No wonder he’d run out of the house like he was on fire. Belle had upended Kellan’s whole world. Eric had no illusions about Kellan’s feelings. The current arrangement suited him. Kell didn’t have to make a commitment or even think about the future. He just had to watch over her and fuck her every night. Belle had changed the game.

Kellan’s loss…but Eric celebrated his victory. This woman belonged to him and to Tate. It was about time she recognized that. He’d only known her for a year, but he felt as if he’d waited his entire life for her.

“You told Kellan you were going to marry us.” He spoke the words slowly, savoring each and every one.

“Yes. If you’ll still have me.” The tremor in her voice told Eric that she was nervous.

He hauled her close again, pure joy in his heart. “Oh, I’m going to have you, baby. I’m going to have you over and over and over again, for the rest of our lives.”

He felt her sigh in his arms and wondered how she could possibly have thought they would reject her. She was their whole world. He kissed her firmly, then allowed Tate to sweep her up in a bear hug. The big guy wore a huge grin as he whirled her around and finally planted his mouth on hers.

Their girl. Finally. Forever.

“We’re getting married,” Tate said, holding her close.

“You better marry me,” she teased. “Because you’ve ruined me for all other men.”

There would be no other men for Annabelle Wright. If Kellan was a stubborn idiot, then Belle would have to be satisfied with him and Tate. He vowed they’d make it worth her while.

Belle turned to them with a coquette’s grin when Tate set her down. “We still have a little time, you know.”

Heat darkened her eyes, and his cock was immediately engaged. “How long?”

She swayed to the door and lingered at the bottom of the stairs, giving them a sultry smile. “Long enough.”

He chased her up the stairs, laughing with Tate all the way.


* * * *


Tate stared down at his fiancée. His almost-wife. God, Annabelle Wright was going to be his wife. How far he’d come. He’d grown up in a house utterly devoid of anything but intellect and duty, and somehow he’d found the one woman who could make up for everything he’d been denied before. He almost couldn’t believe it, but the proof was lying there in his arms. Belle’s eyes had closed after he and Eric had both taken her. She’d curled up next to him, and he watched her breathing turn slow and even. She slept, pressed against him trustingly. Afternoon light streamed in, caressing her mocha skin, making every inch of her gleam. She was so fucking beautiful. Even though he’d just made love to her, his cock was already straining to have her again. He would never take for granted that she was his. Every day, he intended to make sure Belle felt valued and loved.

He cuddled her close, loving the feel of her nipples against his chest. He wanted nothing more than to slide inside her again. Leaving the damn bed was the last thing he wanted to do, but work called. If they were going to renovate this big old house and make it a family home again, that was going to take money—lots of it.

On Belle’s other side, Eric stirred and met Tate’s questioning stare. “You going to set up the camera? We’ve only got about twenty minutes before the contractors return. I don’t want to miss a chance to catch whoever is behind this shit.”

The contractors would be here soon, and they only had three hours before their appointment with the medium. He had a plan to figure out who was trying to scare the hell out of Belle and he was eager to get started.

Then, they could focus on finishing the house, passing the Louisiana bar, and taking a long honeymoon, maybe a staycation in their new master bedroom and bath—just him, Belle, and Eric. He’d make the time to explore his new city—and his new wife. They’d spend lazy mornings in bed, learning every inch of Belle’s gorgeous body. In the afternoons, they could hold hands and walk around, taking in all the famous New Orleans charm. Now that he was here with her and settled, it seemed right to make a fresh start at the beginning of their new life.

First, they had to take care of business.

“Yes. I hope we can catch the fucker today.”

“Me, too,” Belle murmured. “Let’s end this because I want to feel safe in here again. I like this room best.”

They’d all taken to sleeping in one of the guest quarters because Belle had bad dreams in the master bedroom. Hopefully the house “cleansing” would help cure her of that so she could feel comfortable enough to move back in here. It was the biggest of the rooms, the only one with a bed they all fit comfortably on. Though they were going to have to expand the closet.

Shit. He didn’t like the thought of more work, but Belle really liked clothes and she would take up most of the space. His princess deserved a grand dressing room.

He kissed her lightly and rolled out of bed, not bothering with his own clothes. He didn’t need them in this room. Once the contractors were gone, he intended to spend a good portion of his time naked—and keep Belle bare as well.

He’d brought up the nanny cam when they’d chased Belle up the stairs. The little teddy bear looked utterly harmless. A tiny camera dotted the bow tie around its neck that would catch the culprit on film. He placed it on the bookshelf next to a picture of Marie Wright and another woman. He glanced at it briefly, but then turned to study the layout of the room so he could position the bear for maximum visual coverage. He needed to capture an image of the sucker’s face.

“Do you have to point that thing at the bed?” Belle asked, resting her head on Eric’s chest.

He couldn’t help but grin. “It’s the best place. Anyone who walks in the room will have to walk by the camera. But beyond the practical, I think we should record our lovemaking. Baby, we could make so much money off a sex tape. You’re so hot. I could call it Nerd Gets His Girl and it would be a best seller. Think of the download potential. We wouldn’t have to work at all. We could just sit back and let the cash roll in.”

“No!” She threw a pillow his way. Tate ducked and the pillow sailed by him, knocking over the nanny cam and the photo beside it. “I’m not making a sex tape.”

He would have to work on her inhibitions because something about watching Belle on film got his motor running. But then, everything she did made him hot. She was it for him.

He reached down and picked up the pillow, tossing it back to his girl. He straightened the nanny cam and made sure it was switched on before picking up the frame. He was damn glad it hadn’t cracked. Belle loved these old pictures of her grandmother. She hadn’t spent time with the woman so Tate rather thought these pictures were Belle’s way of making a connection. He glanced down at the picture in his hands.

Marie Wright was smiling at the camera, her arm around a younger woman. They were both in cocktail dresses and made up like they planned to hit the town. The blonde next to her seemed to be in her mid-twenties. Something about her looked very familiar.

Shocked, Tate stared at the photo, searching his memory. It was right there, on the tip of his tongue. A name. He knew that woman’s name. Why would he know anyone Belle’s grandmother had known?

“What is it? Did I break it?” Belle asked.

“No, it’s just the woman with your grandmother looks familiar.” Where had he seen her before? He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he knew unequivocally that he’d met the woman.

Eric climbed out of bed, reaching for his pants. “I looked at another picture with her in the shot earlier, the one I set by the copy machine. It was taken in the late seventies, I’d guess. You weren’t even born then. How would you know some psychic woman from New Orleans?”

There was something about the face. He’d seen those eyes somewhere. They were an odd color, almost turquoise. She was pretty, but there was something hard about her that he couldn’t define. She would be in her late fifties today.

The name finally hit him. He’d been watching her picture on the television for weeks. He’d seen her as an older woman, the victim of a vicious murder and a whole lot of gossip.

“Holy shit. This is the madam. This is Karen Ehlers.” So much fell into place. All the pictures Belle had found of her grandmother and the groups of beautiful women. He finally understood how her grandmother had really afforded this place. Marie had been a madam, then when she’d decided to retire, she’d sold the business to Ehlers. He opened his mouth, but Eric, who’d obviously just made the connection too, shook his head, his eyes wide with warning.

He and Eric had been best friends so long they sometimes didn’t have to talk to communicate. That look on Eric’s face was a stop sign. Do not pass go. Do not tell the secret.

Belle had never guessed her grandmother’s past.

Eric had a point. Maybe telling Belle that her grandmother had been a prostitute wasn’t the right move at this juncture. Their fiancée was just settling in and getting comfortable with her past. She was under a lot of stress and anxiety about the house, and now they were getting married. More stress. She didn’t need to know anything except that her grandmother had loved her. He closed his mouth, and Eric gave him a supportive pat on the shoulder.

“That’s very interesting. I suppose they were neighbors. I bet she had a lot of stories to tell,” Eric said. “Why don’t you put on some pants, buddy?”

He didn’t want to. Eric was just going to have to get used to that because they had a girl now. It was perfectly normal for him to be naked around a girl. Sort of. He did sometimes struggle with social niceties.