“Hey, Cadey. What’s wrong?”
He steamed. “You should not be engaging in such a dangerous activity, but if you are forced to, Jace should be holding back. He should keep you from becoming injured. He knows better than that.”
“Oh, I’ve no doubt that he was holding back. If he wasn’t, I’d probably be in a million broken pieces.”
Apparently, judging by the continuing anger on his face, this was not the right thing to say.
She tugged on his hand again, this time pulling until he was forced to sit next to her on the couch. She laid her head on his shoulder.
“Stop being grumpy, Cadey. It’s a sprained ankle. I’m not dead, I’m not dying, and I actually got a few good hits in today. Be happy for me, Cadey! And if you can’t, maybe tomorrow I’ll get an extra punch to Jace’s nose—just for you.”
He made a non-committal sound in the back of his throat, something like a cross between a growl and a snort, though probably not since Cade snorting was like a hooker giving a blowjob for free.
What a horrible comparison, Ria. You dirty, dirty girl.
A wicked idea crossed her mind as she peered up at Cade’s stormy face.
“Hey Cadey.”
“Yes?”
“Say ‘ain’t’.”
From the kitchen, she heard a quiet snicker.
Cade reared backed and fixed her with an appalled expression. “No.”
“Oh come on. Just once. Please?”
“I will not.”
She wrapped her arms around his torso and peered up at him with the best puppy-dog eyes she could manage. “Pretty please?” Poking her bottom lip, she held back the giggle that threatened to erupt as she watched him squirm uncomfortably, the awkward look on his face priceless.
After a moment more of obvious discomfort, Cade finally glanced down at her.
He whispered.
“What was that?” Ria rested her head against his shoulder as she peered up at him with wide, innocent eyes.
He sighed. “I said…ain’t.”
She grinned widely. “Oooh, that was kinda sexy. Now, say ‘ain’t y’all’.”
Throwing his head back against the back of the couch, he sighed heavily again. “Ain’t y’all.”
A short peal of laughter erupted from the kitchen where Dax was obviously listening in. She sat like a shot out of a barrel, her finger whipping up to point in his direction. “Don’t you ruin this for me, you sneaky little bastard, or you’ll never get a massage from me again!”
Dax’s face instantly sobered, though the amused twinkle in his eyes remained. “Sorry, Red Hot.”
“No, you’re not.”
“No, I’m not, but at least I’m pretending.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine. Fake apology accepted. But be forewarned—you’re on probation. One more mistake and your days of back massages are over.”
He whined softly, like a lost puppy left out in the cold. “But my poor, aching back…how will I be able to function?”
“I’m sure you’ll manage, Mr. Big, Bad Reaper Man.”
His head tilted to the side in contemplation. “Mr. Big, Bad Reaper Man. I like that. Sounds manly.” He puffed up his chest as spoke and squared his shoulders, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Cade covertly roll his eyes. It was pretty much the same as her reaction.
Turning back to Cade, she snuggled into his side. “You know, for someone who’s supposed to be this seductive, sexy-time demon, you get uncomfortable about things really easily. I’m not judging—just saying. Aren’t you supposed to be, like, sex walking or something?”
“I never said I didn’t like sex.”
“But you get all uncomfortable whenever I mention anything even remotely related to sex or anything sexual at all.”
A muted cough came from the kitchen. She looked up into Dax’s brilliant green eyes as he walked over to her with a plate full of steaming hot eggs, bacon and—ooh, pancakes.
“It’s because it’s you, Red Hot.”
She blinked.
Because it’s me?
“What’s wrong with me?”
Cade made a small choking noise before clearing his throat. “Nothing is wrong with you, sweetheart. Nothing it all.”
Ria was hella confused. Why was he so uncomfortable around only her? If it was just her…was she doing something wrong?
The expression on her face must have said something, because Cade gently took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “There is nothing wrong with you.”
She made a split-second decision to accept what he said at face value. It wasn’t something she was used to doing and the feeling was almost uncomfortable, like when someone has been inside a dark room for a long period of time and then they suddenly step outside into the sunlight. She wasn’t used to it. Her metaphorical eyes were watering intensely.
Shrugging, she grabbed the fork on her plate and dug into the food, reveling in the mix of salty, sweet, and rich flavors. After several bites, she glanced up and saw that Dax had also placed a cup of coffee on the coffee table in front of her. She reached forward to grab it, chugging down several large gulps. She would have drank more but Cade grabbed it from her and gave her a disapproving look.
“What? I need my coffee.”
“What you need is to slow down before you choke.”
“Eh…” She looked down at the food in front of her, then back up at Cade. “Worth it.”
Cade ran a frustrated hand through his hair as he sighed, rumpling its perfect style.
She took another large bite of food, covering her mouth as she spoke around it. “What? Just give me the Heimlich. You know the Heimlich, right?”
“It would be wiser to just slow down and avoid the Heimlich altogether.”
Swallowing the last bite, she grinned cheekily. “Too late.”
The sound of footsteps echoed from above, and Ria looked up to see Tallen descending the stairs. He was dressed in his usual dark jeans with a black rock band t-shirt and his black leather jacket he wore every day. His ear length chestnut brown hair was just as fantastically messy as usual.
He looked like walking sex. Or what she would consider walking sex to look like.
Aw, hell. Any girl would look at him and drop their panties.
Reaching the first floor, he strode up to the couch and looked down at her with his gorgeous, ocean blue eyes. “Ready to do this, kitty cat?”
Beside her, Cade’s arm shifted until he had it his arm around her waist. The gesture was very protective and she felt a warmth settle into her chest at the feel of his arm wrapped around her.
“You have to carry her.” He said flatly.
Tallen blinked at the platinum blonde demon. “I have to what now? Why?”
“Because she sprained her ankle training with Jace and she needs to stay off of it for at least the next few days.”
Rolling her eyes, she disentangled herself from Cade’s arm, ignoring the admonishing look he was giving her. “Come on, you guys. You’re making this into something a lot bigger than what it actually is. My foot feels fine, I swear. I can’t probably walk on it again by now.”
She moved to get up but was stopped by a black blur. Blinking, she fell back against the couch and peered up at Tallen’s hulking form. He shook his head at her before reaching down and slowly slid his arms beneath her, lifting her from the couch as though she weighed no more than a feather pillow. There was something exceedingly sensual about the act, although she couldn’t put her finger on it.
It was probably just the fact that it was Tallen. Just like Cade was Cade, and Jace was Jace, and Dax was…
“Wait a minute!” She shrieked, her arm flying up above her head with her forefinger in the air. If it weren’t for Tallen’s excellent reflexes, he probably would have dropped her. As it was, he just shifted his arms a bit to keep her weight balanced, throwing her an mildly irritated glance in the process.
“What?” He ground out, his teeth clamped together as he struggled to
reign in his frustration.
“Dax!”
He squinted at her. “What about him?”
“THAT SON-OF-A-BITCH CAN HEAL MY DAMN ANKLE! WHERE’D THAT RAT BASTARD GO TO?!” Her head whipped around several times as she searched the room for the conniving little ass.
He was gone.
Tallen’s rumbling laugh vibrated through her torso. “Just now figured that out, did ya?”
She was livid. Livid. Dax knew this entire time that he could easily heal her ankle and he didn’t. What the actual fuck? What, did he like making her reliant on them to help her with every damn thing?
The answer was so obvious it hit her like a ton of bricks.
He did like making her rely on them! He knew she was independent and wouldn’t want to accept help, that rat bastard!
“Just put me down, Tallen. I’m walking my ass out to your car, Dax be damned.” She gasped. “Wait…why didn’t Jace say anything? Or you, Cade?” She looked accusingly down at the demon who still sat on the couch, legs crossed comfortably, staring up at her with an almost amused expression.
“Did…did you all plan this shit?”
Tallen rolled his eyes as he made his way to the door with her in his arms, somehow managing to open it without so much as shifting her. Cade popped up from around the side of Tallen, stopping him momentarily so he could gently slip Ria’s shoes onto her feet. “Yes, Ria. We all got together and mapped out how Jace would make you sprain your ankle so that you would be forced to be carried everywhere. You’ve successfully deduced our ingenious plan.”
It was her turn to roll her eyes. “Well, okay, not the whole spraining the ankle part. I mean the forcing me to be carried everywhere part. Did you all plan that? Cuz it feels awfully pre-meditated.”
As Tallen stepped through the door, he turned around, reached out and grabbed her coat from the coat rack just inside the door before closing it behind him, once again managing the feat without jostling her around. She wondered briefly if that was another demon superpower—carrying a girl while performing minor feats of wonder.
“No, we didn’t plan anything…we just went along with what we knew was already happening. We can work together very well when necessary. We’re a pretty cohesive unit.”
“But Dax could have offered, couldn’t he?”
“Would you have wanted him to?”
“YES.”
He rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time that morning. Apparently, this was going to be the basis of their relationship—sarcasm, teasing banter, and eye-rolling.
“Would you really, kitty cat? And miss a chance to be held in my arms?”
She was suddenly intensely aware of the body heat he was radiating as goosebumps prickled her skin, and it wasn’t because of the chilly fall weather. It might have been because of the 6’2” demon who was softly rubbing the outside of her right leg where he held her.
“Erm.”
“Mm-hmm. That’s what I thought.”
That irritated her a bit. “Don’t get cocky on me now, Tal. I was just beginning to like you.”
“I’ve always been cocky, and you’ve always liked it.”
She snorted in response. “Not really. But your cockiness has grown on me. Like a fungus.”
“Well then just call me the fungus of all things sexy and masculine.”
Cocking her head to the side, she peered up at him with narrowed eyes. “Careful. It sounds like I’m rubbing off on you.”
He gave her a wicked grin as he opened the passenger door of an older, black muscle car. “I don’t mind you rubbing on me.”
She whacked him on the arm. “Knock it off. I want to walk.”
His grin turned smug as he reached around her to buckle her in, his arm brushing against her breast as he did so. She wasn’t sure if it was on purpose or not, but if she were a betting woman—and she was—she’d bet that everything he did was on purpose.
“No.”
Well, two can play at that game.
Her arms shot out and wrapped around his chest before he could pull back out of the car. Grabbing onto his head with one hand, she tilted his head, ignoring his surprised expression, and planted a loud raspberry against his neck that lasted a good five seconds. Before pulling away, she gave his neck a good, long lick, intending to gross him out with her wet, slobbery tongue.
He stayed frozen for a moment before his head slowly turned until her eyes met his. They were full of unbridled heat, boring into her with an intensity that made her heart leap and her stomach flip. The heat seemed to seep from him into her, settling low in her stomach. She licked her lips.
The movement brought his gaze down to her mouth, and she slowly licked her lips again, watching the heat in his eyes flair brighter. Slowly, ever so slowly, his face inched closer to hers, eyes firmly fixed to her mouth. She knew what was happening, but dammit if she had no desire to fight it whatsoever. Where was that voice? The one that screamed at her never to get too close to people?
Apparently, the guys had steadily driven it away.
She felt his breath tingle over her lips a moment before his mouth grazed against hers. It was a soft, surprisingly gentle kiss, not the sort of thing she would have expected from her fiery, smart-mouthed Tallen. His lips molded to hers, deepening the kiss as she tilted her head back. The movement gave him more room to maneuver, and he lifted a hand to place it against her neck, rubbing over the hollow spot at the base of her throat and sending shivers racing through her body.
As far as kisses went, Tallen was a gods-dammned pro.
Before she knew it, he was pulling away.
Damn. Hell no. I need more of that.
Grabbing the back of his head, she slammed his mouth back onto hers, turning the kiss from gentle to passionate in the space of an instant. His tongue ran across her lips, not asking for entrance so much as demanding it, and she acquiesced, opening her mouth to allow his hot tongue to consume her wholly.
Now this is what she thought a kiss with Tallen would be like. Thank gods she was sitting or she might have collapsed right there.
Too soon, Tallen was pulling back again, his breath off kilter as he stared heated daggers into her eyes, his gaze dark as the ocean during a raging storm. Her breathing was as shaky as her hands as she wove them into the hair at the back of his head, feeling the silky strands tickle her fingers.
“Damn, kitty cat.”
She nodded, starting to become a little embarrassed and glancing down as the heat began to fill her cheeks.
“There she is. My little prude.”
Her gaze shot back up to him as she glared. “Not a prude. Thought I proved that.”
“It’s okay.” He grinned devilishly. “I like you innocent.”
She huffed. “Not innocent.”
“Oh? Because the way you’re shaking says otherwise.”
Okay, getting into uncomfortable territory here. That little voice that warned about weakness was back with a vengeance and rearing its ugly head again.
“Whatever. Are we gonna tattoo me or what?”
Chapter 7
Forty minutes later they pulled up in front of one of two tattoo shops (yes, that’s right—two, their town actually had two tattoo shops but no Starbuck’s…yet), his black 1970 Chevelle’s roar echoing down the street like some sort of wild animal on the loose. He killed the engine, the silence startling after the deafening sound of its turbo engine, and Ria found herself missing the rumble that vibrated through her body as they moved.
“I like this car.” She commented happily, running her hand along the black dash. “I want one.”
“You can have this one.”
Her head whirled around to face him as he got out of the car. “Excuse me?!” She yelled at him from where she still sat in the car as she watched him maneuver around the front of the car towards her door. He opened the door, and she leaned out to repeat her shocked screaming. “What the hell’d you just say?! Cuz it sounded like you just told me I could have your freaking car
! Your freaking car, man!”
“Yeah, that’s what I said. Stop yelling.”
“It’s a car, Tal!”
Rubbing his ear, he reached down and picked her up, carefully avoiding hitting her head on the roof of the car. “I’m well aware of what it is. I’ve had it since it came off the line. Her name is Betty, by the way.”
“YOU’RE GIVING ME YOUR CAR YOU’VE HAD SINCE THE 70’S THAT YOU NAMED BETTY?!”
He growled softly. “Stop. Yelling. You can’t just go screaming about me having a car since the 70’s when I look like I was born in the 80’s.”
Holding her gently and ignoring her gaping mouth, he entered the tattoo shop, ignoring the closed sign. She glanced at it briefly.
“Okay, first of all, you’re not giving me your car—er—Betty. You can’t just throw cars around all willy-nilly, especially cars you freaking named after a song.” She nodded at his quirked eyebrow. “Yeah, I caught that. You named her after the song Black Betty by Ram Jam. Second, you just walked into a shop that says closed. How the hell did you manage that?”
Waving to the guy behind the counter who waved back with a smile, Tallen shrugged offhandedly. “I rented the tattoo shop for the next hour and a half.”
Damn rich demons and angels. ‘Oh, I’ll just go rent a tattoo shop, or a dance studio, or give cars to people without a second thought.’ Fuckin’ hell.
She tapped his shoulder as he carried her behind the counter and placed her in a tattoo chair. “I’m still not taking your car.” From what she could see, equipment was already set up and waiting, along with the ink. “Wait, why is there already ink out? You don’t even know what I’m getting.”
“Of course, I do. I’m giving it to you.”
“Wait, what? Wait…what??”
He grabbed some hand sanitizer and rubbed it in before pulling on latex gloves. “I’m giving you a tattoo. I already picked it out.”
“That wasn’t part of the deal.”
“Actually, if you’ll recall, his exact words were ‘get a tattoo with Tallen’.”
“I thought that meant you were just gonna sit with me while I got a tattoo!”
Demon Bones: The Soul Series Book 2 Page 7