Under Pressure [IAD Agency] (Siren Publishing Classic) (19 page)

Bella just smiled.

Rock and Adrian congratulated them both, and Slade winked at Bella. “Can I be the first to kiss the bride?”

“Not if you want to live,” Jason growled, rubbing his stomach. Bella laughed gaily and reached out to stroke her hand down his arm as Brett leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Jason shoved him away, warning him that his beard was scratching Bella’s skin.

Brett ran his good hand over the stubble on his chin and cast Bella a sheepish grin. “Sorry, I’m…ah, well, I’m just off assignment. I don’t usually look like a serial killer.”

“Nah, serial killers look just like everybody else. You usually look like a crazed, drugged-out biker.” Adrian threw a paper clip at him.

Brett easily caught it and whipped it back at him in retaliation with his good arm. Bella waved away his apology, leaving the boys to their games. “I wanted to go grocery shopping after class for Tara’s dinner. Which one of you is on guard duty today?”

“I could go,” Brett offered.

“You still need to debrief,” Jason reminded. “And you need to take it easy.”

“I’m fine.”

Jason reached out and squeezed Brett’s shoulder, causing him to wince.

“Damn, you’re a mean bastard. You’re right, but I wanna go. I heard all about the goodies you guys get to eat.”

Bella tried to hold back her chuckle at the pout the dangerous man was sporting. “I’ll bring you back a sample,” she promised straight faced.

Brett immediately perked up. “Could you bring some for Lynx, too? I know you haven’t met her yet, but she was also ah…injured on our last assignment, and I know she would appreciate it.”

Bella assured him that she would bring some for both of them as the other men started to argue who would be taking her to school that afternoon.

Jason quickly cut them off, raising a hand for silence. “I’m going with you, love. Slade, for that shit about kissing, you’re stuck here with Sal. Continue with the search. Also look into that recon project that Blade and Sin are on. I want an update later. Rock, Adrian, you’re with us.”

Both of the twins immediately stood up before he could change his mind.

“Hey, why don’t I get to go?” Sal argued. Jason pinned him with cold gray eyes.

Bella’s husky laugh interrupted them. “You hit him, Sal. And remember if you ever hit him again you’ll have to deal with me. And as your punishment for today, you can think about the
napoleon del lampone
I’m making in class today.”

“Ah, sweetheart, that is just so mean.”

“What are you making?” Adrian asked.

Sal looked so forlorn it was comical. “Raspberry napoleons.”

Brett was back to looking sullen. “Man, this sucks. We’ll continue the search from here, and I’ll shoot you whatever we find.”

Jason paused. “From here?”

Sal shot him a look. “Don’t worry, Mac. I’ll try not to piss on your furniture.”

Jason made a move toward him, but Bella wrapped her arms around him, holding him in place.

Sal smirked. “Who knew? Bella is my own personal security system.”

Bella shot her brother a look. “Just remember not to piss me off or I might let him pound you into the ground, you smart-ass.” She laughed at his pouting face as she pulled Jason with her out the door.

Adrian and Rock followed, but they could hear Sal’s mournful sigh as they left. With thoughts of raspberry confections running through his head, Rock thought he got the best gig yet. Adrian stuck his head back in and promised to tell them how it tasted.

“Fuck you, dick.”

With a laugh, he left.

The napoleons were finished.

A collective sigh went through the room as the flaky pastries were placed on the counter in front of Bella and Jenna so the whole room could see. Bella knew that the confectionary looked perfect with its glazed red-and-white icing. It was gratifying to show the class how the dessert was supposed to look at the end of their labor.

“All right, guys, get to work. Jenna and I will help you if you get stuck.” Turning to Jenna, Bella studied her carefully. “Jenna, you’re an awesome chef, but your pastry skills are exceptional. I’ve never had these come out so perfect.”

“Hmm, what? Oh, really? Thanks, Bella! That means a lot to me. Your recipe for this is killer. The crème is to die for.”

Bella looked at her new friend with a speculative glance. Jenna was nervous, had been all day. Ever since she had walked into the room at ten that morning, Jenna had not been her usual self. Bella wondered what was going on with her. Sneaking a peak toward the front, she decided that there sat the reason. Or should she say reasons.

As soon as Ryan and Adrian Savage locked onto Jenna, their penetrating eyes had never left her. Either one or both men had kept an interested, watchful eye on every move that Jenna made. It was obvious their attention made her nervous.

Jenna was shy. She was a pretty woman, but Bella realized that she was self-conscious and didn’t realize her appeal. So what she was not stick thin? Jenna had a full woman’s body, and Bella thought she should stop hiding it in big baggy clothes she always wore. Both of them were wearing chef’s jackets now, so it didn’t matter, but she wondered what the brothers would think if they saw Jenna’s big breasts in a wicked low-cut shirt. Bella knew underneath the chef’s hat she wore, Jenna had long beautiful mahogany tresses that she usually wore back in a ponytail. It would be a blast to build up her self-esteem, give her a makeover, and let the inner wild woman lose.

On the other hand that could also be bad, Bella thought, sliding another covert glance toward the men. Considering she wasn’t sure if Jenna was ready to take on a man like Rock or Adrian, let alone both of them. Jason had told her the twins shared everything together, literally everything, even their women.

After doing a round to check on the progress, Bella came back to lean on the counter next to her assistant. “Hey, Jenna, are you busy tomorrow night?”

“No, not really. I mean I don’t have plans. Why?”

“I’m having a party for a friend of mine tomorrow. It’s her birthday. I’m cooking a big dinner for Tara and our friends and wanted to know if you want to come.”

A bright smile lit up Jenna’s face. “I would love to! I could make the birthday cake if you want. I wanted to try a new white-chocolate lavender-buttercream recipe, and I could make it for tomorrow.”

“That would be perfect! You really don’t mind?”

“Not at all! I can come help with the dinner prep, too, if you want. I don’t mind really. I can start everything at my place tonight and bring it over and complete it there. Where are you hosting this party?”

“Oh, at Jason’s…umm, our apartment.” She looked sheepish. “I still have to get used to that. I’ll give you the address after class. Thank you so much for offering to make the cake. If you want, you can come over early and I can help.”

“Don’t worry about the cake. I got it covered. I will go to the market after class.”

Bella glanced over at the three large men guarding the front of her classroom. She smiled despite the fact that she was still a little pissed at them.

On the ride to school Adrian had let slip that there had been another threatening message left on her apartment answering machine. They had been coming since Tuesday, and no one had told her about them. The number they had traced was to a prepaid cell phone and gave them little to go on. All three men had got a severe tongue lashing for keeping that information from her.

Bella had put Jason in his place when she had asked how he would feel if she had been getting weird calls on her cell phone, too, and she didn’t tell him. Jerking the car to the side of the road, cars honked at them as Jason slammed the car to a stop and glared at her.

He had demanded that she hand over her phone. She hissed back at him, saying she hadn’t been getting calls. Smugly she had told him that obviously he wouldn’t be pleased if she had been keeping something from him and that she had every right to be pissed at him.

Jason had been smart enough to look guilty and had apologized grudgingly.

Men.

Bella watched as Jenna snuck another look at the men sitting quietly at the front of the room. Deciding to test her earlier theory and not wanting to talk to them herself yet, Bella carefully cut generous slices of the thick pastry they had prepared earlier and placed them on small plates.

“Jenna?”

“Hmm?”

“Can you take these pieces to the guys? I want them to have a taste.” Bella looked up to see Jenna’s horrified face before she quickly masked her reaction with a forced smile, a blush staining her cheeks.

“Oh, umm, sure.”

Jenna took the three plates of the pastry and expertly balanced them as she walked toward the front of the room. Two pairs of emerald-green eyes tracked her unblinking as she approached. Jenna couldn’t help the shudder that ran up her spine. Out of all the men who had been around guarding Bella, the Savage twins intimidated her the most.

To avoid looking at their large, beautiful, muscular bodies, Jenna went to Jason MacBain first. She knew even though he didn’t look up he was aware that she was approaching. When she reached the desk where he sat, piercing gray eyes met hers. She was happy for Bella and their engagement. The way he looked at Bella, full of love, made her wish for a man to look at her like that.

“Umm…Jason,” her voice squeaked out. She delicately cleared her voice and tried again. “Do you want to try the napoleon?”

“Very much so, thank you.” Jason took the plate from her and shot her a warm smile before Jenna turned to the two men staring at her.

“Umm…Ryan…Adrian do you want a taste?” She held out the plates. She had remembered when they had introduced themselves the serious-looking twin had told her that everyone called him Rock, but she couldn’t bring herself to call him that. Ryan seemed so much…safer.

A slow, wicked smile spread across Adrian’s face. “Yeah, yeah, I want a taste.” She had a sneaking suspicion he wasn’t talking about the dessert. Jenna almost dropped them before she quickly recovered and shoved both plates at them, hurrying away.

Adrian looked over at his brother not saying a word. Rock never took his eyes off Jenna, but Adrian could hear what he was thinking.
You can run but you can’t hide.

He agreed.

Oblivious to the arousal swirling in the wake of Jenna’s retreat, Jason noticed the director of the school walking toward the room with another man. Jason watched curiously as the director all but genuflected to the other man before gesturing to the door to Bella’s classroom. He stood up to meet them at the door, but the door burst open before he could and a devastatingly handsome Italian man with dark wavy hair stepped into the room.

Immediately, Adrian and Rock stepped forward to block the man from going any further without seeming to move.

The man ignored them, looking around the room until he saw Bella. A wide smile broke, and his eyes danced with pleasure.
“
Bella! Il mio amore, la mia bellezza! Il mio piacere piccolo dolce!
”

“Gio!
”
Bella laughed and ran to the man, ignoring the guards. His arms closed around her, and he picked her up in a hug, making Jason see red.

Jason’s temper was soaring through the stratosphere watching this man put his hands on his woman. Temper flared to a jealous rage as the man leaned down and enthusiastically kissed her full on the lips. Jason had silently moved into position in order to strike out at the man before Bella had reached them. Shock at her happiness to see this unknown man had him frozen in place. The dark spreading jealousy was making him want to kill, but for the first time he was unsure how to proceed.

Bella pulled back and put her hands on the side of Gio’s face, affection shining brightly on her face.

That was it. He couldn’t take it anymore.

“Get your fucking hands off her.” Unable to stay silent, Jason’s dangerously quiet voice broke through Bella’s surprise.

Gio tried to push Bella behind him as if to protect her. “
Bella, tesoro.
Who is this?”

Jason sized up the other man with a glance. He had a lean muscular build, like that of a prize-fighting boxer or some other professional athlete. He had a brilliant smile on his face, but his eyes held a hard, dangerous edge.

He could always tell by the eyes.

This was a man not to be underestimated.

“
I am her fiancé
,” Jason rapidly snapped back in Italian. “I said get. Your. Fucking. Hands. Off. Her. ” He took a menacing step forward, and Rock quietly moved to block the open doorway. Adrian had moved to the side, effectively blocking Bella and Gio in a dangerous triangle.

Uh-oh.
Bella knew that Jason in protective mode was not a good thing, especially to her friend Gio’s health.

She roughly pushed Gio to the side and rushed up to place a hand on Jason’s chest, but he quickly had her behind him.

“Jason! This is Giovanni Cossi, one of my best friends and a brilliant chef. Jason! He’s my friend!”