He didn’t have a leering grin on his face, just concern. Teresa turned, facing AJ. This would be a good test. She was alone in her house with two men. She hadn’t had any man in her house except Joey. Not since before . . .
No use thinking about that. She was tense enough already.
AJ watched intently as Pax laid his hands on Teresa’s shoulders. He pressed in light and gentle, using just his fingertips along the muscles between her neck and shoulder.
“You are tight.”
“Been a rough night,” she said.
He moved along those muscles, then to the nape of her neck, sliding his fingers into her hair, the palm of his hand resting on the back of her head. Tiny pinpricks of sensation skittered along her skin. Relaxation warred with distinct interest, and she was shocked to discover she enjoyed Pax touching her. She dropped her chin to her chest and he increased the pressure, moving from her neck to her shoulders again.
“AJ, why don’t you rub her neck while I do her shoulders.”
“Sure.” AJ scooted in, lifted her legs and draped them over his lap. “Rest your head against me, honey.”
She did, letting her head drop against his chest. He slid his fingertips against her temples, making gradual circles there. Teresa didn’t want to say a word. This just felt too good. AJ in front of her making magic movements with his fingers, erasing all the tension from her head and neck, and Pax behind her working kinks out of her shoulders.
She was surrounded by two men, caged between them. And she wasn’t freaked out, wasn’t panicking, was allowing them to touch her freely. In fact, she became more aware of Pax’s warm breath caressing her neck and the feel of AJ’s steely thighs under hers. Despite the arctic temperature of the room from her well-running air conditioner, she was flushed with heat. Not panic hot, just . . . hot. Every time Pax’s fingers sailed along the naked flesh of her shoulders, her ni**les tightened, and the feel of AJ’s hands in her hair caused goose bumps to break out across her skin.
“Does it feel good?” Pax asked.
“Yes. It feels great.” Really great. She felt like the sea, undulating waves crashing lazily against the shore. She let out a soft moan, loving their hands on her.
And then they stopped. AJ stood and moved away.
Dammit. They didn’t know, couldn’t know.
“How about something to drink now?” AJ asked.
His voice was laced with something Teresa couldn’t quite comprehend.
“Um, okay.”
She stood and went into the kitchen, not understanding what had changed.
SIX
PAX PEERED INTO THE KITCHEN TO MAKE SURE TERESA WAS occupied before leaning close to AJ. ���What the f**k was that about?”
“We can’t do this.”
“Do what?”
AJ tilted his head. “You know what.”
Pax tried to remember what he’d done when he was touching Teresa. Nothing. He’d massaged her shoulders and that was it. “I was giving her a back massage. She looked tense as hell.”
“And you know damn well what that leads to. We’re not going there with Teresa.”
“Jesus, man, do you think every time I touch a woman it’s because I want to f**k her? I was trying to offer her some comfort.”
“Right. And you asked me to join in. Don’t play the player, Pax.”
Pax shook his head. Maybe AJ was right. Consciously he wasn’t even thinking about that, but there was no doubt he was attracted to Teresa. Maybe without even thinking about it . . .
“I know where we stand with her. But maybe you can leave it up to her.”
“I don’t know, Pax. She’s been through enough tonight. And it’s not like we’re going to stay and . . . well, you know.”
Pax flopped onto the sofa and laced his hands together behind his head. “I’d like to. Stay. And well . . . you know. With Teresa.” He waited for AJ’s reaction, figuring his friend would get pissed off. Instead, AJ just cocked his head to the side and slid a glance into the kitchen.
“You want to stay here? Just like that? What about the road trip?”
“She’s in trouble. So’s Joey. You know how it is. You take care of your friends. I just figured you’d want to hang out until this was settled. And it’s not like we had a destination in mind.”
“Okay. Good. Thanks.”
Pax shrugged. “I believe Teresa. I think someone in the Fists did the deed. But why would someone kill the leader of his own gang?”
“Because he wanted to become the leader?”
“Maybe. There are a lot of ways to oust a gang leader without killing him.”
AJ stood and paced the room. “If the majority of the gang agrees.”
“So what you’re saying is that maybe this was a coup of sorts. That not everyone wanted Larks taken down.”
AJ nodded. “It could have been a spur-of-the-moment thing. Hell, for all we know whoever killed him had a personal beef. We just don’t know the why of it.”
“Or maybe someone has a vendetta against my brother and Larks,” Teresa said as she reentered the room. “Killing Larks and making sure the murder is pinned on Joey kills two birds with one stone.”
Teresa brought the tray filled with drinks into the room and set it on the coffee table.
“It could be that, too,” AJ said. “Whatever the reason, someone in the Fists wanted Larks dead.”
She didn’t seem upset about them pulling away, but what did he know? They barely knew each other so he was going to have to let AJ lead on this one, and the warning look AJ sent his way said now wasn’t the right time. Still, there was something vulnerable in her eyes, a wariness there. Pax would like to know why.
Maybe that’s what attracted him to her—she was a mystery. He liked mysterious women. Too many of them were open books, wanting to blurt out their entire life stories the first night you met them. Pax liked a woman who kept her cards close to her chest. It made him curious enough to want to peel back some of the layers.
Teresa took the chair next to the sofa. Safe territory, not near AJ or him. Pax didn’t think he and AJ had come on strong. They usually saved that for women who knew what was up, who welcomed the challenge. All he’d been doing was offering comfort, nothing more. And maybe she was pissed off that she had gotten into their touch and they pulled back abruptly. She didn’t want to get burned again. He couldn’t blame her. Women didn’t take rejection well. Problem was, they hadn’t rejected her.