Addicted (Outlaws Book 2) (8 page)

Reese stopped in the middle of the sidewalk outside Beckett’s loft. “Got lots of complaints today,” she said with a frown. “My people say you’re riding them too hard.”

Neither Rylan nor Pike looked at all repentant, not that she’d expected them to be. Connor and his men were cold, ruthless pricks. Pike, in particular, but the description also extended to Rylan. The man used his killer grin and disarming southern drawl to fool everyone he met into believing he was harmless.

“Your people are weak.” Pike was curt and to the point.

“And all they do is whine,” Rylan added in annoyance. “You’d think they’ve never been knocked around before.”

“They haven’t,” she retorted. “They’re kids who’ve had their parents protecting them all their lives.”

“Lucky them.”

Rylan’s bitterness caught her off guard, because it was rare to see him lose the Mr. Charming act. It suddenly occurred to her that she didn’t know anything about his background except that he’d once trained army recruits. Connor wasn’t one to volunteer many details about his men.

“What about the older ones?” Pike mocked. “What’s their excuse? We had four no-shows today, and about twenty assholes crying about their sore muscles.”

She stifled a groan, but it was hard to suppress the wave of self-reproach that crested inside her. She’d been too easy on some of the newer arrivals and she knew it. When Jake was in charge, he’d been a total hard-ass, damn near tyrannical when it came to the outlaws he took under his protection. He’d trained them, pushed them, made sure they could wipe their own asses without requiring assistance.

Reese’s approach had been similar, at least at the beginning of her reign. Lately she’d been trying to ease up on her people. After a while it got tiresome knowing that everyone thought she was a raging bitch.

But damn it, she’d allowed them to get too soft.

Rylan narrowed his eyes when he noticed her expression, and she cursed her face for revealing her worries. His voice lost its edge as he said, “Don’t worry, gorgeous. We have an idea about how to make this less of a chore for them.”

“How?” she asked suspiciously.

“We’re thinking of turning it into a competition. Breaking them up into teams and having them go up against each other.” He shrugged. “We can come up with different events for them to compete in. Short- and long-range targets, moving targets, sparring, knife skills, that sort of shit. They can rack up points and we’ll declare a winning team at the end.”

She had to relent. “That’s not a bad idea.”

“It’d be better if there was a prize at the end, something they’re all fighting toward. Any ideas?”

Reese thought it over for a moment. “Beef,” she decided.

Rylan’s mouth quirked up. “I’m trying to figure out if that’s a euphemism or not.”

She rolled her eyes. “Literal beef. We’re not butchering again until the end of winter, so we’re rationing all the meat we have. We can give the winning team steaks. You know, some choice cuts of meat.”

Pike nodded. “Good plan.”

She couldn’t figure out if he was being sarcastic – it was impossible to judge the man’s tone. But she decided to treat it as a sincere comment. “Fine. Go ahead with the plan, then.”

“We done here?” he said curtly.

“Yes.”

Pike left without a word, stalking down the darkened street until he disappeared from view. He usually stayed in one of the town houses on the outskirts of the town, where he kept to himself. That was how he operated – took care of business and then got the hell out. She’d always appreciated that about him.

Rylan, of course, lingered. “So we’re in agreement about this competition thing?”

“I just said so, didn’t I?” she said irritably.

His blue eyes gleamed. “Seal it with a blow job?”

“Good night, Rylan.”

She spun on her heel and went to join Sloan, who’d been standing by one of the broken streetlamps watching the exchange. Without a backward glance, the two of them headed to her brick building and climbed the narrow staircase to the second floor.

Rather than turn on the lights, Reese lit a couple of candles and collapsed wearily on the huge futon in the center of the room.

Sloan leaned against the wall. The damn man never sat. Sometimes she wondered if he even slept. He had a bed in the next room, but fuck if she’d ever seen the sheets messed up.

“Teresa.”

The name, uttered in a low, harsh voice, caught her off guard. He only used her full name when he was about to get serious. Well, more serious than usual, anyway.

“Sloan,” she answered coolly.

His lips twitched. “You hate it when I call you that.”

She did. She really did. It was what Jake had called her, and all reminders of Jake were too much to bear.

“I needed to get your attention.” He went quiet for a moment. Then, to her surprise, he breached the ten feet of distance between them and knelt in front of the mattress.

He didn’t touch her. Didn’t even blink. He simply stared at her with that impenetrable gaze of his.

“What is it?” she said uncertainly.

“You’re playing this wrong.”

She narrowed her eyes.

“Rylan,” he clarified. “You need to stop antagonizing him, sweetheart.”

“I can’t help it,” she grumbled. “He annoys me.”

Sloan gave a rare chuckle. “I know. But the harder you push him away, the more he’ll push back. The more he’ll pursue you.” He arched one dark eyebrow. “The whole point was to make him
not
take notice. To make sure he doesn’t get suspicious. Which means you have to stop fighting him.”

She swallowed. “What, you think I should fuck him?”

His square jaw tensed up. “That’s not what I’m saying.”

“Then what?”

“Just… be nicer.”

A genuine laugh popped out of her mouth. “Um, impossible. I’m not a nice person, honey.”

“Yes, you are.”

The intensity in his gaze brought a flicker of discomfort. And she was even more uncomfortable when he edged forward and lightly stroked her chin with two strong hands.

It was so excruciatingly intimate that she leaned away from his touch and averted her eyes.

Sloan didn’t look upset by her withdrawal, only resigned. “Rylan isn’t Jake,” he said gruffly.

Her shocked gaze snapped up to his. “I know.”

“Jake is dead.”

“I know.”

“We killed him.”

“I kn—” This time the response got stuck in her throat. Sloan’s blunt, emotionless voice sent a shiver up her spine.

Silence stretched between them. An eternity of it, as Sloan’s dark eyes probed hers.

“You still want to go ahead with our plans?” he finally asked.

She nodded without hesitation.

“Then cut back on the aggression. Give Rylan something else to focus on. Something that doesn’t involve him chasing you into bed.”

“Like what?”

“You’ll figure something out.” He rose to his full height and straightened his broad shoulders. He was so much taller than Jake had been. There was so much power and restraint rippling from his warrior’s body.

“It should have been you,” Reese whispered.

Those big shoulders stiffened.

“You should have been the leader, Sloan. Not Jake. Not me.”

His dark eyes went veiled. “It’s exactly the way it’s supposed to be, sweetheart.”

Then he ducked into the room next door, leaving her to ponder his cryptic response.

Jamie missed her target completely. Epically, in fact, as the bullet hit the corner of the building thirty yards away and caused a chunk of brick to splinter off.

Loud laughter from her opponents rang behind her. Rylan, who was leading the exercise, strode up to her. “What the hell was that, sweetheart?” Looking exasperated, he tossed over his shoulder, “Blue Team! Ignore what your team leader just did! It’s not to be replicated!”

“Why am I team leader again?” Jamie grumbled, lowering her rifle.

“Because nobody else wanted to do it.”

“
I
don’t want to do it.”

“Sure you do.” Rylan leaned closer and she became distracted by his scent, masculine and heady, a hint of sweat and spice.

But even as she inhaled deeply, there was another scent still lodged in her nose. Lennox, whose familiar smell had surrounded her when his abs were inches from her face two nights ago. When his cock was tunneling in and out of Beckett’s mouth. Lennox’s scent always held a trace of citrus, which confused her because there weren’t exactly any lemon trees in the area. But it was something she’d noticed since they were kids.

“Jamie?”

Crap. She’d spaced out again. “Sorry, what?”

Rylan looked exasperated. “All right. I think it’s time for a break.” He glanced at the crack she’d left in the brick facade, sighed, then cupped both hands over his mouth and shouted, “Grab some water and regroup, everyone! The next event will start in an hour. Until then, pair up and practice those fighting moves.”

Jamie stifled a laugh. They’d already competed in one other “event” this morning – short-range target shooting – and her team had come away with the coveted “point.” Which meant absolutely nothing, because Rylan and Pike’s scoring system didn’t make a lick of sense to her.

There were four teams competing in the training tournament, with Jamie, Lennox, Beckett, and Travis serving as team leaders. Jamie’s group included a teenager named Sara, who’d beat out Lennox’s charge, Randy, to win the shooting competition earlier. The girl had impressed the hell out of Jamie with the way she’d handled that Glock.

Despite the complicated point system, it was obvious the tournament was a resounding success so far. Rylan had posted the schedule of events in the rec hall, and along with keeping track of the scoring, he and Pike were continuing to help the competitors hone their skills. Jamie hadn’t heard a single complaint about the rigorous schedule or the backbreaking physical exertion since the tournament began. It seemed that everyone, young and old, was having fun.

Well, maybe not
everyone
. Lennox had that moody look in his eyes again, she realized when she snuck a peek in his direction. She’d done that a lot today, sneaking glances whenever he wasn’t looking.

Her mind refused to quit obsessing over what had happened at the loft. What the hell did it mean? Why had Lennox let it happen? He’d never, ever gone there with her before. He’d drawn a line between them years ago, right down the center of their friendship, making sure to keep sexual activity firmly on the other side of that line.

And then he’d gone and trampled right through the barrier he’d erected. He’d whispered filthy instructions to Beckett, his husky voice coaxing Jamie to the most intense orgasm of her life. It had scared her so much that she was now avoiding him.

They’d barely exchanged five words these past two days, but Lennox hadn’t once commented on the distance between them. She suspected he was equally uncomfortable about what had happened, but he was expressing that discomfort in a far more hostile way, with sullen looks and the occasional narrowing of his eyes, as if he were trying to burrow into her mind.

“What’s going on with you?” Rylan asked, concern creasing his brow.

She lowered the rifle, letting the strap hang loosely from her shoulder. “I haven’t been sleeping well,” she admitted.

“You should’ve paid me a late-night visit…”

His tone was teasing, but she just rolled her eyes. “Really? Because I’ve barely seen you since we got here.”

Rylan gave a sheepish look. “Yeah… I’ve been busy.”

She bristled inwardly. He’d been busy, all right. Busy ogling Reese.

Rylan’s infatuation with the Foxworth leader wasn’t a big secret, but this time around, his intensity and determination to get into Reese’s pants were alarming. Jamie constantly caught him staring at the redhead, and she didn’t think he’d gotten laid even once since they arrived in Foxworth.

A loud thump caught her attention and she turned her head to find Kade sprawled on the pavement. He was glaring up at Lennox, who was totally unapologetic about the blow he’d delivered.

“You need to stop telegraphing your attack,” Lennox remarked dryly. “I can see every move you’re about to make from a mile away.”

The men had stripped off their shirts for the sparring session, and Jamie’s gaze raked over her best friend’s impressive chest. The roped muscles, the tattoos, the hard six-pack. She wanted to lick every inch of his sinewy golden skin…

No, damn it. She needed to stop thinking about him in that way. Whatever had happened between them in the loft wasn’t going to happen again. She wasn’t allowed to be attracted to Lennox again. Last time it only ended with heartache and frustration. Longing after a boy she couldn’t have, watching him screw every girl in camp except her. It had hurt. And the sting of rejection had stuck with her for months. She didn’t ever want to feel that way again.

She forcibly wrenched her gaze off Lennox and shifted it to Rylan, whose bare chest was equally enticing. Whose defined biceps flexed as he ran a hand through his hair. It was getting longer, falling into his eyes.

Before she could stop herself, Jamie reached out and gently brushed the golden strands off his forehead. God, she needed Rylan to kiss her and distract her from all these confusing feelings. At least with Rylan she knew where they stood – good friendship spiced up with lust. Nothing more.

“Thanks,” he said huskily.

She trailed her fingers along his cheekbone. “How about you come find me later?” she suggested in a voice that sounded breathy to her ears. “Help me fall asleep tonight.”

His blue eyes went heavy-lidded. “I can do that.”

“Good.” Then she leaned in and pressed her mouth to his.

Usually she liked kissing Rylan, but today she found it hard to focus on the teasing strokes of his tongue. And her pulse was surprisingly steady, considering the eagerness with which Rylan was kissing her.

“Son of a bitch, Len! I think you broke my nose!”

Jamie pulled away from the kiss when she heard Kade’s pained cry. Beside her, Rylan snorted, but she didn’t find the situation nearly as amusing. Her concern doubled when Lennox’s gruff voice drifted over to her.

“Jamie, love, we need you.”

Where Rylan’s kiss had failed, Lennox’s words succeeded in making her heart beat a little faster. It was the first time he’d called her
love
since the night with Beckett. Sure, he used that same endearment with every other female, but she liked to think it meant something different with her. Years of history had shaped and strengthened their friendship. It was the single most important relationship in her life, and she knew Lennox felt the same way.

He loved her. And she loved him. Deeply.

Platonically
. She forced herself to remember that as she hurried over to the two men.

Shit. There was a lot of blood. Kade had one hand pressed over his nose, but it wasn’t stopping the sticky stream from oozing between his fingers and dripping down his chest in bright red rivulets.

Lennox flicked his gaze at her. “You got this?”

“On it.” She stepped forward and said, “Let me see, sweetie.”

Kade’s voice was muffled behind his palm. “Bastard broke my nose.”

He sounded so outraged she had to choke down a laugh. They were drawing the attention of the people around them, but Jamie focused solely on Lennox, who didn’t look at all sorry about what he’d done.

“You shoulda moved faster,” he told Kade.

“Fuck off.”

Jamie gently pried Kade’s hand away from his face. “Let me have a look.”

Someone nudged her, and she turned to find Rylan holding out a T-shirt. She used the soft fabric to dab at Kade’s face and mop up the blood, then gingerly touched his nose. His blood stained her fingertips, but it was no longer gushing. The flow had slowed, and it was clear that the bone hadn’t been displaced.

“It won’t need to be set.”

“You sure?” He cursed again. “Because it hurts like a motherfucker.”

She dabbed away more blood. “It’s broken, but it’s a good break. Trust me, just ice it down and let time do all the work. You’re lucky it wasn’t worse.”

“Lucky,” Lennox agreed. “You think it hurts now? Would’ve been worse if she had to set it for you.”

Kade took the shirt and pressed it to his nostrils. “How do you know so much about setting a broken nose?”

Jamie jerked a thumb at Lennox. “Because this asshole got into a lot of fights when we were younger. I had to set his nose half a dozen times.”

“She knows what she’s doing,” Lennox said grudgingly.

Now that her hands weren’t busy, she once again felt awkward in Lennox’s presence. “Go put some ice on it,” she told Kade. She lightly squeezed his arm, then walked off to rejoin her team.

Frustration burned in Lennox’s throat as he watched Jamie go. Shit. He hated the distance between them.
Hated
it. But he knew it was his own damn fault.

He shouldn’t have allowed things to escalate between them the other night. He shouldn’t have sat there stroking his dick while he’d issued brusque orders at Beckett.

Damn it, he couldn’t get Jamie’s moans out of his head. The sounds she’d made when Beckett was fingering her… Every throaty, breathy noise had been imprinted in Lennox’s brain.

But now things were weird between them. She couldn’t even look him in the eye, and she’d barely spoken to him in two days.

His gaze shifted from Jamie to Kade, who was still scowling at him.

“Sorry,” Lennox mumbled. “I got carried away.”

Kade sighed. “It’s fine. You’re right – I need to move faster.”

As the other man left to hunt down some ice, Lennox went over to the cistern to wash his hands. Once again, his gaze sought out Jamie, whose blond head was turned as she spoke to one of the women in her group.

He’d known this would happen. He’d shown her a glimpse of the lust he felt for her, and it had scared her away. She’d been locked up in her room every night since then, and he’d been too chickenshit to knock on her door.

But he couldn’t avoid her forever. Sooner or later they’d have to talk about shit. Which was why, when Rylan and Pike asked for volunteers for the next event, Lennox spoke up in a sharp voice.

“Jamie and I volunteer.”

Her head whirled in his direction, uncertainty flickering in her eyes.

He just smiled.

The members of his team shouted their encouragement as Lennox entered the fighting square Rylan and Pike had set up. Randy slapped his back and said, “You got this, bro,” and Lennox grinned in response. He and the kid were becoming fast friends.

Jamie still hadn’t moved an inch. She stood with her group, her expression more and more unhappy as she watched Lennox stretch one arm behind his head.

“He called you out, gorgeous,” Rylan said in a singsong voice. “Time to represent your team.”

She frowned.

“If you forfeit, the Green Team gets the point…”

“We’ll get the point either way,” Lennox taunted. “She’s hesitating because she knows I’m gonna win.”

Jamie’s nostrils flared. Lennox’s smirk widened. His best friend was competitive by nature, and he knew his challenge wouldn’t go unmet.

Jamie took a quick sip of water, then handed the plastic bottle to the woman beside her. Her team members cheered as she joined Lennox in the ring.

They were completely unmatched in terms of size. At six-two, he towered over her five-four frame, and he had at least eighty pounds on her. But Jamie’s size was deceptive. She’d taken Kade down the other day, and in the past she’d gotten Lennox on his ass more times than he’d like to admit. Though it probably had to do with the fact that she knew him so damn well. Jamie always seemed to sense what he was going to do before he did it, and she adjusted her counterattacks based on that.

“You really want to do this?” she muttered.

She still wasn’t meeting his eyes, so he grabbed her chin and twisted her face toward him. “You scared, love?”

A sneer curled her lips. “Bring it on, baby.”

“Same rules as yesterday,” Pike said. “Three rounds, five minutes each. Winner will be judged on skill, or automatically declared if one of you taps out.”

Lennox cracked his knuckles and grinned at her.

Jamie retaliated by whipping off her tank top, which left her in a cotton bikini bra. “Don’t want to get your blood on my shirt,” she said sweetly.

Her teammates hooted.

He was too busy staring at her tits. The perfect swell of cleavage spilling out of the tiny bra.

Rylan’s sharp whistle signaled the start of the first round, and Jamie came at him so fast he didn’t have time to react. Her fist connected with his jaw with a sharp crack, but Lennox managed to lock her wrist with both hands before she could land another punch. He twisted her arm and spun her around, holding her against his chest in a tight lock.

“Is that all you’ve got?” he whispered in her ear.

She made an angry sound and jammed her elbow into his gut, with enough force that she was able to wiggle out of the hold and stumble backward. Then she bounced on the balls of her feet, both fists up. Her fighting pose was so fucking cute he had to smile.

They circled each other for a few moments, a slow, almost seductive dance that stirred his groin to life. And then it was go time. In the blink of an eye, they both launched forward, fists flying, forearms coming out to block. Even as Lennox worked to restrain himself, to go easy on her, he couldn’t stop the flood of adrenaline that surged through his veins, and it was only fueled by the loud cheers of the crowd around them.