by Leigh Morgan
Realizing she may have offended him, Taryn gave Merlin a quick squeeze. “Of course you could help me in my garden. That would help bulk you up a bit.”
Merlin smirked down at her. “I’d rather go to the gym, which I deplore on purely aesthetic grounds, than help you move rocks around that pathetic excuse of a backyard you call a ‘garden’.”
Taryn poked Merlin between two exposed ribs and pushed away, still staring at the well built stranger. “I like my garden.”
“Gardens are places where things grow. Your garden is barren and full of sand and stone and no man. You and your garden need to get lubricated before you both dry up and join a shuffle-board league.”
Taryn smiled at him. “Is there such a thing?”
“Let’s not find out.”
“Is there some reason you’re referring to my sex life and-”
Taryn nodded toward man and bike.
“- that walking ad for Men’s Health magazine in the same sentence, or are you simply projecting your desires onto me?”
Merlin looked down at her and his smile was so slow and hot, so full of base carnality that Taryn took a step back. How could someone barely old enough to drink imbue a look with enough sensual promise that it sucked the air from her lungs and scorched her to her toes with its heat? Sometimes Merlin threw her with his wealth of experience and his youth; the two just didn’t jell.
“Oh, I’m definitely projecting. Unfortunately, I’m not his type. It seems he only has eyes for you.”
Since Merlin was looking at her, not at the stranger, Taryn wondered how he could know that, and sure enough when Taryn turned to look, the man had taken off his mirrored glasses and was starring directly at her. Heat coursed through her, whether a product of Merlin’s words or the look of possessive intent this man was sending her, she couldn’t tell. Either way, she wanted to bash something, or more to the point, someone.
Taryn quickly scanned her office for would-be weapons. Her gaze moved to her paperweight, dismissing it immediately. It had good weight and she had pretty good aim, but at best it was a single projectile weapon. If she missed, she was done. Next her eyes spotted her faux Damascus scimitar letter opener. Taryn dismissed that too. She’d have to get too close to use it. Finally her eyes settled on the far wall and the eighteenth century oak shillelagh Merlin had given her as a present. She kept it in a place of honor on her wall next to an old Scottish wooden golf club whose shaft was too narrow for what she had in mind.
Merlin’s gaze followed hers. “Where are you going with that?” he asked, sounding like he’d swallowed a pint of the liquid gel he used to keep his long auburn curls tight and shiny.
Channeling her highland ancestors, Taryn pushed her shoulders back, threw her long blond hair behind her and straightened to her full height. “I’m going to introduce myself.” She said, baring her teeth in a way that could easily be mistaken for a smile.
“The Highland way.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Taryn was coming at him brandishing an oversized leprechaun stick, a slightly crazed look in her eyes, and a smile better suited to a padded cell than a poised cable personality and Celtic scholar in residence.
Jesse played this first meeting with Taryn over and over in his mind since he first learned of her existence as a teenager. Even in his wildest fantasies he hadn’t seen this kind of crazy coming. The woman didn’t have the sense God gave a gnat if she thought crazy and an old stick could save her from someone like him.
Jesse shook his head as Taryn began to rapidly close the distance between them, admiring her grit, deploring her lack of skill. The latter he could fix. The former would sustain her for what she was about to experience. As soon as she was amenable, he’d teach her some basic self-defense that didn’t involve twigs. The woman was dangerously clueless. He didn’t want her putting herself in danger ever again, so ill prepared for her opponent.
He’d give her an ‘A’ for enthusiasm though. She had that in spades, hearts and diamonds. All she lacked was a decent weapon. Jesse could almost taste the anticipation mingling with adrenaline in the air as Taryn charged closer.
Drawing his brows together, as he struggled to interpret the small facial expressions that flit across her face, Jesse tensed. He derived no pleasure from having a woman coming after him with violence on her mind, no matter how unskilled her attack may be. Skilled or unskilled, women who attacked were always dangerous. Because he never wanted to hurt any of them, it made defending himself more complicated than it needed to be.
When Taryn was just shy of close enough to touch him with her wannabe weapon, Jesse circled away from his bike. Taryn couldn’t do any damage to him, not the lasting kind anyway, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t hurt his new paint job before he could disarm her. Jesse watched, wary and quietly amused, as she slowed down, now inching forward with more intent than grace. She took a step forward. Jesse moved farther away from his bike.
“That’s it, buddy, back away. Not smirking like those studs on the cover of Men’s Health now are you?” Taryn’s voice shook slightly. Had he not been so highly attuned to her every reaction he would have missed it.
Jesse’s eyebrows shot up at the Men’s Health comment. The few times he’d actually seen the magazine, air-brushed, candy-ass male models or celebrities were on the cover. And Taryn was right, they’d all been smirking. He didn’t know whether to be flattered by her obvious appreciation for his form or insulted that she lumped him in with the class of self-absorbed jackasses. Jackasses who had more money than sense, and who spent a good portion of it trying to make themselves beautiful, as if that were an end in itself. Pathetic.
Taryn stopped and pointed her stick at him. Her voice didn’t waiver this time. Neither did her stick. “Why are you following me?”
How to answer that? To take you to your mother, didn’t sound plausible in his head. Jesse doubted it would sound any better coming out of his mouth.
“Do you know who I am?”
At least this he could answer. “I do. The better question is, do you?”
“Do I what?”
“Do you know who you are?”
Her shoulders dropped and she lowered her stick, presumably because she didn’t see him as a threat any longer. “Oh you’re a philosophy student. I don’t have the time or the inclination to engage in a conversation about the meaning of life and personal identity, especially not with a stalker. Go away or I’m calling campus security.”
Jesse smiled, unable to figure out why she decided he was no longer a threat simply because she’d dubbed him a philosophical stalker.
“Technically we’re not on campus, so it’s not their problem.” Jesse made a show of looking at his watch. “This is village jurisdiction and it’s coffee time at the station. Normal response time is eight minutes. But the squad room just received two dozen Krispy Kreme donuts and a three liter carton from Caribou coffee.” Jesse crossed his arms over his chest and winked at her. “Best fifty bucks I ever spent.”
Then Jesse turned serious. He was having fun yanking her chain, but he had a purpose here and pissing her off wasn’t going to get it done.
He dropped his arms to his sides and stood as neutrally as he could. He didn’t want her afraid of him. “You don’t need to call in the cavalry. You don’t need saving, Taryn. Not from me. I’m not here to hurt you.” Not intentionally, anyway.
Taryn’s eyes narrowed at his donut comment. He could almost see the steam coming out of her ears when he mentioned coffee breaks and police jurisdiction. When he told her he wouldn’t hurt her, something in her eyes told him she believed him. Then, almost as quickly as the primitive portion of her brain responded to him, releasing any fear she may have had, the more rational part of her brain had her scowling again, spoiling for a fight. Jesse needed to head that off. He needed to talk, maybe cajole, he didn’t need for her to brain him with her stick.
Jesse sighed, resigned to the fact that it wasn’t going to be as easy as telling Taryn t
he truth to get her to trust him. In fact, if he really wanted her to trust him, the truth about his Quixotic quest was going to have to stay hidden for a while. It sounded too crazy to be true, even to him, a man whose whole existence strained credulity.
If Reed hadn’t saved him, he’d most probably be dead or in prison by now. He owed Reed everything, including his self-worth. He couldn’t afford to fuck this up. He needed to reunite Reed with Taryn.
Jesse moved back a step, trying to bring back that flash of trust back into Taryn’s blue-green eyes. Pointing out that she was armed, and as far as she knew he wasn’t, may help. “If the police would manage to get here before I leave they’d probably cite you. You’re the one with the weapon.”
Jesse didn’t even crack a smile as he uttered, “You’re the one creating the disturbance. I’m just standing here minding my own business.”
“And mine.”
Jess grinned. “And yours.”
She cocked her head at him, seemingly more curious than angry. “What do you want from me?”
Everything.
Apparently he didn’t answer quickly enough for her. She started tapping her foot, one hand rising to her hip. “Just tell me why you’re here.”
“To talk to you.”
“Why?”
“You know for such an educated woman, you’re responses are surprising monosyllabic. I admire your focus, but your delivery needs work.”
She took another step closer. Jesse didn’t move back. Fire flashed in her eyes and her strong chin jutted up. She was all go. She didn’t miss much either. Apparently his rugged good looks and bad-boy charm hadn’t clouded her reason. Her eyes narrowed as she digested his words.
“What do you know about my education level or about me?”
A lot.
“Not enough.”
She seemed to gather some inner strength because she closed her eyes a second longer than she should have, taking the time to straighten to her full height, pushing out her chest as she took a deep breath before she looked at him again. Jesse wanted to shake her, then kiss that breath right out of her, then shake her again. Had he been a real threat, that breath could have been her last.
“Are you going to tell me why you’re here or am I going to have to beat it out of you?” She enunciated every syllable, speaking very slowly, with the patience one reserves for toddlers and drunken relatives at Thanksgiving.
Jesse couldn’t help his bark of laughter any more than he could wipe the smile from his face at her obvious irritation. The fact that no fear remained kept him smiling. He had no business enjoying himself with this woman. Not when he needed her compliance, but he couldn’t seem to help himself.
“I can’t tell you how much I wish you’d try.”
The scowl left her face and a haughtiness he hadn’t seen before took its place. “I wouldn’t give you the satisfaction.”
A perverse need to wipe that expression from her face settled into his bones, making Jesse take a risk he shouldn’t have. He let her see the sensual heat running through him. More than that, he let her see that he wanted to make her admit feeling its pull.
“Oh I’d be satisfied alright. And so would you. I guarantee it.” Jesse held out his arms, palms up, offering no threat, yet taunting her. “Come on babe, give it your best shot. I’m all yours.”
Jesse was so caught up in Taryn’s dropped jaw astonishment and the heat rolling from her in waves that he didn’t notice the cargo van until it was too late. Before he could warn Taryn or pull her behind him, three armed and masked men jumped out of the van. They moved like a team, quickly surrounding Taryn. The first man out of the van had a 9mm Glock to Taryn’s temple, using her as a human shield, before Jesse could fully exhale.
Taryn still had her leprechaun stick. Jesse prayed that she didn’t show the same lack of regard for her safety with these men that she had with him. That damned stick wasn’t going to do her one bit of good, and with men like these, it might just get her killed. Whatever these men wanted from her, they weren’t screwing around.
Like you were, asshole. Nice work.
Two unexpected things happened at once, surprising Taryn’s attackers and giving Jesse the split-second opening he needed. A tall, skinny flash of kid with distractingly long deep red hair came flying across the street screaming his head off as he threw small, bright projectiles directly at the armed men. First he hit the one holding Taryn in the temple. Then he managed to hit the other two in rapid succession in the face. The objects hit with the force of steel crushing hail, blood flowing instantly from their mutilated flesh.
Then as if on cue, Taryn, seemingly oblivious to the fact that her stick was no weapon, jammed it into the groin of the man still holding her. The whole thing took less than two seconds.
It was all the distraction Jesse needed.
CHAPTER FIVE
Squatting as the men lurched forward from rapid fire hits to the head, Jesse retrieved the throwing knives he kept in each handmade motorcycle boot. With a smooth flick of his wrists, Jesse buried one into each of the men on either side of Taryn: one in the chest, one in the thigh. From the look of it, he’d hit an artery with the thigh shot. If that man didn’t get medical attention, and quickly, he’d bleed out. That made the situation more dangerous for the men and potentially more deadly for Taryn.
Unarmed, Jesse charged, aiming directly for the man still holding Taryn. Three more missiles hit that man in the back of the head as Merlin rushed like a skinny Berserker into the melee. The man stumbled forward, dropping his Glock as he screamed in pain. Taryn spun out of his grasp and smashed her stick into his knee, making him fall. Something vital cracked as knee met concrete at bone-shattering speed.
Jesse would know this man by his limp, and deep satisfaction washed through him at the thought.
The van screeched forward, cutting off Jesse’s route to the men. The sliding door opened. “Get in” he heard the driver demand. By the time Jesse cleared the van the three men were in and pulling away.
Memorizing make, model and plate number, Jesse picked up the discarded Glock and fired five rounds into the back of the van. All of them hit. None penetrated. Reinforced steel. Bullet resistant glass. Who the hell were these guys and why did they want Taryn?
Watching as the van raced out of sight Jesse put the Glock in his rear waistband and went to Taryn. Merlin was with her now, enveloping her in long, thin arms that deftly wielded projectiles with deceptive strength, accuracy and grace. Jesse pushed him away as he pulled Taryn to him. On some intuitive level Jesse knew that had Merlin chosen to hold on, he’d have had one hell of a time getting him to give up his treasure.
The entire incident had lasted less than a minute. Jesse knew from experience that whole lives sometimes changed in less than half that time.
Grabbing Taryn’s shoulders, Jesse turned her toward him with more force than tact. He wished he had time for tact. He didn’t. Demanding that she look at him, his voice came out harsh and raw making even him wince at the sound. This was not how he wanted to be introduced to her, but the fear for her safety he refused to feel seconds ago was riding him hard now that the immediate threat was gone.
He swallowed hard and tried again. “Taryn, look at me, sweetheart.” Better. He just sounded raspy this time. Unfortunately the adrenaline kicking his heart into gear wiped patience from his short list of better qualities. Gripping her chin in one hand, he turned her face this way and that for his inspection, ignoring her futile attempts to pull away.
“Fucking bastard.” Jesse said under his breath as he turned her head, exposing her swelling temple where the outline of the Glock’s barrel was already visible. Dead men, one and all, but, the one who did this was going to feel him first. “I’m going to hurt him before I kill him.”
Taryn’s breath caught at his words making Jesse regret saying them out loud. He didn’t have time to comfort her, and scaring her further was not only counter productive, it was dangerous. They simply didn’t have time
for it. He needed to get Taryn and Merlin out of there and fast. Five shots fired wouldn’t go unnoticed.
“We need to get out of here. Now.”
A look of abject vulnerability flashed across Taryn’s lovely, quickly purpling face, tearing at Jesse’s heart. Unshed tears blurred her robin’s egg blue eyes, making him pause. He needed her trust and he needed it fast. Jesse closed his eyes and took a deep breath, knowing he wasn’t going to get it if she feared him.
When he looked at her again the vulnerability was still there, but so was a bone deep strength. Jesse couldn’t help himself, he’d never been more drawn to a woman in his life. His grip on her shoulders loosened as he cupped her fragile face in both of her hands and lowered his mouth to hers.
Just a quick brush of the lips offering comfort and solace and protection. He didn’t have time for this, but he needed it. Not usually prone to self-delusion, Jesse told himself she needed this too.
As Jesse began to pull away, Taryn reached around to the back of his neck and held him to her, kissing him with so much abject need that he pulled her tightly against him, letting her feel him hardening at her voluntary touch.
So much for not scaring her.
Jesse pushed away. When Taryn tried to follow he wanted to throw his head back and howl like an animal, but this wasn’t the right time, place or circumstance. Hell, he thought, nothing about any of this was ‘right’. He should have just ‘friended’ her on Facebook like normal people instead of trying to hide his crazy quest from his family until he was sure of the out-come. Arrogance and folly landed him in one seriously fucked-up mess.
Merlin’s voice saved him from further self-flagellation. “Shouldn’t we get going before…the bad guys…with guns come back?” It wasn’t exactly a screeching, but it was close enough to bring Jesse out of his head and back to Earth.
Jesse let Taryn go. Stepping back he looked at Merlin. “What did you throw at those guys?” Be calm. Set the example. Put them at ease and they’ll follow you.
