The men had never seen Jason so unguarded. They were absolutely shocked at the tender expression on his face.
Jason gently pushed Bella’s hair behind her ear and ran a hand down the silky length. Another cough had his fierce eyes swinging back to his men. His face once again became void of expression, cool gray eyes freezing them with a glare.
Bella finally acknowledged their audience, not in the least embarrassed by her behavior. Feeling like the old Bella, loving Jason made her feel free.
“Good morning, gentlemen! Sal, Mama wants you to call her. She said you’ve been avoiding her phone calls and not to make her come back here just so she can give you a piece of her mind.”
Sal muttered under his breath, making Bella lean over and smack his arm.
“Salvatore Moretti!”
“I’ll call her!” Sal grimaced as Bella frowned at him. “I swear, I’ll call her.”
“Good. Maybe then she’ll stop calling me every ten minutes.” Bella tried to get up, but Jason held fast. She gave him a cute little frown until he let go and got up to move around the coffee table to kiss Sal and then Slade on the cheek, saying hello. To her amusement, Slade actually blushed.
“Oh my, twins!” Bella sucked in a quick breath of surprise as she saw two dangerously beautiful men. They were identical except for their hair. One had his head shaved, and the other has short dark brown spikes. Both had arresting green eyes, but where one wore a wicked grin the other remained stoic. She was charmed when both of them stood to say hello to her. Bella was busy taking in the view with pure feminine appreciation until Jason’s growl had her shaking out of her stupor.
“Oops, sorry,” she muttered. “I don’t believe we’ve met. Hi, I’m Bella.” Her lighthearted grin lit up her face, and she stuck out a hand to each in turn.
“Adrian and Ryan Savage, ma’am. But you can call me Rock. Everyone does.” Rock allowed his face to relax, staggered by the sheer beauty of her smile. He was a quiet man and preferred to blend into the background. With his shaved head and bruiser physique, most people steered clear of him and would rather approach Adrian, the more outgoing twin.
They were big men and standing between them was like standing between two boulders. Bella knew by the look on their faces that she utterly shocked them when she went up on her toes and pulled each down to place a kiss on his cheek, starting with Rock.
Ignoring their astonishment, Bella continued. “Please call me Bella! I know you guys were watching over my parents. I can’t thank you enough. I feel so much better knowing you were watching over them.”
Just like that, their hearts were lost to her. Bella was like a ray of sunshine for these men, these warriors to be around. She was a bundle of energy, and her very presence made them want to smile.
Sal laughed at their expressions, earning a frightening scowl from Rock.
Bella turned to the last man in the room and was startled when he pulled her close to kiss her right on the lips causing Jason to snarl.
Ignoring Jason, the man continued to hold her close. “Bella, I’m Brett Michaels. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. Jesus, Mac, you’re a lucky SOB. She’s beautiful.”
Brett was a big man who looked more like a dangerous felon than someone who helped Jason head up an antiterrorist taskforce. Even with one arm in a brace, he looked more than capable of doing damage. Bella mentally shrugged as she figured it took all kinds to do the jobs they did. He might look scary, but his dark brown eyes were kind as he smiled.
“You can let go now dammit,” Jason ordered through clenched teeth, making the group laugh again.
Oblivious to the chaos she caused, Bella continued to smile at the group as she easily removed herself from Brett’s hold and moved back to Jason, where she was immediately hauled up to his side. Her lips twitched with amusement, but she tried to hide it, not wanting Jason going all Alpha male on the room at large.
“My God, are all the men in IAD so…large? It’s like you’re all supersized. Is it something in the water?”
They all chuckled.
“That’s just because you’re the midget of the family, Bells.” Sal laughed.
Bella put her hands on her hips and glared at her brother. “Anyway, I just got off the phone with Tara. Since we can’t go out and celebrate, I’m planning on making her a big birthday dinner tomorrow night. I know its Friday night, but I would love it if all of you could come.”
“You’re cooking? Damn, I’ll be here. Guys, you’ve never tasted anything as good as my little sister’s cooking.”
“She has been cooking for me, and I can honestly say she has no equal. She’s absolutely brilliant.” Jason voice was filled with pride as he put his arms around her, pulling her back to his front.