Protecting Clover Read online

  Wyatt shook his head. “What do you both think about opening the—”

  Cookie ripped open the envelope. “You really should stop thinking so much. It interferes with…” Cookie held a piece of paper. His eyes grew wide, but then narrowed into tiny little slits. “Well, fuck me,” he mumbled as he slammed the paper over, covering up whatever was on the other side.

  “What is it?” Benny asked.

  Wyatt swallowed.

  “Looks like not all of those images were destroyed, unless she made new ones,” Cookie said.

  “What the?” Wyatt reached out for the paper.

  “No. You don’t want to go there,” Cookie said in a dark tone.

  “Fuck off and give it to me.”

  Cookie leaned back, raising both hands. “I warned you.”

  With shaky fingers, Wyatt carefully lifted one of the corners. “Jesus.” He tilted his head, not wanting to expose too much, considering she was totally naked, except for some nipple squeezing apparatus and a whip, which she used to smack the ass of some dude bent over her knee.

  “What are you looking at?” The sound of Clover’s voice made him jump, but he made sure to fold over the paper.

  “Nothing,” he said.

  “Bullshit. Whatever it is, your face is bright red,” she said.

  “Sit down, please.” Benny scooted over. “We need to talk.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that,” she mumbled as she slid into the booth, her gaze bouncing between Wyatt and the damn stupid naked printout in his hands. He wanted to see her body in all its wonderous glory, but not printed on a piece of paper by a printer that was obviously low on ink.

  “We were recently informed that Conrad paid you a visit last month when you were at your aunt’s,” Wyatt started, doing his best to keep his rage in check. It wasn’t directed at her, because she hadn’t done anything wrong, but he could see himself unleashing his wrath in front of her, and he couldn’t have that. “And he left you an envelope.”

  “With a message,” Cookie added.

  “There was a message on the picture?” Wyatt asked.

  “What picture? What message?” Clover asked with narrowed eyes. “And Conrad was here?”

  “One question at a time,” Cookie said. “There was handwriting under the picture. I didn’t get to read it all, but it said something to the effect of: you can’t hide from this anymore. But there was more.”

  She raised her hand and pointed her finger at the paper now pressed against Wyatt’s chest. “Let me see.”

  “Come stand behind me,” Wyatt said.

  “Why?” she asked.

  “Because I can’t have you destroying this, and you will want to. Not to mention you won’t want anyone else viewing this.”

  “Shit.” She covered her face with her hands. “I thought Keanu destroyed them all.” Her voice trembled, taking away it’s sweet tone and turning it into something dark and ugly.

  Wyatt was going to enjoy putting his fingers around Conrad’s scrawny little neck and squeezing the life out of him. “Wait,” Wyatt said. “We’ve all made mistakes, but Tex made sure every digital imprint was gone, and Tex doesn’t make those kinds of mistakes. Could this be a fake?”

  “You saw it. You tell me,” she said, brushing her wild mane from her angel-like face.

  “I saw your face and a boob, and since I’ve never seen you naked, I have no idea.” He cocked a brow. “Promise you won’t rip it to shreds.”

  She nodded.

  He pushed it across the table.

  She sucked in a deep breath and slowly lifted the paper off the table. Bending forward, so no one else could see, she eyed the image.

  The longer she stared at it, the more Wyatt’s fury swirled around in his gut.

  “Oh, thank God,” she said with a long breath. “That’s not me. I mean, it’s my face but not my body, and that sure as hell isn’t one of the pictures Conrad and I took.”

  “How can you tell?” Wyatt asked.

  “For starters, I would never want to whip someone’s ass, nor have I ever in my life worn a nipple pincher. I have a tattoo under my right breast. That body doesn’t, and all the photos that Conrad and I took, it showed off my tattoo. She’s also wearing earrings. I can’t wear them, not even clip-on ones. They hurt my ears. And finally, my pinky toe is a bit mangled since I had a bone removed from it two years ago, and her feet are flawless.”

  “You got all that from only looking at it for a few seconds?”

  “I know my body,” she said.

  Wyatt swallowed, hard. “What does the writing say?”

  “You can’t hide from this anymore. I’m going to ruin you.” She folded the paper and handed it back to Wyatt. “Conrad did want to destroy my career, but he’s stayed clear of me since Keanu had spoken to him.”

  “Well, maybe he’s been waiting until the time was right to strike,” Cookie said. “We’re going to need to send that picture to Tex.”

  “And the cops,” Benny said.

  Clover shrugged. “It’s not my body, so who cares.”

  “I care,” Wyatt snapped.

  Benny stood. “I think I’ll hit the head.”

  “I’ll make like a girl and follow you,” Cookie said.

  Wyatt breathed in through his nose and let it out the same way, like a raging bull.

  “Why are you acting like a lunatic? That’s not me in that photograph.”

  He splayed his hands wide and focused on his breathing and not the pounding rushing between his ears or the wave of nausea floating around in his gut. “Besides having to prove that image is a fake, it serves as a reminder that you took—”

  She waggled her finger in front of his face. “Don’t you go judging me. It’s not like you and Gwen didn’t have a sex tape, and don’t deny it.”

  He closed his eyes for a brief moment. “How did you know about that?”

  “I was with Grandma when Gwen accidentally gave it to her, thinking it was the birthing video.”

  Wyatt dropped his head to the table, letting his forehead smack the counter hard. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “You’ve got a cute dimple on your ass.”

  He bolted upright. “How much did you—”

  “Less than thirty seconds, but Grandma managed to click on the middle of the file, hoping to get to the good stuff, and boy, did you put a smile on that old bird’s face.”

  “I will never be able to look at her again without dying of embarrassment,” he mumbled, rubbing his temples. “But the difference here is Gwen never used that to hurt me, and thank God, it’s been destroyed.”

  “Thank you for caring about my honor and dignity, but as long as we can prove that’s not me, I don’t really care who sees it.”

  He nodded. “Sorry I overreacted. It’s just that this whole naked selfie thing wigs me out. Gwen wanted to do it, but I couldn’t, and I didn’t know she recorded us until after, and I wouldn’t do it again.”

  “For the record, neither would I. Well, the sex tape that is. Naked selfies, that’s a different story. What’s the big deal between two people who care about each other?”

  “You cared about Conrad and look at what that got you.”

  “I didn’t love him,” she said. “And for the record, if Conrad set foot in this building, I would have known. Not a single person that works here doesn’t know what he looks like or that he’s not welcome here.”

  The hair on the back of Wyatt’s head stood at attention. “Are you calling Chris a liar?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. The only way I believe Conrad came in under the radar was if he came when Chris was the only one here, and that doesn’t happen often. However, if I was out of town, it’s highly probable.” Her eyes grew wide. “He opened a note that was meant for me?”

  “No. Cookie did that,” Wyatt said.

  “Doesn’t make me feel better. Why didn’t Chris give it to me?”

  “I’m guessing that he was trying to protect you. H
e’s in love with you.”

  “No, he’s not. He’s got a thing for some new redhead.”

  “That redhead?” Wyatt pointed across the room.

  Chris leaned against the bar while he rested his hand on the redhead’s forearm. His smile was as big as the state of Texas.

  “That’s the one. And look at the way he’s talking to her. See, not overly interested in me.”

  “I think he’s trying to make you jealous, but that’s neither here nor there. I’m going to have someone watching him, just in case.”

  She tilted her head. “Why, Wyatt Jackson, I think you’re the jealous one.”

  “Only if he’d seen you naked, and then I’d be more than jealous and would have to kick his ass.”

  “What if I told you he has seen me without my clothes on?” She batted her lashes over her sparkling eyes like a little devil daring him to lose his cool.

  “Please tell me you’re only saying that to get a rise out of me.”

  “I tried to get a rise out of you last night, but some stalker asshole ruined my fun.” She leaned in. “Tell me, Wyatt, would you have had the control to stop me had we not been interrupted?”

  “No.”

  She opened her mouth but slammed it shut right quick.

  “I might have been a little hasty in turning you down.” He stood, lifting her off the seat and heaving her to his chest. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Cookie and Benny pause by the hallway, but more importantly, Chris kept his gaze in their direction.

  He knew he was being childish, but he didn’t care. He was like a wolf marking his territory, only she didn’t belong to him.

  And she never would.

  But Chris wasn’t good enough for her, plain and simple.

  “Excuse me?” She fisted his shirt as if to push him away but changed her mind. “Don’t be a dick and a tease.”

  “I’m not teasing,” he whispered right before he brushed his lips over her sweet mouth.

  Her body relaxed into his like melting chocolate. A hum vibrated against his throat as she let out a small moan.

  “I’ve got to get a hold of Tex, and I’d rather do that at your place than here. Are you ready to go home?”

  “I promised Cookie and Bennie I’d sing.”

  “Tell them to go download one of your songs, and you can sing for me privately while I wash your hair in the tub.” What the hell was he doing?

  Getting her out of his system, that’s what.

  Chapter 5

  “I want to take a swim.” Clover stood in the doorway of her office wearing a bikini and a mesh cover-up, doing her best to look sexy, but she wasn’t sure she’d pulled it off.

  Wyatt glanced up over her laptop and coughed. “That doesn’t leave anything to the imagination.”

  Ever since they left the Sans, Wyatt had been abnormally quiet. He’d barely said five words the entire ride home and only managed to grunt a few more once inside.

  Deep down, she knew he wasn’t serious about washing her hair in the tub, much less taking her to bed. He’d been overprotective with her before when she’d been a teenager, so why would he be any different now that she was an adult?

  “Am I allowed to go for a swim?”

  “As long as I’m with you.” His fingers pounded the keyboard before he shut it closed. “Let’s go.”

  She let out a puff of air. “Do we have any news about anything?” On the way past the linen closet, she snagged a couple of towels. Not once did she glance over her shoulder, but she didn’t have to. She could feel his hot breath on the back of her neck as he followed so close she thought he might climb right up inside her.

  “I’ve got some information, both good and bad,” he said, pulling open the sliding door. “There is no way to prove the image is a fake from the printed version we have, other than you discussing your body. But, given the case history, the cops in Nashville will be questioning Conrad. They are working on getting a search warrant for his computer and any digital hard drives he might have.”

  “That’s progress.” She tossed her cover-up over a chair. Standing at the edge of the pool, she dipped her toe into the refreshing water. Bending her knees, she pushed off the side and dove in. Warmth coated her skin. She turned and kicked toward the surface. “What else?” she asked, swimming to the side, resting her arms on the concrete.

  Wyatt sat with his legs dangling in the pool, kicking them gently back and forth. He reached out and brushed her wet hair over her shoulder. “Tex found out that Conrad has had three women file restraining orders against him over the last six years. All for stalking. One woman told the police that he broke into her house and cut up her collection of stuffed animals.”

  “That’s crazy.”

  Wyatt nodded. “Everything points to him, and we know he’s in Nashville.” He kept his gaze on the water as he swirled it around with his feet. “But one thing doesn’t add up in my book.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Dave picked up the woman that dropped off the box. She was paid a few grand by a woman to deliver the package.”

  “What woman? The waitress I fired?”

  “That, we don’t know yet, but how would the waitress and Conrad be connected?”

  “Conrad knew her pretty well. She flirted with him like crazy, but she flirted with all the customers to get good tips.”

  “Another thing I don’t understand is why wouldn’t Conrad just leak the photographs?”

  “I can think of one reason,” Clover said, letting her body lean against his powerful thigh. “He wanted to be a writing duo. Partners both in and out of bed.”

  Wyatt growled. “I don’t want to know about your past lovers.”

  She laughed. “I know way too many of yours. That one chick with the really big fake tits comes in every once in a while, asking for the Stud Muffin.”

  He batted her nose. “For the record, I never slept with her.”

  “Seriously?”

  He nodded. “Not sure if this matters at all, but Chris took the redhead back to his place.”

  “Good for him. Now maybe he will leave me alone.”

  “One can only hope,” Wyatt said with an amused smile. “She was a real looker.” He placed his fingers in his mouth and whistled.

  “Pig.” She splashed him before taking ahold of his legs and giving him a good tug.

  “Shit,” he mumbled as she submerged him completely under water. He popped up, shaking his head like a dog. “You are so lucky I left my phone on the table.” He grabbed her by the arm and yanked.

  She wrapped her arms and legs around his strong body. “Why do you resist the idea that we could be good together?”

  He sucked her chin into his mouth, nibbling a little. “In the long run, we are horrible for each other. I’m exactly everything you don’t want in a man and you’re—”

  “What you don’t want in a woman,” she finished for him.

  “That wasn’t what I was going to say.” He hoisted her up to the side of the pool, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his cheek on her thigh. His hot breath ignited her skin. “If I were the settling down kind of man, you are everything I’d want in a woman. But I’m not that man, and all I have to offer you is a fling, and I’m terrified our friendship won’t last if we do that.” He pressed his lips against her inner thigh before pushing himself out of the pool. He snagged a towel and rubbed his hair. “I can’t risk destroying our friendship, no matter how badly I want to make your toes curl.”

  “Wyatt, how do you know anything unless you give us a try?”

  He tossed the towel over his shoulder and smiled. “I know we’d end up breaking each other’s hearts, and I won’t have it. Sorry that I’ve led you on. Now, I need to go shower. Don’t do anything crazy like skinny-dip. I’ve got eyes on the house, and while they are all good men, they will look. I mean, I’d look.”

  Quickly, she put on her cover-up and glanced around. “Where? Are they inside too?”

  “
Just outside and you don’t need to know where they are. I pulled out some steaks from the freezer. After I shower, I’ll cook you dinner, okay?”

  Hugging the towel, she glanced toward the roof, half expecting to see some dude in fatigues pointing an Uzi in her direction. She did a full three-sixty, trying to find signs of any of his men.

  “My guys are the best. You won’t find them.” He laughed as he stepped inside.

  She stood by the pool and stared into the house. Wyatt had gone to one of the guest rooms to take a shower.

  Which meant he would be naked.

  And she wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily.

  Wyatt stood under the showerhead as cold water pelted his body. He pressed his hands against the cold tile and let the spray douse his back. Goosebumps covered his skin, but he didn’t care. He needed the chill to keep himself from doing something crazy like…

  The door swished open and in stepped a very naked Clover.

  Her wet hair cascaded over her chest. Her nipples peeked out between the strands. Water beaded down her tanned body.

  He reached out and traced the clover tattoo under the swell of her breast. “What are you doing?” he managed between ragged breaths. He blinked, trying to stop from staring, but he couldn’t peel his gaze away from her enchanting physique.

  She reached out and twisted the nozzle. “Shit. Do you always take such chilly showers?”

  “Do you always walk in on men taking a shower?” The warm water didn’t help the growing desire swirling in the pit of his stomach.

  “Only the ones I’m trying to seduce.”

  He swallowed.

  Hard.

  “We’ve talked about why this is a bad idea,” he croaked out.

  She took the bar of soap and lathered it up in her hands. “You might have, but I don’t agree. And right now, you’re not doing anything to stop me.” She spread her fingers over his chest, digging her fingertips into his muscles.

  He grabbed her wrist.

  He should stop her.

  He should put a towel around her body and send her back to her own room.

  He should do anything but kiss her.

  Except that is exactly what he did. And it wasn’t a tender, soft kiss. No. He rammed his tongue between her lips on a search and destroy mission. He held her so tight that his back slammed into the shower wall. Water rolled across her skin, helping his hands find every sweet swell of her body. He molded her muscles as if she were a pile of warm, wet clay that needed to be sculpted into pure perfection.