That’s when I heard the noise. Like a furious animal roaring. And before I knew it, I was being pushed out of the way, and Karl was being pushed into—and almost through—a wall. I stood across the hallway, bracing myself against a table so I wouldn’t fall. My legs felt like jelly as I watched Karl get pounded. Some guy was using him as a punching bag. I wanted to cheer! He was getting the shit beat out of him! He deserved it. I wished I could do it myself, but I could barely stand.
Without warning, the whole world started to tilt. It felt like it happened in slow motion, and I wondered why the earth had abruptly fallen off its axis. I felt myself start to fall and suddenly, I was weightless. Like a feather floating in the breeze. I laughed and waved my arms. I was flying! Cold wind hit my cheeks and I looked up into the sky, but a face passed over my point of view. It was a gorgeous face with a strong jaw, sexy, messy dark chocolate curls, and bright Caribbean colored irises. I smiled widely. “Blue Eyes!” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. I realized he was holding me. Tightly. “You’re here!”
His lips were pulled into a thin line, his features a study in barely contained violence as he looked around. They changed when his gaze came to rest on me, though. “You’re going to be okay, Syd. Let’s get you home.”
“But…Brynn! I need Brynn!” I flopped my head to the side of his arm, trying to look around. “Brynn!” I yelled. “Brynn! Come with me!”
“Sshhhh. I’ll get her, Syd. Let me get you out of here first.”
When we got to his truck—he had a truck!—he gently put me inside, shielding my head, and belted me into the front seat. He left, telling me not to move. I didn’t. I fell asleep instead. I woke up when he got back, cradling Brynn in his arms. She looked as sick as I did, but her clothes all seemed intact.
I’d been saved by Blue Eyes. Brynn too. Full-on, knight-in-shining-armor, this-only-happens-in movies, saving. I tilted my head and tried to focus on his gorgeous face. “You saved us,” I murmured.
There was a long pause, or maybe I’d already fallen asleep and dreamed his next words, “This time,” he whispered “And I won’t let this happen to you again.”
I tried to sit up, but my head was pounding so hard I thought drums were playing in my brain. I immediately lay back down, tightly closing my sensitive eyelids against the bright morning light, and covering my ears while I rubbed my head with my fingertips and groaned.
I felt hands brush over my hair, replacing my own. Pads of fingers pressed into pressure points on my head and I moaned as I slitted my eyes open, trying to figure out who the angel head healer was.
Even through my sliver of vision, I could see his sculpted features and messy brown hair. He was wearing a tight fitted white shirt, his muscles bulging beneath it. He pressed gently, but firmly along the front of my skull, rhythmically making his way around to the back, pushing deeply into the base of my neck. His touch was perfection, and absolutely what I needed after such a horrible night. As he moved around to my jawline, pressing under it, he cupped my cheek. I opened my eyes a little wider. “Jax,” I breathed.
“Hey, sweetheart,” his voice was as tender as his touch. “Glad you’re awake.”
I moved to get up, but he shook his head, and kept massaging. I was in heaven. “What happened last night?” I asked. I had bits of memory including some dickhead named Karl, but I was having a hard time piecing it all together.
“From what I could tell?” he said, still focused on his task, “Your drink was spiked with something. I’m guessing a date rape drug.”
My mouth dropped. “Seriously?” The whole reason I went to stupid parties and events with Brynn was to make sure shit like that didn’t happen. Ever. We were always careful to stay together. “I don’t know how it happened. I had my drink with me all night.”
A muscle worked at his jaw. “It happened because you were hanging out with assholes.”
I couldn’t argue with that. They were definitely douchebags of the highest order. “I was careful, though. I don’t know when they could have put something in my drink.”
“You can’t watch your drink every second, Syd. I’m sure he slipped it in when you were busy monitoring Brynn to make sure she wasn’t getting in trouble.”
I shifted my eyes to the door, and her room down the hall. “Is she okay?”
He pressed his fingers against my temples and I sighed. “She’s hung over, but that’s it. I don’t think they drugged her. The probably didn’t think there was a need since she was hanging all over the guy, and she was drunk.”
I wasn’t functioning on even half of my brain-power yet, but that piece of information hit, and stuck. “You saw her? Us?”
He didn’t say anything for a minute. He licked his lips before replying, “I did.”
A question—and realization started to form in my head. “Why were you at Edge?” I remembered him standing in his bedroom in his boxers, listening to me talk to Brynn about our plans. I hadn’t even said the name of the club, but he must have pieced it all together.
“Because you were.”
I widened my eyes and immediately regretted it. Jax saw me wince and reached over to the window above my bed, pulling the purple curtains shut. “Thanks,” I mumbled. “Why would you go to the club just because I was going?”
He took a deep breath, and scrubbed his hand over his chin. “Call me crazy, but I don’t like when people go into situations they could get hurt in. You said you’re Brynn’s backup. I’m yours.”
My stomach did a flip-flop. “I didn’t ask you to be,” I whispered.
“You didn’t have to.”
For some reason, Jax’s protectiveness felt a lot like a man reacting to someone he cared about being in danger. Jax might have feelings for me, but I wasn’t sure how far those emotions extended. I didn’t think he was looking for a relationship, though. As much as I wanted him to care about me, and take care of me, I didn’t know if I could handle it. If I let him in, I was afraid I’d get too invested, and be destroyed when he left. “What if that’s not what I’m looking for?”
He stared down at me. “Too bad.”
A warm feeling coursed through me, followed by a giddy rush of excitement at his protective behavior. I wasn’t even annoyed that he’d eavesdropped on my conversation with Brynn and then followed me to the club like a stalker. I couldn’t deny the fact that I was grateful for his presence. If it wasn’t for him, I would have ended up in a horrible situation. I couldn’t thank him for that enough. I put my hand on his arm, his bicep moving under my touch. His gorgeous gaze met mine. “Thank you for being there. I would have been…” I paused, tears pricking my eyes, “I don’t know what would have happened without you.”
He pursed his lips, the muscle ticking at his jaw again. I felt like there was more he wanted to say, but instead, he cupped my cheek with his palm, his thumb rubbing lightly, back and forth, on my skin. “It should be almost out of your system by now.”
He turned away, and handed me a cold bottle of water. “Only take a little, and let me know if you feel sick.”
I took the water, gingerly lifting it to my lips. No beverage had ever tasted as wonderful as that sip; I felt like I hadn’t had anything to drink in days. I wanted to gulp it down, but knew that wouldn’t end well, and vomiting all over Jax probably wouldn’t impress him much.
When I’d managed to keep down half of my water, Jax handed me some fruit and yogurt mixed with granola. “Little bites,” he said.
I chewed my food slowly, trying to make digestion as easy as possible. I dropped a piece of granola on my shirt, noticing my clothes for the first time. Blue pajama shorts and a matching tank top covered me. Well, thank Thor I wasn’t naked. I amended the thought when I realized that I probably wasn’t the person who got me in my jammies.
“Did you stay here all night?”
He nodded. “I watched you and Brynn to make sure you’d be okay.”
I hadn’t noticed the dark circles around his eyes, or his heavy lids u
ntil now. I couldn’t believe he’d saved us both from our own stupidity, and then stayed up all night to keep checking on us and make sure we were okay. My heart constricted and I swallowed the lump in my throat. He was a good guy. A really good guy.
I heard Brynn moving around in the other room. “I should go check on her,” I said, shifting to get out of bed.
“She’s fine. She’s already eaten.”
I gaped at him. “Seriously? Sheesh. She bounces back like she’s a professional drunk.”
His lips lifted in a small smile. “I gave her some food, so I’m sure that helped.”
“She had enough alcohol to take down a large mammal. She should still be barfing in the bathroom, or at least in bed. Yogurt or no yogurt.”
“She got french fries.”
My mouth fell open. I was totally offended. He clearly liked—no, loved—her way more than me. “She got fries? And I got fruit? You hate me. Admit it.”
His smile widened a bit more. “Her problems were caused by too much liquor. The greasy french fries helped sop up the alcohol left in her system. You had other problems, and I doubt grease would have made you feel better at all.”
I scrunched up my nose, knowing he was right. I was shocked he’d put so much thought into it, actually. And when had he had time to go out and get us breakfast? I was impressed at his nursing abilities. “You saved us from total jerks, watched over us all night to make sure we were okay, and brought us breakfast? I kind of hate to admit this, but you’re amazing.”
He grinned. “So I’ve heard. And in more ways than one.”
I smiled back. “Your ego is as healthy as ever.” I paused. “Seriously, though. Thank you for being there last night, and for staying with us, and nursing us both. You didn’t have to do that, and I really appreciate it. I know Brynn does, too.”
He lifted a shoulder in half-shrug like everything he’d done was totally normal. “If you’re feeling okay, I should go. I need to get to work.”
I looked at the clock and was horrified to see that it was almost noon. “Holy crap! I didn’t know it was so late.”
“I let you sleep it off.”
“Thanks,” I said, lowering my lashes as I picked absently at a piece of thread on my quilt.
He stood, grabbing his jacket from the floor. His jeans hung off his hips, and great goddesses, he had a perfect ass. Like two grapefruits. I just wanted to bite it. Holy crap! Where had that come from? I couldn’t bite Jax’s ass! I couldn’t bite Jax at all. That would be totally inappropriate. He was my mechanic, and after last night, I was pretty sure he was my friend. Friends don’t bite the asses of friends, even if they have the potential to be more than that.
He slipped his arms through his jacket sleeves. “Let me know if you need anything.”
I shook my head. “You’ve done more than enough, Jax. I’ll never be able to repay you.”
His eyes lit with mischief. “I can think of some ways.”
Heat rose in my cheeks. I could think of some, too. They involved biting.
His smile fell a little as he opened the door to my room. “Seriously, though, you don’t have anything to repay me for. I did what any decent guy would have done. Choose one of them next time you and Brynn go out, will ya?”
I nodded, thinking that even though I had no business wanting him, the decent guy I’d like to choose was walking out the door.
Brynn and I had both recovered from our previous weekend adventures. The thought of what could have happened if Jax hadn’t shown up was terrifying. At least once a day, I gave a silent thank you that he’d been there. I also spent far too much time analyzing why he’d shown up at the club. Part of me, a really big part, hoped it truly was because he had legitimate feelings for me. It seemed like a crazy thing to hope for since he could have any girl he wanted, but I couldn’t help myself. No matter how hard I tried to fight it, I could feel myself falling for him, and I wanted him to want me, too.
Brynn had bounced back from the incident much faster than me…maybe because she’d just been her usual drunk self instead of being drugged. She’d been horrified when I told her what had happened to me, and vowed to kick Karl and Derrick straight in the nuts as hard as she could if she ever saw them again. She’d sat on the bed next to me, crying as she told me she never wanted me to be in that position again. I told her I didn’t want either of us to be in that position again, so something needed to change. She agreed she’d vet the men she spent time with better. I wasn’t sure that would solve the problem, but at least it was a start. She seemed pretty shaken up by everything that had happened. For the past week, she hadn’t been as social as usual, and had spent a lot of time with me watching House Hunters and sexy superhero movies. I wondered how long her priority change would last.
Brynn had a wild streak, brought on by her past. I understood why approval from men was so important to her. I wasn’t sure what would eventually knock her out of her need for constant attention from the opposite sex, but I hoped it would happen soon. Nothing broke Brynn. She was who she was, and she didn’t apologize for it. She took things in stride, and seemed to think she was above disaster. So far in life, she had been, but that wouldn’t last forever. If she continued like this, at some point, there’d be a time when I wasn’t there to save her, and the thought made me sick to my stomach. I’d keep doing what I could to make sure she was okay, though, and from now on, I’d bring my own water—bottled, with a lid.
I was sitting at our distressed wood dining table with my homework. “Distressed” was a nice way of saying “used.” We’d picked it up on the side of a street when we were college freshmen, where it was sitting with a big cardboard FREE sign on it. Brynn only agreed to the procurement after several sanitizing sessions. Free is free, though, and nothing is more appealing to college students, even obsessively clean ones. I told my mom we’d bought it at an antique store, or she probably wouldn’t have let us keep it during her redecoration of our house.
I popped some Reese’s Pieces in my mouth as I studied, and jumped at least a foot when I heard Brynn’s voice. She came out of nowhere. Like a freaking ghost.
“Put your books away,” Brynn said, sweeping into the living room and slamming my tort reform book shut. “We’re going out.”
“Where are we going?” I asked, flipping the book back open, trying to find my lost page.
Brynn stomped her foot and grabbed the book, holding it behind her. “Away from all things school-related for at least two hours. It’s a Friday night! You’ve been doing homework for days—which, unfortunately, isn’t unusual for you. I demand you get out of the house and enjoy yourself, even if I have to force you to do it.” She pointed down the hall. “Get a sweater, coat and gloves. We’re going to the haunted mine.”
I’d grabbed the card advertising the haunted mine while I was at Red’s, and shown it to Brynn a few weeks earlier. Really, in the midst of school and daydreaming about better-in-bed-than-a-werewolf Jax, I’d forgotten the mine completely.
“We’re going alone?” That seemed unwise. Scary situations were always better in a group. That way when you peed your pants, you had a lot of cover—or people who were as equally wet as you.
“Don’t be silly,” she said, throwing my gloves at me as I pulled an emerald toned sweater over my head. “The whole point of haunted houses is to have a big, strong arm to grab onto and keep you safe from the crazy people scaring you. You’ve got nice arms, but I seriously question your ability to fight off demons and clowns. So, I found us dates.”
I stared at her, surprised she was ready for dating again already after last week’s disaster. “Are you sure, Brynn? After what happened last week, I’m a little leery about going out with strangers.”
She looked down, playing with the zipper on her coat. “I know. I am, too. But, there’s nothing I hate more than fear. I won’t let my life be controlled by it.”
I considered her words, and knew she was right. If we let one situation dictate the rest of our
lives, we’d be sitting home until we were ninety, experts on home decorating style trends, but not on life. “Okay,” I relented. “Who are the guys?”
“Some boys I met last year. I know them pretty well, so we’ll be safe.”
That didn’t make me excited. I’d been hanging out with a man. I wasn’t even sure how old he actually was, but he definitely wasn’t still going home on the weekends to have his mom wash his laundry. He was a manly man who got shit done. Boys weren’t the least bit interesting to me anymore. “Can’t we just go with some other girls or something? I’m not really up for a blind date.”
Her lashes shot up to her brows in disbelief. “A group of girls? To a haunted mine? Are you out of your freaking mind? We need someone to hold onto who won’t be running for the exit!”
I sighed. She was probably right. I still wasn’t enthused. Part of me wanted to call Jax and invite him to come be my date. But that seemed a little forward when all we’d really done was flirt, and I wasn’t sure where we stood. It was silly, and so not in sync with my feminist attitudes about everything else in the world, but if we ever went on an actual date, I wanted Jax to be the one to ask first. I wanted to know that he wanted me. I blamed that particular attitude on the plethora of romance novels I loved, and I was totally fine with it.
Brynn, thinking I was still listening to her and not daydreaming about Jax, had continued talking, “Plus, the guy I’m going with is highly gifted.” I shook my head, remembering she was there, and tried to focus on what she’d said. It didn’t make any more sense the second and third time I replayed it in my mind.
“Gifted?” I asked, stuffing my wallet and phone into my coat pockets.
She shook her head like I was completely dense. “You know…hung.”
I stopped to stare at her, totally stunned. I shook myself out of the shock. “Where in the world do you get this information? Are you subscribing to some newsletter I’m not aware of?”
She lifted her index finger to her cheek and looked contemplative. “A newsletter would actually be really helpful.”
Tempting Sydney Page 7
