“Look who it is.”
My head jerks up when I hear Jack’s voice. I’d completely forgotten about him. But here I am thinking about one dipshit just as another appears. I know he was fired and I haven't seen him since that day in the barn. That was a handful of days ago and he’s still rocking the punch to the face Sadie told me Van gave him.
He’s directly on the path I take to cut across to Van’s place. All the paths are lit up with solar lights, making it easy to see, but I must have really zoned out to have not seen him before he spoke.
“You got me fired.” He takes another step closer to me when I don’t respond.
I want to ignore him and keep walking, but I have a feeling he wouldn’t like that. I know he’ll grab me because I can see it in his eyes. Van would go off the deep end if he laid a hand on me.
“I told his parents what I saw and they fired me,” he spits out. I feel the blood drain from my face thinking of what Honey might think. “They must be as twisted as their son because they didn't care.”
White-hot anger hits me at anyone talking badly about the Cyprus family. “Don’t you—” Before I can get any more words out Jack is plowed into and being wrestled to the ground.
If I had blinked I would’ve missed it.
Van sacked Jack right off the path like a linebacker and I watch in horror as they both go rolling off to the side. Van comes out on top and I cringe when he punches Jack in the face.
“You motherfucker!” Van shouts and my mouth drops open. There’s a deadly look on Van’s face and I’m terrified he’ll kill him.
“Son.” I whip my head to the side, where I see Ford.
Van’s dad is standing close by and I wonder where the hell he came from. He could’ve been with Van but I hadn't seen him coming either. I look back to Van when I hear the sound of another punch and then Ford calls out to me.
“Tia. Get my boy.”
It breaks me from the shock of what’s happening and I know I need to stop Van before he goes too far.
“Van,” I say, and his head flies up. When his eyes lock with mine I hold my hand out for him. He lets go of Jack and pushes himself to his feet. He comes right to me and ignores my hand and brings up his own to cup my face.
“You okay?” he asks me.
Am I okay? He was the one that was in a fight.
“I’m perfect,” I tell him, knowing I need to calm him down. Hearing that I’m all right is the only thing that will do it.
“Take your girl home. I’ll take out the trash,” Ford tells Van and he nods.
“Thanks, Dad,” Van answers, and his eyes never leave mine.
“Tia,” Ford calls to me as Van pulls me into his side. I look over to Ford and it’s then I realize how much he and Van look alike. “We might be a little crazy like Jack was saying.” He gives a lazy shrug. “But it’s always for the women we love. Welcome to the family. You’ll get used to our kind of crazy.”
I smile as his words settle over me. This is his way of telling me that they want me to be a part of their family and that I’m one of them. Good thing, because I want nothing more than to be a Cyprus.
“Thank you,” I say and he nods with a smile.
“Get my boy home.”
Van leans down and kisses the top of my head before we start walking toward his cabin.
“You done with this not living together crap?”
“That’s the first thing you have to say to me?” I ask with a laugh.
“You wouldn't have been sneaking over here if you lived with me,” he reminds me as he opens the door to his cabin. I probably should worry about what’s going to happen with Jack and that Van could be getting in trouble or something, but I have a feeling Ford will handle it. The Cyprus men have a way of getting things done.
“Did you hurt your hand?” I ask, not answering him, but I’m only teasing. I like doing it more than I should.
“Tia.” The door shuts behind us as Van reaches over my shoulder to lock it.
His tone is one that tells me I should watch myself and that I could get into trouble. My nipples tighten as I press my thighs together and an ache begins to form. He’s so handsome, but when he gives me that stern face it goes to a whole other level.
“I think you enjoyed sneaking around.” I place my hands on his chest before sliding them up and wrapping my arms around his neck. I can still feel the tension in his body and I want to relieve it for him. I rock myself into him and his hard cock digs into me.