Thorn: Carter Kids #2 (40 page)

“Do you have any idea how long it took me to convince those bastards not to press charges on you?” Quincy demanded, furious, as he began to pace the floor. “You’re all over the internet, dumbass. You were filmed at the bar last night and it’s already gone viral.”

“Two things,” Lucky growled. “First, don’t call him a dumbass. And second, if I recall right,
I
was the one who spent the night talking them down.
You
were the one getting your dick sucked by that viper redhead.”

“Well I was the one that caught an earful of it from Nick,” Quincy huffed, turning his attention to me. “He’s raging and seriously considering pulling your contract. Wondering if he needs a loose cannon on his payroll.”

“Shut the fuck up, Q,” Lucky grumbled. “Nick won’t do shit. The MFA ratings have gone through the roof since Noah signed. He can’t afford to fire him.”

“Well the disciplinary board has called an emergency meeting for first thing tomorrow morning,” Quincy hissed. “So pack your shit because we fly out in a couple of hours.”

“That soon?” I blanched. “I thought we weren’t due to fly out until Thursday.”

“Yeah, well plans change, Messina,” Quincy shot back angrily. “After last night’s stunt, it’s out of my control.”

“Did you manage to
convince
her?” Lucky asked, taking a sip from his cup of coffee, hinting at the conversation we had last night at the bar.

“No,” I snapped, eyes flaring. And I didn’t want to bring it up around Quincy. The less people that knew about JD the safer. “I haven’t had a chance.”

“I bet,” Lucky snickered. “Busy night and all.”

“Convince her of what?” Quincy demanded. “You need to keep your head clear, Messina,” he ordered when neither of us explained. “Forget the fucking woman. This is your career on the line.”

“Watch your mouth,” I warned him. “If Thorn’s not on board with this, then you’re gonna have to work your magic and get that meeting pushed back.” Shaking my head, I added, “I don’t give a fuck what you say, Q. I’m not leaving unless she’s sitting on that plane beside me.”

“Noah. Think about this, man. Q has a point here,” Lucky piped up, offering his two cents worth. “This is your career you’re talking about. You need to go home and appease the suits. I can stay here and
handle
things until you get back.”

“I. Am. Not. Leaving. Her,” I snarled. “So back the fuck off.”

Throwing his hands up, Quincy shook his head and stalked over to the door. “Be on that fucking plane tonight,” he warned me. Pulling the door open, he turned and hissed, “I don’t give two shits about your flower woman. Your ass better be in that seat come one o clock.”

Quincy slammed the door shut and I leapt up off the coach. “Thanks for the support, asshole,” I hissed. “I thought you of all people would understand considering what happened to Hayley.”

I cringed the minute the words were out of my mouth. It was a dick move and I knew it.

I didn’t even try and defend myself when Lucky sprang off the couch and punched me in the face. I deserved it.

“Do not,” he snarled, chest heaving, as he paced the floor, struggling to rein in his emotions. “Say her name –”

“I won’t, man,” I croaked out, sitting my ass back down, feeling like the biggest bastard on the face of the earth. “I’m sorry,” I added, wiping the blood from my lip.

He stared at my face for a long time before exhaling heavily and nodding.

“I did some digging,” he finally said, and just like that, the mask he wore slipped back into place and he was easygoing Lucky again. Drinking his feelings away and burying his pain with a smile. “Tommy was dead on the money when he said the Ring of Fire was up and running.”

“I never doubted it,” I replied, keeping my voice down.

“He’s got a new guy in training,” he told me. “The next big thing apparently. Fucking lethal. Kills without a hint of remorse. Trained from a pup. Sound familiar?”

“Too familiar –”

“What’s familiar?” Teagan’s voice filled the room, causing me to break off mid-sentence as I swung around to see her.

The second my eyes locked on her standing in the doorway wearing my black t-shirt I was hard as fucking die cast metal. “I don’t have any clothes here,” she added, cheeks reddening, as she pulled the shirt further down her thighs.

“You want a napkin, Messina?” Lucky chuckled. “You’ve got a little something on your mouth.”

“Funny,” I grumbled, unable to take my eyes off the woman standing in front of me. I didn’t stand up because I knew my legs were shaking like a fucking teenage virgin and I didn’t trust myself to not fall flat on my face. I was in big trouble with that woman.

I WOKE FEELING MORE SATED
than I had in years. Memories of what happened last night with Noah caused the smile on my face to spread into a demented grin. Stretching out on the luxurious king-size bed, I reached out and patted Noah’s side – where his big body had left an impressionable dip in the mattress. When I found it was still warm, I rolled over and snuggled up in a ball for a long time until the icky feeling that came with a hangover got the better of me.

Dragging myself out of bed, I padded into the bathroom and climbed into the shower. Turning the knob, I closed my eyes as the piping hot water cascaded down on me.

Sighing in contentment, I thought back to everything that happened last night – post club of course. Everything before that I shoved to the back of my mind. Those memories had no place in my happy little bubble. Those memories could fuck right off.

He let me back in last night. I knew I had a hell of a lot of work to do to break down the barriers caging off Noah Messina’s heart; but last night, for the tiniest moment, I had achieved the unachievable. I had worked my way back in to the place no one else had been before me and no else had been since.

“I will always want you, Teagan… There will always be a way back for us…”

Last night his words had floored me. This morning didn’t change that. I was reeling in emotions, having heard his truth, and I wanted nothing more than to drag him back to bed and pin him here with me.

I knew today wouldn’t be all rainbows and kittens – the loud male voices coming from the other room assured me of that – but we had hope. For the first time in years, Noah and I were both on the same page. We had the same goal. Each other. That was enough to make it work. Even when he morphed me into a raging bitch and I drove him batshit crazy. He still loved me and there was no question that I was still head over heels in love with him. I was a stubborn woman, but I loved him enough to know that I couldn’t be without him again. That knowledge made me swallow my pride and take the blame. He was worth it. There was no greater feeling than being that man’s sole focus, having his undivided attention.

Remembering the feel of his touch on my skin caused me to groan loudly. I knew that there would be many more nights of screaming and fighting and heartbreak, but there wasn’t another person on this planet I would rather break my heart loving. We needed to make this work somehow, because the alternative, the thought of being without him again, well that just wasn’t an option.

When I was finished showering, I dressed in the only pieces of clothing I had at my disposal; Noah’s black t-shirt and a grey pair of his Calvin Klein’s before making my way out of the room.

Everything inside of me clenched the moment I set eyes on Noah, lounging on the coach, bare chested, dressed only in the black suit pants he wore last night. He looked so comfortable in his own body, so content in his own skin as he sat legs spread, arms sprawled over the back of the chair, hanging on every word Lucky, who was towering over him, said. I knew they had been fighting. Their raised voices were what had woken me. And Noah’s reopened cut on his lip was bleeding but I didn’t say anything. Those two had a strange bond. I wasn’t getting in the middle of it. Besides, they looked fine now.

“…Trained from a pup. Sound familiar?” Lucky said dryly.

“Too familiar,” Noah growled.

“What’s familiar?” I asked.
Real tactful, Teegs.

Both men turned simultaneously at the sound of my voice.

“I don’t have any clothes here,” I added sheepishly when I caught Noah staring at my legs.

“You want a napkin, Messina?” Lucky chuckled. “You’ve got a little something on your mouth.”

“Funny,” he shot back, not taking his eyes off my body.

“What’s familiar?” I asked again, tugging on the hem of my shirt as I approached the couch, heading straight for my man. When I was an arm’s length from him, Noah grabbed my hand and pulled me down on his lap. Nestling his face in my neck, he pressed a kiss to my throbbing pulse and growled. “You smell like me.”

I stifled a moan as his kiss triggered every nerve ending in my body to spring to life. “That’s because I used your shampoo,” I whispered, using my hair as a curtain to cloak us in privacy. Noah replied with a low growl of approval. Shifting beneath me, I felt his erection spring to life against my ass and I was instantly wet. Seemingly unaffected with his friend’s presence, Noah continued to nip and suckle on my neck and I, in return, continued to squirm on his lap.

“Donut?”

Lucky’s voice penetrated our perfect moment, causing Noah to rip his mouth away from my neck, and me to bite down hard on my lip in frustration. “She doesn’t want any fucking donuts, Lucky,” Noah growled, breathing hard, his eyes never leaving my face.

“Actually…” Springing off Noah’s lap, I reached forward and retrieved the gorgeous looking pink iced donut Lucky was offering. “This is so good,” I moaned between mouthfuls, pausing when I noticed Noah’s cocked brow. “What?” I mumbled, lowering myself down on the coffee table in front of him. Eyeing the bag full of donuts, I snagged another one. “I haven’t eaten in days. I’m starving.”

Both men watched me with amusement flickering in their eyes, so much so that I started to feel a little embarrassed. “So, how did you guys meet?” I asked, trying to turn the attention away from me. “The MFA, or the gym or something?”

That question caused both men to smirk at each other before bursting out laughing in unison.

“Or something,” Lucky drawled in a teasing tone before glancing over at Noah and winking. “We’ve been roommates for a long time,” he added with a mischievous glint in his eye. “Isn’t that right,
roomie
?”

“Am I missing something here?” I asked heatedly, feeling confused and out of the loop.

“We shared a cell, Thorn,” Noah said, smiling indulgently at me.

“Oh.” I didn’t have a clue what to say. Here I was, sitting in a hotel room, half naked, with two ex convicts. “That’s….” I was going for nice, or cool, or anything besides, “fucked up,” but that’s what came out of my mouth.

“I like her,” Lucky chuckled. Moving over to the couch, he sat down beside Noah and grinned. “You’re a strange little woman.”

“She’s my strange, little woman,” Noah said in a warning tone, elbowing him in the ribs. “Remember that.”

Lucky threw his head back and laughed. “I think I’ll remember,” he said, clearly amused. “Considering she’s all you talked about for the past seven years.”

Ouch…

Swallowing hard, I wiped the corner of my mouth with my thumb, forcing my expression to remain bright and not expose how much that comment stung. “May I?” I asked, gesturing to the tray of coffees beside me.