Monroe, Marla - The Bikers' Babe [The Dirty Dozen 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (9 page)

Zack had rarely gone against Cole on anything, but for her, he would do it. She was perfect for them. Only Cole’s dominant nature could ruin it for them. He had to back down some.

“She doesn’t have to ride alone again as long as she has us, Zack.”

Zack slammed the spoon down on the spoon rest.

“Okay, I’ve picked. We’re watching
The Fast and the Furious
with Vin Diesel.”

Tina walked back in the room before he could say something to Cole he might regret.

“Please don’t tell me you’re a fan,” Cole said.

“He can’t help it if he’s hot.” She grinned at him, then walked back over to where Zack was adding the noodles to the boiling water. “Can I do anything to help?”

“Nope, I’ve got it covered. Why don’t you sit over there and keep Cole company so he doesn’t irritate me.”

“What is he doing to irritate you?”

“Being his usual hard-headed self.” Zack kissed her on the top of the head and gave her a nudge in Cole’s direction.

He glared at Cole over her head. Cole’s mouth tightened into a straight line.

“What are you doing to aggravate Zack?” She grabbed his hand and pulled him off the bar stool and into the living room.

Zack sighed as soon as they were out of the room. He’d do anything for Cole. They’d been through hell together, but he’d be damned if he let the other man run off the best thing that had ever happened to them. Somehow, he had to get Cole to listen to him. Because he knew that just as sure as Cole tried to rein her in, she’d run.

* * * *

Tina let Cole pull her down onto his lap in the living room when he sat on the couch. She liked the attention the two men showered on her, but it worried her, too. She could get used to being the center of someone’s attention too easily. And with them there were two someones involved.

“When we decide to take another job, you want to ride with us?” Cole asked.

“What? Ride with you where?” She was so tuned into her own thoughts that she missed part of his question.

“Wherever we take another job. There are a couple around here, but there are some in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and one in St. Louis, Missouri.”

“Oh, well. I doubt I’ll be around then. I’m planning on taking another job myself soon. I just haven’t figured out where I want to go next.”

“So we’ll choose a spot where you want to work and we’ll find something close by.” Cole seemed to be watching her awful closely.

“Um, well, I’ll think about it. I haven’t really decided where I want to work next. I’m still thinking about here.”

“That would work out fine since you can stay here while you’re working in town. You’re welcome here as long as you want to stick around.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in for a kiss.

He nipped at her lower lip then pressed his lips tight against hers before pulling back and kissing her on the cheek. He seemed about to say something more, but Zack called that dinner was ready.

“Great, I’m starved,” Tina said jumping off Cole’s lap.

He followed her back to the kitchen. Zack was spooning up plates of spaghetti as they settled on the barstools. He sat the first plate in front of her and then handed another plate to Cole. He added sauce to his and sat across from her.

“Dig in. The bread is right there in the basket.” He indicated a cloth-covered basket near her elbow.

She opened it and pulled out a slice of garlic bread and passed it across to Zack next. She took a bite of the spaghetti and closed her eyes in appreciation of how good it was.

“I’ll marry you if you’ll cook for me,” she teased.

Both men laughed.

“You’ll have to marry Cole since he has an inheritance, but I come with him so I’ll cook for you. When do you want to do the deed?”

Tina laughed and took another bite. She figured they were kidding until she looked up and noticed Zack’s expression. Was it hopeful? Surely they weren’t serious.

They finished dinner and Tina insisted on helping with the dishes.

“It’s only fair. You’ve fixed everything for me ever since I’ve been here.”

“You’ve only been here one day, Tina.” Zack reminded her.

“Seems like longer,” she mused.

They turned on the TV and the news was on as Cole started to put the movie in. The announcer caught Tina’s attention.

“Wait, Cole.”

He stopped, and they listened as the newscaster talked about the latest victim of the Truck Stop Killer, as he’d been nicknamed. They flashed the picture of a woman who could have been Tina’s double. Then the announcer showed a picture of Tina from her driver’s license stating she had been attacked but managed to get away.

“Fuck!” Cole slid the movie in and cut off the rest of the newscast.

Zack wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap.

Tina couldn’t help the shakes that suddenly gripped her. That woman had looked just like her. Was that why he’d tried to grab her, or had he taken the other woman because he had missed her?

“You’re thinking too hard, Tina. Let it go,” Zack told her.

Cole started the movie and returned to the couch to pull her feet into his lap. He removed her boots and socks, and massaged her feet as the previews started. She swallowed around the lump in her throat and tried to concentrate on the movie. Finally, the shakes subsided, and she relaxed against Zack’s shoulder.

She had seen the movie before, so she was able to follow it despite her mind trying to return to the murdered woman’s face. She didn’t think she would feel safe riding alone again. At least until they caught the killer. How long could she handle staying in one place? She wasn’t used to doing that for more than a month to six weeks. She usually changed jobs every four weeks with a few weeks off in between to ride to where she was going.

The movie credits were rolling when Cole turned off the DVD player and TV. She felt Zack stretch beneath her. She started to scramble off of him so he could get up, but he held her there and stood up.

“I’ve got you, Tina. Let’s head to bed. Do you need something to drink before we go?”

“Yeah, I need a drink of water. Put me down, and I’ll get it.”

“I’ve got it, Zack. Go ahead and take her to the bedroom. I’ll bring a glass.” Cole walked toward the kitchen as Zack headed for the bedroom.

“I could have gotten it myself. You two are spoiling me. I have to be able to take care of myself.” She clung to Zack’s shoulders as he carried her into the bedroom.

“Let us spoil you a little bit, Tina. We like spoiling you.” Zack sat her on the bed and began to unbutton her blouse.

“Hey, I can do that.” She slapped at his hands playfully.

He chuckled and grabbed her hands in one of his. “Hold still or I’ll turn you over my knee.”

“Promises, promises.”

Cole walked in with a glass of water for her and smiled. “If you like spankings, we can certainly oblige.”

She pouted and wiggled her hands in Zack’s grip. “I want a drink of water, Zack.”

Cole walked over and held the glass to her lips. She raised her eyes to his and slowly sipped at the water until he pulled it away. Something about how he gave her the water seemed so intimate. They gazed into each other’s eyes for several seconds before she blinked and the spell was broken.

Zack had her blouse undone, but had to release her hands to pull it off of her. She let him this time and even let him remove her bra, but when he started to unfasten her jeans, she grabbed his hands and shook her head.

“Your turn now. Take off your shirt.”

He grinned and grabbed a handful of it and jerked it over his head. She feasted her eyes on his chest and leaned in to lick one of his nipples. The flat disc felt rough to her tongue. He hissed out a breath, but didn’t stop her from moving to the other one. Zack threw back his head and blew out a breath.

“No sex tonight. You’re tired, and we all need to get some rest.”

“Who said I wanted sex? I just like teasing you.” She pouted.

Cole walked over to the bed and pulled back the covers. He grinned at Zack.

Zack shook his head and stood up to pull off his pants. They had already removed their boots and left them by the couch with hers. Tina stood up and shimmied out of her jeans then her thong.

“Aw, fuck, Cole. She was wearing a thong.” Zack grabbed it away from her and held it to his face.

“Give that back,” Tina demanded.

“I don’t know. I think I want to keep it.” Zack tossed the thong to Cole, who grinned as she shifted her attention to him.

“I’m not playing games with you two. I’m tired. I’m ready for bed.” She climbed into bed and slid beneath the covers, sticking her tongue out at them.

Cole grinned at Zack and tossed her thong back to him. He laid it on top of her jeans and finished pulling off his as Cole started undressing.

They both climbed in bed on either side of her and wrapped her in their bodies. She felt safe between them. As long as she was with them, she knew nothing could happen to her. But she couldn’t stay with them forever, could she?

Chapter Eight

Tina got used to being around the two men over the next couple of days. They took long rides, made love in various places throughout the house, and she found herself slowly growing attached to them. That was when she decided it was time she go back to work.

“I think I’m going to call in and see if there is anything available at one of the area hospitals,” Tina mentioned over dinner one night.

“What’s your hurry?” Cole asked, looking up from his plate.

“I’m getting antsy. I’m not ready to get back out on the road yet, so I figure it’s time to go back to work.”

“You know you’re welcome to stay here with us as long as you want to,” Zack reminded her

“Thanks, I’ll see what they offer. I usually work nights and that will make it difficult for you two.”

“No, it won’t bother us, we’re probably going to be taking a job around here soon anyway so we’ll be gone during the day so you can sleep.” Cole’s face seemed carefully neutral to Tina.

“Well, it all depends on what they have open around here. I’ll let you know when I find out.”

They finished their meal and then Tina did the dishes. She had insisted that if she didn’t cook, she did dishes. Cole usually helped. This time, he bailed on her and followed Zack outside. They were probably discussing the job they were looking at starting. She wondered where it was and what they would be building.

After she had finished dishes, she placed a call to her travel company scheduler and put in her availability for the Dallas area. They told her they had three positions open, an emergency room gig, a labor and delivery opening, and a surgical nurse. She vetoed all but the emergency room. They would set up an appointment as soon as possible to send her for the initial meeting and schedule setup.

She had just hung up when the men walked back in from outside.

“Okay, I’m taking an emergency room position that is seven on and seven off, twelve-hour shifts. I’ll work nights. You sure you don’t need me to get my own place? They pay for it.”

“We’re sure. That works great. We’re going to be working starting Tuesday anyway, so it turned out out perfectly,” Zack told her.