A Perfect Storm
Page 41
“She left without telling you first.”
“She’s independent. You know that.” Spencer worked his jaw. “I told you I had it under control.”
“You should understand something, Spencer.”
Oh, he understood all right. This was a warning. “I’m listening.”
“Jackson has accepted Arizona as family, with Alani’s blessing. Priss and Molly like her and empathize with her situation, as do Dare and I.” His gaze never wavered from Spencer’s. “She’s one of us now.”
One of us? It was the tone more than the message that had Spencer’s temper on edge. “Meaning?”
“Meaning with or without you, we’ll protect her.”
That sounded far too close to a threat, and Spencer straightened from the wall. His shoulders bunched, and his jaw clenched. “You think I can’t? Or won’t?”
“I think men in lust sometimes let the wrong head make the decisions.”
Jackson joined them to say, “Amen to that.” He pointed to Spencer’s crotch. “No thinking with the gonads.”
Finding the warnings insulting—even if a little true—Spencer scowled. “Is this a case of do as I say, not as I do?”
Trace said, “No.”
Jackson said, “Mmm…maybe.”
On a grievous sigh, Trace shook his head. “Ignore Jackson. He’s known to embrace gluttony.”
Leaning in, Jackson whispered loud enough for Trace to hear, “He means in bed, but since I’m marrying his sister, he doesn’t want to go into details.”
And just like that, the mood lightened. Spencer rested against the wall to watch the ensuing exchange between the two men.
Trace glared. “You did get her pregnant.”
“Yeah.” Jackson sighed theatrically. “And knowing she’s carrying my baby just makes her sexier.”
Trace rudely stepped in front of Jackson, crowding him out, to address Spencer again. “For now, I’m willing to let you handle things with Arizona.”
“Gee, thanks.” He didn’t bother telling Trace that he had no intention of butting out, regardless of what any of them said about it.
“Hey,” Jackson said, his humor dwindling. “Don’t I get a vote on this?”
“You’ve done enough,” Trace told him.
Jackson opened his mouth—then grinned and closed it.
Back to Spencer, Trace added, “You can keep her safe by keeping her close. That works for me.”
“It works for me, too,” Jackson told him. “Close is good.”
Trace spoke over Jackson. “But if Arizona decides she doesn’t like that setup, then you’re out.”
He’d almost gotten distracted with the byplay between Trace and Jackson. Now he snapped back to attention. “I’ll decide when I’m done, not you.”
“Wrong.” Jackson aligned himself with Trace. “Arizona makes that decision. And we’ll be backing her up.”
“Stay on her good side,” Trace warned. “Or stay away from her.”
“Won’t be easy.” Jackson shook his head in sympathy. “She can be pretty…trying. But you better not lose your patience with her. If you think you might, best to cut out now.”
Spencer went rigid. Screw their ability and far-reaching influence. He made his own decisions, and he would be the one to decide when and if to walk away from Arizona. “You don’t dictate to me.”
“So you are planning to sleep with her?” Trace asked.
That pulled him up short. “None of your damn business.”
Jackson folded his arms. “Course he is.” He glanced toward Trace. “He’s a guy. And Arizona is…well—”
“Not easy to resist,” Spencer said through his teeth. “Believe me, I know. But I’m a thirty-two-year-old man, and she’s not only been through hell, she’s barely an adult.”
Trace leveled a look on him. “So you have only altruistic motives in this? You’re shadowing her out of concern for another human being, nothing more?”
He said again, “None of your goddamned business.”
Neither of them was fazed by his growing temper.
Jackson tilted his head to study Spencer. “You took it upon yourself to partner up with her.”
Of all the… “She came to me,” he reminded them. “You already know that.”
“So if she hadn’t,” Jackson said, “you wouldn’t have seen her again?”
Damn it, he would not be cornered by either of them. “We’ve crossed paths a few times.”
“Because of Arizona. It’s not like you went after her, did you?”
He hadn’t needed to, not when every time he saw one of the guys, Arizona somehow happened to be there. But he’d be damned before he continued to explain himself to them. He set his jaw and stepped forward—
“Break it up, girls. You’re drawing attention.” Arizona elbowed her way in past Jackson and Trace to stand directly in front of Spencer, facing him with a scowl. “You’re going to give yourself wrinkles.”
At his first glimpse of her, Spencer’s brain went blank. “Oh, my God.”
Hands on her hips, she turned a circle and eyed them all in turn. “You guys picked a heck of a public locale to compare dick sizes, don’t you think?”
Ignoring the crude words, Trace tracked his gaze over her, and then slowly closed his eyes.
“She’s independent. You know that.” Spencer worked his jaw. “I told you I had it under control.”
“You should understand something, Spencer.”
Oh, he understood all right. This was a warning. “I’m listening.”
“Jackson has accepted Arizona as family, with Alani’s blessing. Priss and Molly like her and empathize with her situation, as do Dare and I.” His gaze never wavered from Spencer’s. “She’s one of us now.”
One of us? It was the tone more than the message that had Spencer’s temper on edge. “Meaning?”
“Meaning with or without you, we’ll protect her.”
That sounded far too close to a threat, and Spencer straightened from the wall. His shoulders bunched, and his jaw clenched. “You think I can’t? Or won’t?”
“I think men in lust sometimes let the wrong head make the decisions.”
Jackson joined them to say, “Amen to that.” He pointed to Spencer’s crotch. “No thinking with the gonads.”
Finding the warnings insulting—even if a little true—Spencer scowled. “Is this a case of do as I say, not as I do?”
Trace said, “No.”
Jackson said, “Mmm…maybe.”
On a grievous sigh, Trace shook his head. “Ignore Jackson. He’s known to embrace gluttony.”
Leaning in, Jackson whispered loud enough for Trace to hear, “He means in bed, but since I’m marrying his sister, he doesn’t want to go into details.”
And just like that, the mood lightened. Spencer rested against the wall to watch the ensuing exchange between the two men.
Trace glared. “You did get her pregnant.”
“Yeah.” Jackson sighed theatrically. “And knowing she’s carrying my baby just makes her sexier.”
Trace rudely stepped in front of Jackson, crowding him out, to address Spencer again. “For now, I’m willing to let you handle things with Arizona.”
“Gee, thanks.” He didn’t bother telling Trace that he had no intention of butting out, regardless of what any of them said about it.
“Hey,” Jackson said, his humor dwindling. “Don’t I get a vote on this?”
“You’ve done enough,” Trace told him.
Jackson opened his mouth—then grinned and closed it.
Back to Spencer, Trace added, “You can keep her safe by keeping her close. That works for me.”
“It works for me, too,” Jackson told him. “Close is good.”
Trace spoke over Jackson. “But if Arizona decides she doesn’t like that setup, then you’re out.”
He’d almost gotten distracted with the byplay between Trace and Jackson. Now he snapped back to attention. “I’ll decide when I’m done, not you.”
“Wrong.” Jackson aligned himself with Trace. “Arizona makes that decision. And we’ll be backing her up.”
“Stay on her good side,” Trace warned. “Or stay away from her.”
“Won’t be easy.” Jackson shook his head in sympathy. “She can be pretty…trying. But you better not lose your patience with her. If you think you might, best to cut out now.”
Spencer went rigid. Screw their ability and far-reaching influence. He made his own decisions, and he would be the one to decide when and if to walk away from Arizona. “You don’t dictate to me.”
“So you are planning to sleep with her?” Trace asked.
That pulled him up short. “None of your damn business.”
Jackson folded his arms. “Course he is.” He glanced toward Trace. “He’s a guy. And Arizona is…well—”
“Not easy to resist,” Spencer said through his teeth. “Believe me, I know. But I’m a thirty-two-year-old man, and she’s not only been through hell, she’s barely an adult.”
Trace leveled a look on him. “So you have only altruistic motives in this? You’re shadowing her out of concern for another human being, nothing more?”
He said again, “None of your goddamned business.”
Neither of them was fazed by his growing temper.
Jackson tilted his head to study Spencer. “You took it upon yourself to partner up with her.”
Of all the… “She came to me,” he reminded them. “You already know that.”
“So if she hadn’t,” Jackson said, “you wouldn’t have seen her again?”
Damn it, he would not be cornered by either of them. “We’ve crossed paths a few times.”
“Because of Arizona. It’s not like you went after her, did you?”
He hadn’t needed to, not when every time he saw one of the guys, Arizona somehow happened to be there. But he’d be damned before he continued to explain himself to them. He set his jaw and stepped forward—
“Break it up, girls. You’re drawing attention.” Arizona elbowed her way in past Jackson and Trace to stand directly in front of Spencer, facing him with a scowl. “You’re going to give yourself wrinkles.”
At his first glimpse of her, Spencer’s brain went blank. “Oh, my God.”
Hands on her hips, she turned a circle and eyed them all in turn. “You guys picked a heck of a public locale to compare dick sizes, don’t you think?”
Ignoring the crude words, Trace tracked his gaze over her, and then slowly closed his eyes.
