Wicked Bad Boys (36 page)

She looked up at him. A look of concern crowded his face. She didn’t want to hide anything from him. He needed to know.

“Jake…he was here.” She wiped a tear from her eyes. “We need to talk.”

K
evin sat down
. Tara looked like she was filled with all of the opposite emotions he had been feeling all night. She reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him to sit beside her. There was sheer panic on her face.

“What did he want?” he asked softly.

“I thought it was you at the door. But when I opened the door I saw Jake standing there. It was awkward. He’s never been here before. And I had no idea why he would be here. Things got weirder after he came in.”

He looked down at their hands, fingers entwined the way he wanted their bodies to be right now. He squeezed it to encourage her to continue.

“Talk to me,” he said gently.

“I’m afraid,” she finally spoke up. “I’m scared because I don’t want things to fall into another hole we can’t get out of. I don’t want you to think I’m making too much of this.”

Tara didn’t want to get into it because she feared Kevin would instantly take his brother’s side. No one could blame him for defending his brother. Yet, she hoped he could grasp how frightened she was. She needed Kevin to be there for her, no matter what she was about to tell him.

“I realize what happened before and I’m sorry about my part in it. I don’t want it to dissuade you from telling me what clearly is bothering you. Just tell me.”

She still wouldn’t make eye contact.

“Look at me. Tara, you’re scaring me. What did Jake do?”

She finally brought her eyes up to meet his. “I started to get presents. First it was just a letter, then chocolate, and flowers, and finally…” she reached to the coffee table and handed him the bracelet, “and finally this bracelet.”

Kevin looked down at the charms and saw each one represented something Tara enjoyed. He looked up at her with confusion, tilting his head.

“Who gave you the bracelet?”

She sighed. “I thought they were from you. We were having our problems but I thought this was your way of saying you still wanted to be with me. Today I found out that they were all from Jake.”

He nearly dropped the bracelet, hearing the words come out of her mouth.

“Jake?” His chest felt like it was just hit by a freight train.

“He told me that he loves me and then he kissed me and I was pushing him off of me, and…”

“What? Did…did he hurt you?” He stood up from the couch, staring down at her. His fists clenched. Just the possibility that Jake was there plagued his mind.

“I’ll fucking kill him!” he said, angered almost to breaking point.

“No,” she said, trying to calm him down. “I pushed him away. The way he was looking at me…it just made me uncomfortable.”

“I’ll make sure he leaves you alone. I promise…” He sat down next to her. “I won’t let him bother you.”

“I don’t know if it’s going to be so easy.”

“Of course it is.”

“Kevin, he thinks I just need time to take it all in. He believes I’ll eventually come around and see he is the one for me.” She shook her head. “I didn’t know what else to do. I had to tell him I would think about it to get him to leave.”

He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her in close. He kissed the top of her forehead, relieved she was all right.

“It’s okay,” he whispered. “I’ll figure out a way to fix everything. I won’t let him come around you again.”

She looked up at him. “It’s not going to be easy, Kevin. He was…so insistent.”

He forced a smile, trying to dispel some of the rage still locked in his chest.

“Where there’s a will…there’s a way. We just will limit the time we spend together at my house. In only a few months I’ll be done with this class and we’ll be heading to Montana.”

She smiled. “I can’t wait.”

“Neither can I.” He pulled her to him. “Don’t worry, ok? I’ll take care of it.”

Kevin gave her a brief kiss, hoping to get her mind off Jake’s bold-faced visit. After a moment she seemed to finally relax against him. He needed to get both their minds off of everything that had been going on, and being this close to her was like therapy. His anger fell away as he remembered why he was at her house.

“I love you so much, Tara,” he whispered. “I won’t ever let anyone hurt you.”

As he heard her let out a seductive moan, it was his erotic call to action. He lowered her down to the arm of the couch and let her head rest on the soft padding as he sought out her lips. She met his kiss with hunger, giving him every confidence he needed to possess her. His hand slipped up the back of her shirt and massaged her back as he deepened into their kiss. He moved in to slowly lift her shirt up, but he felt her pushing him back slightly.

“Do you mind if we go somewhere else?” she asked.

He nodded. “I’ll go anywhere with you, Tara.”

He pulled himself off the couch and reached for her hand to pull her up. Tara grabbed her coat and keys, and led him to the front door. Kevin didn’t know where she wanted to go, but he did know that come tomorrow he was going to have a talk with his younger brother and everything would be put to rest. Jake was not going to come between them again. There was no way Kevin would let that happen.

T
ara felt better
as soon as she left the house. She held on to Kevin’s hand as he drove through town. When she suggested going to a place they hadn’t been since they were kids, he was only too eager to oblige. It was a simple escape; something they had discovered when they were trying to stay clear of their parents. Best of all, back then, the place was easy to get to on their childhood bikes.

They turned the last corner at the edge of town and the familiar view came into sight. It was hidden deep in the woods, with no sign of activity. The place was just the way she had remembered it. It was also where she had first realized her love of stargazing. On a clear night you could see thousands of them. They parked along the edge of the driving path. It was peaceful, sitting in the car while the moonlight peeked through the window.

She turned to Kevin and saw he was already smiling at her.

“You want to get out?” he asked.

“In a minute,” she said, turning to look out her window. “You do believe me, right?” she asked.

“I most definitely believe you, Tara,” he whispered, running his finger along her jawline. “I know you would never lie to me.”

His finger trailed along her chin and she sighed with relief.

“I love you, Tara” he whispered, leaning in for a kiss. “You’re everything to me,” he breathed, parting from her lips. “My only regret is I didn’t get you those gifts. My brother has me beat there.”

“Don’t say that,” she said, wrapping her fingers around his neck and pulling him closer. “I don’t need gifts. I just need you.”

His lips touched hers and it felt electric. She didn’t want him to ever stop. She shifted in her seat, trying to get comfortable. The gearshift was lodged in her side. A laugh escaped her between their kiss, as she shifted around in the seat.

“It’s no use.” She pulled away. “Your car won’t cut it.”

He nodded. “Agreed,” he said.

He opened up the car door and came over to open her door.

“Coming?” he asked.

She giggled, stepping out as Kevin walked to the trunk and pulled out two large blankets.

“Here?” she asked, a gleam in her eye.

She removed her jacket, ready for his confirmation. She would get plenty warm without needing it.

“It’s just as good as any place else. Don’t you agree?” he asked, spreading one blanket on the grass near the car, and wrapping the other around his shoulders.

He looked up. The stars were perfect. She saw it, too.

Before she could answer, he continued. “Besides, there’s one thing this place has, that no other place does.”

“What?” She asked, moving closer to him.

He sat down and pulled her with him, wrapping the other blanket around them.

“It’s here.” He grabbed her hand and placed it on his arousal.

Tara giggled, and couldn’t help copping a feel of his hardness. “You have a point there.”

Her giggle transformed to moans as she felt his lips against her neck. He continued to trail kisses up and down her neck, leaving her breathless and hungry for him. She slipped her hands under his shirt, motioning for him to pause his teasing long enough for her to pull his shirt over his head. He followed suit, gently worked on unbuttoning her blouse, while his mouth hungrily sought out the tender skin behind her ears.

“God I’ve missed you, Tara,” he groaned, with lips moving down her body as he cradled her back and lowered her to the blanket.

He finally got the last button undone and she peeled it back and threw it to the side. She didn’t wait for him to fumble with her tricky bra. She reached for the front clasp and tugged it off hastily. As Kevin buried his face in her chest, Tara saw a bright light shining on them. A familiar voice interrupted their moment.

"Isn't this a beautiful sight?”

The moment ended abruptly as Kevin pulled himself off her. They looked up and saw it was Jake staring down at them with piercing eyes. Kevin turned to Tara.

“Go to the car,” he said.

Tara quickly scrambled to her feet, grabbing her shirt and running toward the lot. She didn’t look back at Jake, but she sensed his eyes on her. An eerie, terrified feeling took over.

K
evin stared at Jake
. He pulled his shirt back over his head.

“Did you follow us?” he asked.

“Of course and it’s a good thing I did,” he replied. “She was about to do something she would soon come to regret.”

“Jake, you need to move past this fantasy that you and Tara will one day be romantically involved. It’s not healthy.”

Jake glanced toward the car and then back to Kevin.

“Kevin. I realize it’s tough to understand, but you’re going to have to live with not getting the girl,” Jake fumed.

Kevin rolled his eyes. “Tara isn’t a pawn in this game you decided to play. She’s a human being and she deserves respect. I don’t want you coming around here and interfering. She doesn’t care for you…not in that way.”

“That’s not true!” Jake yelled, moving closer to him. Kevin saw the anger building up in Jake’s heated stare. “She loves me. Anyone can see that she does.”

Kevin hadn’t anticipated Jake would be so caught up in this dream world. He was stunned that Jake actually believed the words he was saying.

“Look. I don’t want to argue, Jake. I just want you to see Tara isn’t in love with you and she never will be. I’m not saying this to hurt you, but you’ve somehow imagined that what you’re feeling is love. Maybe it’s because you’re still upset about the loss of Amy. I don’t know, but you need to stop. You’re worrying Tara. I’m not asking, Jake. You need to stay clear.”

“You’re not my boss,” Jake replied, pushing past him and heading to the car.

Kevin turned around and grabbed Jake’s arm, yanking him back from the car. Kevin saw Jake’s glare.

“I told you to stay away from her.”

“Or what?” Jake asked, moving closer to him and pushing him in the chest.

Kevin fell back. “I’ll do what I have to do to protect her.”

“Aww…isn’t that sweet,” Jake said in a condescending tone. He pushed him again, this time Kevin was able to maintain his balance. “Impressive,” Jake sneered.

“I’m telling you again, Jake. Leave her alone,” Kevin said, not backing down.

“Make me,” Jake replied, provoking him.

Out of the corner of his eyes Kevin saw Tara staring at them. He hated to know it had come to this.

“I’m not going to fight you, Jake. Just leave her alone.”

Kevin reached down and grabbed the blanket from the ground then turned around and started heading toward the car. He felt two hands on his shoulders, pulling him back. He dropped the blanket and turned around.

“What are you doing?” He forcefully pushed Jake back.

“Don’t fucking push me!” Jake shouted, throwing his fist back and hitting Kevin in the nose. Kevin turned his head. He put his hand to his nose and saw the blood covering his fingers.

“Are you out of your mind?” Kevin asked, looking up. He felt a sharp pain in his nose.

Jake shot a look toward the car and Kevin’s eyes followed him. Tara’s jaw had dropped and she was leaned forward in the front seat, staring at both of them through the windshield.

“This isn’t over,” Jake said, pushing past him and walking by the car.

Just like that, Jake was gone. Kevin tilted his head back, trying to keep the blood from dripping. He heard the car door open and the sound of Tara’s footsteps running his way.

“Are you alright?” She asked, dabbing his nose gently with tissue. “Do you think it’s broken?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I don’t believe so. Let’s get out of here,” he said, heading to the driver’s side car door.

“I’ll drive,” she informed him.

He didn’t have the energy to refuse, so he walked around and got into the passenger seat. She slid into the driver’s side seat and turned to him.

“Are you sure I can’t take you to the hospital?”

He laughed. “I’ll be fine.”

He didn’t want to admit his fear of going to the hospital has more to do with protecting Jake. He didn’t want to get Jake into any more trouble.

She put the key in the ignition and nothing happened. It just sputtered along, but then died. She turned to Kevin and he shrugged. She attempted to do it again but it just hissed and died again.

She groaned. “I think we’re going to have to walk. Are you up for it?”

“Shit. We don’t really have a choice,” he muttered, reaching for his door handle and slowly moving to get out of the car. They would have to worry about the car later.

T
ara grabbed
onto his arm and they slowly made their way out of seclusion. She was anxious to know what their argument was really about but she guessed it had everything to do with her.

“I saw a hotel up this road. We’ll just stay there tonight.”

He didn’t argue with her as they slowly crept along. Periodically she caught herself looking around to see if they were being followed. To her relief, it appeared they weren’t.

“I’m sorry my brother had to ruin our night,” Kevin admitted.

She thought about it but then shrugged.

“We’re together. Nothing else matters.”

She would wait until they were in the comfort of a room before she would ask him what exactly went down that led to his bloody nose. She spotted the hotel and was excited to see they were almost there.

“Are you holding up alright?”

He nodded. “I’m not going to collapse, if that’s what you mean.”

It was exactly what she meant, but she didn’t need to confirm it. They continued to walk, with his arm looped through hers. The napkin she had grabbed from the car before leaving was filled with blood, but his nose had stopped bleeding.

“We’re almost there.” They picked up the pace a little. When they got inside the hotel they casually went up to the front desk.

“Hello, how may I…” The girl’s eyes went to Kevin and she stared at his nose and bloody shirt. “How may I assist you? Do you need a doctor?”

Tara glanced at Kevin. He looked like a disheveled mess. There was blood on his shirt, his hair was messed up, and dried blood was on the tip of his nose. She was also pretty sure he would have a black eye tomorrow.

“I’m fine,” he said. “We could use a room.”

“I see,” she muttered. “We only have one left.”

Tara looked at her nametag and smiled at her. “We’ll take it, Dixie. Thank you.”

The girl appeared to be in her late teens. She looked at her computer and typed in some information.

“I hope you need it for only one night. It’s already booked for tomorrow.”

Tara glanced around the lobby. It didn’t seem like such a happening place, but she shrugged it off.

“Yes, one night is fine. Thank you! Also, could you call a tow truck for us? Our vehicle is stranded at the dead end, just north of here.

“Oh…sure thing,” she said, looking back at her computer. “That will be one hundred and twenty-five dollars.”

Tara’s jaw dropped. “For one night?”

She nodded. “It’s the honeymoon suite and it’s pretty nice. It has a hot tub, king-size bed, fully loaded refrigerator, bar…”

“We get the point,” Tara interrupted her. She wasn’t sure she could enjoy spending the night in such a luxurious place with everything that had happened that night. She doubted Kevin would be up to anything more than a nice, relaxing sleep.

“We’ll take it,” Kevin said, pulling out his credit card and handing it to the employee.

“Thank you,” she said, typing some more, and finally handing the card back to him.

Tara made a mental note to offer to pay for half of it when they got up to the room. They probably wouldn’t have been there if it hadn’t been for her. Dixie reached for a swipe key and gave it to Tara.

“Thank you,” Tara mumbled, sliding it in her pocket as they left her desk.

“Have a good night!” Dixie called after them.

Tara and Kevin made their way to the elevator and quickly got on. When the door closed she turned to Kevin.

“I’ll pay you back for the room.”

He laughed. “Nonsense. It’s not every day you get to spend a night in a honeymoon suite when you’re not even married.”

She snickered. “True, but I would still feel better if I could contribute to it.”

“Oh, but you can,” he replied, winking at her.

“How?” she asked.

“I could really use a massage,” he teased. That will more than pay for the cost of this room. Deal?”

“Sounds fair, but you don’t need to pay me for a massage,” she blushed.

“Good,” he answered and smiled. “I really can’t wait to get out of these clothes and just relax.”

She grimaced. Relaxation in a nice room like this would surely make the evening an expensive flop. She let out a sigh, trying to forget about it. She grabbed the key from her pocket and looked at the number just as they got off the elevator at their floor. “We’re in room 589.” They headed to the room and unlocked the door.

As they walked in, Tara felt like she had entered a little piece of heaven. A large television hung on the one wall, with a couch on the opposite wall. She couldn’t believe it. The ceiling was so high, there was enough room for a chandelier. Beside the living room was a small kitchen with a full-sized refrigerator and stove.

“Wow…” she mumbled. She had never seen such a large hotel room, and that wasn’t even the whole room yet.

She looked at Kevin. He looked funny, smiling with a bloody nose.

“Nice digs,” he agreed.

There were two rooms attached to the living room. They walked into the bedroom with a sprawling king sized bed. It also had a huge closet where she could fit her whole bedroom inside. They noticed the entrance to the other room at one corner of the bedroom, so she opened the door. A large hot tub sat in the center of the bathroom, complete with a double sink, full length mirrors, and a luxurious standing shower at the far end.

“This hotel suite is pretty awesome. It’s a shame you’re so tired. We won’t be able to enjoy it as much.”

“Who said we won’t?” He laughed. “I’m resilient. I bounce back quickly. And I have a good nurse.

She smiled. His willingness excited her. “I’ll do my best.”