In Too Deep (6 page)

The shower didn’t help. His dumb tool was hard as ever.

Hoping a run would help, Brody dug through his sock drawer for his only pair of BVD’s, and hoped like hell the underwear would hold his junk down. If that didn’t kill his persistent boner, he wasn’t sure what would.

He dressed himself in shorts and a t-shirt before heading out the door.

Fallon must have had the same idea because she was heading toward the street in running shoes, shorts and a tank.

Brody waited to see if she noticed him, but she kept going without ever looking back, so he started down the trail that
led into the woods and followed the lake. Breathing in the fresh forest air, he pushed himself hard, pumping his arms and legs to get his mind off Fallon. The brisk exercise was
almost
working.

His phone rang,
so he stopped to pull his cell out of his pocket. He saw his brother’s name. “Hey, my man.”

Adam laughed.
“What are you doing?”

“
Running. Why?”

“
Just curious. You sound winded, and you’re never winded. I stopped running with you because you’re a damned beast.”

“You’re a wimp.”

“So what’s up?”

“
Just frustrated.”

“
That so?” Adam chuckled. “I hear this is woman related.”

“
Maybe, but she’s unavailable.”

His brother
sighed and his tone was somber. “So, what happened after you left the bar last night?”

He spent the evening drowning in memories of his dead wife, while Adam and his fiancé
threw him a pity party until he couldn’t stand it. That was when he went for a run.

Brody told Adam everything, including how Fallon seemed to fill up the emptiness. Adam could read him better than he could read himself
. He would know what Brody was feeling for Fallon as soon as they were in the same room together. He didn’t want his brother opening his big mouth in front of her.

“
What makes you so sure she won’t warm up to you in a few days?” Adam asked. “You’re the most charming bastard I know. Just give her some time. She’ll chase, they always do.”

Brody didn’t think that was going to be the case. Fallon was different, but until she trusted him
, chasing would only push her away. Somehow, he knew he wouldn’t want to let her go once he had her.

“
Doubtful.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Look, she needs time, and I don’t want to rush. Just let her be.”

“
Give Fallon a chance. Besides I’ve known her old boss for the last five years. Gabriel is positive she’ll stick around if she has a job. And I’ve seen some of her work. She’s brilliant.”

Brody leaned against the tree and squeezed his eyes shut. Last thing he wanted to hear about was another man.
“What’s the story with this Gabriel?”

“
He’s like her father.” Adam snorted, clearly amused. “He’s known her since she was tiny. He took her in when she was sixteen, after her mother passed away. Oh, and you’ll never believe this. Smoking hot as Fallon is, she’s 64 years old. Of course Gabe’s a druid too, and he claims to be over a hundred, but he doesn’t look any older than either one of us.”

Adam was thirty-eight. Brody shook his head. There were a lot of people in Edenton who were a hell of a lot older than they looked for one reason or another.
“I’m never going to get used to the age thing.”

“
Age is only a number, especially here.” Adam chuckled. “By the way, Gabriel is coming up with her gear and the stuff she left in her apartment. So take your truck, not your bike. Even though I know you’d
love
to have her wrapped around you, you need to haul her stuff.”

God, his brother was a prick.
“Good advice,” Brody grumbled. “Do me a favor, and keep your mouth shut around her, please.”

“
Sure. Just bring her in after breakfast. I know Jess wants to grill her about the piece of shit she dumped.”

“
Asshole,” Brody growled.

“
You don’t know the half of it.” Adam warned. “I met him a year or so ago, back at the Seattle Tattoo Expo. Real piece of work and he was cheating on her then, but she didn’t know.”

“
What do you mean he’s a piece of work?” He felt like he needed to know how much of a beat down the guy needed.

“
Rumor is he has some fetishes Fallon wouldn’t let him indulge in. I walked in on him doing things to a woman that scarred me for life. Trust me. You don’t want to know any more.”

His mind raced through possibilities.
“Probably not.”

“
I’ll see you soon. Go, run it off, bro.”

“
Bye Adam.” He took off into the woods, throwing himself into the rest of the run.

* * * *

By nine, Fallon had run five miles, practiced yoga, and taken a nice long, hot shower. She even put on a little mascara, light eye shadow, and lip gloss when she rarely bothered with makeup. After being covered in vampire ash and blood half the night, she couldn’t help wanting look a little pretty. It had absolutely nothing to do with Brody.

Going to the mirror, she took a final look at herself. She had settled on a gray tank top, a sleeveless military jacket, and worn skinny jeans with her motorcycle boots. Her outfit wasn’t too
dressy or slutty and it never hurt to show a little ink when interviewing at a tattoo shop.

Unable to sit still, Fallon checked her watch for the hundredth time and gave up. She was
tired of waiting and just wanted to get the whole Isaac conversation over with, which meant meeting up with Jess. So she locked up the apartment and hurried down the stairs.

Talk about timing. She collided with Brody as he came around the corner of the garage. He kept his feet and caught her around the waist to keep her upright.

His chuckle was warm and welcoming as he pulled her against his big, hard body. “In a hurry?” Brody teased, his mouth twitched like he was fighting a smile, which only made her smile back as he stepped away.

“
I, uh.” She stammered. He looked good standing there in cargo shorts, dirt smeared across his brow and no shirt in sight. Damn her, but she wanted to trace all those acres of muscle with her tongue so she could taste the salt of his skin.

Fallon mentally shook herself and forced her gaze to his.
“Sorry. You mentioned coffee last night. I was just on my way to find it.”

His smoky blue eyes sparkled as he licked his bottom lip.
“I was just doing some yard work until you were ready to meet Jess.” The morning sun brought out the highlights in his golden blond hair, and she liked the way his waves fell around his face.

Swallowing hard, she looked over at the rosebushes.
“I’m ready. And if you want a hand with the yard when we’re done, or I’m done, or whatever, I’m pretty good with yard stuff.”

One golden eyebrow arched.
“Really? I thought you were a city girl?”

“
At times, but I’m flexible.” His smirk was back and she damn near bit her tongue off. “I’m a druid, nature’s my thing.” She explained lamely.

“
Right. Well, let me get cleaned up.” He led her inside and nodded toward an empty mug on the counter. “Fix yourself a cup of coffee.”

The fresh coffee made her swoon, or maybe
it was watching the way his shorts hung just right, showing the top curve of his ass as he marched his way up the stairs.

Smiling, she poured
the aromatic brew into the mug he set out for her. There was a sweet Harley painted on the side. Fallon took a seat at the counter and frowned at the half empty mug. It was the lightest coffee she had ever seen. The contents bordered on sacrilege. She was surprised to find the coffee was so good.

Closing her eyes, she breathed in deep
before savoring the second drink.

“
Mmm.” His low rumble washed over her, making her toes curl. Fallon opened her eyes to find Brody dressed in worn jeans and a vintage t-shirt, licking his lips as he watched her. Her brow arched and he ducked his head in apology. “Sorry. You’re just all kinds of scrumptious.”

She couldn’t stop the giggle before it escaped.
“Oh really?”

“
What? I can’t find you attractive?” he asked innocently, and her eyes narrowed. He shrugged but didn’t drop his gaze. “I’m not making a pass, I swear. But I’d be lying if I said you weren’t absolutely gorgeous.”

“
That’s fair, because I was thinking the same about you.” After another drink she shook her head.

“
But?” The soft growl in that one word made her whole body respond.

“
But I wasn’t going to say it, because I’m not ready to jump into anything right now. Looks are nice, but I don’t know you, and you don’t know me. I may be too much for you to handle.” Damn her, and her flirty tone. She wished she could take the comment back. Instead, she finished her coffee and watched his expression.

The light in his eyes said he took her statement as a challenge. One she was sure to lose.

“I’ll keep it in mind, but I wasn’t starting anything.” He shrugged, and the corners of his mouth lifted. “Just saying.” Brody finished his defiled coffee. “Now, we best get down there.”

“
Yeah. I’d rather get that conversation over with. Just wait. You’ll hear all about how Jess told me so.” She rolled her eyes as she got up to rinse her cup.

Brody chuckled.
“I doubt it. She seems pretty happy to have you up here, sugar. I’m sure she’ll give you a break.”

“
Sugar?” She snorted.

“
Oh, are you one of those women who get offended by nicknames?” His tongue swept over his lips and she began to think
trouble
was spelled B-R-O-D-Y.

“
Depends, but sugar is closer to a term of endearment.”

“
I’ll try to keep it in mind, but I call Jess sugar, too. I wouldn’t dare to try prying her away from Slater.”

“
Fair enough. I’ll remember that.” Jealousy shot through her, and she fisted her hands in her jacket pockets. There was no reason for that useless emotion, she didn’t want to be special to Brody, or she shouldn’t. With a sigh, she started for the door. “We better get going.”

He followed just behind her and opened the garage door.
His gray Ford F150 didn’t surprise her. Then her gaze fell on his lovingly customized V-Rod Muscle in vivid-black. She fell in love with the bike as she moved closer for a better look. “Now that is a nice Harley.”

“
Thank you, but your Night Rod is just as nice.” He opened the passenger door. “I know you’ve got to be missing yours. If you want, I’ll let you take my bike out later.”

Grinning, she turned back to him.
“You trust me that much?”

“
Of course. You did save my ass last night.”

She stole a peak
at his ass as she walked back to the truck. Yeah, he had a fine ass.

Fallon saw the bright red building with the big diner style windows as Brody pulled in. Then she noticed the sign and couldn’t help laughing. She never imagined Jess would use what she drew up and emailed after Jess drove out of San Francisco for good.

She was still annoyed that Jess had tried to sneak out of
town without warning two years before. Fallon showed up at Jess’ and found a half full U-Haul trailer hitched to her truck. Jess had warned her countless times about Isaac and how shitty things would end. So at first, Fallon thought her bitching about the prophecies was the only reason her best friend was moving. Turned out that was only half the problem. Jess made the mistake of sleeping with her old alpha.

In the end, Fallon helped load the truc
k. The last thing she told Jess was, “You should name the bar In Too Deep. That is your damn catch phrase and you seem to have landed yourself in the deep-end this time.”

The engine cut off and Fallon came back to the present. She hopped out of the truck and walked to the
bar. Brody breezed past her with a crooked smile on his full mouth and opened the door. Normally, the chivalry thing would grate her nerves, but he made her all shivery.

The first thing she noticed as she stepped inside was the rustic hunting lodge feel. There were fishing poles above the bar, and black and white hunting and fishing photos on the walls. The bar was in the middle with a hall leading back on the side.
Around the dance floor were pool tables with matching high-tops and stools. There was a jukebox in the far corner and dartboards lining the far wall.

“
Over here,” Brody murmured from just behind her, his hand briefly touched the small of her back, leaving a tingling sensation.

She followed his gaze and
found the dining section. Booths lined the walls, and a large stone hearth was set into the far wall. Sunlight streamed through the windows. In the last booth, next to the fire place, Jess sat snuggled under Slater’s arm, giving him googly eyes.

Fallon was happy to see Jess
in love after her long string of one night stands. She used to say, “Why should I bother trying when I know how they’re going to fuck up?”

Fallon slid into the booth and Brody followed right behind her.

The waiter showed up immediately. He was long, lean and had a baby face with dark hair, cafe au lait skin, freckles and almond shaped pale green eyes. He was as soft-spoken as he was exotic. Everyone ordered and he walked away.

Jess drummed her fingers on the table and leaned forward.
“So, Jamie told me how doucheface Isaac showed up at the shop, all black and blue and pissed off, asking where you went.”

“
I know.” Fallon shrugged. “I called your sister this morning, apparently right after you did. That asswipe has called about twenty times or so since I left.”

“
She says you broke his nose.” Vicious delight gleamed in Jess’ baby-blues. “So what happened?”

Fallon took a deep breath, leaned back in the seat, and crossed her legs. She played with the top of her boot. With Brody right next to her, she didn’t want to admit she only went over there for sex.
Goddess knew his opinion shouldn’t matter to her.

Sitting a little straighter, Fallon focused on Jess.
“I had an itch that needed to be scratched, so I drove over to surprise him. I heard something in the back room, and naturally had to check it out. He was fucking Sheila, riding crop in hand, while she was all tied up. I tried to leave quietly.” Fallon shook her head and sighed. She really wanted to scrub that image from her head. “He must have seen me, because he caught up with me before I managed to get out the front door. Isaac boxed me in, and then tried to convince me he wasn’t doing exactly what he was doing.” She felt like a fool for letting their farce of a relationship go on so damned long. “I’m not stupid, and I’m not blind, and I sure as hell don’t play those games. Plus, that harness had an awful lot of knots to be a drunken mistake. That shit takes planning.”

Out of the corner of her eye
, she saw Brody’s mouth hanging open, and forced herself to ignore him. Jess stared at her with wide eyes.

Maybe she did need to explain.
“Look. That was one of Isaac’s many problems with me. I don’t submit to anyone. He claimed that was fine, but apparently he was going behind my back to get his fill of all the things I wouldn’t do. He thought he could get his kinks out of his system and still keep me. He was wrong, and I proved my point.”

“
Did he hurt you?” The growl was back in Brody’s voice, sending a shiver down her spine.

Shifting her gaze to him, she shook her head.
“I told you last night, he didn’t.” She caught the look of surprise on Jess’ face from her admission. Fallon wasn’t known for sharing details with anyone. “He tried to make me stay, but at that point we were over and there was nothing he could say to change my mind. He didn’t move when I told him to, so I broke his nose with my face and kneed him in the balls so hard he may never get his dick up again.”

Jess burst in,
“And Sheila was still tied up through all of this?”

Fallon nodded.
“Yup. While he whined and came up with a thousand pathetic excuses.” Brody’s expression only grew darker. “Oh don’t give me that look. She was begging for more while he tried to explain the kinkfest away.”

Fallon glanced away and noticed the waiter staring at her from the end of the table. His face was dark red
and he held the giant tray of food with trembling hands.

“
I’ll only say this once.” Jess’ laugh was cocky, pulling Fallon’s attention back to her. “But I told you exactly what he’d do, and you told me to stuff my prophecies a hundred different times.”

“
Just stop.” Fallon glared at Jess. “I think we’re going to give this poor guy an aneurysm.” She glanced up at the waiter with a single arched brow. “Have I shocked you? ‘Cause you may as well get used to it. I don’t hold my tongue for anyone.”

The waiter just blinked, blinked
… and then blinked again, too shocked for words.

“
I’m Fallon, by the way. If you give us our food, I’ll shake your hand as long as you close your mouth and stop staring.”

Brody let out a surprised laugh, Slater just pretended like the whole conversation wasn’t taking place, and Jess pegged the guy with a hard look.

He went to work on setting out the plates.

Jess rolled her eyes.
“This is Lincoln. Good kid, a little sheltered, but I don’t see how living in this town.”

“
Sorry Ma’am….”

“
Oh, no. You did not just call me Ma’am. Please, just call me Fallon.”

“
Sorry, Fallon.”
Obedient. Kind of like a puppy.
She held back her laugh. Once he was done, she held out her hand, and he took it timidly. Fallon had to stop herself from rolling her eyes as she cast a silent calming spell on him.

Lincoln dropped his eyes as he backed away from the table.

Fallon frowned at Jess. “Okay, I know this is a small town but please tell me they aren’t all so skittish? I know I have more ink than most women, but I swear it was like he was staring at an alien.”

“
No. He wasn’t looking at your tattoos.” Brody’s nostril’s flared. “That was pure lust coming off him. The shock came after the broken nose comment.” She saw his hands in his lap. They were knotted into fists so tight his knuckles were white. He shot the waiter a dirty look. She probably shouldn’t take pleasure from his reaction, but she did.

There was an extra plate at the end of the table, and she was about to make some snarky remark about how much werewolves eat when she heard Gabriel call out,
“Hello Fallon, Jess.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Well, that would explain why her old boss didn’t answer his phone
when she called. The man never answered while driving. It was sweet that Gabe was checking on her, but she hoped he didn’t get all papa bear over the whole mess with Isaac because she was over the weretiger.

* * * *

Jess and Adam both warned Brody that Gabriel was coming in. He was surprised to see a man who appeared to be maybe thirty, with long dark hair and hazel eyes. His long legs were clad in worn jeans. He wore a Harley shirt, and a leather vest with a big bobcat on the back. His muscular arms were tattooed in forest scenes with prowling predators. The jaguar on his bicep seemed to watch him, and there was a wolf and a cougar frozen in a vicious battle on his other arm.

“
Hey, Fallon. You doing all right? I heard you were pretty banged up,” Gabriel said as he dragged a chair over to the end of the table.

She stood up and leaned over Brody to hug Gabriel as
he sat back. Her stellar ass was right in his face and he had to close his eyes and take a deep breath to stop himself from doing something really inappropriate. Her scent overwhelmed him. She smelled like warm caramel, and he so badly wanted to take a bite.

“
I’m good.” Fallon smiled as she sat back down. “Jess had a shaman friend take care of me. This is Slater, you know Jess, and this is Brody. Guys, this is Gabriel. He taught me everything I know.”

“
Good to see you both again.” Gabriel shook Slater’s hand, kissed the top of Jess’ head. Then he took Brody’s hand in a firm grip with an appraising once-over, but there was a sparkle in his eyes. He took his seat and turned his attention back to Fallon. “I came up to bring the rest of your things since you left in such a hurry. And I thought I would visit Brody’s brother.” Gabriel scooped eggs onto his fork and took a bite.

Frowning, Fallon fiddled with her
silverware as she looked at Gabriel. Brody could scent her unease. She said, “You really didn’t have to go to the trouble. There wasn’t anything I couldn’t live without.”

“
Yeah, but you need your gear which isn’t easy to replace. It’s not like you had a ton of stuff to haul. A total of five boxes and one of those were from the shop.” Gabriel shrugged, his expression softening. “Besides, the delivery gave me a good excuse to make sure you were okay.”

Fallon looked down at her plate, and Brody wondered what was going
through her head. Gabriel obviously cared about her, but she seemed to be pushing him away.

* * * *

“Please tell me you aren’t going to ask about Isaac.” Fallon pleaded. It was awkward enough to tell Jess in front of Brody. Telling the closet person she had to a father would be a hundred times worse.

Gabriel shook his head, his expression caught somewhere between amused and irritated.
“Don’t worry. I got a pretty good idea considering his busted face and how you disappeared off the face of the earth.”

And now she felt guilty.
“Sorry, I didn’t think, I just left.”

“
I know, and I understand.” Gabriel gave Fallon a sad smile.

“
So, when did you leave?” Because she knew he wouldn’t drive straight through like she did.

“
Yesterday, around noon. After I finally called Jess and she told me what she knew.” He gave her a sheepish shrug.

“
Figures,” she muttered.

Gabriel shifted in his seat, his brow wrinkling.
“If you haven’t, you should call Amethyst. She was ready to beat Isaac’s ass when he showed up and you didn’t.”

Fallon could just imagine and that worried her.
“Please, tell me you stopped her from doing something stupid? He’s three times her size, he’d crush her.”

“
Of course I stopped her. Besides, her mom would kill me.” Gabriel smiled affectionately. He fell in love with Amethyst’s mother when she was still pregnant, and even though he wasn’t her biological father, he raised her as such. Amethyst was like Fallon’s little sister.

“
I plan to call her this afternoon.” And she knew she’d have to explain everything.

Fallon wasn’t good at opening up, but she could talk with Amethyst who never judged
, and she always returned the favor.

“
For the record,” Gabriel said, “I fired Isaac. I only put up with his bullshit for you. But I knew you were leaving sooner or later. I just wish you could have given me a little warning.”

“
Sorry.” Fallon answered feeling guilty. She changed the topic. “Just an FYI, I’m changing my number as soon as I find a phone store. Isaac hasn’t stopped calling. I’ll get you my new number.”

“
Good. You’ll do well in Edenton. I know San Francisco was getting to you. You’re even close enough to Seattle if you need a hit of the city.” He glanced at Brody and back at her with a raised brow. “But, that’s a big if.” Gabriel knew she had a weakness for hot weres.

The corners of Brody’s lips lifted slightly, but he looked down at his hands and kept his mouth shut.

Fallon’s gaze lasered in on Gabriel. “Don’t start on me. I’m done with men.”