Chapter 4
Jared stood in the kitchen listening to Sid and Damon, but his mind was on the redhead. He usually knew when a woman wanted him, because well, they usually threw themselves at him, but this one he wasn’t sure about and didn’t that just rub him the wrong way. He could usually charm his way into any woman’s good graces and bed within minutes of meeting them and have them whispering their secret desires but this one ended up throwing glasses at him.
“She’s been up there an awful long time.” Sid broke into his thoughts.
Glancing up the steps he frowned. He didn’t hear anything, not even a heartbeat. “Son of a bitch!” She bested them again.
“I got the front.” Damon took off.
Jared ran out the back and stopped dead in his tracks. “What in the hell are you doing?”
Oh, this was so not happening. Readjusting her grip Tessa squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m weeding the garden.” She huffed, annoyed at being caught in such an embarrassing position. “What in the hell does it look like I’m doing?”
“Let go.” He stomped up to her.
“Are you kidding me?” Tessa’s arms were killing her. She started swinging hoping to swing her leg up to hook on the branch. Yeah, that was working out really well. It only loosened her grip more.
“Just drop.” Jared demanded. “I’ll catch you.”
Couldn’t he just go away until she got out of the damn tree? “You can’t catch me. If you haven’t noticed I’m not a petite woman.” Tessa grunted again trying to walk her hands one at a time down the branch to reach the tree trunk. “Don’t worry, I got this. I use to do it all the time.”
Oh he noticed alright. He couldn’t stop noticing. She was drop dead gorgeous with a body from the past and curves that had no stopping point, not the skin and bones human men usually went for now. Jared was directly underneath her.
Hearing her whimper in pain sent his protective instinct in gear. “Drop before you hurt yourself.”
“No.” She knew she was being silly, but she was a tad self-conscious about her weight and didn’t want this handsome man who didn’t have an ounce of fat on him to feel her bulges even though he could see it. Yeah, a woman’s thought process while hanging in a tree.
“I can see up your shirt.” Jared grinned as he prepared himself to catch her.
With a shocked yelp, Tessa let go to push her shirt against her body. Before she had a chance to scream, she was caught and held tight against his broad chest. Heated embarrassment flushed up her neck to her face. Jared chuckled, shaking his head.
Struggling in his arms her breasts rubbed intimately against his chest. “It’s not funny dammit.” She groaned, wanting to put as much distance between herself and this man as possible. She didn’t like the feelings he was causing by just holding her. She could feel the shear strength radiating from him and good Lord, he smelled so good.
He set her down, but kept her close. “You’re not going to win, Red.” Jared flicked a strand of her hair. “But I like your fight. It’s very…..entertaining.”
“Yeah.” Tessa pushed away from him turning to walk back into the house. “Well you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Jared tilted his head slightly watching the angry sway of her hips. “Looking forward to it.” Sounded like that was a challenge and a challenge just might be what he needed. His crooked grin grew to a huge smile as he followed her back into the house.
Tessa sat in the kitchen glancing at the clock, her fingers tapping an annoying rhythm on the table. She knew it was irritating the long haired warrior Damon. With evil glee she continued tapping, even picking up the tempo. The other two ignored it, but Damon kept glaring at her. Her phone buzzed indicating a text. Before she could hit the read button Jared grabbed it from her hand. “Hey!”
“Who’s Bobby?” His eyes left the phone to glare at her.
Frowning she intended to give him a stare down, but his intense gaze had her beat. With a sigh she rolled her eyes. “My boss.” She glanced up at the clock. “I’m late for my shift and he’s worried. I’m never late.”
“Call in.” He handed her the phone back.
“And tell him what?” Tessa grabbed the phone to read the text. “I have three pain in the ass vampire warriors standing in my kitchen keeping me hostage.”
“Make something up.” Sid, the blonde warrior, who had an uncanny resemblance to Brad Pitt, replied checking his phone.
“Hell, I could actually tell him the truth and he wouldn’t believe me.” Tessa snorted, but by the looks on their faces they didn’t find it funny.
“Call.” Damon, the mean one growled.
“You know what…” Tessa stood and grabbed her bag off the counter. “No, I’m not calling in. I have bills to pay. You have no right to keep me here. I…..”
“We have every right.” Jared stepped in front of her. “You broke into our compound taking our prisoner.”
Tessa shrugged, wondering if he left out the part of her chaining him up on purpose. Bet he got some crap for that one from his buddies. “If you want to open up your wallets and pay me what I’ll miss out on tonight at work, then by all means, I will sit here and drum my fingers on the table.” Tessa smirked at Damon. “Which, by the way, drives big guy there crazy. I don’t know where my brother is and I can guarantee ya he will not walk through that door while you’re here.”
They all three stared at her with different emotions, one angry, one slightly shocked and the other with a crooked grin.
“Well, I don’t see any money hitting the table so I’m out. Lock up if you leave, I’d appreciate it.” Tessa took a step around Jared waiting to see if they would stop her.
“What time do you get off?” Jared actually stepped aside.
Tessa grabbed the packet of information they had printed out on her and her brother slapping it to his chest on her way out the back door. “You tell me….Mr. Information.”
Making her way to the front of the house Tessa couldn’t get gone fast enough. They were really letting her go. Damn, she was kind of disappointed. She thought the VC Warriors were supposed to be the shit, but so far they weren’t really impressive other than their looks. On the hotness scale that definitely got a ten plus, but on the smartness scale they scored way lower. But a man like Jared didn’t need much smarts to get women to notice him. He sure did have it going on. Too bad he didn’t have the smarts to go with all that sexy. Sighing she punched in her brother’s number as she pulled out of the drive.
“What the hell are you doing?” Damon hissed watching the woman walk out of the house.
Jared cocked his eyebrow at Damon. “Setting out the bait.” He chuckled. “She’s right; her brother isn’t going to come anywhere near while we’re here. He also knows we’re not going to hurt her. So we will give her a minute and then head out to her work and keep watch.”
“Smart thinking.” Sid nodded, then frowned. “What if she doesn’t go to work, but goes to meet her brother?”
“Do you know how to get to the bar she works at?” Damon asked, irritation lacing his tone. He didn’t like being away from Nicole for so long.
They all looked at the packet in Jared’s hand before he tossed it back on the table. “I put a tracker on her phone.” He replied keying something in his phone. “Okay let’s go. Remember he can read us so make sure to stay blocked so he doesn’t know we’re following her.”
“Let’s go.” Damon nodded ready to get this over with.
They started out the back door when Jared stopped. “Damon, lock the front.”
Damon stopped. “Are you f*cking kidding me?” Shaking his head he stepped to the side. “You lock it if you want it locked.”
Sid pushed them both aside stomping to the front door. “I’ll lock the damn door. I swear….when did we become such nice f*cking guys?” Sid grumbled as he slammed the lock in place before heading back to the kitchen. “I need to kill something. This nice guy shit is getting on my f*cking nerves.”
********
Tessa pulled into the Sand Trap parking lot making sure she parked right up front. Jumping out, she grabbed her stuff and ran into the bar. It wasn’t much of a place, but it was home away from home to many in their small town of Alexandria, Kentucky.
“It’s about damn time.” Bobby yelled over the country music and bar goers.
“You have to let me off tonight.” Tessa stumbled behind the bar, waving to a few patrons that shouted out a hello.
“I don’t have to do anything.” Bobby replied, glaring at her as he filled an order.
“Please Bobby.” Tessa begged. “I never ask off. I’ll do anything if you just let me have tonight off….with pay.” Yeah, she was pushing her luck.
Bobby stopped in mid pour to stare at her. “Anything?”
Okay that wasn’t a no, she felt hopeful. “Yeah, anything.”
“Date tomorrow night.” Bobby still stared not finishing the drink he was pouring, waiting for her answer.
Tessa had to hold back a groan. Dammit anything other than that. He had been asking her forever to go out and she had always turned him down. It wasn’t that he was unattractive, quite honestly it was the opposite. He was gorgeous with his smoky eyes and long raven hair, but he had too many notches on his bedpost and she refused to be anyone’s notch.
“Need three beers for the pool table.” Bobby went back to mixing his drinks. Obviously his answer was no.
“Okay…tomorrow night.” Tessa huffed, grabbing three beers running them over to the three players then running back. “I need your car.”
Wiping his hands he shook his head. “No way.”
“Come on.” Tessa tossed him her keys. “Mine’s parked right out front.”
“Oh let’s see, my Mustang GT for your piece of crap Saturn.” Bobby snorted giving her a wide eyed, ‘you’re crazy as a f*cking loon’ look as he tossed her keys back. “Ah no. Make that…f*ck no.”
“Please.” Tessa was running out of time.
“Date tomorrow night, nice dinner, drinks, dancing…” His smile grew as it gazed down her body. “and you sleep with me.”
Her head snapped back as if he’d slapped her. “Ah, no. Make that….f*ck no.” She threw his words back at him. She grabbed her stuff stomping her way toward the front door.
“Tessa.” Bobby’s voice carried across the noisy bar. Turning Tessa caught the keys he threw at her. “One scratch on my car and I’m taking it out on your ass and I do mean that literally.”
Throwing him back her keys she headed to the back door where Bobby always parked feeling like she had just made a deal with the devil. “Thanks Bobby. I’ll have it back tonight scratch free.”
“Not one scratch Tessa.” He called out the warning. “And I will pick you up at eight.”
“Fine, but dinner is all I’m agreeing to.” Tessa warned flipping her hand up as she went out the door.