Hounded (Going to the Dogs) (17 page)

“And you screwed it up?”

“Yeah, I screwed it up.” He blinked a couple of times, setting distance between him and his pain. His green eyes twinkled with charm, transforming him from sexy to boyish in a flash.

Jared watched the byplay, and realized that, while there weren’t many women who were totally unaffected by his brother’s magnetism, Poe seemed utterly immune. He figured out what it was a few minutes later. She wasn’t attracted to him, therefore, he didn’t affect her. Other than Pru, whom Jared had never met, he was pretty sure Poe’s unaffected demeanor was a first for Nate. He was also sure that threw Nate a bit.

The other issue with his brother was Daisy could come up in this conversation. Nate didn’t know about the promise to Harper or the reason he was willing to make a fool out of himself on the dance floor for Poe, but he could cause a big problem with the dog.

Right now he had enough problems. He didn’t need his lovesick, drunk, and impetuous brother causing a scene.

“You showed her your cowboy moves yet?”

Jared groaned. “Don’t go down that road, Nate.”

“No, no, you misunderstood.”

“What cowboy moves?”

“I’ll show you, Poe, since Jared is obviously too shy.”

Before Jared could stop him, Nate grabbed Poe and pulled her out of her seat and dragged her to the dance floor.

He spun her into his arms and started moving with her. Poe stumbled a couple of times, but it wasn’t long before she got the hang of the two quick steps and the two slow ones. Jared clenched his fists. When the waitress came by he ordered for all three of them.

He watched them for a couple of minutes—a recipe for disaster. Unable to stand it one minute longer, he rose and strode out to the floor just as the song ended and a slow waltz started up. Nate saw him coming and whispered something in her ear. He tipped his hat to her and smoothly transitioned her right into Jared’s arms.

Texas two-step was like second nature to him, and he moved right into the rhythm of the music just like it was a down home country barn dance.

“I’m sorry. He broke up with his girlfriend and is having a hard time.”

“So Daisy isn’t your dog.”

He sighed. “No.”

“I don’t understand. Why did you call me for this competition?”

“I was doing Miles a favor. He was really upset about dropping out. I needed a dog and my brother had one, so that’s the answer to that.”

“Nate was the one who neglected her. She belonged to his ex-girlfriend, Pru.”

“True.”

“And, why couldn’t you stay with him?”

Jared cleared his throat and was forced to lie outright which made him feel like a complete shit. “He has roommates and there wasn’t any room.”

“Oh, that would have been crowded. When I saw you two together it was hard not to compare you. You can tell you’re brothers. But your physical appearance is where it ends. You’re very different men.

“You’ve been tempered by war and trauma,” she mused. “You’ve changed and grown from that experience. Nate is still struggling with his own personal demons, but you, you’ve already won that struggle.”

“I don’t know that I’ve won. There are still times when I…have to face off with my own head stuff again, but it’s true. Nate always hated ranch life. He moved to New York City to make money.”

“You followed him here to keep an eye on him. Your dad sent you, right?”

“He was worried Nate would need guidance. After I got out of the Marines, I intended to go back home, but…”

“You wanted to make sure Nate would make it. Would be all right.” She cupped his face, and he knew then, to his bones, there would be nothing he wouldn’t do for Poe. “You’re a good man, Jared.”

“He’s my dumbass little brother.”

He kissed her as the song wound down to the end.

When they headed back to the table, Nate was entertaining three women. The waitress was just delivering their meal.

“Wow, that was quick work,” Poe said.

All of a sudden Poe stopped walking, turned to look out at the dance floor, then at him.

“Oh my God. Callie was right.”

Callie was right about what?”

“Your comfort zone. I’ve been going about all this the wrong way. We can win The Fur Ball!”

“Poe, slow down. What do you mean?”

“I don’t need to teach you to dance. You already know how to dance.”

“Two-stepping.”

“Yes, two-stepping. All we have to do is change the routine. In fact, you could probably come up with something better than I can. You work on that and you choose the music.”

Jared smiled, then out of the corner of his eye he saw a burly guy approach the table and grab one of the girls. Nate rose and words were exchanged.

“Damn my brother. He’s instigating a fight.”

“What? Why?”

“He thinks he needs a good thrashing.”

“He doesn’t?”

“No, he does, but if anyone going to kick his ass, it’s going to be me.”

The guy threw a punch and it landed heavily on Nate’s jaw. Jared got there in time to stop Nate from throwing his own fist. “We’re leaving, little brother.”

Poe rushed over and grabbed her bag, indicated to the waitress the food was to go, and followed her to pay for it while Jared escorted his brother out of the place.

When she showed up with the food, she said, “Let’s just take him to my apartment, Jared. He shouldn’t be alone.”

Back at her apartment, he stewed while Poe doctored up her brother’s fat lip. Fat head was more like it.

Nate stumbled out of the bathroom and disappeared into the room Jared had been sleeping in.

“Let him sleep it off.”

“Thanks for putting up with him.”

“It was no problem. I’m used to doctoring up alphas who’ve been in a fight.”

When she saw the rope in his hand, she looked at him, confused.

“I have a bargain for you.” He pulled off his t-shirt and set Nate’s black Stetson on his head. Poe breathed deep.

“What’s the bargain?”

“You are so hell-bent on taking care of yourself, let me teach you some moves that will incapacitate an assailant so you can get away.”

“This involves tying him up with the rope.”

“Nope, as incentive to master these moves, I’ll show you some rope tricks I think could be incorporated into our routine.”

“And the bare chest?”

“Oh, darlin’, that’s purely for you.”

“Okay, but a little dinner first, okay?”

After they’d eaten the delicious Tex-Mex, he couldn’t remember
what
they’d eaten. Poe had been ogling Jared’s bare chest. He led her to the roof. “Since you were actually mugged, let’s start with some moves you can use in that type of situation.”

“He blindsided me.”

“In that case, whatever you’re doing, the best defense is being aware of what’s going on around you. So next time you’re walking the dogs, focus on where you are and who might be near you.”

“I will admit. I was preoccupied with something. I will be more aware from now on.”

“Good. That will stop a lot of potential problems before they start. It’s not about winning. It’s about getting away. So, for example, if you knock the wind out of him, you don’t need to do anything more—just run. That’s a win to me.”

“What if he has a weapon?”

“All bets are off if the person is armed. Just do what he wants. Getting stabbed, shot at, or beaten is not worth the money in your wallet and canceling a few credit cards. This also means knowing when you are beaten. There is no way to win every fight, and not admitting defeat will just get you hurt.

“This isn’t always easy to do, but you also need to stay calm. Many people get freaked out when violence is involved. Totally understandable. But the mistake is not acting quickly enough, or not at all. It’s easier said than done, but if you can keep your shit together it will be well worth it. Try not to be afraid. One easy way to do this is to remember he’s not the only one fighting, and you can hurt him. For all he knows you could have gotten advice from a badass Marine, and he’s the one who should be afraid.”

“Damn straight.”

“This is the street. There are no rules. That means pull hair, gouge eyes, pinch, bite, fish hook, and whatever you need to do to get out of this situation.”

“That is out of my realm of thinking. Most regular people are really hesitant to hurt someone.”

“I know. But remember, this guy isn’t civilized. He’s out to either hurt you or rob you. You have a right to defend yourself. It’s best to get your licks in first. Recovering from getting hit, especially for a woman, is more difficult. If you go for him first, that will catch him off guard, which will also give you an advantage. Hit and run, darlin’, those are the goals.”

Jared beckoned her closer. “Close the distance, and I’ll show you how this is important in a minute. If you are too close for him to strike you, then you can’t get hurt. Men’s arms are longer. The clinch is one of the best places to strike your opponent. From here you can dish out elbows, knees, and some close-range punches, and that’s your advantage.” He demonstrated to her how his reach didn’t work with her this close to him. She grabbed onto his biceps and he laughed. “Get serious. Although, if you do that, you might distract him enough for a groin shot.”

She slipped her hand up his chest and smiled. “The clinch?”

“That’s directly in front of him.” His voice went rough. “So, if you get close, take him to the ground. But make sure you’re close.”

“Close? You said that twice. Are you distracted?”

“Close,” he murmured.

“Like this?” she said, moving deeper into his personal space.

He took a deep breath. “You are distracting me and I could easily be brought to my knees,” he whispered.

“I like that I distract you, Jared.” She tipped her head back, her hair sliding across her shoulders, her full lips parting.

He cupped her under the arms and lifted her up and against him until her face was level with his. “I’m trying to teach you something useful, darlin’”

“Uh huh,” she said, her eyes on his lips. “And it’s oh-so-very-sexy. You’re the one who put on that cowboy hat and took your shirt off.”

He chuckled. He stared into her blue, blue eyes, so lost. Everything he was going to say disappeared in a puff of smoke. He slanted his head as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “You’re killing me slowly, Poe.”

“Feeling is mutual, Jared. Are we almost done?”

“I was just going to talk about the best places to hit a guy.”

“I already know that,” she said. “In the heart.”

He groaned, going rock-hard. She leaned in, her mouth hovering over his, the heat of her searing his blood. With another groan, filled with surrender, he pressed his mouth to hers, taking her lips hot and hard. She wrapped her legs around his waist. He ravaged her mouth, unable to breathe, unable to stop. His chest expanded as he gasped for air, inhaling raggedly. Then his hands cupped her bottom. He wasn’t giving anyone a show with Poe on the roof. He broke the kiss, dropping his chin as his chest heaved. He cradled her against him. He let her slide down his body.

“I know some moves, too, right,” she said.

“Oh?” he said, the blood pumping through his veins. “You got more than that? Show me.”

She pressed her hips against his and bent her head and laved his nipple with her tongue. Jared closed his eyes, his knees going weak.

“Yeah,” he said hoarsely, “that’s an amazing move. But what about your training and my rope tricks?”

“Oh, those can wait. I’ve got some tricks of my own I want to show you. They involve torture.”

A wicked grin flashed across his face. “Would this be reciprocal torture?”

She laughed huskily, clearly unthreatened.

She led him back downstairs, his blood now roaring in his ears. After the door closed behind them, he tugged on the drawstring of her pants, loosened the ties and skimmed his palm over her hips, dipped his hand between her thighs, and discovered she wasn’t wearing any panties. She was also hot and wet, and his fingers slipped inside her with ease, stroking deep. She moaned and arched into him, her eyes glazing over with passion.

“Oh yeah,” he rasped as he drew out the tension he was building within her, watching as she shuddered with need. “It would be my absolute pleasure to torture you.”

#

The moon filtered through the trees and illuminated Jared’s sleeping face. Poe studied his features and sighed. Even though she’d thought she was beaten, Jared had still come through for her. She would work hard in the next four days, but she knew in her bones this was the answer. Jared knew how to two-step and that was half the battle. He’d come to Miles’ rescue and inadvertently to hers.

She shifted closer to him, and though he was fast asleep, his arms tightened around her. That terrible sense of imbalance hit her again, only this time really hard. What was it about him that caused that inexplicable disquiet? Now that they had figured everything out.