“So this is her, huh?” he asks, looking over my shoulder at Wes.
“Baby, this is Tuck. Tuck, this is July,” Wes introduces us.
“Tuck?” I ask, and Wes chuckles.
“You don’t want to know how I got that nickname.” He shakes his head and sticks out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Seems you have my boy strung out.”
“I don’t think so,” I tell him as I shake his hand.
“You wouldn’t.” He looks over my shoulder and smiles as he drops my hand. “So what’s your poison?”
“Oh, I’m not going to drink tonight,” I say, shaking my head as memories of the last time I was here come to mind.
“One shot?” he questions, and Wes squeezes my side then whispers in my ear, “I’ll make sure you don’t challenge anyone to a dance-off.”
“Very funny,” I huff, looking over my shoulder at him and smiling.
*
“Shot, shot, shot,” is cheered, and I shoot back a shot of tequila and slam the glass down on the table then cover my mouth with my hand, wincing as the taste floods my mouth.
“Gahhh, I hate tequila.” I laugh then pick up another shot.
“Baby,” Wes laughs, taking the shot from my hand, lifting it to his mouth and shooting it back then wrapping a hand around the back of my neck and pulling my mouth to his. He presses his tongue into my mouth until I moaned down his throat.
“Get a room,” Tuck says, pouring another shot.
“Fuck off.” Wes smiles, kissing me again, this time below my ear.
“So have you taken July to meet Mama Judy?” Tuck asks, sitting back in his chair and taking a pull from his beer.
“Not yet, I was thinking this weekend,” Wes says, rubbing my shoulder.
“Uh…what?” I wheeze out.
“She has next weekend off, so I figured we could take a ride up to Nashville.”
Holy shit.
“Where is Z?” I ask, changing the subject before the conversation can turn to family and parents.
“He and your girl were supposed to be on their way when you called.”
I frown then pull out my phone and check the time. “I got here over an hour ago,” I say, and my frown grows deeper as I dial her number.
“Hello?” Kayan answers breathlessly then moans and I feel my face heat up.
“I…uh…later.” I hang up and set the phone on the table, whispering, “I think they were having sex.”
Wes and Tuck both start laughing and the music gets turned up, so I look around, noticing more people have shown up, and by more people, I mean more women, all of them wearing close to nothing.
“You good?” Wes asks, and I nod and look at the bottle of tequila when loud explosions fill my ears. Wes and Tuck both shove me under the table. My knees and hands hit the concrete hard, causing me to yell out in pain. Then the table is flipped to its side, blocking my view as women begin to scream, and the guys in the open court start yelling out at each other.
I tuck myself into a ball and cover my head with my hands when I realize they were gunshots. I don’t know how long it lasts, but before I even think it’s safe, Wes is picking me up off the ground and running, with me tucked in front of his body. My eyes are squeezed shut and my pulse is going haywire as I’m set down on a soft mattress.
“Baby, open your eyes.” I shake my head, trying to clear the loud ringing in my ears. “Baby.” I feel his hands hold my face and my eyes open, blinking a few times. “There you are,” he says, pulling me forward and placing a gentle kiss on my lips.
“You good, man?” Wes pulls his mouth from mine and we both turn our heads toward the open doorway, where Tuck is standing, holding a gun.
“Yeah.” His eyes leave his friends and come back to me and then flash, and he begins touching everywhere on my body until he gets to my knees, where they are scraped and bloody from hitting the concrete so hard. “Shit. Get me the first aid kit from the shop.”
“It’s okay. I’ll just wash it with some water,” I assure him then look towards the door, but Tuck is already out of sight.
“Who did that?” I ask, and his jaw clenches.
“No idea,” he grits out. “I’m going to get you cleaned up then head out with the boys. Tuck will stay here and watch over you until I get back.”
“Stay with me,” I whisper desperately. No way do I want him out where he can get shot at.
“Here you go,” Tuck says, coming back into the room and setting down what looks like a tackle box on the bed next to me, and Wes opens it up and starts to pull out supplies.
“You’re going to stay here with July,” Wes tells Tuck, wiping off my bloody knee.
“Fuck no, I’m going with you.”
“You know you can’t get in trouble when you’re on leave, brother,” Wes tells him, and I look at Tuck and see that his jaw is hard and his fists are balled at his sides.
“Please don’t leave me,” I plead, looking back at Wes, who gently cleans my wounds then covers them with some kind of ointment. If it weren’t for the hardness of his jaw, I would guess he hadn’t heard me. He closes up the box then pulls out a gun from under his mattress, drops his fist into the bed near my hip, and kisses me before standing up to his full height again.
“What are you going to do?” I ask, but he ignores me then looks at Tuck.
“Watch her,” he tells him.
“Wes!” I cry, getting up from the bed and going after him, only to be grabbed with an arm around my waist that prevents me from following behind him. I kick out with everything I have, but my strength is no match for Tuck, who only holds me tighter against him.
“He’s going to get himself hurt,” I say, attempting to breathe.
“He’ll be fine,” Tuck argues, and my body slumps against him when I realize he’s not going to help me. He walks backward two steps and sets me on the bed.
I look towards the exit and hear Tuck mutter, “Fuck,” under his breath as he moves to the door and closes it.
“You’re not going after him. He would kill me if something happened to you while I was on watch.”
“You cannot expect me to just sit here and do nothing while he’s doing God knows what!” I yell, standing up and looking around the room for something to throw at him.
“That’s exactly what I expect you to do.”
“This is ridiculous. I need to go out there. What if someone needs my help?”
“No one was hurt, and even if they were, you’re staying here.”
“I need my phone,” I try again, hoping he will let me go look for it.
“Nice try.” He shakes his head then mutters, “I see what he meant,” while running a hand through his hair.
“Seriously, I need it. Can you call Z to ask if he and Kayan are okay?”
“Fine,” he growls, pulling out his phone from his back pocket, pressing a couple buttons and putting his phone to his ear, then mutters a few things while watching me before putting his phone back in his pocket.
“Your friend is fine. She’s home.”
“Can I call her?” I ask, and he shakes his head.
“This is stupid,” I murmur, flopping down on the bed. “You’re lucky you have a gun or I would totally Kung Fu your ass and leave whether you liked it or not.”
“Jesus.” He shakes his head. I scoot back in the bed then lean back against the wall, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at him.
“How is it I have been with my friend in some of the worst environments known to man, but after meeting you, I’m more concerned for his wellbeing than I ever was?”
“That’s rude.” I frown.
“No, it’s the truth. I have never seen him mixed up over a woman. Even his ex-wife didn’t affect him like you do,” he says, and the breath I was going to take pauses in my lungs. I had no idea Wes was ever married. He never told me.
“Shit,” Tuck says, sitting on the bed at my side. “Sorry, I thought you knew.”
I turn my head to look at
him and swallow around the lump that has painfully formed in my throat before speaking. “It’s fine; we haven’t known each other long,” I admit with what I hope looks like a smile.
“He’s going to kill me.” He shakes his head.
“I won’t even mention it,” I assure him, leaning my head back against the wall and closing my eyes.
*
“Jesus,” I hear and open my eyes then frown in confusion as I look at Wes, but I feel warmth under my cheek and the steady rise and fall of the chest I’m lying on with my arms wrapped over a hard stomach. I look from a pissed off Wes to Tuck, whose eyes are open, looking down at me.
I scoot back quickly and look at Wes again while trying to get my bearings straight. “I fell asleep,” I say to him and myself.
“I see that, babe,” he growls then looks at Tuck. “I need to talk with you.”
“Brother, do not even fucking go there,” Tuck says, and Wes’ jaw grinds.
“What happened?” I ask.
“Nothing,” Wes clips, not taking his eyes off his friend.
“You don’t know, or you’re not going to tell me?” I ask.
“It doesn’t concern you,” he says, causing my temper to flare.
“If it concerns you, it concerns me,” I retort, crossing my arms over my chest when his eyes come to mine.
“Don’t start your shit.”
“What did you just say?” I ask, getting off the bed.
“I said don’t start your shit, not right now.”
“You’re unbelievable,” I hiss then look at Tuck. “I told you to let me leave, but no, you just had to listen to this jerk.” I see the corners of his lips twitch, but I ignore it and walk past Wes towards the door.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”
I look over my shoulder to sweep my eyes over him then mutter, “Home, to bed.”
“You’re not leaving without me.”
I snort in disbelief and head out the door, only to be pulled back. “Let me go,” I hiss.
“Never,” he replies close to my ear then growls, “If I ever see you touching another man, even unconsciously, I will kill him, friend or not.”
“I was asleep,” I whisper in disbelief.
“I don’t give a fuck.”
“Listen to yourself!” I shake my head.
“You have turned me into this.”
“Don’t blame me for you’re insanity.”
“I’d like to attest that my friend was never like this before you,” Tuck says, and I look at him and glare. “Just saying.” He holds up his hands in front of him.
“Unless you’re going to tell me what happened while you were gone, let me go,” I growl, and his arms tighten around me.
“You really think I would let my woman get involved in what went down tonight?” he asks, making it sound like I’m the crazy one.
“Did I ask you to take me along on a drive-by? No. I asked what happened, if you found anything out, if you know who shot up the building.”
“I told you—you’re not getting involved.”
I’m just about ready to flip out, when I’m cut off.
“He’s right. You’re not getting involved. There is no reason for you to know what happened tonight,” Jax says, standing in the open doorway of the room.
“You guys are so ridiculous.” I shift out of Wes’ hold and turn on him. “I was here when this place was shot up. I’m not asking you to go into detail about what went down; I just want to know I can go to bed tonight without worrying.”
“You’re safe,” Wes tells me, and his voice gentles as his hand comes up so his fingers can run across my cheek.
“I don’t like being shot at, and I hate that this is happening because of me,” I say, pressing my cheek into his hand.
His jaw goes hard and his eyes leave me to look at the door. “This has nothing to do with what’s been happening.”
“It doesn’t?” I ask, searching his face, then look at Jax when I notice Wes is still regarding him like he wants to kill him.
“I asked Wes to help me out with something,” Jax cuts in. “The people his boys were watching must have caught wind of the situation and made it clear they knew we were watching them.”
I look from Jax to Wes then back again. I want to strangle my cousin for getting Wes involved in whatever it is he’s doing, but I know Wes well enough to understand the only way he would ever be involved in anything is if it was something he believed in. So what can I really say about that?
“Is it safe for me to go home?” I ask, as his jaw goes hard again and he glances at Tuck and then me.
“Can I trust you to take her home and wait for me to get there?” Wes asks Tuck.
“You know you don’t even have to ask that shit,” Tuck returns.
“Apparently, I do,” Wes replies, and I throw my arms up.
“I was asleep!” I repeat again, which only makes his jaw tic harder.
“I found this outside,” Jax says, breaking the moment by handing me my phone, which shows I have a few missed calls from Kayan.
“Thanks,” I mutter then look at Wes. “Please, be careful.”
“Just be good,” he says, and his lips touch mine briefly before his hand goes to the middle of my back. Once we’re outside, I look around and notice there are a few bullet holes in the building and one in my trunk, which I’ll have to find a sticker or something to cover it with before someone in my family sees it and wonders why the hell there’s a bullet hole in my car.
“We’ll get it fixed,” Wes says when he notices I have stopped to look at the hole.
I exhale a harsh breath then listen as he gives Tuck directions to my house before buckling me into the passenger seat with a kiss to my forehead.
“See why I’m worried about him?” Tuck says as we pull away from the building with Wes looking at us like he is going to run after us. I ignore his statement and put my phone to my ear.
“Oh, my God! I have been trying to get in touch with you. Are you okay?” Kayan says as soon as she answers.
“I’m fine; I just got my phone back. Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m at Z’s house. We were on our way there when someone called to tell him what happened, and he turned his car around, brought me here, and dropped me off before leaving.”
“Did he tell you anything?” I ask.
“No, just that he would be back. Where are you now?”
“On my way home. Wes said he would be at my house in a couple of hours, so my guess is Z will be about that long as well.”
“He let you go home alone?” she asks in disbelief.
“No, Tuck is my babysitter.” I roll my eyes.
“Who’s Tuck?” she asks, and I look out the window.
“He is one of Wes’ friends from the military,” I explain then yawn as the day catches up with me.
“Get some sleep and call me in the morning.”
“I will. Be safe.”
“You too, girl. All this drama is almost more than I can take.”
“Sounded like you were taking it just fine when I called you earlier,” I whisper and hear her giggle.
“Shut up. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Love you.”
“Love you too,” I say, hitting the end button on my phone just as we pull up to my house.
I get out of the car and head up to the front door with Tuck following close behind me. As soon as we get inside, I pick up Capone and scratch him behind his ears then let him go to the floor, where he runs circles around Tuck. Then I pick up Juice and give him some love before setting him back on the table and going to the couch, taking a seat so I can unbuckle my sandals and slip them off.
“Do you want a beer or something?” I ask Tuck, who has taken a seat on the couch.
“I’m good. You go on to bed,” he says, picking up the remote and pressing the TV on.
“Are you sure?” I mutter, watching absently as the channels flip from one thing to another.
His f
inger comes off the remote, his head turns toward me, and his face goes soft. “Babe, go to bed.”
“Right,” I mumble, standing back up. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He nods then turns back to the TV and begins flipping through the channels again. I head to my room and shut the door behind me then go to the shower, turning it on hot before stripping off my clothes and stepping in.
The moment the hot water rushes over me, I sigh in relief. I don’t take long getting washed up before drying off and going to my room. Normally, I would just get into bed without putting anything on, but knowing Tuck is here has me pulling out a set of pajamas and slipping them on before crawling into bed.
“You’re home,” I sigh as Wes slides in behind me and his smell engulfs my senses.
“I like that you call this my home,” he whispers, placing a kiss on the back of my neck. I try to reply, but sleep takes me away before I can get anything out.
Chapter 10
I look out the front window of Wes’ truck, watching as the rain beats mercilessly against the windshield, and my leg bounces in sync with the wipers.
“Babe, relax,” Wes says as he takes my hand, placing it on his thigh. I look over at him and try to release, through a breath the stress that has been swarming in my stomach since he picked me up a half-hour ago.
We’re going to meet his mom. I’m nervous…so nervous that I want to jump out of his truck and try my luck with hitting the road at seventy miles an hour.
“She’s going to love you,” he tells me, and I look out the window, wondering if he said that before to his ex-wife the first time she met his mom.
“Did she like your ex-wife?” I ask then kick my ass around in my head when I feel the muscles of his thigh contract. “Sorry, Tuck told me. He didn’t mean to, and I promised I wouldn’t say anything, but it just slipped out,” I ramble, pulling my hand from his leg.
“I wasn’t hiding it,” he says quietly.
“I know. I told him we haven’t known each other long. I totally get it,” I reply just as quietly.