Petting Them: An Anthology of Claw-ver Tails

by Tate James

  “Snaps, you’re in so much trouble,” Denver growled quietly as I blinked to bring him into focus. He was leaned over me and, despite his words, was smiling at me.

  “Not as much trouble as Tatum is in,” Krew’s voice cut in.

  I sat up slowly, hissing as pain rocked through me. My head felt foggy, and a dull ache was throbbing in my ribs and stomach, even through the pain medicine I could feel in my system. Denver and Tatum both rushed to help, Denver supporting my back while Tatum adjusted the pillows below me.

  Looking down at myself after I settled back in the hospital bed, I found bandages wrapped tightly around my ribcage and an IV taped to the back of my hand. Wiping the sleep from my eyes with my other hand, I looked around the room and smiled when I saw Denver, Tatum, and Krew hovering over me like anxious mother hens. It took a second for their appearances to sink in. They were sporting more than a few bruises and split lips.

  Denver had a black eye, a bandage over his right temple, and a fierce frown on his face. “We had a plan, Snaps. A good plan. A plan to beat all plans.” He threw his hands up dramatically before narrowing his eyes.

  I winced and bit my lip. “So… you meant to be caught?” My voice was hoarse from misuse. How long had I been asleep?

  My memories of what all had happened in the loft were getting clearer. The last thing I remembered seeing was Remy attacking Randall Strickland and saving my life. I scanned what I could see of the room, expecting him to be there… but he wasn’t.

  “Wait. Where is Remy?” I gasped, suddenly worried.

  I darted another look around the room but still didn’t see him anywhere. Had something happened to him? I shifted to get out of the bed, but a firm hand on my shoulder made me pause. Krew bent over and, with a grunt, lifted a big ball of fur from the floor at the foot of the bed, and gently placed Remy on my legs.

  “Oh boy,” I cooed when I saw the navy blue cast on his leg.

  “He can’t jump just yet, but he’s been sleeping by your bed since leaving the vet.”

  Leaning forward as far as my sore middle would let me, I ruffled his fur and smiled when he licked my palm. He seemed to be in pain, but that same lazy puppy smile and playful glint in his eyes powered through his discomfort.

  “What happened?” I asked, trying to make sense of it all. Each of them looked to one another, as if silently arguing over who would speak first.

  “I’m with the FBI, Mer,” Krew blurted with a sheepish grin. He elaborated when I gaped at him. “When I left here, I joined the academy and came back two years ago to bring down my father. I had an easy way in, and they wanted to use it to their advantage.” He huffed a wry laugh and shook his head. “Dad was so cocky, he didn’t think twice about his prodigal son returning to join his organization even though I’d always hated it.”

  I scrutinized Krew’s long hair, worn jeans, and motorcycle boots dubiously. He didn’t look like the type to wear a suit, which was how I always pictured FBI agents, but I took in his alert posture and the way he observed a room with new understanding. It was the same way I remembered my dad carrying himself. Thinking back, I realized Krew was always aware and alert, a skill taught to those who ran toward danger. He was also intuitive. He’d always had the ability to sense what I was going to do next, even without me saying so.

  “When I first came back, your dad pulled me out of a bar and almost beat my ass for joining my father’s club.” He chuckled, a sad smile tipping his lips. “I had to tell him I was working undercover. Miller explained everything then, how my dad was the reason you had to go away. He started helping me, and we made a plan to tell you everything once we had enough evidence to lock Randall away.”

  I remembered the network drive. “The drive. Randall said my dad already had it, so why did he go back the night he was killed?” I questioned. I needed more answers.

  Krew and Denver exchanged a look, grief and guilt clear on both of their faces, before Denver cleared his throat and sat on the bed beside me. He cradled my hand between both of his, stroking his thumb over my skin as he gazed at me. “Randall’s right hand man found out that Krew was working undercover. We went there to save Krew. Your dad killed the man just in time. He was holding a knife to Krew’s neck. Randall showed up just after. One of his men knocked me out, and Randall shot your dad. They must have thought I was dead too.”

  I looked between them both. Dad had died saving the man I loved. Slow tears filled my eyes, and Remy let out a low whine.

  I’d learned so much since coming here and my view of so many things had changed, but one thing remained the same—I loved them. Fifteen years of separation, but I was always meant to wind up here. I couldn’t imagine leaving them again.

  Denver’s cell phone rang, and I caught an annoyed expression on Tatum’s face.

  “It’s your boss. She’s just absolutely thrilled that you were involved in taking down a major gang. I swear, if she calls one more time, I’ll lose it,” Denver muttered beside me.

  I reached over and picked my phone up off the little bedside table. Denver was right, it was Stephanie calling. I gazed at the three of them as I quickly answered the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Oh my gosh, Merritt, darling! Are you okay? I swear, good stories just follow you everywhere,” Stephanie gushed into the phone. “We’re going to do an exclusive on you. The headline will read, ‘Journalist Takes Down Motorcycle Club.’ It’ll be epic, simply epic!”

  I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling Krew, Denver, and Tatum’s stares on me. I felt emboldened by the guys’ revelation and my father’s love, but more than that, I felt freed by it. I knew exactly what I had to do.

  “When are you coming back, dear? I can send a photographer to your hospital room today. I know you’ve got a few broken ribs, but you’ll be fine, won’t you? There was a shooting in California, and I need you on site. I’ll send an itinerary and—”

  “Stephanie,” I cut her off before opening my eyes. I wanted to see their expressions as I spoke. “I’m not coming back. In fact, I’m glad you called. I’m resigning.”

  Tatum’s mouth dropped open, Denver’s bruised face broke out in a wide, elated smile, and Krew wore an expression of such fierce joy. He took a step forward to lightly touch my cheek, as if he had to feel me to make it real.

  “What?” Stephanie screeched. I hung up the phone, not giving her the chance to whine anymore or bully me into returning.

  “You’re really staying?” Denver asked, cautious longing shining within his bright blue eyes.

  “Really. I mean, I have the house. I can find some work… ” I trailed off, peering at each in turn, waiting for them to say something. All that was left was them. I needed to hear that they wanted me too. “It doesn’t have to be permanent, but I owe it to you all. I owe it to Dad to come home, even if just for a little bit.” I paused and sucked in a slow, steadying breath, gathering my courage. “I owe it to us to give this a chance. If that’s something you want as well.” My heart began thudding in my chest, matched by the beeping of the machine next to me, the longer they stared at me without speaking.

  Tatum finally broke the stunned silence. “Butterfly, I want you to stay forever,” he whispered leaning past Denver to place a soft kiss on my forehead.

  Those were the exact words I longed to hear, but I had to make sure they understood what I was really saying before I let myself relax.

  “I love you… all of you,” I began, eyeing each of them seriously. “If I stay, I’m not choosing between you. I couldn’t then, and I can’t now,” I whispered.

  I tried to brace myself for their reactions, expecting them to be appalled and angry, but I didn’t take back my statement. Being at the warehouse and not knowing what the future held, thinking I’d lost my chance with them, made my choices abundantly clear.

  I wanted them all.

  I waited for the anger, the shouting. I waited for them to call me crazy and tell the doctor to come in and check my head. I felt selfish, confuse
d, and insecure. But I also felt determination and love. So much love that I couldn’t hold it in. I’d stay, I’d try, but only if they were willing to try with me.

  “If you’re looking for some grand declaration, Mer, you’re not going to get it from me,” Krew said.

  The breath I hadn’t realized I was holding rushed out of me as his words hit me like a blow. I clenched my jaw, trying to hold on to my composure and not let the heartbroken tears pooling in my eyes escape. I should’ve known better than to want so much. I should’ve accepted that it was too much to hope that I could have them all.

  “No, baby. Don’t look like that. Let me finish, my Mer,” he begged. Sitting on my other side, he cupped my cheeks and raised my gaze to his. “Loving you, being with you, and sharing you with my lifelong friends is as natural to me as breathing. I’ve always just assumed that this was how we’d end up. It took us a long time to get here, but I couldn’t picture us any other way.”

  I squeezed my eyes shut as the tears began to fall. The beeping from the monitor went wild, and I knew it was because my heart was practically dancing in my chest. I opened my eyes when Tatum spoke next.

  “You know how I feel about you, Butterfly. I know what it’s like to be without you, and I don’t want to experience that ever again. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you.”

  I swallowed back the lump in my throat and smirked teasingly. “It’s not just because you want Dad’s land, right?”

  He snorted and gave me a sour look. “It was never about your old man’s land, Butterfly. And you know it.”

  Denver was last, and I felt a tinge of insecurity flare up within me once more when I caught sight of his expressionless face. Denver was traditional. He always fought for the right things, was determined to follow the right path. Would he be willing to try this with us, even though it was so far outside the norm?

  “I’ve always been responsible for the lot of you. If I’m not around, who will make sure Tatum and you don’t fight all the time?” he asked seriously before a wide smile broke free.

  We all laughed as I wiped away my tears. They surrounded me, and I reveled in the comfort and love they gave. I sent up a quiet prayer, thanking Dad for bringing us all back together from the grave. Remy crawled closer, whining when he put pressure on his broken leg. Using his nose, he nudged my hand to pet him, as if wordlessly asking if he was part of our little family, too.

  “I love you too, boy,” I whispered happily, brushing my fingers through his soft fur.

  Epilogue

  TWO MONTHS LATER

  The blindfold on my face was starting to itch, and if Tatum weren't threatening to cancel movie night tomorrow, I would have given up on all the secrecy and removed it an hour ago. Denver, Tatum, and I were in Tatum’s truck going where, I had no idea. We’d been riding around for at least an hour. I wasn't sure what surprise they had up their sleeve, but I knew it had to involve Krew, seeing as he wasn't with us.

  "Come on! Just one little hint?" I cajoled, resting my head against Denver’s shoulder.

  I felt a hand settle on my left knee and smiled. Tatum had been looking for any excuse to touch me the entire drive.

  "Nope. Sorry, Snaps," Denver interrupted from my other side, not sounding very sorry at all.

  I sat back up and turned to face him then blindly stuck my tongue out at him. He answered with a low chuckle that somehow perfectly conveyed exactly how naughty his thoughts were. I felt him lean down just before he pressed a hot kiss on my neck, ending with a teasing nip.

  “Ah ah,” Tatum tsked. “No distracting the driver, you two.”

  Denver and I both snickered before he sat back.

  Yesterday, the doctor said my ribs were fully healed, finally clearing me for normal activity. It was just in time too because I was going stir-crazy up in Dad's house. The first few weeks since the incident with Randall Strickland were amazing. The guys spent every night and every minute of the day they could with me, taking care of me and making sure I didn’t overexert myself. We used that time to really assess if our unique relationship would work and to get to know each other until it felt like we’d never been apart. We discovered our relationship more than worked; it was perfect, but after six weeks of healing I was about ready to throttle them for their hovering ways. I needed my independence.

  Today, I’d wanted to immediately start the hunt for a job, but they’d kidnapped me for this mystery surprise. I’d looked at a few positions at local newspapers, but nothing seemed to fit. I wasn't even sure photojournalism was what I wanted to do anymore.

  I only knew two things: I wanted to do something. And I wanted my guys.

  Easy enough, right?

  "We’re here, Butterfly," Tatum announced.

  The truck came to a stop, and I heard him shift it into park before I felt his hand stroke my cheek. I sat up quickly and went to remove the blindfold, but large hands wrapped around my wrists, stopping me. I heard a tsk before my door was opened.

  I grumbled half-heartedly as Denver and Tatum guided me outside. I listened to the sounds of cars rushing past and frowned, wondering what surprise they could have for me in the city. Following their lead, I heard the quiet wisp of a door opening and, at their prompting, stepped into the cool of a building. I felt lips against my ears and smelled Denver's cologne.

  “I love you, Snaps. Enjoy.”

  Tatum came up on my other side and pressed a tender kiss to my lips before I sensed both him and Denver moving away. The door shut behind me, and once again, I went to remove the blindfold. Once again, two hands wrapped around my wrists to stop me.

  “Hey, Mer,” Krew whispered from directly in front of me.

  I bit my bottom lip at the husky tone in his voice and drew in a breath of him. He smelled like leather and metal. Even though the Hounds of Hell were long gone, he hadn't given up riding his motorcycle. Now that I was feeling better, I couldn't wait to get on the back of it.

  “Where are we, Krew?” I asked.

  Instead of answering me, I felt his lips press against the thudding pulse in my neck. My chest went tight with excitement, and I sighed in pleasure. Not being able to see heightened all my other senses, and for the first time since putting it on, I found myself not wanting to take the blindfold off.

  "You smell so good, Mer," he whispered before lifting my arm to kiss the inside of my wrist. "I could eat you up," he added before I felt his finger graze beneath my shirt and drag across my skin.

  I took a moment to make my shaky voice go still then replied, "So why don't you?"

  Krew groaned then bent to kiss me tenderly, slowly, dragging out each sensation and making me hum with anticipation. Each little movement had us melting against each other until there wasn’t an inch between our bodies. I snaked my tongue out and flicked his lip, reveling in his moan when he parted them and answering with my own at his taste.

  "I've waited so long for this," he rasped against me, sliding his hand up my side to cup my breast. "I've dreamt about being inside you, filling you up until you screamed my name. But first… "

  He circled behind me. I felt his breath on the back of my neck as he untied the blind fold. The moment the silky material was gone, I rubbed my eyes, willing them to focus so I could see the surprise.

  The room was all white, setting off the dark hardwood floors perfectly. Industrial lighting filled the ceiling, adding to the sunlight pouring in from the tall windows lining the front that I glimpsed over my shoulder. The space was small yet beautiful.

  It wasn't the room, though, that caught my attention. It was the photos on the walls. Picture after picture filled the space, all of them ones that I'd taken. Some were of us as children at the pond or racing our bikes down the road. There was one of my father and me standing in the yard in front of our house. The photos I’d taken of Remy, at my dad’s grave, playing in the creek, or laying in a shaft of sunlight in the woods were interspersed throughout. And there, on the back wall, in the center of it all, was the photo my dad had t
aken of the guys and me before our first dance. They'd taken every memory from my childhood and put them on perfect, heartwarming display.

  I gasped in shock. "Is this…" I asked, unable to finish my sentence.

  "We got you a gallery, Mer," Krew declared proudly.

  He led the way around the space, excitedly gesturing to each of the different features while I followed, speechless.

  “Denver wanted to call it Snap's Place, but you can call it whatever you want. It’s yours.” He stared at me closely, searching my expression, before he asked, “Do you like it?”

  I beamed at him, shock giving way to happiness and awe. I nodded my head and whispered, “It's perfect. No one's ever done something so… ”

  I looked around, trying to think of the words to express how blown away I was, how incredibly grateful and overjoyed I felt, but nothing seemed adequate. I decided then to show Krew how appreciative I was instead.

  Krew must have recognized the intent in my eyes because when I took off for him, he laughed delightedly and lifted me up when our bodies collided. I wrapped my arms and legs around him, peppering him with a series of progressively deeper kisses that I hoped embodied everything I was feeling. Gratitude. Love. Appreciation. Lust.

  He clutched me tightly to his chest and carried me down a hall to a back room, only pausing to open a door then lean down to lay me on a bed set up on the floor. He kneeled before me, trailing kisses up and down my neck as I took in our surroundings. Dozens of candles filled the space, and the floor was littered with countless rose petals, their gentle fragrance perfuming the air. I never imagined my playful, cocky Krew would be a romantic, but this was everything I’d hoped for for our first time together.

  He stopped kissing me to raise up and look down at me, his expression hesitant and questioning.

  “Is it too much?” he asked, a hint of insecurity marring his tone.