by Jen Andrews
“Yeah, okay,” I said. “Sounds cool. It’s been ages since I’ve seen you on stage. Do Will and Justin have any single friends they can bring so Reese won’t feel like a third wheel? I can bring John, Sonny, and Eric too. We’ll make a night of it and invite everyone. It’ll be fun.”
“That sounds great, Jer. I haven’t gone anywhere since Hannah was born and I’m ready for a night out.” She laughed.
“Alright, it’s a plan then. Should be a great night.”
I realized then, I’d never actually gone out to a bar with my sister. I was going to need to keep my eyes on two women, and I was glad Andy and Reese would both be there.
I went out to my bay and picked up where I’d left off yesterday. Needing a socket wrench, I went to my toolbox. When I lifted the lid, I found several photos of Teagan and me at family dinner taped to the inside.
Zoey had taken them. Her camera had been attached to her ever since Andy had given it to her for her birthday. I examined each of the images. I hadn’t noticed my sister taking them. My favorite was of me, balancing on my hands on the edge of the pool with Teagan’s arms wrapped around me, her dress soaked and our lips pressed together.
My favorite moment from that day had been captured in a photo forever. I doubted I would ever forget that day, but regardless, the moment was there for me to look at and remember whenever I wanted. Studying the photos again, I realized even I could see what Teagan’s grandma had known.
We loved each other. We may not have felt it yet, but the photos told otherwise.
As relationship challenged as I was, I noticed the way we looked at each other, the way we leaned in to each other, the constant smiles on both our faces, and the soft, gentle touches captured when we thought nobody was looking.
Zoey had even snapped a photo of me twisting a lock of Teagan’s hair around my fingers. I didn’t remember doing it, and I wondered how often I’d done it that day, without realizing what I was doing.
There was only one photo of us where we were actually looking at the camera. Zoey had asked us to pose and she’d taken it from across the table where she and Andy were sitting. Teagan and I were leaning in so closely to one another our cheeks were almost touching.
Hmm, Mom was right. We would make pretty babies. Holy shit, I don’t feel so well.
What if this didn’t work out between us? If it did, what if she didn’t want kids? Would I even be a good dad? I had the uncle thing down to a science, but being an uncle gave me the liberty of either going home or passing the kids back to their parents if they got to be too much for me. I laughed out loud at the thought then shook off the unexpected feelings that had come over me, found the socket wrench I needed and went back to work.
Luckily, the day was flying by and I would be back home with Teagan in a few hours. While I was helping Jason lower a motor into the engine compartment of the car he was working on, Mandy, our receptionist, announced over the intercom, “Jeremy, you have a female visitor out front.”
Fuck me. My brothers gave me shit, and Adam made it very clear that if there was a woman other than Teagan here to see me, he was going to make sure I was the one duct taped to a pole and tortured.
Jesus, I hated the fact they thought I was some sort of manwhore. I never gave a shit before, but now that Teagan was in the picture I wished I’d shut down that notion a long time ago. I jogged to the shop phone and called the front desk to get this over with.
“Yessss?” Mandy spoke into the receiver, knowing the drill where I was concerned.
“Hey, can you tell me who’s out there?” I asked.
“Yep,” she said. “Give me a sec, I don’t recognize her.” This wouldn’t be the first time I’d asked her to identify the female in question, but I was concerned that Mandy didn’t know her this time.
I heard her cover the phone and say, “What’s your name again? They’re trying to find him, but he may have left for the day.” Not only was Mandy a wise-ass but quick on her feet. Personally, I thought that was exactly why Zoey hired her—because she could put up with my brothers and me.
“Teagan is here,” Mandy finally said.
Teagan? Why isn’t she at work? All I could think about was her being fired from her job or Cammie doing something so bad to her that she’d quit.
“Tell her I’m on my way up,” I said then hung up the phone.
I jogged up to the front desk and into the lobby. Teagan was facing the window, with her back to me. She had her purse in her hand, but her arms were at her sides, so her purse was nearly touching the floor. I knew instantly something was wrong.
“Red? What are you doing here?” I asked, cautiously. Please don’t be here to break up with me already.
The second she turned around and looked up at me, I wanted to kill someone. A bruise was on her left cheekbone and her face was swollen under one eye. She had a bandage on her forearm as well.
In two long strides, I was across the lobby and had her face cradled in my hands. “Who did this to you?” I growled. I was gonna find the fucker and kill them for hurting her.
She wrapped her small hands around my wrists and her thumbs moved back and forth across the top of my hands. “It was some cracked-out patient, Jeremy. Nobody I know,” she said softly, instantly calming me down. She released my wrists and wrapped her arms around my waist, resting her uninjured cheek against my chest.
I put my arms around her and stroked up and down her back. “Are you okay?” I whispered. She nodded against my chest, and I held her tighter. “Tell me what happened.”
Neither one of us moved as she explained what had transpired at work. “Right before lunch the police brought this woman in. She was high on something and was in handcuffs when she arrived. She passed out—well, she pretended to pass out, and then she faked a seizure. They took the handcuffs off so we could treat her.”
She paused long enough to take a deep breath. “I reached out to pull her over on to her side and she punched me in the face. That caused me to lose my balance and I fell down, scraping my arm on the bottom of the gurney.” She pulled back from me when she finished her story and her eyes met mine.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yes, they did an x-ray and nothing is broken. The ER doctor gave me some Vicodin and cleaned up my arm then my supervisor sent me home for the day.” She grimaced. “Jeremy, that bitch rang my bell. Hard. I’ve never been punched in my life.”
“I’m so sorry you were hurt. Did Reese get you from work and bring you here?”
“No, I took a taxi because Reese is checking out the new gym where he’ll be working. After that, he was going sightseeing in Old Sacramento, so he won’t be home until late tonight. I didn’t have anywhere to go because I left my keys at your place. I hope you don’t mind that I came here.”
I smiled down at her because I was more than thrilled that she turned to me when she needed someone. “I’m glad you’re here, and you’re okay. Are you feeling well enough for a tour?”
She nodded happily. I introduced her to Mandy and then I showed her the office, the break room, and the customer lounge. When we were going into the shop, I glanced over and caught her wincing in pain.
“Can we go back to the vending machine so I can buy a bottle of water?” she asked. “I need to take a Vicodin. My jaw kind of hurts.”
Taking her hand in mine, I led her back to the break room and grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge, uncapped it, and handed it to her. She popped a pill out of a foil packet and swallowed it with a drink of water.
“Teagan, are you sure you’re alright? Please tell me they’re going to add an assault charge on top of whatever else that woman was arrested for.”
“I’m sure they will, but it’s a typical job hazard,” she replied. “Kind of like when you got smacked in the head by the tailpipe.” She reached up and rubbed her fingers over my fading scar.
I grinned at her. “Best thing that ever happened to me, because I met you.” I held
her close and kissed her lips carefully so I didn’t hurt her.
When we went out to the shop, we stopped at each work bay so she could say hi to everyone. She had to explain the bruise to Andy, and each of my brothers.
I took her to my work bay last. “This is where I work,” I stated with pride.
She looked around the shop, and at the car I had been working on. “I had no idea it was such an elaborate business, Jeremy. I mean, I knew you were a mechanic—but these cars—this is some high dollar shit!”
I held in a laugh when she cussed because she didn’t do it often, but this time, she was very enthusiastic about it.
“Yes, they are,” I replied honestly. I was proud to be a part of the family business and wanted to tell her about it.
“Some of the cars we build are several hundred thousand dollar jobs. We build cars for professional drag racers. Most are from California, but we get some from all over the country. Plus, we do smaller jobs for the local guys. Build motors . . . things like that. Each of us has a specialty. Jason is the motor genius, Adam is the electrical man, Noah can custom build anything, I do the custom exhaust and help Jason with motors, and Andy, he’s our import guy.”
She smiled proudly. “You’re incredible,” she said. “This family run business is the reason you and your family are so close. You should all be proud.”
“Thank you, Teagan” I intertwined our fingers. “When my dad retired back in February, he gave us all equal shares in the company, so it truly is a family owned and operated business now. It’s awesome.”
“Oh, my boyfriend’s a business owner too. Amazing.”
My pretty girl swayed a little on her feet and grinned like she was tipsy. The Vicodin must be working.
“Come on, I think I need to get you home and in bed.”
“No, don’t leave work because of me. I’ll just go sit in the break room and wait for you.”
I took one look at her and knew she was going to fall asleep. Her eyelids were getting heavy, and she was relaxing too much. The break room would be too noisy for her, so I decided to take her upstairs to the apartment, which still had all the furniture from when Andy and my sister lived there.
I stepped inside the office and found the key on one of the hooks beside the door. “Come on, pretty girl, I’ll take you someplace quiet and more comfortable.”
As we neared the end of the hallway, the door swung open, and my mom, Zoey, and Hannah came in. Not surprisingly, Mom and Zoey got big shit-eating grins on their faces when they spotted Teagan.
And then they noticed her bruised cheek and the shit hit the fan. My mom frowned as she looked at me, then back at Teagan.
“Teagan, honey, what happened?” She took Teagan into the office to get a better look at her. Zoey followed them, and was as concerned as my mom. They listened as Teagan gave them the short version of her altercation.
“Come on you mother-hens,” I said to my mom and sister. “I’m taking her upstairs to put her to bed until I can get off work.”
Zoey shook her head. “No, it’s too loud up there, trust me. You can hear everything that is happening in the shop. Take her over to my place and get her set up in the guest room.”
“Oh, Zoey, thank you,” Teagan said, surprised. “But I am covered with germs from the hospital, so I don’t want to—”
“Don’t be silly,” Z said. “You’re family now. Jeremy, you know the alarm code right?”
I nodded, knowing the code was Hannah’s birth date.
Zoey took her phone out of her pocket and called someone. “Hey, Tara, can you do me a favor?” She waited a beat for Tara’s response then asked, “Can you pull some small shorts and a small tank top off the rack and hold them for Jeremy? He’s bringing his girlfriend over, and I want her to have them. No charge.”
She had a shit-eating grin on her face as she spoke in girl-code with Tara for another minute before they hung up.
“There, now you don’t need to worry about germs, and you’ll have something comfy to wear,” Zoey said as she smiled at Teagan. I mouthed “Thank you” to my sister.
“Thank you, Zoey. I really appreciate it,” Teagan said. She was getting sleepier by the second. We said goodbye to my mom and sister and went next door to the store.
Tara was waiting for us with a small bag in her hand. I introduced her to Teagan then took the bag from her, and left. I would definitely ask Z about the girl-code conversation another day because Tara had the same shit-eating grin on her face.
“Where does Zoey live?” Teagan asked.
I pointed toward the upper level of the building as we stopped in front of the lobby door of Z’s apartment. I slid my key into the lock and let us inside the building. I helped Teagan up the stairs and unlocked the apartment door. Once we were inside, I entered the code to shut off the alarm.
I turned to find Teagan with her mouth hanging open, and her eyes wide, taking in the apartment around her. “Wow,” she said in surprise. “This place is insane. Are those real surfboards hanging on the wall? What’s an All Black?”
I chuckled as I tried to remember everything she’d asked. “It used to be two apartments and they remodeled it, turning it in to one. Yes, those are real surfboards, and the All Blacks are a rugby team from New Zealand where Andy is from.”
Taking her hand, I led her to the guest bedroom to lie down. I had to help her out of her scrubs and into the shorts and tank because her arms and legs were like rubber from the Vicodin. Once she was changed, I pulled back the covers, and she sat on the edge of the bed.
“I’ll get back to work so you can get some sleep. Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” I asked.
She got a wicked gleam in her eyes and untucked my shirt from my pants. “I’ll be better if you stay.”
Note to self: Teagan should not take Vicodin. It makes her loopy as hell . . . and apparently, horny too.
While I was making that note to myself, she unbuttoned and unzipped my pants and pulled them slightly down my hips. I glanced down at her, and she was staring hungrily at my stomach.
“You know,” she said, her voice slurring. “These veins right here . . .” Her fingers traced the two visible veins on the lowest part of my torso. “They are, by far, the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Before I knew it, she’d pulled my hips forward and licked my skin over one of the veins. And then she ran her tongue up the other one. Dear God, why did she have to be on mind-altering meds right now? She was killing me, and I was weakening for her. I didn’t know how much longer I could last without touching her again.
I dropped to my knees in front of her, cupped her pretty face in my hands, and kissed her goodbye. “Lay down, sleepyhead,” I said soothingly. “I’ll be back to get you after work.” She did as I said, and I covered her up. She was out just after her head hit the pillow.
I gently kissed her bruised cheek, and then smoothed down her hair. “Sweet dreams,” I whispered.
After fixing my pants and shirt, I watched her sleep for a moment before leaving. She’d had a rough day, and I wanted to make it better for her. I texted my sister telling her I had a few errands to run, and that I’d be back to finish up for the day.
I had some shopping to do for my woman.
My entire body tingled as a warm hand slid over my back and bare shoulders. My eyes slowly opened and I found myself in a room I’d never seen before. The space was beautifully decorated, neither feminine, nor masculine, but bright and sunny—where the heck was I? And who was massaging my back?
A few memories from my day came flooding back to me. Ah yes, I was at Zoey’s in her guest room because some crack head had punched me in the face, and my boss had sent me home from work.
The strong, warm fingers belonged to Jeremy. Taking in a deep breath¸ I stretched and slowly rolled over to face him. He was kneeling next to the bed, nearly eye level with me, with a sweet smile on his face.
“There she is,” he said softly when I made eye contact wit
h him. “How was your nap, pretty girl?”
I loved when he called me that and instantly it made me smile. “It was wonderful.” Knowing Vicodin usually had a strange effect on me, especially since I’d swallowed it on an empty stomach, I asked, “So . . . what did I do to embarrass myself after my Vicodin kicked in?” I tried unsuccessfully not to cringe.
He smiled. “You did something that nobody else but me knows about so don’t worry.”
Oh, what had I done? I cocked an eyebrow at him. “Jeremy . . . tell me. Please. That stuff makes me act weird.”
Jeremy hovered over me and brushed his lips across my bruised cheekbone. “You licked me,” he whispered as his mouth passed over my ear. He pressed a kiss to my hair then pulled away.
Well, that was a new one. I hadn’t licked anyone the last time I’d taken it. Although, the last time was when I’d had my wisdom teeth surgically removed, so my mouth hadn’t been in any condition to be licking anyone.
“Oh God, I’m sorry.” I slapped a hand over my eyes briefly as I sat up to swing my feet over the side of the bed.
Jeremy, standing in front of me, brought back the memory of me licking him, making me laugh. “Never mind, I’m not sorry about licking you.” My face flushed, but I loved those veins on his stomach and the sexy V along the edge of his hips.
“I’m not sorry you did it either, Teagan,” he said with a lustful grin on his face.
I glanced down at the tank top and shorts I was wearing. My shirt had the James Racing name and logo emblazoned across my chest. “Where did I get these clothes?”
“Zoey gave them to you. She sells them at her store. We stopped there to get them because you didn’t want to wear your work clothes on her bed.”
That made sense. The ER was a nasty, nasty place. “Are you off work now?” I asked and he nodded.
“It’s after five, so we can leave whenever you feel up to it.”
Feeling pretty good after my nap and the Vicodin, I knew we had errands to run and should probably get going. “I’m ready, but I want to go grocery shopping and stop at my parents’ house to get more clothes.”
