Page 22 of Jewel in the Rough

“I don’t want to hear about what you and my little sister got up to in college,” Teagan interrupted.

This time Benny knew he wasn’t imagining the kiss. First, Teagan stared at him intently, as if he was trying to figure out what made Benny tick (good luck with that, maybe he’d share the secret if he figured it out). Finally Teagan lowered his head and pressed his lips against Benny’s.

Benny felt like his body was going to burst into flames. He leaned into the kiss, wanting more, and it had barely started yet. Teagan may not kiss a lot of people, but he knew how to do it, and for Benny, he was perfection. He didn’t rush, or push, or try to smash his way into Benny’s mouth. Teagan tasted, he licked, he barely nibbled Benny’s lower lip, all of it causing Benny to release a groan.

Teagan dragged his morning stubble across Benny’s cheek and teased his tongue between his lips into Benny’s mouth. Fuck, it was the sexiest rasp Benny’d felt in his life. He let himself be semi-ravaged for a moment longer before beginning his own assault. Their tongues danced, the heat of Teagan’s mouth egging him on. Benny pressed his body against Teagan’s, needing more, as much as Teagan would give him.

“We need to get out to the barn,” Teagan whispered, his breath tickling Benny’s lips.

Reluctantly Benny pulled away. “I wish you meant that in a sexy way. But you mean it in atime to do the choresway, don’t you?”

“I do. Let me assure you, the Gurls do not like to wait. And, I’d rather we were in the barn when Ciara arrives. She doesn’t need to see the damage to the house.”

“Fine.”

“Perfect timing as usual,” Teagan teased Ciara as she strode into the barn.

Benny laughed because Teagan was right. They had just finished the milking and let the last gurl out into the pasture.

“Ciara was the queen of just missing the nastiest chores when we were growing up.” Teagan looked past her, toward the outside of the barn, before asking, “Who’d you bring with you?”

Ciara looked over her shoulder to where a white car was parking in front of the house.

“No clue.”

The three of them watched as the driver’s side opened and a tall black man peeled himself out of the economy-size car.

“Jesus Christ, if I wasn’t gone on you…” Benny let his words die away. Damn, this guy was incredibly good-looking.

“Tristan Brown is definitely not gay.”

“If this is what happens when someone tries to kill you, I may forgive you,” Ciara said. “Introduce me.”

“Yeah, and me too, just in case.”

Ciara narrowed her eyes at Benny. “Nope, I finally got you and my brother together, this one is mine. Damn, he better be single.”

Benny momentarily ignored the new arrival, because what had Ciara just said? “You were trying to get us together?” He scoffed. “Obviously not very hard, since we graduated years ago. Matchmaking is not your forte, sweetheart. I’m thinking you needed to try harder.”

“Look, wonderboy, it was all about timing.” She turned back to the visitor, stepping toward him with her hand out. “Ciara Morrison, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Tristan shook it, a bemused expression on his face. Benny suppressed a snicker. The guy was so toast.

“For fuck’s sake.” Teagan clapped his friend on the shoulder in a very bro way and Tristan let go of Ciara’s hand. “Tristan, this is my sister Ciara. I apologize in advance for her inappropriate behavior.”

“Uh, yeah. So… sorry about, um, not returning your phone calls,” Benny offered. Really, he wasn’t, though, because he didn’t want to deal with all this, he just wanted to live his life. He wanted Talache to conveniently disappear.

“Why are you here? You could have called again instead of coming all the way up here,” Teagan asked. No rancor, just curiosity.

Tristan stared at Teagan and rolled his eyes. “Why do you have the hardest time understanding people care about you? Were you dropped on your head as a baby or something? Actually, that would explain a lot. You got shot because of that fuck-ass, White. I get that. You had to leave the force, it sucks donkey balls. I get that, too. But you moved away, to the wilds of Washington State, not once returning my phone calls. It took Benny Brambilla to get you to contact me?” Tristan glanced at Benny and winked. “No offense.”

“None taken. Not exactlywildthough. Teagan has the internet here these days, and Ciara owns a coffee shop. She doesn’t serve instant.”

Tristan nodded. “I do have good news before we digress into how far away from civilization you are.”

“Yeah? What?” demanded Teagan.

Ciara shifted and crossed her arms over her chest, also wanting hear what Tristan had to say.

“I was calling you last night because, ala Al Capone, Talache was taken into custody by the Feds for tax evasion.” His booming laugh filled the barn. “Once again, the IRS has done what no one else could. You know those guys don’t mess around—if they have him, they are not letting him go.”

---