Let It Snow (The Hope Falls Series) (24 page)

“Mike,” Nikki smiled up at Tessa.

“Oh, yes he is,” Tessa nodded in agreement. “I was just checking if you needed anything. I didn’t want to bother you before. You looked busy.”

“I would
love
a Coke.” Nikki let her head fall back dramatically. “I need a caffeine fix.”

“Got it.” Tessa smiled as she looked over at Jake. “What about you?”

“What about me?” he asked as her brilliant blue eyes landed on him and awareness sizzled between them.

“Do you need anything?” A blush crept up her cheeks, and Jake noticed her giving him the don’t-you-dare-start stare.

“Yes. I need something.” His eyes wandered down Tessa’s body.

“To drink,” Tessa clarified in her I’m-serious-knock-it-off tone. Jake loved that tone. In fact, he lived to hear that tone. It was sexy as hell to him for some reason.

“Oh, to drink,” Jake said as if he’d had no idea that was what she had been asking him about. “No, I’m good. Thanks,” he added with a wink, and she shook her head, trying not to smile as she walked back behind the bar.

His eyes followed her until he could no longer see one of his very favorite things in the world to look at—her jean-covered ass. Well, her ass in any state, really. Naked was preferable, and later tonight, he was planning on seeing it in that exact state.

When he glanced back at his sister, she was squinting her eyes at him. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Looking at you two is like looking into the sun. You’re so hot that I couldn’t look away, but now it’s burned into my retinas,” Nikki said as if she were in pain.

Now it was his turn to sound like a middle-schooler. Jake smiled as he told her, “Shut up, smartass.”

*

Tessa could not believe how Jake was acting. No, scratch that—she could. He always liked to push the envelope with her. He had always loved to walk that fine line between embarrassing her just a little bit and making her mad. Sometimes he stepped over the invisible line that separated the two, but as always with Jake, one smile and a kiss and all would be forgiven.

If Tessa looked up ‘irresistible’ in the dictionary, she was sure that she would find a picture of Jake smiling with his trademark wink. She shook her head back and forth as she grabbed some glasses and filled the orders she’d taken out on the floor.

Two cranberry and vodkas, three Jack and Cokes, a Tequila Sunrise, five Snake Bite shots, and finally Nikki’s Coke. She placed the drinks along with the bottles of beers she needed to deliver on a tray, grabbed it, and held it high, turning sideways as she slid between the small opening between the end of the bar and the wall.

First, she stopped by her V.I.P. table and dropped off Nikki’s Coke. Sure, she’d been the last person to give her an order, so logic would dictate that she should be the last one served, but screw logic. Nikki got her drink first.

Then she made her rounds without incident, dropping off the Jack and Cokes, cran and vodkas, and the Tequila Sunrise. Finally, she ended at the table with the twenty-something pricks who’d ordered the shots and beers. She dropped them off without making eye contact and quickly began to move away from the table.

Tessa didn’t mind dealing with drunk guys, even if they were hitting on her. But these a-holes were taking inappropriate commenting to a whole new level. Just as she pivoted away from said a-holes, one of them reached out and grabbed her wrist.

“Hey now, not so fast, blondie,” the red shirt a-hole said as he rubbed his thumb across her wrist, making her skin crawl.

Tessa tried to keep her patience as she turned back around and pulled her arm away from him. “I have to get back to work, boys.” She monitored her tone, making sure to keep it light, but her patience was wearing extremely thin.

“Nah.” The dark-haired a-hole in the flannel shirt shook his head. “You can hang out for a minute.”

“No, I can’t,” Tessa stated firmly as she once again turned to leave.

Then the red shirt a-hole grabbed her again, saying, “Now, now. The customer’s always right, sweetheart. Didn’t they teach you that in Cocktailing 101? Or did you take Cockteasing 101? ’Cause you certainly seem good at that. Consider my cock officially teased.”

Tessa tried to pull her wrist away, but Red Shirt tightened his grip. Through clenched teeth, Tessa said with a deadly serious tone, “Let. Me. Go.”

“Nah, I think it’s time you take a seat.” Red Shirt scooted away from his chair and patted his thigh. When she pulled away again, he gripped her harder and lifted up his shirt. That’s when Tessa saw his limp dick lying outside of his jeans.

His friends burst out in laughter and cheers, and just as Tessa was about to hit Mr. Limp Dick over the head with her tray, she saw a fist fly beside her head and land straight on Red Shirt’s jaw. Tessa could feel the impact of the punch through the hand that was still wrapped around her wrist right before the fingers released their grip.

The next thing she knew, she was behind Jake’s back, one of his arms holding her securely in place. She tried to look around his large bicep but it wasn’t happening. He had her plastered up against him.

She heard yelling, probably from the guys at the table, and felt Jake’s body shake from what she assumed was him landing another punch. Within seconds, several other guys Tessa recognized from the fire station were there as well as Levi.

Everyone in the small table area was on their feet and suddenly Nikki was at her side. “Are you okay?” Jake’s sister asked, concern etched in her face.

Tessa nodded against the hard planes of Jake’s back. Adrenaline was racing through her and her heart was pounding.

Jake turned around. Wrapping both arms around her, he pulled her in and held her snugly against him. And just like that, the entire bar disappeared. It was just her and Jake. The two of them.

He drew back and cupped her face in his hands. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Really,” she assured him, bringing her hands up to rest over his.

He searched her eyes for a moment more before they both heard Eric’s deep voice asking, “What’s going on?”

She turned and saw that, just like the week before, Eric was dressed head to toe in uniform.

“Damn.” Jake released her face but slipped one arm around her waist, pulling her to his side. “Did you teleport here?”

“I was in the parking lot when the call came over the radio,” Eric explained, sounding very much like a
cop
.

Tessa stood beside Jake as he, Levi, and Nikki all explained what happened. The peanut gallery of a-holes kept trying to interject, but Eric was having none of it.

After hearing the entire story, Eric told Julian, who had shown up a few moments after Eric, to watch the guys at the table. Then he turned to Tessa, “I need to talk to you.”

Tessa nodded and began following Eric. Jake was right by her side. They hadn’t even made it two steps when Eric turned back and said to his brother, “Alone.”

Jake did not like the sound of that. “Hell no. I’m going—”

“It’s fine.” Tessa patted him on the chest. “I’ll be fine.”

She looked right in his eyes and smiled. Of course she would be fine. She’d be with the Chief of Police, who also happened to be Jake’s big brother.

Jake nodded, but he didn’t look happy about it.

Eric stopped at the end of the hall that held the bathrooms and turned around. “Do you want to press charges?” he asked, wasting no time with pleasantries.

“No.” Tessa shook her head.

Hopefully, Jake had taught those guys a lesson they wouldn’t forget anytime soon. Besides, she didn’t really feel like they’d ever been a real threat to her.

Eric stood silently in front of her. It got a little awkward, so she asked, “Is that all?”

He still didn’t answer for several moments. Then he nodded once.

Oookay.

Tessa turned to leave and was stopped by Eric’s voice. “Be careful.”

She immediately turned back around at his cryptic warning. She looked up at him and had no idea what he was talking about. “Of what?” she asked.

“With Jake.” Eric’s brows furrowed. “I know you care about him, but you have no idea what you leaving did to him.”

With that, he left the hall. Leaving her alone.

His words hung in her head along with Nikki’s saying that Jake hadn’t been the same after she’d left. But she’d seen him in the back of his truck with that girl. Only
two weeks
later. He had been fine. Right?

Tessa knew that the only way she would know for sure was if she just asked him. They needed to talk.

Just then, Jake rounded the corner and pulled her into his arms. “Come on. I’m taking you home.”

Tessa couldn’t make sense of everything right now, but the one thing she knew for sure was that home with Jake was the only place she wanted to be.

‡

T
essa walked in the front door of Jake’s condo, all of the trepidation she had felt about him since she had been back in Hope Falls melting away like snow under the rays of the bright, springtime sun. Far from feeling timid and unsure in his presence, she now felt bold. Sexy. Incredibly turned on.

Their encounter at Say Cheese had started her down that path, but the scene in the bar had clinched it. Wow. She knew it was a little cliché that she’d gotten so turned on by Jake’s hyper-masculine, testosterone-fueled display—but she couldn’t help it. When he had stormed up to save the day with his “Me Tarzan, You Jane” routine, she just hadn’t been able to help herself. Her body—and even her brain—had jumped right on board and responded with, “Um, yes, Me Jane. Now bring me home, Tarzan, so I can take a ride on your big swinging vine!”

As soon as they stepped past the threshold, the clatter of claws on hardwood filled the space, and seconds later, Lucky dashed pell-mell into the room. He leapt into Tessa’s arms as if she were his long-lost best friend and he were about one-tenth his actual size.

She felt Jake’s arms behind her, holding her up under the assault of the dog’s heavy body, and then he quickly moved around in front of her and lifted Lucky down. He scolded Lucky, telling him never to do that again, but Tessa could hear the undercurrent of affection and amusement in his voice. From the way Lucky was wagging his tail, Tessa guessed that the dog was picking up on it as well.

She giggled. “He seems very intimidated.”

Jake shook his head. “Well, apparently I’m not nearly as adept at putting my own dog in his place as I am drunk assholes.”

Tessa grinned widely. “Well, those guys deserved to be put in their place. Lucky, on the other hand… Well, he’s a good boy!”

Obviously, Lucky did not grasp the meaning of her entire speech, but he did clearly pick up on the words “Lucky” and “good boy,” which caused his tail to sweep back and forth with even greater speed and intensity as he rose up on his haunches, placing his front to paws on Tessa’s chest and beginning to lick her face.

Tessa laughed, ruffling the dog’s fur affectionately. She murmured to him as she petted his silky coat, assuring him that he was, indeed, a good boy.

Jake called Lucky to him and the dog happily followed his owner.

“You’re going in the laundry room, boy.” Jake patted the yellow lab’s head as he looked over his shoulder at Tessa. “I have
plans
for you and they don’t include my dog getting more affection than I do. I don’t care if his name is ‘Lucky.’ But don’t worry. I’m going to put plenty of his favorite treats in with him. He’ll be more than happy.”

“Okay.” Tessa liked the sound of
plans
. “I’m just going to go freshen up. I would like to be dog-spit free for your plans.”

“Use the upstairs. The downstairs is connected to the laundry room and I want to get him settled.”

Tessa practically skipped up the stairs, through the bedroom and into the bathroom. She turned on the water and washed her face, the cold temperature bringing her back down to reality a little bit, piercing the lust-and-adrenaline fog that had been firmly holding her brain in its grip since Jake had touched her in the photography studio this afternoon. However, far from giving her second thoughts, this moment of bright-eyed clarity only served to make her even more excited about the encounter that she and Jake were going to share.