Free Hammer's Fall (The Breakers' Bad Boys) by Laurie Roma Page A

hers to hold it still on his chest. “Ah, so my little fairy likes when I talk dirty to her? What I know is if you keep petting me like that I am going to take you on this couch.”
    A mischievous glimmer entered her eyes. “Is this your idea of a workout regimen for me? You know, Becca and Zoe said they wanted to take the self-defense class with me. I hope you aren’t planning on giving this type of one-on-one instruction to everyone.”
    He slowly smiled. “Nope. I have a special plan just for you. Tell you what, I’ll put together some sort of self-defense class for you and your girlfriends in a few days. For now, you and I have some of our own cardio to do.”
    “Oh, really? What do you have in mind?”
    “Why don’t I just show you?”
    Kali smiled at him and he stood up, carrying her in his arms. He followed her directions into her bedroom, kissing her softly as he walked.
    “Why do you call me a fairy?”
    “Because you are. You’re my pretty little fairy.”
    She let out a wistful sigh that had him taking her lips again. He would make love to his little fairy on her bed. Take his time like she deserved, and show her how truly special she was. That telephone message from her mother had infuriated him, but it also helped him understand how much damage her parents had done to her self-confidence over the years. He was in her life now, and there was no fucking way he was going to let her be around her family without him there to protect her. Sure, she was a strong, capable woman, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to be there for her.
    She would learn over time, she wasn’t alone anymore.
    He’d make damn sure of it.

 
    Chapter Five
     
    Kalista drove down the long driveway leading toward Beaumont Manor and gawked at the picturesque view. The sun was bright and shining over the paved driveway that was lined with tall trees, and the lawn was well tended, even for January in Texas. Evelyn Beaumont’s property looked like one of those estates people only saw in magazines or old movies that highlighted the glory days of the south.
    The first building she saw was a large plantation house with columns lining the front porch of both of the second and main floors, making it look stately and grandiose. She wasn’t surprised to see a number of motorcycles mixed in with a few trucks and a van in the small parking lot near the side of the structure. She knew that the plantation house was now being used as a boarding house for former soldiers who were transitioning back to life away from the battlefield.
    Kalista continued down the road for a few more minutes, passing a large barn that was the size of a warehouse. She knew that was the rescue center by the large sign on the building, but noticing the parking lot next to the structure was full of cars, she wondered why there were so many people there on a Sunday afternoon.
    She continued driving around a large pond until she reached Evie’s house, then gasped at the sight. The elaborate residence was made of stone, with large glass windows and a tiered roof that made it seem almost Zen-like. A massive two story building sat in the center with two ranch-style wings spanning from the main structure, making it look like it was three houses connected into a large “U” shape. The design was far more modern than the plantation house, but both buildings seemed to suit the property.
    Evie walked out of the front glass doors, wearing jeans and a camel-colored coat that she had paired with a Burberry scarf. Even dressed casually, the blonde looked stunning. She came down the steps with four beautiful, well-behaved dogs flanking her sides as Kalista parked in front of the house on the circular drive. Two of the dogs were clearly German Shepherds while the other two were Belgian Malinois. Kalista wouldn’t have had a clue what those noble looking dogs were, but she had seen pictures of them with information about their breed on Evie’s website.
    “Hi!” Kalista said