Instant Temptation
Page 49
“Ah, jeez,” Nick said with a sigh. “Again? That’s the third time this week.”
TJ shut Cam’s phone, dropped it back on the desk, and beat it to the door, but didn’t get out before hearing Cam’s low groan and roughly uttered, “Christ, Katie.”
Out in the hallway, TJ stopped to bang his head against the wall a couple times. When he straightened, Annie stood there, brow raised.
“You’ll shake something loose,” she said.
Yeah. That’s what he was hoping. Trying not to be jealous as hell that his brother was getting laid, and quite well from the sounds of it, he brushed past Annie. “I’ll be categorizing and inventorying equipment in the garage for month-end.”
He’d been at it twenty minutes, going through all the dirt bikes, helmets, and protective gear, when the door opened and quickly closed.
Stone.
Still facing the door, TJ’s brother crept backwards, farther into the shed toward him. Clearly Stone was sneaking around, and clearly he didn’t want anyone to follow him.
TJ waited until Stone had almost backed into him before he said, “What’s up?”
“Jesus-freaking-Christ.” Stone whipped around so fast he fell over one of the bikes.
TJ leaned over his prone body with a smirk. “Been walking long?”
“Shut up. And shh!” he whispered when the door opened.
Emma stood in the doorway.
From flat on the floor, and not yet visible to Emma, Stone sliced a finger across his throat in a clear gesture that meant he was not there.
“Hey, Teej,” Emma called out, holding her black medical bag. “I’m looking for Stone. He keeps postponing getting his shots for our Belize trip.”
There was only one thing in the entire world Stone was afraid of. Well, two.
Emma’s wrath.
And needles.
Still on the floor, Stone was giving him the desperate eyes, the please-save-my-ass eyes, and TJ knew that he could probably extract any price for his silence. And while there were times having his brother owe him a favor would work to his advantage, at the moment, he couldn’t think of a single one that would be more rewarding than watching Emma stalk and terrorize Stone with a needle.
Stone’s hopeful gaze narrowed as he read the intent in TJ’s mouth a beat before TJ pointed at him.
Emma gave him an Are You Kidding? look, and Stone flipped TJ off. Emma came around the bikes and found Stone, who lifted his head. “Hey, baby.”
Crouching at his side, Emma shook her head. “Seriously?”
“I was just taking a nap.”
“You’re marrying an idiot,” TJ said to Emma.
“Yes,” Emma said on a shake of her head. “And there seems to be a lot of that going around.” She sent TJ a knowing glare.
“What? I’m not getting married.”
“You’re still an idiot.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“To be clear,” she said, “I mean because of Harley.”
“What about her?”
“See,” she muttered to herself. “Idiot.” She smiled down at Stone still sprawled on the floor, then got down on her knees as he pushed up to a sit. She tossed aside her black bag and crawled into his lap.
He grinned and put his hands on her ass.
In the next second they were kissing as if they had three minutes left to live.
TJ rolled his eyes, grabbed his motorcycle, and rolled it out of there, then nearly ran it right into Cam.
Who was looking pretty damn loose and sated. “What are you, eighteen?”
“Jealous?” Cam asked.
Maybe. Probably. Then he realized that while Cam was looking quite thoroughly tumbled, he wasn’t smiling, and his eyes were somber. “What is it?”
Cam shook his head. “The Forest Service had a break-in at station four.”
Which was the sole ranger station in Desolation. It was remote and unmanned, and only three miles from where he and Harley had been.
“Nothing was damaged,” Cam said, “But it looks like several people camped out there.”
“Wonder if that’s who I saw.”
“Gets worse. Two more coyotes were found shot.”
Ah, hell.
“Is Harley going back up there for any reason?” Cam asked.
“I don’t know. Probably, when she hears this. She’ll want to take a head count on her groups.” Goddammit. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
“You going to tell her?”
“Yeah. She needs to take one of us with her if she goes.”
Cam arched a brow. “One of us? As in me or Stone?”
“Guess again.”
“Nick?” Cam was looking amused. “Or Nolan. Yeah, I bet Nolan would love to go with her and camp all night, alone in the wilderness.”
“You’re an ass**le.”
Cam laughed as TJ straddled his bike. “And you are so screwed.”
Very true.
“You’re not really going to go to Harley’s and tell her that she can’t go back out there alone.”
“What?”
“It’s Harley, TJ.”
“Yeah. So?”
Cam shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “I’ll give you a minute to catch up to me. Go ahead and take your time.”
“Okay, so she hates to be told what to do.”
“Very good.”
TJ started the bike and revved the engine. “I’ll figure it out when I see her.”
TJ shut Cam’s phone, dropped it back on the desk, and beat it to the door, but didn’t get out before hearing Cam’s low groan and roughly uttered, “Christ, Katie.”
Out in the hallway, TJ stopped to bang his head against the wall a couple times. When he straightened, Annie stood there, brow raised.
“You’ll shake something loose,” she said.
Yeah. That’s what he was hoping. Trying not to be jealous as hell that his brother was getting laid, and quite well from the sounds of it, he brushed past Annie. “I’ll be categorizing and inventorying equipment in the garage for month-end.”
He’d been at it twenty minutes, going through all the dirt bikes, helmets, and protective gear, when the door opened and quickly closed.
Stone.
Still facing the door, TJ’s brother crept backwards, farther into the shed toward him. Clearly Stone was sneaking around, and clearly he didn’t want anyone to follow him.
TJ waited until Stone had almost backed into him before he said, “What’s up?”
“Jesus-freaking-Christ.” Stone whipped around so fast he fell over one of the bikes.
TJ leaned over his prone body with a smirk. “Been walking long?”
“Shut up. And shh!” he whispered when the door opened.
Emma stood in the doorway.
From flat on the floor, and not yet visible to Emma, Stone sliced a finger across his throat in a clear gesture that meant he was not there.
“Hey, Teej,” Emma called out, holding her black medical bag. “I’m looking for Stone. He keeps postponing getting his shots for our Belize trip.”
There was only one thing in the entire world Stone was afraid of. Well, two.
Emma’s wrath.
And needles.
Still on the floor, Stone was giving him the desperate eyes, the please-save-my-ass eyes, and TJ knew that he could probably extract any price for his silence. And while there were times having his brother owe him a favor would work to his advantage, at the moment, he couldn’t think of a single one that would be more rewarding than watching Emma stalk and terrorize Stone with a needle.
Stone’s hopeful gaze narrowed as he read the intent in TJ’s mouth a beat before TJ pointed at him.
Emma gave him an Are You Kidding? look, and Stone flipped TJ off. Emma came around the bikes and found Stone, who lifted his head. “Hey, baby.”
Crouching at his side, Emma shook her head. “Seriously?”
“I was just taking a nap.”
“You’re marrying an idiot,” TJ said to Emma.
“Yes,” Emma said on a shake of her head. “And there seems to be a lot of that going around.” She sent TJ a knowing glare.
“What? I’m not getting married.”
“You’re still an idiot.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“To be clear,” she said, “I mean because of Harley.”
“What about her?”
“See,” she muttered to herself. “Idiot.” She smiled down at Stone still sprawled on the floor, then got down on her knees as he pushed up to a sit. She tossed aside her black bag and crawled into his lap.
He grinned and put his hands on her ass.
In the next second they were kissing as if they had three minutes left to live.
TJ rolled his eyes, grabbed his motorcycle, and rolled it out of there, then nearly ran it right into Cam.
Who was looking pretty damn loose and sated. “What are you, eighteen?”
“Jealous?” Cam asked.
Maybe. Probably. Then he realized that while Cam was looking quite thoroughly tumbled, he wasn’t smiling, and his eyes were somber. “What is it?”
Cam shook his head. “The Forest Service had a break-in at station four.”
Which was the sole ranger station in Desolation. It was remote and unmanned, and only three miles from where he and Harley had been.
“Nothing was damaged,” Cam said, “But it looks like several people camped out there.”
“Wonder if that’s who I saw.”
“Gets worse. Two more coyotes were found shot.”
Ah, hell.
“Is Harley going back up there for any reason?” Cam asked.
“I don’t know. Probably, when she hears this. She’ll want to take a head count on her groups.” Goddammit. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
“You going to tell her?”
“Yeah. She needs to take one of us with her if she goes.”
Cam arched a brow. “One of us? As in me or Stone?”
“Guess again.”
“Nick?” Cam was looking amused. “Or Nolan. Yeah, I bet Nolan would love to go with her and camp all night, alone in the wilderness.”
“You’re an ass**le.”
Cam laughed as TJ straddled his bike. “And you are so screwed.”
Very true.
“You’re not really going to go to Harley’s and tell her that she can’t go back out there alone.”
“What?”
“It’s Harley, TJ.”
“Yeah. So?”
Cam shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “I’ll give you a minute to catch up to me. Go ahead and take your time.”
“Okay, so she hates to be told what to do.”
“Very good.”
TJ started the bike and revved the engine. “I’ll figure it out when I see her.”
