Wilde Edge, page 6
“No need to tell me who that was. Only one person can make you light up like that, and it sure isn’t anyone here. I came by with the idea of tossing your ass out of here, but I don’t think you’re going to need much persuading. Go home, Jo. We’ll see you Monday.”
She wagged a finger at Tom as she pushed back from her desk and stood. “There you go again, bossing me around. This is getting to be a habit!”
He just grinned at her and left, waving one grime-encrusted hand as he headed back to work. Tom was more uncle than employee, and Jo knew he was worried about her. He’d been a godsend after her father’s diagnosis. He could run this place himself singlehandedly, and was the only reason she was able to take any time at all away from work. Tom had helped her strip her first engine nearly twenty years ago, and had forgotten more about cars then Jo had ever learned. After the cancer had taken her dad, they’d grieved together, worked together, and kept each other sane.
Greg thought of the garage as a source of cash, but to Jo it was so much more. This place was her second home, and there wasn’t a chance in hell she’d sell it. If that meant she had to finally stand up to her ex and make it clear she was done with his tactics, then so be it. She was ready.
Jo headed home, her mind buzzing the entire drive as she thought about Greg and what she was going to do about him, when she hit the remote on the garage door and saw Tag’s car parked in his space.
Dammit.
She’d been distracted enough that she’d forgotten to scrub her hands and fix her hair before leaving the garage. Jo glanced down at her jeans and faded black shirt and decided to make a run for the back door so she could clean up before she saw Tag or any of his brothers. No one would ever mistake her for a Hollywood starlet, but anything would be an improvement on her current look, which was somewhere between fashion disaster and apocalypse survivor.
The plan would have worked too, if it hadn’t been for the damned dog.
Halfway to the house a black and tan German shepherd appeared around the side of the house. He started barking the moment he spotted her. It wasn’t a fierce bark, but it was enough to make Jo freeze while she frantically tried to remember the dog’s name. Hunter? Seek?
“Chase, what is it, boy?” an unfamiliar voice called out and Jo knew she was busted. So much for getting presentable before meeting anyone.
“He’s just checking out the new arrival,” Jo called back, and not two seconds later a seriously sexy man stepped into view. For a moment, she thought it was Tag, but then she realized that while they were very similar in appearance, Tag was taller, and his hair was a whole lot longer.
“Chase, enough. Hi, sorry about that. He’s harmless, I swear.”
“I have never heard a police dog described as harmless before. Hi, I’m Jo, Tag’s new landlady.”
Ben was grinning as he looked at her, and Jo got the feeling he was amused by something. She just wasn’t sure what. “I’m Ben, and you’ve already met Chase. Chase, go apologize for barking. She lives here too.”
To Jo’s amazement, Chase did exactly that. He walked over to her with his head down and his tail wagging slowly. Then he sat down, looked at her, whined once and lifted his paw, holding it off the ground. She crouched down and shook it, and she could have sworn the dog grinned at her as his tail started wagging harder.
“And now you have a friend for life. Not many people are that comfortable with him right off.”
“You’re a gorgeous one, aren’t you?” Jo murmured, releasing Chase’s paw to give the dog a proper pat.
“You better be talking about the mutt and not my brother.” She glanced up to see Tag walking toward her. If she hadn’t been crouching, she might not have noticed the way he was favoring his left leg just a little.
“Hi, Tag. I was talking to Chase, of course. He’s lov—” she didn’t get to finish her sentence as Tag reached her. Without a word he took her by the wrists and tugged her up into his arms for a kiss so hot she idly wondered if they’d leave scorch marks on the walkway.
He drew her arms around his neck before releasing her wrists. One hand speared into her hair as the other slid around her waist, pulling her in tight against him as his mouth plundered hers. Jo had two choices, fight him or surrender, and there was no force on earth that was going to convince her to let go of this man. She gave in with a soft sigh, leaning into his chest, her fingers stroking the back of his neck as she answered his kiss with one of her own.
It was the sound of wolf whistles and applause that finally caught her attention. She pulled back from Tag, turned her head and spotted Nick, Ben and two blond men she assumed were the rest of Tag’s siblings. They were all standing a few feet away, laughing.
“I’m going to die of embarrassment now,” she muttered and hid her face against Tag’s chest.
“They’re just jealous, angel. Well, all but Ben. He’s engaged, so he’s the only one I trust anywhere near you.”
Ben snickered. “Sucks when the shoe is on the other foot, doesn’t it?”
“Fuck off, the lot of you. I’ll bring Jolena by for introductions in a minute.”
The others wandered off, still laughing, and Jolena could have sworn she heard one of them say something about cookies and the dark side. She meant to ask Tag what they were talking about, but the minute they were alone he coaxed her head back and kissed her again.
“I think I forgot to say hello earlier. So, uh, hi there,” he said when he finally came up for air.
“I was planning on cleaning up and changing before I came down to see how it’s going. So much for first impressions, huh?”
“You look gorgeous.” His dark brows furrowed slightly as she opened her mouth to protest. “Don’t say it. If you argue, I’m going to kiss you again. If I kiss you again we’ll never get into the house, and that’s going to be a problem shortly because it’s starting to sleet again.”
Well, hell, when did that happen?
Jo had been so distracted she hadn’t even noticed the freezing rain that was falling faster by the second. “Give me five minutes and I’ll come down and meet everyone. I crawled under two cars today. I need to wash up.”
“Five minutes. Any longer and I’m coming up there to get you. My brothers have been dying to meet you, and it would probably be nice if I let you actually speak to them before I toss them out.”
“I won’t be long. I promise.” She let go of him and backed away, only to have him haul her back into his arms for one last kiss. As he released her, he nuzzled her ear and inhaled deeply. “And for the record, you smell amazing.”
She laughed at that. “I smell like rusty metal and gasoline.”
“Exactly. Sexiest fucking perfume ever.”
“If you say so. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” Jo felt like she was walking on air as she headed into the house, watching Tag out of the corner of her eye as he walked toward the front of the house and vanished from sight. Only when she was sure she was alone did Jo squeal softly and skip her way up the stairs.
He still wants me.
It had been a few days since their date, and despite the calls and texts, there’d been a whisper of doubt in the back of her mind. That whisper was silent now. Her cheeks burned hot as she recalled the kiss and the laughter of his brothers when they’d caught them.
As she unlocked the door and let herself inside, she felt her stomach drop and her heart race. It was as if she’d just stepped off a cliff. It only lasted a few seconds and then it was gone as suddenly as it had come. It was the same feeling she’d had when she had caught Tag staring at her office window the day they’d met. Maybe what she felt was fate, giving her a nudge.
More likely it’s Dad, kicking me in the ass and telling me it’s time to get on with my life.
The thought made her smile for a second before she remembered Tag’s warning. She had no doubt that, if she was more than five minutes late, he’d be coming after her. She sprinted to the bathroom, the grin still on her face.
Chapter Six
Tag had taken a second to will his dick to go back to sleep before walking back into his new suite. His entry was met with another round of applause. Even Dave was laughing while the rest of his bastard brothers were outright cheering.
“I’ve seen that look on someone else’s face recently, and it does not bode well for you,” Jared said between sniggers of laughter.
“Yeah, where?” Tag asked, heading through the open living space toward the kitchen. He needed a beer.
“On Ben’s face, the first night he brought Kelly to the pub. I remember it, because when he caught you flirting with her he glared at you the same way you were glowering at us a few minutes ago. Looks like Ben’s not the only possessive male in this family.”
“Damn right I’m possessive. And if I catch any of you flirting with Jolena I will do a lot more than glare.” He twisted the lid off the bottle and tossed it onto the countertop with enough force it skittered and skipped until it hit the wall.
He took a long pull of his beer and tried to get a hold of his runaway temper. He knew the guys were only teasing him, but somehow the idea of another man looking at his angel had him ready to commit fratricide. Suddenly he had a whole new perspective on what it must have been like for Ben the first time they’d all met Kelly.
Fucking hell, how could Jolena get so far under his skin after just one date?
The faint patter of footsteps coming down the outside stairs announced Jolena’s arrival, and he shot a warning look at his siblings. “Behave yourselves.”
He met Jolena at the door, tucking her smaller hand into his before leading her back inside. He loved the strength in her hands, the slight roughness to her fingers that made her touch different from any other woman he’d been with. Those fingers were gripping him tightly as he introduced her to everyone. “You already know Nick, and you met Ben and Chase earlier. The two blonds are my older brothers, Jared and Dave.”
“Hi. It’s nice to meet everyone.” Jo said, glancing around the room with interest.
“It doesn’t look like the same place, does it?” Tag asked and she shook her head, gesturing to the leather and chrome furniture and his large, flat screen television.
“Not at all. Now it looks like a guy lives here.”
Several of them laughed at that, and Jo relaxed a little. After that, conversation flowed easier, and soon all six of them were eating pizza and talking. Nick kept unpacking as the others chatted, trying to get the kitchen organized. He was kneeling on the floor, putting away a batch of cookware when the laughter got louder, piquing his interest. He tuned into the conversation going on a few feet away.
“...So Tag’s hanging onto the window ledge, mom’s beloved climbing rose trellis is busted and lying all over the lawn, while Mom is yelling and Dad is trying to haul his sorry ass back inside the house,” Jared said, and Tag cursed.
If you couldn’t trust family…
He stood, ignoring the pain in his leg as he slapped a hand down on the countertop, drawing everyone’s attention. “If we’re down to telling that tired story, then it’s time you guys went home. Angel, don’t you believe a word of this shit they’re spewing. I was a saint growing up, unlike these miscreants.”
“Uh huh. Sure you were. That’s why you were the one working undercover, because you just scream innocence and sainthood,” Dave pointed out as he rose from the couch.
Jared chimed in, “Yeah, the only thing missing from your bad ass image is a tattoo, because you knew Mom would kill you of you ever got inked. She’s barely forgiven Nicky, and he runs a tattoo shop!”
Nick smirked. “You’d be surprised who in this room has ink from my shop. Mom’s more forgiving than you think.” Ben, Jared and Dave were all looking at their siblings with disbelief, but it was Jolena who finally broke the silence.
“You mean you guys haven’t let Nick tattoo you? He’s your brother, and he’s incredibly talented. I love the tattoo he did for me. I can’t believe you don’t all have one.”
The others were looking sheepish now, while Nick was laughing his damned head off, but Tag could only focus on one thing. His angel was inked…
“Hold up. You have ink? Nicky tattooed you? When? Where?” Tag wanted nothing more than to throw his brothers out, lock the door after them, and peel off every piece of her clothing until he found this tattoo.
“I got it after my dad died. Nick designed for me.” Her lips turned up into a mischievous smile. “As for where? That’s for me to know, and you to find out.”
All the blood in his body surged to his cock at the sight of that smile, and he felt himself falling into her deep brown eyes.
“He’s got that look again,” Jared groaned and stood, grabbing his jacket off a stack of boxes.
“And that’s our cue to leave,” Nick agreed.
They said their goodbyes at the door, with Chase pausing to give Jolena a kiss when she leaned down to hug him.
“Paws off my girl, mutt. Go find your own.”
Ben was the last to leave, and he paused to smile down at Jolena on his way out. “It was great meeting you. I hope we see you down at Leo’s soon.”
“Maybe in few weeks. You’re stuck with Mom until then. Happy wedding planning.” Tag waved his brother out, locking the door behind him. They were alone.
Finally.
“Would you like some help unpacking?” Jo offered in that quiet tone he was starting to learn meant she was nervous.
“No, it can wait. All I really want right now is you.”
“You already have me.” She said it so softly he could barely hear her, but it was enough to break the last shreds of his control. He grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him as he picked his way through the sea of boxes, not stopping until he found the couch.
He needed her. Needed to feel her curvy little body in his arms and reclaim those sweet lips. He dropped sideways onto the couch so that his back was against the armrest and his legs were stretched out along the cushions. She hesitated for a moment, but he tugged at her hand again and drew her down to join him. He positioned her so that they were face to face, and her shorter leg straddled one of his thighs. Goddamn, she looked so sexy as she knelt in front of him, her skin flushed and her eyes already darkening with the first hints of desire.
Hanging onto his control while the others had been around had been a struggle, but he’d managed it for the most part. Now they were gone, and so was his patience. He wanted her with a ferocity that bordered on madness. “Fuck, I missed you, angel.”
“I missed you too,” she confessed and then she leaned in to kiss him. That was all it took for his world to go up in flames. Her hands landed on his chest as he pulled her in closer, needing to feel her body pressed to his. She parted her lips and he claimed her mouth, challenging her to match his desires, daring her to dance with him.
Jolena moaned softly, rocking her hips so that her pussy rubbed against his thigh. He speared his fingers into her hair and tightened his grip until she moaned again, the vibration buzzing against his lips. He slipped a hand beneath her soft sweater she’d changed into while she was upstairs. It was too big for her frame, swallowing up her curves and hiding her body. Fuck, he wanted to tear it off of her and show her how beautiful he thought she was.
His fingers twitched at the idea, but instead of tearing at her clothes he let his hand move over her skin, stroking her flank and back until she was squirming against his leg and he could hear her panting for breath.
“Now, where’s this tattoo of yours?” he asked, his lips only the barest distance from hers.
“Not so fast. Second date you promised to show me your tattoo, remember?”
“This is a date?” he asked, stroking his fingers up to brush across the side of one breast.
“There was dinner, and drinks, and now we’re making out on the couch. Yep, I’d call this a date.” Her voice had deepened with desire, and he loved the husky tone to her words almost as much as he loved hearing the lighthearted way she was teasing him.
“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours,” he countered.
Jo went still, her cheeks paling so that her freckles seemed to darken. Her dark eyes stared into his, and then she nodded. “You first.”
He had to let go of her to get his shirt off, and when she sat back to give him more room he felt the loss of her warmth immediately. His hands found the edge of his shirt, but then he remembered that when she saw the tattoo, she’d also see his scars.
Fuck it. She’s going to see them eventually. Might as well be now.
He took off his shirt and dropped it behind him, not caring where it landed. All he cared about was what he saw in Jolena’s eyes in the next few seconds.
“Oh god, that’s gorgeous,” she murmured and reached out, her hand pausing only a hair’s breadth from his chest. “May I?”
There was nothing but admiration in her expression, and Tag let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “Angel, just so we’re clear. There will never be a time you have to ask permission to touch me.”
She brushed her fingertips over his tattoo, tracing the still-healing lines with a feather light touch. When she passed over one of his scars she paused and leaned in to take a closer look. “I can barely see the scars, you know. Do they bother you?”
“They don’t hurt, but I don’t like looking at them.” It was the only the second time he’d told anyone that. The only other person who knew was Nick.
“I understand,” she whispered in that smoke and whiskey voice of hers. Goddamn, he liked her voice. She could be talking about the weather or the price of ice in Antarctica, and he’d still want to listen to her. Jolena’s breath fanned across his chest as she dipped her head and brushed her lips across the circular scar hidden beneath the tattoo.
“Angel, you don’t have to—”
“I want to. I don’t care that you’re not perfect, Tag. Honestly, I’m kind of relieved.” She blushed so hard he could feel the heat of it against his skin.
