Chapter Sixty Four
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IreLyn groaned as the ringing of the phone interrupted her deep sleep. She opened one eye and glared at the offending object on her nightstand, silently cursing whomever was calling so early in the morning.
“What?” she snapped in to the phone.
The scowl disappeared and she broke out into a smile when she heard the answering giggle on the other end.
“Did I wake you Lyn? I’m sorry.” Dakota laughed.
“Oooh, you better be so glad you’re in North Carolina, cuz I could really smack you!” IreLyn said as she yawned and stretched.
“I’m scared shitless, let me tell ya.” Dakota returned. “Listen, I’m sorry to call so early, but I wanted to let you know, I got the job.”
“Kody, that’s wonderful.” IreLyn exclaimed as she sat up straight in bed. Dakota had been gone for four days and was just waiting to hear if she had the position or not. IreLyn was pretty sure it was hers, but she knew Dakota had to be relieved to know once and for all.
“I would have called you last night, but Dale took me out to celebrate and we didn’t back until late.” Dakota explained. “So, how are things going there?”
“Oh, you know. Same shit different day.” IreLyn sighed, trying not to think about how depressing Colorado was with out Dakota or Brett around. “Oh, that reminds me. You got flowers sent here yesterday.”
“Flowers?”
“Yeah, from Jean-Claude. I couldn’t resist, I had to read the card sorry.” IreLyn apologized. “Does he even know you’re not around here anymore?”
“I didn’t make a point of telling him…you can throw the flowers away.” Dakota grumbled. Hearing about him reminded her that she had yet to tell Dale what happened between herself and her former boss. It wasn’t that she hadn’t wanted to tell him, or was trying to put it off, but things had been so hectic since she arrived in North Caroline, it really had slipped her mind.
“Okay, but something on the card kind of threw me.”
“What?”
“Well, all it said was ‘Soon’, then his name. What does that mean?” IreLyn asked.
Dakota sighed heavily on the other end as she ran her hand through her hair. “Um, I really can’t get into it right now, but I’m coming home in a few days to pack up my stuff, and I promise we’ll discuss everything then.”
“Alright.” IreLyn said a little confused. She could hear something in her friend's voice and knew something was up. She sensed it before Dakota had left, but they had not been able to really talk.
“So, how are you doing without Brett?” Dakota asked.
“I miss him so much.” IreLyn confessed. “But he calls every day, so I look forward to hearing his voice.”
“Aww, Lyn, I’m sorry. I know it’s hard.” Dakota sympathized.
“He’s called last night and told me to schedule some vacation time next week, so he’s got something planned for us, but he won’t tell me what.” IreLyn grinned.
“Oooh, sounds mysterious…and fun…and romantic.” Dakota said, happy for her friend. “Well, I’m going to get off here for now. I’ll call you tonight and we’ll talk some more, okay?”
“Sounds good. If I don’t answer, just call back later.” IreLyn replied.
“Heaven forbid I interrupt your conversation with Brett.” Dakota teased. “Alright, I’ll call you later, and by then I should know when I’ll be back.”
After hanging up the phone, IreLyn laid back down, smiling when the phone rang again. Her heart jumped with anticipation, knowing without knowing who was on the other end.
“Good morning, Brett.” She said when she picked up the phone.
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Chapter Sixty Five
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"Mornin' baby," Brett replied, unable to suppress the smile on his face at hearing her voice. "How ya doing?"
"Okay, but I'm lonely. I miss you." IreLyn answered, a pout on her lips
"I miss you too, but it won't be long before we can see each other again. I promise." Brett told her.
"I can't wait. So how's the tour going?" IreLyn asked and then frowned when she heard the doorbell ring. She couldn't possibly imagine who it would be at that time of the morning. And more importantly, who would dare to interrupt her precious time with Brett...even if it were only on the phone.
"Hang on Brett, there is some one at the door." IreLyn said as she got up. She carried the phone with her as she walked toward the door.
"Who is it?" Brett asked curiously, wondering just as much IreLyn was who it might be.
"Some one who obviously has a death wish stopping by this early in the morning and interrupting this call." IreLyn told him. "Seriously, I have no idea. I'm about to find out though." She said as she stepped up to the door and began undoing the locks.
"Well, whoever it is, I hope that you're happy to see them" Brett said into the phone as she pulled the door open. He watched as her mouth fell open and a priceless expression of surprise widened her eyes. He laughed out loud as IreLyn looked between him, the cell phone that he held in his hand and her phone several times.
"Now what was that that you said about a death wish?" Brett teased as he reached out and pulled her against him. Before she could say anything, Brett dropped his head and claimed her lips in a thorough kiss.
Not breaking the kiss, Brett gently pushed her back inside the house and closed the door behind him. Brett pulled back slightly and stared into her eyes. Need instantly raged through his body as he saw her desire darkened eyes. His gaze wandered down and he was unable to resist her full, kiss swollen lips that were parted in invitation.
As his lips came down on hers again, Brett scooped her up in his arms and turned to his left, heading for the bedroom. Once there, he set her down on the floor. A deep groan rumbled through his chest when he felt her hands slip underneath his T-shirt and slide up his chest. In the next instant, IreLyn pulled his shirt off over his head. Hers joined his on the floor a moment later.
IreLyn squealed in delight as Brett picked her up again. She captured his lips as he walked towards the bed. The kiss deepened as he placed her down upon the bed and followed her down until his body covered hers. She arched her body against his and moaned into his mouth when she felt his arousal brush against her body. IreLyn broke the kiss and squirmed out from underneath him.
Brett quickly rid himself of his jeans while IreLyn stripped off her shorts. They came back together in the center of the bed. Unable to be denied any longer, IreLyn pushed Brett down until he lay on her back. Climbing astride him, she guided him inside her, sighing with relief when he was buried completely.
IreLyn frowned angrily at the sound of the ringing phone. She tried to ignore it, but with the incessant ringing, it was impossible. As the cloud fogging her brain began to lift a little, IreLyn slowly began to realize that she'd been sleeping. Brett was not there. She must have fallen back asleep after talking to Dakota and dreamed that he'd been there. She sighed is disappointment. The ring of the phone again broke through her thoughts.
"But that is him on the phone." She said to herself as she leaned over and picked the cordless phone up from the table beside her bed.
IreLyn smiled as she brought the phone up to her ear, looking forward to hearing his voice. "Good morning, Brett."
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Chapter Sixty Six
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Dakota sighed as she hung up the phone. She ran her hand through her hair, chewing on her bottom lip as she thought about what IreLyn had told her.
So Jean-Claude hadn’t just given up. And what the hell did ‘Soon’ mean? Dakota got up and made her way to the kitchen, grabbing a glass. She filled it with orange juice and was raising it to her lips when a thought hit her.
She dropped the glass as her eyes went wide. “Oh my god.” She whispered. What if she was wrong about Jean-Claude. What if he was capable of something…and what if he tried to pull something. He didn’t know she wasn’t living in Colorado anymore. But IreLyn was still there…alone.
Completely ignoring the juice spreading across the floor and the broken glass, she spun around and quickly ran to the phone, snatching it up and hitting the redial button. She couldn’t wait until she got back to Colorado to tell IreLyn what happened. She had to make her aware of the situation now.
“Damn it!” she exclaimed as she slammed the phone down after getting nothing but a busy signal.
She put her hands on her hips, trying to figure out what the hell to do. She snapped her fingers when it came to her. Brett. She needed to get a hold of Brett. She frowned when she realized she didn’t have his phone number. But Dale did.
She knew she couldn’t put it off any longer. She had to tell Dale what happened. She knew right away that he wasn’t going to be happy about her keeping it from him…and even more so that she had confided in Brett and not him.
She picked up her keys and headed out the door. She walked across the front lawn and stood on his front porch and before she knocked she took a deep breath. She knew he was home, since when he wasn’t at the racetrack or some kind of appearance, he tended to not like to get out of bed until past noon.
Waking him up early wasn’t going to do anything good for his mood. Before she lost her courage she knocked loudly and held her breath as she waited for him to answer.
After a few moments, she knocked again, her heart pounding when she heard heavy footsteps, accompanied by curses, coming to the door.
She took a step back when the door was yanked open. She couldn’t help but grin at him, taking in his bed-tangled hair and sleepy eyes. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw he was only wearing boxer shorts and nothing else. Her mouth went dry and she had to fight to remember why she was there in the first place.
Dale’s fierce look immediately disappeared when he saw who was standing on his doorstep. He gave her a lazy smile as he reached out, grabbed her hand and pulled her inside and into his arms.
“Mmm, morning.” He said huskily, his mouth close to her ear. She shivered slightly and pressed closer to him.
“Morning.” She answered back. “Sorry, I know it’s early.” She apologized.
“Nah, it’s alright, you can wake me up anytime.” He said, running a hand over his face, trying to wake himself up. He saw her lift an eyebrow at him.
“Well, just don’t make a habit of it being before lunchtime.” He grinned. “Why’d you knock? You have a key, I told you to come on in anytime.” He said as he led her to his bedroom, where he immediately laid back down. He may be awake, but he wasn’t ready to get out of bed just yet.
Dakota sat down next to him. Since she had moved there she had yet to stay over at his house. They were taking their time and letting things progress slowly. But he had still given her a spare key, wanting her to have a way to get in the house at any time when he’s away.
“Uh, Dale, there’s something I need to talk to you about.” She said, looking down at her hands, which she had in her lap, nervously picking the nail polish off.
“Sounds serious.” Dale said, studying her profile, noticing how nervous she seemed.
“You could say that.” Dakota admitted, glancing at him, looking away when she saw how intently he was watching her.
“Well, to begin with, I don’t want you to think that I was keeping this from you, hoping you’d never find out. I was planning on telling you once we left Colorado, but there was so much going on, it honestly slipped my mind. And I didn’t tell you in Colorado because I didn’t want you to overreact.” She said in a rush, stopping when he sat up and pulled her closer to him.
“Kody, whatever it is, you can tell me.” He said softly, seeing her obvious distress.
“Okay.” She sighed, then decided to just go ahead and get it over with. “Um, in Colorado I..I kinda lied to you.”
Dale stiffened at her words as he wracked his brain trying to figure out what she would have lied to him about. “Go on.” He said, his voice deep.
Dakota could see the confusion, and knew he was trying to figure out what she was referring too. “When I told you nothing happened with Jean-Claude, I lied.” She clarified, sucking in her breath when she saw the fire immediately dancing in his eyes.
“More happened than what I let on, and I didn’t tell you then because I didn’t want you to get upset—“ he cut her off.
“What happened?” he growled, sending more shivers down her spine. Damn but he was sexy when he was pissed.
“Uh,” she shook her head, getting back to the matter at hand. “When we were outside, he and I did have words. Like I said he apologized and asked me to come back to work. I turned him down and was in the process of chewing him out when he grabbed me and kissed me.”
She saw the muscle in his jaw jump and felt his hands tighten around hers and decided it would be best to continue before he could interrupt and go off completely.
“I pushed him away and slapped him…rather hard I might add,” she grinned at the memory, still feeling rather proud of herself for that fact. She sobered immediately when she saw the anger in Junior’s face and continued. “He told me he loved me and that we belonged together.”
“All that I can deal with, but it was the look in his eyes when he said it. It freaked me out.” She admitted, looking down, not meeting his eyes. “I decided not to worry about it since I wasn’t going to be in Colorado much longer. And Brett helped me out.”
“Brett?” Dale asked, his voice tight.
“Yeah. That night I couldn’t sleep. I kept replaying it over and over again in my head. So I got up and Brett was up and he knew something was wrong and I told him what happened. He also agreed that I should wait to tell you. I really did mean to tell you before this, but it wasn’t until I talked with IreLyn that I remembered.” She raised her head and met his eyes, pleading with her own eyes for him to believe her.
Dale was silent for a few minutes, allowing it all to sink in. Finally he took a deep breath. He couldn’t help but smirk when he saw the way Dakota was watching him apprehensively. “I’m not mad, so quite looking at me like I’m gonna bite your head off.”
Dakota immediately let out a sigh of relief. “I do wish you’d told me all this sooner. This isn’t something you should have had to deal with alone.” He told her, his expression serious.
“But I guess I can understand, since I do seem to have a little bit of a temper.” He admitted. Dakota laughed at that.
“A little bit?” She exclaimed, thinking of what an understatement that was.
“What?” Dale demanded.
“Junior, your temper is legendary.” She giggled.
“Is not!” he shot back defensively.
“Sure, whatever!” Dakota rolled her eyes. She squealed when Dale pushed her down on the bed, catching her completely off guard. She bit her lip, trying to hold in the laughter as he playfully glared down at her.
“I do not have that bad of a temper.”
“Okay, honey, whatever you say.” She conceded with a grin, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him down for a lengthy passionate kiss. She felt a thousand times better, just telling him everything. And it had gone a hell of a lot better than she could have even hoped for.
Dale lifted his head, breathing slightly heavier than before. “But, if I ever see Jean-Claude again, I may have to kill him.” He said, only slightly kidding. Deep down he was seething at the though of the other man touching her and scaring her the way that he did, but he knew that showing his anger would have only made things worse for Dakota, so he held it in check.
Dakota’s smile disappeared at the mention of the other man. “Shit, I nearly forgot!”
“There’s more?” Dale asked, his teeth clenched as he sat up and pulled her up also.
“Yeah, unfortunately. Seems Jean-Claude sent some flowers to the house for me. I never told him I was moving, so he still thinks I’m living with IreLyn. She told me the card said ‘Soon’.” She quoted, again chewing on her bottom lip.
“I honestly never though Jean-Claude to be a dangerous man. I really don’t think he’d ever try and hurt me, but, Dale what if I’m wrong. What if he does try something, and IreLyn get caught in the middle. He has no idea that I’m not there anymore.” Her eyes were wide with fright for her friend. “I haven’t even told IreLyn what’s going on.” She admitted.
Dale pulled her close. “I think we need to take a trip.”
“Huh?” Dakota asked, pulling back to look at him.
“You were planning on going back to Colorado to pack in a few days, anyway. Only you're not going alone. I’m coming with you. So, get some things together, cuz if we hurry we can most likely catch a plan this afternoon. I’ll call Brett on the way and see if he can meet us there. We’ll figure out what to do when we get there.” He promised.
Dakota threw her arms around him, hugging him tight as she felt the unfamiliar sting of tears in her eyes. “Thank you!” she exclaimed. “Thank you so much for understanding and being so wonderful.”
Dale pulled back slightly and ran his finger down her cheek as he smiled down at her. “Don’t ever think you can’t come to me. I’m always here for you, Kody, no matter what.”
Dakota nodded. “I know, I just wish I’d realized it sooner.” She said as she leaned forward and brushed her lips across his. “I love you.”
Her eyes widened when she realized her slip and she pulled back, her face flaming. They hadn’t said those words to each other, even though she had known for some time that she was in love with him. But she had always kept it to herself, and hadn’t meant for it to come out then.
Her eyes lowered so she wouldn’t see his expression, she quickly made a move to get off the bed. “Uh, I’ll go pack.” She said in a rush, wanting to get out of there and hide.
Before she could get to her feet, Dale stopped her, but she still refused to look at him. He hooked his finger under her chin and tipped her head up until she had no choice but to look at him. The look on his face, and his smile took her breath away.
“I love you too, Dakota.” He whispered as he bent his head and captured her lips with his.
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Chapter Sixty Seven
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IreLyn groaned out loud when her alarm clock began blaring, pulling her abruptly from a deep sleep. Rolling over, she turned the thing off as she called it a few choice words. After having tossed and turned for most of the night before finally falling into a restful sleep, she was not ready to get up.
Dragging herself out of bed, IreLyn headed for the bathroom, knowing that, just as every morning, a shower was exactly what she needed to get herself awake. That, and about six cups of coffee would give her the energy that she needed to get herself through the day of work.
It wasn't that she didn't like her job. She loved it, in fact. It was just that after having Kody around all her life, it was hard adjusting to her not being there. Missing Brett on top of it, made getting through the day harder than she'd ever imagined.
At least she'd be seeing Kody and Brett again in about a week. Kody still had to come back and get the rest of her stuff to complete her move to North Carolina. IreLyn smiled as she got up from the table and rinsed her coffee cup in the sink while wondering what Brett had in store for them. He'd been very secretive, not letting her know anything apart from telling her to get a few days off of work.
Glancing up at the clock, IreLyn grabbed her car keys from the hook where they hung on the side of the cabinet.
"Time to rock and roll." She said out loud before she could stop herself. That was what she always said to Kody when it was time to leave for work. IreLyn sighed softly, realizing that she was talking to no one but herself.
Walking to the door to leave, IreLyn was more than a little shocked when she found Logan standing on the other side.
"Hello IreLyn." Logan said with a smirk as she stared up at him in disbelief.
Finally snapping out of her momentary stupor, the surprise that IreLyn felt quickly turned to anger. "Get the hell out of here!" She ground out through clenched teeth as she attempted to close the door on Logan.
Logan caught IreLyn off guard as he stepped forward and shoved the door before it could close fully, causing IreLyn to lose her balance. She stumbled and then fell backward.
As Logan stepped into the house and began approaching her, IreLyn quickly scrambled back to her feet. She glared up at him, her eyes shooting icy green shards at him. "What do you want, Logan?" She questioned as she crossed her arms over her chest, still staring furiously up at him.
"I thought that you might be lonely," Logan began as he reached out and brushed his fingers across her cheek. IreLyn immediatly jerked away from his touch. "With the absence of Dakota and your 'man'," Logan vehemently sneered the last word. "I thought that you could use some company."
"I don't think so!" IreLyn replied as she brushed past him and walked over to the door. "Leave!" She demanded.
IreLyn watched as Logan stalked over to where she stood. Then, before she was even aware of what was happening, Logan reached out and hauled her tight against him. Taking shameless advantage of her shocked state, Logan dropped his head, claiming her lips in a rough and hungry kiss.
It was only a few moments before IreLyn was able to break free from his grasp, but to her it seemed like an eternity. Glaring up at him through disgust filled eyes, IreLyn reared back and slapped Logan across his face with every ounce of strength that she possessed.
Logan smirked as he rubbed his jaw. He stared down at her as need coursed through him. God, but she turned him on. It took everything that he had in him to resist the urge to throw her down on the floor and have his way with her.
"I'll be seeing you around, Lyn." Logan promised before he turned and walked out the door.
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Chapter Sixty Eight
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Jean-Claude’s head snapped up when his office door burst open. He looked on in confusion as Logan stormed in with his assistant, Shirley, hot on his heels, trying to tell him he needed an appointment.
Just before Logan reached the desk, Shirley got around in front of him, unfazed by the man’s size. “Listen here, Mr. Brooks, this is totally and completely unprofessional. You don’t just come barging into someone’s office like this!” she fumed up at him.
Logan simply looked down at her and shrugged, then turned his attention to the man who was now standing behind the desk, completely dismissing the little woman in front of him.
“We need to talk.” Logan barked, not leaving any room for arguments.
Jean-Claude lifted an eyebrow, then sighed. “Fine, Shirley, please have some coffee made and brought in.” he said, trying to be professional as possible. Although he highly doubted that Logan was there to talk about the account, there was always a slight possibility.
Shirley whirled on her boss, her hands planted firmly on her hips. “I’d be more than happy to get you coffee, but I will not lift a finger for him!” she sniffed, waving her hand towards Logan. The look in her eyes dared him to dispute with her.
He saw the look and gave in. She had been by his side for more than ten years, and he knew when not to push her. This was definitely one of those times.
“Fine, Shirley. Just close the door behind you and hold my calls.” He said. Shirley turned on her heel, casting a final glare in Logan’s direction.
Before she walked out the door they both heard her grumble, “I can’t believe we lost Dakota for that asshole!”
Jean-Claude shook his head. Sometimes she really didn’t know when to keep her mouth shut, but she was the best damn assistant he could ever pray for, and she knew her job was safe, allowing her to push the envelope just a little farther.
He turned his head back to Logan. “What can I help you with today, Mr. Brooks?” he asked professionally.
“Cut the bullshit.” Logan snapped, not in the mood for it. Here was here for one thing, and he was going to get it.
Surprise passed across Jean-Claude’s features, only to be replaced by confusion. “Then why don’t you just tell me why you’re here, before I loose my patience.”
“You’re going to help me get what I want. In turn, I’m going to help you.” Logan said, getting right to the point as he sat down in the leather chair.
Jean-Claude only proceeded to get more confused. “Excuse me? What the hell are you talking about?”
Logan sighed. “It’s quite simple to understand. You help me, and I’ll help you. See? Easy isn’t it?”
“You’ve lost me.” Jean-Claude stated, still not comprehending what the other man was saying. “And you know what, a hell of a lot of nerve you have. You not only pull your account from under us, without so much as an explanation, you cost me my best employee, and now you come back demanding my help?”
Logan rolled his eyes. “Christ, if it’s the account your so worried about, it’s yours.” He sighed, exasperated, as he ran his hand over his face. “But I know there is something out there that means a little more to you than the fucking account.”
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he looked Jean-Claude in the eyes. “You want Dakota.” He stated simply, laughing at the shocked expression on the other man’s face.
“H-how…what?” Jean-Claude burst out.
Logan threw his head back and roared. “You don’t honestly think you could hide how you felt about her? Jesus, you did! Man, it was so obvious every time you looked at her. When she walked in the room, your entire manner changed. Even now, just when I mentioned her name, hell when your secretary said her name, your eyes lit up and your whole expression softened.”
Jean-Claude rubbed his temples, knowing it was true. He’d just never had anyone point it out to him before. “Oh.” He mumbled.
“So tell me, does she know how you feel?” Logan asked.
“Yeah.” He confessed. “I’ve even sent her flowers, but haven’t heard anything from her.” He said sadly.
“That’s because she’s not here!” Logan exclaimed, sitting back in his chair once more. He shook his head at the other man’s shocked expression. Did he not keep up on anything? How in the hell this man ran a company was beyond him.
“She’s moved to North Carolina…with her boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend?” Jean-Claude growled, jealousy raging through him, as his eyes took on a dangerous gleam.
“You know? Dale Earnhardt Jr.?” Logan reminded him. Damn this man was dense. He dreaded working with him, but he was willing to do so, as long as he got what he wanted.
“I thought they were just friends.” Jean-Claude exploded, jumping to his feet as he began pacing around his office.
“You thought wrong, buddy.” Logan replied.
“Fuck!” he swore viciously. He was blinded by rage, and he had to keep his fist clenched at his side in order to keep them from shaking…or hitting something.
“Now, my question is, what would you be willing to do to get her away from that bastard?” Logan asked, getting up to face the other man.
Jean-Claude paused and looked out his window, finally fully realizing what Logan was asking him. What would he be willing to do to make Dakota his? The answer wasn’t long in coming.
He turned and looked Logan in the eye. “Anything.”
Logan smiled broadly. “Now that’s what I wanted to hear! Together, we can make that happen, my friend.” He promised.
Jean-Claude started to smile, but stopped. “Wait. What’s in this for you. You’re not going to just help me out of the goodness of your heart. I already know I have to help you, but what is it that you want?” he asked, although deep down he already knew the answer.
“Isn’t that obvious?” Logan asked, crossing his arms. “IreLyn.”
“Figured as much, just needed to make sure.” Jean-Claude nodded, having guess that she was now with the other man the night at the club, what the hell was his name? Who the hell cared? Turning back to look out the window, he gazed out, saying nothing for a few moments.
“So are you in? Will you help me get IreLyn?” Logan asked, getting impatient. “In return, I guarantee you’ll have Dakota.” He held his breath waiting for the other man’s answer.
Jean-Claude hesitated. Yes he wanted Dakota, more than anything, but did he want to jeopardize IreLyn as well? He had always liked IreLyn, and if she was happy with this other guy, who was he to mess with her happiness. He wouldn’t even let himself stop for a moment that he would be screwing with Dakota’s happiness, because in his mind, she would only be truly happy with him. Not this Earnhardt guy.
Her image flashed before his eyes. He bit his lip to suppress his groan of desire as he imagined her standing before him, smiling seductively at him, just the way he had imagined many times before.
“Alright, Logan.” As he turned around once more, meeting his gaze directly, allowing him to see the determination in his eyes. “You’re got yourself a deal.”
Logan smiled, his eyes dancing with excrement and evil intent. “Just think, before long, we’ll have exactly what we want, Dakota and IreLyn.”
Jean-Claude grinned also as he nodded, excitement coursing through his body. A chill soon followed as he saw the smile on Logan’s face turn sinister and the look in his eyes turn deadly. Before he could say anything, Logan spoke, the tone of his voice scaring Jean-Claude more than he was willing to admit.
“And that damn Earnhardt and fucking Brett Scallions won’t know what hit them.” Logan swore, his plan already forming in his mind.
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Chapter Sixty Nine
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"Damn it!" IreLyn cursed out loud as she slammed the phone down after attempting to get a hold of Dakota yet again. Although she had no intention of letting Kody in on what had gone on with Logan earlier that morning, IreLyn knew that simply hearing her friend's voice would make her feel better.
Hearing Brett's voice would make her feel even better, but she knew that he wouldn't be free from the studio for the day for at least another two hours. Much like with Dakota, IreLyn had no plans to tell Brett about Logan. She knew that Fuel was busy recording their new album and she didn't want to bother him with something that was probably nothing.
Sighing deeply, IreLyn got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen. She rummaged through the cupboards and refrigerator, looking for something to make for dinner. Not finding what she wanted, IreLyn sat down by the table and made out a list of things that she needed from the store. After glancing up at the clock and seeing how late it was, she decided to get the things that she needed from the store and pick up dinner on the way home.
Grabbing her car keys and purse, IreLyn headed for the door and pulled it open.
"What the hell!" IreLyn exclaimed in surprise when the first thing that she saw was BS barreling toward her. Before she could react, BS jumped up on her and knocked her down.
His tail and body waggling with the excitement that he felt at seeing her again, BS stayed on top of her, licking her face in greeting.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, IreLyn hugged the dog tight. "Glad to see you too, buddy." She told him before she gently pushed BS off of her.
Rising to feet again, IreLyn saw for the first time, Brett, Dale, and Dakota standing there. She looked at them in confusion before a happy smile curved her lips. It was replaced again with confusion a moment later.
"Not that I'm complaining, but what the hell are you all doing here?" She questioned just before she rushed forward to greet them.
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Chapter Seventy
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“Well that’s not the kind of greeting I was hoping for, what about you guys?” Brett asked, pretending to look hurt as he looked at Dakota and Dale. IreLyn’s eyes grew wide when she realized what she had said and how it had sounded.
“No, I was looking for a little more love than that.” Dale sighed, pretending to pout.
Before he could brace himself, IreLyn threw herself in Brett’s arms, cutting off his surprised laugh with her lips, effectively kissing him speechless and breathless. “I’m so happy to see you.” She whispered and she hugged him close, blinking rapidly to get rid of the tears that were now stinging her eyes.
“Now, that’s more like the greeting I was expecting.” Brett hugged her tight, his hand moving up and down her back, both of them content to just stay in each other’s arms.
“Ahem, excuse me, mind if I get a hug?” Dakota interrupted, her hands planted firmly on her hips. She grinned at IreLyn, who pulled back reluctantly from Brett’s embrace to smile at her friend. She then stepped forward and hugged her tightly.
“Lyn, I wanted a hug, not to be strangled!” Dakota protested lightly when IreLyn hugged a little too hard.
“I’m sorry.” IreLyn apologized, beaming at her friend. If there was ever a time when she needed the people standing in front of her, it was definitely now. She hugged Dale, although without as much force, then stepped back and inside the house, everyone following behind her.
A few minutes later after they were all settled comfortably in the living room, IreLyn and Brett on the couch and Dale in the chair with Dakota in his lap, did IreLyn remember her question from earlier.
“So, what are you three doing here anyway?” she asked, looking at all their faces, not missing the look that passed between them. “What?” she asked, instantly realizing something was up.
Dakota took a deep breath and sat up a little straighter, smiling at Dale when he squeezed her hand reassuringly. “There’s something you need to know…that we all need to discuss.” She said softly, seeing the confusion on her friend’s face.
“Why does this not sound good?” IreLyn asked.
“Because it really isn’t.” Brett told her, his arm slipping around her waist, pulling her closer to him.
“Okay,” she replied hesitantly, then looked back at Dakota. “Go ahead.”
***
“That bastard!” IreLyn fumed, jumping to her feet, fifteen minutes later after Dakota had finished telling her about Jean-Claude. She had somehow managed to keep her anger inside, allowing Dakota to get completely finished, but now she was ready to explode.
“How could he do this to you?” she raged, pacing around the living room. She stopped then hurried over to her friend, pulled her to her feet and pulled her close into a warm hug. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that, Kody.”
Dakota pulled back and smiled. “I’m fine with it now, I’m more concerned about you.”
“Me?” IreLyn gasped, her face loosing some color as her eyes went wide. Why in the hell would she be concerned about her? Oh god, was it possible she knew about Logan and the stunts he had pulled? No, she couldn’t…could she?
“Like I said before, I really can’t imagine Jean-Claude actually trying anything, but what if he did? He doesn’t know I moved, and if he came here, and you were here alone…” Dakota trailed off, unable to voice her fears out loud.
“Oh, but I’m sure we don’t have to worry about that.” IreLyn smiled, trying to reassure her.
Dakota didn’t say anything, but just continued to stare at IreLyn. “What happened?” she finally asked.
IreLyn immediately diverted her eyes, knowing they would give her away. “What do you mean?” she asked innocently, hoping her voice didn’t betray her by shaking. She moved away, sitting back down next to Brett, but unable to look either him, Dakota or Dale in the eyes.
Dakota’s hands once again went to her hips as her eyes narrowed. “You know damn well what I’m talking about. I have a reason to be concerned, and I don’t think it has anything to do with Jean-Claude, does it, IreLyn?”
“What are you talking about?” Brett demanded, looking from IreLyn to Dakota. Dale looked just as confused and Brett did, but kept quiet.
“Lyn?” Dakota asked. She didn’t know what had happened, but she could see it in her friend’s eyes that something had her shook up.
“Alright!” IreLyn once again jumped to her feet, unable to keep inside any longer. “Something did happen…but it wasn’t Jean-Claude.” She confirmed Dakota’s suspicions.
“It was Logan.” She said, her voice barely above a whisper, as she stared down at the carpet, waiting for the reaction, still unable to look at her three friends.
She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to control the shaking that started. Voicing it out loud made it real…and she could fully understand why Dakota hadn’t wanted to talk about what happened between her and Jean-Claude at first. The question was now, what in the hell were they going to do?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Seventy One
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You're coming back with us." Brett stated once IreLyn had finished telling them what had happened with Logan. His voice was calm, but one look into his eyes, which had turned a hard, stone gray color, told the fury that boiled inside him.
IreLyn looked at Brett in surprise. "What?" She questioned as she once again sat down beside him. She was silent for a moment and then spoke again. "I can't do that."
"Why?" Dakota, Brett, and Dale all demanded to know simultaneously.
IreLyn thought about it for a moment. And although she wanted nothing more than to go with them, it just didn't seem feasible. "I can't just up and leave. I have a job and someone has to be here to take care of the house. What will I tell my family? I don't want them involved in this mess. I'm not sure that I want to be that far away from them. And I don't want to be a bother to you all."
Even though what she was saying didn't make any sense to Dale or Brett, Dakota could easily understand what IreLyn was saying. It had been much the same way that she felt when things had started happening with Jean-Claude, although she hadn't had a job to worry about. She'd already quit hers. But what Lyn had said about not wanting to involve their family and not wanting to be so far away from them. And especially about not wanting to be an inconvenience. That was exactly how she'd felt until Dale had made her see otherwise.
"It can only be temporary if that is the way that you want it, Lyn. Just until all of this crap with Logan and Jean-Claude clears up. A couple weeks at the most probably. You can just tell your family that you're going on vacation." Dale told her, trying to make IreLyn see reason.
"It's for your own safety. I just have a really bad feeling when it comes to Logan and Jean-Claude." Dakota said as she rose to her feet and walked over to where IreLyn is standing. "Please Lyn, come back to North Carolina with us." Dakota all but pleaded with her friend.
IreLyn could feel herself relenting as she looked at Dakota, then Dale, and finally at Brett. She could easily see the concern in all of their eyes and knew that they were only doing what they thought was best for her in this situation.
It was finally admitting to herself that what had happened with Logan scared her that changed IreLyn's mind. Once she had that out in the open with herself, she knew that they were right...she would be in danger if she didn't leave the area for a while.
IreLyn smiled, having to admit that she was excited about spending some time with Dakota and Dale...and hopefully Brett would be able to swing some free time as well. "Okay, I'll go. I need to call my family. Kody, can you lock up the house while I do that and pack a few things. I can stop by the radio station on the way out."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Seventy Two
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Can I ask just one question? Why in the hell do you have a two bedroom apartment above your garage?” IreLyn asked when she walked out of the bedroom she would be using while she was in North Carolina, her gaze on Dale.
He grinned and shrugged, his hands stuffed in his pockets. “What can I say, I have lots of friends who tend to drink to much then need a place to crash.”
Brett snickered, knowing he had been one of those friends on more than one occasion. He pulled IreLyn into his arms, holding her tightly against him. He was relieved to see most of the tension drain from her the instant the plane had left the ground in Colorado.
Her family had been completely understanding on why she was leaving for a little while, and told her not to worry about a thing. They would even take care of selling her house for her if she decided she wanted to stay in North Carolina.
IreLyn leaned back against Brett, content with being in his arms. For the first time since Dakota had left, she felt safe. Her eyes lit up when Dakota walked in the room carrying a ball of fur.
“Bud!” IreLyn greeted the cat as she walked over and started petting him, grinning when he leaned into her touch and purred loudly. “I was wondering where you were.”
Dakota laughed. “He was hiding in the garage…I think he and BS already had their face off.”
Brett watched as Bud just ate up the attention he was getting from the two girls. He then grinned at Dale.
“You know, this is not the same demon cat I’ve grown to love. I seem to remember Bud being Mr. Antisocial and never letting people hold him.”
Dale crossed his arms over his chest and glared at his cat. “He’s only like that with them. Whenever Dakota’s around, he wants nothing to do with me. I’m almost jealous.” He joked.
The cat in question blinked at his owner then yawned and stretched luxuriously in Dakota’s arms, purring even louder when IreLyn started rubbing his stomach. He was a little startled when Dakota bent and put the cat on his feet, glaring up at the women before trotting over to the couch and jumping up to make himself comfortable.
IreLyn shook her head, thinking of how much the cat reminded her of his owner. “Hey, where’s BS?” she asked, suddenly realizing the big dog wasn’t anywhere around.
“I let him back in the house.” Brett answered, smirking when he knew what his friend’s reaction would be. He wasn’t disappointed.
“Shit!” Dale exclaimed as turned and started towards the door. “If that mutt destroys my house, I’m kicking your ass!” he threw over his shoulder.
Brett laughed harder as they all moved to the window and watched Dale race across the short distance to his front door and disappear in his house, yelling for BS at the top of his lungs.
“Did we miss something?” IreLyn asked as she wrapped her arms around Brett’s waist, pulling him closer to her.
“Few months ago, Junior threw a huge party.” Brett started to explain.
“Imagine that.” Dakota laughed.
“We were all out back by the pool and no one noticed BS sneaking in the house. Well, next thing we knew, we heard a big crash, and by the time we got back inside, BS had all but destroyed Dale’s new stereo.”
“Oh, I bet he was pissed.” IreLyn giggled.
“Beyond pissed.” Brett nodded. “So, I bought him a new stereo and later found out that I paid a hell of a lot more for it than he did. He said it was pay back.”
“Now that sounds like Dale.” Dakota said as she turned towards the door, ready to go see what kind of damage was done this time around. That and she knew that IreLyn wanted some alone time with Brett. Not to mention the fact she was craving some quality time with Dale herself.
After Dakota went out the door, Brett looked down at IreLyn. “How you feeling, baby?” he asked as he bent down and nuzzled her neck, causing shivers to race up and down her spine.
“I’m doing remarkably well.” She answered, smiling up at him. “I feel better than I have in awhile.”
“Good.”
“So, how long can you stay?” she asked, half-afraid to hear the answer.
Brett sighed. “I can only stay until tomorrow evening, then I’ll be gone for about a week. But after that, you’ll have me all to yourself for three weeks.”
IreLyn’s eyes lit up with pleasure. “Three weeks?” she exclaimed as she hugged him tight. She tipped her head back to say something else, but whatever it was she forgot as his mouth came crashing down on hers, making her forget everything except the man whose hands were beginning to roam over her body.
She arched into his touch, moving with him as he starting maneuvering them towards her bedroom, never once breaking the heated kiss.
***
“They are both in North Carolina.”
Jean-Claude sat up straighter in his office, his grip tightening on the phone as he heard the growl in the other end. “How do you know?” he asked through clenched teeth.
“Because I followed them to the airport and saw what plane they got on.” Logan yelled. He kept reminding himself that Jean-Claude was going to help him get IreLyn. It was difficult at times…most of the time he just wanted to strangle the other man.
“Call your secretary and tell her to book us a flight.” Logan ordered.
“What for?”
Logan seethed on the other end of the line, closing his eyes and staying quiet for a moment trying to calm the rage that was coursing through him.
“Because we’re going to North Carolina, you stupid mother f—“ he started, but Jean-Claude cut him off.
“Hang on.” And before Logan could say anything, he heard the damn elevator music most people got when being placed on hold. Needless to say, it did nothing to improve his already foul mood.
Five minutes later, and many words later, some he’d even made up, Logan heard the music stop and Jean-Claude on the other end.
“Meet me at the airport in a half hour.” He instructed. “We leave in less than two hours.”
***
Shirley watched as her boss stormed out of the office just telling her he didn’t know when he’d be back and that she was to take care of things in the office.
She bit her lip as she looked down at the paper in her hand. It was Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s home telephone number. Dakota had left it with her when she went to spend the weekend incase of an emergency.
“I think this most definitely qualifies as an emergency.” She whispered to herself.
She had no idea what was planned, but she knew, without knowing that Jean-Claude’s trip to North Carolina wasn’t for a social visit. She chewed on her bottom lip, trying to figure out what exactly to do. She loved her job and working for Jean-Claude. But ever since Dakota had left he’d been a completely different person…unbearable to be around for the most part.
Then Logan entered the picture. On more than one occasion he would walk in the office and they would be behind closed doors for hours on end. Whatever they were planning wasn’t good.
Now it just came down to whether or not to betray her boss and contact Dakota before it was too late.
“But what if I’m overreacting and it’s nothing?” she said to herself. With a reluctant sigh, she opened her desk drawer and put the slip of paper back inside, deciding that if her boss weren’t back the next few days, then she would make the call. After all, what could happen in two days’ time?