Broken Beginnings: A High Heat Small Town Romance Suspense (Citrus Cove Book 1)

I PULLED my Corvette into the Citrus Cove Wine & Ciders parking lot and let out a low whistle. Cam chuckled next to me as I fought to find a parking spot.

“Just pull off into the grass,” he said. “The owner will allow it.”

“Aw, tell him thank you,” I teased, unbuckling. “Give him a kiss for me too.”

“I think you can give him a kiss if you want.”

I grinned and leaned over, kissing his cheek. I then reached for my purse on the floorboard and grabbed it, fishing out my lipstick. Cam watched me intently as I applied the sultry red, letting out a low moan.

“I want you to suck my cock while wearing that.”

“Cam,” I hissed. “We’re in public.”

“And? No one can hear us, sunshine.” His hand slid up my thigh, giving me a squeeze that made me shiver with want.

After our picnic, we managed to make it back to his place, where we showered and got dressed again. I’d ended up publishing my article on the winery and couldn’t help but wonder if I’d made a little influence on how packed it was. My phone had been going off since I submitted it.

Of course, I’d promised sexy bartenders and great ciders and wine—all in a sweet Southern town.

I was wearing the extra dress I’d packed, a soft black cotton with a sweetheart neckline. I’d pulled my hair back into a bun, but a couple of curls loosened to frame my face.

“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he said.

I blushed and swatted at his chest, meeting the hard muscle there. “Alright, cowboy, enough flirting, or else we won’t make it inside.”

“Maybe that’s my goal.”

I shook my head and let out a phony dramatic sigh. We both got out of the car, and I glanced around. “It’s packed.”

“Yeah,” he said, his smile disappearing for a moment. “Fuck.”

“If we need to hop in to help tonight, we can,” I said. “I wouldn’t mind.”

“I’m supposed to be off.” He grimaced. “And this is supposed to be a date.”

“I’m still running on the high of our picnic, Cam. It wouldn’t be a big deal. Who’s working tonight?”

“Hunter and Colt, but I can already tell this is too much. Fuck, I need to hire more people. It’s hard sometimes in a town this small.”

“Right. Well, I’m not saying this is my fault. But it might be my fault? My article was about your winery. I couldn’t think of anything else to write and needed to put something out. But I also wanted to push it. It’s a great date destination.”

Cam’s brows shot up, and he stepped closer, pulling me tight. “You mean to tell me you wrote about my little winery?”

“I did,” I said, smiling.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know,” I said. “It’s not like you asked. This is also why I feel inclined to help out the guys tonight. I didn’t actually think it would be packed. And even if the article did nothing, we can still jump in.”

His eyes softened. “Have I told you that you’re the best? And that you mean everything to me?”

I leaned up on my tiptoes and kissed him, basking in the warmth of him. I slung my bag over my shoulder and pulled back. “Let’s go.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, following me.

The two of us made our way to the front doors and squeezed past the line. It was packed inside, with people waiting at the bar while others waited at tables. I felt a gaze on me and turned around, scowling. I could have sworn I saw David, but maybe it was that guy who looked like him.

There were so many people here. I glanced out at the patio and shook my head, raising my voice to talk over the hum of the crowd. “This is wild.”

Cam agreed as we both slid behind the bar. Hunter was standing there, working as efficiently as possible. He wore a black T-shirt, a line of sweat down the back and a bar towel slung over his shoulder. He glanced up at us and then shook his head.

“I don’t know why you’re here, but I’m glad you are. Maybe prayers do get answered.”

“You should have texted me,” Cam said, clapping him on the shoulder. “We’ll jump in. This is madness.”

“Someone said there was an article written about us,” Hunter said, glancing at me. “Don’t suppose you know anything about that?”

I winced. I had no idea that it would do this, but I felt a flare of pride that it had.

Cam shook his head. “Baby, I knew people read your travel articles; I didn’t know it would be like this.”

“It’s… a little something.”

“This isn’t a little something.” Hunter barked out a laugh. “Get to work, please, before our customers drown us. And send Sammy back to the stage. We need entertainment.”

Cam went to Sammy, and I moved down to the other end of the bar, where Colt was working his ass off. He was wearing a backward ball cap and gave me an easygoing smile.

“I’ve never been happier to see you,” he said as he poured two glasses of wine.

“I think this is my fault, so the least I can do is help,” I said. “Where do you want me?”

“Focus on that group at the very end. They’ve got ten people with them and want several flights of ciders. The flight is our six flavors and the serving boards.”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“Got it.”

We got into a good rhythm, one that was nice and easy despite the many people we had. I felt autopilot kick in, which was the best place to be mentally when working. Music began to roll through the winery again, Sammy’s voice a sultry Southern melody over the chatter.

An hour later, Cam ended up next to me, our hips bumping. We’d made it through the rush, both of us gleaming with sweat. I stole a look at him, thinking about how damn hot he was. His sleeves were pushed up his forearms, his gaze raking over me and leaving a trail of heat.

He leaned down, whispering in my ear. “If you keep looking at me like that, we’ll have to go to the office.”

“Oh yeah?” I laughed. “Am I in trouble, boss?”

“You will be,” he teased.

“No flirting while working,” Hunter called. “You’ll scare everyone off.”

I laughed as I poured wine, shaking my head.

“Y’all are together?”

The unfamiliar voice threw me off. I glanced up and frowned, recognizing the man I’d dealt with my first night here. Andy, the creepy jeweler.

Cam was already down the bar again, helping a couple that finally picked out the wine they wanted.

“Yes,” I said, holding his gaze. “Did you want a drink?”

“I want your number,” he returned, giving me a smarmy smile.

“Well, that’s not on the menu.” I raised a brow. “Drink or no drink?”

His eyes blazed, his face contorting. “You’re such a stuck-up whore. I don’t know why you’d go for someone like that when you could be with me.”

My heart skipped a beat, but I felt a wave of rage creep up. “Either pick a fucking drink or leave me alone, Andy.”

“Oh, you remember my name,” he said, leaning over the bar. “Just give me your number. I promise I can show you a good time. I’d fuck you so hard you’d never remember his name. I bet you sound good when you scream.”

A fist came out of nowhere. I gasped as I took a step back. Cameron hopped up onto the bar top with ease and punched Andy again.

“Cam!” I yelled.

It happened fast, but Colt and Hunter were over the bar, too, like fucking cowboy acrobats, pulling the two of them apart.

Cam rose, holding Andy by the front of his shirt. “If you ever speak to her, look at her, or think about her again, I will fucking end you.” He shoved Andy away, his hands curling into fists. “Get the fuck out of my bar.”

Andy put his hands up, blood gushing from his nose and down his shirt. “I was just being nice to her. She doesn’t even deserve it. She’s just some city whore. I’ve been reading all of her articles I could find and she’s not even a good writer.”

Hunter shoved Andy back, the three of them surrounding him. His eyes widened as he realized he’d just poked the bear.

“Get the fuck out. Now,” Cam snarled.

Colt and Hunter both crossed their arms, and Andy finally got the hint. I swallowed hard as he looked past them, glaring at me before finally making his way out. People let him by, murmuring as he went through the front door.

A pretty woman who was sitting on one of the stools shook her head, giving me a knowing smile. “Think you have a keeper, honey.”

I nodded, my eyes fixed on Cam as he turned. I felt a wave of emotion rush through me, part shock and part fear. I’d never done anything to Andy, but the way he looked at me was like he hated me.

What if he was the killer?

The thought made my breath hitch, my heart pounding. Cam looked at me, his face and expression finally relaxing. “Are you okay, sunshine?”

“Yeah,” I lied. His eyes narrowed on me. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Oh, but I wanted to,” he said, his voice deadly serious.

Hunter and Colt both looked at me and then back at Cam.

“Alright,” I said, trying to keep my voice from wavering. “Back to work.”

“You two take a break,” Hunter said. “It’s chilled out some. We don’t need the help.”

“Yeah,” Colt agreed. “Go.”

I was already going. I went through the back doorway and down the hall, going straight to Cam’s office. He was right behind me. The moment he closed the door behind us, I turned, only to be swept up into his arms and pinned against the wall.

“Cam,” I rasped. “Fuck.”

My legs wrapped around his waist, feeling his cock pushing against me through the fabric of our clothes. His expression was still murderous, his adrenaline clearly still riding high.

“I wanted to fucking kill him for what he said to you,” Cam breathed out.

“Hey,” I said, grabbing his face, trying to reassure him. “He didn’t hurt me.”

“I only heard the tail end of what he said and saw red. Are you really okay? I should have kicked him out the first night he spoke to you.”

“I’m okay,” I whispered. “I just… He hated me. I could see in his eyes how much he hated me. I never did anything to him. I don’t even know him. And part of me that wonders…”

Cam’s eyes widened, his jaw stiffening. “If he’s the killer.”