Their Ex's Redrock Serial Bundle 1-4 (18 page)

Tess jumped backward. “Shoot,” she blurted. Cabe’s face was very close, turned down to look at her. “She’s seen you,” Tess warned him in a whisper, and she saw raw pain tensing across his features.

Damn them, damn all cheaters to hell,
she thought.

Suddenly, Cabe grabbed her, pulling her on tottering heels against the hard line of his body. His hand gripped her chin, pressing it upward, and then his mouth covered her lips. Holy hell! Cabe was
kissing
her! Protest was in her mind—one second before all her senses melted into a hot kiss from a
really
hot guy.

Seconds later, she felt Cabe moving them around in a circle as they kissed. Then she heard an exclamation behind her. Cabe’s really nice mouth lifted from her lips, but he continued to hold her against him as she dazedly looked at Cabe’s wife glaring daggers at them.

“How
dare
you kiss my husband!” Cabe’s wife exclaimed.

“Vega, your fucking tongue was just down Tilly’s throat,” Cabe snarled back at her.

Uh oh,
domestic battle begins, Tess thought, as she found out Cabe’s wife’s name was Vega. Very unusual ... Then something
wiped
the drama, playing out in her space, as she locked gazes
with
Vincent.

She’d never disengaged from an embrace quicker, pushing Cabe so hard, she nearly fell backward, but Vincent stalked forward and caught her. Not holding her close, but at arm’s length.

Cabe’s voice came close to her ear. “Thanks for helping me grab some dignity.” Then Cabe stopped by Vincent and growled at him. “You ever fuck up with her, I’m moving in.” Then Cabe stalked away with Vega skipping after him, exclaiming.

Vincent’s hand tightened on her arm as she opened her mouth to explain, but right then a new voice invaded. “T, you
have
to take me back or we’ll be bankrupt!”

Tess ignored that startling revelation from her husband, closing in on them, as she gripped Vincent’s arm back, trying to draw nearer to him. “He kissed me. I didn’t expect it. I swear it was ...” Vincent’s features were etched as if he held back enormous amounts of fury.

“What are you doing here
with
him,” Steven demanded, and she felt his hand on her shoulder. “
What’s
going on here?”

Her eyes widened in alarm, and then her mouth opened and closed with no sound as she looked helplessly at Vincent, basically begging him with her gaze to help her. While she held her breath, waiting to see if he would save her. He looked no less of lean, masculine, suppressed fury when he tugged her into the line of his body and she quaked in relief.

“Get your fucking hand
off
her,” Vincent snarled, then she was transported, still stuck to Vincent’s side, but away from Steven.

“That’s my wife!” Steven started to exclaim.

“
Was
your wife,” Vincent growled. “Now she’s
my
woman
.
”

Steven looked thunderstruck, his gaze jumping between them. “No way,” Steven uttered.

“Oh yeah, fucking
way
,” Vincent spat. “Your and Luna’s fucking affair helped us meet.”

Well, if a person could look like their head blew off, that was what Steven looked like. Tess just hoped she’d not royally messed up all Vincent’s plans as she hugged Vincent’s side, while glaring at Steven.

“You two are ...” Steven pointed back and forth between them. “You two are ...” He did it again, then hissed, “
To
gether.”

Tess finally found her voice. “Talk to my lawyer, Steven. I don’t want to talk to you
ever
again.”

Tess tugged on Vincent, trying to get him to move. She didn’t want bloodshed, which looked as if Vincent was willing and very capable of doing.

Steven blurted, “You can’t be together, it’s illegal or something.”

Tess’ mouth fell open. “Grow up,” she snapped at Steven, really tugging on Vincent, who finally moved.

She grabbed her purse and wrap in a sweep by, while Vincent basically flew her toward the entryway into the bar with his arm around her back.

“I’ll
tell
fucking Luna,” Steven yelled behind them, snapping Vincent to a halt. Tess grabbed Vincent’s black western shirt, at his waist, holding on. “
Your
wife,” Steven further hissed.

Vincent turned a stark gaze back at Steven. “Sorry, sucker, you lost Luna to Coronado. Are you going through him?”

Tess heard Steven make an actual whining sound, but Vincent was pulling her forward again. Luna was with
another
guy now, Tess wondered, and then it popped out of her head with Vincent’s growled voice.

“Next time, I’m handcuffing you to the bed.”

Tess jerked at his suppressed fury, but she so agreed with him. She’d not listened and showed up where he’d told her not to, and then she’d kissed a hot guy. She groaned at her reckless brainlessness. Still, hope skipped through her because Vincent had growled “next time” and “bed” in the same sentence about her.

She grabbed his arm, trying to keep up, and she saw they were heading outside. “Did the vote go your way, Vincent?”

Maybe she’d try to deflect onto other subjects, instead of the subject of being lip-locked with one of his best friends. Why had she done that! Well, she kind of knew why, but she’d never be able to explain it to Vincent and make him agree it was for a good cause. Like getting back at a cheating spouse.

“Bitch is cut out,” Vincent uttered.

Well, that was good, Tess thought. They’d arrived at Vincent’s truck. Maybe she should try apologizing, because the carved features on his face scared her. “I didn’t mean to mess anything up, honey, I just needed to be here for you—”

“In
that
dress,” he demanded over her words.

Okay, well, the dressing up was a symbol of ... Who was she kidding? She’d been desperate to outdo Luna. Vincent swung the passenger-side door open on his truck and herded her that way. Basically backing her up to it.

“She’s so beautiful,” Tess whispered.

Vincent stopped, with his hands holding her waist, not lifting her up into his truck as he looked at her closely. “I’m never fucking going to get women,” he said in a quiet voice devoid of eighty percent of his anger.

There was that. She agreed ... but... “I couldn’t arrive in just regular clothes. Not tonight. It’d be like you giving up on that vote to get Luna out of your charities.”

His hands tightened on her waist and she knew he was going to lift her, while he leaned close to her ear. Then, as he lifted, he uttered, “Baby, it’s just not the same.”

Her butt hit the seat and she swung her legs over. Well, maybe he was right, but it was kind of the same and maybe he’d get a little bit of it. Either way, she wasn’t going to argue with him about it, not with “the kiss” still hanging out there.

But he
was
calling her “baby.” She thought that was a very good sign. Vincent let go of her waist, then he stood back, looking at her. Actually, it was a long and slow sweep of his gaze lingering over the sweetheart cleavage of her dress, trying to hold her breasts from falling out, and then down to where she tugged on the super-short hem of her mini, which was barely covering her intimate parts. His gaze landed on her slut heels. Yeah, four-inchers were all about the inner slut, baby.

Warmth saturated her in ripples ...
everywhere
. He muttered something she didn’t catch, then he grabbed the door and slammed it shut. She jumped a little, while furiously thinking about how to soothe him and make up for all her blunders, because she was just glad he was in the same truck with her.

Vincent glanced over at Tess, huddled as far away as she could get from him on the other side of his truck. That damn dress saved her from him killing her. He glanced back and forth while driving looking over it again, hugging to her curves like sparkling illuminations. What the parts of the little, hot dress covering her did, were nearly as arousing as all the parts
not
covered by it.

While he should be pissed at Tess showing up when he’d asked her not to (ordered), Tess kissing Cabe (plastered to him). And Tess even thinking she needed to try to outdo Luna (a bad idea but unnecessary because Tess crawling out of a mud hole could outdo Luna, one hundred to one). He was mad because he had to keep his damn hands off her, after seeing her wearing that please-fuck-me, naughty dress.

After,
he’d promised her, and himself he was going to slow it down. Maybe she wasn’t as sweet as he thought? His cock thought she was dirty, and it wanted to prove it. Making him growl deep in his throat. He needed to get his mind off that dress and Tess’ curves in it.

He stopped the truck at a red light and reached behind the seat, grabbing his leather, which he pulled free and tossed at Tess.

“Put that on,” he ordered curtly.

He got her wide, light blue eyes trying to gauge his growled voice. Then he turned his eyes forward so as not to watch the movements of her body as she pulled on his jacket. At the next light, he looked back and she was covered better, except for her legs and the damn sexy heels she was wearing.

His cell rang and he’d use any excuse to get his mind off Tess naked in bed while he performed his brand of punishment on her, so he pulled it out of his pocket.

A thumb swipe later had both he and Tess hearing a man’s voice. “I can make your wife a sensation or
break
her career. I can keep her on her knees
sucking
my cock or give her back to you, all you got to do, Indian, is be nice to
me
.”

Tess gasped but covered her mouth and silenced most of it, as he cut his gaze to her, telling her with a look to be quiet. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea Tess hear this. Then she’d have no doubt about his feelings.

“Coronado, I served divorce papers on her tonight. You can fucking have her.”

“I don’t think you get me, Indian ...” Coronado started to say.

“
No
, you are not feeling me, asshole,” Vincent shot back. “You got no hold on me now
or
ever. You just bought a worthless pussy, and I will be talking to the Feds you come dicking around my tribe’s casino again. I divorced her before you, not because of you, but I hope you fucking find out why, now that
you got
her.”

Vincent cut the call and tossed the cell on the seat between him and Tess as he tried to make his hands not strangle the steering wheel. He felt Tess’ hand on his bicep and he didn’t shrug it off as he drove. Then her perfume grew stronger and her body pressed against his side while her head leaned on his shoulder. She was blessedly quiet, showing her support, as he drove them to his ranch house.

Fucking Luna could have the big monstrosity of a mansion she’d pleaded with him to buy on the west end of town. He didn’t have to give it to her because of the prenup, but he didn’t want it and never had.

He lifted his arm, putting it around Tess and pulling her tighter into him, where she felt perfect as he wondered if he had to make it crystal fucking clear to Cabe that Tess
was
taken.

W
hen he got Tess into his house, she looked at him warily, while being swallowed up in his big leather jacket. Hell she looked cute, as he worked to keep a stern look on his face.

“I’m sorry I went there.” She gave him a hopeful look. When he just stared at her, she tried, “Kissing him was revenge on all cheaters.”

Well damn ... he got that, didn’t he? “You're with me, those lips
are
mine.”

She nodded vigorously, more hope filling her eyes. One of her hands came up, palm out, as if taking a pledge, while his jacket sleeve sagged off her arm. “I swear that will never happen again.”

“Once Cabe and Finn get you are mine, it will
never
happen again.”

He watched Tess’ pink-tinted lips open, and then close, as if she couldn’t find the words, before she muttered, “I’ve never had this happen before. I don’t know what is wrong.”

“What happen?” he asked, trying not to smile.

She waved her hand. “Guys just, well ... liking me or something.
Hot
ones,” she added.

He let go of the fact she thought Cabe and Finn were hot. “Sweet and sexy woman ’comes available men are going to step in and see if they got a shot.”

She looked at him as if he was crazy. “That just does not happen,” she declared, with her hand falling to her side.

He walked closer, cupping her jaw, bringing her gaze higher on him as he traced her lips with his gaze. “It’s happening.” Those pretty, kissable lips parted, as he added, “I get it. The promise of sweet. You just have to shut it down, if they get in your space.”

“Okay,” she whispered.

A half-smile lifted his lips. “We’re on ‘no sex and get to know’ right now,” he said. “But you owe me for being so naughty.”

Her gaze tripped across his. “A spanking,” she squeak-whispered.

He nodded, with his erection thudding harder. “I owe you
that
... later. Now on Friday, you and I, and that fucking dress... I’m taking you out.” Then he muttered, “Don’t know how I will keep my dick out of you wearing that, but I deserve being seen with you on my arm, in
that
dress. Get it?”

She nodded, lifting her lips to his by the look on his face alone commanding her to, and he settled for only a kiss sealing the deal, keeping it light and without body contact, before he pulled back. Then he stepped back. Tess looked disappointed and he got that, but he was going to show her that he could court her and maybe make sure his dick was right about her.

Tess went upstairs to change and came back down with her face scrubbed clean of makeup, her hair in a ponytail, and wearing one of his tee shirts over jeans. Cute as hell. They sat on the couch and he flipped on the TV, scrolling until he found a reality cooking show he half-assed watched. He knew they weren’t done talking, and he thought he needed to teach Tess the way he liked sitting on the couch with her. It wasn’t with her at one end and him on the other.