Page 50 of The Reluctant Siren
She went quiet. He started for the elevator because he knewshe wouldn’t stay that way for long.
Chapter Nine
Jensen looked around the house he grew up in andwondered why it felt so damn small now. And why it felt awkward and weird beinghere after all these years.
When he was young it had been him and his brother and hismom and whoever his mom was shacked up with that week.
How the hell was he back here, and what was he doing withNiall and Harlow?
How had it all gone so fucking wrong?
Or maybe right. Maybe this was the first time in years hewas actually in the right place at the right time with the right people.
Was he thinking about what Niall had said?
“You want a beer?” Niall walked in.
They’d stopped at a convenience store at the edge of town.It had security cameras but no Wi-Fi. There were still whole parts of Bonnet,Texas, that didn’t have Internet, and this was one of them. Like his motherwould have paid for Internet. She was far too busy paying for drugs andspending time with the men she brought home.
“It’s morning. I think the time for beer is over.” The lastthing he should do is start drinking. A couple of beers in and he would besitting outside Harlow’s bedroom door, begging to be let in. Hell, if hethought for a moment that begging and groveling would work, he would get on hisknees now.
“And I think we’re probably going to need one if we’re goingto deal with the Valkyrie in there.”
Jensen huffed. It was an apt description of Harlow Dawson.At least he was aware. Harlow alsoseemedso sweet and kind and nice.She was kind, but he would argue about sweet and nice. “Did she lock herselfin? I mean it’s nothing we can’t get through.”
“She slammed the door in my face, and then I heard the soundof her moving something. Probably the dresser,” Niall admitted. “Hope shedoesn’t throw out her back. Although at least then we could be sure she’s notgoing to run away.”
“The good news is there’s not a lot of places to go to. Thenearest town is five miles away. The rest is all ranchland,” Jensen explainedlike he needed to. Niall lived here from tenth grade until they left for themilitary. Even before he moved in, he had slept in a sleeping bag on the flooron the nights his dad got too drunk and decided to take it out on him. Jensensighed. It was hard to stay angry at the man who was seriously the only familyhe had left. “Why did you have to date her? You knew how I felt, man.”
Niall had the grace to flush slightly. He popped off the topof his beer and took a long drink. “I didn’t mean to fall for her butshe’s…she’s pretty much my dream woman, and I include all the yelling she cando in there. The truth is I want a woman who isn’t going to let me walk allover her.”
“You’ve never walked all over a woman in your life.” Niallwas one of the best people he knew—poaching aside.
“No, but I have taken a couple for granted. Look, I’ve neverfelt for anyone the way I do Harlow, and part of it is how fucking fierce sheis. Tell me that wasn’t what attracted you to her,” Niall challenged.
He couldn’t. It was exactly why he’d fallen for her. “Shewas mine first.”
“She isn’t a possession, Jensen,” Niall said quietly. “She’sa unique woman who deserves to get everything she needs.”
He wasn’t going to pretend to not understand what his friendwas saying. “She has never once mentioned to me she wants a relationship likeher parents have. In fact, I’ve never seen her flirt with two guys, much lessask them on a date.”
“I’ve seen her with her friends who are in thoserelationships. You know her when she’s under pressure. I know her when she’srelaxed. Your entire relationship with Harlow was about adrenaline and lust.I’m not saying you don’t love her. I’m saying the time you’ve spent with her isincomplete. You know the highest highs and the lowest lows, but you don’t knowwhat it means to sit around and watch TV with her. She likes home improvementshows and the worst reality dating crap known to man. But she makes thesecookies with toffee chips and then I don’t care that I’m watching a bunch ofpeople potentially breed who should not. They should not.”
He wanted to laugh because the idea of his manly buddyhanging out watching dating shows with his girlfriend was pretty funny. Excepthe should have been the one watching with her. Also, she’d never baked for him.Probably because they spent every night undercover, and the days had been aboutgoing over and over their case. Or fucking like bunnies.
Was Niall right? It wasn’t like there had been quiet dates.They didn’t sit around watching movies. They had talked a lot. Way more thanJensen normally talked. “So you think because you watched some TV with her youhave more of a claim?”
“I think you need to stop using words likeclaim,brother.” Niall sat down on the fairly uncomfortable sofa. “I also think youknow a part of Harlow and I know a part of Harlow, and we should team up likein the comic books. Come on, man. Team ups were your favorites. We would saveup quarters and sell cans and crap so we could see what happened when Supermanand Batman took out a bad guy together. What would have happened if they tookdown Wonder Woman together? I’m sure it’s out there somewhere. Let me tell youin my time at The Hideout, I’ve seen some crazy shit.”
“You liked it? The lifestyle?” It was the first time he’dtruly thought about what he’d asked his friend to do. He told himself Niall wasdoing his part to help avenge Tommy, but what Niall had really done was uproothis whole life and throw himself into another. One he had never contemplatedbefore.
“I fit there,” Niall said quietly. “At least I did. Iprobably will find my membership revoked, and since most of my business ispeople from the club and their family recommendations, I’ll likely have to givethat up. Or we can try to save this whole thing. We can decide that she’s worthgoing against the norm.”
“Don’t you think that’s why she doesn’t want this kind ofrelationship? She had to live with it all her life. She had to put up withpeople judging her and her parents.” It was one of the things they’d talkedabout. How hard it was to be a kid when you called two dudes dad and they weretwin brothers.
“It wasn’t that hard,” a feminine voice said, and Jensen’sheart threatened to constrict. “I know my dad is a paranoid asshole from timeto time, but he does love me, and I have to admit that sometimes we butt headsbecause we’re a lot alike. I don’t like to reveal that truth.”
She was so fucking gorgeous. He thought he rememberedeverything about her, but he’d forgotten how that colorful hair contrasted toher sun-kissed skin and how plump her bottom lip was. How her eyes seemed toglow in the low light.
