Laurel turned to Jace and tipped the side of her head onto his shoulder. “Thanks. I was dumb not to wait for you.”
“Wait. Nolan was unconscious?” asked a young woman with blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin, who’d been sitting quietly on the arm of the sofa next to the handsome Black man with a well-trimmed beard, waves shaved into the sides of his fade, and bold diamond stud earrings. Shooting Jace a glare, she propped a hand on her slender hip and crossed to them.
“Uh. Yeah, sorry.” Jace gave a sheepish half-smile. “I didn’t realize he was on our side at first. He grabbed Laurel and dragged her into the woods…”
He shrugged. Laurel got the feeling anyone else in the room would have done the same in his situation. Maybe worse.
Nolan said, “Totally understandable. No hard feelings, man.”
“Has anyone checked you out? How long were you down for?” the woman asked, making Laurel wince. These people weren’t savages, like her and Jace. They probably hadn’t lived in a world where you were used, abused, then discarded like trash and left to heal on your own. Where no one gave a shit if you were damaged unless it meant they couldn’t charge as much for you next time.
Ironically, her and Jace aging out and becoming less desirable had been what had ended up saving them. If she’d known that, she’d have made herself worthless a lot sooner.
“Nah. No need. I’m fine, Kennedy.” Nolan rubbed the stubble on his jaw, which did look a bit puffier on one side than the other, and almost concealed his wince. “Probably just a bruise. At least it’s not a shiner, huh? Won’t mess up my game too much.”
He winked at them.
Laurel snorted at that because Nolan knew exactly how hot he was and so did everyone else who looked at him. Jace included. She’d seen the way her best friend eyed the agent, and she didn’t blame him one damn bit. Nolan was attractive, confident, and utterly capable.
But no match for Jace’s raw passion and underlying righteous rage, which simmered near the surface.
Whew. Laurel fanned her face, pretending it was the fire or her nerves making the room so steamy when she damn well knew it was the two men she was wedged between.
The woman, though her pink lips were still pinched with concern, turned to Laurel and Jace and stuck out her hand. “I’m sorry this dumbass scared you. Sometimes I swear he’s like a big goofy dog who gets out of the gate but only to charge up to the mailman and lick his face.”
“I mean, is it a smokin’ mailman, maybe young and fit from walking his route in a pair of gray-blue uniform pants?” Nolan grinned even if it was a tad lopsided given the swelling in his cheek.
Jace whipped his gaze to Nolan while James hummed appreciatively at the mental image.
The woman, however, rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I see he’s acting entirely normal. Anyway, I’m Kennedy. I’m a doctor and the medic on most of our missions. I was treating the victims at the cannery while Nolan wandered off. You know if you’d waited for Sola, you probably wouldn’t have gotten laid out.”
“But then I would have missed Laurel and Jace.” Nolan stretched his jaw. “They’re pretty cool. And I didn’t even have to take out anyone at the club to get them here. I’d say it was worth it. Now the shot to the nuts, that’s another matter.”
Laurel couldn’t help but laugh with a shake of her head despite the circumstances. Jace snorted too. She choked on her, “Sorry.”
The rest of the Shields and James’s spouses cracked up.
It was officially one of the weirdest and most amazing nights of her life. How could everything have changed so fast and yet seem so perfect? It wasn’t a feeling she was used to, and it kind of freaked her out. She entwined her fingers with Jace’s and looked on as Kennedy examined Nolan.
The doc shined a pencil-thin flashlight into Nolan’s eyes, making them practically glow neon blue. Damn. To avoid staring, Laurel glanced around the room, really taking in each of the agents surrounding them for the first time. It didn’t bother her to have people looking at her. She’d grown numb to being a spectacle long ago, and had sort of learned to block out unwanted attention. But now that she was inspecting each of James’s coworkers, who were obviously also friends, she started to feel a bit shy about laying out their private business in front of so many onlookers.
James jumped up and started talking superfast. “Oh shit. Let me introduce you to the rest of the team. Don’t worry if you can’t remember their names. There are a lot of us, I know.”
He started with the people left on the couch Kennedy had abandoned. “You know Sola. This is Aarav, and that’s Marcus.”
Laurel tried to imagine the bearded man with the steady gaze as a sniper and she could see why Sola might mistake him for emotionless, though she sensed he was keeping at least as much bottled up inside as she was. The other guy lifted his chin in greeting, but didn’t say anything, his gaze somewhere in the region of Kennedy’s ass if Laurel’s estimation proved correct.
Interesting. All sorts of sensual currents were flowing around this place, making Laurel acutely aware of the hard male thighs—one Jace’s familiar one and one Nolan’s thicker model—pressed to each of hers.
“These guys are Ransom and Levi,” James pointed to a pair of men sharing the last couch in their U-shaped set up. “And of course you met Jordan. His husband and wife are around here somewhere too.”
“Damn.” Jace whistled under his breath as he scanned the room. “Is there something in the water in that lake or what?”
Ransom looked to Levi and grinned. “I’m not sure. I’ll ask our wife, Sevan, later.”
Laurel blinked. The ups and downs of the night, reuniting with James, meeting everyone, and having her mind blown over and over was starting to wear on her.
She yawned, scrubbing her eyes.
“Ah, shit. It’s practically dawn. There are a million rooms here if you want me to show you to one.” James waved toward the balcony above that apparently led to private quarters.
She looked to Jace. Whether he could feel the apprehension radiating off of her or he felt the same, he shook his head no subtly.
“I really, really appreciate the offer, but I’m not comfortable in a place like this.” Laurel fidgeted, toying with the hem of her sweater. “It’s incredible and you’re all so lovely and kind, but it reminds me of party houses we used to be taken to—”
James’s husband, Neil, cursed beneath his breath and James waved away the rest of her statement. “Nope. No way. We’re not going to make you relive that. I have a much better idea.”
He turned to Jordan. “I’ll take them to Hot Rides. Since Joy, Walker, and Dane moved into the bigger place Dave just finished building for them, there’s an empty tiny home on site. It has two bedrooms so—as long as Kennedy clears him and my sis and Jace are cool with it—Nolan can stay with them. The Hot Rides will be happy to help him watch their backs for a while. They’ll be as safe as here but more comfortable.”
“A damn fine suggestion.” Jordan nodded. “For the record, my spouses and I have a place there too. It’s a motorcycle garage. My wife, Wren, is their welder. We stay there most times during the week so I can help Nolan with shifts too.”