Protection: A Bad Boy Stepbrother Romance

by Wood, Vivian

  “It means he’s bound Tessa to him. Did you bite him back?”

  “No, of course not.”

  Kat mumbled a curse.

  “You have to find him as soon as possible and return the favor, Tessa,” Kat said, her tone dire.

  “I don’t see what the big deal is, Kat. What are you not telling me?”

  “I told you, he’s bound you. The problem is that you didn’t bind him back. If you wait too long to complete the mating ritual, it might stick that way. You’ll always need him, but he could live without you. If he stays away too long, you would be affected.”

  “Affected how?”

  “You’d wither, mentally and physically. You’d be out of your mind before too long, and after a long enough separation, you could die.”

  “He wouldn’t do that to me!” Tessa protested.

  “He already did. It’s against our rules to bite without permission. He’s taken away your free will. It’s a serious violation of our beliefs. We’ll have to bring Shaw in on this,” Kat said, her expression stony.

  “Kat, no. You can’t tell anyone,” Tessa said, sitting up and reaching out to grip the other girl’s arm.

  “Tessa, Jace has made you his slave! You can’t seriously think to protect him!” Camilla said wildly, standing up and grabbing her sister’s arm.

  “I’m sure he just needs some time to clear his thoughts. He’ll come back when he’s ready,” Tessa said. As she spoke, she knew it was absolutely true. Jace wouldn’t let his fear destroy her. It just wasn’t in his nature.

  “We have no idea how long it will be before the ritual starts to affect you. It could be any minute now, Tessa.”

  “What’s the longest I might have?” Tessa asked, stubborn.

  “Maybe a day? That’d be if you were very lucky, I think.. You need to finish this right now.”

  “If I bite him after a couple days, will it still work?” Tessa asked, trying to be calm.

  “I have no idea. Like I said, this is against our laws. It’s unheard of in our pack.”

  “I need some time to find him, Kat. Don’t go to Shaw just yet, I’m begging you. Jace will make this right,” Tessa said with absolute conviction.

  Kat said nothing for a full minute, staring at Tessa. She shook herself with a frown.

  “Jesus. If this is what mating is supposed to be like, I don’t want any part in it. I’ll give you three hours to find him, Tessa. After that, I’ll have no choice but to involve Shaw.”

  Kat stood up, looking nothing short of murderous.

  “Thank you, Kat. I know this seems crazy, but everything will be okay. I’m certain of it.”

  “Don’t thank me. I’m not doing you any favors by not ratting Jace out right away. I will help you look for the bastard, though.”

  “Okay. Let’s split up. I’ll take his house and office. Can you go find Maddie and ask her where he might be?” Tessa asked.

  “Yes, and I’ll double check the rest of the Den compound too.”

  “How will I reach you when I find him?” Tessa asked.

  Kat pulled a pen out of her back pocket and reached for Tessa’s hand, scribbling her number on the back.

  “That’s my cell. Call me as soon as you know anything. Now go, and if I don’t hear from you in exactly three hours, I’m telling Shaw everything,” Kat said, barely short of murderous.

  “I’m sure it won’t take that long,” Tessa said, trying to sound confident. Kat just shook her head and slammed out the infirmary’s front door.

  Tessa released a huge sigh and turned to Camilla.

  “You look different,” Camilla said, giving Tessa a long look. Tessa sat back and looked at her sister.

  “I’m not the subject of debate right now. Are you really all right? I’ll never forgive myself for getting you sucked into all this insanity,” Tessa said, reaching out to tuck a dark lock of hair behind Camilla’s ear. Camilla reached up and grasped Tessa’s hand, holding it in her lap.

  “Look at me,” Camilla said. Tessa looked up, meeting her sister’s gaze. “They never touched me, never did anything to me. James would come to check on me, even keep me company sometimes.”

  Tessa let out a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding, feeling a huge weight lift off her shoulders. She’d imagined Camilla being tortured, maimed, killed. Her sister’s welfare had never been far from her thoughts, not since the moment she’d left the Legion’s compound. Not since Camilla’s birth, really.

  “You can’t imagine how grateful I am,” Tessa replied, her relief evident in her voice.

  “James protected me, I think. I don’t know why he did it, but he seems to care for me,” Camilla said. Tessa opened her mouth to respond, but Jace chose that moment to enter unannounced.

  Tessa’s heart fluttered. She’d been right; Jace would never leave her in danger, not on purpose. He’d come for her, as she’d hoped he would.

  Tessa’s brows raised, watching Jace start when he realized that Camilla was up and around. Tessa couldn’t help but suppress a tiny smile; she’d had the same reaction. Jace was looking back and forth between the girls, seeming unsure what to say.

  “Jace, this is my sister Camilla,” Tessa spoke up, patting Camilla’s hand. “Camilla, this is Jace.”

  They both nodded to each other. Then Jace turned to Tessa.

  “I need to speak with you. Uh, in private,” he said.

  “Okay. Give me a second to finish up here and I’ll be right out,” Tessa said, her cheeks flushing under his gaze.

  “Right. I’ll be in the hall,” he said, backing out of the room and closing the door again.

  Tessa stood up, straightening the bed linens.

  “You should get some sleep,” Tessa began.

  “Uh, not until you tell me he’s going to play nice,” Camilla fired back, still looking at the door as if she could see through it.

  “He’s, um… you know, why don’t we talk about this later when you’re feeling better?” Tessa suggested, turning for the door.

  “Oh my God,” Camilla said. “You love him. You totally do! I can’t believe it!”

  “It’s complicated,” Tessa stuttered, her whole face on fire with embarrassment. “And if you don’t stay in this bed, I’ll never tell you anything, I swear it!”

  Camilla harrumphed, but flopped back against the pillows.

  “Fine. But you owe me. And I mean details, Tess.”

  “Get some rest. I’ll find you after I talk to Jace,” Tessa insisted, letting herself out of the room.

  When she stepped into the hallway, she found herself toe to toe with Jace, who was hovering just outside the room. Holding a finger up to her lips, Tessa led Jace down the hallway away from Camilla’s range of hearing.

  “I didn’t realize she was awake,” Jace said, looking. He ran a hand through his perfectly-mussed locks, and Tessa had to tear her eyes away. Just because he was gorgeous didn’t mean he hadn’t screwed up big time.

  “What do you want?” Tessa asked point-blank.

  “I want to explain about the bite,” he said. His hot tawny eyes sought hers. Tessa crossed her arms and put on her best ice-queen expression.

  “Kat told me enough.”

  “I want to apologize, then,” Jace said, reaching out and taking one of Tessa’s hands. He turned her hand over and softly rubbed her palm with his thumbs, reminding Tessa of how he’d cared for her at the safe house.

  “What if it’s too late for that, Jace?” Tessa asked, her voice subdued.

  “Tessa, you have to know—” Jace started, but she cut him off with an angry wave of her hand.

  “Can we just skip the part where you tell me this doesn’t mean anything? We have better things to do than worry about than your hot-and-cold approach to dating,” Tessa said, keeping her tone light.

  “You haven’t let me explain about the bite,” Jace said.

  “I understand. I ran into Kat and she saw this,” Tessa motioned to the bite. “She explained plenty to me. Don�
��t worry, I’ve made her promise not to run to Shaw.”

  A dark cloud passed over Jace’s face as he understood her implication.

  “I couldn’t care less about Shaw and what he might do. I’m only concerned about you. We have to finish the exchange right now, Tessa.”

  “No,” she said, folding her arms.

  Chapter Forty-One

  “What do you mean, no?” Jace spluttered, his temper flaring. Reaching out, he grabbed for her hand to pull her closer, reason with her.

  “I mean no, I won’t exchange bites with you just because you feel like an ass. For all we know, a one-sided bond is harmless. Guilt is fleeting, but the mating bond is forever,” Tessa insisted as she yanked out of his gasp.

  “You… you are the most stubborn woman off all time. Pig-headed, jumping to conclusions, wrong ones may I add, and that face— no, don’t interrupt,” Jace roared when Tessa tried to cut in. “When you disapprove of something you make this face like…”

  He paused, wrinkling his nose and frowning in imitation. Tessa gasped, slapping his arm.

  “You have a lot of nerve, yelling at me right now. I’m not the one who screwed everything up, am I? And I don’t make a face!” she retorted.

  Jace kept talking as if she hadn’t even spoken.

  “And you’re sneaky! Conniving, tricky female! You were supposed to be locked up in the infirmary, but no. You and your little cohorts are off, risking your necks and probably almost getting yourselves killed. You simply can’t stay put, even under lock and key!” Jace bellowed, waving his arms for emphasis.

  “This is not making me want to finish the ritual,” Tessa warned, her gray eyes flickering like a storm.

  “You just refuse to listen, and you won’t trust me even one tiny inch. I’ve saved your life, hell, more than once I’ve saved your life, but does that sway you? NO! If I had known what I was getting into, saving you that first time…” he trailed off, his voice dropping to a normal level.

  “Then what?” Tessa demanded. “You would have just left me with Jasper? You would have counted yourself lucky and went back to being a bachelor?”

  Tessa threw her hands up, beyond irritated.

  “You know what? You are lucky,” Jace replied.

  “Hmm, let’s see. Kidnapped, tortured, my sister held for ransom, have to betray the only person who’s willing to help me, then he turns out to be… well, you,” Tessa said, disgruntled. “What precisely makes me the lucky one in this situation? My stubbornness? My trickiness? Please, tell me.”

  Jace took a big step toward her, backing Tessa against the wall. He loomed over her, making Tessa devastatingly aware of his physical presence.

  “You, Tessa… you are lucky. You’re lucky that I happen to prefer hard-headed, smart-mouthed, tricky women,” he said, his voice now a velvet-soft whisper. He took another step, his body just a fraction of an inch from Tessa’s. The heat of his anger rolled off his skin, heating Tessa’s already-flushed body. Jace reached out with a single finger and tipped Tessa’s face up to his, causing their gazes to lock.

  “You… what?”

  “If you will stop and listen for a second, I am trying to tell you that I love you,” Jace said, his eyes searching hers.

  “But—” Tessa started. Jace interrupted her by brushing his lips over hers, leaving Tessa tongue-tied and breathless. She looked up into his eyes again, trying to ascertain his seriousness.

  “Back in the office, that wasn’t how I wanted things to be,” Jace said.

  “Oh,” Tessa said, uncomprehending. Did Jace regret the passion they’d shared?

  “Damn it. I never know how to say things to you. You stand there looking like that, and all the words come out wrong,” Jace murmured. He backed up a step and took his wonderful warmth with him, leaving Tessa feeling bereft.

  “I don’t understand,” she said, her voice catching.

  “I never meant to confuse you. I’ve known since I laid eyes on you that my life had changed. The whole idea of finding someone I was destined to be with… it scared me, Tessa. I’ll never admit to it outside this conversation, but I was terrified. I was fighting a thousand battles. Against you, and myself, and Maddie, even Declan,” he said, slipping his hands into his pockets.

  “I realize now that I’ve lain my mother’s sins at your doorstep, and I am more sorry than I can say. I’ve been pushing everyone away for my whole life, and until now I liked it that way. It was easier, you know?” he said.

  “I guess I’ve ruined that for you, then?” Tessa asked, her voice tearful.

  “You came in and destroyed all my plans, Tess. What’s worse, you made me realize how lonely I am all the time. Then you went and acted like… well, like you. How could I stand a chance against you?” he said, his tone turning amused. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and reached out to Tessa, grabbing her hips to close the distance between them.

  “I’m just awful,” Tessa snuffled, wavering between laughter and tears. She looked up into Jace’s face, bottom lip trembling.

  Jace laughed, a sincere and relaxed expression. It looked incredible on him, Tessa decided.

  “You’re many things, but awful isn’t one of them. While we’re talking about this, I also wanted to—” Jace started, reaching in his pockets again.

  “You know what?” Tessa asked, putting her fingers against his lips to stop him from speaking, “We’ve made a lot of progress today. We both said some things we needed to say. Why not just… you know, skip the talk?”

  Jace blinked. Had Tessa just come on to him? His mind went blank for a moment, and he could feel the dumb expression on his face.

  The next second, he swept Tessa off her feet and carried her into a spare infirmary room. He set her down on the bed, his eyes devouring her supple frame, her gorgeous eyes, the perfect curves of her lips.

  Jace slid down onto the bed and Tessa leaned her head back and closed her eyes, waiting. His lips brushed hers, tender at first, his kisses growing more demanding. Already Tessa was on fire, heat racing through her blood at even this small touch.

  Jace pressed against her, insistent. Her lips parted to give him access, and he claimed her mouth in confident strokes. She sighed into his mouth as he pressed her back into the pillows, running one big hand up and down her already nude curves.

  Jace moved so that his body covered Tessa’s. She ran a hand under the hem of his shirt, sliding it up over the taut muscles of his hip, his torso, his chest. Looking up at his face, Tessa felt like she was taunting a caged tiger. His gaze seared into hers as something unnamed passed between them; a grin pulled at the corners of Jace’s mouth, and Tessa’s heart did a cartwheel. She tilted her face up expectantly, and he dropped a series of slow, drugging kisses against her lips.

  Tessa kept the rhythm, returning every kiss with a sigh, a nibble, or a nip to the fullness of his lower lip. When she finally became impatient and writhed against him seductively, his big hand slid up to her throat, resting just above her collar bone. She rolled her hips against him, and he growled, gently squeezing the hand that lay against her neck. She could feel his power, his frustration; yet never for a moment did she flinch from his brutal strength. Tessa knew without a doubt that Jace would never hurt her, could feel goodness circling him like a halo.

  Tessa let out a yip as Jace rolled them and sat up so that she was riding his lap. Jace caught and held Tessa’s eyes, velvety brown against ash gray.

  “Bite me,” he commanded in a throaty growl.

  Tessa slid a hand up his chest to his neck, tilting his head back for better access. She could feel every muscle in his body tensing and knotting in anticipation. Tessa put her mouth to his neck, mirroring where he’d bitten her. She kissed and licked for a moment, drawing the moment out. Sliding one hand up to fist in his hair, she gave him a soft nip.

  Jace groaned with urgent need, and in that second Tessa bit down just between his shoulder and neck. His groan increased to a shout of pleasure as he ground his erection against
her belly. Tessa sunk her teeth in deep, letting Jace know that she was his perfect equal.

  “You’re mine,” he snarled.

  The second Tessa released him from her bite, they rolled again, his clothes flying everywhere. And then Jace was on her, inside her, over her, growling as he pounded into her mercilessly. Tessa took all of him, matching him thrust for thrust and raking her nails down his back. Marking what was hers.

  Tessa was lost, choking out Jace’s name as a mounting wave of pleasure broke and washed over her. Moments later Jace joined her, shouting a curse and pumping his hot release inside her. Gasping, they collapsed in a sweaty tangle of limbs. Little aftershocks of pleasure rippled through them both as they lay recovering.

  After a time, Jace eased off Tessa’s sweat-dampened body. He rolled over next to her, running a possessive hand over her flank. Tessa was too contented to move or think, so she just gave him a few halfhearted pats on the chest.

  Jace flashed an exhausted smile and laughed. Tessa wasn’t sure she’d ever heard him laugh like that before, but it made her heart flip flop again.

  “What?” she said, mock-offended.

  “Seems like I tired you out, kitten.”

  “Kitten?!” she cried, batting a hand at him.

  “I really think it describes you pretty well,” he teased, leaning over to drop a kiss on her forehead.

  Tessa grumbled but couldn’t be bothered to move out of his embrace, no matter how terrible the nickname he chose.

  An idea ran through the back of Tessa’s mind as she lay in Jace’s arms. Something about nicknames had flipped a switch and now the idea was lurking in the shadows of her brain.

  Tessa sat straight up in bed, jostling Jace as she did so. He went on full alert, looking for the source of danger.

  “I’ve got it!” she announced, turning to her mate. Jace crossed his arms and gave her a skeptical look, frowning.

  “You had me thinking the Legion was about to kick down the door,” he scolded, which only resulted in Tessa giving him a huge grin.

  “No, but I’ve figured how we’re going to kick down their door,” she said, too excited to be put off by his reprimand.