Page 39 of Tempt Me

Elvis strolls over from the main farmhouse and tugs his daughter away from me. “I had a scary day, too, baby. Give me some sugar.”

As Siobhan hugs her father, I sit next to Tack. When he doesn’t kiss me immediately, I ask, “Are we still together or back to being friends?”

Tack smirks. “I think I forgot.”

“It’s only been a day,” I whisper and press my lips against his.

While Tack deepens the kiss, Elvis dances his daughter around the porch until she finds her smile. Once she loses her mopey vibe, he deposits her in the spot between Indigo and me.

“Pigs will be here soon,” Elvis announces and stretches. “Zoot and the lawyers will supervise to make sure no one asks any inappropriate questions.”

Wrapping my arm around Tack’s, I ask Elvis, “Will my family’s lawyers be here?”

“Can’t risk anyone might be keeping an eye on people tied to you,” Elvis explains and rubs at his clean-shaven face. “Our lawyers will make sure you don’t get asked anything you don’t want to answer.”

“Is it safe for the pigs to know where Hunter is hiding out?” Tack asks.

“Probably not,” Elvis admits as he glances toward the farm’s entrance, where motorcycles approach. “If they ask where you’ll be, the club’s lawyers will shut that shit down.”

“But I’m not heading out, right?”

“Not yet. We’ve got to see what we can find out about the assholes today,” Elvis says as his dark eyes study me. “But I don’t know how long we can hide you here. The farm isn’t a private place. We’ve got a big community here. Someone’s bound to blab.”

“I told them if you leave, I’m going with you,” Tack explains.

“Aw,” Siobhan says, and I smile at her before cuddling closer to Tack.

“You saved me,” I coo and kiss his cheek. Glancing at Indigo, I add, “So did you.”

“I don’t need a kiss,” he mumbles while Siobhan pats his leg.

Motorcycles appear from the tree-lined road leading to the main farmhouses. I tense when Zoot rides right up to the porch. He flies off the back of his motorcycle and hurries to Tack. Yanking, the younger man to his feet, Zoot hugs him hard and pounds on his back.

“Before I got updated, I saw a video of you taking a shot to the belly,” Zoot snarls when we stare at him. “For a few minutes, I thought you were fucking dead.”

Wearing a big smile on his handsome face, Tack teases, “I always knew I was your favorite.”

Zoot rolls his eyes. “I don’t have favorites. I mildly care about all of you idiots the same.”

“Aw,” Aunt Fred says, appearing through the screen door. “Zoot’s getting emotional. I adore when you go all tenderhearted teddy bear.”

“Precious,” Elvis adds. “Someone open up a fresh box of tissues. My brother is about to share his feelings.”

“I’m not playing with you today. My people nearly died,” he grumbles, sounding almost fragile before shifting gears and adding, “Plus, if those Hills Chapter fucks had gone down, I’d never have heard the end of it from Caveman.”

Aunt Fred pats his cheek. “No, you wouldn’t have. He’s already called me to say how you should have planned everything better so his people weren’t inconvenienced.”

“Did you tell him to ‘fuck off’ from me?

“Of course, but my brother wasn’t impressed and shared a few choice words about your leadership skills.”

“What words?”

“I can’t say them,” Aunt Fred demurs. “I’m too much of a lady.”

Everyone enjoys a chuckle over their teasing. An amused Tack returns to my side. For a moment, I forget about the bloody mayhem earlier today. The reprieve is fleeting. My body hurts from the accident. My eyes are swollen from crying so much. I feel dehydrated and broken down.

Rather than focus on my pain, I zero in on Tack’s hand now wrapped around mine. I feel Siobhan leaning against my other side. I hear the affection in the voices of people who put their lives on the line to keep me safe. Despite today’s carnage, I feel hopeful.

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