Page 34 of Nauti Siren (Nauti 7)

“Did Dawg order you to stay away from me, Piper?” he asked her calmly, but what she saw in his gaze was anything but calm.

She shook her head slowly. “No, but who I sleep with isn’t up for debate, Jed. And I won’t let it become a family point of interest that I’m fighting my brother over the man I want for a lover because he disapproves of him as he did with Eve. It shouldn’t be like that, and I can’t stand the thought that Dawg would turn it into such a battle. ”

He’d nearly broken Eve’s heart.

Her sister had finally told her of the fight she’d had with Dawg when she had taken Brogan as her lover. Dawg had gone so far as to use the worst sort of emotional blackmail to keep her from giving in to the man she’d been fascinated with for years.

Piper had been terrified he would tr

y the same tactics with her. If he had tried such a guilt trip with her, she would have gone ballistic. Eve had had far more patience than Piper could have ever found in the same situation.

“I was beginning to wonder if you even wanted to find yourself in my bed. ” He reached out, his palm cupping the uninjured side of her face.

“I didn’t say you wouldn’t have to seduce me now,” she informed him tartly, despite the heat rushing through her body at his touch. “I simply said I may have ended up there sooner. ”

“You call that little tease a month ago being in my bed?” He came closer, his gaze focused on her lips as Piper brushed her tongue over them, wishing her attacker had kept the back of his hand away from them.

“You call that a little tease?” she whispered roughly. “I’m going to have to show you a real tease, Jedediah Booker, so you’ll know the difference. ”

“And exactly what would you call a little tease, Piper?” he asked, his lips moving close, oh, so close to hers.

“What you’re doing right now, maybe?”

She could barely breathe.

Okay, she was sore, swollen, but her lips weren’t really that swollen. Most of the blows had actually been against the side of her head, according to the doctor. Not that she remembered a whole lot after she had been slammed into the dresser, due to the concussion.

“This is a tease?” His lips were only a whisper against hers.

“Please, Jed,” she sighed his name roughly. “Don’t tease this time. ”

Don’t tease this time.

Jed stared down at her, seeing the shadow of bruises against one side of her face, the faint swelling of her eye and her lower lip.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Piper. ” He sighed, drawing back. “And I don’t want you coming to me out of fear. When the bruises have healed, then we’ll talk. ”

Before he could change his mind, Jed forced himself from the truck and strode to the passenger side of the pickup. Pulling her door open, he did as he had at the hospital: Rather than allowing her to walk to the inn, he simply scooped her from the seat and carried her to the front porch.

Turning from the front door, he was heading for the side of the house when a shadow detached itself from the corner and the front door opened.

“God, no. ” Piper buried her head against his shoulder as he recognized the height and breadth of the shadow before he actually glimpsed the hard lines of the savagely hewn male features in the dim light of the moon.

“Well, at least they’re not trying to run,” Natches drawled as he moved to Dawg’s side.

“I don’t know; I think I’d rather he’d run. ” Amusement filled Rowdy’s voice as Jed let his gaze lock with Dawg’s.

“Now’s not the time, Dawg,” he warned the other man. “Let her rest first. Morning’s soon enough. ”

Piper grunted against his shoulder. “Good luck with that one,” she muttered, her voice so low it barely reached his ear.

“Yeah, Jed, good luck with that one. ” The low, slow cadence of Dawg’s voice had the hairs at the back of Jed’s neck lifting in warning.

Dawg was pissed, and he was suspicious. His gaze slid to Jed’s hold on her slight body, narrowed and intent, his look taking in the protective hold and Piper’s determination to hide her face.

“Put her down, Booker,” Dawg ordered, his voice dark and warning.

“Don’t do this, Dawg. ” There was no weakness in Piper’s voice as her head lifted quickly, her obvious sense of security with the darkness surrounding them apparent.

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