by A. Gorman
“This is Jesse,” I answer.
“Ms. McCoy? This is Matt from IKEA. Just making sure you will be home today?” the voice says.
“Oh, hello. Yes, I’ll be home within the next hour.”
“Great. We will see you soon.” He hangs up before I can say bye.
“Aedan, I have to make sure I get to my house in time because Laney’s furniture is being delivered. Since she’s at work, it only makes sense for us to be there.”
“Okay, let’s get going.”
***
Aedan
Whew. I thought maybe I’d totally blown it. Now there’s nothing getting in my way. I can make her mine, for good.
I go upstairs and put on some different clothes and shoes. Then I head down stairs to see Jesse talking on her phone in the movie room. I’m guessing she is talking to Laney by the way she is looking at me and whispering on the phone. She hangs up and looks at me.
“Laney said that Johnson offered to drive her to the museum and back home.”
“Yes, sorry. I should have said something to give her a heads up, but I didn’t want to scare her.”
“Well, I have hell to pay because she doesn’t know anything about what’s going on.” She frowns.
“We will bring her here tonight so you can catch up and I will cook you both dinner. I have two other bedrooms that she can stay in.” I walk over to her and pull her in my arms. “I will make sure you are safe, no matter what.” I kiss the top of her head. “Are you ready?”
“Yes, I’m starving.”
“When aren’t you hungry?”
She swats my arm.
Chapter
Twenty-eight
Jesse
We hit McDonald’s drive-thru for breakfast. I know it’s not healthy, but sometimes you have to have a Canadian bacon and egg bagel. I at least got it without cheese. Aedan kind of turned his nose up at it, but he did ask me what I wanted to eat.
We get it to go and go to my house. He grabs the food while I let us in. As I start to unarm the security system, I notice it’s not on. I’m assuming Laney forgot to turn it on. Sam Johnson is a pretty good distraction.
I walk farther into the house, stopping dead in my tracks. Everything in the living room is ransacked and tossed upside down. Oh my God, the house is a mess. Someone has broken into my house.
“Jesse, why did yo—shit. I’ll call for back up. Let’s go back out to my car and wait for the team to get here.”
I don’t feel anything. Aedan guides me to his car, opens the door for me to get in, and shuts it for me. Then he locks the doors and pulls out his gun. How did I not know he was carrying one?
He talks to someone on the phone and heads back inside my house. I start freaking out because I’m alone, but I know I’m safe.
Within five minutes, Aedan is back out. He unlocks the doors and gets in on the driver’s side of the car.
“The security team will be here within five minutes. Whoever was in your house knew the house because they knew exactly where your room was and it looks as if they were looking for something. Do you have anything in the house that someone would be looking for?”
I don’t have anything that would warrant someone breaking into my house…oh, wait.
“Do you think they would be looking for photos?”
“What kind of photos?”
“I’m sure you know I don’t get along with my stepmother. I had her followed a few times when I came back to Denver. The photos I received from the PI did show her meeting with a man, but there was no evidence that she was cheating on my father. I couldn’t even see who the man was. It’s as if he knew the PI was there. I know she is after my father’s money, but I don’t understand why he can’t see it.”
“Well, are those photos here?”
“No, I have them in a safe-deposit box at the bank my grandmother used.”
“We will leave them there. That’s probably the safest place for them right now. I hope you are in the mood for shopping. You are going to need some new clothes. I really don’t want you to go back in the house, because it’s bad. You need to tell Laney that she will be staying at my house too until this is figured out.”
“Aedan, this is my house. I have to see it and grab what I can.” I am scared to go back in, but it’s something I need to do.
A blue McCoy Investments SUV and three men and a woman I’ve seen at the office get out. They come over to the car as Aedan gets out and opens the door for me.
“Jesse, this is my Alpha Team. Lyndsey James, Trent Holmes, Kevin Bar, and you know Sam Johnson.” Looking at the team, he says, “Team, this is Mr. McCoy’s daughter, Jesse, if you haven’t met her. I’m sure you’ve seen her in passing or from afar. Her bark is a lot louder than her bite.” He winks at me, trying to get me to relax.
“Someone has gained entry into the home by unarming the security system. I called Craig and he said that they entered in the code and then completely disarmed the system. Whoever was here deactivated all the alarms and cameras. Someone knew what we had installed here and destroyed it. James, head in with Ms. McCoy after Holmes and Bar clear the house. I ran in and out, checking the security system. Craig was able to get the cameras back online and it looks bad, according to what I saw on the CSTV on my phone. I didn’t see anyone in there, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t hiding somewhere the cameras can’t reach.”
The team clears the house and Lyndsey and I walk through the doors. The family room and everything from my grandma is in shambles. Someone took spray paint and painted whore and bitch all over the walls. The family pictures on the walls have huge red X’s through them. A family picture from when I was little which has my mother in it has the words:
You’re next to go
What the hell did I do to deserve this? I hope my computer is still here.
“Can we go to my office first? I need to see if my computer is still here.”
“Yes, Ms. McCoy, lead the way,” Lyndsay says in a polite, quiet voice. Her gun is out even though the team members have given the house an all clear.
I make it to my office and Lyndsey rechecks the room. Nothing is on the walls or in the bookcases. Everything that still had my grandfather’s touches is now lying on the floor in shambles. My computer’s gone and all that is left is my mouse. Ripped up schools books are lying on the floor and desk. Desk drawers are empty and thrown about the room. Thousands of books from classics to my trashy romances are all together on the floor. What catches my attention is a picture of Aedan and me with a knife going through Aedan’s head with the word:
Die
“Aedan! Please, Aedan!” I scream and collapse on the floor.
He comes rushing in. “Jesse, what is it?” He pulls me onto his lap.
I can’t talk because I am sobbing into his chest.
“James, what’s going on here?” he snaps at her.
“Sir, she was looking around and then lost it. I think I know why now.” She walks over to the bookcase, where something is hanging. She grabs a pair of blue nitrile gloves out of her pocket and puts them on. “Sir, it’s a picture of Ms. McCoy and yourself. The knife was going through your head and it has the word ‘die’ on it. I think it might be a message from whoever did this.”
He lets out a sarcastic laugh. “Just wait until you see her bedroom. I’ll take her up there. See if there is anything else like that we can take back to the office to see if there is prints or anything. I want to keep this in-house if we can because I want to punish the fucker that is doing this.”
“Yes, sir.” She gets back to work looking for clues.
“Jesse, I’m going to carry you upstairs. I’m warning you, this is extreme. I don’t want to take you up there, but you’re right, this is your home.”
I nod my head slowly and tightly hold on to his neck. He lifts me up and gets to his feet.
***
Aedan
She feels amazing in my arms. I wish I was taking her to her bed so I could make love t
o her instead of showing her what this sicko did to her room. I know she is going to freak out. I take a deep breath as I make it to the stairs. The walk seems like it’s taking forever…
“Jesse, beautiful, I need you to open your eyes. I’m here. No one is going to hurt you, but you need to see if you can find anything to take with you, okay? The guys have been up here and did what they needed to do, so it’s okay to touch things.”
I feel her nod into my chest. I can’t see her eyes, but I can tell the moment she opens her eyes because she grabs onto me tighter and stifles a sob.
“I know, beautiful; it’s a lot. We will get these pictures down and get the house cleaned up to where it was before. Are you ready for me to put you down?”
“No, please hold me tighter. I don’t think I can do this. Actually, yes, put me down. I think I’m going to be sick.” I do and she rushes into the bathroom. I hear her scream.
I run into the bathroom and hanging on her mirror is a thirteen by nineteen photo of me that has been photoshopped to make me look dead on her mirror. She’s against the shower shaking and crying like a scared child.
“Enough of this shit. I’m getting you out of here. I’ll buy you whatever you need.”
I pick her up and tell Johnson to call me with an update and not to forget about Laney.
Jesse and I go downstairs. I get her to my car and safely inside. As fast as I can, I pull out of her driveway, the tires squealing. I need to get her away from here as quickly as I can. This day went to shit in a flash.
Chapter
Twenty-nine
Aedan
I call my sister to see if she is willing to help me get some clothes delivered to my house for Jesse. I don’t think Jesse is in any shape to be out shopping. Her size is similar to my sister’s, but Jesse is taller than her. I let Leigh know that Jesse loves yoga pants and sweatshirts. We will get the work clothes thing worked out later.
We finally arrive at my house and Jesse is asleep in the car. I don’t want to wake her up, but it’s inevitable if I want to get her in the house.
“Jesse, we are home.” I love the sound of that.
“Oh, sorry. I must—”
“Yes, you fell asleep because you’re stressed. Most people eat or drink, but you, you sleep. Do you want to walk or do you want me to carry you to my bed?”
“I’ll walk because I need something to drink. I’m thirsty.” We get out of the car and she makes her way into the kitchen.
“Is it okay if I lie down in your bed?”
“Mi cama es su cama.”
“No hablo español.” She smiles.
“I said my bed is your bed.”
Pulling her into me, I hold her and kiss the top of her head, and she melts into me. Before I can say anything else, my doorbell chimes.
Prefect timing, Leigh. Sometimes my sister knows how to ruin a mood.
“Company?” Jesse looks at me with questioning eyes.
“Clothes for you. Well, comfortable clothes. I called Leigh, my sister, to help because I didn’t know if you would feel like going out to get clothes today or not. I had her pick up some comfy clothing for you to have here.”
“Oh, thank you. You didn’t have to do that, but I’m excited to meet your sister. I miss my brother and sister.” She looks at me sadly.
“Sit right here and I’ll bring her in.” As I turn to get the door, I hear the telltale sign that my sister has let herself in by the clicking of heels on the tiled floor of the foyer and rotunda.
“Don’t for get to disable the alar…” Too late. The alarm starts blaring.
“Damn it, Denny. You’re supposed to have this freaking thing off when you know I’m on my way over,” she yells at me over the computer’s voice.
Disabling the alarm, I turn to her. “We just got here. I hadn’t had a chance to since I came through the garage.”
“Well, where is she? I want to meet this girl that has had my brother occupied for years,” she says.
“Um. Hi?” Jesse timidly says from behind me.
“Oh, honey, you are gorgeous. I see why my baby brother has been stuck on you. I’m Leigh Jet, Aedan’s blunt favorite sister. Well, only sister. Nice to meet you.”
“Back off of her, Leigh. You’re going to scare the shit out of her with your thoughts and opinions.” He shakes his head at her.
“Looks like I picked out the right size of clothing. I hope you liked what I picked. I happened to be at the mall when Denny called.”
“Thank you so much for going to all the trouble. I’m sure I will like whatever you picked out for me.” Jesse said.
“I went to Victoria’s Secret too. Denny can thank me later.”
I choke on my spit and Jesse turns beet red.
I clear my throat. “Dear sister, I think it’s time for you to go. It’s been a shitty morning and early afternoon. I think Jesse wants to take a nap, and yes, I would like to join her. I’ll see you Sunday for dinner?”
She laughs. “Yes, dear brother. I love you too. Nice meeting you, Jesse. Don’t let him bully you too much. He really is a soft teddy bear, especially when it comes to you.”
With that, she turns and makes her way out the front door. My sister is crazy. Jesse’s eyes are wide. I shake my head.
“That is the hurricane I call my sister. She gets straight to the point. No wonder she is one of the top interior designers in the country.” I chuckle.
“Must run in the family.” She smirks.
I make sure to lock the doors, rearm the security system, and take Jesse upstairs to my bedroom. I help strip her down to her underwear and bra, and then I strip down to my boxers and we get into bed.
I could really get used to sleeping with her all the time.
***
Jesse
Even though I have all this internal stress, I haven’t slept this well in years. Being in Aedan’s arms is amazing. The last thing I remember is my head touching the pillow…
The sound of Aedan’s cell phone wakes me up. I roll over and notice he isn’t in bed. He must be in the bathroom. I roll back over on my side and hear him enter the room. He is fully dressed in mesh shorts and a CU sweatshirt. He grabs the phone and answers it.
“Hughes…Thanks, I will make sure the alarm is off. I’ll let you in the gate.” With that, he hangs up.
“Laney will be here in an hour. They are going to take the long route to make sure they aren’t followed, liked I did earlier. That should give you time to get up and get dressed.”
Yawning, I raise my arms and bend my neck toward each side. Stretching my tense body feels so good.
“That sounds good. Did you, by chance, bring the clothes your sister brought upstairs?” I ask him, hoping he did.
“I did, and I was a naughty boy. I rummaged through the bags to see if she did go to Victoria’s. She is an excellent shopper. I laid out all the clothes on the bed in there. The housekeeper will be here tomorrow to wash anything that needs washed, so make sure all your clothes are in the baskets. She’ll put them away too. Just let me know if you want me to make room in my walk-in or in the guest room.”
He walks out of the room, not giving me time to answer. I don’t know if he wants to hear my answer.
I’ll tell the housekeeper to put my clothes in here because I know I won’t be sleeping in that bed. Sleeping in his bed with him is amazing. I get up, not worrying about dressing, and go to the room to get the clothes and all my bags. I carry them back in to Aedan’s room and throw them on the bed. Maybe this will hint where I want to put my clothes.
My toiletries are still in here from when I showered this morning. I don’t need to shower. I just need to freshen up, so I reapply my pit stick, as I call it when I try to put myself in a better mood. I put on the makeup I went without this morning, but I have a feeling we are going out when Laney gets here. I brush my hair and braid it into a shoulder braid. I brush my teeth and then spritz on the body spray that was in my bag of toiletries.
I go bac
k into the bedroom to look at the clothes Leigh brought for me. She has amazing taste. I thought Aedan said I was getting comfy clothes? She bought me an amazing pair of Calvin Klein denim capris and a knit peekaboo sweater with a nude cami. I am totally wearing this today. The tank top matches the flip-flops I have here. She also bought a few pair of yoga pants from Victoria’s Secret along with some very pretty panties. I’m glad she didn’t try to buy bras because I am such an odd shape. There are IU and CU sweatshirts and t-shirts along with two pairs of CK jeans and shorts. I guess I’m supposed to sleep nude. I’m sure Aedan won’t object to that.
I hear him coming back up the stairs and into his room.
“Are you ready? What is all this stuff?” he asks, puzzled.
“You didn’t give me a chance to answer earlier. I’ll have all my stuff moved into here. Can Laney stay in the room I was in?”
“Do you want your best friend hearing you screaming my name when I’m buried deep inside of you?”
Oh my. “Um…probably not. Another room will work.”
He smiles. “I’ll make sure she is comfortable. Hurry up. She will be here shortly. I’ll take you ladies out to eat and shopping.”
Dressed in green basketball shorts and a black t-shirt with basketball shoes, Aedan doesn’t seem like he is the head of security for an international investments company. He looks carefree. I guess clothing really does make the man.
Chapter Thirty
Jesse
I make it downstairs and sink into Aedan’s oversized couch in his movie room, which looks like a family room. The room has a fireplace with a TV above it and is open all the way to the kitchen. I ask him if this is his man cave and he laughs at me.
“So, when are you going to show me this ‘man cave’ you keep claiming to have?”
