She pushed her hair from her face as he approached. “Lose something?” he asked.
She reached for the hat and held his gaze when she looked up into his eyes.
“Thank you.”
“Damn, Tiegen, you tore that hat from my hands,” the guy with him said, and it was obvious he was flirting as he looked her over and gave her a wink.
“Gus, meet Mia,” Tiegen told his friend, never taking his eyes off of her.
“Damn.” Gus shook his head. “Nice to meet you, Mia.”
Mia looked at Gus, who had his hand out, and she shook it. As the wind blew again, Gus started walking, and the wind was so strong Mia nearly lost her balance.
Immediately Tiegen wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close.
“This wind is wild. You need some help?”
Her hair whipped in front of her, and Tiegen reached up and caressed it behind her ear. He then placed his palm against her cheek as she held on to his forearms. “I’m good.”
He smiled. “You heading inside?”
She nodded.
“Join me then.”
“What about Gus?”
“He’ll fend for himself. We met up a block the other way. Come on.”
He guided her along the rest of the way, keeping a hand at her waist and around her. When they entered the place, she saw some familiar faces and immediately people started waving to Tiegen. He placed his hands on her shoulders as they walked.
He gave a few smiles and nods, but that was it as he squeezed her shoulders. He seemed to be acting protective of her.
“It’s crowded,” he whispered next to her ear.
“Sure is. But the café near the office is worse. The line was out the door.”
Someone behind the counter asked who was next. Before long, it was their turn to order, and she got a chicken Caesar salad, and Tiegen got the cheese steak sandwich with salad.
As they looked around for a spot to sit, someone waved at Tiegen.
“Come on,” he told her, and she followed, even though the small table for two was taken by two men in suits.
“Hey, Tiegen, what’s going on?” one of the guys asked.
“Just grabbing a quick lunch.”
“Well, take this table. We’re all done. Got a call for a job.”
“Shit. Good luck.”
“Yeah, you too.” The guy winked as he looked at Mia. The other one looked at her, too.
“This is Mike and Clay. Guys, this is Mia.”
They nodded and then headed away.
Mia went to take the seat that would keep her back against the wall and her eyes on the doorway, but Tiegen stopped her.
“Let me sit there.”
She swallowed hard.
“I’ve got your back, baby. Don’t you worry,” he said as if he knew why she wanted to sit there. Was it a cop thing? A means to be on guard all the time for Tiegen? Because for her, it ensured no surprises and was a similar reason. She took the seat as the uneasy feeling filled her chest.
He reached over and covered her hand.
“Trust me.”
“I’m fine,” she snapped at him, and he eased his hand back and started eating.
“Slow day at the office?” he asked her in between bites.
She took a few bites of her salad. “Not really. A lot of paperwork.”
“From yesterday’s events?”
“Yes.”
“Well, you did great. So what else do you do with the department?”
“You mean besides photographing dead bodies and collecting evidence at crime scenes?”
He chuckled. “Yep.”
“Process the photos, try to find links, and even a little profiling if I can.”
“Is that part of the job description?”
“Nope. Jethro and the department have me doing a lot of things. There’s no real specific job description. Believe me, they keep me busy.”
“So why forensic photography and forensics?” he asked, and she put her fork down and wiped her mouth before taking a sip of ice tea.
She didn’t know how to answer that question.
“Mia?”
She released a breath. “I guess I have a knack for it. I took some classes in college and then did photography on the side and, well, combined the two. With support and training from one of my college professors, I wound up in forensics and working with Jethro.”
“He has a lot of positive things to say about you.”
She took another bite of salad. “You know Jethro well?”
“Unfortunately, in my profession, I have to meet with him often.”
“Mitch too, I’m sure.”
“Yes, he knows us both. In fact, I bet he would vouch for us if you wanted to take us up on that dinner date and drinks.”
She felt her cheeks warm as she placed the fork down and then took a sip from her tea. “Tiegen.”
“Tell me that you haven’t thought about my brothers and me,” he said to her in a low voice.
She pulled her lower lip between her teeth and then lowered her eyes. He reached over and placed his fingers under her chin, tilting it up toward him. Their gazes locked, and she felt her body hum with an awareness and an instant attraction to Tiegen. He was tall, muscular, and good-looking, even with the scruff along his chin and cheeks. It made him appear rugged, a little wild and hard, and it aroused her senses.
“Tell me you feel nothing, even right now with me this close, touching your skin and holding your gaze.”
She was trying to speak but couldn’t.
“I don’t know what you’re afraid of. I don’t know if it’s the whole ménage thing or some bad past experience with a man or men, but meeting like this, feeling this attraction like my brothers and I haven’t felt before, just can’t be ignored.”
“Tiegen, please.”
He brushed his thumb along her lips, and she so badly wondered what it would be like to get kissed by him. By Murdock and Mitch, too. Her cheeks immediately warmed again, and she knew she was blushing.
He released her chin and smiled. “Good. I can handle shyness. We’ll work it out, even if going slow is torture.”
She didn’t know what to say. They finished their lunch and spoke about the upcoming Halloween events going on in Portland Place and Wellington at Crossroads.
“You planning on attending the event at Crossroads? The grand prize for best costume is five hundred dollars.”
“Not my thing. How about you guys?”
“We’ll go probably to support some of our crazy friends.”
She smiled. “What are some of them going as?”
They talked some more, and she started getting more and more comfortable with him. She was wondering if maybe she could be friends with Tiegen and his brothers and nothing more. That thought brought an ache to her heart, and she realized she already liked them more than that. She needed to get out of here.
“Well, I should get back. I have so much to do. Thanks for saving my hat.” She stood up.
“You sure you need to go?”
“Yes, Tiegen.”
He pulled together his stuff and prepared to leave with her. “I’ll walk you back.”
“You don’t need to.”
“You may need hat rescuing again,” he teased as they headed out the door.
She grinned. “Seriously?” she asked as he placed his hand at her lower back, guiding her onto the windy sidewalk.
She chuckled as they headed out and then heard her cell phone ringing.
She reached into her bag as they walked and saw a number she didn’t recognize. “Hello?”
“Hi, Mia. It’s R.J.”
Mia stopped walking, and Tiegen looked at her with a concerned expression.
R.J. said her name again. “Mia?”
“Hold on a moment, R.J.” She looked at Tiegen. “Thanks, but I need to take this call.”
“No problem. See you soon,” he said, but he looked hurt, maybe suspicious or even jealous.
She didn’t have time to analyze his expression as she took a deep breath and started walking the rest of the way alone.
“Sorry, I was just finishing up with a friend at lunch.”
“Can you talk?”
“Sure, I’m walking back to the office.”
“How are you, sweetie?” he asked, and she felt the tears hit her eyes. His voice sounded so deep, so masculine, and yet also tired. She hadn’t heard from him in so long. She wondered why he’d called now. What could he possible want to talk to her about?
“I’m good. Working a lot. How about you? Still doing the job in the city?”
“Of course. You know it’s my life.”
“I know,” she replied, remembering trying to partly blame the downfall of their relationship on him, the hours he worked, and how they crossed paths in the night or in the early morning hours. That wasn’t a schedule to keep as a couple. But ultimately it had been her that caused the breakup.
“I wanted to come see you in person. There are some things going on with these cases I’ve been involved in for the last year. I’m swamped.”
“Do you need something from me?” she asked and then heard her phone buzz and then ring.
“Wait, hold on a moment. It’s work calling me.” She placed him on hold and got the message. There was a homicide, and she needed to get back to the office and grab her gear.
“I’m so sorry, R.J., but there’s a homicide, and I need to photograph.”
“I’ll call you later or tomorrow or something.”
“Okay. Bye.” She disconnected the call and then hurried down the street. She couldn’t help but wonder what had possessed R.J. to call her. Then it hit her. Something about a case he was working on. He wanted to talk to her in person. Could he have found Wynona’s killer? Or be getting close? She’d thought the case was cold.
Her heart pounded, but the moment she got back into the office and began to grab her gear as the team gathered their own stuff, she no longer focused on R.J. or her nice lunch with Tiegen. She focused on her job and ensuring that everything was done right the first time to catch the person responsible for the crime.
* * * *
“You need a beer?” Murdock asked Mitch as he arrived at Crossroads.
“Yeah, thanks. Where’s Tiegen?”
“He should be coming along soon. How was your hike through the woods?”
“It was great. I got back a couple of hours ago, showered, rested a bit.”
Mitch smiled. “You hang out at the spot?”
“What do you think?”
Mitch shook his head and smiled. “Damn, I wish I could take some time off and go there, you know camp out before it gets too damn cold with the snow and shit.”
“Too damn cold? What are you, a fucking pussy? We used to lay out there in the tents with the special gear during a damn blizzard.”
“Well, it’s been years.”
They were quiet for a moment. “We should consider going again. Maybe next weekend or something?”
“Do a little hunting, too?”
“I get to hunt all the time in my job. I’ll pass and concentrate on just getting away from it all,” Murdock said.
“I get to hunt, too, with my job. The best feeling is to close a case and catch a killer.” He took a sip from his bottle of Bud.
“Speaking of closed cases, Tiegen see Mia again after the other day at lunch?”
“I don’t think so. He didn’t really want to talk about what happened.”
“Maybe he’ll share over a few beers tonight?” Murdock said, and Mitch nodded.
“Maybe.”
* * * *
“Oh God, I didn’t think we were going to make it here tonight. Not after the last few days,” Amy said as she, Alyssa, and Mia headed from the parking lot to the entrance of Crossroads. A few other people were headed inside, and as they made it to the sidewalk, Mia spotted Tiegen.
“Hello, Detective McKay,” Alyssa said, flirting, and Tiegen gave a nod. Mia watched him and instantly felt that hint of jealousy that the two women liked Tiegen and flirted so shamelessly.
“Mia,” he said, and Amy looked at Mia and smiled then grabbed Alyssa’s arm.
“We’ll meet you inside, Mia,” Amy said, and Mia heard Alyssa say “lucky girl” as they headed inside.
Tiegen crossed his arms in front of his chest, and she stared up into his dark-brown eyes. His expression was firm, and his jaw was, too, and she could see the tiny veins by the side of his temple pulsating. He seemed angry.
“How are you doing?” he asked her.
“I’m doing good, and you?”
He didn’t respond. He stepped closer. “I enjoyed spending lunch with you the other day.”
“Me too.” She felt her breasts tingle and her thighs felt funny, too, as though she was shaking in her heels or something. He stepped closer.
“Really? Because you kind of blew me off when you got that phone call.” She was shocked at his tone and the fact that he seemed angry about the call and she wondered why. She was no good at understanding men who had an interest in her other than friendship.
“What do you mean?”
He uncrossed his arms and placed his hands on her hips. She held on to his forearms.
“Who is R.J. and is it serious?” he asked.
“Tiegen.” She looked away, and he pulled her into his arms snugly. He cupped her cheek and chin, tilting it up toward him. He looked so sexy, so fierce and serious. She shivered with desire, and it shocked her.
“Tell me the truth. Is he a boyfriend?”
“No.”
“Is he why you won’t accept us?” he asked, shocking her, and she’d parted her lips to speak when he growled low. “Fuck it.” He pressed his lips to hers and kissed her.
Mia held on to him. She was shocked by his moves, by the emotions she felt and the powerful desires that filled her heart and her body. She kissed him back, never feeling so much desire for a man while he kissed her. She felt his hand move from her lower back to her ass, and he squeezed her ass and devoured her moans.
It wasn’t until she heard someone call out “get a room” that she realized they had caused a scene.
Tiegen released her lips and took her hand. “Come with me now,” he said low, his voice deep and sexy.
He pulled her through the parking lot to his truck. It was parked by the end, in the dark, and he brought her around to the side, not giving her a moment to process what was happening when he pulled her close and kissed her once again.
It was passionate, wild, hot, and she ran her fingers through his brown hair and felt the strong muscles in his shoulders, and then his hands massaged up under her skirt to her ass. The fact that his fingers and the cool air of the night hit the crack of her ass at the same time brought her back to the present. She pulled from his lips.
“Tiegen, slow down.”
But he continued to kiss her skin, her neck, and shoulder. He used his hands to knead the flesh of her ass and thighs. She absorbed the scent of his cologne and the feeling of his lips pressed against her skin and his muscles on his chest. She couldn’t stop caressing him, and he couldn’t stop tasting her.
“I’m going to tell you something right now. This is amazing, baby. This is not something to take lightly. I hope you realize that.” He gripped her hips and gave her a shake. He held her gaze as she stared up into his eyes and continued caressing his shoulders and chest.
“I want you. I want to get lost inside this sexy body and see where this leads.”
“Tiegen, God, this is crazy. It won’t work.”
“We want you, too.”
She gasped and turned to see Murdock and Mitch standing there.
Tiegen hadn’t blinked an eye. Was she so lost in Tiegen’s kiss and words that she’d lost all sense of being safe and keeping an eye on what was going on around her?
“How did you—”
“Heard our brother snagged a hot, sexy woman around the waist and w
as practically mauling her in the parking lot,” Murdock teased, and Tiegen pressed her against the truck.
“I think Mia was doing a little mauling herself.” He covered her mouth and kissed her again. She was on fire with desire.
Then she felt him pull back as he continued to kiss her, pulling up her skirt and massaging her ass. As he turned, she felt the hands on her ass, Tiegen’s hands, move down and then Mitch whispered against her ear.
“You have a great ass, Mia. I can’t wait to explore it with my lips, my tongue, and my cock.” He squeezed her ass, and she felt her pussy cream.
Mitch cleared his throat. “I think maybe we need to take this somewhere more private.”
Tiegen slowly released her lips while Murdock fixed her skirt. As she tried to speak, her emotions got the better of her, and then Murdock turned her around and kissed her next. She was shocked. Well, shocked was too modest of a term here. She felt the same intense, wild desire and attraction to Murdock as she did for Tiegen. In fact, she felt herself let go a bit and enjoy the kiss. She found herself thinking about how it would feel to have Mitch kiss her, too, and be surrounded by such big men with large muscles and even larger personalities. They were taking charge of this moment and of her body, too.
His hands moved over her hips and her ass then pressed her tightly to him. Murdock was super big and tall. So tall he had to lift her up and press her against the truck to bring them level to one another. When he slowly released her lips, he was breathing just as rapidly as she was.
“Damn, woman, you taste so good.”
“Oh God, this is too much. The three of you are way too much to handle.”
He slowly set her down, and Mitch took her hand and brought her to him. He cupped her cheeks and held her gaze as he stared down into her eyes. She held on to his hands and focused on his lips and then the need and hunger in his eyes.
“Baby, I think you can handle us, no problem at all.” He covered her lips and kissed her, too, and she knew she was in trouble. There was no way she could walk away from them or push them away from her. No way at all.
Mitch slowly released her lips.
“Car keys?” Murdock asked her.
She looked around for her purse that was on the ground. Tiegen picked it up and licked his lower lip as he stared at her. The chill of the air didn’t help to cool the heat of her body or her libido. Her sweater was opened, and her blouse undone slightly, revealing more cleavage than she would ever expose.
Crossroads 4: Shot Through the Heart (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 6
