Chapter Ten

Jessica didn’t know that accepting Aurora at the bakery meant having Holt under foot, too. Except that wasn’t really the best explanation. Holt set up shop in a corner table with his laptop, typing away faster than Jessica would have thought possible. Every once in a while he’d stop and look at his phone, and she imagined he was answering a text from Hawk to see how things were going.

Hawk had to be on patrol, but there was no way he wasn’t checking in on what was happening here. Natalie and Lizbeth had been concerned when Aurora had started working behind the counter, so worried they asked Jessica to come to the back room.

“Are we being canned?” Lizbeth asked. “You’re training your future sister-in-law to do our jobs?”

“Not at all,” Jessica said. “I lost a bet, that’s all.”

“A bet?” Natalie looked confused.

Oh good heavens this was becoming a royal pain in the butt. If Hawk was so concerned about Grant showing up here she needed to tell her workers to be careful. They deserved to know the truth.

“Yeah…” Jessica stopped talking and took a deep breath. “There was no bet. You should know what is happening. My ex’s mother came here a week ago Monday and accused me of stealing the family ring, which I didn’t. Now she’s been found dead. Hawk thinks my ex killed her and wants to blame it on me. Holt and Aurora are here to babysit me.”

Her two workers, both ladies in their early twenties, glanced at each other.

“Should we be worried?” Lizbeth asked.

“No,” Jessica said. “Listen, Hawk is just being overprotective. Things will be fine.” She thought about it for a few minutes. “But if some guy comes in asking about me, tell him I’m on vacation or something.”

“Are Holt and Aurora going to be here all week?” Natalie asked.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Jessica said. “Like I said, Hawk is being overprotective, and if he spends all day here, people will think he’s not doing his job.”

“I wish I had someone who loved me that much,” Lizbeth said.

“Well there are four Coleman brothers without a significant other,” Jessica said. “Take your pick.”

“Only three from what I hear,” Natalie said. “Rumor around town is Mercy and Kyle are, well, tight.”

Jessica didn’t know that. She’d have to speak to Hawk about keeping her up to date on the gossip surrounding his brothers. Mercy was the den mother of the cabins where the abused women stayed before she had to quit because of a cancer diagnosis. Aurora had taken her place, then fallen in love with Holt. Now Becky had the job, and it looked like she was “getting tight” with Nate Willis, the Texas Ranger.

“Better hurry up, Lizbeth, before all the Coleman men are taken,” Jessica said.

Lizbeth laughed.

“Good thing I already have someone like that, since I’m married.” Natalie poked her friend in the side. “On a more serious note, we’ve got your back, Jessica. Do you have a picture of the jerk so we know who to look for?”

“Not on me,” Jessica said. “I deleted them all. I’ll see if I can find something online and get back with you.”

Jessica went back into the main part of the bakery and stopped in her tracks. The retirees were there for the first time since they’d spread gossip about her all over town. They already had coffee and donuts, and she was so tempted to go over and clear the table and tell them to get the hell out.

“We missed you,” Frank called out. He got up from his chair and came toward her.

“I can’t say the same thing,” she responded.

As Frank neared her though, she saw he had a yellow rose in his hand. He presented it to her and said, “We’re sorry.”

“Not us,” Marty said. “Steve and I weren’t here when these guys went off the rails. Dumbasses.”

At first she wasn’t sure she wanted to take it, then decided she should. She took the wrapped flower from him and said, “You still talking about me?”

“The whole town is,” Steve said. “Sorry.”

“Well, then be helpful.” She told them the story of Grant and his mother, and of his mother being found. “If you see someone strange hanging around the bakery make your gossip work for the good and tell us.”

“You got a picture of this guy?” Frank asked.

“No.” She glanced over to where Holt sat. He was watching the proceeding with obvious interest. He hit a few keys on his laptop, then got up and walked over to where Jessica stood. She looked at Grant’s picture. It was obviously an engagement photo. He stood next to a woman that was younger than him, and dressed properly, wearing a dress that showed no cleavage or design.

“That’s him,” she said.

Holt took the computer over to where the retirees sat. Frank rushed over to look and they all nodded. “You can bet your sweet ass we’ll be on the lookout for him,” Marty said. “Print that thing out and we’ll plaster him all over town.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Jessica said. “Just look for him.”

The retirees grumbled, then went back to their coffee.

“Looks like I have lots of babysitters,” Jessica said to Holt. “You can probably go home.”

“And have my little brother arrest me on a fake charge because I left you alone?” Holt sat back at his table. “No thanks.”

Jessica went behind the counter where Aurora was cleaning the surface. They smiled and both shook their heads, and the door opened as if on cue. Hawk strode in as if he owned the place, cowboy hat on his head and gun on his hip.

He pointed to the retirees. “Do I need to evict them?”

“No, we’re okay,” Jessica said. At that moment she realized she still had the rose in her hand. She found a tall to-go cup and filled it with water before she put the rose inside it.

Hawk walked over and talked to Holt. Then he looked at Jessica and said, “Can I see you outside, please?”

“Is it good news, or bad news?” she asked. Even though Willis wasn’t with him, that didn’t mean the ranger hadn’t called and told Hawk things she didn’t want to hear.

In answer, Hawk just pointed at the door. She went outside, and walked to where Hawk’s truck was parked.

“I don’t want to hear anything bad,” she said.

“I’m horny,” he said. “How’s that for good news?”

Jessica cupped his crotch and said, “Your dick’s not hard.”

“Stop that.” He pushed her hand away. “You should know Grant and his fiancée have both given statements that Matilda Dobbs called them and told them you’d threatened her about the ring.”

“Those lying bastards,” she said.

“Willis is, of course, checking phone records. While they might show a call, it won’t reveal what was said.”

“What a moron he is.” She crossed her arms over her chest. She wanted to scream, but she kept her mouth closed.

“Listen, be very careful.”

“I am,” she said. She pointed to the window where the retirees all had their noses pressed against the glass. “Lots of babysitters now.”

Hawk took her hand and placed it on his crotch. “I wasn’t lying when I said I was horny. My dick needs attention.”

“Want me to go down on you here in the parking lot?” She squeezed ever so gently, and his cock twitched. “It would give the retirees something else to gossip about.”

“Oh they have plenty to talk about just watching you massage my cock.” He leaned over and kissed her. She welcomed his tongue into her mouth, savoring the taste of him as she continued to play with his dick.

“Just be ready to get screwed when you get home.”

“Where?” She pressed her lips against him and spoke. “Mouth? Pussy? Ass?”

“All of the above.” He pushed her hand away and said, “Shit, now I have to go jack off.”

He got in his truck and she wished she could go with him. After he drove away she went back inside. Holt’s smirk was directed at his laptop, but all the retirees were staring at her, and then they started laughing.

She would never hear the end of this, she was sure.

***

When Jessica got home, there was a note on the kitchen table: Naked. Bed. Spread. Wait. The words made her laugh, and she would do exactly what he said. She started to strip on her way to the bedroom, but she stopped in the bedroom doorway. The bed was covered with rose petals, and the straps Hawk used to tie her to the frame were on the mattress.

Jessica laughed as she quickly attached the straps to the bed. When she was naked she slipped the straps over her ankles and lay back with her head on the pillows. Hawk would have to do the rest when he got here, which she hoped was soon because her desire was off the charts. The rose petals were soft against her skin and she closed her eyes and imagined Hawk caressing her, his rough skin leaving trails of heat across her arms and legs.

She licked her lips, then let her hand wander down between her legs. She found her clit and started to rub. In her fantasy, Hawk stood near the bed, his gaze on her movements.

“Faster, faster, play with that nub, but don’t you dare come. Take it right to the edge and stop, and then wait for me to tell you to start again.”

Three times she got herself so very close, and on the fourth one she thought to herself that Hawk was taking too long to get there, and he would never know if she actually had an orgasm.

She was right on the edge, her body pulsing with need, when Hawk’s voice filled the room. “I don’t believe that was on the instructions I left. Get your hand out of your pussy.”

“Hawk, I…” She continued to stroke herself. She was so close.

“Did you hear what I said?”

“Hummmmm.” She was so close. Then suddenly the pressure stopped. Hawk had grabbed her hand and pulled it away from her delicious task.

“No, no, no!” She tried to jerk her hand out of his grasp, but he tightened his grip.

“Do you have problems reading?”

“No, Sir,” she whispered. “I just… I didn’t want to wait anymore.”

“And you thought I’d never know?”

Jessica shrugged, and relaxed into the pillows. She looked up to where Hawk loomed over her. Boy, did he look pissed.

“If I didn’t need it so badly I would make you wait,” he said.

“Your note said nothing about it.” She knew that was wrong, but she would try anyways. After all, if he’d been horny since this afternoon he might overlook her starting without him. Might.

Hawk left the room and came back seconds later with the note he’d left on the table. “Naked. Bed. Spread. Wait. I don’t see the world play there.”

“Then you’re not reading it right,” she said. “The word is implied.”

He threw the note up in the air and as it floated down he attached her wrists to the straps. Jessica was still buzzed from playing with her clit. She wiggled her hips and said, “I’m all yours.”

“I knew that already,” Hawk said. He sat down in a chair and used the bootjack to pull off his boots. Then he stood and took off his clothes, starting with his shirt and ending with his underwear. The only thing that concerned her was the fact his cock was not hard. He sat back down in the chair and she almost sighed. It was going to be a long night, and she wasn’t sure that was going to be in a good way.

“What am I going to do with you?”

“If you’re looking for suggestions I have a few.” Jessica worked to keep her voice low, and hopefully, seductive. “Remember this afternoon? Mouth. Pussy. Ass. I have all those things for you to play with.”

“When will you learn to follow directions?” he asked.

“Probably never. I mean I try, but…” She licked her lips. “You can punish me.”

“True.” He knelt on the end of the bed. “I think this time the punishment is going to be good, old-fashioned, vanilla sex, which I know you hate.”

He lay down on top of her, his length pressing into her stomach. Jessica loved the feel of his weight on top of her, but she wanted him to move. She wanted him to give her the stimulation she loved and craved. He needed to pinch her nipples, to bite on her clit, and yes, to put his cock into her ass, even if she wasn’t thrilled with the idea.

He kissed the curve of her shoulder before he lifted up to his knees. Slowly, too slowly for her, he undid the wraps around her ankles then placed himself between her splayed legs. She was so wet it took nothing more than a small push for him to enter her.

Much to her dismay he didn’t thrust. He just lay there, filling her. In an effort to push him into gear, Jessica wrapped her legs around him and thrust her hips upwards.

“Please, please, please,” she begged, keeping her voice low. When that didn’t work she screamed out “Please!”

He finally started to move, but so slowly she could hardly feel it. There was not enough stimulation to bring her to orgasm. She wondered if it was enough for him. How long could he last while barely moving?

It turned out he could last a good, long while. Jessica didn’t look at the clock, but it seemed to be at least twenty minutes before Hawk started to move faster, his hips slamming into her. She prayed for her own orgasm, but she knew she’d done wrong earlier, and that would cost her now.

Despite the fact she knew she wouldn’t come, it was still exciting to have him fuck her so slowly, so deeply. She wanted more, true, but it was her own fault, she knew, but that didn’t make her happy. It took her a few moments to realize Hawk had stopped moving. He’d collapsed on top of her, his breathing low and even. He lifted up enough to kiss her.

“Can this be my punishment for going to Amarillo Saturday?”

“No.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “This is your punishment for playing with yourself when you didn’t have permission. I’m still thinking on the other one.”

“Meanie.”

“You got that right.” His phone buzzed, and he said, “Shit.”

“Leave it,” she said.

“Can’t, you know that.” He got up gingerly and retrieved his phone from his pants’ pocket. She watched as he read it.

“What?”

“It’s Willis,” he said. “He says, he hopes we’re decent.”

A loud knock on the door made her gasp.

“Stay there,” he said as he quickly pulled on his pants. She wanted to remind him there was no way she was going to move, since her arms were still tethered to the bed. She heard the front door open, and then male voices.

“Hold on, hold on,” Hawk said. “You’ve caught us at a bad time. Can I at least let my lady get dressed?”

“Of course,” said a male, whose voice she didn’t recognize. “Then she’ll need to come with us. And this is a search warrant for her house , yours, and every gun the two of you own.”