"I'm not going to apologize. Why don't you have a protective detail from the US Marshals or NYPD for Christ's sake?" Carmine stood in the middle of the room and raged.
Nic lifted another wine glass and poured a portion for Mario and then one for himself. Carmine could fucking fend for himself.
"Do you mind if I answer that question, Your Honor?" Jade's voice, low, sultry and sexy floated across the room.
Judge DeMarco lifted her hand and waved it toward Carmine, signaling go ahead as she tipped back the wine glass and took a huge gulp.
Jade straightened from the door and took slow, deliberate steps toward Carmine. She got into his personal space and took one deliberate step forward forcing the man back a step. She continued to put one foot in front of the other, backing his brother toward the corner of the room. Her voice was an inaudible whisper as she spoke to him, and whatever she was saying to his brother drained the blood from his face. He paled and nodded his head several times. Jade lifted her arm suddenly, and Carmine flinched. She smiled and pulled her hair to one side dropping her arm casually. Oh, fuck, it was a thing of beauty to watch. She had Carmine terrified, handled, and willing to do exactly as she said, in less than twenty seconds.
Jade took off her jacket exposing her primary weapon, cuffs, badge, and her 911 Interceptor. She didn't have that knife on her when she'd left to pick up his mother. The thought of what she wasn't wearing when they'd last been in this house together sent a surge to his cock. Fuck, watching the woman intimidate his brother shouldn't be so fucking hot, but it was. Hotter than hell. He raked his eyes over her. She was amazing, and he'd bet this month's paycheck she had at least two other weapons somewhere on her person. Not that she'd need them. She was a lethal weapon all by herself. Jade turned on her heel with her jacket draped over her left arm, keeping her right available to pull whichever weapon she'd need.
"There was delivery for me from Guardian?" She smiled at Nic as if she hadn't handed a seasoned lawyer his hat and forced him to eat it.
"Couple of boxes. I put them upstairs in the guest bedroom."
Jade nodded and turned around to address the others in the room. "There are cameras and sensors surrounding the residence as well as ballistic shields in place. Don't answer the front door, or go near it for that matter. Nic or I will handle that. I'd hate anyone to come to harm on my watch. Your Honor, when your guests are ready to leave, I'll ensure their vehicles are secure before letting them out of the residence. If you need me, I'll be around." She spun and walked out of the room.
"What the heck did she say to you, man?" Mario's face was a study of emotions, but shock seemed to override surprise and concern.
"Nothing. She, ah…" Carmine studied Nic as if weighing how much he should say. "…she's more than capable of taking care of Ma's security."
"I told you. Now, to the kitchen everyone. We have prep work to do. I'm thinking something simple like spaghetti. Carmine grab some of my homemade sauce out of the freezer and start defrosting it. Mario, you have meatball duty. We need to drop them into the sauce to cook them. Nico, you are on salad and bread. I'll go change. Carmine and I will make the pasta."
Nic watched Mario get up and head out to start the meatballs. Carmine held back and turned to Nic, grasping his arm, stopping him from following. "That woman is insane."
"Not true, we have her tested quarterly. It's a Guardian requirement. Although, now that you mention it, she may be off her meds." Nic shrugged off his brother's hand and followed Mario to the kitchen.
Dinner preparation was surprisingly cordial since Carmine's mouth wasn't running. Mario sat down next to him at the kitchen island while they waited. "So what is the story with the woman?"
"The woman?" Nic lifted his eyebrows at his brother. "She has a name, and if you value keeping your balls where they currently reside, I strongly suggest you drop your Carmine impersonation."
Mario chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah, Mom told me she thought there was something between the two of you."
"What? When?" Nic sure as hell did not need his mom on the scent of something that could never develop.
"When I was dropping the meatballs into the marinara. Not sure I see it. I mean, who'd want to fuck a woman who could kill you?"
I would . Nic took another sip of his second glass of wine. He wasn't going to respond to Mario's comment.
Mario chuckled and elbowed Nic, drawing his eyes to meet Mario's gaze. "Is she that good?"
"Where is your fiancé? Shouldn't she be here?" Nic regretted the jab when he watched Mario's teasing expression close off.
"Nah, she's working. Or has a meeting. Or is sleeping. Or doing yoga." Mario tossed back the rest of his wine and immediately reached for the decanter.
"Trouble?"
"Nah, we'd have to see each other for there to be trouble." Mario filled his glass and lifted the decanter toward Nic. He shook his head. Jade was on duty, but if shit hit the fan, he needed to be able to respond.
"Just a rough patch or…?" Nic left the question open ended.
Mario shrugged, and they both jumped when Carmine barked a string of cuss words that seemed to be directed at the pasta attachment he was struggling to put on the huge mixer.
"Fuck, that man is a heart attack waiting to happen."
Nic snorted a laugh at his little brother. "I hope he explodes on your watch."
Mario laughed and shook his head. "Believe it or not, he's not bad at the office."
"Huh. I don't believe it. Now, about you and Bethany?"
Mario shrugged. "We've both agreed the relationship isn't working. The sex is great when we do get together, but she has career goals and building the firm takes most of my time. We're getting together next weekend to figure out how to separate assets and go our own ways after four years, but for all intents and purposes, the relationship is done."
Nic put his arm around his brother's shoulders and pulled him in for a sideways hug. "Sorry man. It sucks."
"Unfortunately, the one who is going to be the most upset over this thing ending is Mom." They both laughed at the truth of Mario's statement.
"Shit, she'll double her efforts to marry me off." Nic jokingly pushed Mario away.
"You could do worse than the one upstairs." Mario absently watched Carmine and his mom work together to feed the pasta sheets through the press. "All fooling aside, she's hot. She can handle herself and this family. Dude, that's a keeper in anyone's book."
Nic chuckled and swiveled in his chair to look out the window. "Yeah, and Jade is as wild and independent as they come. She doesn't do relationships, and if she ever settles down, it would take a miracle of Old Testament proportions to keep her happy. Her brother is my best friend. I don't know, man."
"So you're telling me you're opposed to having fun with her until the marrying type comes along?"
Nic filled his lungs and then let them deflate slowly. He considered his brother and shrugged. Why not be honest? He knew Mario would keep his confidence. "Dude, I'm forty years old. I've watched all the people around me settle down and find happiness. I don't know, maybe they've infected me or something, but I'm over the random hook-ups."
"I never thought I'd hear those words from you." Mario swirled the wine in his glass before he spoke again. "So why not try to settle down with Jade?"
"Jade's fucking amazing, and if the opportunity ever presented itself, I'd be stupid not to make her mine, but she doesn't want a relationship, and honestly, that's what I do want. She's the type of woman I could see myself with long-term, but letting myself go down that path is insane." Mario nudged his elbow, but, lost in his thoughts, Nic didn't pay immediate attention. "I'm telling you, Mario, I'm fucking tired of playing the field. Meaningless sex with random hook-ups has lost its flavor. Sex is a biological catch and release now." Mario nudged his elbow again. "What?" His brother cleared his throat and motioned with his
chin toward the door. Nic tossed a glance in that direction. Fuck. Jade stood inside the door and was well within hearing distance. Wonderful.
His mom's voice called from the other side of the kitchen, "Ah, Jade! Dinner will be in about ten minutes." Bettina held long strands of cut pasta up in the air. "I'll be dropping the pasta soon."
"Thanks, but no thanks. I ate before I picked you up. I'm doing my rounds." Jade turned and walked out of the room.
"Okay, there is plenty if you change your mind," Bettina called after her. Carmine let loose with another string of curse words. "Mario, come help Carmine disassemble the pasta attachment before he breaks it, please?" Bettina arranged her freshly cut pasta on a floured board as she spoke.
Nic leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment. He needed to end any idea of a real relationship with Jade. No matter how he twisted it, what they had wasn't a relationship. It was just sex. At least in her mind. He'd seen and heard the hesitancy when he asked if they were exclusive. If she had that much of a problem saying yes to being with one man, how could he ever hope to entice her to stay with him long term? Hell, maybe her hesitancy was because of him. God, what a stinking pile of shit. Life wasn't supposed to be this difficult. Undoubtedly, the sex with Jade was hot on a nuclear detonation level, hot enough to lay waste to his entire world, but it wasn't the sum of his attraction to her. Nic sighed and rolled his shoulders while looking down at his hands. The woman had gotten into his blood, and he was addicted to her taste, her body, and her laughter. The energy surrounding her fed him in ways that he didn't understand. He wanted more from her than just sex. The woman enthralled him, wrapping him in a hypnotic web that held him helpless and awaiting her mercy. Unfortunately, her mercy would never arrive. She would abandon the web and leave him to shrivel and die. He needed to end their games. Once the trial was over, he'd go back to D.C., and she'd go on to another assignment. Back to business as usual. No harm, no foul.
Nic glanced up at the small camera in the corner of the room. He lowered his eyes and drew a deep breath before looking over at his family. Their laughter cut through his melancholy mood. He turned and peered back at the camera. Nic lowered his view to his watch. Eleven hours until he could speak with her privately.
Chapter Sixteen
Jade unwrapped a protein bar and took a huge bite out of the chocolate covered sawdust. She washed the horrible taste down with a half bottle of room temperature water while she watched the family downstairs passing homemade pasta, tomato sauce, and meatballs around the table. It wasn't the first time she'd eaten a protein bar instead of joining her primary for dinner, and it wouldn't be the last.
Jade hadn't caught the entire conversation between Mario and Nic, but she'd heard enough. Nic wanted a relationship. A serious relationship and if what she heard was correct, he wanted it with her. But then again, he'd assumed he wanted that same kind of relationship with her sister Jewell a few months back. Jade bounced her foot rapidly while she willed herself to reject the idea of a serious relationship.
What was it about the man that scrambled her brain so much that she sat here and contemplated changing her entire way of life? Her brain fired on all eight cylinders and listed the reasons for making it permanent with Nic before she could even think to stop it. He's sexy as hell, fucking fantastic in bed, the best you've ever had. He gets your mentality; he understands your job. He knows you've played the field and made the circuit and still wants to be around you. She shut down the mental diatribe and observed the dynamics of the family again. Carmine was back to his usual asshole self. He dominated the table. Mario and the judge visited with the blowhard, but Nic just watched. He'd barely touched his meal. Jade took a huge bite out of her supposedly chocolate flavored piece of clay brick and chewed it as fast as her jaw could power through it. Nic was upset. Those lines between his eyebrows were more prominent, enough that she could pick them out with the camera. Jade flicked her eyes toward her laptop. The screen split into six video streams: two cameras outside of the residence, which also covered the opposing sides of the building; a wide angle shot of the street in front of the residence; one from the rear of the yard watching the back of the home; one dedicated to the Guardian vehicle out front, and the last rotated through the images inside the home. Jade had the dining room called up on her phone and was able to monitor the family while still ensuring the security of the residence. This part of her job sucked feathered duck balls. The watching and waiting were boring as hell, but it was worth it if the primaries remained safe.
She lifted the cardboard flap of one of the boxes Jewell had sent her and pulled out her caffeine pills and a six-pack of energy drinks. God bless Jewell for her addiction to the highest-octane energy drink on the market. Until Jade got into a routine of sleeping during the day and staying awake at night, the energy drinks and caffeine pills would keep her alert. It was what it was. Not healthy, but then again if she fell asleep, the judge may not stay alive. That made any damage to her body from the combination in her hands well worth the price.
She watched as the family cleared the table and started washing up. She could tell it was a dance they'd done many times as each of them knew exactly what to do. She watched Nic roll up his sleeves and take off his watch before he filled the sink and started washing dishes. Mario dried while Carmine loaded the dishwasher and wiped down the table and countertops. Bettina DeMarco put the food into containers and placed them into the fridge. When they were finished, they headed into the family room. Jade switched cameras. Nic wasn't in the family room. She lurched toward her laptop. She caught him heading into the office. Keeping the family on the screen of her phone she propped it next to her laptop and froze one of the screens on the office frame. Nic walked through the space and raked his fingers through his hair. He walked over to the desk and pushed several pieces of paper off his tablet. Dropping down into the chair, he fired up his laptop and picked up the phone. The man was burning the candle at both ends. Not only was he coordinating Guardian's investigation of his mother's case, but also carrying his normal workload.
Jade's eyes flicked back to her primaries. Carmine appeared as if he was getting ready to go. Jade made a sweep of the exterior cameras, checked the sensors, and grabbed her blazer. Time to go to work.
Three hours later, with both the brothers gone, the house locked up tight, the judge in her room reading, and Nic elbow deep in paperwork, Jade slipped into the kitchen. She wasn't beyond rummaging through leftovers, because that protein bar was not cutting it. The light turned on, catching her holding a plastic container of pasta.
"I'll split that with you." Nic prowled into the kitchen and grabbed two plates out of the cupboard.
"Umm… okay, but I got to tell you, I'm hungry enough to eat this all by myself." Jade put the container down and grabbed the spoon that Nic handed her.
"There are enough leftovers in the freezer to feed an army. I promise you won't go hungry in this house." Nic slid equal portions of the pasta and meatballs onto each plate. He covered one and put it in the microwave before he spoke again. "Why didn't you eat dinner with us?"
"Wasn't feeling it." Jade shrugged away his question. He didn't need to know his words earlier tonight had hit her harder than a cannonball to the gut. She'd always described herself as a commitment-phobe, but hearing it come from Nic pulled the glitz and sass off the title and painted her for what she was-a woman who ran away from anything that would come close to a lasting relationship. Hell, she even kept her family at arm's length. Nobody really knew her. They only knew the persona she'd perfected. Granted, she had one hell of a lot of fun perfecting that image, but…
"Look, I was going to wait to do this until the morning, but you deserve to know the truth…"
Jade lifted a hand and stopped him. "I heard the truth tonight, and I've had some time to think about what you said." Jade pulled her hand through her ha
ir and let her arm drop to her leg. She pushed out the words before she lost her nerve. "Look, if you promise to let me take this at my pace, I'm willing to… you know…" She waited for a reaction and when it didn't come she peered up at him. The confusion plainly displayed across his handsome face told her he had no clue what she was saying. "What's so hard to understand here? You said you were looking for a relationship with me right? I mean I don't know how to fucking do… that… but I'm willing to… you know…" She picked up the other plate and handed it to him when the microwaved beeped. Why in the hell was he looking at her as if she had three heads? She could change. He'd changed. Why couldn't she? It wasn't impossible. Was it?
"No, I don't know. You're willing to do what?" He stood there with the plate in his hands and confusion written all over his face.
Jade crossed her arms over her chest and stuck out her hip. Men. Men were so stupid sometimes. Damn, if Nic wasn't sex on a stick and pretty as hell, she'd walk away. How the hell did this guy manage to pass the bar and run a big part of a billion dollar company?
"Follow the bouncing ball, DeMarco. I'm willing to try."
"Try what?" Nic put the plate down and ran his hand through his hair, sending the thick bangs into total chaos.
Yep, sex on a stick. Albeit a dull stick sometimes. Jade scanned the kitchen for any possible eavesdroppers and then leaned in and hissed, "A relationship."
Nic blinked owlishly a couple times before a smile started to spread across his face. It faltered, and he directed a sharpened gaze at her. "That means exclusivity even when we are done with this assignment."
Jade narrowed her eyes and placed her index finger on his chest, pushing a little harder than necessary. "I know that. Don't you think I know what being in a… What it entails?"
"You can't even say the word."
"Why do I have to? Is there a rule that says I have to label this thing?" She took a step to pass by him and slugged him on the shoulder. He grabbed her around the waist and then pinned her arms to her sides, nothing she couldn't break out of, but at this second in time, she was okay with his arms pulling her into his embrace.
Jade (The Kings of Guardian Book 9) Page 15
