Chapter 10
Maisie
Ihesitate on the front porch outside the farmhouse. “Are you sure it’s safe?”
Elias had been ready to continue leading the way to his truck before I stopped. He releases my hand to clasp my hips with both of his, drawing my body against his and pressing his lips against my temple. “No one is going to hurt you, Maisie. I swear it.”
I give him a searching look, then nod. “Okay, let’s go.” He snags my hand and turns to lead the way.
I pull back. “Wait?”
He turns, eyebrow raised.
“If there’s any trouble—”
“If the rest of your sentence includes running away or leaving you to deal with it on your own, that’s never going to happen,” he interrupts.
I close my mouth.
He surprises me by smiling. “I know you’re worried, but no one is going to attack me—or you—in the street.”
“I guess I am a little paranoid,” I concede. And I know Derek. He won’t attack during the day. He’ll wait until night or when I’m alone, where he can hurt me and get away with it. I glance down at my outfit. “Do I look okay?”
I would never have worn a dress and sandals if I still had the rest of my clothes. Since I left Oregon, I got used to wearing sweats, jeans, and sneakers just in case I might need to run. The jeans in the box were too tight and the sweatpants too long, making them a dangerous tripping hazard.
This floral dress with thin straps is a teeny bit snug on my boobs, and the hem could be a little longer, with cool air kissing the back of my bare thighs, but the brown sandals a woman thoughtfully donated fit me perfectly.
“Okay?” Elias looks me up and down. “No.”
One word has me hanging my head. I console myself with him not calling me fat or stupid the way Derek would have.
Things can always be worse, Maisie. Never forget that.
Hiding my hurt, I turn around. “I’ll change.”
“Hey!” With a smile, he snags my hand and tugs me back around. “You look better than okay. You look beautiful.” His eyes slide to my hair. “And you have your hair down. You always had it tied back at the diner.”
“Didn’t want it going in the food,” I explain. And also, those were the rules.
The only parts I could never tie back are the bangs I’ve grown out around my face. They’re too long to be called bangs, but too short to tie back in a ponytail.
His eyes are soft as he peers down at me. “So damn pretty I nearly fell down these porch stairs trying to avoid you catching me staring at you,” he says, voice low. Dipping his head, he kisses my cheek. “Ready to go?”
Heart warmed by his sweet compliment, I nod. “As I’ll ever be.”
On the drive into town, we have both windows open, and fresh, sweet air blows my hair around my face as Elias talks about all the work they’ve done on the condo so far.
I don’t know how much I take in, but I’m nervous about my first trip back into town after the fire, and he must know it from my silence.
As we drive past my old apartment building, someone has boarded up the broken window and the door beside the flower shop. Wyatt must have kicked the door down to get inside. Did the smoke blow the windows open, or did the firefighters do it?
I can’t help but feel sorry for the flower shop owner. The shop is closed, and it was my fault, even though I didn’t set the fire. I came to Rios. Derek followed me, and her business paid the price for Nico letting me stay in the apartment above her shop.
There’s no sign of Derek on the street, and I give every tall, blond-haired guy a penetrating look as we pass them.
Elias parks the truck near the diner, and when I move to open my door, he shakes his head. “Wait there. I’ll get your door.”
I freeze, my eyes sweeping across the street. “Because it isn’t safe?”
He grins as he gets out. “Because if there is a door that needs opening, I will always get it for you.”
I’m smiling as he rounds the hood of his truck and opens my door for me. Despite his assurance that I’m safe, I still tense before I get out.
I look around as subtly as I can, but there are only friendly faces I’ve gotten used to from working at the diner. There’s no angry ex-husband looking to drag me back to Oregon or finish what he started when the fire he set didn’t kill me.
I walk toward the diner with Elias. He has his arm wrapped around my shoulder and stops to dip his head to mine just before we reach the front door, brushing a lingering kiss on my lips. Angling his head, he presses a kiss on my throat, right over my pulse.
My heart hitches, and I stop caring we’re on the street.
I stop caring about anything but the need for him to do it again.
A not-so-small part of me wants him to bite.
Tilting my head back, I hope he gets the message because if I open my mouth, I’m pretty sure I’ll start begging.
His lips kick into a smile, and he repeats the heart-stopping kiss over my pulse that shoots right to my core.
He drags in a breath, as if inhaling the scent of my skin, and releases a soft groan, warm air kissing my throat.
Then he turns his head to whisper in my ear.
“Baby, I can smell what those kisses are doing to you. If we don’t stop this, we’re not walking into this diner.
I’m walking you back to my truck, and there is no guarantee we’ll make it home before I lift up your skirt. ”
My heart pounds and I’m breathless as I remember where we are.
In public.
Cheeks hot, I move to open the diner door, but he beats me to it.
If I’d seen a couple tucked up this close on the street, literally nuzzling each other, I’d have thought they’d spent the night together and pried themselves out of bed to go feed themselves before promptly returning home for more sex.
It was just a message to Derek, if he’s still around watching. That’s all it was, I tell myself. But the possessive arm Elias wraps around my shoulder, tucking my body so close to his, our thighs brush with each step, says this is something a little more intense than pretend.
We walk into the diner, into the familiar sweet-and-savory smells of pies and burgers.
No one who sees the way Wyatt, Knox, and Hunter greet me would be in any doubt that we were sleeping together.
They were waiting at a booth as Elias and I stepped inside, their gazes appreciative as they scanned me. All got up as we approached and gave me a lingering kiss and hug in full view of everyone before I sat down, my cheeks hot, and my panties wet.
“Everyone is going to think we’re sleeping together,” I whisper, wanting to hide my red face from all the curious glances we attracted from the neighboring tables.
The glass cabinet is empty of pie, and all the tables are full of people demolishing their fries and large sandwiches.
Hunter winks at me. “Is that such a bad thing?”
Still blushing, I’m saved from having to respond when Lina appears at our booth with a surprised smile. “Hey, I didn’t know you were coming in.”
“Hey, Lina. Elias suggested lunch.” I’d get up and hug her, but I’m pinned in the middle of a booth full of alphas, and none of them are showing any signs of moving.
She grins at me. “Well, it’s so good to see you. Dad told me what happened, and I can’t believe someone would torch your car and apartment.”
Shit. I didn’t think about what to tell her. Naturally, she’d be curious who would. “Yeah, it was crazy,” I say vaguely.
“And she’s staying with us,” Wyatt says, far louder than he needs to with Lina standing literally inches away.
“We’re taking care of all her needs,” Elias adds, joining our fingers and lifting my hand to brush a kiss across my knuckles.
This is all just a pretense to scare off Derek.
Lina hums, and her eyes sparkle. “Yep. Heard that too. Must be nice.”
I blush. “You’re married.”
She pulls her notebook from her apron pocket. “Yes, I’m married to a nice, handsome man I love to death. But a girl can dream about living with four hot alphas taking care of all her needs, okay?”
A few women at the neighboring tables grin, and my face heats at how many people overheard.
That’s the point. The more people who see us together, the more they’ll talk, and once Derek learns I’m not on my own and easy prey, he’ll leave if he hasn’t already.
“I’m just glad that Wyatt got me out of there.” I glance around the full diner. “Nico said to take a day off, but I’m not sure if he wants me back tomorrow. Is he here?”
“Take your time coming back,” Lina says firmly. “Winston is fine in the kitchen. He’s been wanting more hours anyway, so it suits him, and Dad steps in to help with the tables when it gets too crazy. We’re fine.”
Another thought hits me. How am I supposed to get to work now? I’m no longer a ten-minute walk away. With my car a write-off, I’d be relying on Elias, Hunter, Knox, and Wyatt to drive me to and from work. That isn’t fair when they’ve given me a place to stay.
“Do you know anyone selling a used car?” I ask Lina.
I could ask Nico for a short-term loan and increase my hours to repay him. Maybe I could scrap my car and get a little money from it. Who even knows where my car is? It wasn’t outside my apartment when Elias drove past it. The sheriff or the firefighters must have had it towed somewhere.
She opens her mouth to respond, but Wyatt wraps his arm around my shoulder. “We’ll talk about it.”
I frown.
Lina bounces her gaze from me to Wyatt and retreats a step. “I can come back.”
“Give us a couple of minutes,” Knox suggests.
“I won’t wander far,” Lina says, and walks off with a smile.
I focus on the four silent alphas I’m sharing a booth with. They have jobs they need to be at all day. Derek could walk into the diner at any time and sit in my section, and if he caused trouble, I’d be on my own until the sheriff turned up to arrest him.
“You don’t think working in the diner is a good idea, do you?” I ask, mainly because I don’t think it’s a good idea either. I freaked out when a guy tried to grab my wrist. If Derek walked in, I’d have a full-blown panic attack and run into a wall, knocking myself out getting away from him.