Love at Carlyle's [Love on the Rocks 8: Special Edition] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  Love on the Rocks 8

  Love at Carlyle’s

  Precious O’Connell is in hiding. She’s been betrayed, lied to, and used. She swears she’ll never trust again—until she enters Carlyle’s Bar and Restaurant. She is drawn to the town as well as her landlord, Cavanaugh, her training instructor at the dojo, Magnum, and her boss at the bar, Carlyle. Then she finds out they’re brothers and she isn’t exactly ready, or willing, to follow her heart or her gut and to trust them, never mind love them.

  Precious is trying to keep her past a secret, but these three brothers have a way of drawing information out of her and making her want things she’s always feared. Living in a dream state and falling in love, she’s off her guard and her game when the men hunting her find her and take her away. She’s back on her own, fighting to survive and feeling like this time she will surely die, when the brothers come to her rescue and help her to end the danger—once and for all.

  Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Quatre, Romantic Suspense

  Length: 49,824 words

  LOVE AT CARLYLE’S

  Love on the Rocks 8

  Dixie Lynn Dwyer

  MENAGE EVERLASTING

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting

  LOVE AT CARLYLE’S

  Copyright © 2017 by Dixie Lynn Dwyer

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-68295-765-3

  First E-book Publication: January 2017

  Cover design by Les Byerley

  All art and logo copyright © 2017 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

  Dear Readers,

  If you have purchased this copy of Love at Carlyle’s by Dixie Lynn Dwyer from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

  Regarding E-book Piracy

  This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

  The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

  This is Dixie Lynn Dwyer’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Dixie Lynn Dwyer’s right to earn a living from her work.

  Amanda Hilton, Publisher

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  www.BookStrand.com

  DEDICATION

  Dear readers,

  Thank you for purchasing this legal copy of Love at Carlyle’s.

  Precious is a very special character. She is tough, strong willed, and determined to survive and be independent despite all the barriers, danger, and heartache in her life.

  After being betrayed not only by a friend but also by her sister, after all the sacrifices Precious made to protect her and raise her, it’s no wonder trust doesn’t come easy. Somehow, in a special town, among caring people with different pasts, she learns to fit in and feel like she could have a new life. Finding comfort, camaraderie, and even love at Carlyle’s changes her life forever. Her new loves may be possessive of her, but being in love for the very first time makes her just as possessive. She’ll risk her life to protect them and keep them out of harm’s way. Don’t be fooled by her sweet name. Precious is capable, well-trained, and filled with spunk, especially in the face of danger and when she knows there’s a possibility she might never see the three men she loves ever again.

  May you enjoy her story. Happy reading.

  Hugs!

  Dixie

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Landmarks

  Cover

  LOVE AT CARLYLE’S

  Love on the Rocks 8

  DIXIE LYNN DWYER

  Copyright © 2017

  Prologue

  Precious O’Connell kept hitting the punching bag. She was so fired up right now she could barely see straight. A jab, a right hook, a left hook, then a side kick to the bag. Over and over again she attacked the bag with vigor and precision. Her mind was caught up in a magnitude of controversy, upset, emotional turmoil. Goddamn it, Courtney, why? Why the hell did you get involved with these men?

  Tears burned her eyes. She had worked her ass off since she was a kid, had to even work a regular job at sixteen to take care of her sister after their mom died of a heroin overdose. She put herself through community college and was lucky enough to get a scholarship based on her grades, the fact she was eighteen and had legal custody of her sister, and because they were dirt poor. She studied hard, got great grades, and played around with the stock market. She had a thing for numbers. So did her sister, but she used that ability to run rackets for some bad people. They bet on sporting events and games. Completely illegal, but profitable. Precious should know. When things were really bad, she made one bet, and it led to others. She used part of her scholarship money, five thousand dollars, and turned it into twenty. She then took the twenty and turned it into nearly forty. When she hit a hundred grand, she pulled out in the nick of time before the cops busted the racket.

  “Goddamn, Precious, who the hell pissed you off this much tonight?” Benson asked. He was the boxing instructor at the gym she worked out at. They had a multitude of classes ranging from cardio kickboxing to self-defense and Jiu Jitsu. She hadn’t been there in a week because of the current situation Courtney placed her in. Courtney’s fellow thugs swung by her apa
rtment looking for Courtney and by the bar Precious worked at. They were always trying to draw Precious in, force her to hook up with them and do business. She pulled back, trying to catch her breath as she looked up at Benson. He was tall, like six-foot-three, and built like a martial artist. He had a good fifteen years on her, and she considered him a friend. She didn’t have any others, and there was good reason for that, too.

  He gave her shoulder a squeeze.

  “What’s going on? Talk to me. Did you find Courtney?”

  She shook her head. The exhaustion hit her and she lowered down to the mats. Benson placed his hands on his hips.

  “I told you I could make some calls.”

  “No, you can’t. It will make it worse for her.”

  “Well, maybe a little time behind bars will set her straight?”

  She raised her one eyebrow up at him. “Tough love, right?” she said and then leaned back on her hands. Benson looked her over. There was a time she was completely attracted to the man and he seemed attracted to her, too, but the age difference was huge. She didn’t need a father figure, and he didn’t want to feel like he was robbing the cradle, so they settled for being good friends.

  He bent down.

  “Listen, sweetie. You’ve been taking care of her for years, even when you were a kid yourself. She’s twenty years old. She’s made it clear she doesn’t want your advice anymore. Maybe it’s time to let go.”

  “Let go? After what that asshole Javier did?”

  “Hey, you didn’t call the cops or press charges.”

  “Because Courtney would have suffered. Besides, he wasn’t successful in trying to assault me.”

  “Only because of your training, and he didn’t have a weapon on him.” She gave him a sideways look. He chuckled and shook his head. “I created a fucking monster.”

  “No, you helped train me to be self-efficient and to survive on my own as a woman. I’m prepared. Victims aren’t.” She went to stand. He offered her his hand and pulled her up. She exhaled.

  “Well, I need to head home.”

  “Are you working at Mike’s tomorrow night?” he asked. It was a very upscale bar in Boston. It was also a hangout for first responders and even Marines. Her boss Jovy, a jarhead, and his wife Ella owned the place. It was great. She took a job there when she left her last job a year ago working for an investment firm. She had made a lot of money on her own in day trading and really hadn’t needed to work. She didn’t spend her money. She owned a small place now, choosing to move out of her apartment after Javier broke in looking for Courtney and then deciding he liked her body so much he would attempt to touch her. Javier loved to intimidate women, but he chose the wrong woman to mess with, and he suffered. Courtney suffered, too, and wound up with a bruised cheekbone and some bruising on her arms.

  “I’ll be there until closing.”

  “Great. I’ll be there with a few of the guys. Listen, in case you do hear from Courtney, and you need help, you call me. I don’t care if it’s in the middle of the night. Those guys she hangs out with are bad news and their connections to thugs goes beyond this area and state. You don’t need their kind of trouble on your ass.”

  “I know, and I appreciate the offer. It isn’t like I planned this. It’s more like my bad luck. I can’t seem to get away from trouble.”

  “Your sister is an adult. She’ll be twenty-one soon enough. She chose her path, and you chose yours.”

  She sighed. “She’s my sister, Benson.”

  “She’ll bring you trouble you don’t deserve. You were lucky the last time. If there’s a next time with Javier, he’ll be prepared.”

  She nodded in agreement and then walked over to grab her bottle of water. She got ready to leave, pulled on her hooded sweatshirt, and then waved goodbye to Benson.

  It was dark when she headed around the side of the building to her car. What she hadn’t expected was to see Gavan leaning against her car, arms crossed and staring at her.

  “How the fuck long do you work out for? It’s been nearly an hour,” he scolded her. She tried not to show any fear at seeing him. He worked for Javier and did a lot of his muscle work, getting people to pay up or do favors.

  “What do you want? Why are you here?” she asked, with a bit of attitude just to show she wasn’t afraid of him even though she knew he was carrying. He looked her over, and she was glad she wore the baggy hoodie. She hated when men stared at her body, especially her chest. She was well endowed, which drew attention to her quickly.

  His dark eyes sized her up in the tight black spandex and black hoodie.

  “How are things going?” he asked.

  She sighed, raising one of her eyebrows up at him. “Small talk? What gives? It’s been a long day and I’m tired, Gavan. What do you want?”

  He licked his lower lip and seemed hesitant.

  Her gut clenched. “What is it?” she asked, thinking about Courtney.

  “Courtney is in a jam.”

  She squinted her eyes but didn’t respond.

  He stepped closer and lowered his voice, looking around them before he continued. “She was doing a job for Javier. Things got a little out of hand with the man she met.”

  “Out of hand? What do you mean? Is she hurt? Did Javier step in?”

  He looked like he was biting the inside of his cheek.

  “Gavan, you came here and waited an hour to talk with me. What the hell is up? Is Courtney okay?”

  “She’s messed up good. We got her at the house, but she’s asking for you.”

  She didn’t know what to do. Her sister more than likely did something illegal and pissed someone off. Was she dying? Shot? Stabbed? Beaten? What?

  “She’s your sister and Javier sent me here for you.”

  “What about the guy who hurt her? Who is taking care of him?” she asked and stepped closer to her car. She hit the unlock button on her key ring and Gavan grabbed her arm. She looked up at him.

  “You need to come.”

  She thought about it. She couldn’t just walk away from this, from her sister. She didn’t know how bad things were and she was afraid to go to Javier’s estate. She didn’t like his friends, their whole setup, or what they surrounded themselves with.

  “Fine. I’ll follow you.”

  “Leave the car. I’ll drive you back.”

  “I don’t think so. I’ll follow. Let’s go,” she stated firmly.

  The whole ride over she thought about all the ways this could go south, including being surrounded by armed gangsters who had quarrels with gangs and were in a world she stayed clear from. She got her taste of their lives when she dabbled in the illegal gambling. She was freaking good at it, but there were men that would beat the crap out of you if you lost a hundred bucks for them, and men that would slit your throat for a little more. It wasn’t her route in life. She didn’t want it to be her sister’s.

  When they finally got to the entrance of the estate, the guard by the gate checked them and let them in. She drove her car up the long driveway and then parked where another guy told her to, noticing all the fancy sports cars and roadsters. He was having a party. What the hell was this about? She got out and headed into the house, spotting the crowds of people, the loud music, and the stares she got. Some even whispered. She had a reputation from that small stint she did with the gambling. She held her firm “take no shit” expression and followed Gavan. She looked around. It sure did look like a party. Or maybe this was just a nightly gathering of the tribe of criminal losers.

  “Precious.” She heard her name, turned, and saw Brock. That instant fearful, sick feeling hit her gut and she felt dizziness. Then he was pulling her into his arms and hugging her.

  “Working out, huh?” he asked and looked at her. His palm slid slightly over her ass. He was a big man. She wouldn’t be able to fight off a man his size, that was for sure. Once again, she was glad to be wearing the baggy hoodie sweatshirt. She noticed two blondes walk by looking high or maybe drunk. They gave her
dirty looks and touched Brock. The man was super good looking, but a total criminal asshole.

  “Javier is upstairs with Courtney, right?” Gavan asked, and Brock nodded.

  “I can escort her up,” Brock said. He reached for her hip and began to walk with her. She glanced at Gavan, who looked pissed about the move, but he didn’t say a peep. Brock was Javier’s main man. They did everything together, and Brock was one scary, mean son of a bitch.

  As they climbed the stairs, his hold on her hip bothered her.

  “You’re looking good, Precious. It’s been a while,” he said to her and they passed a few people on the second floor. Two women and one guy, fixing their clothes as they came from a bedroom. Then she saw three men and a woman. They were touching her, kissing her as they had her pressed up against the hallway wall. One guy’s hand was under her skirt, pushing it higher, and appeared to be stroking her there. Precious swallowed hard. Brock gripped her hip. He slid his palm along her belly. She attempted to move to the left, but he held firmly, whispering against her ear.

  “She’s got nothing on you, Precious. No woman compares to you.”

  Before she could react, try to pull away or verbally respond, he reached for the door, knocked three times, then waited and knocked another three times.

  The door opened and a tall guy stood there, armed and angry. He looked at Brock and then her. His eyes widened slightly, but then he stepped aside.

  She could feel that guy’s gaze on her, too. She pulled down the hooded sweatshirt, got her defenses up another notch, and let Brock escort her past a few more guys hanging out watching a game on the television.