. Logan glared at him. “You’re going to get the beating I was planning for Ryan.”

“Yeah, yeah, you can’t fool me. You’re falling for Peaches just like we have. A baby will be nice.”

“We have to keep her alive, first. It fucking pisses me off that these jerks actually got into the house.” He pushed the door open on the shed. They pulled on the protective gear over their clothes, as well as helmets. “She dropped that asshole from a prone position on the bed.

Did you know she keeps her pistol under her pillow?”

“Yeah, well, we should have warned you about that.” A growl from Logan was all the response he got. Hiding another smile, he climbed on his machine and turned it on. It wasn’t long before they were blasting through the snow, covering more ground than they could have possibly gotten on horseback. The snow was getting too deep in places for the animals to get through easily. With modern technology on hand, it was nice to be able to use it when necessary. Horses, however, were the mainstay workers on their ranch, doing things the old-fashioned, proven way, for the most part.

As they searched for any signs that the men had returned, or left someone else in the vi-cinity, Damien couldn’t help but think about what had happened hours earlier in the kitchen.

Had he really let Logan fuck him? It was something he had thought about on and off over the years. He knew Logan had some experience with men, but they hadn’t really talked about it all that much. Just the knowing in the beginning had been enough to make him wonder. Wonder, 75