Town of Chance: Believing in Love (The Dare 7)

“So she models, Lynch. We knew that about her.”

“Parker, just look up the fucking calendar, the cover and the months of September and August.”

Tazer sped off, gripping the steering wheel and envisioning Eliza doing the photo shoot as some guys watched and maybe even the photographer told her to lift her dress higher. “Fuck,” he mumbled, grinding his teeth.

“Holy shit. She looks incredible,” Tazer heard Lynch say.

“This is not good. Do you know how many men have seen this? There are cops looking to find out where she lives and want to meet her. What about scumbags and losers who might harass her?” Lynch stated and Tazer was getting angrier and angrier.

“Does he know where she is right now?” Tazer asked.

“It’s Saturday and nearly five o’clock. I’d say she’s getting ready to have dinner with her dad and then meet her friends at Spencer’s.”

“Then plan on going there tonight too,” Lynch said and disconnected the call.

Lynch looked back at the calendar.

“Do you have any idea how many people will see that thing?” Tazer asked him. He was feeling so jealous, angry and protective of her.

“I don’t want to think about it,” Lynch replied quietly. His brother was the most intense of all of them. The most quiet, the hardest to get to open up. Tazer wasn’t any better. In fact, it was him and Lynch that held back from pushing Eliza Grace to let them be her guardians. She was so much younger than them. Their experiences in life, the dangers they involved themselves with on a regular basis still would get in the way. She deserved better, but the thought of another man other than him and his brothers having her just didn’t sit right and made him sick and angry.

“It’s only a matter of time,” Lynch said and looked out the window.

Tazer knew what he meant. Only a matter of time before some other man or men claimed their woman. By then it would be too late. They needed to make a decision and stick with it. This going back and forth caring and then pretending not to care was driving them insane and sending the wrong message to Eliza Grace. She was already pushing Parker away by saying she was fine now and he didn’t need to text anymore. Could they live with the decision to let her go and not pursue her as their woman? That thought brought more sickness to his gut and feelings he never felt before. He didn’t know what to do. Not as a team leader or as the oldest brother. Maybe they would get more answers tonight.

* * * *

“They are so pissed off, Eliza Grace. I swear they tore into Kenneth and his brothers as if they knew about the calendar. The Hayes brothers were questioning everyone,” Missy Ann told Eliza as they got out of the car and headed toward the front entrance of Spencer’s.

“Well, I don’t know why they’re so angry. My dad saw the calendar and he thought I looked great. He liked the one in September of the old classic car. Sent him into a whole story of racing down the highway and nearly getting caught by the police patrolling.”

Missy Ann chuckled. “Well, I agree with your dad, they were great pictures and you looked incredible. That cover shot was sexy yet classy, and in the August bikini shot, that hot pink suit sure did stand out too. You looked amazing. Are you going to be doing anything similar, or another calendar?” she asked as they opened the front door to the place and headed inside.

“Clarissa has been hounding me to do a catalogue for one of the upscale boutiques in Charleston. But it entails lingerie and I’m not comfortable with that.”

Missy Ann’s eyes widened and she hugged her arm. “Could you imagine the looks you’d get after that? I mean, look at everyone right now,” she said and as Eliza and her headed deeper into the place their friends and even people they didn’t know all said hello and told her how gorgeous she looked in the calendar.

A couple of guys came over and introduced themselves and offered to buy her and Missy Ann a drink. She declined but then one of the guys handed her a mixed drink and started talking to her about the calendar, and before she went to take a sip from the drink Parker was taking it from her hand and placing it down on the bar.

“Parker?” She questioned his move and then immediately sealed her lips from one look at his facial expression.

“We need to talk. Now,” he said and pulled her along with him then stopped, not wanting to leave Missy Ann with the four guys, but then led Missy Ann to Caroline and her men before he gripped Eliza Grace’s arm and ushered her through the crowd. A quick glance over her shoulder at Caroline’s smiling face should have eased her worry right now, but Parker was a big guy, filled with muscles, capable of things she couldn’t even imagine and he seemed very upset.

As he got her to the back hallway he released her arm and then paced in front of her.

“I can’t believe it. I mean, I know you do some modeling for the boutique, but the calendar? That pose in the see-through cover up and bikini on the cover and the one by the car, the one in the hot pink bikini? You could practically see your—”

“Parker,” she cut him off. “You couldn’t see anything. It was a great shot. This is why you’re angry? Because you didn’t know I was doing the calendar?”

He stomped in place in front of her and his dark blue eyes zeroed in on her breasts. She wore a pretty tank top with sequins along the trim in cream and a matching short black skirt with high heels. The tank top had a sheer matching overlay that was slightly see through. She bought it at the boutique she modeled for.

He stepped closer, placing his hand on her waist. It felt so big, so heavy, and the significant difference in his size to hers suddenly had her gulping for air.

“You could have warned us,” he said so very seriously that she felt how upset he was. He was insulted, maybe? Hurt? Why? She didn’t understand and he must have picked up on the confusion in her facial expression.

“You don’t get it, do you?” he asked, pressing her closer to the wall. She had no choice but to ease back in retreat. But then her back touched the wall and his body pressed nearly against hers. The hand at her waist eased up under the sheer overlay and she felt the skin-to-skin contact and shivered. Her head was tilted back to nearly her shoulders as she held his gaze and he cupped her cheek. The feel of his thumb sliding along her chin and then over her lips had her entire body on fire.

“Are there any other calendars or pictures we should know about?” he asked and she shook her head slowly.