He moved his hands from her hips to her torso then to her hands. He gripped her wrists and pulled her down against his chest so they were face-to-face.
“We worry about you, Susanna. Guys want you still even though we make it clear that you’re off-limits.”
She held his gaze.
“This has to stop. I’m with you and BJ. I don’t care about any other guys.”
He smiled at her.
“That’s good to know, but BJ and I are very protective of you. We almost lost you, Susanna, and it was only a few months ago.”
She understood that. She just wanted to put that behind her and live a normal life, or as much of a normal life as she could live in a ménage relationship.
“I understand, and I would like you to know that I appreciate your affection and protection. But could you please ease up? I feel smothered, and it makes me grumpy.”
She leaned forward as he held her arms behind her back and over her ass cheeks.
“Sure. I’ll talk to BJ,” he whispered against her lips then kissed her.
* * * *
After Monte left, she went back to work and began to look over some of the mail she’d received today but never got around to opening. There were a few envelopes for the girls, and then she noticed the yellow envelope addressed to Paula. There was no return address, and usually Paula didn’t receive mail. She tossed it to the side to hand out at the end of the night and immediately submerged herself in writing out bills and checking over orders. It was after midnight when she finally decided to head back downstairs.
* * * *
Paula sat on her bed and opened up the mail that Susanna had given to her. She pulled out the white sheet of paper and read the typed letter.
You’re too good to be working there. I’ve watched the way men look at you, wanting to destroy that innocence about you. They’ll keep coming, trying to touch you. You deserve better. You deserve a real man like me.
Paula reread the letter. It sounded different from the other notes she’d received from the secret admirer. This one seemed like the writer was angry. She shook her head. Until he revealed himself, she really couldn’t do much. She wondered who had sent it, but she was so tired she just couldn’t keep her eyes open. She placed it into the folder and went to bed. She’d deal with it in the morning.
* * * *
The sounds of fire engines roaring in the distance awoke her from her sleep. It was 5:00 a.m. and she could hear the blaring of the engines’ horns. She closed her eyes and threw the pillow over her head. It wasn’t their house or one in their neighborhood. The fire engines were just passing through on their way somewhere else. The longer she listened the further they seemed to go before disappearing completely. She was tired and soon she fell back to sleep.
It was 11:00 a.m. when Paula awoke and headed downstairs to get something to eat. She was surprised to see that everyone except herself and Alexa were awake.
“Good morning,” she stated, and everyone greeted her.
She poured some sweet tea into a glass then turned to look at everyone. They were awfully quiet.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Did you hear the sirens this morning?” Ava asked her, and she nodded then took a sip of tea.
“There was a fire at the Murphy Hotel outside of town. Over a dozen people were injured, and so far two are dead,” Sally told her as Alexa joined them.
“What? Oh my God, how terrible,” Alexa added.
“Jeez. Is there anything we can do to help out?”
“Susanna was at BJ’s and Monte’s last night. They said it’s under control, but it looks like arson,” Elise told her.
“Well, if it is, the fire inspector will be able to figure it out,” Juliet added.
“That is just so terrible,” Paula added before taking an uneasy breath.
“It’s kind of odd about how many fires we’ve had in Delite over the past few months,” Elise stated.
“You’re right. There have been at least five bad ones. I wonder what caused them?” Alexa asked, and Paula couldn’t help but wonder if Tyler was trying to figure out the same thing. He seemed grumpier than usual, and she hadn’t seen him or Matt leave Dixie Chix with any women at the end of the night. That thought made her belly ache and a feeling of jealousy move through her. She shook her head. They didn’t even like her, so why should she waste any thoughts on them?
Dixie Chix was extra crowded tonight. A lot of the firefighters, police, and EMTs came in to have some beers and recover from the fire at the Murphy Hotel. The place was pretty much demolished and a few firemen were injured.
Paula talked to a couple of the guys and she heard that Tyler had it pretty rough. As the fire inspector, and due to budget cuts in the area, he also helped out with arson investigation. He apparently knew a lot of stuff about the process to follow to try to gather evidence. Arson investigating was difficult work. She noticed how tired he looked as he sat a few stools down from the other men and next to his brother. Cautiously, she approached from behind the bar. She was helping Juliet keep up with the bar crowd.
“Can I get you another round?”
Tyler looked at her as if surprised to see her then nodded his head.
She grabbed two more beers, opened them, then placed them down on the bar.
“How are you doing? I mean, I’m sure kind of crappy and all, but I…” She didn’t finish her sentence as Tyler gave her the look of death. She felt her cheeks warm and freaked out. She left and headed toward the other end of the bar.
She could see from a distance that Matt was arguing with Tyler over something, but then Clara, another barmaid, showed up and replaced Paula so she could go out onto the floor. As she walked past the bar, Matt grabbed her hand.
“Hey, Paula, Tyler’s sorry about before. He didn’t mean to look so pissed off.”
“It’s okay. I shouldn’t have bothered him.” She pulled away from him as she headed to the other bar area. Before she could get far, she felt the eyes on her. It was so strange, but she sensed people staring at her. Turning toward the side, she noticed some men sitting at a table. The two of them stared at her. Two looked drunk, and when the third turned around she noticed that it was Jimmy.
He smiled then waved her over. Reluctantly she walked that way and would use the excuse that she needed to head to the office.
The three men got down off the stools as she approached, and Jimmy introduced her.
She shook their hands as they reached out, and in no time at all they were surrounding her. She felt the table against her back and an uneasy feeling move across the skin of her spine.
Jimmy took her wrist in his hand and lifted it slightly as he spoke.
“You look beautiful tonight, Paula.” He looked her over then smiled.
“Thank you.”
“Are these real rhinestones on here?” the other guy asked as he brushed his pointer over the pocket of her black jeans, where a rhinestone design sat on the back. He looped a finger through one of the belt loops, turning her to his liking.
The other guy stared at her chest. She wore a pretty red camisole that was beaded along the trim of the bustline and a sheer black blouse that had one button holding it closed. She recognized that dark look in their eyes, and she knew she needed to get the heck out of there.
She pushed the guy’s hand away and began to try to move away from them.
“Whoa, honey, where are you going? We wanted to talk some more.” The other guy grabbed her around the waist. The music was louder now that the band got started, and she immediately smelled the beer on the guy’s breath. They were feeling pretty good, and she needed to get out of this situation.
“Okay, honey, you need to settle down before you fall flat on your face. Let me go. I need to get back to work,” she told them in a firm yet calm tone. At least she hoped they wouldn’t sense her fear.
He hugged her to him and whispered in her ear.
“You got a perfect set of tits on you, baby, and a great ass.”
He squeezed her ass, and she tried pushing away from him. Jimmy and the other guy laughed.
“Release her now.”
The firm voice came from behind her as the guy released his hold and looked shocked to see the person talking. Before she could look behind her as she stepped quickly away from the three men, a strong arm wrapped around her waist and a solid chest pressed against her back. Whoever was behind her was big and muscular. His thick forearm was across her belly and she felt a large palm against her hip bone.
She turned to the right and saw Matt was there, too. His shoulder-length brown hair pressed into his blue collared shirt. The look in his eyes scared her, and she wondered what would happen next.
“What the hell? We were talking to the lady first, so take a walk,” said one of the men in slurred speech.
“That’s where you’re wrong. I saw her first and she’s mine.” The sound of Tyler’s firm, deep voice vibrated through her body. He squeezed her tighter, and she grabbed onto his forearm as he nearly lifted her off the floor. She was not only shocked by the strong authoritative tone but also by the fact that she was actually in his arms.
“Go sit back down, enjoy your beers, and leave her alone. That’s your final warning,” Matt stated, and the arm that wrapped around her pulled her away from the three men. She saw their facial expressions, and they looked downright pissed off.
She grabbed Tyler’s wrist and tried prying it off of her as he walked her away.
“Let go of me.” She looked up sideways to a large shoulder and then the mean, intense expression on Tyler’s face.
Holy fuck, Tyler looks pissed.
Suddenly her heart was racing and she felt about to vomit. Of course the smell of the other man’s stinky beer breath and cigarette smell was nearly gone and replaced with some expensive men’s cologne of Tyler’s. All fear and concern about the past situation cleared from her mind, and she was suddenly keenly in tune to Tyler. His muscular forearm was pressed below her bustline. Her breasts felt perky, and her nipples were hard. The sensation in her belly was a mix of fear and delight. Was Tyler actually paying attention to her? Only minutes ago he had ignored her at the bar.
By the time they had her in the hallway away from the crowd, she got him to release her.
“Will you let go of me, please?”
Tyler turned her around and pressed her against the wall. Her ass hit the Sheetrock and then her shoulder blades. The rhinestones on her back pockets dug into her ass, but she dared not move, not with the looks both Matt and Tyler gave her.
The two men stared down at her, and she had never realized until this moment how tall and muscular they were or how intimidating.
Tyler placed one hand against the wall over her shoulder and very close to her skin. The other hand held her waist so she was trapped against the hard surface. Matt leaned beside her with his arms crossed and a mean expression on his face. She swallowed hard.
“What the fuck did you think you were doing going over there to talk with those assholes?” Tyler asked, and she was startled by his abrasive tone.
“Excuse me?”
“Damn it, woman, I asked you a question. What were you thinking?” When he raised his voice at her, she began to tremble. His hard expression, lines near the corners of his eyes and hint of whiskers on his face made him appear rustic and hard. His Adam’s apple moved, and she could see the smooth tan of his chest with the two top buttons open. She swallowed. Her mouth suddenly felt dry as the words caught in her throat.
“I didn’t think—”
He interrupted her with his face a few inches from hers. “That’s right. You didn’t think. Not for one minute did you think that perhaps a woman like you, dressed like you, looking like you, shouldn’t go near a bunch of drunk, rowdy cowboys and flaunt yourself.”
“What? I wasn’t flaunting anything!” she exclaimed then attempted to move away. She felt her large breasts bounce within the low-cut camisole. Tyler’s eyes grazed over them.
Tyler pressed the palm of his hand to her belly, and she froze in place then leaned back against the wall.
God, the man was intense.
“That asshole went after you the other night, did he not?” he asked with his tone firm and with such authority she found herself shaking and utterly turned on. That just wasn’t a normal reaction. She began to respond and stuttered.
“W–Well…”
Tyler stepped closer. He maneuvered his fingers under her hair to the base of her head. His fingers were entwined in her hair, and his right hand moved from her belly to her waist. The camisole she wore was short and revealed some of her flat belly. His thumb pressed against her skin, and she sucked in her breath. The man had a way about him, and now Matt stood with his back toward the crowd and his arms crossed in front of his chest as he stared down at her. She took an unsteady breath.
“I’m working and was making my way from the bar. I would have still been there if you hadn’t acted like a jerk.”
Tyler raised his eyebrow at her in such an adorable, sexy way she almost forgot that she was in trouble with him right now. What the hell is going on?