Claiming Menace (Ruthless Sinners MC 5)

“I’ll look it over and get back to you as soon as I can.”

“Wonderful. I look forward to hearing from you.”

As soon as I hung up the phone, I rolled over and gave Jared a quick shake. “Babe, wake up!”

“What’s going on?”

“I got the job at 501 Regency! Isn’t that great?”

“That’s awesome.” He rolled back over and curled back into his pillow. “I’m really proud of you.”

The second the words slipped from his mouth, he was back asleep. I, on the other hand, was wide awake. There was no way I could go back to sleep, so I eased out of bed and tiptoed over to Milo’s kennel. I let him out into our fenced-in backyard for a potty break, then headed straight to the living room and sat down at the computer. I pulled up my email and went through every line of the offer. I was pleased to see that it was even better than I was expecting and couldn’t wait to go over it all with Jared. I was absolutely thrilled that I would finally have the marketing job I had always dreamed of. That thought had me rushing to my closet.

I started sorting through all my clothes and quickly realized, I didn’t have the kind of clothes I would need for a full-time office job. I figured it was a good excuse to go shopping, so I grabbed something to change into and got dressed. I pulled my hair up and put on a little makeup, then left Jared a note to let him know I had gone into town to do a little shopping. I was about to dart out to my car when I remembered Milo was still out back.

After I dealt with him, I was finally on my way. I spent the entire day shopping, and by the time I was done, I had more than enough clothes to start my new job. I was excited to show Jared what I’d bought, but he’d already gone to work. I sent him a message letting him know I was home. Milo and I spent a quiet night organizing the closet, and after a long, hot bath, we went to bed alone.

The next morning, I woke up to an empty bed. For a slight moment, I thought Jared hadn’t made it home, but then I heard a commotion in the kitchen. Curious to see what the hell Jared was up to, I threw back the covers and made my way down the hall. When I reached the kitchen, I found Jared hovering over the stove. He was wearing a pair of his boxer briefs with no shirt, and his hair was still wet from his shower.

“Damn it,” he grumbled under his breath as he dropped the hot pan of biscuits on the counter and shook his hand wildly at his side. When that didn’t work, he placed the tip of his thumb in his mouth, trying to stop the burn. “Stupid fucking pan.”

I cleared my throat as I continued into the kitchen. “What’s all this?”

With his finger still in his mouth, Jared turned to face me. His eyes instantly dropped to my bare legs, widening with appreciation as he stood there ogling me. Several seconds later, he removed his finger from his mouth and said, “I was making you breakfast in bed.”

“Oh, I guess I kinda messed that up.” I stepped over to the stove and asked, “Need a hand?”

“Nope, I’ve got it covered, Besides, this is for you. I wanted to do something special to celebrate the new job.”

“Oh, that’s really sweet of you, but—”

“No buts.” He pointed the spatula over to the stools at the counter. “Have a seat, and let me work my magic.”

“Yes, sir.”

I sat down and crossed my legs, quietly watching as the man I loved finished scrambling our eggs. His eyes skirted over to me as he said, “You’re gonna have to stop doing that.”

“Doing what?”

“Looking at me like that,” he fussed. “I’m trying to work here, and I can’t concentrate when you do that.”

“How exactly am I looking at you?”

“Oh, you know.” He motioned his spatula over in my direction and said, “And it wouldn’t hurt for you to put on some sweats. Those big, ratty ones you wear all the time.”

“My sweats aren’t ratty!”

“If you say so.”

Loving that I was getting to him, I propped my elbow on the counter and rested my chin in the palm of my hand, giving him my best sultry look. He glanced over his shoulder with a grumble, then warned, “Bree.”

“Yes?”

I got up and sauntered over to him and was about to wrap my arms around him when I felt a sting on my thigh. Jared held up his spatula as he warned, “Behave, woman.”

“You have a thing for spanking me.”

“Yeah, and you have a thing for being spanked.” He gave me a wink before popping me with the spatula again. “Now, go sit and let me finish cooking.”