Protection: A Bad Boy Stepbrother Romance (31 page)

It took everything Jace had to grab her by the hips again and stop her undulations. God, she was so damned hot. He had to stop this, had to say something that would kill the lust before he made a terrible mistake.

“Get off me, Tessa.”

Tessa went still, confused. After a moment of silence, she pulled down her skirt and pushed herself off Jace’s lap. She scooted onto the floor, glancing at his face.

Whatever she read there made Tessa blanch and look away. She got up and went down the hall, closing herself in the bedroom with a soft click.

Jace ran a bleary hand over his face. His mind was spinning.

I almost mated a human.

Jace dragged himself onto the couch, hitting the light switch as he lay down. He grabbed the quilt that hung over the back of the couch, and pulled it over himself.

I have to get her out of here. I can’t resist her otherwise. The pull is too strong.

Tomorrow, he thought. Tomorrow I hand her over to Declan. She deserves a mate who will respect her, not some wolf who cowers from his little sister.

Jace clenched his jaw, and closed his eyes against a thousand nattering thoughts about how he could keep Tessa. The reasons he should keep her, the way he must possess her.

He would do what was best for both of them while he still could.

G
et off me
, Tessa. Get off. Get off.

Tessa woke in the middle of the night with what had to be the worst hangover of her life. She wasn’t sure if it was Declan’s hooch or sheer humiliation that had her in agony just now, but she wasn’t ever taking a second helping of either one.

She waited until the worst of the nausea had passed, then dragged herself out of Jace’s bed and into the bathroom. If Jace noticed that she was staggering around in the wee hours of the morning, he certainly didn’t have anything to say about it.

Tessa turned on the water faucet and drank from her filled hands. The cool water was a balm to her hot, dry mouth. She splashed water on her face, then dug around in Jace’s medicine cabinet. No aspirin to be found. Of course, a Shifter wouldn’t need pain medication.

Then Tessa remembered the first aid kit. She was rewarded by finding a stash of aspirin, which she took with more water from the faucet.

Finished with that, Tessa looked at herself in the mirror. A sad, bedraggled version of herself looked back. Not a pretty sight. Tessa willed herself to memorize this image, lest she be tempted to repeat the previous night’s mistakes.

She tucked herself back into Jace’s bed, eventually finding a deep, healing sleep. When Tessa woke up again, she was famished. She was also determined that today would be different. She’d been playing her cards all wrong yesterday. She ought to be playing to win Declan or Cord. Jace could stay here and be screwed up all he wanted; Tessa had things to do.

She peeked into the living room but saw no sign of Jace. After a quick shower, she fished the cell phone out of her purse and turned it on.

One text message awaited: Get info on everything. Get a head count too. Ask about McDnh.

Tessa wished she hadn’t called James from the parade. She should have lied, maybe come up with a story of holing up with some fake pack. Now the Legion would be expecting to her turn over all the Shifters she’d met. If she refused, they’d hurt Camilla.

When this was over, Tessa was going to make sure James suffered for the pain he’d put her through. The casual seduction, turning Tessa over to the Legion, and ensnaring Camilla. James was all the worse, because he was an Ascendant.

Tessa’s stomach plummeted when she realized that the whole Louisiana pack would be saying the same thing about her soon, if she didn’t come up with a plan to trick the Legion.

Tessa put the phone back in her purse, stuffing the whole thing in Jace’s closet. She pulled out the box of clothes she’d found yesterday and sorted through all the assorted items. She picked out a lacy thong, a pair of skintight black jeans, and a sweetheart-cut ivory satin and lace shirt that was sort of a hybrid of Victorian lace and corsetry. The bodice was a matte piece of satin with light boning that clung to her natural curves. A thin layer of lace swept up from the bodice’s neckline and covered her cleavage, arms, and shoulders up to her neck.

Hot damn. I would have never picked this out for myself, but I have to say I kind of like it. I doubt anyone will be pushing me off their lap tonight.

All Tessa could have asked for was a killer pair of heels, but the Jace’s sister hadn’t left any footwear behind. Heels wouldn’t be practical walking around the Den, anyway. Nothing worse than a pretty woman who hobbled everywhere, no matter how good the shoes looked.

The final touch was a little blush and the mascara she’d scrounged from her purse, and Tessa was ready to go. She wasn’t entirely sure what her plan was, but she was going to do something… different.

W
hen Tessa reached the Grass
, Shifters were scattered everywhere, enjoying the spring weather. A group of teen boys stopped playing Frisbee, in favor of staring at her. A group of females her age was staring at her from a cluster of picnic tables, but their expressions were much less friendly than the boys’. Couples were scattered here and there, absorbed in their own conversations.

Tessa quailed for a moment, and thought about taking a brisk walk back to Jace’s house. Then she heard a familiar lilting voice.

“Tessa! Over here!” a tiny brunette hailed from the table of uninviting women. Tess looked over and spotted Kat, who was waving her over.

Groups of women are like groups of wolves, she thought. Show no fear and gain acceptance.

Tessa strolled up to the table, smiling at Kat but ignoring the other women. In the back of her mind, she couldn’t help but notice that they were all stunning in different ways. Tough crowd to blend in with.

Kat looked like a textbook pixie, or maybe a sexy nymph. She was just over five feet, with long dark hair and hazel eyes. Where Tessa was curvy, Kat was sleekly lithe. She was dressed in a short frock dress, a nice contrast with the athletic gear she’d worn the day before for the Game.

“We were just talking about you,” Kat said. Kat’s Irish accent made it hard to read her tone, and Tessa couldn’t tell much from Kat’s expression, so she just nodded.

“Only good things, I hope.”

“You look like you have something fun planned,” Kat teased.

“Not really. I’m staying out here for a few days, but I can’t sit in Jace’s house for the whole time. I just wanted to get out and move around a little. Find something fun to do,” Tessa replied.

“Consider it found. Tessa, meet Erin, Cera with a C, Emmy, and Angel,” Kat said, pointing to her companions in turn. A hottie-next-door blonde, a vampy black-haired vixen with a smirk, a tall brunette who could easily be a runway model, and a Miss America lookalike nodded back to her in greeting.

“Girls, meet Tessa a.k.a. the new girl. Will you believe Jace Copeland brought back a human?” Kat said to the group.

“He must be confused,” shot back the dark-haired Miss America, Angel. She didn’t look very pleased that Jace had been brought up.

“Don’t mind her. Angel’s had designs on Jace for years,” Erin put in with a grin.

Angel sniffed and didn’t reply, but Tessa figured that was answer enough.

“Where is Jace, anyway? I thought he was supposed to be your bodyguard,” asked the runway model. She spoke with a crisp French accent. It fit her so well that Tessa would have been surprised if she’d been American.

“I’m not sure. We seem to have had a disagreement. I came up here looking for better company than him,” Tessa said, keeping her tone lighthearted.

“He’s already an asshole to you? That’s a new record,” the model replied. “But not surprising. I cannot remember Jacques ever keeping a petite amie.”

“Emmy’s right,” Kat chimed in. “He’s an asshole. But now you’ve got better prospects.”

Kat gave Tessa a sly smile, then looked across the Green. Tessa followed Kat’s gaze to see Declan jogging toward their table. He was wearing crisply-pressed khakis, an emerald-green tee, and white sneakers that looked fresh out of the box. He looked Tessa up and down, just as she did the same to him.

“The lovely Tessa, back from Jace’s dungeon,” he said, teasing. That Irish accent really was enough to make her melt.

“No manners, this one. Aren’t you going to greet the rest of us, then?” Kat demanded.

“Sister,” he greeted Kat with a nod, “and ladies.”

“Sister?” Tessa asked.

“Oh, didn’t Declan tell you? I’m thinking he didn’t want to be shamed by his better half,” said Kat.

“That’s exactly it,” Declan replied, playing along.

They all laughed, and the tension eased between Tessa and the other girls. Declan turned to Tessa.

“I was going to ask—” he began.

“O’Riley!” Rhett’s voice thundered across the Grass. The girls all turned to spot Rhett near the Armory.

“Ah, yes. I’m running late. Rain check?” Declan asked, jogging backwards toward Rhett.

“Go on before you get in trouble, then,” Kat said, waving her hand to dismiss him.

Declan grinned and turned around, loping over to meet the other Shifter. Cera sighed, tucking a strand of her dark hair back into place.

“Honestly, no one should be that good-looking. It’s just unfair to all the other men in the world,” she commented.

Tessa laughed, and tore her gaze from Declan. She could feel that invisible string tugging again, pulling her toward Declan. She’d best keep that to herself in this company, she thought.

In the corner of her eye, she saw Jace leave the mess hall. He made a beeline for their table. No wonder the girls had chosen this table. It was a man magnet.

“Tessa. What are you doing out here?” Jace asked, his tone none too nice.

“I—” she started.

“Tessa was just agreeing to go out with us tonight,” Kat cut in. Kat gave Tessa a look that said go along with it.

“Uh, yeah,” Tessa mumbled.

“Go out where?” Jace demanded.

“We’re going down to the French Quarter tonight. Hear some music, drink some girly drinks, do some dancing,” said Kat.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. It’ll be dangerous,” Jace argued.

“I’ll be—” Tessa started in, only to be cut off by Kat again.

“Don’t worry yourself, Jace. Declan’s offered to come along, just to protect Tessa. He’ll be by her side all night, my friend. She’ll be right as rain.”

Jace’s eyes locked on Tessa’s face, but she looked away and shrugged.

“I don’t like it,” he said.

“Are you saying my brother isn’t a good protector, then?” Kat challenged.

“I didn’t say that, Kat.”

“Well, then. No problems after all. You can run along,” Kat snapped.

Jace turned to Tessa again.

“Can we talk?”

“What is there to talk about?” Tessa asked.

“In private?”

“We’re just leaving for the city,” Angel chimed in.

Tessa gave her a grateful smile, and then looked back at Jace.

“Yeah, we have to go. Maybe later,” she finished with a grin.

Jace looked furious, but he just shook his head. Whatever he had to say was not for mixed company, and Tessa wasn’t sure she wanted to hear it right now.

Get off me, he’d said.

Tessa turned and offered her arm to Kat, who towed her across the Grass toward the front drive.

Even as she moved away, Tessa could feel Jace’s eyes burning into her back.

T
essa took
a second to soak in the bright neon lights, drunken revelry, and loud music that defined Bourbon St. It seemed as if the whole city of New Orleans was having a party, and everyone was invited. Also the party never ended, according to Kat.

Strip clubs and bars lined the street as far as Tessa could see; people were strolling, packing into karaoke clubs, and observing the general goings on from balconies high above the street. The group of girls had already been wolf-whistled several times, and Declan kept having to scare off would-be suitors.

Tessa couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed; not just by the raucous crowd on Bourbon St., but really just from leaving the peacefulness of the Den. Without realizing it, she’d started to settle in there, which of course was a bad idea for numerous reasons. Sure, she needed to pretend to plan on staying, but they’d never let her stay once she’d betrayed them to the Legion. She still had no plan to save Camilla and the pack, so as it stood she was still a traitor.

It was distressing, because there was a sense of rightness in being surrounded by Shifters. It reminded her of what Jace had said about how he enjoyed being around his pack members, and never had to hide his true self around them.

Tessa stumbled into another woman, nearly falling flat on her own face. Apologizing profusely, she looked up to the woman she’d nearly mowed over.

She locked gazes with none other than Madeline Copeland, who was giving Tessa a scathing glare.

“Watch where you’re going, new girl,” Madeline spat, her throaty voice threatening. Tessa stepped back, trying not to overreact and make things worse.

“You must be Jace’s sister Maddie,” Tessa said, as if addressing a maddened dog. Maddie’s sharp eyes gave her the once-over, and her expression said that she found Tessa lacking in the extreme. Tessa held her temper in check. It wouldn’t do for her to get into it with someone who was obviously mental, not to mention a lot taller and meaner than herself.

Maddie bared her teeth in response, but before she could say anything Kat came up and put herself between Maddie and Tessa. Crossing her arms, Kat regarded Maddie.

“What are you doing here, Copeland?” Kat asked.

“It’s a free country, O’Riley. I’m just introducing myself to the new blood. I heard whispers about another Ascendant in the pack, but y’all have done a great job of hiding her so far. Thought I’d come and see the competition for myself,” Maddie said, not taking her eyes off Tessa.

“Well, you’ve seen her. Now you can either play nice, or you can get the hell out of here, your choice,” Kat said, her expression irritable.

“Whatever. Stay out of my way, human.”

With that Maddie was off, striding down a side street. Her photo hadn’t done her justice; she was crazy beautiful in person.

“Don’t worry about her, okay?” Kat said, eying Tessa. Tessa nodded, trying to appear unconcerned. Kat gave her a smile and skipped back to where Cera was waiting for her to lead the procession.

Angel came up next to Tessa, nudging her with an elbow. She held out a ridiculous, tacky-looking drink and gave Tessa a devilish grin.

“That looks absolutely vile. I can’t believe you’re going to drink that!” Tessa accused Angel, looking at the neon green plastic cup full of mystery liquid.

“It’s kind of pineapple-y. Honestly it’s way better than it looks. Besides, it’s not for me, it’s for you!”

Angel flashed another perfect smile as she forced the drink into Tessa’s hand. Tessa opened her mouth to object, but Angel was already bouncing off to catch up with Kat and Cera, who led the procession.

“Don’t worry, they’re not as bad as they look,” came a sultry French voice. Tessa was surprised to see Emmy, looking runway-ready in a peachy chiffon micro-dress and nude heels, hanging back from the group to let Tessa catch up.

“I’ll try anything once, I guess,” Tessa said, giving the other woman a shy smile. Taking a sip of her drink, she tried not to be intimidated by Emmy’s incredible raven-haired beauty.

“Before you arrived, I was the new girl in the pack,” Emmy said, her eyes roving over the brightly lit signs and people wandering on Bourbon St.

“I can’t say I’m glad to have taken your position,” Tessa said, feeling nervous. Emmy gave Tessa a sympathetic smile and nodded.

“It wasn’t the easiest time for me. But being an outsider does have some advantages,” Emmy said.

“Such as?”

“I had a lot of opportunity to observe our pack members. I like to think that I have gained some insight in the last year of living with these people,” Emmy said, waving her hand to indicate their friends.

“Anything you want to pass on to me, I’d love to hear,” Tessa said, her curiosity growing by the second. What advice could a dreamy beauty like Emmy possibly have for down-to-earth Tessa?

“I learned a lot of things, but I was most strongly struck by Jacques and Madeline. There is, as they say, more than meets the eye. Jacques, especially.”

“I agree with you, but I can’t really put my finger on what it is about him. He’s very compelling, I think.”

“He tries very much to be pleasant and normal on the outside, but I believe that is just his façade. Behind that, there is a lot of pain. He suffers greatly, but never tells anyone.”

“He doesn’t really like to answer any personal questions, so I don’t really know that much about him or his past,” Tessa said, her thoughts turning melancholy.

“I won’t be the one to tell you his story, but I will tell you this. When I first came here, I flirted with Jacques quite a bit,” Emmy said, her French accent making it sound like “fleuurrr-ted”. Tessa’s brow creased and she opened her mouth to respond, but Emmy held up a hand to silence her.

“Do not be concerned, he never responded in kind. After my very first time watching the pack play the Game, we were both very drunk and he spoke honestly with me about his feelings. He said that he had nothing to offer a woman, whether physical or of the heart.”

“You mean he thinks he’s cold-hearted?” Tessa asked, confused. The Jace she knew could be quite impassioned, especially when his anger was provoked. The idea that he was without emotion struck her as absurd.

“That is what he meant, but I think it’s more. He believes himself to be without worth, it seems. For me, he carries around too much on his shoulders. He is very sad, you know?”

Tessa was quiet for a minute before responding.

“What am I supposed to do with this information, Emmy?”

The stunning woman merely raised one shoulder in a half-shrug, a classical French study in graceful movement. Tessa was struck again by the woman’s physical perfection. Judging by this conversation, she wasn’t exactly stupid either.

“I am not suggesting anything to you, Tessa. I wish only tell you what I would want to know if I were trying to win Jacques’s heart. Please consider it a gift, rather than a demand.”

Emmy’s deep blue eyes raked over Tessa for a moment, then she reached out and patted Tessa’s shoulder.

“It will be all right. You’ll see,” Emmy said, reassuring.

Tessa blinked and nodded, the gears in her brain whirring to process all of Emmy’s information. Emmy inclined her head and gave Tessa another quick smile before she hurried to catch up with Kat and Cera. How she moved so fast in those stilettos, Tessa had no idea.

Tessa took a deep breath and took an experimental sip of her drink. She winced. If this passed for pineapple around here, she wasn’t eager to try all the other fruits. Still, it had been nice of Angel to buy Tessa a drink, so drink it she would.

Tessa took three long pulls from the drink’s twisty straw, sucking down about half of it.

“I thought you said you were taking it easy tonight,” came a rumbling voice just behind her.

Tessa turned her head to look at Declan, who sidled up next to her and kept pace as she walked.

“Maybe I changed my mind,” she said.

“I suppose Bourbon St. can do that to a girl. Be careful with the hand grenades, though.”

“Excuse me?”

“Hand Grenades. The name of what you’re currently drinking.”

“Hurricanes, hand grenades. Everything has a crazy name here.”

“Try pronouncing some of the street names,” Declan said.

“Like… St. Ann?” Tessa teased.

“Like Tchoupitoulas,” he fired back.

“Rain check on pronouncing that one,” Tessa said with a smile.

“Your boy Jace taught me that one when Kat and I first moved here. He and Maddie helped us transition here from our old pack,” Declan said.

“Is that right? Why did you move here from Cork?” Tessa asked amiably, steering the conversation away from Jace.

“My sister wouldn’t settle for some lowly job as a cook or a teacher, which is what women were supposed to do in our old pack. Kat’s far too ambitious for that, and Shaw was accepting new members, so… here we are.”

“So what does she do here?” Tessa asked.

“Well, you know Shaw’s the Alpha, sort of like being the president of the pack. Rhett’s his second in command, and Jace is third in command. So they’re like the vice president and the speaker of the house, respectively. That makes Kat the Secretary of State, I guess. She’s the pack administrator, and she has her hand in just about everything to do with pack operations,” Declan explained.

“I guess I should be thankful that I found a pack that doesn’t discriminate against women. It sounds like a lot of Shifters are pretty stuck in the past. I’m not sure what I would be able to bring to the table here, though. I’ve never really done anything other than sit on committees and fund-raise for charities,” Tessa said.

“You’d be surprised what you’ll be good at, Tessa. I felt the same way before I came here, but Kat and Shaw put their heads together and found me the perfect position.”

“And that would be…”

“I’m the procurer. I don’t like being trapped in the Den all the time, and I’m a fair hand at blending in with humans, so they put me in charge of going out and getting anything that the Den doesn’t provide for us. Everyone just submits their requests, and I bring it back to the Den. I also stand in for Shaw in any instances that our pack-owned companies might need public representation.”

“Is Shaw camera-shy?” Tessa asked, amused.

“In a manner of speaking, yes. There’s a long list of reasons why he doesn’t want to be in the public eye. That’s his story to tell, though.”

Tessa nodded, strolling alongside Declan. She was thankful that he’d been thoughtful enough to slow his long-legged stride so that she didn’t have to run to keep up with him. Just another sign of his overall wonderfulness, really. Declan went on talking, keeping her entertained.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about your job anyway, I’m pretty sure that Kat already has designs to steal you. She has an enormous workload and no one to share it with. She’s already been singing your praises to me,” Declan said with a bright smile.

Tessa flushed, returning the smile. For some reason, hers felt a bit false compared to his. She couldn’t help but compare Declan’s easy humor and mellow attitude with Jace, his opposite in so many ways. She didn’t want to think about Jace tonight, though.

“You know, I’m glad we came out tonight. I’ve been wanting to get to know everyone a bit better. Plus this is way more fun than sitting around Jace’s house, trying to figure out whether or not he hates me.”

“I doubt that he’d want to hear that, Tessa.”

“Who cares what Jace wants? I certainly don’t.”

“Can I ask you a question, then?” Declan asked, his lilt thickening.

“In that accent? Anything.”

“Ach. You, uh, you do feel it, don’t you? The pull?”

He stopped, and looked down at Tessa. All the sudden Declan’s face was too serious.

“I, well— yes. I do,” Tessa hedged.

“I can’t quite understand how that can be.”

“Why not? You’re— well, you’re very…”

“I’m not talking about my looks, Tessa. When a couple mates, there are certain steps, like. Things that change as they begin to commit to one another. Their wolf might change color, or grow larger. The scent changes, in particular.”

“Okay…” Tessa prompted.

“You smell like him.”

“Well, he’s given up his bed for me to sleep in. Alone,” she clarified.

“It’s more than that. His scent is ingrained on your skin. It’s a sign of courtship.”

“That’s… weird. And kind of gross. Look, Jace and I aren’t courting. He’s made it very clear that he isn’t interested in me that way,” Tessa assured him.

Declan gave a sharp bark of laughter, and Tessa raised an eyebrow in query.

“Tessa, love, have you looked at yourself in a mirror? I suppose you can’t really smell your own Ascendant scent, but still. Every unmated male is interested in you that way, to a man.”

Tessa flushed, and looked off down the street.

“I don’t see how you can speak for the whole Den, Declan.”

“Did you know that after the Game, the men all use communal showers? Boys talk.”

“Okay, TMI. Anyway, I meant what I said about Jace.”

“Look at me, Tessa.”

She looked up into Declan’s aquiline eyes, waiting for his challenge. Instead he leaned down and caught her mouth in a tender, searching kiss.

Tessa’s heart fluttered, and she leaned against Declan to keep herself upright. Declan’s kiss was soft and seeking, asking a question that she wasn’t sure how to answer. Tessa went still, not knowing what to give back.

Declan broke the kiss, stepping back and running his hand over his mouth and jaw.

“I—” she started.

“Tell me you’ve got no possible future with Jace, and we can try that again. Promise me that you’re not waiting for him. Otherwise, as I can see it, touching you again means I’ll be losing my friendship with Jace,” he said.

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that kiss was good, but it would have been a hell of a lot better if I were the one you wanted.”

Declan ducked his head, masking his expression.

“I can’t… I don’t know. I can’t promise anything to anyone,” Tessa said.

“I understand, Tessa. Really I do.”

After a moment of silence, Declan looked back at Tessa.