“Who would’ve thought it.” Jax leaned back, his perfect posture gone in the general’s absence. “A couple of weeks ago you were telling me to leave you behind and head to the big city. To find a girl. You have the magic touch.”
“Not me. Jenna. She threw a wrench into the quiet life.”
“True. She tell you she was planning on giving me a reward?” Jax scratched his chin, a gesture he often did when he was uncomfortable.
“I heard her mention it at the station…”
“She brought it up again. She was serious. Says it’s in the works. What do you reckon a girl like that would do?”
“Something big. She doesn’t do things by halves.”
Jax leaned forward on the table. “Yeah. It’s got me worried.” He drummed on the table, interrupting the short silence. “I’m bored, bro.”
Josh glanced at the clock. “It’s been twenty minutes.”
“What do you think their apartments are like? I bet they’re nice.”
“Since when have you been this keyed up?”
Jax drummed the table again. “Jenna was sure she’d forgive me. This is killing me, though, bro. She’s…” He dragged his fingers through his hair. “She’s it. She’s the only one I want. I don’t know what I’m going to do if she doesn’t change her mind.”
“Stay the course.” Josh stared out the window, feeling the boredom Jax had spoken of. He’d forgotten how extremely dull his life could be.
“Piss off the pretty ladies by stalking them?” Jax laughed.
“Exactly.” Josh folded his hands in front of him. “And Jenna is a pretty lady. A beauty. That kind of class doesn’t belong in these woods. But there’s nothing for it. I want her. We’re going to have to figure it out.”
“Nah.” Jax settled back. “I mean, yeah, she’s a looker, but she would’ve liked this house. She’s a lot like your mom was. She likes the finer things, and as long as she gets those, she’s comfortable wherever she is. Buy her a big house, let her run wild decorating it, and she won’t care about being in the trees.”
“You’re talking out of your ass.”
“Sounds good, though, right? I sound like I know what I’m talking about…”
Josh grinned. “Yup.” He stood from the table. “Speaking of stalking pretty ladies, I need to get packed and take care of a few things before we catch our flight.”
“She’s going to be mad as hell that you didn’t stay gone,” Jax said, laughing.
Josh took the stairs two at a time up to his and Jenna’s room. He had to admit, he was excited about seeing Jenna in her natural habitat. She’d been so hot when she left—strong and straight and sure. A powerhouse. But unlike when he’d first met her, he knew her depth. Her loyalty. She was more beautiful today than she had been then, if that were possible. He couldn’t wait to see her again. And he would, before long. If Jenna thought she’d get away that easily, she didn’t know him as well as she thought.
Jenna’s story continues in Unexpected Guardian
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The End
Unexpected Guardian (book 3)
The story continues in the second book:
Unexpected Guardian
Excerpt:
Jenna walked into her apartment and dropped her luggage with a sigh of relief. “Home sweet home.”
Good Lord, she had missed her apartment. It felt so good to be back. She could feel the stress unfurling from around each bone as she walked farther into her space.
Her space. Set up the way she liked it. Smelling the way she liked. With a wine rack full of top-quality wines waiting to be reacquainted with.
Home.
Sighing, she sank into her oh-so-comfortable couch. It smelled just like she’d remembered—lilac with a hint of clean cotton. Her luxurious sofa molded to her butt like it had been made specifically for her. The vibrant colors, the exquisite design, the noise—oh man, the noise.
She’d forgotten how loud Manhattan could be. Car engines, honking, people screaming, talking—it was a constant buzz. A rather loud buzz, actually.
And the smell of the city. Her nose almost went on strike at the waft of odor that had hit it coming out of the airport. After breathing in fresh mountain air all week, her nose wasn’t prepared for exhaust, filth, and human sewage on the baking sidewalk. She and Erika had literally staggered back a pace at the smell.
The thought of Erika made her stomach start churning. It’d been a long ride home. They’d sat in the airport bar in an uncomfortable silence until Erika finally said, “Did you really kill that guy in the woods, or were you just trying to cover for him?”
“I really did it.”
“How?”
“I reminded myself that it was either him or me. I had to steel my courage. After I did it, the world went white and weird. Josh found me then—had to talk me out of it.”
Erika nodded. “I don’t think I could do it.”
“I don’t know, Erika. There is a thing in your brain that switches on when your survival is threatened, you know? I doubt you would’ve picked strangulation over pulling the trigger. If he’d lunged at you, you probably would have squeezed. Your brain would have reacted. Josh and Jax, even Phil, they were all trained for it. That was their job. Phil probably didn’t tell you, but he has horror stories, too. All cops do. Especially New York City cops.”
Erika was quiet for a long time, forcing Jenna to reflect on what she’d done. If Erika disapproved, it might undo her. She didn’t need approval from many, but Erika’s opinion really mattered to her. She judged herself based on what Erika thought.
They boarded the plane and watched the in-flight movie for a spell before Erika broke the silence between them. “I didn’t really miss Phil when we left Manhattan. Those first couple of days? I didn’t miss him. Not really. I missed having someone beside me, but it could have been anybody.” Jenna knew what was coming. And then it did. “I miss Jax. Already I miss him. I didn’t even say goodbye.”
Jenna was the same. Except it wasn’t Jax she missed more than she would the breath in her lungs. It was the tall, muscular man that promised protection as another might promise to come home after a movie. The devastatingly handsome guy with shoulders as wide as a shovel was long, oozing menace subconsciously while still bending over backward to make sure Jenna was happy. The guy that had saved her life three times without looking for gratitude. The one she had left behind.
Josh.
But Jenna had made the choice, and she would stand by it. It was for the best.
She’d rubbed her head, trying to clear it of regret and misery. “Erika, please hold yourself together. Stop crying. I need a tear-free zone for a while.”
“But what if I never see him again? What if I call and say I’m sorry and he decides he doesn’t want to come after all?”
“You still want him to come to Manhattan?”
Erika nodded, trying to hold back tears.
“Good,” Jenna said, looking out the window. “I told him to get a flight. I’m sending a car to pick him up. He was going to stay close by until you came around.”
Erika looked at her with wide eyes leaking tears. “You bitch.”
Jenna shrugged. “I figured you’d thank me in the end.”
“Thank you.”
“I thought it would take longer, though. You like him, huh?”
“You knew that.”
“Yeah, well, you liked Phil, too. I can never tell how much you like someone.”
“You have a point. I love Jax. I didn’t know what love was before him. I’ve never felt like this with anyone else.” She wiped a tear from her cheek. “I treated him badly after everything he’d done for me.”
“Erika, so help me God, if you don’t stop crying, I am going to punch you in the mouth.”
“Again?” A smile broke through Erika’s puffy, tear-streaked face.
/> Now that Jenna was home, she’d sent a car to pick up Jax. He’d been quick to get a flight—he’d probably paid an arm and a leg for it. She was sending him straight to Erika, which saved her having to find him a hotel.
Jenna sighed and heaved herself up to start getting ready to meet an old friend this evening. They were hitting a new hotspot, and she wanted to be out late and get good and drunk before she tried to sleep. She was going to miss the warmth curled around her, with his promise of comfort and safety.
Jenna wiped away a stray tear that didn’t belong in her world.
Part of her thought about a one-night stand—it would be a slutty thing to do so soon after a meaningful…thing, but she wondered if maybe Josh wasn’t all that good. Maybe Lewis was just that bad? Maybe it would make her heart stop hurting…
Fat chance.
Strutting like she owned the city, Jenna arrived at the packed restaurant in style. A sparkling new dress draped across her frame just right, accentuated with closed-toe heels—her feet were still a bad sight—and plenty of bling. She was overdoing it a little, what with half of her outfit not even out in stores yet, but she needed to prove she belonged in this city. She needed to reassert herself in high fashion, throw her weight around, and speak among shallow, uninterested people. Pushing away emotion would help. Hopefully.
At the hostess desk, she competed for the snobbiest look while yelling her name over the low roar. Slinking into a pose of fabulously indifferent, she waited while the woman found her name, and then led her to the table.
Robyn was one of the few people left over from her fashion days. Now the head of a production company, Robyn used her old contacts to elevate her business and rank among the fashion elite. She was the same age as Jenna and had the poise and elegance of someone who knew the price people paid for beauty. But unlike Jenna, Robyn wore it like a badge, making sure everyone knew she was the prettiest in the room—or one of them, anyway. She was a straight shooter with a good business head on her shoulders. Jenna could identify with her.
Jenna made her way slowly through the crowded establishment, waving at a few faces she knew and shooting a sultry look to those she didn’t but probably should. The usual suspects greeted her at a large booth in the back—well-built men, young and younger, attractive faces, flamboyant regardless of sexual orientation, and eager to meet a new pretty person. She’d met many of them before, but none would remember, and if they did, they’d pretend not to. It was the name of the game—they didn’t need to remember people; they were beautiful.
Morons.
Jenna plastered on a smile, took off her wrap with a note of flamboyance, and settled into a chair. She might have moved on from this life, but she still knew how to play it.
She wondered what they would’ve thought of Josh. Handsome, deliciously built, and so obviously masculine, he’d have the whole restaurant turning his way. He wouldn’t fit in while fitting in perfectly. His flat mask would outdo any practiced bored expression, making people just have to talk to him. Making them desperate to matter to the gorgeous man with the confidence for days.
A genuine grin worked through her fake smile. Despite belonging in the woods with a big knife, he would be her perfect counterpart among the fashion elite of Manhattan. They’d draw eyes without even trying, making a wave with just their presence. He’d naturally amplify her carefully constructed façade, and then escort her home when the lights went out, the gentleman in front of people as well as when they were alone. The man could do anything well, without even trying.
It was annoying.
With effort, Jenna wiped the sadness from her mind and homed in on the frustration. She’d made her choice, and she’d own it. Starting now.
The night raged on around her, people coming and going, chatting and flirting. She’d settled in next to a striking guy in his mid-twenties with dark eyes, high cheekbones, and full, shapely lips. He obviously thought his lips were his best feature, because he put a little too much pout into his facial expressions.
“I really just love the design,” Mr. Model said, speaking about the horribly gaudy wallpaper. “It really is this restaurant’s best feature.”
Jenna shivered as an itch came over her, that damned feeling of danger flaring to life again. It had been happening all night.
The thought of Josh, and of gunmen, and the fact that she was now closer to the threat than she had been in the woods, made her glance up for the umpteenth time. She met the light eyes of an attractive man in his early twenties. After his suggestive eyebrow raise and a glance toward the door, she glanced away, meeting another handsome face. A woman was looking at her as well, before her gaze dipped to Jenna’s dress. Another man, that one older and decked in wealth. Nothing was out of the ordinary, but she had adopted Josh’s paranoia. Yet another reminder of the man that wouldn’t—go—away!
Jenna huffed and tore her eyes away from the crowd.
“So?” Chet gave her a pout.
She had no idea what he’d been saying. Something uninteresting, she bet.
“What’s that?” she asked, knowing this was the time of the night where decisions were made. She would either go home with him, trying to screw away Josh’s memory, or not, thereby hanging on to the man she so desperately wanted to forget.
“My place isn’t far from here.” Chet put his manicured hand on Jenna’s knee.
That annoyed her for some reason.
She picked his hand up by his finger and dropped it to the side. He fell slightly toward her, and then used that lean to his benefit. His lips hit off hers, bounced, and then came back to stay.
She froze for a moment. His head tilted to allow for closer contact, and he parted his mouth. His tongue slimed across her lower lip. Her stomach flip-flopped uncomfortably before emotion welled up through her.
“Ew.” She shoved his chest harder than was strictly necessary. She wasn’t ready to move on. “Get away.”
“I live close by,” Chet said. He swayed back and then forward again, aiming for her lips.
“Seriously?” She palmed his face to stop his progress before standing in a swirl of fabric and perfume. After yelling for Robyn across the glass-littered table, she nodded toward the door, indicating she was leaving. Robyn scowled beautifully, and then waved her goodbye.
Without looking at Chet, Jenna grabbed her handbag and headed for the door.
“Wait!” Chet caught up with her on the sidewalk outside the restaurant.
“Chet, go away,” she said tersely.
“What? You don’t want to come to my place?” His dark eyes blinked at her out of his attractive face.
“No.” She waved him away.
“C’mon, Jenna. I think we have something here.”
Jenna turned back to him, not wanting to hear Josh’s words on this kid’s mouth. “Chet, seriously, I’m not into you. Go.”
“But why?”
Jenna strutted away, not catching a cab until she’d turned a corner and knew he wasn’t following her. A short ride later, she let herself into her apartment and dropped everything on the floor, including her dress, and sank into her bed. She curled up and allowed herself a few stray thoughts of Josh before she drifted into a restless sleep.
Chapter Two
The muggy air clung to Jenna. The noise assaulted her senses. Graffiti climbed the buildings in colorful but angry scrawls, accentuating the forlorn and downtrodden men hunched against the walls.
It had only been a week. One week and suddenly New York seemed like a wasteland. Goddamn those trees for seducing her. And goddamn Don for forcing her into it. And goddamn Josh for hypnotizing her into liking it!
There were still picketers in front of her office building, waving their signs lethargically, desperately trying to stop her high rise from going up. They were fighting a losing battle, and judging by their lackluster attitudes and dwindling numbers, it looked like they all knew it.
Jenna noticed Phil, Erika’s ex, among the few guards standing out front. Sh
e felt sorry for the guy, but looking at him now, she knew he didn’t have a chance. Jax was all kinds of awesome, and a step up in every respect. Better looking, better body, better humor, better disposition, better at protecting her dearest friend…
Speaking of which, she owed Jax a house renovation. Not just for Erika, but also for helping her. She needed to make some calls on that today. Maybe hire a local project manager.
She made a mental note, nodded to the security guys, and made her way into the building.
Her office was just as she’d left it. Same paintings on the walls, same polished desk, same mess of plans. She looked up at the door, expecting the first wave of interruption from sleazy Dale. That was when it all finally sank in.
Not only sank in, but seeped through and filled up the holes.
The world spun around her. She clutched at the desk, dizzy, seeing Dale’s sightless eyes staring past her. The red flashed, coating her body like a film.
Dale was dead. Completely dead. Capital D. Not coming back. Killed. In front of her. Could have been her.
Jenna’s butt hit her seat heavily. Panic laced her, forcing her breath out in shallow huffs. She squeezed her eyes tight and reined it in with everything she had, forcing the fear down to bring it under control.
She would beat this.
At around nine, her hands still shaking from the constant reminders, she made her way into Don’s office. On a normal day her crew would be showing up about now. Lewis, her jerk ex who had cheated on her, and had now been fired for embezzlement, would come and kiss her and sneer at her plans. Why had she never realized he hated her for her position? It seemed so obvious now.
Mike would hole up in his office, plans and papers all over the place. Erika would show up with coffee and a smile, ready to get the day going. Ada…well. Time to forget about normal. Normal was shot to hell.
Unexpected Danger (Skyline Trilogy Book 2) Page 20
