Wild Angels Read online

  “Saved by the bell,” Patrick quipped.

  Julian stuck his tongue out at him and went to answer the door. “Hi, Hallie,” he said, surprised. “Roy. What can I do for you?”

  “Hey, Julian,” Roy said, smiling slightly. “Is Jack home? I need to ask him a favor.”

  Julian shook his head. “Sorry. He’s walking Robot. Is there something I can do?”

  Roy sighed. “I don’t know. I hope so. I need to take my mom to have some tests done at the hospital, and my regular babysitter just called. She’s got the flu. I was hoping you wouldn’t mind watching Hallie for a few hours. I can take her with me if it’s a problem.”

  Deus ex machina, Julian thought with a small smile. “Nah, it’s no problem. Come on in, little lady.”

  “Thanks,” Roy said gratefully. “I really appreciate this, man. I’ll be back around two-thirty.”

  Julian and Hallie waved him off, and then Julian shut the door. He exchanged a smile with Patrick before turning to Hallie. “So, tell me, Miss Klein. Have you ever seen The Princess Bride?”

  Chapter 10

  Sitting in his car, which was still in his driveway, Brad went over everything he needed for his date with Patrick. He’d done the same thing before he left the house, but it wouldn’t hurt to do it again. He needed to make sure that everything was perfect. He wanted the picnic to be as good as the first date.

  Coming to the conclusion that everything was ready to go, Brad put the car in gear and headed to Jack and Julian’s. Even though he had spoken to Patrick several times since Sunday, and the other man had assured him that he was fine, Brad was still angry. He had a fairly good idea of what had happened between the three men—he wasn’t as naïve as most people thought—and he was less than impressed.

  Oddly enough, he was more upset with Julian and Jack than he was with Patrick. He’d seen the look of guilt and devastation on Patrick’s face when he got to Brenda’s. Watching as the haunted look in Patrick’s eyes had been replaced with happiness while they ate had helped to dispel the anxiety Brad had been feeling. Seeing how hard it was for Patrick to get out of the car when he dropped him off had actually made Brad angry enough that he had snapped at Julian. Brad wasn’t normally the type to get angry—it was part of what made him such a good bartender—but after watching Patrick bypass his friend to get into the house, he had felt the anger rise.

  The drive home was when he realized that he might be in trouble. Brad knew that he was setting himself up to get hurt. Patrick was only in town until October, and then he was heading home, but Brad couldn’t help himself. He wanted to be with the other man. Just thinking about the several kisses they had shared made him tremble with desire. He’d take what he could get, even if the result was a broken heart.

  Pulling into the drive at Jack and Julian’s, Brad put the car in park and looked toward the house. Patrick was sitting on the porch waiting for him. Brad watched a large smile cross the other man’s face as he noticed the car. That smile sent a jolt of heat through Brad. This was going to be an interesting date. Climbing out of the parked car, Brad had just about made it to Patrick when his cell phone rang.

  Frowning at the interruption, Brad pulled the phone from his pocket. “Hello?”

  “Bradley, I need you to come and get me.”

  “Gran?” Patrick had reached him, and Brad leaned into the soft touch on his cheek with a smile. “Aren’t you supposed to be playing cards today?”

  “That’s why I need you to come and get me. Ida’s waste of a grandchild forgot to come and pick me up. Again.”

  Brad sighed softly as he looked at Patrick. He couldn’t say no to his gran. “I’ll be there soon, but I only have time to pick you up. I’m on a date.”

  “Oh, was that today? I’m sorry, sweetie, I forgot.”

  Brad didn’t believe her for a second. She may have been getting old, but his gran had a mind like a steel trap. “I’ll be right there, Gran.”

  “Thank you, Bradley.”

  “Bye, Gran.” Brad disconnected with a sigh. He felt Patrick’s hand slide into his hair, and he leaned into the touch. “We need to make a detour before we head out on our picnic.”

  “What’s up?”

  “I need to go and get my grandmother. Her ride flaked on her.” Brad sighed and bit his lip. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I like that you care about your grandmother.”

  Brad smiled at Patrick and moved into his personal space. He tilted his head up and pressed a kiss to the tempting lips. He was about to press closer when he felt an arm pressing against his chest. He pulled away and looked down. “You’re wearing your sling again.”

  “Yeah. Roz tried to kill me.”

  “Really?”

  Patrick flushed. “Okay, maybe I was being an ass, and she made the exercises harder because I was pissing her off.”

  Brad laughed and wrapped an arm around Patrick’s waist, leading him to the car. “That sounds more like you.”

  “I’m not that bad.”

  Brad pulled open the passenger door, ushering him inside. “Liar.” He leaned in and kissed Patrick again. God, did he ever love the way that man tasted. Brad threaded his fingers into Patrick’s soft hair and put more pressure into the kiss, slipping his tongue past Patrick’s lips. Patrick opened for him, pulling his tongue in to play. He pulled away only when his back started to protest the angle.

  “Wilde Thing, if you keep that up, we will be late getting to your grandmother’s.”

  “Sorry, can’t help it.” Brad ran his fingers down Patrick’s cheek with a smile and then closed the door. Walking around the car, he climbed into the driver’s side, did up his seat belt, put the car in motion, and headed for his gran’s.

  “Okay, so what side of the family is ‘Gran’?”

  Brad spared Patrick a quick glance, noting the honest interest on his face. “She’s my father’s mother. My parents wanted her to go with them when they moved to B.C., but she said no. She wanted to stay here.”

  “I take it she ran the house?”

  “Most definitely. Gran is the one in charge.” Brad linked his fingers with Patrick’s when he felt the hand settle on his leg. He pulled their linked hands up and pressed a kiss to the back of Patrick’s hand. “Thank you for not making a big deal out of this.”

  “Why would I? You seem to love your gran as much as I loved my granny. I have no problem with pushing our picnic back half an hour or so to give her a lift.”

  “We won’t be that long, because you are not going into the house. I want to actually have a date, not watch Gran show you the photo albums.”

  “There are photo albums?” The teasing tone was practically dripping from Patrick’s voice. “Are there naked baby pictures?”

  Brad felt his face heat up. “I’m not going to answer that.”

  “The blush sort of answered it for me, baby. Sorry.”

  “Well, you won’t get to see any today. She’ll be waiting for us when we get there.”

  “I have to admit, I’m a little nervous about meeting your grandmother.”

  “So am I,” Brad replied. He gave the hand he was holding a squeeze. His gran had terrified every one of the girls he had brought home to meet her. She’d even terrified Rebecca, his brother Isaac’s soon-to-be-ex, and she was a bit of a bitch. He’d never brought a man to meet her before. This was going to be interesting.

  “Baby, does your grandmother know that you like men, or am I going to be an unwelcome surprise?” The question sounded normal, but Brad could hear the uncertainty underneath. Plus, Patrick’s hand was squeezing his repeatedly, a good sign that he was agitated.

  “Yes, she knows. I talked to her when I realized that I was attracted to men.”

  “You talked to your grandmother?”

  Brad gave Patrick a brief look and a smile. “You talked to yours.”

  “Good point.” Patrick laughed lightly and squeezed his hand.

  Brad smiled to himself as they contin
ued the drive in silence. He couldn’t believe how comfortable he felt with Patrick after such a short time. Brad let go of Patrick’s hand when he reached his gran’s house. He needed both hands to turn the car into the rather narrow drive. He swallowed nervously as he parked the car. Now or never. He stepped out of the car and headed to where his grandmother waited on the porch.

  Annabelle Wilde had been a beautiful woman when she was young, and that beauty was still visible in her lined face; those lines were mainly laugh and smile lines. Her iron-colored hair was in a French braid that hung down her back. Brad could feel her blue eyes on him as he walked closer. There was a smile on her face. “Bradley, you look very handsome today.”

  Brad felt his face flush. “Thanks, Gran.” He had worn one of his favorite blue sweaters and a pair of khakis.

  Her eyes moved past him and landed on Patrick. “You must be the date.”

  “Patrick Hawkins.” Brad watched as Patrick came forward, took Gran’s hand, and placed a kiss to the back. “It’s nice to meet the woman that Brad says such wonderful things about.”

  “Well, this one is a charmer.” Annabelle smiled at Patrick. “You can help me to the car.”

  “I would love to.” Patrick helped her down from the steps with more grace than would be expected of someone with an arm in a sling. He winked at Brad as they walked past. Brad shook his head with a smile and followed them to the car. Since Patrick’s good arm was the one that Gran was holding, Brad opened the passenger door for her.

  “Thank you, boys.” She settled herself in the passenger seat.

  Brad turned to his date. “Thank you for letting her sit in front.”

  “Not a problem, but you will have to get the door for me.” Patrick grinned at him and used his free hand to toy with the bottom of Brad’s sweater. “I can’t get it on my own once I’m in the car.”

  “Not nice to tease me like that when my gran is in the car,” Brad replied. He leaned in for a quick kiss and then opened the door for Patrick. Once sure that the other man was settled, he walked around the car and climbed behind the wheel. They managed to make it out of the driveway before the interrogation started.

  “So, Patrick, what do you do for a living?”

  “I’m a detective.”

  “Is that dangerous work?”

  “Sometimes.”

  “Is that what happened to your arm?”

  “Actually, my arm is fine. I was shot in the shoulder.”

  Annabelle smiled. “That mouth of yours gets you in trouble, doesn’t it?”

  “If I’m lucky.”

  “Does it get you back out?”

  “Depending on the trouble.” Patrick’s eyes met Brad’s in the rearview mirror, and Brad felt himself flush once again. “Some trouble is worth getting into.”

  The laughter coming from his gran startled Brad so much that he actually jumped. He managed to keep the car in a straight line by sheer force of will. He couldn’t believe that Patrick was teasing him in front of his gran. Wait; yes, he could.

  “I like this one, Brad; he’s feisty. Much better than those girls that you used to bring home.”

  “Gran!” Brad seriously considered dying of mortification. He felt something brush the back of his neck and caught Patrick’s eyes in the mirror again. He relaxed slightly when he saw the smile on Patrick’s face.

  “Well, he is.” Annabelle’s eyes suddenly narrowed in concentration as she turned in the seat so she could face Patrick. “Tattoos?”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “Do you have tattoos?”

  “Gran! How is that important?”

  “I just want to know. He looks like the type that would have tattoos.”

  “Eight.”

  “Pardon?” Annabelle looked from Patrick to Brad and then back again. Brad was fairly certain that his eyes were as wide as his gran’s.

  “I have eight tattoos. Oh, and a pierced nipple.”

  A strangled whimper forced its way past Brad’s lips. He was slightly mortified that he was starting to get hard with his gran in the car, but he couldn’t help it. Visions of playing with Patrick’s nipple ring while hunting out all of those tattoos with his tongue were filling his head. Brad bit back another whimper as he finally turned onto Ida’s street.

  “You have a pierced nipple?” Annabelle’s voice was a mixture of shock and intrigue.

  “Yes.”

  “Did it hurt?”

  “Gran!” Brad was sputtering in surprise. He couldn’t believe the questions that his gran was asking. If she had treated the girls he brought home to the same type of questioning, it was no wonder they all ran away.

  “A bit, but it was worth it,” Patrick replied. Brad glanced in the rearview mirror. There was an absolutely wicked smile on Patrick’s face. Brad wanted to press him down in the backseat and kiss him until he couldn’t breathe.

  The sight of Ida’s house was like salvation. Brad loved his gran, but he wanted her out of the car. Now. He pulled into the drive fast enough that the tires squealed. Brad could feel himself blushing as he put the car in park.

  “Trying to get rid of me, Bradley?” Annabelle gave him an amused grin. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in the car with you when you’ve been driving this fast.”

  “I’m sorry, Gran, I just—”

  “Want to spend time with your young man. I understand. I was young once.”

  “And it must have been a short time ago,” Patrick interjected.

  “You are trouble, I can tell you that much.” Annabelle smiled at him. “But I believe you to be the good kind. Now, someone needs to help me out of the car.”

  Brad practically leaped out of the car, but by the time he made it around, Patrick was using his good hand to help Gran out. She smiled and gave his cheek a pat. “I like you, Patrick.”

  “And I like you, Mrs. Wilde.”

  “You can call me Annabelle.” She stepped away from Patrick and kissed Brad’s cheek. “You should bring him by the house. I’ll make the two of you lunch.”

  “I’ll do that.” Brad gave her a kiss and then watched as she walked up the drive. Once sure that she was safely inside the house, he turned back to Patrick. Brad took two steps and settled his arms around Patrick’s waist. He smiled into the other man’s eyes. “You just managed to charm my gran.”

  “I think she likes me.”

  “She wants me to bring you to lunch. She never wanted me to bring any of the girls back after she met them for the first time.”

  “That’s because she thinks I’m special. She said that I could call her Annabelle.”

  Brad leaned into the embrace. “I think you’re special too.” He tilted Patrick’s head up and gave him a kiss. Brad licked along Patrick’s lips until the other man opened for him. He twined his tongue around Patrick’s and tugged it into his own mouth. He pulled away when he felt Patrick’s good hand land on his ass. “We should go.”

  “Don’t want to make out in the driveway?”

  “Not this one. Come on; I’ve got a picnic for us in the back.” Brad pulled away and held the door open for Patrick to climb in. Once his date was settled in the car, Brad closed the door, walked around, and got behind the wheel once again.

  After the chatter that had filled the car earlier, the drive to the park seemed very quiet. It wasn’t a strained silence. Brad smiled as a hand linked with his. It didn’t take him long to make the trip to the park. Once he had the car parked, Brad climbed out and retrieved the basket and blankets from the backseat. Settling them on one arm, he hurried around the car and opened the door for Patrick. He knew that Patrick could get out of the car on his own, but he didn’t want him to strain himself.

  “You know, I actually like the way that you hover, Wilde Thing.”

  “Good, because I am going to hover until you get better.” Brad gave him a soft kiss, locked the car, grasped his hand, and started tugging him into the park.

  They passed several other couples out enjoying the day. Keeping a g
rip on Patrick’s hand, Brad led him through the park. He wanted to take him to his favorite area of the park, and just hoped there wasn’t someone there already. Brad stepped off the path near the pond and steered them around a group of trees. They ended up in a rather secluded area, near the pond, that was surrounded by trees.

  “Wow, this place is nice.”

  “I like to come here and draw. I like the seclusion.” Brad placed the basket on the ground and then spread out one of the two blankets he had brought with him. Once he had it spread out, he grabbed the basket, settled himself on the ground, and held out his hand to Patrick. “Join me?”

  Patrick lowered himself to the blanket with a smile. “So, what’s in the basket?”

  “Picnic food.”

  “Picnic food? What exactly is picnic food?”

  “Well, let’s take a look.” Brad pulled the basket closer and opened it. He started to pull out food. “I’ve got sandwiches.”

  “What type?”

  “Chicken salad, ham, turkey, and tuna.” Brad blushed slightly. “I wasn’t sure what you would like.”

  “Sounds good. What else?”

  “Beer, water, and lemonade. I wasn’t sure what you were allowed to drink with the pills you’re on. I also have potato salad, coleslaw, and strawberries with chocolate dipping sauce.” Brad felt his blush darken as he said the last part. His mind was providing him with wonderful suggestions of what he could do with the chocolate sauce.

  “That’s a full basket.” Patrick maneuvered his way around the food and sat next to Brad. “I like that you packed this much food.”

  “I wanted to make sure that you had enough to eat.” Brad watched as Patrick grabbed a bottle of lemonade and a chicken salad sandwich. When Patrick gave a happy moan after he bit into the sandwich, Brad smiled. “You like?”

  “This has to be one of the best chicken salad sandwiches that I have ever tasted.”

  “I’m glad that you like it. My gran taught me how to make it.”

  “It’s amazing.” Patrick emitted another moan as he continued to eat the sandwich. Smiling at his lunch date, Brad picked out a sandwich for himself.

  They chatted easily as they ate most of the sandwiches. During the course of their lunch, Patrick had sprawled across the blanket. By the time they were done with the sandwiches, Patrick had his head pillowed in Brad’s lap. Brad was absently running his fingers through Patrick’s hair. Patrick’s uninjured arm was running over Brad’s leg in idle patterns. Brad smiled down at him. “You look incredibly comfortable down there.”