Phoenix’s logic didn’t make sense to her, but somehow it did to him. She wondered if she would ever understand him, but it didn’t matter. Watching him with Demon had washed over her like warm bathwater. She’d been looking for him her whole life. A man with boundless strength and compassion. Someone she could imagine spending much more time with. Seeing two Wilde brothers at the same time kind of made sense to her now. Crazy or not, the rightness of the thought took hold of her.
Phoenix cupped her chin then kissed her gently. When he leaned back, she looked for tears but found none. The man was a rock.
Demon’s throat rattled loudly with his labored breathing.
“It’s okay, boy.”
“Poor thing.” She stroked Demon’s neck, choking back her tears.
“I’m glad you’re here with me, Jessie. It makes it easier.”
“Me, too.” She squeezed his hand and cried for the cowboy and his horse.
* * * *
Looking through binoculars, a lone figure watched the Wilde brothers move the body of Demon out of the barn and onto a trailer. The electrocution of the beast had gone undetected by the vet, just as suspected. A sense of satisfaction filled up the person. Phoenix Wilde and his brothers would pay even more. This was only the first deposit.
The MSHA investigator clung to Phoenix like a leech. The plan with the bitch’s car hadn’t worked out. The next plan was foolproof.
Jessica Greene would be out of the picture soon, and the next phase could get underway.
* * * *
Jessie woke and found a naked Phoenix leaning up on his elbow and staring down at her.
He smiled. “Hi, angel.”
“Hey, cowboy.” She still wore the towel she’d taken from Jackson’s bathroom cabinet after her shower and wrapped it around her body.
“You look like a goddess.”
She threaded her hands through her damp hair. “I doubt that.”
He tenderly kissed her, and her heartbeat thundered in her chest. “Jessie, that you stayed with me through the night while Demon passed away...Well, there’s no words.”
She touched his cheek. “None are needed.” Phoenix had lost his old friend, and she sensed his grief was deep. But he still had never shed a tear. A man’s man.
“Jackson is right. You’re beyond divine.”
“I wasn’t the only one there with you. All your brothers came by. Even Austin. Your cousins, too. There are many people who care about you.”
“I know. Dallas and Denver took care of digging Demon’s grave with the backhoe so I wouldn’t have to worry about it. There’s no way a man could have better brothers or friends.”
She, Jackson, Denver, and Dallas had listened to him say a few words at his old companion’s final resting place. The Wilde brothers had been strangely somber, but none present had cried for the loss of Demon save her. After a ton of tears from her eyes, they’d all gone back to Jackson’s house for drinks. The sting of Phoenix’s grief had seemed to soften as his brothers’ stories of the old horse had him laughing and smiling.
After Dallas and Denver had left to tow her car to the auto repair shop in Elko, she’d been exhausted. At the suggestion of Phoenix, she’d taken a shower and stretched out for a quick nap in Jackson’s bedroom.
She asked, “Where’s Jackson?”
“He’s in the kitchen, trying his hand at scrambled eggs and bacon. Surely he won’t mess that up.” Phoenix rolled out a condom on his cock. “Angel, I’m hungry for something else. How about you?”
“Famished. But shouldn’t you be the one in kitchen? You’ve got the skill.”
“He’ll never learn unless he tries. Besides, I wanted to be here when you woke.” He licked her neck, and hot sensations shot through her as he removed her towel. “I’m pretty skilled in this room, too.”
“Yes, you are.”
He gazed at her chest as if it were made of diamonds. “Fuck. It doesn’t matter how many times I see your beautiful tits. I still am overwhelmed by their perfection.”