Friday, December 23, 2016

Rattle His Cage: The Baxter Boys #4


Rattle His Cage: The Baxter Boys #4

(The Baxter Boys ~ Rattled)


Twelve years Dylan White has waited.
Twelve years since his family was yanked away
Twelve years of being alone—except for the friends he met at Baxter, who are now his family.
His brother, Noah, has disappeared.
His sister, Nina, just turned eighteen, but he has no way to find her.

Mary Robins wears her heart on her sleeve.
And it’s tattooed on her chest—the dog tags of the man she worshiped, surrounded by beautiful ribbons.
Her only purpose in life is to take care of those who are in need. Heal the broken and comfort that wounded—the very reason she’s becoming a nurse.

Except, she’s never allowed anyone to take care of her. Not in a very long time.

No one has wanted to take care of her until she meets Dylan and the Baxter boys.  They’re a weird bunch – fiercely loyal and… hers. 

Dylan is searching for something, and so is Mary.  Searching for family, searching for friendships, and searching for love.  Can they find what they so desperately need in each other?

***New Adult novel intended for audiences over the age of 18 due to adult language and sexual content***

Available for Pre-Order - Out January 1, 2017



1


I should not be up this early. Not after last night.
But, today is not just the first day of a new year either. Its Ninas eighteenth birthday. 
I havent seen my siblings since I was twelvehalf of my life. Tomorrow I will be at child services as soon as the doors open to find out where my sister is.
Morning,Kelsey whispers as she comes into the kitchen. Shes smiling, relaxed, and practically glowing. At least somebody is getting some.
Ive known Kelsey Fry since high school.  She lives on the top floor of the house, and shes dating one of my best friends, Alex Dosek. She and Alex had been split, somewhat, for about a week, until a well-planned and perfectly executed intervention by our friends last night.
I push my glasses up on my head and rub the bridge of my nose.
You okay?Kelsey asks.
Yeah,I answer right before yawning. Maybe I should go back to bed and try to sleep. Unless Nina suddenly makes a profile on a social media site I wont have answers until tomorrow anyway. Ive already checked through all the sites this morning, and shes not anywhere. Nor is my brother, Noah, or my youngest sister, Jade. I check every day hoping Ill find them.
Kelsey grabs a mug out of the cupboard and pours a cup of coffee. Ive already drunk half the pot, so chances are that even if I did go to bed, my brain would be just as wired as it was when I got up. Or worse.
Did you sleep last night?she asks.
A few hours.Though Im not sure if it was really sleep. More like dozing with constant dreams.
Kelsey stops behind me and starts to lean over.What are you doing?
I close the lid on my laptop. After going through the social media sites I worked more on my novel. Its a piece of crap, but I still keep working on it.
Reading something naughty,she teases.
Shes close.  Not reading, but writing something very naughty.
Maybe I just need to get laid and then I wont be so frustrated. The image of Mary Robins flashes in my mind. She is so not for me and way out of my league, but that doesnt mean Ive erased the image of her in that towel, fresh from the shower, with beads of water still glistening on her bare shoulders. Thats how she answered the door the day I dropped off dinner for Kelsey when the two still lived together. I dont think my cock has ever gotten so hard in my life.
Kelsey leans against the large island, the mug in her hands, close to her face.Okay, since we wont talk about what youre reading, lets talk about Mary.
I choke and splash coffee on the counter, barely missing my laptop. Grabbing paper towels I quickly wipe up the mess.Okay…” I hope to God she cant read minds because my thoughts arent exactly clean when theyre about Mary.
Maybe not so much her, but you.
Me?I take a step back, pretending that I have no clue what Kelsey is talking about. Unfortunately, Im all too aware of Mary. Perfect legs, that beautiful, infectious smile, and sparkling blue eyes that are all Mary. Perky, happy, and so fucking hot.
 “Shes clearly interested. Youd have to be living in a cave, in total darkness, and never look at her, not to know.
My face heats, though Im pretty sure Kelsey is exaggerating. Sure, Mary said I was hot when I was cleaning their kitchen, but that doesnt mean anything.
So?Kelsey demands.
So, what?I counter.
Why arent you interested?
Oh, if only she knew. Thank God Kelsey has no clue.
Hes saving himself,Alex announces as he comes into the kitchen.
This, I dont need. Its bad enough with Kelsey trying to get information.Sod off.I unplug my laptop. 
Sod off?Kelsey laughs.
Bloody hell,I mutter as I pick up my computer.
Novel!Alex proclaims.
Like Id be working on anything else the first morning of the New Year. I certainly dont have food articles to prepare, no current assignments for the various newspapers and magazines that I get freelance work from, and nothing for my food blog.
He always slips into different dialects when hes working on a novel,Alex explains.If he were writing an article, hed be all foody. Not that Ive heard a foodie cuss word, but if anyone knows one, its Dylan.
I do slip into the dialect, which Im well aware of since that is where my heads at, which is currently England. Until that last scene I just wrote, the poor chap had been as frustrated as Ive been lately.Are you two quite finished?
No,they say in unison.
What dont you like about Mary?Kelsey asks.
Its not that I dont like her.They just dont need to know how much.
So, ask her out,Kelsey pushes.
We have nothing in common.I open the cupboard and grab a skillet. Maybe if I feed them theyll shut up.
How do you know until you have a conversation that lasts over five minutes?Kelsey asks.
I straighten and look at her. Kelsey and I come from similar backgrounds in that we were in the system and ended up at the same high school, Baxter Academy of Arts, so shes got to get it.What does her father do?
Her dad was killed in Iraq when she was ten.
Mary lost her dad? Kelseys words are like a fist to the gut. Its one thing to have dicks as parents but totally different when you lose one because theyre fighting the good fight.
That still doesnt mean we have anything else in common though. And, mine is not dead, he just might as well be.Her mom?
Shes some kind of engineer at Watervliet Arsenal Army Base.
Both parents, honorable, serving their country, even if one is dead. Mary comes from heroes. I come from selfish, filthy, hoarder slobs who made their living cooking meth in the basement while I raised my younger brother and sisters.
That doesnt mean you dont have anything in common.
I blow out a sigh and turn to her.Look, Kels, I know you mean well, but Im not interested in Mary or any woman.Thats only a partial lie. Im not interested in any other woman.
Dude, why didnt you tell me you were gay?Zach cries as he comes into the kitchen.I have so many friends that would just love to grab that ass.Zachary Hawk. Another guy Ive known since high school and who lives in the house. Hes also a drag queen who leaves his four inch stilettos in the middle of the living room after a late night.
Why the hell is everybody up so early? We got back from the bar like only five hours ago. Its a fucking holiday meant for sleeping in.Im not gay.
Prude?Alex asks and then his eyes go wide.Youre a fucking virgin. Thats it!He rushes forward and pats me on the shoulder.Its okay, really, and explains why youve never had a girl up to that pristine room of yours, or at any time since we left Baxter.
Thats because I kept any girl I was seeing away from them. Well, except Patty. But thats a female Id like to forget.
Do you think if he got some hed loosen up?Zach asks with a laugh.No wonder he spends so much time scrubbing and cleaning shit. Hes frustrated because his dicks not getting the attention it deserves.
Kelsey grins.Mary would be more than happy to give it all kinds of attention.
Id be more than happy to let her, if things were different.
Ill caution her to be gentle,Alex adds with concern.
The three of them laugh and something inside me snaps.Im not a fucking virgin. I am not a prude. I am not gay. Shes just not the girl for me.
With that I head out of the kitchen with my laptop.Fix your own fucking breakfast.

What the hell?I push the blankets away and look at my clock, then groan. Its only like noon and Ive gotten a total of two hours sleep.                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
Laughter bleeds through my bedroom door right before someone starts pounding on the wall.
I grab my robe and storm out.  There are a ton of boxes in the living room and I can barely get around them. Where the hell did they come from? They werent here when I got home from the hospital this morning.
Shelby and Tiffany are in Kelseys old room with who I guess is our new roommate. Shes hammering nails into the wall.
Oh, hi, Mary,Shelby greets me with a sugary sweet smile.This is Brit. Shes moving in.Her grin gets bigger, but theres a glint of cold calculation in her baby blue eyes.Britney and I have been friends since high school. Isnt it great that shes living here now?
Great.Im pretty sure my dry tone is missed on them, or maybe not.Can you be a little quieter please? I worked all night and need to be in at eleven tonight.
Tiffany over-exaggerates a pout.Poor thing.
Your friend, Kelsey, wasnt exactly quiet when she moved out,Shelby reminds me.
Dont punish me if she pissed you off.
With that, I leave them and return to my room, pull the covers over my head and two pillows, but it doesnt drown out the sound of the drill. A damn drill. This place has been taken over.
Blowing out a sigh, I grab my noise canceling headphones. I bought them when I needed to study in the dorm, so I hope they work now.
Silence. Well, almost silence, but its better than before. Until something bangs against the wall knocking my favorite piece of art, a reproduction of Renoirs Woman in a Landscape, from the wall. It hits the night stand and the glass shatters. Does Brit have a bulldozer in there I missed?
Grabbing my pillows and blankets I head to the closet. At least its on the opposite side of the room and doesnt share a wall with anything but the living room.
After closing the door, I switch off the light and burrow into a nest of clothing on the floor. Its certainly softer than the hard floor. 
I hope to hell this doesnt keep up, but now that Brit is here, and shes Shelbys BFF, its not going to be an easy semester.
Wait, Kelsey is looking for a new place to live. If we combined our funds maybe we could get a place together. Ill still be stuck with the rent here, but if this shit continues I might commit murder. I didnt spend the last four years working on a degree to become a nurse at the nearest penitentiary.
Grabbing my phone I send her a text.
Me: Are you still looking for an apartment?
Kelsey: No. Why.
Me: New roommate, Shelbys bff from high school
Kelsey: Shit
Me: Yep
Me: Why arent you looking anymore?
My guess is that she and Alex finally made up, as they should, but I dont want to assume anything either. The other guys in the house may have just insisted she stay.
Kelsey: Alex is back.
Me: Happy for you. Sucks for me
Kelsey: Sorry
I am happy for her, but it puts me back at square one. I know Kelsey didnt have any luck finding a place on a budget when she was looking so I doubt I will either. Besides, school will also start back up on Tuesday and well all be on a normal schedule again.
At least I hope everything goes back to normal
Today they are probably just pushing my buttons because its Brits first day. I can play this game until we are back in classes. If my feathers dont get ruffled, theyll get bored.
Music blares.
Mama always said to pick your battles, and Im too tired to pick this one. Plus, I dont want them to think they succeeded in pissing me off on day one.
Me: Getting a hotel room
Kelsey: Why
Me: Theyre playing Adele
Kelsey: You like Adele
Me: Not when Im trying to sleep and its loud enough to make my ears bleed
Kelsey: Its like noon
Me: Worked 11 to 9. Got 2 hrs sleep. Gotta go in tonight
Kelsey: Come here
Me: And sleep where?
Then again, if Dylan offered his bedmaybe sleep wouldnt be so important.
Kelsey: my bed.
More music blares from a different part of the apartment.
I only have two more nights of thirds and then my sleep schedule will be the same as theirs. I just need to remember that and not react. Getting pissed will only encourage Shelby and thats the last thing I want to do.
Me: Heading over.
I quickly dress, throw some stuff in a bag and head out of my room.
Whats wrong? Couldnt sleep?Shelby asks with mock sympathy.
What?I ask as if confused.No. Ive got to be some place. Thank God you woke me or I might have overslept.

I finally allow myself to smile at Shelby and Tiffanys shock once Im out in the hall. They were so counting on pissing me off, and I just took it away from them. Well, not totally. They did piss me off, but Ill be damned if I let them know it.