Alexandra had invited her to stay with her until she found a new place, and then Alexandra had moved in with Connor shortly thereafter so Janie had pretty much had the run of the place. She paid rent, but she knew Alexandra was still covering her half even after nearly four months. Janie hadn’t found a new place yet, not that she’d been looking especially hard, and she knew she couldn’t afford the rent on a place like that alone. Her job paid well, but not that well.
Wanting to nip this in the bud and avoid a long drawn out, extremely awkward conversation, she made a calculated guess.
“How long do I have to find a new place?”
“What? No, no. I’m not kicking you out, Janie.”
“Okay, so you need me to cover more of the rent?” Janie asked.
“Well, yes. But not really,” Alexandra replied.
“Honey child, you’re making no sense here.” Alexandra laughed, as Janie had intended, and sipped her own wine before she went on.
“Well, obviously I don’t live there anymore and I know you can’t afford the rent on your own-”
“I-” Janie started to object.
“Bitch, I know how much you make,” Alexandra said, interrupting her. “You can’t.”
Janie rolled her eyes but remained silent.
“But, it just so happens, I think I know the perfect person to be your new roommate!”
“Roomate?” Janie asked.
“Yeah. That way you can stay in the townhouse and I can put the money I was paying in rent towards the wedding,” Alexandra explained.
“Good point. So who is it?” Janie asked, curious. She had a moment of dread as the idea flashed through her head that she was going to suggest Jackson. It was absurd. There was no reason to think it was him, but she had a mini heart attack, all the same.
“Angel.”
“Connor’s sister, Angel?”
“How many Angels do you think I know?” Alexandra snorted.
“No, I just thought she had her own house in Queens or somewhere.”
“She does, but Connor doesn’t like her living so far away so he’s been trying to convince her to move into the city and sell the house, but she’s always said no because of her job.”
“And that’s changed?” Janie asked.
“Yup.” Lex nodded. “She interviewed for a position at a hospital in midtown and they offered her the job yesterday. She’s going to take it since it’s better pay and better hours, but she needs a new place before she can list the house with a realtor.”
“Okay.” Janie shrugged.
“‘Okay,’ as in ‘I understand,’ or ‘okay’ as in ‘she can move in’?”
“You are such a lawyer sometimes.” Janie shook her head. “She can move in. I mean it’s your house anyway, I’m not sure why you even asked me.”
“I asked you, dummy, because you live there and I don’t.”
“Oh. Well… thanks. And yeah, she seems cool.”
“She’s great. I really think you’re going to get along fine once you get to know her a little more.”
“Wait a second… this doesn’t mean Connor’s going to be dropping by all the time does it? Or that he’s going to have his goons parked outside watching the place around the clock.”
Alexandra pursed her lips. “I mean… maybe?”
“No deal.” Janie shook her head. “I like my privacy.”
“I know, I know. I’m mostly kidding, you know, but Connor is… Connor. And that’s his little sister. He’s going to want to keep an eye on her, but he also knows she’d flip out if he tried giving her a full detail. My guess is, and he’s never confirmed this, that he’s been having his guys do fly-bys here and there when she was living alone. But Angel’s never said anything so either I’m wrong, or they’ve been very discreet.”
“Well you’re never wrong, so odds are they just haven’t gotten caught,” Janie huffed. “I don’t know, Lex.”
“Listen, if Angel isn’t living alone anymore, he’s going to feel better. It’s a good neighborhood and he personally had the best security system available installed. It’s possible he will not feel a need to keep as close an eye on her as he did before. But I can’t make any guarantees.”
“Gah, fine,” Janie sighed. “But remind him that it’s not just his sister living there and if I catch any of those no-necks sniffing around my house without a damn good reason, I will tell his sister and he’ll have two pissed off females to deal with.”
“Trust me, I will,” Alexandra promised with a grin.
“Alright, when’s she moving in?”
“How’s this weekend? The sooner the better, I think.”
“Fine with me.” Janie shrugged and finished what was left of her wine.
“And don’t worry, you won’t have to lift a finger. The boys will do all the heavy lifting.”
“The boys?” Janie snorted.
“Stop. You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I know you’ve got them all wrapped around your little finger like you’re their queen.”
Alexandra fixed her with an icy glare and cocked an eyebrow.
“I am their queen.”
“Oh, lord have mercy,” Janie laughed. “All that testosterone in the air has gone straight to your head.”
“Maybe,” Alexandra snickered. “But seriously, it’s just easier to say the boys or the guys than to list them all. I mean, what else am I supposed to call them?”
“Lackies? Peasants? Peons?” Janie suggested.
“Funny. You think I’m stupid enough to call a bunch of former soldiers ‘peons’?”
“What are they going to do about it? You’re marrying the boss.”
“Yeah, but that’s no reason to be a bitch. Besides, they’re all really nice once you get to know them,” Alexandra said with a wink and a nudge.
“Okay. We’re done here,” Janie said as she stood up and reached for her coat.
“I’m not pushing,” Alexandra insisted, standing up to block Janie’s path. “You do whatever you want in your personal life. But-”
“Here we go.” Janie rolled her eyes.
“But,” Alexandra continued. “They’re my friends too. All of them. And it would be nice if everyone got along.”
“One big happy family?” Janie scoffed.
“Yes, dammit,” Alexandra pouted.
Janie would love to have Alexandra’s optimism about this sort of thing, but in her experience, big happy families just didn’t exist. She was surprised Alexandra still believed it after her parents divorced. Then again, that had been as an adult. Her childhood had been positively idyllic, especially compared to Janie’s.
Alexandra was in no way naive, but she’d had an amazing, supportive family. It had been the only thing to keep her going in some of her darkest times. She’d been through more than enough shit, and Janie wasn’t about to hand her more. If she wanted to hang on the idea of a happy family, like hell was she going to be the one to crush it.
"Don't worry." Janie smiled. "You know I always play well with others."
Alexandra wasn't buying it, but she said nothing. That's what she got for letting someone get to know her.
"Cross my heart," she added with a wink as she grabbed her coat and headed for the door.
CHAPTER THREE
"Hey man," Connor greeted Jackson as he arrived for work the next day.
"How's it goin'? Jackson replied, tapping his shoulder as he walked by.
"Listen, I need a favor."
"Yeah? What's up?" Jackson asked.
"I need your help moving Angel into her new place this weekend."
Jackson groaned.
"I know, I know," Connor sighed. "But she won't let me hire movers and it'll take forever with just the three of us." Connor ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated.
"Alright, man, but you owe me one."
"I'll owe you two, but it'll be worth your while." Connor gave him a smirk.
"Oh, yeah? How's that?"
"
Lex didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"Angel is moving into Lex's townhouse."
"Isn't Janie living there?"
"Yup." Connor smirked.
"Well, shit. You buried the lead, dude."
"Does this mean I don't owe you?"
"Oh, no, you still owe me. But at least now it might be fun."
"Good luck," Connor laughed and clapped him on the back as he turned away.
Well, well, well.
“Oh, by the way?” Connor said, catching his attention. Connor then reached out and smacked him in the back of the head.
“Like your cut, G,” Connor said with a laugh before finally walking away.
“Alright, who taught Connor how to use the internet?” Jackson shouted as he flipped Connor the bird. There were a few guffaws from the other room in response, but Jackson ignored them, his mind already focused on the possibilities.
If he could get the little minx to stand still for a minute, he might be able to get her to at least talk to him. If he had to haul boxes and flex his muscles a little, it would be worth it. He stowed his bag in his locker and found Parker shoving donuts in his face in the breakroom.
"How the fuck do you not weigh 600 pounds?" Jackson asked, shaking his head.
"Fuck you," Parker grumbled around a mouthful of glazed donut.
"Come on, Homer, we're gonna be late."
Parker got up, grabbed two more donuts for the road and walked out the door without a word. Something seemed to be eating him lately and Jackson wished he could get him to talk about it.
Ian passed him on his way out the door. At 6 feet and 4 inches and 250 pounds of pure muscle, Ian was the largest, scariest son of a bitch Jackson had ever met. They'd started calling him The Mountain behind his back.
Ian grunted a greeting as they crossed paths and Jackson nodded in response before following Parker down the hall. He’d made it about fifteen feet before he heard Ian yell.
"Who the fuck ate all the donuts?"
Fucking Parker.
Jackson sighed and double timed it. One of these days, Jackson was going to be the only thing standing between Parker and a beatdown. He'd bet money on it.
Oh, well. It wouldn’t be the first time...
The rest of the week passed in a blur. Jackson was ashamed to admit how much he was looking forward to Sunday. He hadn’t been this hung up on a girl since Julie Miller in tenth grade. And he tried not to think about how badly that had turned out.
Saturday night he worked late providing security for some VIP function, but even after he crawled into bed around 3 am, he still couldn’t sleep. He kept reliving that one kiss with Janie. Objectively, it had been hands down the hottest kiss he’d ever had. If they hadn’t been interrupted, he might have fucked her then and there.
There was just something about her that pushed all his buttons. Even months before on their one and only date, which hadn’t really been a date, he’d felt pulled to her. She had a gorgeous body, but it was more than that. Her attitude, her saucy little smile, the way she looked out for Alexandra- she was sexy and sweet and all kinds of hot.
He must have finally fallen asleep because when his alarm went off a few hours later, he jerked awake, nearly smacking his head on the wall above his bed. He could smell coffee brewing in the kitchen and thanked God for small favors.
He grabbed a quick shower, threw on an old pair of jeans and a USMC t-shirt before wandering into the kitchen. Parker was there, sipping coffee and scrolling through his phone. If the mere fact that he was up and making coffee before eight o’clock on a Sunday wasn’t enough to tell Jackson that Parker was working that day, his clothes certainly would have.
Parker wore a grey pinstripe shirt and black slacks. A matching black jacket was draped over one of the two chairs at the small table that sat against the kitchen wall.
“Mornin’,” Jackson mumbled, poking around in the cabinet for his favorite travel mug.
“Mornin’,” Parker replied absently.
“What are you looking at?” Jackson asked as he filled the mug practically to the brim.
“Hmm? Nothin’,” Parker said, shaking his head and stuffing his phone into the pocket of his pants.
“Right,” Jackson said, shaking his head. Something was definitely up with him.
“So, you got roped into helping Connor today?”
“Yup.” Jackson nodded.
“Sucks to be you,” Parker snorted, picking up his jacket and slinging it over his shoulder.
“Yup.” Jackson smirked. “Enjoy going to work today while I spend my time hauling boxes and moving furniture… and flirting with Janie.” Parker’s face turned into a scowl.
“Well, shit,” he muttered, walking out the door. “Sucks to be me, I guess.”
Jackson chuckled to himself as he finished fixing his coffee and followed Parker out of the apartment, keys in hand.
He and Connor had agreed to meet at Angel’s house in Queens to load up boxes before heading over to the townhouse to meet the Uhaul. Apparently, he and Cam had gone over the night before and stuffed it full of the heavy stuff. Cam was going to pick it up and drive it over later that morning.
There was tons of traffic, not unusual for a Sunday morning, but Jackson, who was normally unconcerned by city driving, became increasingly anxious. Now that he had an opportunity to see the woman who had been haunting him for months, he didn’t want to waste a second.
It was after nine by the time he got there, and Alexandra and Connor were just loading up the last few boxes into his Hummer. They waved to him as he pulled into the driveway and Alexandra came around to give him a hug as soon as his feet touched the ground. Connor still hadn’t fully forgiven him for buddying up to his woman early on in their relationship, and the scowl he aimed his way didn’t go unnoticed.
Not one to back down from a little good natured ball-busting, Jackson threw some fuel on the fire by giving Alexandra a big smacking kiss on the cheek.
“Behave yourself,” she scolded him with a wicked gleam in her eye.
“What are you talking about?” he asked.
“Please, Jacks. I’m not stupid. Don’t think I don’t notice him giving you the stink eye or you playing it up to get a rise out of him.” She shook her head.
“Aw, come on, now. I’m just having a little fun. Everyone knows you’re safe with me,” he said with a wink.
“I know, I know. Macho posturing and all that. I just thought you were better than that.” She gave him a disappointed look and man, did that shit sting.
“Ouch.” He put a hand to his chest. “I’m just having a little fun. And don’t try to tell me you don’t enjoy seeing Connor get jealous.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she replied with a placid smile before gesturing for him to follow as she led him into the house.
He waved to Angel, who absently waved back as she continued packing up pots and pans and utensils from the kitchen drawers.
He rubbed his hands together and glanced around.
“Where do you want me to start?”
✽✽✽
Janie cursed herself for the third time that morning. Every time she heard a car door slam, or a truck roll by, which was about every two seconds in Manhattan, she found herself checking the windows to see if it was Connor’s crew with Angel’s things, though there was really only one person in particular she was looking for.
Alexandra had organized the whole shebang, as usual, and she’d been very vague about who was helping out today. And of course, being a woman with more than an ounce of self-respect, Janie had refused to ask.
Now she wished she had. It might have been worth it to avoid this queasy, anxious feeling she’d been dealing with all morning. And she might have been able to sleep in a bit instead of being up at the crack of dawn to shower, dress and do her hair and makeup.
She’d kept it natural so that it would appear as if she’d done nothing at all, but that took more time than if
she’d put on a full face for a friday night out. Sometimes it was hell being a woman.
She’d carefully dried her curls into defined perfection before artfully arranging them into a “messy bun.” She wore her most flattering leggings and an oversized sweater that hung off one shoulder, showing just a hint of the lacy bralette she wore underneath.
After two hours of careful consideration and meticulous work, she looked effortlessly sexy.
She’d made coffee and even ordered some pastries for everyone from Alexandra’s favorite bakery.
She was rearranging the mugs and plates for the fourth time when she heard a truck and a car door slam. Then another. It was like trying to play dead in front of a bear when your whole body was screaming to run, but she managed not to run for the windows. A moment later a knock sounded and her heart skittered.
She walked to the entryway and opened the door to find Alexandra standing on the doorstep. Alone.
“Hey,” Janie said, surreptitiously glancing around her to see if there was anyone behind Alexandra.
“Hey, yourself,” Alexandra replied with a smirk, pushing a cardboard box into her hands. “Expecting someone else?”
“No,” Janie replied, focusing on the box now in her hands. “I just figured you and Connor would be coming over together.”
“He stayed with Angel to help her finish packing the last few boxes.” Alexandra smiled. “I rode over with Jackson,” She added, studying Janie’s face.
“Oh,” was all Janie could manage before the man, the myth, the legend himself started up the stairs, box in hand.
“Mornin’, Janie,” he drawled, flashing that perfect smile, the one that showed his shallow dimples and made his dark eyes sparkle.
Janie cleared her throat and mumbled something she thought was ‘good morning,” before moving aside so he could come in.
“Um, where does this go?” she asked Alexandra nodding toward the box she’d been handed.
“That goes in the bedroom,” Alexandra said with a wink.
Janie felt her face heat and knew she was beet red. Which was ridiculous. Janie Carpenter didn’t get embarrassed. She was the one doing the embarrassing most of the time.
Her Defender (MacLachlan Security Group Book 2) Page 3
