Ours (6 page)
Authors: Hazel Gower
Jake snorted at her lame excuse.
“Okay, fine, so maybe I want a repeat of last night and
can’t be bothered to go out to a nightclub and pick up.”
“No more picking up for you. We are it for you.” Jake
couldn’t help the growl that followed her statement.
and downed another glass of wine. Jake turned to see a huge grin on Zack’s
face.
“Susie never said what you do for a living. You haven’t
mentioned anything either. You know I’m a cop and teach self-defense as a side
project.” Jake watched as she poured more wine and stared at him like she was
debating what to say.
She picked up her fork only to pause with the food halfway
to her mouth. “I don’t know what Zack does.”
He saw Zack swallow what he was eating, put down his
utensils, and take a deep breath. “What do you think I do?”
then she looked at Jake and mouthed,
“Help.”
Jake shook his head. He wasn’t going to help, and Jake was interested to know
what she thought his cousin did.
“Um, I didn’t even know you existed until the other night
so you can’t work at the gym. Not that I go there, but Jane does. You don’t
look like the cop type, but then neither does Jake.”
He looked down at himself and wondered why he didn’t look
the part.
Zack seemed to have done the same because he asked, “Why
don’t you think I could be a cop?”
“I never said that you couldn’t be a good cop. I said you
don’t look like one.” Her hands trailed up Zack’s arm, circling every tattoo
visible. “So what do you do?”
Zack grinned down at
“Do you like my tattoos?”
She nodded and grinned back at Zack.
“Well, you and Jake are the only ones in the family who do.
I own a tattoo shop called Enjoyment Ink. I just bought the only other tattoo
shop in town. I’m refurbishing it, and in a month if all goes okay, I will open
it again. So my shop is very busy at the moment. Open almost twenty-four
hours.”
She turned to Jake. “It was dark the other night, and I got
distracted later with my family, so I didn’t get to check if you had any tats.”
Zack laughed, and Jake watched as Zack’s shoulder dropped,
and he sagged like he’d had a weight lifted off his shoulders. Jake knew Zack
worried that his mate wouldn’t want to be with the black sheep of the family.
Jake had his own worry that maybe he was too old and
dominant for
especially after meeting her father and brothers and knowing how she felt about
them being so alpha. He would have trouble reining it in, but when he looked at
already knew he would do anything to keep her. If that meant toning down his
dominance, he would.
****
Dinner went better than he thought it would, especially
after her reluctance that morning. Zack was even happier that
something he’d worried about. His family wasn’t too fond of them, and his
mother hated the fact her son owned two shops. She said too many notorious
people hang out in tattoo shops, and the Bear family didn’t socialize with
them. Zack really didn’t care what his family thought, but the snide comments
annoyed him all the same.
After pulling into
driveway, he got out of the car and waited for Jake to come with
They probably should have slowed her down or cut her off, but neither he nor
Jake wanted her to think they wanted to control what she drank. She was old
enough to know when to stop. Well, they thought she’d know.
He watched as she stumbled against Jake’s arm, muttering,
“Crap, I drank too much, and it’s all you guys’ faults.”
Zack went over to help hold up her other side as she’d
refused in the car to be carried. “How, Firebird?”
“Because
you two make me nervous.
Last night was like a dream, and I got scared
of what would happen tonight, and that waitress and women kept looking at you
and they were all”—she made an elaborate gesture with her hands to
herself—“thinking what’s a chubby no one doing with hunks like you. I know I
have lots of competition because you two are so handsome and could have any
woman, and one with lots of experience. I was a virgin until you boys came
along. I don’t know much, and I don’t want to like you and then have my family
chase you away or you figure out I’m not worth the effort, but it’s too late
I’ve already fallen in…” She trailed off as she covered her mouth with her
hand, pushed away, ran to the flowerbed in front of her house, and vomited
everywhere.
Jake took the keys out of her hands and opened the door,
while Zack held
hair and rubbed her back.
“Oh, go away. This is so embarrassing.” She lamely pushed
him away.
Once she’d finished, Zack picked her up over her protests
and carried her to the bathroom.
She rinsed out her mouth and groaned. “Please just put me
to bed and leave me alone. Maybe if I don’t see you again, I won’t be reminded
of what a fool I’ve made of myself. I’m not a drinker.”
“I can tell,” Zack muttered.
She nodded and Zack picked her back up and carried her to
the bed before laying her gently down. Jake passed him water and some
paracetamol
.
“Here, take these,” Zack said as he stroked her hair.
She downed two
tablets with the water before curling into a ball and closing her eyes. They
slowly started to walk away when she muttered, “Will you both just hold me for
a while?”
Zack looked at Jake who was already getting in behind her.
Without saying a word, Zack got in the opposite side, kissed her forehead, and
watched as her breathing slowed and she snuggled into them.
“I could get used to this.”
Zack barely caught her whisper before he closed his own
eyes.
****
Zack awoke to a mobile ringing and Jake’s rough voice
growling “What’s up?”
He watched his cousin go from barely awake to jackknifing
up and out of bed to gather his stuff.
Ending the phone call, Jake looked over at him. “Stay with
her. I have to go. There’s been another murder.”
Zack nodded, pulled
to sleep.
The next time he woke an alarm clock was going off.
o’clock already. I don’t want to go to work. I hate early shifts.” She pushed
against his chest. “Where’s Jake?”
Zack leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. “He got
called into work, so it’s just me. How about you get a shower and dressed, and
I’ll make coffee, or would you rather some tea with a piece of toast?” He
smiled at her shocked expression.
“You know how to cook?”
“Well, I wouldn’t call putting toast into a toaster
cooking, but yes, I can cook. I have to feed myself somehow.”
She closed her eyes and snuggled into him for a moment. “A
coffee and toast with butter would be heaven. I like mine milky with one big
sugar.” She gave him a quick kiss, got out of bed, and walked straight to her
bathroom.
Zack watched her walk away in a lace bra and
undies
. Adjusting himself, he knew he wouldn’t be getting
rid of his morning boner anytime soon. He moaned and got out of bed.
Zack looked in almost every cupboard in the kitchen until
he found what he needed. After making coffee and toast, he sat at the table and
waited.
A moment later
She held black high heels in her other hand.
slipped into them then sat next to him before downing the coffee and shoving
the toast in her mouth.
“Thanks for doing this. I have to run. It’s my turn to
open.” She kissed his stunned cheek and rushed for the door yelling, “Don’t
forget to fix the front door.”
Following her, he grabbed her arm just as she was about to
leave. “You never told us where you work.” Zack let go of her arm, and she
walked to her car.
“I work at a construction company as an assistant.” She got
in her car and drove away, leaving him standing in front of her house in just
his boxers.
Sighing, Zack walked back into the house and told himself
he would get a more information that night. He pulled his mobile out and called
one of his cousins who owned a hardware store. Zack asked if he could send
people over to fix
broken front door and said he would be there for an hour or so to help.
Chapter Five
Jake dragged himself into his house. He was dying for a
shower and clean clothes. It was currently six o’clock, and he’d been up since
4:40 that morning and hadn’t stopped. All he could think of was getting a
shower, packing some clothes in a bag, and going back to spend time snuggling
with his mate.
Letting the hot spray wash away the dirt, he wished it
could wash the images of the old
werepanther
couple
slashed to pieces with “Animal” written above their bodies in blood.
The couple had been friends of his family. Jake was still
close friends with their sons and daughter. That’d been the worst part of his
day, having to go and talk to the victims’ family. He’d felt like a schmuck
referring to them like that, but he had no choice. It was all a part of his
job. He tried not to close his eyes, afraid of what he would see.
After turning the taps off, he reached for the towel, wrapped
it around
himself
, and walked to his closet. He
chucked a couple of days’ clothes and work uniforms in his large black
backpack. He slipped into track pants, needing to feel comfortable. Not
bothering with a shirt, he slipped into his shoes and picked up his joggers,
slung the bag over his shoulder, and walked through his house to his car.
Jake arrived at
to see the lights on. Jake couldn’t see Zack’s motorbike, but that didn’t mean
he wasn’t here. He frowned when
front door opened with a slight creak. Why the hell didn’t she lock her door?
Anyone could get in. Jake didn’t even want to think of all the things that
could happen.
Locking the door
behind him, Jake stormed into the house and followed the strongest smell of
honey and strawberries.
hand. He could smell a roast chicken in the oven, almost done.
Angry that she’d left the door open for anyone to enter and
do unthinkable things to her, he grabbed her as she gave a startled squeal and
sat in her spot with her on his lap.
“Why the hell isn’t your front door locked? Anyone could
walk in and do a number of things.”
He didn’t give her a chance to respond. His mouth came down
on hers, and he pulled and tugged her clothes off. Satisfied when she was naked
in his arms, he moved his mouth down her body and basked in the fact he’d left
her breathless and wanting more. She tried to pull back, but he wasn’t letting
her because he was the one in control.
Reaching her belly button, he lingered and looked up at
her. “Promise me you’ll lock your door from now on.”
let out a loud groan. “Sure. Just don’t stop.”
He grinned as she
arched her body up to get him to continue. “I mean it, Little Red.”
Her eyes narrowed
“If you don’t lock your door, anyone could come in a number
of things like this…” He dived for her pussy, lapping at her and nipping her
nub.
“Jake, more.
Give me more.” She clutched his hair to hold him to her.
Jake played, sucking her honey and feeling her body buck
against him. His cock strained in his pants, and his bear hummed in
contentment. Slowly he sank a finger into her soaking core as she begged him to
make her come.
“Oh, Jake.
Please… I need… make… me come. I need…” She ground against
him.
He removed her hands
from his hair and slowly licked and sucked his way back up her body. She looked
beautiful, like a goddess laid before him. Her eyes were hooded, her body
arched towards him, and her lips pouted. He moved away, yanked his pants off,
and returned to hover over her before she had the chance to move.