Siren in Waiting

Chapter Six

Trev covered Beth as he rolled. He twisted his body, taking her with him in an attempt to avoid being impaled by a hundred long-dead antlers as they crashed toward the floor.

He put a hand on her head, covering her so he took the brunt of their fall. They hit the hardwood floor with an audible crash.

The floor shook as the hideous chandelier crashed into the sofa right where their bodies had been. Had Trev not moved, and quickly, he could plainly see that Beth would have been killed, her lovely, giving body impaled by the horns. His heart raced, and it had nothing to do with arousal this time.

“What happened?” She lay still beneath him, her hushed words a testament to her anxiety.

“The chandelier fell. It seems to have taken a good portion of the ceiling with it.”

“I’m going to have to fix that.” She clutched his shoulders.

He was weighing her down, his big body covering her smaller one. Talk about getting caught with his pants down. His cock was pressed against her pussy, and the damn thing didn’t seem to understand that they had almost been killed. It was already getting hard again because Beth was right here. So much for not being aroused.

“How old did you say this house was?” Trev asked, wondering what else was going to go wrong.

“Really old. And I didn’t exactly have an inspection done.” Her face had contorted sweetly as though she knew she was in trouble. “It was an impulse.”

He rolled off of her. “You bought a whole house on an impulse?”

“I’ve always loved this house.”

“Even though it was supposed to be haunted?” He’d had the holy crap scared out of him by Maudine Bellows as a kid. She was one mean old lady.

“I’m going to check to see if anything else is going to come down on our heads.” Trev couldn’t help but kiss her before he pushed off her body and got to his feet.

Damn, he hadn’t even gotten his pants off. He pulled the condom off and managed to find a box of tissues. He rolled it up and tucked himself back in. He caught sight of Beth scrambling for her clothes.

“Don’t.” He’d wanted her first time to be on her terms, and with all the sweetness she deserved. He’d managed to keep it fairly vanilla. She’d enjoyed the experience and hadn’t been too uncomfortable. Now it was time to start putting this relationship on the proper footing. He knew what he needed out of a relationship, and it wasn’t vanilla.

Relationship. Eight hours in this town and he was in a relationship. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but it was the truth. Taking Beth Hobbes’s virginity meant something to Trev. It meant that for the time being, he was responsible for her.

“You don’t need clothes when we’re alone.”

“What?” She clutched the yellow sundress as she gingerly stepped around the damage.

He reached out and pulled it away, fisting the material in his hand. “I said you don’t need clothes.”

Beth’s mouth came open as she shot him an incredulous stare. “Trev, we nearly died. I don’t think we should be talking about my state of undress.”

Because she didn’t understand. “Begin as you mean to go, Beth. We need to start getting the rules in place. You and me alone equals you naked. Now, where’s your bedroom? I want you to go and wait for me in bed. I’m going to check this out and make sure we don’t need to call anyone out tonight.”

Her head shook slightly. “I don’t think there’s anyone to call. There’s no emergency chandelier repair in Deer Run.”

Trev gave her his best “badass Dom” stare. He’d perfected it over the last two years, and he’d been told it was sure to send every sub in a two mile radius scrambling to do his bidding.

Beth took a step back. “Fine. But no one will come out at this time of night. And I don’t think it’s a good idea to call someone anyway. They might get the wrong idea about what’s been going on out here.”

“What’s the wrong idea, darlin’? That we managed to shake the house so hard with our fucking we brought the roof down?” He actually kind of liked the idea. If it hadn’t almost killed them both.

“Yes. That would be the idea I am trying to avoid. And then there’s the problem that apparently I am no longer allowed to wear clothes.”

“Which won’t be a problem because you’ll be waiting for me in your bedroom.”

“They’ll still know you’re here.”

He felt his face flush. He hated that. She wanted to hide him? He couldn’t blame her. Maybe he’d jumped the gun thinking they had something going. But he had to point out a few facts to her. “Honey, everyone knows you left The Rusty Spur with me. I suppose we can come up with something, but every person in this town is going to think you’re seeing me.”

Her face softened. She stepped close. “I didn’t mean that, Trev. I don’t care if they all know. I just didn’t want someone walking in when it’s still, you know, it’s so obvious that we…”

He grinned and brushed his lips across hers. The room was a mess. Clothes had been tossed aside. It still smelled like sweet sex. “We’ll wait until we’ve cleaned up to call. Now go on to the bedroom. I’ll take care of this.”

He could see how she fought not to cover herself. Her hands moved restlessly at her sides, but Beth managed to hold her ground. “It just seems funny that I’m naked and you have your jeans on.”

He was starting a relationship with a woman who didn’t understand D/s at all. She was submissive as hell, but she didn’t understand what was required. He was going to have to have a talk with Lexi about those books. They apparently needed way more instructive information in them. “Me Dom. You sub. Sub’s about to get spanked if she doesn’t obey her Dom.”

“Fine.” She turned on her perfectly formed heels and strode toward the stairs. He got his first good look at her ass. Heart-shaped and perky, that rear end was just about the finest thing he’d ever seen. Trev’s cock twitched again. He loved the curve of her shoulders and the graceful hourglass of her figure. He was utterly obsessed with the sweet length of her spine and the dimples just above her cheeks. Her skin was perfect and creamy.

He wouldn’t be happy until he’d fucked her ass. No way. He wanted all of her.

For the first time in a very long time, he was looking forward to the near future.

He looked at the ruined sofa behind him. The hideous light fixture had actually punctured the sofa and embedded several horns into the old velvet. He couldn’t fool himself. It had been a close call. Trev pulled the heavy chandelier out of the sofa and moved it the side. He was careful of the electrical plugs and the crushed glass.

Twenty minutes later, he was pretty sure this house should be condemned. The doors creaked and shuddered when he opened them. The floor under his feet wasn’t perfectly solid in places, and he was pretty sure there was a raccoon in residence. Now the second floor would be dangerous to walk on after the chandelier incident.

And he wasn’t going to be able to get Beth out of here. She’d lit up when she talked about turning this old place into a show home. She’d sunk every dime she had into this project.

He was going to have to learn about home repair because he foresaw a bunch of it in his future.

One year. He had one year with her. He knew he wasn’t good for anyone long-term, but maybe he could help Beth over the year he had. He didn’t even try to tell himself that it wouldn’t last a year. The trouble would be walking away from her when he left for Colorado.

She’d felt so good, and it hadn’t just been her silky-smooth body. It had been all about her trust and the sweet way she’d submitted. He’d gone easy on her because she was a virgin, but starting tomorrow, she would become his submissive.

His.

Years of training and he’d never taken a submissive. He shouldn’t take one now, but he couldn’t deny her. He’d had a primal feeling in his gut the minute he’d seen her. He should have walked away, but he’d never been great with the whole self-denial thing.

And now he had to deal with Bo O’Malley. Despite the fact that his former friend wasn’t Beth’s boyfriend, he was still a part of her life. And Trev had a feeling Bo wasn’t going to like the fact that she was with him now.

He heard a phone ringing. He picked up Beth’s dress, and two cells dropped free. His and hers. Hers was an old phone. It was cracked and looked like it probably didn’t work half the time. She needed a new one. That would be the first order of business once he had his paycheck in hand.

He thought about the ten million coming to him in less than a year. It staggered him that once he could have bought Beth a house many times over. Now every dime he had coming had to be spent on securing a future that didn’t include football.

He needed a drink, but then he always needed a drink.

Trev looked down at the phone. He didn’t recognize the number. It wasn’t assigned in her phone, so he let it ring. He ignored the messages on his own phone. There would be time enough to deal with all of that tomorrow.

Tonight he wanted to sleep with Beth and forget everything.

He walked up the stairs and was pleased to find she had obeyed him at least once tonight. She was naked and waiting in bed.

Trev slid under the covers and had his mouth on hers before she could speak.

Bo didn’t like jail. It smelled bad, and the sheriff hadn’t bothered to separate out the prisoners. He was in the cell with the same asshole he’d fought with. Luckily, Brian had passed out long ago, but Bo didn’t really want to be around when he woke up.

“Hey, O’Malley, you ready for your phone call?” Sheriff Lou Mark yawned a little as though all the trouble had interrupted his very important nap.

Lou had been the sheriff for as long as Bo could remember. He was edging toward retirement. He filled out his uniform almost to the point of bursting and had been known to play checkers with his prisoners. “Hell, yeah, I’m ready to get out of here.” Bo shifted off the bench that served as Brian’s cot and followed the sheriff out the door.

Only Bo and Brian had been brought in. Everyone else had either managed to flee or been deemed not dangerous enough to waste space on.

Bo picked up the phone to dial his brother’s number. Aidan would give him a stern lecture, but he would be here as fast as his truck would carry him. Lucas would be right behind Aidan, making sure he found every loophole the sheriff had undoubtedly left open. And Lexi would come, if only to add much needed sarcasm.

His family. He could count on them, but Aidan’s wasn’t the number he dialed. His fingers seemed to be more in line with his heart than his head. The only person he wanted to see was Mouse. He wanted to see her sweet face and have her hold her arms out to him. Mouse wouldn’t yell at him. Mouse would fuss over him, and he needed that.

And, by god, he was going to fuss over her, too. He was done fooling himself. He wanted Mouse, and his friends could go to hell.

The phone began to ring, and Bo’s heart sped up at the thought of being able to talk to her about this. He was going to tell her as soon as she walked in the doors to pick him up. The county lockup wasn’t the most romantic place to declare his intentions, but he’d made her wait long enough.

He’d sat in that cramped, stinky cell where he was sure some hobo had recently died and realized that he was being an idiot and had been his whole life. He let other people influence his decisions, and they were people he didn’t even really like. He’d looked down at Brian, who seemed to have some serious problems with sleep apnea, and realized he’d denied his feelings for Mouse so someone like Brian would accept him. Bo had spent so much time trying to fit in that he had forgotten to figure out who the hell he was. He’d only been able to be himself with Mouse.

The phone switched to voice mail. He pulled the receiver back and stared at it like it was a foreign object. Mouse always answered her phone.

How mad was she?

“Hey, Mouse.” He’d leave her a message. He deserved her anger. He’d been an asshole, but she would listen to the message. “It’s me. I’m in a little trouble. I’m in jail, and I really need for you to come down here and pick me up. I know you don’t like to drive, but I’m begging you, baby. Please come get me. I want to talk to you. I have a lot to say. And I went to jail, not Clarissa’s. Jail. No sex in jail. At least I hope not. Don’t leave me too long. I’ll be waiting.”

He hung the phone up.

The sheriff shook his head. “You’re in jail and you call Mouse Hobbes to come get you? That girl doesn’t even like to drive. And her car is a menace.”

His jaw firmed. “A man calls the person closest to him in a time like this.”

“A smart man calls his brother’s boyfriend who just happens to be a lawyer.”

“Lucas isn’t Aidan’s boyfriend. He’s his partner.”

Sheriff Lou groaned a bit. “I got no idea what to call the man. I just know I’m glad you’re a dumb bunny. That Lucas Cameron is smart and mean from what I’ve heard. The last thing I need is a false arrest lawsuit. Not that Aidan is any nicer. I ought to just let them have at that drunk in there. If I didn’t have twenty witnesses willing to testify that you damn near decapitated the man with a pool cue, I’d let you go. I heard all the things the idiot said about your brother.”

Bo turned to the sheriff. He didn’t live in Deer Run, but he’d presided over the whole county for most of Bo’s life. “Most men would be on Brian’s side.”

The sheriff’s eyes rolled. “You need to get out more, Bo. The world isn’t as all-fired small-minded as Deer Run. And it’s changing. You’ll still find assholes like Brian, but there are plenty of folks who live and let live. Life is way too short to spend your time hating. Besides, I’ve got a sister who lives in Seattle, and she’s a lesbian. She also makes the best chili I’ve ever had. I think the two are connected somehow.”

Bo wasn’t sure a person’s sexual preferences had much to do with the ability to properly make chili, but he was intrigued by the sheriff’s relaxed take on the subject. “Not many people around here agree with you.”

“It’s more than you think. The problem is that one or two strong voices shout out the softer ones. I admire the hell out of your brother. He served this country with honor, and no one has a right to tell him how to live his life. Too many people in this town live in fear that they’ll get looked down on. That ain’t no way to live.”

The sheriff opened the door again. Brian snored loudly and turned over on the cot, showing off the fact that he didn’t mind a little plumber’s crack. Bo tried to shrink back.

The sheriff laughed a little. “Go on now. I’m not cleaning out the other cell just to spare your tender sensibilities.”

“I don’t mind if it’s dirty,” Bo said. Dirty sounded better than staring at Brian’s asscrack all night.

“Nope. In you go. Maybe this way you’ll stay out of that bar. Jail is supposed to be a deterrent, son. But maybe you can sit out here with me for a while.” The sheriff’s eyes lit up a little bit. “Mouse won’t be here for a while, anyway. It’ll take her an hour or two to find enough mice to power that car of hers. We could play some checkers. Hey, do you want some coffee cake?”

Bo nodded. Anything was better than being stuck in there with Brian. “Sure.”

The sheriff smiled. “Good. You get the checkers set out of my desk. I’ll go heat up that coffee cake.” He turned to the kitchenette door. Then he turned back. “Hey, don’t you escape or nothing.”

Bo gave him a little salute. “Wouldn’t think of it.”

The sheriff nodded and disappeared. Bo found the checkers game and set it up. He pulled up the deputy’s chair. He shouldn’t have to wait too long. Mouse would be here, and they would talk. He would drive that cheap little car of hers back to her place, and they would figure out their future.

He was going to kiss Mouse, and not on her cheek. He was going to take her in his arms and lay her down. He was going to get inside her and finally make her his.

He was going to marry Mouse.

He felt a smile split his face. Something settled deep inside of Bo. He was going to be a husband and someday a father. The idea of Mouse with a baby in her arms warmed him. He would be a good father. He wouldn’t let his son feel alone and adrift. His son would always know that he was there for him. He would never beat the shit out of his son and force him to seek shelter.

That night he’d gone to Austin to find Trev flashed across his brain. He’d been hurting. Aidan would have killed their dad had Bo gone to him. He’d gone to Trev because they’d been so close.

Trev had told him to go away because he didn’t want to interrupt his party.

Mouse had gotten on a bus and come to him. She’d cleaned him up and held him. She’d given him a place to stay until his bruises healed and covered for him at school. Bo had made sure he was never alone with his father when he was drinking again. When the bottle had come out, Bo had hightailed it straight to Mouse’s place.

No, he wouldn’t be anything like his father.

Mouse had always been his home. He could see that now. He was done denying it. He loved her. He was ready to start his future.

If she would only get here.

When the sheriff came back, Bo ate his coffee cake and waited for his girl.