And for him to go out and flirt with a random woman while he was out with his friends? It was insulting to say the least. Tears smarted her eyes, and she hastily called goodbye to Amy. Brushing past a few people on the boardwalk, she swiped at the tears rolling down her cheeks.
She was being ridiculous. There had to be a perfectly good explanation for what she’d just seen. Why was she running, then? She hadn’t confronted him. She hadn’t gone over and introduced herself like nothing was wrong. She’d turned around and fled.
What did that say about their relationship if she couldn’t even talk to him about it? If she wasn’t even willing to fight for it?
“Jess, hey Jess!” a deep voice shouted, and she felt Jacob’s presence as he ran up behind her. Taking a shaky breath, she turned, and her heart clenched as she saw the look of surprise cross his face.
“What’s wrong, angel? Why’d you leave?”
He gazed down at her with concern in his brown eyes, and she looked at him in surprise. Did he really not know? “I saw you with that blonde woman.”
Jacob crinkled his eyes in confusion. “Are you talking about Lily? She’s a masseuse. I saw her last year when I threw my back out. She came over to say hi to me and the guys.”
“But she was here with you.”
“She was there with some of her girlfriends. Noah was seeing her last year—strictly for massages—and recommended her to me. I made a few appointments with her until I was as good as new.”
Jessica stared at him in disbelief, her mouth open in surprise. “But she was running her hand over your head. Touching you. She kissed you!”
“Sweetheart,” Jacob said, reaching out to her.
“I just—I feel like I can’t trust you. You didn’t tell her to stop. I mean, what if I hadn’t been there? Would something else have happened?”
“I did tell her to stop. Angel, she’s a flirt. And a masseuse—when I threw my back out, she gave me a deep-tissue massage. There was absolutely nothing more to it than that, and it was an entire year ago. I told her I have a girlfriend now the second she kissed me—ask the other guys. And it was a quick peck on the cheek. As soon as she did it, I told her I was seeing you.”
“Jacob—I just—”
Tears filled her eyes again, and she took another shaky breath. “Look, you know what? When I saw you with her, it made me think. This just isn’t going to work out anyway. I’m leaving at the end of the summer and then—what? We’ll just break up then? It’s better to just end things now.”
“End things now? Is this because of tonight?” he asked, scrubbing a hand through his hair. “I told her right away that I’m not single. And if you’re having second thoughts because of this past weekend together, I promise you there’s no pressure. I don’t need to spend the night if it’s too much, too soon. We’ll take things slowly.”
“No, I’ve been thinking about this for a couple of days. It’s not just what happened tonight—it’s everything. It’s just going to hurt even more to break up later. Why prolong the inevitable?”
“Damn it, Jess,” he said, looking frustrated. “You’re going to throw us away because of what might happen in a couple of months? Don’t give up on us so easily.”
“I just—can’t,” she said, fresh tears falling. “It hurt when I saw you with her now. Even if it really did mean nothing, it made me realize it will hurt even more if I let things continue between us. I’ll go back to Blacksburg, and you’ll just end up with some other woman.”
“Hell, angel, don’t cry,” he murmured, taking a step closer to her.
“I should go.”
“Now? Didn’t you come here with your friends? You can’t walk the entire way home. It’s like twenty blocks until the end of the boardwalk. And then you still have to walk all the way to your house along the beach. At least let me give you a ride. We can talk.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said, her voice shaking.
“Please,” he said, his voice gruff. “I’m sorry that you’re upset. Let me at least take you home. We should talk about this.”
“Jacob,” she pleaded.
Michelle and Amy came hurrying over to her, worried looks on both of their faces. “Jess, are you okay?” Michelle asked. “Ryker said they all know that chick and that she’s a big flirt. And Jacob told her about you—she just kept flirting with him anyway.”
“I just want to leave,” Jessica said. “Let’s go home.”
“Okay,” Amy agreed quickly, casting a quick glance at Jacob. “Let’s go.”
“Don’t do this, angel,” he said, his voice gruff. “Let’s at least talk about it. I’ll give you a ride, and we can work things out.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, fresh tears beginning to fall.
She turned, letting Amy wrap her arm around her shoulders, and then they were leaving. Walking away with Jacob standing there on the boardwalk, looking like she’d just broken his heart.
Chapter 19
JACOB MUTTERED A CURSE as he walked into the bullpen the following morning, ready for a briefing from their commander. He clenched his fists before yanking out a chair from the table.
Noah raised his eyebrows. “She still won’t talk to you?”
“Negative. I called her last night, texted. Talked to her friend Amy. Then I left another voicemail this morning. I haven’t heard a word.”
“You’ve got it bad,” Ryker said, tossing his empty coffee cup into the trashcan before grabbing a seat. “But work your shit out. Michelle didn’t even want me coming by last night because Jessica was too upset.”
“I don’t give a shit that you were cockblocked,” Jacob said, shooting him an icy glare. “Jessica won’t even talk to me.”
Mason smirked beside him, crossing his arms. “Hell, I never thought I’d see the day that you were so worked up over a woman. Or where Ryker was seeing the same woman every night.”
“We’re friends with benefits,” Ryker said. “Nothing wrong with that.”
“So what exactly happened?” Noah asked. “Did she think you were stepping out on her with Lily or something? Because she was flirting with the entire team. Pretty sure she’d flirt with anything with a dick.”
The other men chuckled.
“No kidding,” Jacob said. “It wasn’t just that. I mean, yeah, she was upset. She walked over right as Lily planted one on me. But all of a sudden, she freaked out that we’d have to break up at the end of the summer. She thought it was better just to end things now.”
“Well, wasn’t that the plan?” Ryker asked dryly. “They’re all going back to Blacksburg.”
Jacob’s pulse pounded as he glared at him. “How the hell should I know? I just met Jess a couple of weeks ago. I wasn’t planning much beyond that. I mean—shit.” He scrubbed a hand over his face.
Hunter came striding in, a smirk on his face as he caught the end of their conversation. “I told you to talk to her. How the hell would I know anything, right? Well, my girlfriend lives with me, and we’re having a baby together. Women like to make plans. To discuss the future.”
“I tried to talk to her,” Jacob said. “She’d rather break up with me than give it a go.”
“You were supposed to talk to her before she had doubts, asshole. You should’ve brought it up. If you were taking things slowly then suddenly spending nights at her house, sleeping with her, of course she’s going to wonder about the future. And worry. Women are like that.”
Jacob clenched his jaw as their commander strode to the front of the room, the men all snapping to attention.
Worry churned through his gut. Although he didn’t exactly know what he’d wanted, having the choice taken away from him was quite a shock to his system. He’d assumed things would just naturally run their course over the summer. Fizzle out.
They wouldn’t officially break up, because it would just end on its own. No harm, no foul.
But every time he’d been with Jessica, it was like he couldn’t get enough of
her. Those smiles, those blushes—the way she whimpered when he kissed her and made her come. He’d pictured a million nights with her in his bed. Maybe he had figured they’d still see each other come fall. Somehow, deep in his gut, it was like he just knew—she was his.
And seeing the hurt look on her face last night had slayed him.
Had she lain awake in her bed all night, crying? Did she want him there to comfort her?
Fucking hell.
He’d go over to her place tonight whether she wanted to see him or not. Tell her they needed to talk. There was no way she’d be that upset about breaking things off between them if she didn’t care. If she didn’t feel the connection between them as strongly as he did.
Was she just trying to protect herself?
Or was he really too late to fix things between them?
JESSICA SLID HER SUNGLASSES on, starting the engine of her convertible. It roared to life, and she turned on the radio, trying to drown out the thoughts churning through her head. She’d spent the past several hours crying, which was absolutely ridiculous. She was the one who’d told Jacob they might as well break things off.
What was wrong with her, anyway?
One minute she’d been looking forward to seeing him over the weekend, and the next?
The blonde had spontaneously kissed his cheek, and she’d decided to throw it all away.
Sighing, she backed down the driveway of the beach house, the ocean breeze tousling her brown waves. Michelle was sunbathing on the beach this afternoon, and Amy had gone to a class at the yoga studio. Both of her friends had tried to get her to come along with them, but she’d just needed to clear her head.
Cruising down the road heading toward the busy boardwalk section of the beach along Atlantic Avenue, she turned right, deciding to run a few errands. She hadn’t even had a plan when she left—she just knew she needed to get out of there.
Pulling into the parking lot at the bank a few minutes later, she climbed out of her convertible and gazed across the lot at the ATM. There’d been no more updates on the robbery from last weekend, but deciding to play it safe, she walked to the front doors instead. There was no sense in risking getting robbed at the ATM when she could just as easily go inside.
Pulling open the door, she walked across the mostly empty bank lobby. A man was speaking to the lone teller in hushed tones. A woman was in line with her two young kids, one sitting in a stroller, and a businessman in a suit stood behind her.
Jessica got in line behind them both, checking a text on her phone from Amy.
We’re going out tonight! No sense moping around over a guy.
The guy at the counter seemed to be taking a while, and Jessica sighed, glancing toward the front windows. Maybe she should just go outside and use the ATM. It was the middle of the day; plenty of people were around. What were the chances that the robber would show up the moment she was using the ATM?
She watched as traffic drove by outside, when suddenly, a loud gunshot cracked through the air, and she screamed, dropping to the tile ground.
The man standing at the teller fired two more shots at the ceiling as everyone in line crouched down, and the kids with their mom began to cry. Jessica shoved her cell phone into the pocket of her shorts with shaking hands, trying to hide it from view.
“Nobody move!” the robber shouted as she began to crawl away. “Do exactly as I say, and no one will get hurt.”
She exchanged a look with the man in front of her, who had also dropped to the ground, but he looked completely terrified, too.
“Stuff it all in bags!” the bank robber shouted to the teller. “And don’t put any of those ink things in there either—I want my money unmarked!”
Jessica’s heart pounded, icy cold dread snaking down her spine. She felt frozen in place, like she couldn’t even run if she wanted to. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her rattled nerves. It was too cold in here. Too sterile. She couldn’t die in the lobby of a bank. She had her entire life ahead of her.
Tears welled in her eyes as the man herded them off to the side, grabbing their purses and demanding the businessman empty his pockets. He didn’t seem to notice the cell phone in hers, and she trembled, kneeling down by the wall as he instructed right beside the woman with kids.
“My kids, my kids!” the mother sobbed. “Please just let us go.”
“Not a word!” he shouted, his face reddening in anger. He aimed the gun at the woman, and Jessica’s heart stopped. Surely he wouldn’t shoot the mother of two innocent young children, would he?
He glanced back at the teller. “Faster, faster!” he yelled at her. “Why the hell is this taking so long?”
Sirens sounded in the distance, and he muttered a string of curses. “You stupid bitch! Now all of you are going to die.”
Jessica held her hands up, completely terrified.
“Into the back room!” he demanded. “And get rid of those damn kids—I can’t take their screaming.”
The woman looked to the entrance and back at him.
“Go! Just go!” he shouted. “Before I fucking shoot one of them.”
Crying as she grabbed her child, the woman began rushing toward the front door with the other in a stroller. Jessica, the businessman, bank teller, and another teller who’d been working in the back were pushed into an office.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” the robber yelled. He snatched a bag of cash from the teller, muttering to himself. “What good is all this money going to do if I’m in jail? Huh? Tell me that!”
Jessica’s eyes widened as she saw the window in the office. This was too easy. He’d lock them in, and they could climb right out. She didn’t care what happened to the robber as long as the rest of them got safely out.
The sound of sirens grew louder outside.
“This is never going to work!” the robber shouted, eyeing the window. “Open the vault. All of you are going in there.”
“I need the key!” the first teller said, holding onto a key draped around her neck. “It’s a key and code to enter.”
“I don’t care what you need, just open the damn thing! Everyone, move!”
The phone began ringing on the desk, and Jessica glanced at it, knowing if someone answered, they’d have a real connection to the outside world. They’d have an actual chance of escaping this alive.
“Go! Now!” the robber screamed.
He aimed the gun at them, and they quickly filed out of the office in a single line, the two bank tellers leading the way. Jessica trembled as they walked to the vault in the back, knowing the man behind her would be the first person likely shot.
What would happen if they were locked inside a vault? How much air was in there? Would the police be able to get them out if the teller had the key?
A moment later, the heavy metal door swung open, the bank teller stepping aside.
“Inside. All of you!” the man growled. “Stop wasting my goddamn time!”
Shaking, Jessica followed them inside. She still had her cell phone nestled in her pocket, but would it even work locked inside the bank vault? Hopefully the mother and children who’d escaped could provide the police with some information.
Her friends didn’t even know where she was though—she hadn’t mentioned she’d be going to the bank. And Jacob? Tears welled in her eyes. She’d broken up with him, never even letting him know how much she cared about him. Never telling him she’d made a mistake. What if she never saw him again? Never felt his muscular arms wrap around her?
She wanted to apologize, to tell him she’d been crazy to call things off. And now?
She choked back a sob.
She might never see him again.
Chapter 20
JACOB STRODE DOWN THE hallway on base, ready to change into his PT gear. Their briefing from their commander had been short and to the point, and he was thankful for that. He was in no mood to sit still. At the moment, he wanted to punch out his frustration sparring with one of his buddies or run a few laps aroun
d base, getting rid of some of his pent-up energy. Anything was better than sitting in the bullpen, listening to their CO, when he wanted to get up and move.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out to see an alert from security on base.
City-wide alert. Robbery in progress at the Virginia Beach Bank on 57th street. Stay away from the area.
Jacob frowned, his gut churning. They’d gotten the alert last weekend about the robbery of a woman at an ATM and hadn’t heard any updates since. Could this be the same culprit?
“Hell,” Hunter said, falling into step beside him. “Did you see that alert? Another damn robbery. I’m going to have to tell Emma not to go to the bank alone for a while.”
“Seriously,” Jacob said. “If it’s the same dude, I guess he stepped it up a notch from simply robbing a woman at an ATM.”
Ryker followed behind them, and the three men went into the locker room. “You gotta be desperate to pull a stunt like that,” Ryker said. “With security cameras at the bank, cell phones, traffic cams, there’s no way you’ll get away unidentified. Even if you’re in a disguise it’s a lost cause.”
“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Jacob said, opening his locker. Worry niggled at the back of his mind, and he almost called Jessica. It seemed crazy since she’d told him she didn’t want to see him anymore, but there was something tugging at the back of his thoughts that he couldn’t ignore.
“What’s wrong?” Hunter asked, eyeing him as he stood there holding his PT gear in one hand.
Jacob shook his head. “Not sure. Just a bad feeling.” He stripped off his uniform shirt and grabbed a tee shirt, pulling it down over his head. His phone buzzed from his locker, and he did a double take as he saw Jessica’s name on the screen.
“Hey. Are you okay?” he asked in a low voice as he answered. “I was just thinking about you.”
Ryker and Hunter’s gazes swept his way, but he turned away from them, staring at the closed lockers around him.
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