Chapter 22

She glanced towards Richie as he turned the car onto their street. "You know I'm so gonna get ... hell even YOU are liable to get your ass kicked."

"Yeah... what's new?" He shrugged with a grin "I'm always in some kinda trouble"

Her eyes rolled as her fist flashed out to tap his shoulder. "Yeah but I wasn't being dragged in to it. Well at least not for the last..' she winced, "thirteen or fourteen years."

He laughed loudly, "Then you ain’t been livin' baby!" He winked her way with a grin.

She still couldn't believe it. She'd just up and vanished for three days with no calls home, nothing. She'd spent it being wined, dined and very wonderfully fucked by a man that still could show the dorkiest of sides. "You know, you can be such a..." the word Dork implied but not stated as her voice trailed off when he pulled into the driveway. Her gaze swung to the front of the house, and almost shivered. Every damn light was on, she couldn’t sneak in damn it all. "I think I'm afraid to go in.'

"Dork?" he grinned impishly as he slammed the car in park.

"Among other things." She took a deep breath and watched as he got out of the car and slid around to her door. As he opened it she slowly stood and rolled her eyes, "I won’t run, but I swear if she yells at me I'm taking it out on you. Ya get that?"

"Yeah, yeah..... why does that NOT surprise me?" He leaned down and kissed her nose before claiming her lips. "Yell all you want Mel.. I'll just kiss you till you can’t talk."

She snorted and started towards the house. "God what am I gonna do with you?" She stopped at the door and took a deep breath. "You go in first."

"I have a few ideas on what you could do with me," he quipped as he opened the door. Taking her hand he walked in with her by his side.

She stepped in and went still, her eyes going wide in shock. Her sister, her baby sister no less, sprawled on the lap of a man, whose hands were very firmly down her ...."What the fuckin' hell?"

Richie blinked a few times, for once just a bit speechless. "Shit!" He made a move to back out the door Mel's hand still in his.

She held tight and stood firm, pulling him closer as she started to near hyperventilate, her voice going high in shock. "Shannon Allyson Daniels!"

Shannon jerked sharply as her sister’s shrill voice penetrated the still warm fog surrounding her body. Mel and Richie were standing in the doorway, both looking as if they'd swallowed vinegar. She slid off Jon, her cheeks flaming and looked around for her shirt. Where he'd thrown it she'd never know. She grabbed the only thing around she could cover herself with... the little throw pillow Hugging it to her breasts she glared at Melanie’s intrusion.

"Great timing Mel." She spat the words out in her anger at being interrupted, her confusion at how her body was still singing. “You have a lot of room to screech.”

A brow arched, damned right it was great timing. She’d stopped it before it went too far. "It sure as fuck was, what the hell were you doing?" Her back stiffened as she glared at Jon, 'And YOU! What the hell do you think YOU were doing?"

Jon blinked at the damned tone echoing off the woman missing for three days. His lips quirked upwards in a grin, his eyes moving over to Richie, "Probably the same damn shit you were the last three days."

She went to move towards Jon, the urge to pull his hair until he was bald shining in her eyes. "You cocky little piece of .. that’s MY SISTER!"

Shannon moved fast. She saw the glint in her sister’s eyes and reacted. "Don't you DARE touch him." She stepped in front of Jon, then with a glower flicking from Mel to Richie and back again said "How DARE you come in here after being gone for 3 damn days!! No note... no phone call!! "

Richie’s eyes widened to see the tiny slip of girl step between his friend and his woman. Brave soul that little Shay.

Mel’s hand snaked out and grabbed her sister's arm, her anger burning like fire in her eyes. "Go put some fuckin' clothes on."

She pushed Shannon towards her room and turned on Jon yet again. "You've only known her three fucking days you stupid singing rock star, what the fuck do you think you're doing? She's innocent, she’s not some damned...." she growled at the man sitting on the couch who was daring to laugh at her, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Just doing what grown ups do sweetie. Don’t tell me YOU don’t know. I think you do."

She started towards him, ready to deal a bit of damage to his stubborn head and she wasn’t thinking of the one on his shoulders. She did still remember what hurt a guy the worst. "Oh you ....."

Richie bit back a laugh as Mel and Shannon played a tango with each other. One was trying to bash his best friend, the other trying to protect him. Shannon looked a bit scared, as if she wasn't sure whether to go toe to toe with her sister or not. Jon sat calmly, unashamed; his cocky nature bubbling up only to rile Mel more. And Mel... oh she was glorious! That's the Mellie he knew and loved! He only hoped she wouldn't hurt Jon too badly.

"Uh Mel.. honey... calm down...." he tried to reason with her "She's 20 years old ya know..."

She whirled, her eyes flashing, "And she wouldn’t be giving it up to a stranger if you hadn't kidnapped me. My god you are such a ... " fuck she couldn't call him Dork he wasn't one, she lifted a finger and started towards him, "ITS ALL YOUR FAULT!!"

Jon’s laughter roared, god damn she was crazy, didn't know who to attack.His head turned as he speared Richie was a curious glance, "And you like this girl why?"

Richie shot Jon a look that shouted I can deal without your fuel to the fire man!

"My fault??? I...."

Her finger stabbed into his chest as she got chest to chest, toe to toe and leaned in going for an eyeball to eyeball anger. "YOU took me to New York, ya didn’t bring me home, You left my defenseless BABY sister here at the mercy of your globetrotting gigolo..."


Jon snorted and piped in, "I ain’t the gigolo here, he gets more than...."