Jacked (Trent Brothers #1)(13)

Her chin jutted up. “Then I better aim for your balls instead. C’mon. Just. Let. Me. Go. Home.”

Her reply unnerved me a bit. She was a fighter, and a dirty one at that. Surprising. Challenging too, which was also a pleasant surprise. Bring it, baby, right after we take care of business. I stared her down. “You going to calm down first and listen to me?”

Damn, she was infuriating and so goddamned sexy all flushed with anger. I just about lost all my breath when she finally relented. Those pink lips, that sexy mouth… Shit, she already had me by the balls.

“Look, we’ve both just been through a lot. And you don’t have a plate on your car. If you give me a damn minute, I’m going to follow you in my rig to make sure you get home safely. I can’t do shit for you if you drive away from here and local PD pull you over for driving without a plate. You copy?”

“Copy what?”

My patience was all used up. “Do you understand me?”

Erin finally nodded. The looming shadows and possible vendettas were making me edgy.

“Do not turn around but there are about twelve members of a local gang eyeing this situation from down the block and you’ve got that kid’s blood all over your coat. I need you to listen and trust me. I’m going to get a bag for your jacket so you don’t get that shit on your skin or all over your car seat. I’ve got an extra sweatshirt in my rig for you to wear home. Okay?”

“Okay. Copy.” She saluted.

I still didn’t trust that defiant look in her gorgeous eyes. “Do not move. You attempt to drive away from here without me tailing you I will haul your little ass in personally. We clear, Doc?”

That knocked some of the starch out of her. It was a relief to know she’d give in when I put my foot down. Good thing she had no clue I was bluffing.

“What are you doing, man?” my partner, Marcus, asked when I passed him leaning on our rig. I opened the back hatch of our Expedition. “I have no f*cking clue,” I grumbled, grabbing my black ATTF sweatshirt out of my duffle bag, grateful that Ritchie wasn’t on my ass for once. Unfortunately, he and Scott were hovering around her with their standard appearance release in hand. I should have warned her not to sign it.

Shit.

“She sure is a sweet slice of woman,” Marcus muttered.

I had to agree. Shame we were f*cking up her life like this. “Feisty as shit, too.”

“Background check came back squeaky clean. One parking ticket and an old speeding violation dated about six years back. Oh, and no last name changes—ever, in case you’re wondering.”

I nodded. “You gonna give me shit if we tail her back to Drexel Hill Heights? I’m not going to put her through having her car towed tonight on top of all of that.”

Marcus’s eyebrows rose up his massive forehead. Then he huffed, surely holding back the desire to jack me up. I could see it in his eyes. Instead, he flashed those big white teeth at me. “I guess I don’t have much of a choice. But you’d better hurry if you want dibs on that sweet piece ’cause Ramirez and Hill are sniffing all around your shit over there.”

I tossed my bag back into our rig and slammed the hatch, rattling the glass.

What the f*ck were those two *s doing? Ramirez I could understand looking to upgrade women, but Hill? He’d better be playing wingman to his partner ’cause the prick was married with kids.

I stepped into Ritchie’s line of sight. “This is done. Shut it down before I bust that camera.” Didn’t take long for Hill and Ramirez to get my glare either. That’s right. All you pricks just back the f*ck up.

I shook the bag, holding it open for her. “Coat. Bag. Now.” I ignored her womanly defiance and the annoying film crew that hovered, assuring myself that my team members were moving the f*ck along like good boys.

“You always such a bastard?” she asked, peeling her coat off. She stuffed it into the bag, trying to keep her hands on the clean parts.

“Only when I’m pissed off.”

She scoffed and then shivered. “Join the club.”

I tied the top of the bag into a knot and tossed it to the ground. She only had a short-sleeved scrub top on over a thin dark blue thermal and it was starting to snow again.

I fixed the neck opening and pulled the hoodie over her head, taking care not to accidently tug her hair. The sleeves were a few inches too long and it came halfway down her thighs, but something about seeing her in my clothes caused a warm rush to flood my body.

At least she let me roll up the sleeves for her until just the tips of her pretty little fingers were peeking out. Damn, she was a beautiful sight.

I couldn’t help but smooth a long piece of her bangs out of her eyes and slip it back inside the hood. She flinched back a bit, looking up at me as if I’d done something wrong. Maybe she was still keyed up from working the accident? Whatever it was, it didn’t matter anymore; something in me needed to touch her.

I just about lost it when she tucked her tiny nose inside my hoodie and let out a soft whimper. A brush of pride swelled into my chest.

That’s it, baby, remember that. That’s all me. “You ready?”

Those big blue eyes stared up at me, clenching my gut.

“I am.”

Me too, sweetheart. Me too.





OFFICER TRENT WALKED me all the way to my front door, making me feel slightly uncomfortable having such a gorgeous man dressed in his tactical police gear this close to me. For the life of me I couldn’t remember the last time a guy walked me to my front door, and that was not from a lack of trying. But this wasn’t the first time in my life I’d had a police escort, and that recollection alone touching the fringes of my thoughts was extremely unnerving.