Be Ours: A Valentine's Day Romance

by Jagger Cole

  11

  Tanner

  Rage thunders in my very veins. I storm across the sand towards the dunes. I hear the door slam open and shut behind me, but I ignore it. What I just saw is…confusing. Half of me is enraged. That half wants to tear Bishop in half.

  But the other half of me is…I shake my head. I don’t want to say “turned on”, but to deny it would be a lie.

  I was almost to the station when Marvin called to reschedule our talk. I can’t say finding my best friend balls-deep in the girl I’ve found myself magnetically drawn to is the last thing I expected to see when I came home. But, it was pretty far down the list.

  “Tanner!”

  I glare over my shoulder. Bishop is storming after me.

  “Fuck you,” I snap as he gets closer.

  “C’mon man, stop—”

  I whirl on him, my fists half raised. “You’ve got some fucking nerve, you motherfucker,” I snarl. “In my house!?”

  His jaw tightens. “Tanner…”

  “What!” I hiss. “What, Bishop? You want to tell me you’re sorry?”

  He stops a few feet from me. His eyes are as stormy as mine, his jaw tight. He shakes his head. “No, actually.”

  I bark a cold laugh. “You’re a real piece of work, shithead.”

  “This isn’t about you, Tanner!”

  “Yeah, it is!”

  He snarls and looks away. “Okay, I misspoke. What I meant is, this isn’t because of you. I just…” he sighs and turns back to me. “There’s a draw there, Tanner. Between Cora and me. It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt, man. And I can’t….I couldn’t…”

  He exhales slowly. He looks at me without blinking.

  “I’m sorry, man. I am. I mean that.”

  I look away across the dunes. “Fuck,” I grunt. “I know you are, and that pisses me off.”

  He chuckles quietly. “You’d rather I just be an asshole about it? Rub your face in it?”

  “Maybe,” I snap. “It’d make kicking your ass easier.”

  He grins. “You could try—”

  “Do not fucking push me,” I hiss. “No jokes, fucker. Not today. Not right now. I’m fucking warning you.”

  Bishop nods. “Sorry. Tanner, I…shit, man. I don’t know what to do here.”

  “Me neither.”

  “It’s not just a physical thing,” he growls. “She’s not just some piece of ass or something.”

  I snarl and bare my teeth. “No shit she’s not.”

  He nods. “Glad we’re on the same page there.”

  “So, you like her.”

  Bishop folds his arms over his chest. He nods. “Yeah, I do. A lot, actually. Christ, Tanner, it’s like…I don’t even know.”

  “Like a magnet.”

  “Yeah, pretty much.” He sighs. “And you? You’re into her too?”

  “Yes,” I hiss with zero hesitation.

  Bishop shakes his head. He looks out across the dunes at the ocean. “Well, shit.”

  “Pretty much.”

  I lower myself down and sit my ass on the sand. Bishop plops down next to me.

  “You’re my best friend, Tanner. You know that, right?”

  I grunt.

  “You can say it back,” he smirks.

  “I told you not to fucking push me right now.”

  He grins. “Okay, okay. But I mean that. Look buddy, what I feel for her is….it’s big. It’s sudden, I know that. But it’s in deep with me. I can’t pretend it’s not there, Tanner.”

  “I know,” I growl. I glance at my buddy. “Because I can’t either.”

  “So we’re both hooked on her.”

  “Seems that way.”

  Bishop sighs. “Well, shit. What are we going to do?”

  “Not a fucking clue, man,” I sigh.

  “Still wanna kick my ass?”

  I chuckle quietly. “Sort of.”

  “Sorry you had to find out like that, Tanner. I really am.”

  The memory of it comes searing back. First comes the rage again. But then it’s followed by the powerful feeling of lust I felt too. Seeing her like that with him made me furious. But it also made me so hard.

  I have no idea how the hell to tell him that without this sounding pretty fuckin’ weird. But I’m saved when a van drives up to my house.

  “Rowan’s here,” Bishop mutters. He stands. He reaches down, and I begrudgingly let him help me up. We head back towards the house as Rowan gets out of his van. But before I can even say hi to him, I can tell something’s wrong.

  I frown. “What’s up, Rowan?”

  “Bishop, Tanner,” he nods at the both of us. “This recording you wanted me to hang on to…” he glances behind him up the driveway. Then he turns back. “What is it?”

  Bishop and I glance at each other. But Rowan shakes his head.

  “Wait, forget I asked. I definitely don’t want to know. What I mean is, does it involve the government?”

  “Huh?”

  “Something big? Like the President or something? NSA shit?”

  I frown. I mean, it’s the chief of police of a small-ish beach town killing a guy and making a drug deal. It’s big, but I can’t imagine the NSA or anyone like that getting involved.

  “Uh, no?”

  “You sure?”

  “What’s going on, Rowan,” Bishop growls.

  Our friend glances around nervously again. “You’re being watched, that’s what’s going.”

  I stare at him. “What?”

  “Surveillance van, up the road a little ways.”

  Bishop frowns. “What makes you think it’s a surveillance—”

  “Because I’m me, that’s what,” Rowan shrugs. “I took a hunch and pulled into that gas station further up the road. I’ve got some…” he grins. “Well, not exactly FCC approved tech in the van. I ran some scans over the other van’s radio frequencies, and yeah, they’re watching you. You got cell phones on you?”

  I frown. “Yeah?”

  “Don’t use ‘em. And I’d honestly get the fuck out of your house until you know it’s clean.”

  Bishop and I turn to each other. “What the fuck?” I hiss. “You think it’s…” I glance at Rowan.

  “Oh I don’t want to know, trust me.” He covers his ears and turns away.

  “Think it’s Millbrook?” Bishop grunts.

  “I don’t know, but I don’t like it. If it’s not him, it’s worse.”

  “Cartel. Fuck.”

  I glance over at Rowan and tap his shoulder. He turns back and sees the hard looks on our faces.

  “I don’t know if you’re lookin’ for opinions. But mine is to get the fuck out of here for a while. Lie low.” He frowns. “This video…which one of you took it?”

  “Neither,” I grunt. “We’re keeping the person who did though safe.”

  “He in the house?”

  Bishop nods. “She is.”

  “Get her out of there too. Look, I got a surf shack just out of town by Las Haciendas Bay. I strongly suggest the three of you hole up there while I poke around about what this is.”

  “You’d do that?”

  He grins at me. “Hell yes I would, Marine.”

  “Rowan, you need to know that the cartel might be involved in this. It’s big.”

  “Do I look like a pussy?”

  I chuckle. “No, but he’s right. Before you jump in on this bullshit, you should know—”

  “I’m fine. Now get your friend, turn your fucking cell phones off, and get in the back of the van.”

  Bishop turns to me when Rowan heads back to his van. “You go get her.”

  I frown.

  “Seriously. Go tell her what’s happening and where we’re going. You’ve got the better beside manner anyway.”

  I nod. “Hey, Bishop. We’re good, you know.”

  He smiles. “Thanks, man. Now go get her, and let’s get the fuck out of here.”

  12

  Bishop

  Rowan’s surf shack is s
mall and sparse, but it’s nice. It’s cozy in a way. Our cells are off and Rowan picked up a few groceries for us on the way here. We also stopped for some spare clothes for Cora at a big box store.

  I caught a glimpse out of the back window of his van at the other van he suspected, parked up the street from Tanner’s place. And sure enough, yeah, it’s a surveillance team. I recognize it as one we’ve used on the force before.

  It’s a cold feeling. But what warmed me was seeing the way Tanner and Cora bantered and grinned at each other the whole drive here. Maybe that should have pissed me off, or made me jealous. But oddly, it didn’t.

  I like seeing her smile. And hell, even with whatever is going on, Tanner’s my best friend. Of course I like seeing him happy too.

  Tanner and Cora bring the groceries inside. I wave to Rowan as he drives off from the surf shack. He gives me a knowing nod out the window, and then he’s gone. I want to fill Tanner in on what Rowan and I discussed while Tanner was getting Cora. But I’m not going to. I’ve got my own plans in the works, just as a backup.

  It’s a Hail Mary. And I hope to God we don’t need it anyway.

  It’s getting late, and Tanner volunteers to make dinner. My stomach growls in anticipation. He might be a stubborn son of a bitch sometimes, but my friend can definitely cook. An hour later, he, Cora, and I sit down for a feast. She even finds a bottle of cheap wine in the back of a cupboard.

  Part of me is hesitant to introduce alcohol to this volatile situation between us. But, screw it. I eat, I drink, and I feel a warmth in my veins when I look at her across the table.

  Fuck, I wasn’t overstating it with Tanner. When I look at Cora, I feel something. It’s a draw I’ve never felt before—something that hooks me close to her. She makes my heart beat faster. I know Tanner feels the same way, or at least very similarly. I’m not quite sure what to do with that or how to process that yet.

  But for now, there’s food, wine, and good company.

  “Okay, okay,” Cora laughs. “Tanner, this is fucking awesome.”

  He grins. “Thanks.”

  “I mean I saw you had a nice kitchen at your house. But I didn’t expect this!”

  He beams smugly. “I like cooking. I just don’t get to do it for more than just me usually. Happy almost Valentine’s Day, I guess.”

  “Aww honey, you shouldn’t have,” I grunt. Tanner throws his napkin at me. Cora giggles.

  “Well, this is amazing,” she sighs happily around a bite. “Better than sex.”

  We all go quiet. She blushes and glances at me. Her blush only gets deeper though as she tries to hide her smile. I grin back and then hide it away. But suddenly, Tanner starts to chuckle into his food.

  “Ouch. I mean Bishop’s right here.”

  She blushes deeper. “Well, I mean…”

  “Oh you don’t have to cover for him. It’s all over town that he’s a shitty lay.”

  Cora bursts into a mix of laughter and embarrassment. I roll my eyes at my friend. “Oh we got jokes now, huh?”

  “Hey man, just speaking the truth.”

  I laugh. This is Tanner being a dick to be funny, not to be an asshole. And that’s a good thing. It means the tension is gone, or at least going away.

  “I mean if we’re talking news around town, you’re the guy who lives all by himself but just never seems to be seen with a woman? Always with the clean cut hair, the nice clothes. Really into design and cooking?”

  Tanner chuckles and rolls his eyes back. “Yep, I’m into nice stuff, dressing well, and cooking. I must like guys, right?” He flips me off with a grin. “Dick.”

  The three of us laugh. Tanner reaches for the bottle of wine and starts to top us all up. But he skips me and pours the last drop into Cora’s glass.

  “Aww, none for Bishop?”

  He chuckles. “Oh I was more worried about making sure you had enough. You know, ease the sting from that terrible sex you had to put up with earlier.”

  She blushes as she giggles. It’s a joke obviously. But it also brings to the forefront the reality that Tanner walked in on me balls-deep in her.

  “Well, Tanner, as much fun as it would be to gang up on the big guy,” she turns to me. She blushes and smiles. Then she pushes her glass towards me. “I’m sorry to say, there was no ‘putting up with’ anything.”

  “You’ve had worse, huh?” I chuckle.

  “I was going to say I’m not sure I’ve ever had better, actually.”

  She’s not joking anymore. The room feels a little warmer with her eyes fixing on me with that heat in them. I grin, and a growl rumbles in my chest. I reach across the table, take her small hand in my big one, and squeeze it. She blushes and bites her lip.

  “Alright, alright, Jesus. Get a room,” Tanner chuckles. I glance at him. He’s doesn’t look totally cool with it. But he doesn’t look furious or angry either. He glances back at me and winks. “I’m fine” he mouths to me. I grin back.

  “Well, I cooked. You clean up,” he grunts at me, smirking. “Cora and I can talk about how hard she came on my tongue.”

  Cora turns bright red. “Oh my God!” She half giggles, half groans again. “The two of you…”

  “Ass,” I chuckle at Tanner.

  He grins back. “Chop chop, Bishop. Those dishes aren’t cleaning themselves.”

  I laugh and stand. “I’m on it. You’re still a prick though.”

  “Seriously,” Cora laughs. “And just for that, I’m helping him clean.”

  “Hey, you do you. I can talk to myself all night about making you come on my tongue.”

  She blushes deeply. But her eyes are fiery hot when they land on him. It’s a look I don’t miss, and it makes me curious. Tanner and I might be confused about where we land as friends when it comes to both of us being magnetically attracted to Cora. But she might be at odds with herself just as much.

  A few minutes later, I’m washing and she’s drying dishes in the kitchen. Tanner steps out onto the porch overlooking the ocean.

  “What I said earlier,” Cora says suddenly. I turn to her.

  “Hmm?”

  She blushes. “When I said I wasn’t sure if I’ve ever had better…”

  I grin. “Go on.”

  “I am sure.” She puts the drying towel down. She looks up at me. Her lip catches in her teeth.

  I growl and turn the water off. I dry my hands and turn to her. I reach for her, and she whimpers when my hands slide over her hips. I pull her close with a groan in my chest.

  “I can’t keep my hands off of you,” I growl.

  “I don’t want you to,” she whispers.

  “This thing with Tanner and I, with you in the middle…” I shake my head. “I don’t know what that means or how it affects this. But I can’t get you out of my fucking head, babygirl. And I don’t want to.”

  “Even with…” she blushes. “I mean, before, with Tanner…”

  “I don’t give a shit,” I growl. My cock thickens in my pants. I shake my head. “I could have left. Or stopped it.”

  “But you didn’t.”

  I shake my head. “No.”

  “Why?”

  I growl. “Because I liked seeing you like that. Not like a fetish thing. If it was any other man…” I snarl savagely. “I would have ripped him away from you and torn him apart.”

  “But you and him are close.”

  “He’s my best friend.”

  She nods. Then she looks down. “I—I can’t get between you, Bishop. Oh my God, I can’t be that girl.”

  “You’re not between us.”

  She looks up at me sardonically. “I am.”

  “Whatever this is between us,” I growl. “I don’t own you, Cora.”

  “Yeah?” She says thinly. “So you’d be totally fine with me sleeping with Tanner?”

  My jaw tightens. I say nothing while the wheels turn and grind in my head.

  “Sorry, that was crude,” she says softly.

  “No, it was an interesting qu
estion. And honesty, I’m not sure,” I growl. “Do you like him?”

  She looks down quickly.

  “Cora, I don’t own you,” I murmur.

  “I know,” she whispers. “But I still don’t know how to answer that. It’s…confusing.”

  “I know.”

  My hands tighten their grip on her. I pull her closer to me. She gasps when she feels my hardness throbbing against her stomach.

  “Bishop,” she moans softly. My hand slides over the waist of the skirt she’s wearing. It centers and starts to push down over her thigh. I’m still confused. I don’t know what this means for Tanner and I, or what Cora and I are.

  But I do know I crave her. I know just being near her makes me feel fucking alive. I know I’ve been dying to taste her and feel her again since earlier.

  My fingers dance over the hem of her skirt. I lean close and let my lips brush hers. I grip her skirt and start to pull it higher. Cora moans. Suddenly, she pushes forward and kisses me hard. Her tongue slips past my lips.

  I snarl savagely and kiss her back deeply. I pull her skirt up over her panties and my fingers slip over the lace at the waist of them. Cora whimpers as I slip a finger inside. I know we still haven’t figured anything out. And Tanner is right outside. But fuck it. I can’t resist her.

  In one savage motion, I yank her panties halfway down her thighs. My hand slips back up her inner thigh. When my fingers brush her hot, slick pussy, Cora gasps.

  “Bishop,” she trembles.

  I kiss her deeply and run my fingers over her pussy. I tease her clit and grind my fingers over it. My cock surges in my jeans, throbbing against her thigh. I ease my finger lower and against her opening. The thick digit easily slides into her slick heat.

  Cora whimpers in pleasure. Her hips push into me. She grinds her pussy against my hand and moans into my lips.

  “What are you guys, fucking planning these shows now?”

  Fuck. Cora shrieks at Tanner’s voice. I growl and move in front of her, pinning her to the counter with my body between her and Tanner. I turn to look at him.

  “Shit, Tanner…”

  “Don’t,” he growls.

  “Look, man, I—”

  “I meant don’t stop.”