Be Ours: A Valentine's Day Romance

by Jagger Cole

  “Insurance,” I chuckle.

  Tom frowns. “What?”

  “Insurance. Back in San Francisco? Yeah, Cora didn’t just see you, you dumb asshole,” I growl. “She fucking taped you.”

  Tom’s face pales. “She what?” he hisses.

  “When you shot that guy in the back room? She was filming you on her phone.”

  Tom whirls to say something to Marvin and Kip privately. Marvin turns for the door to the interrogation room. But I’m not done.

  “If you’re going for her or her phone, you’re shit out of luck. I made one copy, and it’s with a friend. And if I don’t make a phone call in the next…” I frown. “What time is it?”

  Tom looks visibly shaken and cold. He swallows and glances at his wrist. “Eleven twenty-seven.”

  I shrug. “Unless I make a call in three minutes, that one copy is being sent to the FBI.”

  Tom looks like he wants to throw up. I fucking love when the tough guys turn to pants-shitting, blubbering little pussies when they know they’re fucked.

  “Bullshi—”

  “Oh, and Tom?” Tanner grunts from across the room. He’s caught on to what I’m doing. Even if he doesn’t know if I’m bluffing or not, he’s playing along. “It’s a great video. Real nice and close on your face and everything.”

  “Horseshit. There’s no tape,” he says coldly.

  “You’re wearing a red shirt,” I say thinly, smiling. “And that’s a nice desert eagle you were rocking. Not a great gun with blood splatters thought, silencer or not. When they sweep that bar’s back room, they’re gonna find more than enough to put you away.”

  Tom swallows thickly. He, Marvin, and Kip glance at each other, looking like they’re both about to throw up.

  “It’s with Rowan,” Marvin grunts. “Obviously.”

  “Maybe,” I shrug. “You gonna get to him in two minutes?”

  The three of them glance at each other again.

  “Tick tock, motherfucker,” Tanner grunts.

  Tom glares at him, and then turns to me. “You make this call, and this doesn’t get sent?”

  I nod.

  “Why would you do that?”

  “Because all I want is Tanner and the girl,” I growl.

  He laughs. “Ain’t happening,” he hisses. “Your little girlfriend is dead.”

  “Then you’re going down,” I snarl. “Hard. And Tom? I don’t think I have to remind you how well cops do in jail. Now add ‘chief’ to that resume and we can count your lifespan in terms of minutes.”

  He glares at me. “You’re not hearing me. I’ll kill her—”

  “And believe me,” I snarl. “If you do? When you go to jail, I will commit any crime I can to get in there with you and break you, bone by bone.”

  The room goes quiet.

  “Just one call, dumb ass,” I grunt. “And we can all just walk away from this.”

  I’m trying to look like I’ve got him by the balls. But this is a gamble and I know it. It’s my Hail Mary. Even if I make it, this could all go south quick. If Tom snaps, we’re all fucked. And we might all be dead before the cavalry can get here. But it’s the last card I’ve got to play.

  “Tanner and the girl go, now.”

  Tanner shoots me a look. “What the fuck are you doing?”

  “You heard me,” I grunt at Millbrook. I ignore Tanner.

  “That’s not fucking—”

  “What time is it?”

  Tom glances at his watch again and shivers. “Eleven twenty-nine,” he croaks.

  “Tick tock,” I growl.

  Tom swears and turns to Marvin. “Goddamnit, get Tanner and the bitch out of here and give him his fucking phone call.”

  “Bishop!” Tanner yells at me. “What the fuck are you doing!?”

  Millbrook knocks on the door. Two other cops come in and head over to Tanner. They start to uncuff him, and Marvin hands me a cell phone. I punch in Rowan’s number.

  “This who I think it is?” Rowan grunts.

  “It’s Bishop,” I growl. “Hang on.” I glare at Tom. “They leave, right now.”

  “Bishop!” Tanner yells at me. The fuck, man!?”

  Millbrook nods at the two cops holding my friend. “Goddamnit, get him out here. The girl, too.”

  The cops nod and start to muscle my friend out of the room.

  “BISHOP!” He roars at me. “Enough! You’re not fucking doing this!”

  “Get her out of Santa Marina, okay?” I growl at him. “Get her safe.”

  “Bishop!”

  “Just fucking get her safe!” I hiss. “Please.”

  Marvin and the other cops yank him still screaming out the door. I hear the sound of the next interrogation room door opening. I hear Cora gasping and then sobbing. Then I hear her screaming for me, which wrenches my fucking heart.

  “I want to see them outside,” I grunt.

  Tom grumbles. He undoes the chains at my ankles and hauls me to my feet before dragging me to the barred window. He yanks back the drawn shade and nods. Outside, I smile grimly when I see Tanner leading a sobbing Cora from the building.

  “You’re up, prick,” Tom snarls. “You tell that motherfucker Rowan right now what you need to tell him. Or so help me, I will walk out there after them and execute them right there in the fucking parking lot myself.”

  I smile thinly at him. Here goes nothing.

  “Still there?” I growl into the phone.

  “I’m here,” Rowan grunts. “What’s the move?”

  I look right into Tom’s face, and I grin.

  “Send it.”

  I see Tom’s face fall. His eyes bug out of his head.

  “You motherfucker!” He roars.

  “Send it!” I yell into the phone right before Tom knocks it out of my hands. The door slams in, and four of “his” cops advance on me.

  “You stupid motherfucker!” he roars at me. Something dull slams into the back of my head. Then everything goes dark.

  16

  Cora

  When his eyes open, my heart lurches into my throat. Thank God, I think with a sigh of relief.

  “Thank fucking God,” Tanner groans next to me, as if parroting my thoughts. His hand squeezes mine, and I reach out to take Bishop’s with my other one. His eyes blink closed and then open again. Slowly, he grins.

  “You’re okay?”

  He suddenly tries to bolt upright, worry on his face. But Tanner and I both push him back down. I stroke his face with my hand.

  “Wait, wait, stay still,” I smile, leaning over him. “I’m fine, I promise.” I lean down and kiss him softly. It’s so weird just how freaking natural it feels to be kissing him while also squeezing Tanner’s hand.

  “What the fuck happened?” Bishop grunts when I pull away.

  “You got cold cocked,” Tanner chuckles. “You’ve got a nice goose egg on that dumb noggin of yours now.”

  “What?”

  “Remind me to never play poker with you,” Tanner grunts.

  Bishop arches a brow. “Why?”

  “Because you’re fucking insane. That gamble was insane, man.”

  Bishop grins. “Did it work?”

  “We’re not dead, so yeah,” Tanner chuckles. “But when you get better, I’m beating the shit out of you.”

  “For?”

  “For gambling with our lives,” he grins. “Asshole.”

  I smile. “Well, personally, I’m going to do something else when you get better…”

  Bishop perks up. He grins at me hungrily. “Well, consider me healed, darlin.”

  I giggle.

  “So Rowan got the FBI then, I take it?”

  Tanner snorts. “Yeah, but he didn’t trust your dumbass plan either. He called them way before you called him. Which is good, because they took their sweet time getting here from the city.”

  I squeeze Bishop’s hand. “They arrived right when you made sure we got out. And thank God, because Chief Millbrook’s guys were beating the hell
out of you when the FBI kicked down the door.”

  He scowls. “And where’s Tom?”

  “In handcuffs,” Tanner grunts. “Along with Marvin and that fucker Clausterman. Millbrook turned rat faster than they could get him cuffed. He ended up doing the dirty work for the FBI and naming all of his people on the force right there in the parking lot.”

  “How many? On the force I mean?”

  “Eight aside from Millbrook and Marvin,” Tanner mutters. “Looks like you guys’ll need to do some hiring.”

  “Don’t suppose you’ll surprise me by coming back, huh?”

  Tanner grins. “I’ll think about it.” But suddenly he beams wider and turns to me. “Oh, and speaking of surprises, I almost forgot to mention something to you. I got the call an hour ago, but with all this hullabaloo…”

  “What’s the surprise?”

  “Loretta’s coming home.”

  I gasp. “What?!”

  “I had to call her,” he shrugs. “I mean she’s a client after all. And there was a shootout at her damn house.”

  I nod. I nervously chew on my lip. But Tanner’s smile relaxes me.

  “She’s really excited to see you, Cora,” he says gently, taking my hand. “She thought your dad poisoned you against her or something, with you not reaching out to her.”

  “What?!” I gasp in horror. “No! I just didn’t want her to be disappointed in me or my life.”

  He chuckles. “Well, she knows you’re responsible for bringing down a corrupt chief of police and exposing a drug ring. I’m not sure how the hell she’d be disappointed in that.”

  I blush deeply and roll my eyes. “That wasn’t me, that was—”

  “No, that was all you,” Bishop growls. “That was brave, Cora. Really brave.”

  “I had help,” I whisper shyly. I glance at each of them. They both take my hand, and I feel the heat throbbing inside of me.

  “So what are…” I blush furiously. “What are we?”

  “You wanna go steady?” Tanner grins.

  I giggle. “So what, like boyfriend and girlfriend?”

  “And boyfriend,” Bishop chuckles.

  I giggle again, my face feeling hot. “Well, that sounds kind of scandalous.”

  They both shrug.

  “And who cares?” Tanner perks a brow and turns to Bishop. “Oh, fuck, forgot something else.”

  Bishop chuckles. “I’m the one that got cold-cocked in the fucking head, right?”

  Tanner grins. “You got a call, while you were passed out like a wimp.”

  “From?”

  “State police union.”

  “Oh?” Bishop frowns. “So I’m out of a job, huh?”

  “Yeah.”

  My jaw drops. “What? That’s fucking insane! No! No fucking way are they firing—”

  “You’re out of a job because they want to give you a new one,” Tanner finishes with a sly grin.

  Bishop and I glance at each other. “What?” He growls.

  “They want to give you a new job, apparently.”

  He frowns. “What job is that?”

  “Chief Leer, Santa Marina Police Department.”

  My jaw drops. I grin widely as I turn to see a beaming Bishop.

  “What?!” I squeal. “That’s amazing!”

  “They do?” Bishop says incredulously.

  “Yup. Guess all cops really are as dumb as you.”

  Tanner laughs and ducks away as Bishop takes a swing at him.

  “Well,” Bishop growls, chuckling. “I’ll think about it.”

  I push him playfully. “Are you crazy? You don’t need to think about it. That’s a big deal!”

  “Well, sounds like a lot more work,” he grunts. “Which means less time for you.”

  “I’ll keep her company,” Tanner chuckles. He slides an arm around my waist. I’d be lying if I tried to claim the feeling didn’t make my thighs squeeze together.

  Bishop glares at Tanner, and I sigh.

  “Okay, I’m just going to say this as openly as I can.” I turn and give each of them a hard look. “If this is going to work, it’s going to be all or nothing, okay? I won’t come between you two.”

  They’re both quiet, and then they both start to chuckle. I instantly get what I just said, and I blush deeply and bury my face in my hands.

  “Oh my God,” I groan.

  “Yeah, sweetheart,” Tanner growls. “You will be coming between us. Trust me on that one.”

  “You know what I mean,” I mumble through my blushing face and lust-filled thoughts.

  “And you won’t,” Bishop grins. “We’ll be equal. All three of us, equal and all together.”

  Tanner glances at him, grinning. “I’m not fucking you, Bishop.”

  I start to convulse in giggles as Bishop roars with laughter.

  “Aww, c’mon, buddy,” he chuckles. “Not even a reach-around?”

  “Not even if you wear your prettiest dress,” Tanner grins.

  I laugh. “Okay, how about this then. Equals, but you both concentrate on me.”

  Bishop grins hungrily at me. “Greedy girl,” he growls

  “Yep,” I husk. “So get better quick.” I glance at Tanner. “Sorry, but it’s all on pause until he gets better. All or nothing, right?”

  Tanner frowns and glares at Bishop. “Get the fuck better, man.”

  The three of us burst into laughter. Then suddenly I’m kissing Tanner. And then Bishop, and then Tanner again, before going back to Bishop.

  “Hey,” I whisper shyly. “Happy Valentine’s Day, by the way.”

  Tanner grins. “Happy Valentine’s Day, babygirl. Be mine?”

  I smile widely. Bishop smirks. “Or, be ours?”

  “Definitely,” I whisper.

  Their hands find mine. When they pull me close to each of them, utterly surrounding me in their arms, I know I’ve found exactly where I’m supposed to be.

  Epilogue

  Cora

  I groan and slump into the big chair by the window. Behind me, the ocean crashes against the cliffside down below. The room glows as the sun begins to set over the Pacific. I turn and glance out the partially open window, and I shake my head in disbelief.

  This all still doesn’t seem real. Bishop is the brand new Chief of the Santa Marina police department, and Tanner’s security business is freaking booming. Former Chief Millbrook, Marvin, and the rest of the crooked officers on the force went to jail on corruption charges.

  Jim Curren was finally nailed for massive drug trafficking. For a lighter sentence, he ended up turning on his business partners…Kip and his son Nils; news that shocked absolutely no one. It didn’t help him a whole lot though. Jim disappeared while out on bail. They ended up finding a hand of his in Mexico, though. Big yikes.

  As for the cartel, they backed off. It’s not like they called or anything. But Rowan’s contacts in the FBI and DEA pretty much guaranteed that the threat wasn’t there anymore. With Kip, Nils, and Jim all going down, pushing this high north for new territory was deemed too risky.

  “I think we’re done.”

  I turn to see a very shirtless and freaking yummy Bishop and Tanner walk into the room. Instantly, heat blooms between my thighs. My thoughts start to get very, very naughty. Done? Oh no we’re not. But I know they mean “with the moving in.”

  So, this is my reality now. We’re all moving into my aunt Loretta’s house—and I do mean all three of us. Loretta apparently, fell madly in love with a painter in Paris and is moving there permanently. So the house, she gave to me: me and my two guys.

  I danced around it, but she saw right through it. She just grinned and told me I was a lucky girl. “I lived through the 60s and 70s darling. Your little arrangement with those two nice men is not a scandal to me,” she told me.

  So, here we are. I’d say it’s quite a fitting residence for the new Chief of Police and one of the most sought-after security advisors in the county.

  I grin. “You guys did most of the
heavy lifting.”

  “Yeah, well, worth it just for this view,” Bishop grunts.

  I turn to look out the window again, and I grin.

  “Seriously.”

  “Wasn’t talking about the ocean, babygirl.”

  I turn back and blush at the way they’re looking at me. I tremble, and my eyes slide over bare muscled chests, perfect abs, and arms bulging from a day of heavy lifting. The two of them growl lowly. They move towards me, and I gasp quietly.

  Hunger, that’s what they bring out in me. It’s so much more than that too, of course. At this point, it’s so much more than physical. It’s love. I’m in love with the two of them. And by some miracle, they’re both in love with me, too. Even more of a miracle, there’s no jealousy between them.

  I have no idea what I did in my life to get this lucky. But I’m not jinxing a single freaking thing by questioning it.

  Love might be love, but when they walk towards me, what I feel is lust. I feel a raw desire to just… I don’t know, lick them all over. To taste every single inch of them and feel them take me any way they want.

  When they get to me in the chair, both of them reach for me. But I shake my head and push their hands away.

  “Uh-uh,” I purr quietly. “Me first.”

  I reach for Tanner’s belt first, and he groans.

  “Fuck, Cora…”

  I loosen it and yank his zipper down before shoving his pants down. I reach for Bishop next, stripping him down to his boxers too. Then, I grip both of their waistbands, and I slowly tug.

  I won’t lie; I fucking love letting them both spring free at the same time. It gets me so fucking hot to see them both so big and hard for me. And sure enough, when I slide them down, both Tanner and Bishop’s thick, swollen cocks bulge out right in front of me.

  I moan. Instantly, my hands go to them. I can’t even touch my fingers around either of them, and the feel of them hot and throbbing in my hands has my panties soaked. I lean forward to Bishop first. Looking up into his eyes, I wet my lips. I bring them close, and I softly kiss his swollen head.

  “Aww shit, baby,” he groans.