by Payge Galvin
“He is a plastic surgeon.”
The man went still. “What?”
“My dad is a plastic surgeon. One of the best.”
He hesitated. Apparently, this was not the answer he expected. Not unless it came with screams and sobs and pleas for mercy.
“You were saying?” Jess said. “Something about—”
She jabbed her elbow back, fast and hard, hitting him in the gut. The blow caught him off guard and he loosened his grip enough for her to twist free. As she dove for safety, though, he grabbed her long hair.
“You’re going to regret that, bitch,” he said and wrenched her back
Chapter 18
Declan
Jess was in the library. As Declan had been running for her townhouse, he’d checked his messages and gotten Jess’s call and her texts. He’d tried to phone her back, but still couldn’t get an answer. Had she turned off her phone in the library? They must have rules about stuff like that. If they did, Jess would follow it.
She’d sent him two other texts, too. Apologizing. Explaining. Which meant things were okay. Or they would be okay, once they talked. Well, “okay” as in, she didn’t think he was an asshole and never wanted to see his face again. Not “okay” as in, “I’ve changed my mind and want to go out with you.”
He shook his head as he walked through the library doors. Sure, there was no guarantee he’d get the relationship he wanted, but he was going to try, and he had the feeling that door was open wider than he’d feared. She’d said she couldn’t be with him because of stuff going on in her life. If she was worried he wouldn’t want to deal with shit she was going through? No issues there. None at all. He had his own baggage, so he sure wasn’t going to get scared off by hers.
He looked around the library. Shit, this place was bigger than he thought.
Better not admit that to her, Cavanagh. Huh, is this what a library looks like?
In his defense, he did read. Mostly novels, but it wasn’t like his jobs or hobbies required academic study.
Did novels count? Maybe he should take up a hobby that did require library-type reading.
Or maybe he should stop worrying over pointless shit and find her.
He looked around the library. Where…? His gaze settled on a sign pointing to the periodicals section and he remembered what Jess had said when they’d discussed her hanging out here Wednesday night.
It’s quieter in the periodicals section than it is in my townhouse sometimes. Not many students thumbing through old journals these days.
Declan headed for the stairs. As he did, he thought about what she’d said in her text. About things going on in her life. The problem with her parents was major. She suspected they might break contact in hopes of changing her mind, and she was sure they’d cut off financial support. Juggling a part-time job while maintaining her grades for grad school and dealing with an angry family and a psycho ex? Yeah, not exactly the time to start a relationship. But if that was it, his task would be to convince her that having him around for emotional support would be a bonus not a liability.
He checked the signs. Periodicals, that way. He turned.
Could there be something else going on in her life that meant she didn’t want a relationship? Gun-shy after Walker? No, he couldn’t imagine Jess giving up on guys after one bad experience.
There was one other possibility. Jess could be pregnant. She’d broken up with Walker a couple of months ago, so the timing was right, either as the cause of the breakup or an after-the-fact discovery. And if so? He didn’t give a shit.
I don’t care if she’s preoccupied with family problems and school. I’ll take what she can offer, and I’ll be there for her.
I don’t care if she’s pregnant with another guy’s kid. I’d be there for her with that, too.
In short, I don’t care. Whatever it is. I just want to be with her.
That wasn’t infatuation or a crush.
That was love.
He stood in the hall, dazed, a little stunned. Then he squeezed his eyes shut and shook it off.
Great moment of insight, Cavanagh. But it won’t do you a damned bit of good if you don’t find her, talk to her and get this sorted.
Periodicals section, right. There was a row of doors to his left and shelves of magazines to his right. She wasn’t in the shelving area.
He looked at the doors. The windows were papered over from the inside. One had a corner pulled back and he peered through it to see darkness.
He absently tried the handle and, to his surprise, it wasn’t locked. He pushed it open and saw a tiny cubicle of a room with some old equipment and a study carrel. A good, quiet place to work. He flipped the light switch. Nothing happened.
Yep, good place to work… if you didn’t need lights. He looked around the room. Small, dark, private space. He could think of another use for it, maybe when Jess was eyeball deep in studies, hanging out here and he’d pop by to say hi, Jess seated up on the study carrel, that short skirt around her waist, him kneeling between her open legs.
“Later,” he heard himself saying from earlier.
Then Jess’s voice. “You mean you’ll fuck me later? Or that later I can beg you to f—”
His cock stiffened as he remembered Jess’s moans and gasps.
Really, Cavanagh? Really? Step one: get the girl back. Step two: fantasize about future scenarios. The order of events is important here.
He shifted, adjusting himself, and backed out of the study room. As he turned, he heard someone talking at the end of the corridor and glanced down to see what looked like an armchair. A seating area. That’s where she’d be.
As he headed toward it, he kicked something on the floor and saw a cell phone, almost hidden under the shelving unit where he’d accidentally booted it. The cover was black and hot pink, like Jess’s nightie and bra and panties. He stopped short. Jess’s underwear wasn’t the only thing she owned in that color scheme.
He pulled the phone from under the shelf. It was Jess’s cover: black and hot pink with a skull on the back. Not a grinning cartoonish skull but an anatomically-accurate one, complete with labels. A little sexy, a little girly, a little clever and a little tongue-in-cheek. Perfect for Jess.
Great, and now that you’ve analyzed her choice in cell phone covers… Why the hell is it lying in the corridor?
Declan’s chest tightened. He checked the screen. The first thing he noticed was his unanswered calls. Meaning it had been lying here at least fifteen minutes. Lying in a corridor while he’d sauntered in, taking his time, thinking and fantasizing…
He looked around fast. If Walker had jumped her here, there’d be no one to see him do it. Public, yet private. Jump her, threaten her and force her to go with him.
No, Jess wouldn’t do that. He’d talked to her enough about self-defense and personal safety that she knew if she was grabbed here, she’d put up a fuss before she could be taken to a more secluded…
His gaze shot to those closed doors. Doors leading into private, possibly even soundproof rooms. A faint light shone from the one right beside him.
Declan lunged for the door… and stopped dead. Throw it open and Jess could get hurt. He put his ear to it and picked up a voice, very muffled, as if there was indeed soundproofing.
“You were saying?” Jess said.
Declan turned the knob, slowly. It opened with barely a click. Jess was still speaking. Her voice sounded calm. Reasoning with Walker. Everything was fine. No need to—
A thump and a hiss of pain. Declan threw open the door to see a man who was not Walker leap at Jess as she broke free from his grip. The man grabbed her hair and yanked her back.
“—going to regret that, bitch,” the man said.
Declan lunged. The man saw him coming and wheeled, and Jess broke free again. This time, she hit the man’s arm, hard, and Declan saw a knife flash. He was already swinging at the guy, too late to pull back, and he saw that flash of metal and thought, “Oh shit!” But his fist ma
de contact and the knife did not. It hit the floor, knocked free by Jess’s blow. She grabbed it and jumped out of the way as the guy swung. Declan nailed him with two rapid-fire blows and the guy flew right out the open door. Flew out the door, got his balance and started to run.
Declan tore after the guy, but he was moving fast, plowing through a trio of students who’d just stepped into the corridor. Declan got as far as the stairs before realizing he wasn’t going to catch the guy… and he’d left Jess alone. He jogged back into the room and shut the door as he turned to her. She was backed against the wall, clutching the knife.
“Are you hurt?”
She shook her head mutely.
“He’s gone,” he said. “You’re safe. I’ll go after him, but I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
“Don’t go after him,” she said. “Please.”
She was trembling, the knife vibrating in her hand. He gently pulled it from her grip and set it on the table. Then he put his arms around her and she collapsed against him, exhaling as she did.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“You had it under control.”
She shook her head against his chest. “I didn’t. I tried but I—”
“You were doing fine. I just sped things up.” He pulled back enough to see her face. “You had it under control. You’re smart and you’re tough. Tougher than you know.”
She looked up at him, her eyes still wide with fear and brimming with tears as the shock of what had happened hit her. He cupped her face in his hands and bent. His lips touched hers, soft and tentative, and hers parted and he pulled her to him, deepening the kiss, but she stopped, tugging back.
“I can’t,” she said.
“I know. I understand. No expectations. Just…” He kissed her again, careful, and she melted into his arms, melting with the relief of the danger passing and the relief of his words, and he whispered them again between kisses. “No expectations. It’s okay,” and that little voice inside his head called him a goddamn liar, but he meant it. For this moment, he meant it. He just wanted to kiss her and drive away the fear and the memory of what had happened.
He kissed her deeper, and her arms went around his neck and he could feel her still trembling against him. He could also feel his cock hardening—fast—and shifted so she wouldn’t notice. Rescue fantasies were all very fine, but the reality, he realized, was highly inappropriate. Jess was still shaken and distressed… and comforting her was giving him a serious hard-on? Definitely inappropriate. Unfortunately, his body didn’t seem to care. He held her and he stroked her hair and she shook against him and he kept thinking…
Oh, Declan.
Yep, totally inappropriate. But when he shifted, trying to disguise his growing excitement, she only held her trembling body against his as they kissed. He broke away and hugged her instead, his face in her hair, smelling strawberries and feeling her pressing against him, seeking shelter in his arms, her hands on his biceps, as if to reassure herself he was there.
“It’s okay,” he whispered. “You’re safe.”
“I know.”
He tried not to shiver as she said that. She pulled back and looked up at him.
“Thank you,” she said.
“I didn’t—”
She put her finger to his lips. “Yes, you did. You came for me, in spite of everything.” Her arms went around his neck and she hugged him as she whispered. “You saved me.”
Oh, shit.
Her body pressed against his and she kissed him, deep and hungry. His will weakened. He pushed her back onto the edge of the desk, and her knees parted and he reached down to the hem of her skirt, which made it much, much too easy. Before he even thought about it, his hands were pushing the skirt up her thighs and he was between her legs, his cock hard and urgent inside his jeans as he pressed it against her panties. Little silk panties so thin he could tear—
He shuddered and pulled back. “I shouldn’t.”
She raised her eyes to him, big eyes, pupils huge with desire, and without even realizing it, he was thrusting against her again, his body acting of its own volition.
“If you don’t want to…” she whispered.
“Oh, I want.” He let out a ragged laugh. “That is definitely not the problem.” His mouth dropped to her neck, kissing and nibbling. “But I should get you out of here. This isn’t the time or the place.”
“It feels like the time and the place to me.” She slid down his fly and her fingers slipped in, wrapping around his cock. Then she took his hand and tugged his own fingers under her panties and pushed them against her pussy, hot and wet. “Does it feel like it to you?”
He slid his fingers into her pussy and she arched against him, moaning.
“Oh, Declan,” she said, one hand around his cock, the other still resting on his as his fingers pushed into her. “Oh, God, Declan, please.”
And that was it. That moan and those words, and his brain blanked out and his body took over and the next thing he knew he was plunging into her and her hands were on his shoulders and her legs were around his hips and she was moaning and whispering, “Declan, oh Declan,” as he thrust, hard and eager, plunging into her, so hot and wet and tight and her moans and his name on her lips and then the soft gasp that told him she was coming and… And then, “Jess, oh God, Jess” as he exploded in her, a long, shuddering orgasm that consumed all thought and when it ended, he hung there, against her, panting. Then she shifted, and he started withdrawing, and looked down to see his cock pulling out of her pussy. His bare cock.
Oh, shit.
He froze. She lifted up a little, blinking, her eyes dark, lids heavy, as if she was struggling to focus.
“Wha—” She swallowed and shook off the haze a little and said, “What’s wrong?”
“I forgot… I didn’t have… I wasn’t wearing…”
He looked down, and she followed his gaze. She blinked and said, “Oh.” Then a soft laugh. “I thought it felt different. I’ve never…” She stopped and blushed. “TMI.”
“No.” He kissed her lips softly. “Never. I just… I’m sorry.… . got carried away.”
“We both did, and I’m the one who started it, without thinking about protection. If it helps, I got tested after… Well, after.”
“Me, too. Since the, uh, last time. But the bigger problem is…”
“Getting me pregnant? It’s not an issue.”
He nodded. “Because you already are.”
She blinked. “What?”
“I… uh, you said stuff was happening in your life and I thought maybe…”
“I was pregnant?”
“Maybe. Which is fine. If you are, I mean.”
“I’m not. I meant I’m on the pill. I was taking it as added protection, and then I decided to stay on it, just in case.”
“Oh. Right.” His cheeks heated as he looked at her. “Sorry.”
She leaned in and kissed him. “You just told me you thought I could be pregnant with someone else’s baby, and you were fine with that. No apology needed.” She kissed him again. “That’s very sweet. Thank you.”
His cheeks flared again.
“You don’t like that, do you,” she said. “When I say you’re sweet.”
“No, I—”
A smack of a kiss as she grinned. “Liar. You hate it. Of everything you’d like to be, sweet is not on the list. Sorry. Next time you do or say something sweet, I’ll substitute ‘hot’ instead.” She looked up at him, mock sobering. “Thank you for being okay with the possibility of me being pregnant. That’s very hot.”
He laughed and shook his head.
She hopped off the desk. “Now, we’d better get out of here before someone notices the room is occupied.”
Chapter 19
Jess
As they left the library, Declan called the campus police. He explained what happened and said one of the rookies—Mike—had released him, and he didn’t want the guy getting in too much trouble. Nor did he want th
e cops screeching up to the curb and throwing him in the back of a cruiser. It was fine, though. They were reviewing the tape from the car and as long as he planned to stay on campus, he was fine.
Declan held her hand as they walked back to her townhouse. He didn’t just casually clasp it, either. He had his fingers entwined with hers, arm wrapped with hers, walking so close his hip almost brushed hers. He was talking about the gun club. Nothing important, just telling her a story to distract her, and as he did, he never stopped smiling.
His whole face glowed, and she could tell herself it was the sex, but she knew it wasn’t. He was happy. Holding her hand and talking and walking and grinning like he was escorting the head cheerleader to prom night. She looked over at him, and thought, “Is that me? Is he happy because of me?” She tried to blame other things. The sex for one. Or the adrenaline rush of the rescue. But she knew that wasn’t it.
I make him happy.
Which was incredible and unexpected and amazing. And dangerous and wrong, because when she looked at him, she wanted to forget the rest. So what if she’d killed a guy? Declan didn’t need to know that. She could keep it a secret. Brush it aside and take what he was offering. Seize it with both hands and say “mine” and pretend that she was worthy of it, that she deserved it.
Lie. That’s what she wanted to do. Lie to him and lie to herself.
She barely said a word during that walk. She didn’t need to. He filled the silence and, if he noticed she seemed less than happy, he’d only squeeze her hand and find a new story for her, a funnier one. He likely figured she was still in shock over the attack and was determined to banish it from her mind.
Declan might not like being called sweet, but he was. Sweet and kind and caring. A good guy. A really, really good guy that she wanted so badly, and that she could not have. Did not deserve.
They reached her townhouse. He took both her hands and turned her to face him.
