He hit the gravel at a pace close to a jog barely in time to see motion off to the left. There she was. Her brown hair flying behind her as she ran full tilt at the building.
The Old Ladies’ cheers were loud and full of enthusiasm. Jade hit the building and ran up the wall at full speed. Her hands caught on a pipe about ten feet off the ground and she pulled herself up and somehow managed to balance. His heart paused its beating as she leapt sideways onto another metal pipe that ran from the second story up to the roof.
She shimmied up so fast it was like there was a rope pulling her upwards. Less than a second later, she gripped the edge of the building and pulled herself up onto the top. His breath escaped in a relief as she turned around to face her cheering audience. The little bow she did with her hands extended out to the side was adorable.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Ink’s voice bellowed, and everyone’s attention turned to them.
Jade stood balanced on the edge of the building looking down, and her expression was not amused. Ink’s temper was always faster to ignite than his own. Jade crossed her arms and cocked her hip in a pose that told everyone she wasn’t happy with the tone of voice Ink was using with her.
“Just having some fun while you guys were busy,” Jade shouted down.
Hannibal stepped up behind Ink and kept his voice low. “She does this kind of thing every day, Brother. Don’t let yourself get rattled.”
His own thoughts and emotions were in turmoil, but lashing out at Jade wouldn’t help. Something about seeing her do the crazy stunts in person had every protective instinct kicking into gear. Yelling at her would only start a fight.
This woman who fascinated them didn’t live a quiet life. She did crazy stunts and tricks for a living and taught others how to do them too. Jade’s YouTube channel had hundreds of thousands of followers. Asking her to stop would be like asking them to give up tattooing.
“That’s different. There are mats and safety gear.” Ink tilted his chin and raised his voice. “Step back from the edge before you break your fool neck.”
Hannibal groaned as Jade’s eyebrow rose in disbelief. She leaned forward and looked over the edge of the building and back around to the other edges of the roof. The mischievous smile she gave was the only warning they got.
In a move that was sure to give him nightmares for months to come, she took a step to the right, turned around, and stepped back off the edge of the roof. The Old Ladies screamed and Hannibal’s throat closed as she fell straight downward. He could picture her legs snapping as she hit the ground.
Jade’s hands caught first on the top of a window, then on the bottom sill in a maneuver that slowed her momentum. Then she dropped past the final story and gracefully onto to the ground.
Ink’s growl mirrored his own as the two of them strode forward. She was safe, that was what was important, but that move had been nothing more than a taunt. And there was no way they would ignore it.
The Old Ladies were laughing and cheering at her antics. It didn’t help to diffuse their moods.
Jade smirked as the two of them invaded her space. “All safe and sound on the ground. It’s good to see you guys. Is your Club business over?”
Hannibal didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or pull her over his knee. Ink’s response was to grab her by the back of the neck and pull her in for a passionate kiss.
The heat between them was electric. Hannibal’s cock grew stiff as Ink used the kiss to claim and punish her all in one stroke. When they finally broke away, she was panting.
Hannibal grabbed her before she could recover and turned her face toward him. “My turn.”
He lifted her up, so she had to wrap her legs around him as he plundered her mouth with a kiss. Hannibal put all the emotions her little stunt had caused into the embrace. Fear, excitement, and frustration. He wanted her to know exactly what she had put him through.
She tasted like tequila and he wanted to strip her clothes off right there and claim her against the wall. But this wasn’t the time or the place. He had spent the day worrying about her and the business dealings she had with her friend, Eric. Then, the news about the probable war with the Russians had put his emotions on hyper-drive.
He needed to calm down before going any further. They had a plan for the evening. See how their little Jewel reacted to Club parties. Introduce her to their Dark Sons Brothers.
None of that would be accomplished if Ink and he gave in to the urge to strip her bare and take her up to one of their favorite rooms. He broke the kiss with a sigh and let her lower herself to the ground.
“That was amazing.” Pixie bounced over to them, breaking the heat of the moment.
Jade stepped back, and Hannibal enjoyed the dreamy smile on her face. She seemed to shake herself back into the moment.
She looked over at Pixie. “I guess you guys are stuck with me for another six months then.”
Cami joined in on the laughter. “You know we would have kept c-coming anyway. Somehow you make exercising fun. And I’m not giving up until I can do the S-Salmon Ladder.”
Hannibal shook his head and made a gesture towards the door. “How about we take this back inside where at least all your trouble making will be contained.”
The comment was directed at Cami, but it was Jade who huffed and rolled her eyes. She hooked her arms with the other women before storming inside.
* * *