by Julie Morgan
His blue eyes were sad. The corners aged him ever so slightly with his laugh lines. She was curious what his laugh sounded like. He held her gaze and did not break it. She submitted first and lowered hers to the floor. “It’s fine, Jax.”
“Andria?”
She looked up at him. “Yes?”
“I’m here, remember that. And I don’t mean in the physical sense. If you ever need anything…”
She nodded. “That’s nice of you, Jax. I’ll keep that in mind.” She turned away from him and walked toward the hallway. “Follow me and I’ll show you to your room.” She stepped through the guest room and stood to the side.
Jax passed her and his size took up much of the room space. He nodded a few times then turned to face her. “It’ll do.”
She smiled and motioned toward the door in the room. “Through here is the bathroom. It connects to the other room. To your left is the closet.”
“Perfect. I’ll setup what I need in here. I’ll ask, though, please do not enter unless permission is granted.”
She furrowed her brows at that. “I wouldn’t enter your room without permission, Jax.” Well, that was off-putting, she thought. She turned to leave the room when he grabbed her arm. She paused and looked over her shoulder to him.
“I wasn’t meaning to be rude. I don’t want you looking on some of the items I’ll have in here.”
“Why, will it scare me?” she teased and pulled her arm away. His grip was solid. She rubbed her arm where he palmed her.
“Quite possibly.”
She made an ‘oh’ with her lips and lowered her gaze. “I won’t sneak around, don’t worry.” She lifted her gaze to his once more and found him looking over her body. She took a step back and turned away. “I suppose we should leave for your home now?”
She heard him clear his throat. “Yeah. I only need a few things. We won’t be gone long.”
She had spent the last few years alone and suddenly a stranger, a man…no, a hot SEAL was moving into her home. As much as it was an invasion of privacy, this was what she asked for. But at what cost? She looked over her shoulder to him and a corner of his mouth lifted in a grin.
4
The windows down with the mid-day sun blew Andria’s hair in mad waves as they drove down the interstate. She did not care, it was welcoming. She grabbed a hair tie from her purse and pulled her hair to the nape of her neck. She then reached for her phone. “Jax, what’s your phone number?”
He read off the numbers to her and she saved it. She pressed dial and heard his phone start to ring.
“That’s me, and now you have my number.”
“Perfect,” he said when he turned off the interstate. “So, no food allergies, right?”
“Correct. No allergies, but I hate seafood.”
He looked to her with a raised brow. “And yet you live on the beach?”
“Yeah, I know. Call me cynical.” She laughed. “I don’t like the taste of fish or shellfish. My favorite is chicken or steak.”
“Okay, good to know.”
“I also hate romance movies. I’m an action or horror kind of girl.”
“You may be surprised to know I love romance movies.”
She raised her brows and looked at him with a grin. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”
He looked to her and winked. “I am. I enjoy action and plot-driven stories. Mysteries and stuff.”
“No horror?”
“Nope. Not my thing.”
“Hmm, I bet I could get you into it if I picked the right one.”
“Yeah, seriously doubt that.”
Silence fell between them and Andria thought of evenings at home with Jax. It would feel as if having a roommate. Who’s hot. And cooked.
He dressed well and looked like he stepped off a scene from a romance movie.
She imagined him running along the beach during the sunset toward a woman. He would capture her in his arms and twirl her around. She snickered at the thought. She couldn’t picture Jax, or anyone who seemed to be as tough as him, running along the beach in beach pants and no shoes.
Chariots of fire came to mind, running in slow motion, making love on the beach.
Nope, she thought. Sand in the crack of your ass. No thanks.
She grinned to her own inner musings. “Are you into women?”
“What?” he chuckled.
“Oh God,” mortified, she blushed and looked down to her lap. She fiddled with her fingers. “Did I say that out loud?”
He laughed once more. “Yeah, you did. And yes, I’m only into women.”
“Oh, okay. Well, I didn’t mean to pry.”
“Wait, you thought I might be gay?”
She shrugged. “Well, you’re a good-looking guy who’s single, you love to cook. Maybe, secretly enjoy romantic comedies.”
He chuckled. “I don’t enjoy romantic comedies, but if you insisted we watch one, I’d have no choice but sit through it with you. And that doesn’t mean I’m gay, Andria.”
“Well, no one would force you to watch said romcom, you know?” She smiled and laid a hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry. I’m such an ass.”
He chuckled. “You’re not an ass. Don’t worry about it. I’m not gay, but would it be so bad if I was?”
Actually, it might be better, she thought. She gave him a moment to respond, just in case that came out as well. She shook her head. “No, not at all.”
“Okay, good. Now that all that is out of the way,” he turned onto a street. “Have you learned self-defense or how to fire a weapon?”
She shook her head. “No to both.”
“This gives me a good starting point then. We’ll work on how to defend yourself, even against someone my size. I’ll take you to the firing range and we’ll figure out what gun would work best for you. That is, assuming of course, you are good with packing?”
“I have no issue with it, but I’ve never fired anything other than a target toy gun with suction cup ammo.”
“Ahh, I have my work cut out for me then.”
She grinned. “Looks that way.” She thought of her dad for a moment and grinned at a memory. Andria shook her head and snorted.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
She waved it off. “Just a memory of my father.” She turned to Jax and lifted a brow. “Do you want to hear it?”
He nodded. “Sure, only if you want to tell.”
She considered what he said, if she wanted to tell. She appreciated that. She grinned and grew curious about Jax. His arms were strong and she pondered about the rest of him. Since he would be staying with her, she would most likely see him in shorts, or a towel. She felt a blush rush to her cheeks and she lowered her eyes to the floor.
“My father lost most of his hair so he decided to shave his head.” She looked up to Jax. “One summer, we bought a target gun, the one with the rubber suction cup-tipped ammo.”
Jax nodded.
“Well, my father was cleaning the table and Suzy, my sister, thought it would be funny to shoot at his bald head.” Andria laughed and continued. “He bent over to clean up and right as he did, I picked up the gun and fired it at his head. He was so close. The suction cup stuck to his head!” She laughed again. She thought of the look on her father’s face when the target landed. She needed the laugh, and at the same time, she missed her father.
“That’s a great story,” Jax told her. “What happened to his head?”
“Huh?” she asked. “Oh, his head? Well, a hicky formed on his forehead!” She laughed all over again, and Jax joined her.
She looked to the former SEAL and enjoyed the way his eyes crinkled on the sides, the way his lips pulled in a smile, the way he chuckled at her memory. Jax, for being as large and intimidating as he appeared to be, he had a gentleness to him.
Maybe this arrangement wouldn’t be so bad.
“I’ll have keys made for you as soon as possible,” she told him.
He nodded. “Great. I’ll work out wi
th my team the IPB and get everything ready to go.”
She furrowed her brows. “IPB? What is that?”
“Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield. Think of it as a battle space. We’ll go in and run a perimeter around your area. We’ll have intelligence set up imagery. They will run reports to discover the ins and outs of the set perimeter. No one will be in or out without our knowledge. Well, except for the occasional uncle that may visit his family.”
She nodded. “That sounds like a lot of work.”
“It is, but it’s what we do. We’ll know the elevation of each building, and possible landing pads for helicopters, and if there’s a landing zone.”
She raised her brows at that. “Will my neighbors know this is happening?”
“They won’t have a clue. Everyone who goes in does it in a fashion to mask why they are there. Don’t worry, no one will know we’re doing this.”
She nodded and let out a long sigh. “Will I be involved in any of this?”
He shook his head no. “Not unless there’s a direct question to clarify, you won’t know it’s happening.”
She blinked. “Wow, okay. What do you need from me to get started?” She thought of her bank accounts, online search history, her sister, her father’s estate from when he passed away.
“We are already underway.”
Her brows rose. “I… You… We…”
He smiled. “Don’t worry. If anything comes up in our search, you’ll be first to know.” He turned down a residential street, then into a driveway. “How about we get that key made and take you to Quantico and get you started in self-defense classes?”
She looked at the house in front of her. It was a small ranch-style house painted brown with cream accents. She twisted her fingers, a nervous twitch of hers. “I’ve never even been in a girl fight with slaps and hair pulling.”
Jax stepped out of the Humvee and she watched him walk around the car. When he made it to her side and opened the door, she slid out. He closed it and stood close to her, almost too close. She took a step back and Jax raised his hands in a surrender motion. She watched him for a moment but fear did not escalate inside her. She knew he was not the enemy and nodded, assuming he needed some type of permission.
“Andria,” he placed his large hands on her small shoulders and leaned in, making direct eye contact with her. His eyes were crystal blue with specks of green and brown. His lashes were long and beautiful. He was so close, so incredibly close. “You have been through more torment and fights than some of the men in my unit. You need to give yourself more credit. You are tougher than you appear.”
He smiled and released her. “Come on, let’s get going.”
Realizing she’d been holding her breath, she closed her eyes and exhaled, opening them once more to follow him inside his house.
5
They say you can gauge a lot on a man by standing in his home, unexpected. Andria liked what she saw. His den was clean and picked up. Many times, Draven would leave clothes, cups, or trash lying around.
Jax made his way down a hallway to what she assumed was his bedroom. She walked toward the kitchen and looked in the sink. I feel like a creeper, she told herself. No dirty dishes, smells nice inside, no animals either. Does he even live here?
“I’m almost done,” Jax called from another room.
She followed the sound of his voice and found him in a bedroom. She stepped inside and took it all in. Rustic bedframe with plaques of honor on the walls. Maroon drapes with tan painted walls.
I wonder how many women he’s had in here.
Doesn’t matter. Not your business and he’s not your man.
She sighed and leaned against the doorjamb. “The dresser in the room you’re moving into is empty. Feel free to bring as much as you need.”
“Thanks for that,” he offered and zipped a bag closed. “Got all I need right here.” He slung the green bag over his shoulder and turned to face her.
She noticed his features shift slightly. What was relaxed and ready changed to alarmed, maybe longing. She frowned. “Is everything okay?”
He nodded and approached her. “Yeah, all’s good. You ready to hit the road back?”
“Yes. Will you need to come back here for anything?”
He shook his head. “No, don’t think so. If I do, you’ll be with me.”
She nodded.
“Ready to check out Quantico?”
“Quantico? Really? I never thought I’d see the place. I’ve only heard about it on TV shows and movies.”
“It’s a real place,” he chuckled.
“I know that,” she said with a smile.
“I called ahead and have some time and space setup for us. You ready for this?”
She shook her head. “Hell no. But I’m here to learn so let’s do this.”
He winked. “Good answer.” He motioned for them to exit his room and Andria side-stepped into the hallway. When he stepped past her, she moved her eyes to his backside. His back was thick and looked to be strong, if his fitted shirt was any indication. She lowered her gaze to his butt and smiled. His pants fit him snugly around his body and she could imagine the crease under his cheeks as he walked.
Damn, you could bounce a quarter off his cheeks.
Jax pulled his keys from his pocket and turned to face her.
She cleared her throat and made to look at the wall as if looking at something interesting. Which there wasn’t as it was bare.
“You ready?”
She looked at him and found him smiling. She was busted but she played it off, “Hmm? Oh yes, let’s go. I’m ready to learn how to fight like a girl.” She brought her fists up and made to play punch him in the arm.
She wasn’t expecting him to grab her fist. It shocked her and her eyes widened.
“If you’re going to punch someone, do it with a firm fist and a strong arm.”
“I was playing,” she whispered and pulled her hand away. “I’ll remember that next time.”
He nodded and turned away from her. She sighed and followed him as they walked out the door.
Andria rode beside Jax in his Humvee. The vehicle was ‘tricked out’ as she’d heard Suzy call it. He had a nice stereo that played loud, but it was not overbearing. He had rock music playing, but nothing she was familiar with. The singer sounded as if he was growling into the microphone.
“Can you understand what he’s singing?” she asked.
He grinned and looked to her, then back to the road. “Yes, I can. Why, you can’t?”
She thought on it for a moment. She really tried to listen to the lyrics, then nodded. “Somewhat I can.”
He smiled once more. “If you give it a chance, you’ll hear the lyrics. Most rock singers write songs of past loves, substance abuse, childhood trauma, stuff like that.”
“Oh, so like a country song, but growled?”
He chuckled. “Not so much. I don’t think metal singers write about their dogs and tears in their beers.”
She grinned. “Nicely played.”
Jax reached forward and pressed a button on the stereo. Current music of today played through the speakers.
“You didn’t have to change it on my account.”
He shrugged. “Nah, it’s okay. I listen to anything, except country. Well, old country I can do, but the newer stuff today? No thanks.”
As the music played, Andria tapped the beat on her thigh. She looked down to the black yoga pants she had on paired with a white fitted tank top. Curious what she should wear, she had taken a moment earlier to look on the internet. It’s not like she had ever been to a shooting range. She didn’t want to show up looking like a diva when she could have worn something casual. So, she dressed comfy. She went as far as pulling her long locks up into a messy bun. She reached down and pulled a head wrap out of her bag and pulled it on as well.
“We’re here,” he told her as they pulled toward the entrance to Quantico. He leaned to the side and retrieved his wallet. H
e opened it and rolled the window down.
A suited man with sunglasses waited at the entrance as he approached. He reached for Jax’s identification, read it, then handed it back. “Welcome,” the man said.
Jax nodded and sat the wallet down. They pulled through and continued.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone wearing a suit like that work at a place like this. Is he something like secret service?”
“Something like that. This is the FBI’s main training facility.”
“This place is pretty secure, huh?” Andria asked.
“You could say that,” he answered as he drove around the different buildings. He pulled up to one that looked like a gym. A running track laid outside the building and two men running the track passed by with no notice to them being there.
“So, this is it? It’s not that big.”
He cleared his throat and Andria looked over to him. He side-glanced her with a smirk. “There’s a lot I could say to that.”
She blushed and her mouth dropped open upon realizing what she had muttered. “Well, yeah. That’s what she said.” She turned and quickly exited the car before he could say anything else. She pulled her bag over her shoulder and looked up to him when he met her on her side of the car.
“I want you to go inside and watch a sparring match. I called ahead and had two people ready to go.”
She nodded as they approached the doors. He opened the door for her and she walked through. Their shadows went across the floor and air conditioning welcomed them. Once the door closed behind them, her eye sight adjusted to her surroundings.
Treadmills, ellipticals, and free weights were in each corner around her. Mirrors were hung where the weights were stationed and a man with biceps bigger than her thighs stood with large weights in each hand.
“Masters, that you?” the man called. He was tall for his girth and shaved his head. He had a beard, which made Andria wonder why a beard with no hair. He put the weights up and walked over to where they stood. She watched the two men shake hands and exchange pleasantries. The man had full sleeve tattoos on his arms and dark brown eyes.
