Authors: Lynn Stark
Tags: #Romance
Jace leaned toward her, pinning her with his gaze. “I thought you just said you were thinking about sleeping with Colt.”
One corner of her mouth tilted upwards. She had such a sweet mouth. His cock stirred at what he would like to see her do with it. “Having sex with someone is not a relationship. I just think he’d be very good at it.”
“Well, we’re good at it,” Merck told her. “Forget Colt. Unless you’re really into being chained to a bed by an old guy, of course.”
“Now, now,” Colt said smoothly, a brow arching upward. “I rarely use chains on novices. I have silk scarves in a wide variety of colors for such a purpose.” He looked at Piper and smiled gently. “I have a set of lavender scarves I believe would suit her perfectly.”
“Stop that,” Merck growled, body tensing beside Jace. “Stop being you.”
Colt laughed. “Merck, you are just too easy. When are you going to get it through your thick skull that I don’t want her?”
“What’s wrong with you?”
Jace turned his head to look at his lover. He stared. “What’s wrong with
you
? He just told you he didn’t want her and you get angry?”
“Well, she’s beautiful, sweet, and sexy as hell. Why doesn’t he want her?”
“Colt doesn’t want me because we’re best friends. There’s nothing more between us. Now, do you really believe I’m sexy?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Well, because you are.”
Finding his lover’s floundering rather endearing, Jace chuckled. “You’ll have to excuse him. Neither of us thought beyond getting through the door to see you. We just wanted you to know that we’re here to help you. If you need something, give us a call.”
Piper nodded, but she didn’t speak. Her small hand caressed the dog in her arms. Jace began glancing around. “Where’s Sparkle?”
“She’s probably getting into trouble somewhere.”
At that moment a movement caught his attention. Since he could see into the kitchen from where he was seated, he was able to see when the door to the refrigerator eased open. It swept back a few inches, then tried to close, only to be blocked by what he suspected was Sparkle’s little head. It was a trick she had done in her own home often enough, as she tried to raid the vegetable bin.
“You’re right about that. She’s looking for veggies.”
Piper jumped up and ran into the kitchen. “Bad pig!” she scolded. She pushed the door closed, which earned her a scolding from the tiny swine. “You know better. Now, come in here and be a good pig.”
The good pig wasn’t a very happy pig. She trotted into the living room and looked at each human. She bumped Jace’s leg, acknowledging him, before he reached down to scratch her on the back. She squealed and trotted away, only to return to nibble at Merck’s pant leg. When he reached down to pet her she nipped his hand and ran to Piper.
“Oh, you’re a bad pig! Bad, bad, Sparkle. I’m so sorry, Merck.”
Piper was trying to appear sorry, but there was laughter in her gray eyes and her lips were twitching tellingly. Jace winked at her when she glanced at him, which made her eyes open wide in surprise. She also blushed, which he thought made her even prettier. He idly wondered what else would make her blush.
“That’s okay. I can scratch getting bitten by a tiny pig off my bucket list.”
Piper stared at Merck for a moment, as if she thought he had lost his last marble. Then she was laughing with pure amusement, which really didn’t amuse the dog in her lap any. Mindy jumped down and went running to Colt, begging to be lifted up. Colt paused only for a moment before he picked her up and placed her gingerly on his lap.
“There’s something else off my list. Seeing Colt holding a tiny poodle in his lap is something I never expected to live to see.”
Colt managed gave Merck a wry look. “My father never allowed them, but I love dogs. Getting one just never happened. Now I simply don’t have any time in my life for one.”
“That’s not true,” Piper countered with a teasing smile. “You have a very dog-friendly lifestyle. You’re your own boss. You own several businesses where a dog could go easily, which would mean you wouldn’t have to leave it home. So, what’s your next argument, Mr. Dog Lover?” she teased, looking at him expectantly. “Now that I am starting a dog help center and doggie spa, I’ll keep an eye out for the perfect dog for you.”
Jace leaned forward, frowning. “You’re doing what?”
“I’m opening a pet help center and doggie spa. I could really help a lot of people here.”
Merck groaned beside him, which earned him a scathing look from Piper. “Just because you don’t like animals, doesn’t mean other people don’t. And some people just don’t have the resources to take care of their pets properly. I can help with that.”
“Who said I didn’t like animals?”
“You have bucking bulls.”
When Merck smacked his forehead with his palm, groaning, Jace laughed. He wound an around his lover’s neck to pull him closer to him. “It’ll be okay, big fella. We’ll get her thinking straightened out sooner or later.” He looked back at Piper. “Piper, Merck showed me his setup. Those bulls are about the most pampered animals I’ve ever seen. If you don’t believe me, ask your buddy here. I’m sure he’s been out to Merck’s ranch at least once.”
Shaking his head, Colt told them with a note of defeat in his voice, “I’ve told her all I can about how Merck takes care of his animals. She won’t believe it until she sees it for herself.”
“I believe he treats his animals better than a lot of people do. And he proved that the cowboys riding the bulls and horses aren’t using any cruel methods. That’s not the problem. The bulls and horses shouldn’t be exploited like that.”
Piper was on her soapbox and ready for a fight, her eyes gleaming, her cheeks flush.
Jace could see that this conversation was going downhill fast. He couldn’t stop it, as much as he wanted to.
“And I’ve explained that if my bulls weren’t being used for bucking they’d be hamburger. My animals are all well fed and are housed in a manner which is above and beyond what’s necessary. They’re my bread and butter. I do everything to keep them healthy and happy. Those are the facts, lady. And until you can come out to the ranch to see for yourself, and apologize to me, you won’t be seeing hide or hair of me.”
Jace could hear the anger in Merck’s voice. Her accusations were unfair and unjustified. She had singled Merck out and was on the attack. Merck stood and put on his hat. Jace stood beside him and reached for his coat. Obviously their visit had come to an end.
Merck was pissed. He nodded once to Colt before turning on his heel and heading out of the house. He couldn’t even look at Piper. She had pissed him off before, but this was different. From the beginning he had made every effort to prove to her that he wasn’t unscrupulous, that he treated his animals well and saw to it that others did so. He would never put up with anyone abusing an animal. Sure, bulls were big, brawny beasts full of mean. They were also at the mercy of the men and women handling them. He’d seen his fair share of assholes since his earliest days of going to the rodeos as a kid with his fathers and brothers.
Climbing into Jace’s truck, he slammed the door. Jace followed him in. “Easy there, honey,” he crooned, leaning across the console so he could plant a firm kiss on Merck’s lips. “Don’t let her get to you like that. She’s still living in the past. There’s a part of her that’s trapped there. It’s going to take time for her to shift her thinking into the present. First she has to really establish herself here in Silver, create a life and a purpose for herself.”
He heard the reasoning in his lover’s voice and he relaxed slightly. But he wasn’t ready to let it go. He couldn’t. Anger was burning in his gut, as was resentment. Strong fingers slipped inside the collar of his coat, massaging the muscles corded with tension. Why couldn’t Piper just let it go?
“I don’t appreciate being accused of being something I’m not. Am I supposed to give up my whole livelihood to make her happy? Because I just can’t do it. Would she rather see me load them all up and ship them off to be butchered? My bulls get to live out their lives on the ranch, even when they’ve outlived their usefulness. It’s money out of my pocket to keep them, but they did right by me and I’ll do right by them. Death Watch will be twenty-five this year. Should we throw him a party and invite her?”
When Jace didn’t respond as he finally ended his rant, Merck turned to look at the handsome man. He could see him clearly with the light coming from Colt’s front porch lights bathing his face. The man was obviously holding back laughter. Merck’s lips twitched. Then he choked and the laughter erupted from him.
“Thanks,” he said finally, kissing Jace when he leaned toward him again. Their lips clung for a moment. “I guess asking her out on a date is off for now.”
“For now,” Jace agreed, kissing him once last time before starting the truck. “Let’s go someplace for a beer.”
“I’ve got beer at home. We can drink it naked.”
“That’s a great time-saving idea. Got anymore?”
“Not yet, but I’ll think of something by the time we get home.”
Jace backed the truck out. Merck saw him glance over again. “Home. I like the sound of that.”
They rode out of town in silence, holding hands when Jace didn’t need his for shifting gears. He liked that the guy was giving him space to sort out his thoughts and finish cooling off. Merck had the feeling that dealing with Piper was going to drive him nuts. While one half of him wanted to give her time, the other wanted to go all caveman and tell her that she was theirs.
Merck didn’t regret giving Piper a piece of his mind. Obviously being patient with her hadn’t worked. Yeah, the woman was working through a lot of crap in her life. He got that. But she had to direct her anger and frustration at the real bad guys in her life, not at Jace and him.
If half the stuff Jace told him about Douglas and Camilla Barrows was true, then Piper had lived a pretty miserable life, slowly crushed beneath the weight of her parents’ overprotectiveness. It was going to take her time to adjust and he had to give her that.
They
had to give her that.
“What’s going to happen when her father shows up?”
“To put it bluntly, all hell’s going to break loose. I can see that your friend Colt is trying to help Piper learn to be independent. I believe once she realizes that she doesn’t need her father’s permission or approval, she’ll be able to stand up to him.”
“Do you think she’ll be able to do it?”
“Let’s just say I don’t think Piper is going to want to go back into the cage now that she’s gotten a chance to spread her wings. Her father’s going to be both shocked and very unhappy with the new and improving Piper.”
“She’s an adult. He can’t make her go back, can he?”
“No, of course he can’t. Not unless he’s able to bully her into it. Coming to Silver was a good decision on her part. There’s no one here that he can get to help him out.”
Jace turned the truck into the lane on his property. Merck’s ranch wasn’t as large as some in the area, but it more than suited his needs. The truck hit a rut and he winced. Jace swore and swerved for the next one.
“Guess I’ll have to get some of the boys to fill those in,” he said sheepishly. The headlights glowed over every oncoming hole in the lane. Damn, it was bad. He groaned. “Sorry.”
“Don’t get your panties in a twist,” Jace laughed, squeezing his hand. “It’d take more than a couple of holes to take out this truck. Now, have you thought of anything else to do tonight, other than the two of us sitting around naked and drinking beer?” Merck’s hand was released. It landed on his thigh, first rubbing firmly, and then squeezing. The pressure went straight to his cock, causing him to moan. “Do you know how hot you are? All I could think about since we got out of bed this morning was how soon we could get back into it.”
Merck’s cock swelled even more. Droplets of fire began trickling along his veins. Jace’s words were what he needed to hear at that moment. It pushed out the disappointment he could feel building inside him.
He voiced his doubts. “I was hoping we could get to know Piper a little better.”
“We did. It’s going to take time. I don’t believe it’ll be all that long before she decides that we’re just the kind of men for her.”
Merck didn’t have anything to say to that. His mind and body were heading toward what he could have and away from what he might never have. There would be plenty of time later to torture himself over Piper.
Jace parked in the garage and turned off the engine. Pushing the button on the control Merck had given him, the door slid down behind the truck. They both got out. It was difficult to walk with his cock pressing against the front of his jeans. He felt more than a little conspicuous as they entered the mudroom between the garage and the house and shed their jackets. His heart was pounding in his chest as he anticipated the night to come. He wanted to know if the magic would happen between them again. It was more than sex, though that was a very big part of it. The connection between Jace and him was unbelievable. Merck wanted to know if it was still there or if it had been some phantom, one-time thing.
Being shoved against the wall and having a muscular thigh wedged between his legs was a definite indicator. The sparks of heat in his veins flared as his balls were pressed upward and his arms were lifted above his head by hands fitting like manacles around his wrists. Oh, hell yeah! Merck thought as he stared at the man igniting the passion he’d buried for so long.