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

IF HALEY BENTLY were a rattlesnake instead of a gorgeous woman, I’d be a dead man.

Hell, maybe I was a goner either way.

Dark brown eyes burned with venom, cider running down her pretty red dress.

I pulled my hands away, blood rushing in my ears. Holy fuck, that did not just happen. I did not just dump a whole goddamn flight on her. My entire body felt like it was on fire, a mixture of stress, embarrassment, and something I couldn’t put my finger on.

“Nothing to see here,” I barked, looking around at the crowd. Everyone returned to their drinks, the chatter resuming. I turned my attention back to her, painfully aware of the anger rolling off in waves.

Her jaw stiffened as my gaze ran down her body.

She’d come out of nowhere. One moment, I was thinking about how busy our night was going to be and how I needed to get these drinks to a table; the next, I was colliding with her.

Haley was just as stunning as she’d always been, except gone were the awkward teenage motions. Her shoulders were pulled back, her face tilted up defiantly. The gossip through the grapevine said she was a woman who traveled the world. She wrote articles and made a living doing what she always wanted, and I could see that. Maybe a lot had changed, but that flash of temper in her gaze sure hadn’t.

Drops of blood swirled with the cider on the floor.Text © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.

“Fuck,” I muttered. Some of the glass cut her ankles.

This was the worst way I could have ever run into her again.

“We got towels!” Colton called. I looked up, seeing him and my younger brother, Sammy, rushing over with towels.

“You’re bleeding. Let me get the first aid kit. Can you come with me?” I asked.

I reached for her, but she took a step back, evading my touch. “No, thank you,” she said sharply as they made it to us.

Colton and Sammy looked dumbstruck, both standing there like fucking idiots. They were ogling her. I wanted to punch both of them.

Sammy was the tallest of all of us, but he ducked his head as he greeted her. “Hi, Haley,” Sammy said, running his fingers through his dark hair. “It’s good to see you. You okay?”

I didn’t like how he looked at her.

Hell, I didn’t like the way Colton was looking at her either. I was a man, and I knew both of them as well as I knew myself. They thought she was drop-dead-gorgeous, because she was, and were curious. And when she looked at them, it wasn’t with an ounce of hatred. It was with a bit of wariness, but nothing like the heat she held for me.

My jaw set hard, my temper already rising up. Not at her of course. But at the two knuckleheads that had yet to peel their eyes off her.

“I’m okay,” she said, peering up at my brother. “It’s good to see you, Sammy. I think you’ve gotten even taller.”

He grinned. “Six five, and that’s not a lie.”

She snorted. “I believe you.”

“Oh, this isn’t how I planned it, but this is the boss,” Colt said casually.

A little too casually.

What game was he playing? I glared at him, but he ignored me.

Haley glowered at him too. “Colton, I’m gonna skin you alive and roast you.”

He laughed. She continued to glare.

“Haley, I think you’re prettier than the last time I saw you,” Sammy said, his compliment warm and sincere.

That made her lighten up. She smiled at him. “I see how it is. Good cop, bad cop.”

“I’m just saying,” Sammy teased. “You’re stunning. Sure you aren’t staying in Citrus Cove forever?”

“Sammy Harlow, when did you become such a flirt?”

Their easy banter infuriated me. My temple pulsed. My hands flexed.

I couldn’t take it anymore.

Without another word, I scooped up the girl who hated me more than the church ladies hated Satan. I moved toward the back of the house, taking her kicking and shouting through the doors.

“Cameron Harlow, you put me fucking down before I kick you in the balls! Put me down!”

My grip on her tightened. “Easy, darlin’. I just want to get you patched up.” My voice was a Southern laissez-faire, but that was nowhere near the way I felt. This was crazy. I was carting her off like a fucking caveman. What the fuck was I doing?

I made it to the office and kicked open the door, finally setting her down. The top of her head came up to my chin, but the way she carried herself made me feel like she was taller than I was.

“You’ve got a lot of fucking nerve.” She seethed. “How fucking dare you manhandle me like that? This isn’t the Wild West.”

It was about to be. Something about her had always riled me up—back then it was a lot of things but now that I was an adult, I recognized what it was.

Lust. Pure and simple and dangerous.

“I want to make sure you’re okay.” I enunciated every word.

“And I’m fine taking care of myself.”

Bullshit.

“Sit,” I said, pointing at the chair.

The office was simple and well-kept, the chair one that my mother had picked out. She had an eye for anything decor related.

“I don’t need your help,” she snapped.

“I need to make sure you’re okay,” I grunted, going to my desk and digging out the first aid kit. “I’m sorry about the dress.” It was a pretty dress. A really pretty dress. In fact, Haley was the type of gorgeous that would keep you up at night.

Fuck. I felt like a teenager all over again. I fumbled as I opened the first aid box up, pulling out everything I could possibly use. Did I have everything I needed? I should have thought about getting a bigger kit. What if⁠—

“Cameron, I’m fine. I don’t want your help. You’re the last motherfucker in the state that I’d like to see right now. I’m going,” she snapped, heading toward the door.

“Woman, if you don’t sit down and let me make sure you’re okay, I’m going to call your grandma and tell her you need stitches.”

Haley made a noise somewhere between a gasp and the hiss of a cornered cat. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“I fucking would.”

I raised my gaze, meeting hers. Her cheeks were flushed, her arms crossed but not covering her breasts, which… I could see the outline of her nipples.

God help me, I was going to hell.

I cleared my throat. “Are you cold?”

She stared at me and then looked down, shaking her head. “Hate is too kind of a word for what I feel right now.”

Yep, that’d been the wrong thing to ask. Fuck. Where was Mr. Smooth right now? The guy that could flirt with every lady in the room? I knew how to seduce. I knew how to woo. But everything I’d learned since the last time I’d seen her flew out the window.

I was fucking up all over again.

I’d sworn to myself if I ever laid eyes on her again, I’d make things right. I’d show her I wasn’t an asshole. And that I was sorry for all the shit I’d done to her.

But here I was, making a mess all over again.

I looked down at her ankles again and cursed silently, grabbing the whole damn kit and rushing to her. “Sit. Please.”

She looked down and paled, her shoulders stiffening. “Oh.”

“Oh is right,” I said.

The glass had gotten her good. She sat down in the chair, and I went to my knees, not caring if I got her blood on me. This was my fault. All my fault. Plus, I kept a change of clothes in the truck.

I reached for her left ankle and slid off her sandal, wincing as I opened up a pack of antiseptic towelettes.

“It’s a lot of blood,” she whispered.

I looked up at her. She was getting paler with each second. I fought the urge to tuck back a loose golden curl, my chest squeezing. She was so goddamn beautiful she took my breath away. Earth to Cam, dickhead. “Does blood make you faint?”

“Didn’t use to.”

She sounded very far away now. I stared at her, not sure what to do. And what did she mean by “didn’t use to”? What happened?

Her eyes glazed over, her lips pressing together.

Fuck. I’d rather see her pissed off and cursing than looking like this.

Since I already fucked up any chance I had of making it right with her, I said the first thing that might break her out of that trance. “Remember that time I dumped beer on your head at the party?” I asked as I pulled her foot into my lap.

She let out a hiss, her expression becoming deadly. “Yes. How could I forget? That’s one of those things a girl remembers. Remember that time I punched you in your face?”

Despite the situation, I smiled. “You had a damn good punch, too.”

Her ankle was slender in my grip. Blood was still rushing in my ears, and rushing down. She smelled sweet, like honeysuckle and jasmine.

“Hunter beat the shit out of me for that,” I said, letting out a humorless chuckle. Get yourself under control. She went still as I wiped up the blood, cleaning the nicks from the glass. It looked like none of the shards had stuck, at least. “I deserved it. Do you want me to call an ambulance? Or take you to the emergency room?”

She was silent for one beat. Two. “No,” she said firmly. “No emergency room. No questions. I don’t need that right now. And yeah. You did deserve it. I could never get the scent of beer out of the fabric and had to work overtime for two weeks to afford another.” She snorted. “To think I had to work so damn much for something so cheap. And that I thought Honey was ignorant that we’d gone out that night.”

I was torn between snorting and wincing. Snorting because anyone that could pull something over on her grandmother had to be a mastermind. And wincing because I would never stop feeling like an idiot for the things I did to Haley.

My family wasn’t necessarily rich, but we’d never hurt for money. If I ruined a piece of clothing, I never had to work to get another. I’d caused more damage than I ever realized.

“You sure no hospital?”

“Yep,” she said. “Just do your best, and I’ll leave. Better yet, let me go, and I’ll take care of it myself. I’m perfectly capable of putting on my own Band-Aids.”

“I want to make sure you’re okay,” I insisted. “I’m sure you’re capable of it, but this is my business, and I feel bad for what happened. I wasn’t paying attention.”

“I don’t need your pity.”

For fuck’s sake. I couldn’t win.

I pulled out a stack of Hello Kitty Band-Aids and scowled. Fucking hell, I really couldn’t win. “How in the hell did these get in here?”

She stared. I stared.

“Is this a joke?” she whispered.

“No. I swear I didn’t put these in here.” I was going to murder my co-owner, who also happened to be in charge of medical supplies, who also happened to be the one that invited Haley tonight.

“I can’t walk out there with those on. I’ve already been humiliated.”

“You? Darlin’, no one is going to think anything of you. I’m the one that ran into you.”

“Did you do it on purpose?”

That hurt. I looked up at her, feeling a spark of anger, but it was quickly doused by frustration with myself. “No,” I said, my jaw tight. “I’d never do that. I promise you that I’m not the monster I was in high school. I’m not an asshole.”

She was absolutely unconvinced.

Another silky curl slipped free, and I fought the urge to push it back. I had a feeling if I tried that, she’d break my jaw.

“I think you might have to go with these,” I said, hissing through clenched teeth. I dug through the rest of the box to no avail. “I bet Colton put them in there as a prank.”

“Just hurry up. I’m going to go home and get cleaned up. I don’t want my grandma to see blood.”

“She’s tough,” I murmured. My hands moved a little faster as I strategically placed what felt like a hundred Hello Kitty Band-Aids on her ankles. She let out a soft breath as I placed the final one and stood. She snatched up her sandals and shook her head, muttering under her breath about men.

I looked up at her. If I were a good man, my cock wouldn’t have hardened in my blue jeans from looking at her from this angle.

But maybe I wasn’t a good man. My zipper felt like it was about to burst, and I prayed she couldn’t tell from where she was.

I was on my knees in front of Haley Bently, and she looked so mad she could spit, but I was so turned on that I felt like I could come just kneeling here.

“Thanks for nothing. Stay out of my way while I’m in town.”

She left me kneeling there.

“Fuck,” I breathed out.

That had been a disaster. I closed my eyes, thinking back. Back to that damn party so long ago. It was just a blur, but I remembered two things. Her looking prettier than a peach and my brother truly beating the shit out of me for the first time in our lives. The memory hit me hard.

“Hunter! I was just joking!”

Hunter shoved me back against an oak tree, his fist hitting me in the stomach hard enough that I threw up. I’d never seen him this mad before.

He slammed me back up against the tree, his fist knocking straight into my jaw. My ears were ringing, my muscles going weak. I was drunk, and he was stronger than me.

He lowered his voice, pulling me close. “If I ever catch you speaking to or harassing a girl like that again, I will bury you, Cam. Mama raised you better than this. No brother of mine will behave like that, do you understand?”

I stared at him, hot blood running from my nose.

He gripped my hair, letting out a low snarl. “Do you understand?”

“Yes,” I whispered. “It was just—just a joke.”

“That girl doesn’t have money,” Hunter snapped. “She can’t just go get new clothes. Her grandma is supposed to be retiring this year and is instead working three jobs so she can raise them. I’ve never seen you be cruel like that, and I’ll never see it again. Because if you ever are, you will meet God.”

“Hey, what the hell was that?”

I looked up to the doorway and blinked, seeing Sammy there. Like me, he was tall and lean, but where my dark hair was cut short, his was long and wavy. He glared at me the same way Hunter had all those years ago. Of course, we’d all fought, forgiven, and forgotten. We were brothers. Harlows through and through.

“What do you mean?” I grunted, finally standing. At least I was no longer sporting a hard-on.

“What do you mean what do I mean? What just happened with Haley? She just fled the building like you’d done something wrong. This isn’t high school anymore, Cam.”

“Fuck off,” I snarled, immediately sour. “I didn’t do anything wrong. I patched up the cuts since she was so damn insistent on not going to the doctor. And someone replaced all our Band-Aids with children’s ones.”

Sammy crossed his arms as I cleaned up. “You’re working too much.”

“Then pick up the fucking slack,” I growled. We both held our breaths for a moment, and then I sighed. I raked my fingers through my hair, trying to find some sort of balance. Just breathing the same air as Haley had turned me upside down. “I’m sorry. I’m stressed. Seeing her was… was something else. And I’m trying to keep everything afloat until Hunter gets back. Mom and Dad should be back next week too, so I won’t have to worry about the farm anymore.”

“If you need more help, just ask,” Sammy said. “I can try and shift my schedule around this week. But Colt thinks you should hire Haley, and I agree. If she’s willing, of course.”

“I think that Haley would rather work for Satan,” I sighed, looking down at my hands.

Sammy snorted. “Maybe you should send her some flowers. And a gift card.”

“Maybe,” I murmured. “I need to get cleaned up and get back out there.”

“We got everything cleaned up. All the glass and cider. I’m glad you got the type of floors you did—it was easy. And Colt and I worked the bar. We can both stay for the rest of the night.”

I nodded, relaxing just a hair. “Why her?”

“Why Haley?”

“Yeah. Why should I hire her? Both of you seem to think so. I’m sure there are others that would apply.”

“Sure, if you want to put them through the TABC course and get them an underage license to sell.”

I snorted. “Oh, come on.”

“Or—even better—I heard Betty Jacobs wants to take a break from her Sunday school lessons. You could hire her. Can you imagine? She’d be scoffing about how everyone in here was a sinner and needed to repent while pouring them a glass of red.”

Both of us grinned like idiots. The idea of old Betty slinging shots was enough to make me rethink sending Haley some flowers and offering a truce.

“You know pretty girls sell alcohol. And Haley Bently is hot as fuck. The city years did her good.”

“I think she’s always looked like that,” I mumbled.

Sammy arched a brow, his eyes narrowing. “Right. My point is, we live in a small town. Everyone already has a job. And no one wants the high schoolers around. They’ll just sneak drinks and do stupid stuff.”

He had a point.

I hated that, but he did.

Haley was really the best option. I doubted she’d say yes. She had no reason to, especially since I was someone she had a grudge against.

“Take off for the night. Wash off her blood, for god’s sake. And Colton and I will work.”

I gave my brother a long look. At some point, he’d become a full adult, and it still startled me sometimes. Especially when he was telling me what to do. “It was supposed to be my night,” I sighed. “Both of you were scheduled off. All of us already work five nights a week…”

“We’re getting too big for that.” Sammy shrugged. “It’s a good sign. Year three and maybe it’s time to hire help that isn’t family. Besides, all the extra help is out of town. It’s the three of us holding down the fort. And fuck it. If you don’t hire her, I will. She likes me.”

“I’ll handle it.” Because the idea of my brother getting close to the only girl I’d ever bullied made me see red.

I would earn her forgiveness.

Starting with that dress.