The thought didn’t last long as I was steered onto theporch and in through the doors of The Hut. The atmosphere cleared my head, giving me a whole new line of reasoning. Oddly, the place no longer felt like I was stepping onto some alien planet. I wasn’t sure when it happened, but as I stood there scanning the men and women talking and flirting, I realized that it was becoming familiar enough for me to feel comfortable. The girls still weren’t thrilled by my presence, but they weren’t rude, and they sure as hell didn’t call out insults to my face. They saved that for behind my back, which suited me fine. I was of the mind that what I didn’t see couldn’t hurt me.
I found Drew over by the bar with Slater, drinking beer and deep in a quiet conversation that no one seemed inclined to disturb. I was always cautious about interrupting him when he was talking to someone seriously like that. Even though we’d been spending time together, I was still an outsider. I was a guest in his home, with his family. It was Harry who alerted him to my presence.
“Hey, Ayda,” he shouted, popping the top from a beer and sliding it between Drew and Slater’s. They all seemed to take turns behind the bar most nights, even if it was just to give one of the girls a break, but I could never get used to seeing them there.
Drew and Slater both turned at my name and I flashed them a smile, my feet finally propelling me forward as my hand slipped around the neck of the ice cold beer.
“Evening, boys.”
Drew’s smile seemed to take a minute to catch up with whatever thoughts had been way ahead of him as soon as he knew I was there, but when it came, it was one of those lazy grins that felt like it had the power to knock me off my feet.Keeping his body hunched over the bar, he pushed his chest farther into his fists resting on top of the counter and raised his eyebrows in my direction, like the cocky ass was actually waiting and expecting me to approach him without him even having to say hey.
Taking a mouthful of my beer, I rotated my body towards Slater, who had obviously noted the same as I had, my smile still polite, and teasing. I was messing with Drew and they both seemed to know it. “Hey, Slater. How was your day?”
“Ask Drew,” he said, tipping the mouth of his bottle at his friend and smirking. Loyalty. It was honorable and all, but it wasn’t helping me out.
Harry seemed to be the only one to want to help me in any way. “Tweedle Dee held a bag and Tweedle Dumb beat on it. They congratulated one another on a job well done and went to supervise a couple of repos.”
I heard Drew’s rough laugh beside me, but refused to turn around and give in so soon, even if it was killing me. “I better be the fucking Dee out of that duo,” he muttered before I heard him swipe up the bottle in front of him.
“Sounds like a tough day at the office,” I said, playing along and patting the bar. “Can I get another beer to accompany me in the shower? I smell like a greasy spoon from the diner.”
Harry didn’t answer me right away. His eyes flickered to Drew as he raised his brows in question, and I could hardly believe it when I saw that man shake his head out of the corner of my eye, not so subtly telling Harry that my request was denied. Just as my mouth began to part in protest, Harry turned back to me and let out a long stream of air as he pretended to wipe down an invisible spill in front of him. “I’m sorry, darlin’, but apparently we’re all out of the 4%BudweiserandCoorsat the moment, but I do believe we have a well brewed 100% Tucker for you to try out.”
“Sounds like something from a micro brewery. I’m not sure.” I tapped my lips thoughtfully and took a step back. “No worries. I’ll grab one from the kitchen walk in fridge.”
I started to back away, chugging the beer I had in my hand and winking at Harry. It was yet another one of those moments for me. I honestly wasn’t sure when I became comfortable enough to play along with them, but it was instinct. Keep things respectful and there would be no problems. It was knowing the lines and when not to cross them.
The sound of a howl filling the air was what had me pausing in my step. I’d never heard anything like it before in my life, or the fit of choked laughter that followed it from Drew, but one minute I was walking away thinking I was playing the game and slightly in front, the next, I had a group of Hounds standing in front of me, blocking my path. I was circled like a damn sheep amongst the wolves, each man with his arms crossed over his chest and a Tucker smirk replica plastered across his face.
“Stop right there, Hanagan,” came an arrogant whisper from behind me.
My eyes moved from one face to the other of the men around me, my head shaking with feigned sadness as they all smirked back at me. I was fighting the smile that was desperate to get free. Turning my head and resting my chin on my shoulder, I raised my eyebrows.
“You take your beer very seriously around here, Tucker.”
“No…” He grinned, tilting his head to one side. “I take my regular piece of ass seriously.”
Dragging my bottom lip between my teeth, I sucked in a deep breath and took my time releasing it. “Is she in the kitchen?”
“I think she just came from there, given she has a knife and is currently sticking it in my fragile heart and ego.”
“You don’t play fair.”
“She finally gets it,” he said through a half laugh, taking a small step closer towards me with that expectant look upon his face. “And you don’t do yourself any favors.” Drew’s head dipped, his chin pushing forward as he took his voice down to a private whisper. “Do you realize how many HW’s are glaring at us right now? I feel like my ass is on fire.”
As immature as it was, those last words made me do something I didn’t think I would ever do. I acted instinctively and marked my territory. My body turned and stepped in with one little shift, and my arms circled his neck as I pushed up on my toes. “I’m about to make it worse. Forgive me?”
My lips found his as my hand cupped the back of his neck. It wasn’t just a kiss; it was an intimate kiss, my body pressing so close to his that the men in the room started hollering and whistling out. It was as close as I could get to pissing a circle around him and I wasn’t sorry. I couldn’t be, because even though he said he belonged to no one, in my mind, I was showing him that I was his. Everyone else could think what the hell they wanted.
Drew kissed me back with as much force and passion as I did him. His hands circled around the base of my spine as he dipped me over in his arms and dragged the moment out. Only when I was balancing in his grip did he pull away at just the wrong moment, close his eyes and flash me a grin. “We have a problem.”
I was terrified to let go of him, and I knew we had an audience. “What kind of problem?”
He took in a slow, deep breath, holding me still in place and lowering his mouth closer to mine again as he growled out. “The kind of problem where you have entirely too many clothes on, and my dick is way too hard for you to move away from me without flashing everyone in here a shot of what’s going on beneath my jeans.”
I smiled up at him, one hand coming around to cup his cheek. “Hmm, that is a problem. Maybe I should just wrap my legs around you and let you carry me away. It’s not like they don’t realize we’re about to go fuck like bunnies.”
“Bunnies?” He frowned. “Fucking bunnies? I’m a mother fucking lion.”
