Never Be Tamed

by Clare James

  He had the nerve to say that I deserved someone to be nice to me. He’d said a lot of sweet things that didn’t amount to much when he ran from me whenever his sister was in sight. I was getting sick of the mixed signals; not that I was any better, I admit that. But I also wasn’t the person with all the baggage, and I certainly wasn’t trying to hide.

  But once again, Tabby was mucking up my life. Still, I couldn’t hate her. I’d been strangely jealous when Michael had told me about Tabby and Jules’ girls’ night out during our dinner. It was something I hadn’t had in years.

  Was it ludicrous that there was a part of me that really wanted to be Tabby’s friend?

  Of course that was never really in the cards for us so I guess I instinctively did the next best thing…I became her enemy. And now I was paying the price because the first guy to make me actually feel something in forever just had to be the brother of my nemesis.

  Goddamn him for that.

  “What in the hell happened to you, dear?” Gloria said when I arrived at the shelter. Apparently, I couldn’t fake it for anyone these days. That was something that was going to have to change. I couldn’t be leaving myself susceptible to a breakdown just because Michael ignored me. I was better than that, stronger than that. And if I wasn’t, surely I could fake it.

  “I didn't get much sleep last night,” I told her. It wasn’t a lie. Actually, I wasn’t getting a lot of sleep at all lately. Another reason I needed to get over whatever was going on between Michael and me.

  “I have just the thing to perk you up,” Gloria said, leading me into the doggy playroom. I followed her inside and gave her an appreciative smile when she shut the door before I was immediately attacked by nearly a dozen dogs who all wanted my love.

  I would give it to them happily, because they were the only ones who deserved it.

  For the next twenty minutes, I took turns rubbing bellies, playing fetch, and running around with the attention-starved pack of sweetness in the room, and it took no time at all before my mood started to change. This is where I needed to be. This was why dogs were so much better than dudes. Now if I could only remember that when Michael came into my line of sight, or brushed up against me, or clouded my brain with his amazing scent that was a cross between fresh laundry, pine and crisp spring air.

  Why wasn’t I confident that would happen?

  Too soon, the intoxicating puppy high came crashing down. Gloria waved at me from the big window on the other side of the playroom as a man in blue came through the front door. Officer Jones was his name, but he looked more like an MMA fighter than the guardian of the law.

  “Morning ladies,” he said. “Just here to check a few things out.”

  “What things?” Gloria asked as her eyes surveyed the place, making sure everything was in order.

  “Well, headcount of your little critters for one,” he ticked off on his finger before checking his notebook. “And something else that’s come to our attention.”

  Gloria waved him on, indicating to tell her what else was on his alleged list. We feigned surprise when we both knew this was the result of some other complaint from Sullivan. If he couldn’t get us one way, he was going get us another.

  Watching the cop question Gloria left a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

  “Let me show you,” he continued. “It's out here.”

  He walked us out the main door to the yard. I noticed his squad car sat across the street in the front of the shelter. His partner—or someone—was waiting in the front seat, probably plotting their next stop of harassment for the day.

  Officer Jones took out a tape measure and placed it on the ground to measure the flipping grass. I kid you not.

  My mouth dropped open and Gloria rolled her eyes.

  “Ladies, the neighborhood ordinance here says the grass can’t be over five inches.”

  Geez, who did that sound like?

  “That’s not grass,” Gloria protested. “The grass hasn’t even come in yet, these are weeds. And the snow has just melted, so they’ve been buried for the last six months.”

  Officer Musclehead just shrugged. “Regardless, this is part of your lawn and must fall within the ordinance guidelines. I don’t make the rules, I just enforce them.”

  I had to feel for the guy a teeny tiny bit. He didn’t look like he wanted to be out here doing this ridiculous work, but obviously someone was forcing his hand.

  “It’s okay, Gloria. There’s a mower out back. I’m on it, officer.”

  I cursed Officer Drop-Kick the entire time I mowed our patches of weeds. He wasn’t much different than Michael with his stupid rules and over-the-top law and order crap. That set me off cursing him as well.

  The cursing must’ve followed me inside, because someone said, “Whoa, remind me not to get on your bad side.”

  I recognized the voice, and when I looked up, it was Christian.

  His cheeks flushed when he approached. “I didn’t think it was right to show up at your apartment, but I came to tell you that I’d like to see Ruby again.”

  Well, that was thoughtful and well within adopter/adoptee protocol. Michael and his paranoia. Pfft, there really were some good people left in the world.

  “Sure, I think she liked you,” I lied.

  “Right.” He shook his head and a lock of blond curls fell over his eye. I forced myself to admit that he was kind of cute. This was the only way to move on from Michael.

  “But I’m hoping it was a fluke,” he went on, “because I really think she’s the one for me.” His eyes stayed glued to mine when he said that last part.

  “Well, when would you like to see her?”

  “That’s the thing, I was hoping to make it a double date. I hope you don’t think this is too forward, but it’s rare I get to meet a girl like you, so cool and someone who cares about more than getting manicures or what brand of aviators I’m wearing.”

  If he only knew.

  “Maybe I could take you out for dinner afterward, and we could have an interview ourselves, see if we’re compatible?” he asked, hopeful.

  I must’ve made a face because he looked down. “Too much? Sorry, that was cheesy.”

  “No, it’s not that. It was a cute line. I just wasn’t expecting it.” I pulled at my shirt. “God, look at me, I’m a mess.”

  “You’re beautiful.” He smiled. “So, what do you say?”

  “Okay,” I agreed. There was nothing stopping me.

  “Tomorrow night?”

  “It’s a date.”

  So maybe a date could kill the itch that Michael infected me with. That was the plan. Hopefully, it was for the best.

  Chapter Twelve

  Michael

  I faked a phone call—that was how I solved my problems lately.

  “Sorry,” I answered the bullshit call and motioned to my phone, “it’s my parents, an issue with tuition. I’ll just meet you in there.”

  Jones cracked his neck, his face unreadable. I couldn’t tell if he was onto me, or not. What a freaking pussy I was, but after what I pulled this morning, I couldn’t have Jenna finding out about this too. I stayed in the car, pretending to discuss tuition costs with my dad, while Jones left the squad and went inside to harass Gloria and Jenna.

  I’m sure I was making a great impression. This was why I didn’t want to get involved with anyone in the first place. I couldn’t mess this up. I’d lucked out getting the internship and it was possible that I could have a job lined up right after graduation. Then what could my dad say about my career choice? It was our deal. I get the job, and he’d have to help pay the college costs that I’d racked up in two states, because I sure as hell wouldn’t be able to cover them on a cop’s entry-level salary. Those bills could bankrupt me, and then I could kiss my career goodbye.

  It was excruciating sitting in the car and doing nothing. Jones charged in there like the badass he was, made demands, and mortified them with the tape measure shit. He sent them scrambling—and mostly likel
y into a panic—all because they wanted to take care of animals that no one else wanted.

  It made me physically ill.

  As we pulled away, I watched Jenna wheel the lawnmower out on the front lawn, and I felt like the biggest kind of asshole. My emotions were all over the place, and no matter how many cons I ticked off in the Jenna list, the pros were too great. I could no longer stay away.

  So I spent the rest of the day doing research, and was happy to uncover something on Sullivan that I thought might help with this fucked-up situation.

  After, I’d stop at Jenna’s place and make this right. Tabby was leaving for Mexico for ten days, so there was no chance of hurting her. I could explore things with Jenna, and if we really had something, we’d deal with it then. Together.

  I had it all planned out, what I was going to do, say, and even how I was going to hand her the Buddy Walker, I bought on my way home. It was pretty clever move on my part if I do say so. The Buddy Walker was a cool gadget for walking multiple pets without tangling. Though maybe it was a stupid idea, because it was a helluva lot of fun untangling the pooches from her legs.

  Once I was back at the apartment, I wasted no time going over to her place. I knocked on her door and the pups went nuts, like they usually did. But Jenna never answered.

  Looked like I’d have to wait.

  I decided to be productive until Jenna returned, and headed downstairs to the laundry room to take care of my neglected chores. But after trekking down there, I noticed out of order signs on all of the machines.

  Great. I cracked my neck like I’d seen Jones do earlier, and felt a headache coming on. This was the last thing I needed this week. It was bad enough to walk around with a hard on all day, but now I was going to have to do it in dirty clothes?

  Not going to happen.

  I transferred the clothes from my laundry basket into a backpack and then I strapped it on my shoulders and took off for the nearest laundromat. I needed to blow off all this nervous energy anyway.

  The weather still sucked ass, hovering around 40-degrees. I zipped up my jacket, and pedaled faster. I was still a bit of a wuss with the weather. That’s the thing about Minneapolis, the climate wasn’t for the faint of heart. Growing up in Chicago, I thought I was a hardy sort. Minnesota, however, was kicking my ass.

  I was fitting in though, and really enjoying the city. It was beginning to feel like home. My fingertips were turning to ice, and I was sure my ears were approaching frostbite, but I continued on like a true local. Some of these crazies biked all winter long, and just changed out their bike tires. They were hardcore.

  I cruised past the old Victorian homes, the packed dog park, and the quaint little bistro on the corner, until I reached my destination. I had never actually been to a laundromat before. This was going to be interesting. I locked up my bike and headed inside. The warm air from the circulating dryer instantly warmed me as the scents of fabric softener and detergent filled the air. So far, not too bad. It was almost comforting. I took my soiled clothes to the machine in the corner and dumped them inside. The place was quiet, and I looked forward to getting some studying done while I was here. I took the seat in the corner, when I heard someone swearing at what I can only imagine was another person.

  “You motherfucker,” a woman’s voice rang out in the room. Her comments were followed by a crash and two smaller thuds. I had to get up from my seat to see what was going on.

  “You stupid, idiotic, piece of metal crap.” She continued her rant.

  This time, I wasn’t so intrigued, or concerned. I knew that voice. This couldn’t be more perfect.

  “Ah, what’s the trouble, Jenna?” I asked her as she slowly turned around.

  “Oh, thank God. Michael, can you help me? The stupid spin cycle isn’t working. I put my money in the goddamn machine, and put the detergent in, and the water filled up, but then it just stopped working.”

  I had to walk past her to get to the washer to take a look, and that was my first mistake. She smelled a lot better than the fabric softener and the detergent, and fuck me, walking past her warmed me more than the heat when I first walked to the door.

  I was able to fix the machine with a few shakes—okay, kicks. I’m handy like that. And then we got around to talking about her day. She was so upset, she didn’t even give me crap about dissing her earlier.

  “My situation at the shelter is hopeless,” she said chewing on her lip making it hard for me to focus. “I’m not sure the grant money is going to come in on time. And then what do we do?”

  It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her what I’d been reading about Sullivan and about how I planned to help. But I didn’t have enough information. Yet in that moment, my previous thoughts were only confirmed. I liked this girl. I wanted her. And I needed to explore it to see where it could go. Would she agree? It would all really come down to that.

  “I know this probably isn’t going to help right now,” I told her, trying so hard to provide some comfort. “But I believe in you. And I believe you can find a way out of it. Jenna, you are so freaking smart, so bright, I really don’t think there’s anything you can’t do.”

  She smiled a little at my words and it thrilled me that I put that look on her face.

  “I'm just so tired, you know?” she said with a sigh.

  “I do,” I told her, and man, I did know.

  It sucked to see the tough woman that I’d grown so fond of over the past week had fallen into such a sad, lonely place. Did I contribute to it? The way I’d been brushing her off, ignoring her whenever Tabby was around. Her vulnerability had me feeling things I didn’t want to define.

  Her outfit, those little shorts paired with the winter boots, had me thinking things I didn’t want to admit.

  We stared at each other again, as we had in the past. The electricity between us ready to short circuit the entire area. It was all coming down to this, the point of no return. Would we? Wouldn’t we? It was time to decide.

  My heart ramped up, more now than when I was with Jones on a case. I inhaled a ragged breath, trying to get a handle on some sort of control.

  I rubbed my chin, feeling the shadow of two days. I was desperate to rub the stubble across her thighs, just to see her squirm.

  She was fixated on my lips, her eyes more wild than I’d ever seen them. Fuck, I had to taste her. And I had to let her taste me.

  Jenna may have had a reputation for being hard as nails, but when I moved closer to her, she softened. Her eyes grew large, her pupils dilated, and she began breathing in short shallow breaths.

  She never took her eyes off me.

  I took another step forward and positioned myself in between her legs as she sat on the counter in front of me, lost in the creamy softness of her skin. An unexpected boldness—or brashness—took over me.

  Gripping her hips, rougher than I’d intended, I pulled her closer to me. It was a move that had her breath caught in her throat, making her lips part. It was perfect.

  I took the next part slow, because I was a bastard like that. I enjoyed delayed gratification, and I’d been wondering what she’d taste like for so many dark days now. The thought of capturing those lips between my teeth and sinking into her pump skin, kept me up at night. And got me off in the morning.

  I wasn’t sure if I’d have another chance so I was going to indulge in every second. That mouth of hers, her snark and her sweetness, had been working its way under my skin for too long, and now it was my turn to make her pay.

  So I hovered for a beat.

  Then two.

  Before pulling that pump lip into my mouth where I sucked and nipped and savored. She was better than I expected, flavors of sweet and spice swimming together. That was Jenna.

  I moved my hands and spread them on the small of her back, protective and possessive. Her sweet scent clouded my brain, but I swear there was something else just under those notes of cinnamon.

  Was it arousal?

  Christ, I was hard at the though
t, and it had me grinding up against her like a horny teenager. But Jenna gave as good and she got, pushing back against me. I thought I was going to lose my fucking mind.

  My mouth didn’t move away from hers, and when she opened for me, I didn’t wait, I dove right in, stroking my tongue over hers—over and over until a soft sigh fell from her lips. I swallowed it whole.

  Then I changed the angle of the kiss going deeper, asking her for more.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Jenna

  We were both breathing so hard, so heavy, forget about aerobic pace, I think we were approaching my anaerobic threshold. And we wouldn’t last long at this rate.

  Every sound between us echoed in my head, the wet kisses, the shuffling of his feet below, not to mention the sound of the timbre of his voice when I did something he liked. Without giving it a second thought, I let my fingers tangle in his hair.

  I wanted him closer, closer. Shoot, I would’ve crawled right under his skin with him if I could. How disturbing, but it was true, I couldn’t get enough of this man. I knew I should be aloof and I shouldn’t let him have his way with me in a public laundromat for crying out loud, but I had to get him out of my system if I was ever expected to be able to think straight again.

  Speaking of thinking…absolutely filthy thoughts pinged around in my brain, and it was like he read my mind because he pulled me to the very end of the table so he could grind his thick length up against me.

  It was glorious, but soon did little to alleviate the throbbing sensation between my legs. I needed more friction. I need needed more of him.

  “I know, Jenna,” Michael said in my ear as I gripped the ends of his T-shirt, pulling the fabric tight in my fists. I inhaled all those delicious male pheromones, unable to get enough.

  “Can I take care of you here?” he asked me. “No one will ever know.” His hands moved from my hips down the outside of my legs, across my knees, and then began traveling back up my inner thighs, until they were completely hidden under my shorts.