by Eden Ashe
“Are you kidding? With these hormones, he’s more afraid of me than I’d ever be of him. And, if I don’t keep working, I’m going to go crazy.” Menus in hand, Lucy led her toward a booth. “Hey, Jilly and Luke were in here earlier.”
Megan laughed at the abrupt change in topics. Leave it to Lucy. “How much PDA did you have to sit through?” She slid into her seat.
Lucy’s face lit with humor. “They’d be disgusting if they weren’t so perfectly adorable together.” She laid the menus on the table then pulled an order pad out of her apron and tapped her pen on it. “So, order now or wait for your…date?”
Megan’s gaze went to the door when it opened, only for her heart to sink a little when she spotted a customer leaving. “It’s not a date. His name’s Thorn, and he’s in town searching for a family heirloom Wally bought by accident.”
Lucy stared at her for several heartbeats before she reached back into her apron and tugged out a small compact and lip-gloss. “Not a date, my big, pregnant butt. Here. This color gloss drives Cole crazy. Trust me.”
“I believe you.” Megan laughed, eyeing her friend’s belly. “You forget you two are just as adorable as Jilly and my brother.”
“Yeah, we are.” Lucy winked at her. “I’ll bring you a water and come back when Thorn gets here.”
Dropping her chin into her cupped palm, Megan nodded and set her mind to work trying to figure out what the hell he could possibly be doing in her shop right then. And wondering if she should maybe call the police.
His body strung so tight the slightest breath would set him off, Thorn waited. That the store belonged to Megan, that she made her living there, were the only things keeping him from tearing it apart, brick by brick.
With his spelled knife in his hand, he did a methodical sweep of the large space, his body alert for the tiniest shift in temperature or sensation in the air that didn’t belong.
“I know you’re here, Jake,” he murmured, keeping his tone casual and friendly. He started down an aisle of books and journals and scrolls. Just a little brother looking for his big brother. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
So intent on the space in front of him, he almost missed it. A nearby book tilted out, wobbled then fell to the floor. Thorn spun, prepared to see his brother standing there, but nothing but darkness greeted him.
Goddamn it, he needed to find that amulet.
After searching for another ten minutes and finding no other sign of Jake, he finally locked up the store, put his knife away, and jogged down to the diner to meet Megan.
The second he opened the door to a wall of noise—laughter, pool, Bob Marley on the jukebox—a tall, pregnant woman stood in front of him, grinning like she knew his every secret. “You must be Thorn, the non-date. I’m Lucy. The other best friend. Come on, she’s waiting for you.”
Despite the tension still clawing at his gut, something about those words—something about knowing Megan waited for him—floored him. Knocked him off balance. His cock leaped to life when he slid into the booth across from her and saw the mixture of temper, worry, and gorgeous female. Without warning, he leaned across the table, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear then covered her mouth with his.
He didn’t know why he did it, but the urge had been undeniable, and once her soft lips molded so perfectly to his, he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and took his time, memorizing her.
She moaned softly, and he finally lifted his head, to find she’d scrambled his brain. Because when he’d kissed her, he’d forgotten everything—his brother, the amulet, and how much trouble he’d be bringing into her life.
Chapter Four
Holy crapola, Jess Thorn knew how to kiss. Everything around Megan had gone silent except for her heart, which pounded so hard she thought it might break through her ribcage and land in his lap.
Oh God. Her life had turned into a romantic comedy.
“Um, should I give you two a minute?”
It took her a few seconds of blinking up at Lucy to realize they needed to order. Humor danced in her friend’s green eyes when she shifted her body forward enough to hide her face from Thorn, before mouthing the words, Oh my God, he’s hot.
Megan nodded, the noise from the bar crashing over her again, reminding her they weren’t alone.
With a quick smirk, Lucy turned back to Thorn, propping a hip against the table and hitting him with the full force of her spectacular smile. “So. What can I get you?”
He rubbed his jaw as he scanned the menu before shooting Lucy a sexy, sexy grin. “I’ll take the biggest burger you have, with everything on it, and a mug of whatever beer you have on tap.”
“Sam Adams okay?”
“Perfect.” He turned toward Megan, and the second their eyes clashed, all easygoingness vanished, replaced by pure, raw hunger. “What do you want?”
Her cheeks heated, and she had to squeeze her thighs together because the man knew what she wanted—he’d made sure of it—and it took a humongous act of control to shift her focus to Lucy. “Grilled cheese and a Coke, please.”
Lucy gifted them with a cheesy smile. “Gotcha. Be back in a sec with your drinks.” She started to walk away then hesitated, shooting them both a mock-warning glare over her shoulder. “Keep the making out to a minimum. We charge extra for live shows.”
Thorn laughed when Megan stuck her tongue out, but the second they had privacy, she blew out a breath. She met his eyes, and the intense, electricity-heavy air between them shifted into tension.
“So,” she murmured like an idiot, “what the hell happened?”
He had an edge to him, something she couldn’t quite pin down, something restless and altogether dangerous. His body language suddenly reminded her of Declan’s—that of a warrior constantly preparing for battle.
“I didn’t lie to you about coming for the amulet.” When she frowned because she hadn’t thought he’d lied, he went on, “It is a family heirloom someone sold without my knowledge or permission, but it’s more complicated than that. On my older brother’s fourteenth birthday, he killed a demon for the first time. He inherited the amulet that day.”
So busy watching his sinful mouth, it took a moment for his words to actually register. She stilled, twin thoughts invading her mind—one, that the man’s batshit craziness matched his insane hotness, and two…well, maybe only one thought. Because despite how ridiculous his words were, she could see it in his eyes—a soul-deep, absolute sincerity in their depths. He honestly, 100 percent believed what he’d said.
Disappointment weighing her shoulders, she leaned against the cracked red pleather of the booth. “Demons don’t exist, Thorn.”
His jaw tightened, his shoulders stiffened, and some of the warmth left his eyes. “I’m not finished. There’s more.”
Crap. Swallowing hard before she puked, she scraped her teeth over her bottom lip. “Go on.”
“Two months ago, Jake went on a hunt. Our sister, Jaid, was sick, so I stayed home to watch after her little girl.” He braced his elbows on the table and scrubbed both hands over his grief-stricken face. “What should have been an easy in-and-out demon extraction turned out to be a setup. We didn’t even know Jake was dead until a few days later when the amulet showed up in my mailbox.”
Not knowing what to do for him or how to fix his hurt, she reached across the table and wrapped her hand around his. “Who sent it?”
His eyes were lost, far away from the booth at Sammy’s Pub. “I don’t know. About a week after receiving the amulet, weird things started happening. Then, the next night, Jake appeared in my bedroom, telling me he was sorry and he’d stayed on this plane to watch out for me and Jaid and little Amara.”
Megan swallowed hard. “Your brother is a ghost?”
“Yeah. And his spirit is attached to the amulet.” Then Thorn’s grief mixed with something deeper, stronger, something that appeared to be ripping him apart from the inside. His hand actually shook in her
s before he sat back and crossed his arms. “I don’t know what the fuck he was thinking. Spirits don’t do well being trapped here. It’s already been eight weeks. The longer it takes me to find the amulet and destroy it, releasing him from it, the angrier and more violent he’s going to get.”
Megan knew she should run. Thorn obviously had mental issues. But, crazy or not, he believed every word out of his mouth, and that made it impossible for her not to ache for him. Or help him, however possible.
“Are you sure? Maybe he’ll be a different spirit? Maybe he’ll resist the anger.”
Thorn barked out a humorless laugh. “I wish. But, my family has been doing this for centuries, and, unfortunately, Jake isn’t the first one who thought he was strong enough to pull this off. Family is everything to us, and Jake has protected Jaid and me from the moment of our births. But he can’t beat this. No one ever has.”
She doubted him. He’d expected nothing less from her, but for reasons he didn’t particularly want to examine at the moment, it hurt.
And when the hell had he started admitting when something hurt? This woman would be what killed him. He knew it.
Yet, beyond the disbelief and wariness, she radiated sympathy and empathy. With her eyes fierce, she crossed her arms on the tabletop. “Is there a way to ensure that he stays ‘good’?”
Something tightened in his chest. She wanted to help save his brother, to save him hurt. Goddamn it, Thorn liked her. “It’s not possible, Meggie. If it was, my family would have known about it by now.”
Lucy brought their food then, and Megan used the time she placed their orders in front of them to study him. The wheels turning in that gorgeous brain of hers were all but visible, and despite himself, despite everything, it made him smile.
With a quick nod of thanks to Lucy, Megan lifted a brow at him. “So what happened back in my shop?”
He took a bite of his burger, chewed then swallowed. “I thought I saw him. The moment the amulet showed up at my apartment, I heard him in my head even if I couldn’t see him. It disappeared when the amulet was stolen, but it’s been back since I found you—I mean your shop. Only, it hasn’t sounded like my brother. It’s been progressively angrier since this morning, and I’m worried he won’t be able to hold on much longer.”
She didn’t flinch. Instead, she stayed quiet for a long moment, her attention riveted on the scarred Formica tabletop as she absently ate her fries. Finally, she lifted her eyes. “And you’re worried that means he’s dangerous?” She popped a fry in her mouth. “I guess that means we’re camping out at the shop tonight until it’s found.”
“Hell no.” Terror sent his heart straight to his throat. Her eyes widened at the snap in his voice, but he ignored the glances shifting in their direction from the other diners. “You’re not stepping foot inside that shop again until I’ve found the amulet and gotten it far the fuck away from you.” When she started to argue, he grabbed her hand and used it to haul her toward him. “Don’t argue with me about this, Meggie. I promise you won’t win.”
She went silent again, but she didn’t yank back or slap him for ordering her around. Instead, after several moments of searching his face, she lifted one shoulder. “I have a compromise—”
“Not. Interested.”
She kept right on talking. “Tomorrow is always my slowest day at the shop. So, instead of using the time to dust, and vacuum, and rearrange things, I’ll close up for the day so you can search in peace.”
A muscle under his eye twitched. “And?”
Instead of answering immediately, she pushed her plate to his side of the table then stood and sat next to him on the bench, so close their hips and thighs meshed together. She shifted until she faced him, and his attention dropped to the small, pert breasts pressed against the fabric of her tank top and the expanse of skin bared beneath her skirt.
“And,” she finally continued, “tonight, you stay at my place.”
His immediate thought, Oh God, fucking please don’t let her be teasing, was quickly followed by a weird mix of confusion and arousal when her cheeks pinked. Nervous energy pulsed around her, and damn if he didn’t think it was cute as hell.
“You don’t have to,” she rushed on, apparently taking his confused awe as a silent rejection because her attention dropped to her lap and she started to back away. When his hand snatched hers to stop her, her eyes flew to his face, and he let her see the pure, absolute hunger he had for her. A hunger stronger and more intense than any he remembered.
“Sweetheart, you have no idea how much I want to, but I’m not staying. I can’t.” He cupped her nape and dragged her closer, giving in to the urge to nibble at her perfect, luscious lips. “If you’re okay with that, then I’m prepared to beg you not to take your offer back.”
Her perfect mouth parted and she blushed again, her unsteady breathing matching his own. “Really?” she whispered. “I mean, I don’t—”
“Hey.” Unsure where the gentleness in him came from, or why it was suddenly so goddamned strong, he skimmed his fingers over her jaw and murmured in her ear. “All you have to do is look down to see how much I want this.”
Goose bumps broke out along her skin. Her attention focused on his lap, where his cock strained against the zipper of his jeans. Aching and desperate for release.
Then he tipped her chin back and dove in.
Megan had lost her mind. She had nothing against one-night stands and she loved sex. Especially with a man who knew what he was doing, and she had zero doubt Jess Thorn knew his way around a woman’s body. A man didn’t ooze that kind of masculinity and self-confidence, and kiss like a bloody god if he wasn’t capable of giving a girl multiple—please God, let it be multiple—orgasms in one night.
But, while she loved sex, and had nothing against one-night stands, she’d never had one. She’d always been the kind of girl who needed some emotional, physical connection before laying herself bare—metaphorically and physically—for a guy.
But, she liked Thorn. Totally, utterly liked him. And even though it might make her as crazy as him, she believed him about his brother and the amulet. No one crazy faked that kind of emotion and intensity.
So, ignoring the part of her trying to protect her heart, she fisted both hands in his glorious hair and let his tongue sweep into her mouth to explore, sure this could become more addictive than oxygen. She let go of his hair with one hand to feel a hard, bulging biceps. A soft moan escaped her. He swallowed it with a deep growl of approval and gripped her hip, bringing her in closer to him, his kiss turning from greedy to devouring in a single heartbeat.
When he finally lifted his head, Megan actually considered crawling into his lap and demanding he finish what he started, the ache between her legs that intense.
He nipped at her chin, his voice unsteady and hungry. “Please tell me you ate enough.”
“I can’t remember my own name.” When he chuckled, she dropped her brow against his chest. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Grab your purse.”
While she scrambled out of the booth to do that, he pulled out his wallet, dropping two twenties on the table before grabbing her hand and dragging her to the door. The second they were on the sidewalk, he spun her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Please, please tell me there’s a God and you live close.”
Already on her toes to kiss him again, she heard a deep, familiar voice snap behind her. “Megan, what the hell are you doing?”
Crap. Declan.
Chapter Five
She went rigid in his arms, the blood draining from her beautiful face and panic storming in her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Thorn didn’t have time to ask her why the hell she’d apologized before she turned to face the pissed-off man standing a few feet away. Despite the perfectly tailored dark suit the man wore, he stood prepared for battle with his legs braced apart, arms crossed. Skull-trimmed dark-brown hair seemed to be at odds with his
clothes, but it was the coldness in his eyes that warned Thorn the guy had killed before. And Thorn had just made his shit list.
Reaching back, Megan slid her hand into Thorn’s, anchoring him. That kept him from throwing the first strike. Plus, he didn’t sense terror in her. But, just when he’d decided to check to make sure she hadn’t passed out on him, she leapt. One second she stood in front of him, so close his chest brushed her back with every breath and her scent filled him—all summertime cherries—and the next, she clung to the other guy’s neck like her life depended on it.
Not thrilled with the emotions that lit along his nerve endings—disappointment, confusion, and a fuck-ton of jealousy that came with the urge to growl like the beast he suddenly felt like—Thorn snorted and had started to step back to give them their privacy when she grinned at him over her shoulder. “Thorn, come meet my brother, Declan.”
Fuck. Another brother?
Because her brother didn’t look anywhere near as friendly as Megan, Thorn considered ignoring her and staying put. Notorious for not handling douche bags well, he had a feeling Declan Bannon was king of the douches.
But, Megan’s smile did him in. When he didn’t react fast enough, she kissed her brother’s cheek then ran to Thorn and snagged his hand, forcing him along with her. Quickly becoming obsessed with making her happy, he could do nothing to stop her forward momentum when she presented him to her brother. “Dec, this is Thorn.”
While Declan had an inch on Thorn’s six foot three, Thorn had him beat in sheer physical strength. But while he had his custom blade tucked at his lower back, a switchblade in his left boot, and a stiletto in his right one, he had no doubt her brother had at least one gun on him.