“I’m off to bed.” If she was aiming for a light-hearted tone, she was nowhere near it. “See you in the morning.”
Before he could stop her, she turned to the bare wooden staircase and started the climb to her room. Hurt radiated from her. He hated it.
“It’s still early,” he said. “How about a warm drink in the kitchen? Or on the sofa? I make a mean hot chocolate.”
She turned and smiled. It was a shadow of her normal smiles. The ones that lit up a room. The ones that made people smile in return—whether they wanted to or not.
“Maybe tomorrow. It’s been a long day. I’m tired.”
Matt clenched his fists as she continued her slow ascent. This was wrong. She shouldn’t be alone. She’d had a shock. And she’d had to deal with Bob. He ran his fingers through his hair. His feet wanted to follow her. His arms wanted to hold her. Hell, even his lips wanted to whisper words of comfort.
With a growl of frustration, he turned and strode into the living room. She didn’t want his comfort. He was just there to protect her. A job. She was a job.
Not an official job, the small voice whispered in the back of his mind. You’re here because you want to be here. No one is making you. He looked back at the open doorway. She needs you.
Matt shook his head to clear it.
She didn’t need him right now. She’d made that clear. As he made up the sofa bed, he came up with a plan. He’d leave the living room door open, and if he heard anything that worried him he’d go up and check on her.
He stripped to his boxers, climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling. Straight up to the spot where Jena slept. Alone. Hurting. His ears strained for the slightest noise. One whimper was all it would take, and he’d allow himself to take care of her.
Jena stripped off the clothes she’d taken so much time to choose. The shoes thunked as they hit the floor. The dress pooled at her feet. She stepped out of it and left it there. She didn’t have the heart to pick it up. She just wanted to leave it where it fell and let it rot away. The wonderful lingerie she bought at Kirsty’s shop, before she’d run out of money, followed the dress and landed in a heap at her feet.
She tugged open the drawer to the old dresser she’d sanded and painted pale pink and pulled out her favourite pyjamas. They were years old, the cotton bottoms faded to the point where you couldn’t make out the pattern anymore. The matching vest top had thinned over time, becoming so soft she barely felt it against her skin. Once she was dressed, she headed to the bathroom, where she painstakingly removed every hint of makeup still left on her face.
A few minutes later, she was tucked under her thick duvet, staring into the darkness, wishing she could run away. But where would she go? Even if she had the money. She had nowhere to go. And running was stupid. Coming to Invertary proved that. It didn’t matter where she went; the same problem would always be there—her.
Suddenly the last thing Jena wanted was to be alone with her thoughts. Her eyes went to the door as she thought of Matt downstairs. He’d offered her comfort. She hoped the offer was still open.
Before she could second-guess herself, she slipped out of bed and tiptoed downstairs. The lights were out, but the living room glowed with moonlight that filtered through the curtains. Matt was stretched out on the small pull-out couch, the bedding pulled up over him, one hand slung above his head, the other on his stomach. His very bare stomach. Jena chewed her lip as she hesitated on the threshold. Torn between longing and unworthiness. In the end, it was his scent that made the choice for her. The room smelled like Matt. Fresh, musky and solid. And tonight she needed solid.
Her steps towards him were silent.
She stopped beside the bed. Was he asleep? “Matt?” she whispered.
“Come here.” His deep voice startled her.
A solid arm wrapped around her and jerked her down into the bed and to his side. Her cheek was singed by the heat of his chest as her head rested against him. Her hand was a fist on his stomach.
“I just want to cuddle,” Jena whispered.
“I know.” He kissed the top of her head.
Jena slowly relaxed against him. He engulfed her senses. A cocoon of muscle, strength and warmth. They lay in silence for the longest time. Aware that neither of them had given in to sleep. Jena soaked up his comfort. The sound of his heartbeat soothed her. His steady breathing gently rocked her cares away.
“I’ve never set anyone on fire before.”
Matt gave her a reassuring squeeze. “It couldn’t have happened to a nicer person.”
She pinched his side. “Behave.”
“Menace,” he grumbled.
“So I’ve been told.” She took a shaky breath and blew it out into the darkness. “Why do these things keep happening to me, Matt?”
His hand stroked her arm as it lay on his chest. “I’ve been thinking about this. I think it’s a distraction thing. When your mind isn’t totally focused on something you get clumsy, or you cause whoever is with you to get clumsy. It’s not you. When you’re concentrating, your grace is a thing of beauty.”
She snuggled into him. “I feel really bad about Bob.”
“I know.” He kissed the top of her head. “He’s fine. You heard the doc.”
She felt her bottom lip tremble. “Are people really calling me Calamity?”
“Don’t worry about it, they don’t mean anything by it. It will pass.”
“No, it won’t. I’m a disaster.”
“Don’t say that.”
“I am. What about the other dates I’ve had? Patrick with his broken toes…”
“He was the one who forgot to put the handbrake on. Which the moron might have noticed if he hadn’t been so busy trying to get you up against his truck. It’s not your fault it ran over his foot.”
“What about Michael’s dislocated shoulder?”
Matt barked out a laugh. “He fell off the path. You didn’t push him. Maybe if he’d spent more time watching where he was going instead of trying to impress you with his knowledge of nature, he wouldn’t have fallen. Plus he knows those trails like the back of his hand. There’s no excuse for him.”
“Graeme got concussion. I did push him. It was my fault.” Matt’s warmth was beginning to lull Jena to sleep.
“The guy is a wimp. He got a nosebleed tying his shoe last week. A playful push from a wee lassie shouldn’t have toppled him.”
“You’re good for my self-esteem.”
His shoulders shook as he chuckled. “You’re not totally innocent, princess. There was the guy who fell in the loch when he took you for a boat ride. He got a fright when you screamed.” He looked down at her. “Is it true you thought you saw Nessie?”
“No. That isn’t true.” She wasn’t that dumb. She knew Nessie only hung out in Loch Ness. Hence the name. Duh. She’d screamed because she’d been Googling something on her phone and almost dropped it in the loch. But she damn well wasn’t going to tell Matt that.
“How come Frank is still in one piece? You lived with him. No. Wait. Don’t tell me. He has a thing for pain.”
She smacked his abs, making her palm tingle. Without thinking about it, she soothed the sting by rubbing her hand on his warm skin. Matt nuzzled her hair. Oh, this was nice. Maybe too nice. She decided not to think about the fact she was in bed beside a very sexy half-naked man. After all, it was only Matt. It wasn’t like she’d crawled in with a stranger. Matt was nothing more than a friend.
A little voice whispered in Jena’s ear that she wasn’t in the habit of cuddling up to her half-naked friends while they were in bed. She dismissed it.
“Frank?” he prompted, bringing her back to the present.
“We didn’t really date. He’d turn up at the clubs where I danced to keep me company. Next thing I knew, I was living with him. I don’t ever remember there being a date.”
“Ha! So that’s the key to an injury-free relationship with Jena Morgan—don’t date her.”
“Funny. Oh so funny. I’m
cracking up here.” She yawned loudly, ruining any impact her sarcasm might have had.
They lay in silence for a while, Matt gently stroking her shoulder as the shadows from the trees danced around the walls. Jena felt her eyelids droop.
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this here,” she whispered.
“Like what?”
“Hard.”
She rubbed her cheek against his firm muscle. He tugged her closer. His hand gently stroked her arm.
“It’s hard everywhere, princess.”
“I just wanted a home.” She closed her eyes tight. The confession robbing her last defence. “All I wanted was to belong. Somewhere.”
“And you do, you crazy girl. You belong right where you are.” He nuzzled her hair with his chin. “Go to sleep. It’ll all be better tomorrow.”
Slowly, Jena felt her eyelids grow heavy as his heat seeped into her.
Sleep pulled her under, cocooned in Matt’s protective embrace.
14
Grunt sat in a booth in the pub on Saturday morning listening to Frank whine. It was the last place he wanted to be. The first being wherever Claire was. He poked at his food with a fork. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t what he wanted. The only options on the menu were a fried breakfast or porridge. What he really wanted was a pile of warm beignets straight from New Orleans. He wanted them dusted in a liberal amount of powdered sugar and served with chicory coffee that was strong enough to melt a spoon. Yeah, that would be great. The only thing that could make it any better would be to eat it with Claire.
Instead, he was eating black pudding with Frank. Could the day get any worse?
“I called in reinforcements. You two ain’t doing the job I’m paying you to do. We need help.” Frank sneered at them, and Grunt realised the day could indeed get worse.
He could almost hear Joe’s teeth clench. “Reinforcements?”
“Yeah.” Frank sat back in his seat. He was only drinking black coffee. Frank worried he’d get a gut if he ate decent food.
“Want to tell us what’s going on, Frank?” Joe’s tone was flat and deadly. Most men would run when they heard it. Not Frank. He was too stupid.
“I called the mother.” Frank tugged at his cuffs. His smile was nasty. Grunt pushed his food away before it turned in his stomach. “Jena’s mom was real interested to know her daughter is hanging out in the same town as Josh McInnes. She’ll be here on the first flight she can get. She’s a big fan. Convinced that McInnes will hear her songs and give her the break she’s been chasing her whole life.” He looked smug. “I promised her I’d get her some face time with Josh if she came and talked to Jena. I made it clear if she doesn’t get Jena on a flight to the States, there’ll be no Josh time.”
Grunt eyed his fork. He wondered how it would look sticking out of Frank’s throat.
Joe was not impressed. “I thought you wanted to talk to Jena, not make her go back with you. That’s what you said when you hired us. We’re here to show your woman what a big, important guy you are. Let her know what she’s missing. Why the push to get her stateside?”
Frank leaned forward, arms on the table. “I don’t need to tell you shit. You’re hired meat. Performing monkeys. You don’t need to know nothing.” He pointed at Joe. “Your job is to do what you’re told.” He pushed out of the booth and sneered at them. “Waste of money. Amateurs. Be ready in fifteen. We’re gonna try talking to Jena again.”
With that he swept out of the room, like the president at a state dinner.
“I hate that guy,” Grunt said.
Joe patted him on the back. “That’s what I like about you, buddy. Straight to the point. No messing around.” He looked at the door Frank had disappeared through. “He’s an asshole.”
No truer word was spoken. “Why you think he’s got such a hard-on for this Jena chick?”
Joe shrugged, but it was tight. Forced. “Dunno. But I’m getting a bad feeling about it. I thought this would be an easy gig. Give the guy an ego boost. See Scotland. Now I’m getting a rash from taking his money.”
No kidding. Grunt felt the need to shower every time he was around Frank.
“What do we do?” he said. “See this thing through or bail?”
Joe’s lips tightened. “Got a bad feeling. Let’s see how this plays for now.”
“Watch the girl,” Grunt said with a nod.
“Yeah, watch the girl. I think the moron may be planning more than we guessed. Definitely more than he told us. Wouldn’t want to see Jena hurt.”
No, Grunt thought grimly. There was no way they’d let that happen.
“What’s with you and all these first dates, anyway?”
It was Saturday afternoon. Matt was busy prying nails from the old floorboards in her kitchen. Yet another job he’d taken on without consulting her. She’d also found paint samples on the table. She was beginning to suspect Matt had taken over her renovation.
She’d been a bit disorientated when she’d woken in her living room instead of her bedroom. She’d been alone in the bed, which was more of a relief than anything else. Part of her had been anxious about dealing with Matt, but he’d behaved as he normally did—lecturing her about her breakfast choices while providing coffee that was actually drinkable. There was no awkwardness and there was no mention of the night before. Jena knew she should be pleased that it wasn’t a big deal, but part of her was seriously disappointed. She laughed at herself. What was she expecting? For him to be so turned on by her close proximity that he fell at her feet? No. She was glad things were back to normal. Over the moon about it, in fact.
“Jena, are you listening to me? What’s with all the dates? Are you desperate for a man?”
“Yeah. That’s exactly it,” she drawled. “I’m desperate. I can’t live without a man in my life. I’m incomplete. Woe is me.”
Jena continued to fill the black garbage sack with the last of the discarded wallpaper. Who knew there was so much paper on the kitchen walls? The room wasn’t big, yet the garage was full of bags waiting for rubbish pickup day.
“I’m being serious here.”
“How about you tone down the male chauvinist attitude and I might answer your questions?”
He narrowed his eyes at her, making her squirm. It was amazingly easy to forget he was a cop.
“What’s the deal with the dates?” he asked again.
With a heavy sigh, she turned towards him. He looked sexy in his butter-soft blue jeans and old grey shirt. Her mouth watered at the sight. He had a body to die for. After a night spent cuddled up next to him, she knew exactly how good that body could feel. She shook her head to clear it.
“I know how much courage it takes to ask someone out and I don’t want to throw it back in their faces. I give everyone a chance at a first date. Then at least I can tell them honestly if we don’t click. Without the date, a rejection is just plain mean. I don’t like hurting people’s feelings.”
Matt started laughing. “Jena, honey, you might not hurt their feelings, but the dates you arrange turn out to be deadly. Trust me, Bob would have gotten over a rejection a helluva lot faster than he’ll get over first-degree burns.”
Brilliant. He was laughing at her again. She was completely over the fact everyone in Invertary got so much entertainment from her life. She ignored him and turned her attention to the black trash sack she was filling with debris from the floor.
“I would have thought, after meeting Frank, you’d be off guys for a while anyway.” Of course he wouldn’t let the subject drop.
With an irritated sigh, Jena stomped to the old stained sink and washed her hands. “Not that it’s any of your business, but he wasn’t always like this. He was charming at one point. And, unlike most guys, he knew his way around a woman’s body. That’s a pretty appealing trait in a boyfriend.” She gave him a wry look. “Trust me. Most men have no idea how to please a woman. They wouldn’t recognise an erogenous zone if it bit them in the ass.” She felt her face burn. “Not that I have
a lot of experience, but girlfriends talk.”
Matt dusted his hands off on his jean-clad thighs. He grabbed a couple of bottles of water from the fridge and threw one at her. His gaze was thoughtful while he watched her drink. “You don’t need to know where a woman’s erogenous zones are to get the job done.”
Jena pointed the bottle at him. “See, that’s exactly what I’m talking about. Get the job done for whose benefit exactly? For the guy? Because without a little bit of knowledge and effort on the guy’s part, he’s the only one who’s going to get anything out of sex.”
“No.” Matt’s eyes darkened. “I mean, if a guy is doing the job right, every area on a woman’s body is an erogenous zone. You obviously haven’t been with any men who know what they’re doing.”
It took Jena a second to decide how to react. She settled on laughing. “Wow, that’s original. Never heard that before.” She deepened her voice. “Trust me, baby, I know what I’m doing. I’ll give you pleasure like you’ve never known. You’ll forget all the men who came before me.”
His eyes sparkled. “That’s not what I said. I said the whole body is an erogenous zone—if you know what you’re doing.”
She smirked at him. “Which implies you know what you’re doing.”
“Aye. I do.”
“Yeah, right.”
“I’m serious.”
“Of course you are. You’re also deluded. I haven’t met a man yet who didn’t think he knew what he was doing in bed.”
“I’m different. I can make you hot without going near any of your more obvious erogenous zones. I am that skilled.” His lips twitched as he fought a smile.
“Okay, Mr Sexpert. Why don’t you prove it?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Jena knew they were a huge mistake.
A slow smile curved his lips. His eyes sparkled with mischief and intent. “Come over here and I will.”
“Uh-nuh.” She shook her head hard enough to make her feel dizzy. “I didn’t mean it. I’m fine right here.”
Calamity Jena Page 10
