by Amy Brent
The memory made me smile. It was me he’d gotten into that fight over. Defending me from some drunk asshole that thought he could get a little handsy with me. Jonah had stepped in, swinging at the guy, but he’d taken one hell of a punch before finally landing one of his own. Of course, that was before Jonah figured out I was more than capable of taking care of myself, let alone taking care of one drunk douchebag.
I continued tracing his face, a face I knew so well it made my chest ache. A face I knew better than I knew my own. My gaze wandered across his square jaw and up over the slight jut of his chin to land on his lips. They were relaxed now, one end curved in a small, lopsided grin that had my own mouth answering in kind.
I continued my journey across the planes of his cheek, sharp and chiseled, finally making my way to sandy brown eyebrows that slashed over the brightest, clearest green eyes. Jonah’s eyes always seemed to be laughing at something. At some unheard joke. Some inner secret that no one else knew about. They were filled with laughter now, the light green of his iris reminding me of warm summer. A look I wanted to sink into and never ever leave.
“I love you, Sabrina.” Jonah said, his voice so soft and gruff that I could hardly understand them.
“What was that?” My gaze flicked back to his lips, desperate to see them form the words again. Jonah smiled slowly before he opened his mouth and I held my breath, impatient and waiting.
“Beep! Beep! Beep!”
“What the hell?” I pulled back, staring at him in confusion as a shrill, ear piercing ring tone came out of his mouth again and shattered my dream.
I blinked my eyes open, my confusion slowly fading as the run down, shoddy motel room came into sharp focus around me. I was covered in sweat, the sheets tangled around my legs from tossing and turning in the night. I glanced out the window. It was still night.
The incessant beeping pulled at my attention once more and I grabbed my cell phone off the scratched night stand with a muttered curse. It took several tries to get the damned noise to shut off and another few minutes for my bleary vision to make sense of what I was seeing.
“Shit.” I swore sharply as I untangled myself from the sheets, “Finally.” I stared at the screen, not taking my eyes off it as I dug my notebook out of my bag and grabbed a pen. I scribbled a quick note in my unreadable scrawl. Jonah called my handwriting chicken scratch.
The thought of Jonah had memories of the dream swirling in my mind.
“It was just a dream.” I reminded myself firmly, even though my body still felt heavy and achy with need. It had felt all too real. But I knew better than anyone else that it would never be real again. I’d made sure of that the first time I had left Coral Springs.
I glanced at the screen again, trying to focus on that instead. I’d been chasing a bounty across the entire state of Iowa for the past week and now I finally had my first real lead. I’d tagged his credit card to alert me if he was dumb enough to use it, and lucky for me, he was.
I tapped the button to open the alert, quickly scanning the charge and location. He’d checked in to some bed and breakfast a few hours ago. Victory rolled through me, that same surge of adrenaline that always swept me up right before a good chase. The same adrenaline that always had me searching for the next mark. The next case. The next bounty to hunt down.
But as I typed in the name of the bed and breakfast and the address registered, dread sank low and sharp in my gut. I knew I’d been getting closer to Coral Springs, a piece of knowledge that ate at me. Hell, it made sense. It was the only sizable town within an eighty-mile radius. But damned if that didn’t make it any easier as I stared at the GPS.
The place was all the way on the outskirts of the town. With any luck, I could avoid any unnecessary run ins. I winced at the cold thought as I threw my few belongings into the black back pack and left the room, heading out into the damp fall night. The black sky was just starting to spit out fat drops of rain.
It didn’t take me long to toss my bag in the passenger’s side of the truck and get the engine going. My palms were sweaty as I pulled out of the parking lot and onto the highway that would lead me straight towards Coral Springs. The last place on earth I ever thought I’d end back up in.
I hated the shaking in my arms and gripped the steering wheel even tighter, refusing to give in to the weakness. That’s what Jonah Moore was. That’s what he’d been since the first time I’d met him almost three years before. A weakness. The only man, hell the only person, who’d ever made me want to stay in one place. Settle down. Start a family.
I let out a rough chuckle but there wasn’t much humor in it. A family. Yeah. Right. That life wasn’t for me. I had figured that out a long time ago. It had taken longer for Jonah to figure it out, but even he’d had to let me go, in the end.
You didn’t exactly give him much choice in the matter. You left, remember?
I shrugged off the uncomfortable thought as I drove, peering through the rain that was falling steadily now. If I was lucky, I would find my guy, book him, get my cash, and get the hell out of Coral Springs before Jonah even knew I was there. For some reason, the thought didn’t make me feel any better.
Chapter 2
Sabrina
The rain that had hounded me all the way from the dingy highway motel had turned into a full-on monsoon by the time I pulled into the long drive that lead to the bed and breakfast. I almost missed the turn off completely but saw the sign at the last minute. It didn’t do a damn thing for my mood.
After I parked my truck I sat there for a moment, watching the sheets of rain falling from the still dark sky. The clock on the dash flashed the time in neon red. It was just after two in the morning. I looked back through the window. And it was still pouring.
“Well, I’m not going to get anywhere just sitting here.” I muttered to myself, grabbing my backpack. I threw it over my shoulder as I opened the driver’s side door and rushed out, kicking it closed behind me before making a mad dash to the front door and the blessedly covered porch.
It didn’t matter. I was already soaked through by the time I reached it. I glanced down at myself, dripping soddenly on the painted wood slats beneath me and grimaced. God, I hated nature. I hated the outdoors. I liked cities and bright lights and being indoors, where it was warm and most importantly, dry.
All I could see were dark shadows where the windows should be. There wasn’t a light on in the entire large, sprawling farmhouse, at least none that I could see from where I was standing and I didn’t want to venture back out into the pounding rain just to see if I was wrong.
I hated being wrong almost as much as I hated the great outdoors. With one final irritated sigh, I walked up to the door and tightened my hand into a fist as I raised it, wrapping sharply on the hard surface.
I wrapped my arms around myself as I waited. And waited. And waited some more. Still no answer. Not even a tiny sound of movement coming from inside.
“What the hell.” I whispered harshly. Less of a question and more of a statement of annoyance at finding myself stranded outside at night in the freezing rain. I knocked again, banging on the door for several moments until my knuckles grew sore.
“Come on. Someone open the god damn door. It’s raining cats and dogs out here!” I waited, standing on the tip toes of my boots but I still couldn’t see through the small panes of glass at the top of the door. Sometimes I hated being short. “Damn it.”
I slammed on the door one last time, more out of frustration than at any real hope that it would catch anyone’s attention. The sound of the rain drowned out almost any other noise, and the rumble of thunder in the distance sure as hell didn’t help either.
I squinted my eyes, peering into the darkness, made even more impenetrable by the rain but I could just make out the shape of a large tree. It grew right next to the front siding of the house, it’s upper branches reaching towards a darkened window. Odds were it was locked but with the lock pick I had in my back pack,
that was a bed I would take.
I eyed the tree up and down, weighing my chances of slipping off the branch and breaking my neck but shuddered as chills raced down my body. Anything was better than standing out in the frigid rain for the rest of the night.
“Well, here goes nothing.” I whispered, shooting the front door one more hopeful look before taking off towards the tree. I wasn’t going to get in the easy way. I would just have to get inside another way.
***
Jonah
“There you go, Mrs. Markel, that should take care of any leaks,” As if there were any leaks to begin with. The thought crossed my mind as the older guest leaned forward, a suspiciously lascivious gleam in her eyes, shooting at me from behind her gold rimmed glasses.
“Oh, are you sure, Mr. Moore? Maybe you should take a look at the other window too.” She paused, a smile curving her red stained lips, “It’s just over by the bed.”
“Uh. You know what, the other window looks just fine,” I stuttered, taking a quick step back. “The windows in here are brand new. I’m sure there won’t be any more leaks. Especially if you remember to keep them closed during a thunderstorm.”
Mrs. Markel gave an unabashed shrug. “Oh, you know how old women can be. So forgetful.”
“Uh huh.” That’s what she calls it, I snorted silently. Forgetful wasn’t exactly the word I would use. She was staring at me like I was a piece of meat. “Well, you have a good night now.”
“Sweet dreams, Mr. Moore.” She said with another shrug and tiny wave as I hastily made my way from the room. I took a deep breath as I closed the door behind me. Mrs. Markel was seventy years old if she was a day but that didn’t stop her from calling me up to check on various things throughout her stay.
The water pressure. The faulty lamp. It had just been unplugged, but I played along. This was getting ridiculous though. It was the fifth time she’d had a ‘problem’ since checking in two days ago.
“I hope you’re having fun, Quinn.” I muttered to myself, shaking my head as I turned to head down the hallway. My little sister, always causing me problems. Even now, all grown up and taking care of a baby of her own, and she was still a major pain in my ass.
The thought was tinged more with affection than annoyance. It had been hard for Quinn last year when she’d come back to Coral Springs. The last place on earth she wanted to be. This place, the Mayhew property, the bed and breakfast, it had all been her dream. And despite everything, she’d made it happen.
The property had been nothing but a rundown pile of timber and plaster but she’d turned it around, worked her ass off, and turned it into something truly amazing. And just in time for the tourist boom that the Springs drew in. The springs the town was named after. I shook my head, remembering when Quinn and I would go down to the springs, playing for hours in the water. And now people paid to stay here, paid to go on guided hiking tours. And paid well.
The Mayhew Bed and Breakfast had been officially open for six months and already they had rooms booked out for the next year. I shook my head again. I should have known better than to doubt my sister. She was even more stubborn than I was and when she put her mind to something, she made it happen. But damned, she sure picked an inconvenient time to have a baby.
The thought was more than rueful. I was still getting used to the idea of my best friend and my little sister being together, let alone having a baby and getting married. I was happy for them, even though a part of me still wanted to kick Leo’s ass.
They’d gotten a little house together down the street from the bed and breakfast, closer into town but still close enough in case of emergencies. I’d moved in to the small one room apartment that was attached to the office downstairs while Quinn was resting at home with Leo on maternity leave.
I shook my head again, sending up a silent prayer that they would be back soon. I normally worked in construction. Hospitality wasn’t really my thing. And horny old ladies sure as hell weren’t my thing either.
But I would do anything for my little sister, including use all the vacation days that I’d saved up over the last six years to cover for her.
I had just started to walk back downstairs towards the office when I heard a thud from one of the rooms.
“Oh shit. Mrs. Markel, if you tried to break the toilet again, I swear…” The rest of my threat trailed off unspoken as I turned and rushed towards the old bat’s room but as I got closer another thud sounded, this time followed by a string of curses that would make a sailor blush. And it wasn’t coming from Mrs. Markel’s room. It was one of the recently unoccupied rooms at the far end of the hallway. No one should be in that room. It was locked and empty. At least, it was supposed to be.
“Fuck.” I cursed quietly under my breath. Just what I needed. Someone trying to break in. Why did this have to happen now? Why couldn’t the burglar wait until Quinn and Leo were back and I wouldn’t have to deal with it. But they weren’t there. It was just me. “Just fucking great.”
I took one deep breath before rushing the room. It was dark, everything cast in shadows but there was enough light let in by the pried open window to see the furtive movements in the corner. I didn’t let myself stop and think, I just used my forward momentum to tackle the would-be robber to the ground.
We both hit hard and I heard a grunt on impact from beneath me but a moment later any sense of victory fled as a sharp elbow caught me in the ribs. The air sucked from my lungs at the impact as we continued to struggle but after a moment I got my hands on the intruder’s arms, pinning them to the ground.
I noticed two things then. The first was the person’s size. Despite the strength behind the hit that I was pretty sure had cracked a rib or two, whoever I had pinned beneath me was petite. And second, they were most definitely female.
I froze, and in that moment of hesitation she didn’t wait. Her knee shot up and straight into my groin. Pain, sharp and agonizing shot through me until I doubled over still desperately trying to catch my breath.
Somehow, despite having a foot and a half and at least eighty pounds on the intruder she flipped me easily to my back and pinned me down all in one seamless, well-practiced move.
“What the fuck?” The words shot from my mouth on instinct but I was in way too much pain to be embarrassed about being beaten by a girl.
“You really should know better than to try and take me down.”
Every atom in my body froze at the sound of that all too familiar, sultry as sin voice. It couldn’t be. It was impossible. It didn’t make any sense.
“What the fuck?” I finally forced out, my brain suck repeating one phrase over and over again like a computer malfunctioning.
“Jesus, Jonah. I didn’t hit you that hard.”
I peered up at her through the darkness and then it hit me. All her features flooded into focus. The big, dark, drown in me eyes. The perfect, pouty lips. The heart shaped face. A face I’d sure as hell never thought I’d see again, let alone like this.
“Sabrina?” Her name left my lips like a prayer. Or a curse. I wasn’t sure which.
“In the flesh.” I watched that quicksilver grin of hers flash across her face in the darkness and then disappear again just as fast.
“What are you–.”
“Mr. Moore? Jonah? Is that you? What are you doing in here in the dark?” Mrs. Markel’s voice interrupted my question just a second before the overhead light flashed on. I squinted against the sudden brightness, my eyes taking a moment to adjust but Sabrina still looked like a dream. A hallucination that I’d conjured into existence. She really was there. I could see her. And so could Mrs. Markel.
“Oh my goodness!” Mrs. Markel’s shocked gasp almost had me grinning. It seemed like the cherry on top of all the ridiculous I could handle at the moment. But instead I raised an eyebrow at Sabrina and a moment later she scrambled to her feet. For a second I could swear I saw a blush stain her cheeks but that really was ridiculous. Sabrina Cole was t
he toughest person I knew. And she sure as hell didn’t blush.
“It’s, um, it’s nothing, Mrs. Markel.” I stuttered after a moment, rising unsteadily to my feet. I wasn’t even sure if they would hold me to be honest but I still forced a reassuring smile to my lips. At least I hoped it was reassuring. Based on the elderly woman’s censorious look, I wasn’t succeeding.
“Jonah, Mr. Moore I mean, was showing me to my room and he tripped on my bag trying to get the lights on. It was a good thing you came when you did.”
“I’m sure it was.” Mrs. Markel gave both of us another look before turning, her pink flower print robe fluttering dramatically behind her, “Well, I’m going to bed to try and get some sleep. I hope you two can try and keep the noise down.”
I had to bite my tongue to stay silent as she made her way back to her own room but a second later I turned back to Sabrina with a scowl.
“What do you mean, I was showing you to your room? What are really doing here, Sab?”
“I told you, I need a room. This one will do fine.” She shrugged, as if it was totally normal for her to just fall through the upstairs window in the middle of the night. She was soaked through from the rain and for the first time I noticed the way the wet fabric clung to her body, accentuating every beautiful, familiar curve and crevice.
