Chapter Sixteen
I’ve been busy in the workshop for an hour when Riggs pokes his head around to tell me Dawn and Hannah are spending the night in a lavish hotel where they can get some pampering, courtesy of Jen.
They won’t be back until later tomorrow, which is fine.
Until I realize it is going to leave me alone with three drop-dead gorgeous men.
The answer to that is to hide out for another hour before reluctantly cleaning myself up and getting dressed in something more appropriate than threadbare shorts and a faded tank top.
I keep it simple with a short white sundress that shows off my tan.
I rub scented moisturizer into my skin, adding a subtle shimmer of gold to brighten the occasion.
I don’t need a bra with this dress—it has a fitted corset-style top that takes some fiddling to get into as it laces up with ribbons at the back.
Since I have time and a bunch of nervous energy to work through, I curl my hair, using a large barrel to make big, bouncy waves.
When I’m done, I swipe on a touch of red lipstick with a dash of gloss for shine.
Happy with the overall effect, I stand back and admire myself in the mirror for a moment before I eye the door and decide to do something daring.
I slip my hands under my dress and hook my fingers in the edge of my panties before sliding them down my legs and stepping out of them.
I ball them up and toss them in the hamper before I straighten the bed and walk down the stairs, straining to hear if anyone is here yet.
The answer to that question is an awareness washing over me.
I head straight for the door, knowing it’s Shepard.
I open it as he parks and smile when I see he’s driving a Jeep Wrangler instead of his cruiser.
My eyes move over the man himself. He’s wearing a pair of dark blue jeans with a white button-up, the arms rolled up to the elbow, the look screaming cool and casual.
He spots me and grins before dipping back into the car and pulling out a bunch of—“No way. Is that a book bouquet?” I hurry down the steps as he chuckles to himself, but I don’t care.
The man has books. I like to think I’m a wise woman, but I swear all it would take to kidnap me is a mobile library. “Are those for me?”
“No, they’re for Riggs,” he deadpans, earning a glare from me until he hands it over.
I stare down at the pretty wrapped bouquet of romance books interwoven with candles and candy. “This is awesome, Shepard, thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Poppy.”
“This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” I tell him reverently.
“You don’t own a mirror?”
I shake my head. “Alright, Mr. Suave, let’s get this show inside before Riggs thinks I’ve run away.”
“I don’t think you need to worry about that. That man would hunt you down and drag you back.”
“What makes you say that?”
He nods toward the door, where Riggs leans against the frame, his ankles crossed, watching us. “Intuition.” He winks. He dips his head and kisses me gently before pulling back.
I head up the steps to Riggs, feeling a little giddy. “Look what I got.”
“Ah, I see he figured out the way to my woman’s heart.”
“Maybe she’s gotta little space in there for both of us,” Shepard offers.
Riggs eyes him before his gaze comes back to me and softens. “Maybe. Come on, food’s almost done. If…” His voice drifts off at the sound of the approaching car.
“Who’s that?” Shepard asks.
I look at Riggs with wide eyes, remembering that Shepard has no idea Austin is coming. “Eh…”
“Have fun with that, Opie. Here, let me take your bouquet inside while you explain to your cop who else is coming for dinner.” The asshole dares to grin at me, a full-on dimpled grin at that.
“I miss something?” Shepard asks, but by then the car is close enough for him to recognize. “Fuck.”
“Yeah, so about that…”
He turns to look at me, crossing his arms over his chest. “You know what he does for a living?”
“I know, but it’s not like he’s going to do some arms deal or drug trade over the lasagna Riggs baked.”
He tips his head back and looks at the sky as if seeking patience.
“It’s worth pointing out that Riggs and I are both ex-cons. You’re kind of already diving in at the deep end. As far as I know, Austin has never been convicted of anything.”
“Mostly because the guy is too slick to get caught,” he mutters, and I can’t really argue with that.
Austin gets out of the car, holding a bottle of wine in one hand and what looks like a bottle of Scotch. “Wasn’t sure what to bring.”
“You didn’t have to bring anything.”
He walks over to me and kisses my cheek. “I wanted to. Especially as I invited myself.” Shepard grunts at that, drawing Austin’s attention. “Sheriff. How’s the prisoner?”
“Back home for now.”
“The justice system works in mysterious ways.”
“Not sure you’re the right man to comment on it.”
“On the contrary. In my line of work, people know if they fuck up, there are consequences. Porter threatened violence against Calliope today, and he’s already back home with his feet up.
Does he have to attack her for the charges to stick?
One of those call me back if he kills you because I can definitely arrest him then kind of things? ”
“Funny. I don’t write the laws, I enforce them.”
“And I just pick up the pieces of the people who got fucked over by the system that chewed them up and spat them out.”
“Hey guys, if you want to have a whose dick is bigger competition, you go right ahead. I’m going to head inside and eat with Riggs, who, in case you were wondering, has the biggest.” I huff and stomp away. Okay, it was more like a flounce, but good god, what is it with men?
I walk into the kitchen and head straight for Riggs. He wipes his hands before opening his arms up to me.
“What’s up?”
“Men.”
“Ah, I take it Shepard and Austin are bonding.”
“You would be correct.”
“And they’ve managed to annoy you before they’ve even gotten through the door?”
“You would be correct again.”
“Damn, these guys make me look good.”
I elbow him with a huff, making him laugh.
“You’re gonna have to let them work it out. They’re never gonna have the easiest of relationships. If it weren’t for you, they’d likely stay far apart. That should say a lot about how they feel about you.”
“Ugh, can’t you just let me pout for a minute?”
“Nope, because this bottom lip sticks out and then all I can think about is my cock gliding over it before it hits the back of your throat.”
“Don’t mind us,” Shepard says from behind me, making me jump. Riggs drags his thumb across my lip, not fazed at all.
“Oh, I don’t mind,” Riggs mumbles, not taking his eye off me.
I bite my lip, feeling my cheeks heat. I take a step back, not wanting to get caught in his snare.
The man makes me lose my mind, and I don’t think serving me up on the table is an option.
Though when I turn and face Austin and Shepard, I’m not so sure.
The testosterone in this room is thick enough for me to eat with a spoon, and if I’d bothered to put panties on, I’m sure they’d be soaked by now.
I cough to clear my throat. “Shall we eat?”
“I’m fucking starving,” Austin says, but the way he’s looking at me makes me think he’s not talking about food.
“Lasagna will be ready in about forty-five minutes. I say we open those bottles Austin is carrying and sit out on the deck out back.”
“Okay,” I nod, wiping my sweaty palms on my dress, hating that I feel flustered all of a sudden.
Having them all this close and me their sole focus is enough to fry anyone’s brain.
“That’s good. That’s great. I’m gonna meet you out there.
I need to go to the place and do the thing. ” I point, much to Riggs’s amusement.
“Is that right?”
“Yeah. I won’t be long. You can just all talk amongst yourselves.” I hurry to the door, then turn back briefly. “No killing each other.”
Austin sighs. “Always stealing my fun.”
I flip him off and keep walking, ignoring his laughter as I walk out of the house and down to my old workshop. I open the door and close it behind me, before collapsing against it.
“Okay, what was that, Calliope?” I ask myself. But I have no clue.
I’ve spent time with these guys individually. Though they get me hot and bothered, I can usually hold my own. In there, though, surrounded by all that hotness, it’s almost too much for me to handle.
I move into the room, and the lamps come on automatically. I give a mental thanks to the house, which seems amused by my mini-meltdown.
It’s clean in here now that most of the stuff is upstairs in my new workshop.
The bags of soil and pots for seedlings are the exception.
They’re all stacked neatly against the far wall.
The only thing that’s out of place is the large coil of rope sitting on the otherwise empty worktop, which I used to corral one of the new rescue horses into the stable the other day.
I lean against the worktop and take a deep, steadying breath. “Get your shit together, woman.”
A few deep breaths later, and I’m calmer. That is, until I hear the door creak open behind me. I freeze, knowing who it is when the house doesn’t react.
“So this is where the magic happens?” Austin says, moving farther into the room.
“It used to be. Riggs built me a workshop in the house, using the bones of my father’s old office.”
He snorts. “Oh, I bet he’d have loved that.” I feel my heart thundering in my chest as he moves up behind me, his body pressing against mine. “You seem on edge, Cece.”
I shake my head as he moves away. “No, I’m good. Where are the others?” I ask as he picks up the rope from the worktop.
Before he can answer, the house alerts me to their approach. I spin around just as the door opens, and both men slip inside.
“You hiding from us, Opie?”
“What? No, of course not. I was just fetching the…” I look around, hurrying to think of something when I spot the rope in Austin’s hands. “Rope. I was looking for rope.”