A Hero to Love

by Gail Chianese

  “I’ve looked around for Ms. Reynolds, and the damage is all surface, with the exception of her missing pets.” Jax laid his hand on her shoulder and gave her a little squeeze of encouragement. “However, it appears the individual behind this attack is escalating, and his anger toward Risa is growing.”

  “Are you a profiler, son?” Browning stepped into Jax’s space, which put him in Risa’s as well. She had to turn her head to breathe. The man had an overpowering aroma of garlic about him.

  Watts caught her eye and winked. Poor guy. He had to ride in the patrol car with that.

  “No, sir, just sharing information and insights. We like to call it cooperation and playing nice with others where I come from.” Jax stepped forward into the older man’s bubble. Browning backed off.

  “Officer Watts will take your statement, Ms. Reynolds, and get pictures for your insurance claim.” Browning scratched his belly and went back to the patrol car.

  “Ignore him,” Watts said. “The call interrupted his dinner, and he gets cranky when he’s hungry.”

  The younger officer ran both of them through a list of questions, took down Jax’s contact information, and went over what they had on Sal Rossi and the recent events. After the patrol car left, Risa took care of her animals. By the time she had finished, Jax had cleaned up the broken pottery and contents on the front porch.

  * * * *

  Risa joined him on the front steps and sat with a heavy sigh. “Thank you for being here, and for cleaning.”

  “It’s what friends do, Risa. I’m sorry. You warned me about Rossi’s temper. When he didn’t retaliate in the first forty-eight hours, I let my guard down. This is my fault.” This was his mess, and he needed to fix it.

  “No, it’s not. Trust me, if you were still watching him today, he would have simply waited another week or month until we all forgot. I was even thinking on the way home all of this nonsense was over. So don’t blame yourself.” She laid her head on his shoulder and tucked her arm through his.

  “I put a call into the office. They’re calling Sal in for an interview.”

  “When?” He heard the tension in her voice and felt her muscles tighten. Even though she said she wasn’t afraid of Rossi, he knew she was.

  “They’ll give him an option to show up within the next two hours or they’ll escort him in. If we have to, we can ask for assistance from the local force, but I don’t think Browning is going to be much help.”

  “No?” She laughed and looked at him before putting her head back on his shoulder. “I thought he was kind of charming, in a grumpy, annoying sort of way.”

  “You wanted to tell him… what was that term you used earlier? To bugger off. Don’t deny it. It was written all over your pretty face.”

  And flashing in her eyes, radiating off her body… She had reminded Jax of a pissed off mama ‘coon he’d come across as a kid. Cute and vicious.

  “Maybe, but what did he even mean by ‘parking my boots somewhere’?”

  “It’s an old country saying, meaning you’d been sleeping with some other woman’s man.”

  “Bollocks.” She shot up straight, her cheeks flame-red and all the earlier annoyance back. “I would never do such a thing.”

  “Not part of your bad-girl repertoire?” he teased.

  “I’ll have you know we bad girls have our standards.” She turned to face the ruined front door. “I guess I should see what I have around here to clean up this mess. My mum will have her knickers in a twist if she sees the place.”

  “Leave it for tonight, Risa. I have a plan.” Jax twined his fingers through hers and pulled her back to the front stoop, where he could feel her body up against his.

  “I’m not leaving, if that’s what you’re thinking.” She turned sideways, so they were face-to-face. “No one is chasing me away from my home.”

  “That wasn’t part of my plan. It’s not a bad idea, but I knew you wouldn’t go along with it. The first part is, we order delivery and eat. Browning’s not the only one who gets hangry.”

  Her stomach gurgled, and she frowned. “I guess I could get behind that idea. What else?”

  “I don’t think our perpetrator is done.” At her arched brow, he went on. “When I was walking around the house, it looked like he or she was just getting started on the back windows.”

  “Are you thinking they’ll be back tonight after it gets dark?”

  “Yep, and I’m going to be waiting for them.”

  “You mean we’re going to be waiting for him.” She’d gotten up to pace. He could see the wheels in her mind spinning; finally, she turned to him and pointed. “Don’t think I’m going to sit around and play the damsel in distress. This afternoon was an exception, and that was only because of Buggsy and Lolita.”

  Damn, she was cute when she was feisty. “It’s really a shame you have that ‘no dating military’ policy,” he said.

  “About that…” She hesitated. “I was thinking I might suspend that rule for a while, maybe make an exception for a nice guy if he was—whoops.” She laughed as he pulled her into his arms.

  With her trapped between his legs, Jax slid his hands along the side of her face and held her still. Her caramel eyes darkened to a light chocolate. Her mouth parted, and her breathing turned shallow and slow.

  “Would it be ungentlemanly of me to kiss you?”

  Risa’s lips curled upward, and she leaned in. He didn’t need more of an invitation. He swooped in and claimed her mouth. She grabbed his shoulders and held on tight. She tasted so good and sweet, like warm honey. He went back for more, slipping his hands down to her waist to pull her in tight, while he kissed her like his next breath depended on it.

  When they broke apart a few minutes later, both were breathing heavily. He didn’t want to stop, but he needed his head in the game. He’d already messed up once. No way was Rossi catching him with his pants down again.

  “Wow. Tell me why I waited,” Risa said.

  “Darling, all good things are worth waiting for.” Unfortunately, they’d have to test that theory and wait until later for more. Right now, they had to set up to catch an asshole.

  “What time do you think they’ll be done with Sal?” Risa asked with a wicked gleam in her eye.

  Jax laughed and kissed her again. “Too soon for us to follow through with what’s on your mind, woman.”

  Risa playfully batted his shoulder. “I’ve no idea what you’re referring to. I was going to suggest… stripping the paint off the door.”

  “Sure you were. How about you order dinner. Whatever you want that can be delivered. I’ll eat anything.” Although what he was craving wasn’t on any restaurant menu.

  “Okay, but what will you be doing, Mr. Tough Guy?” She raised her eyebrows with a look that said he better not try to pull the macho-man routine.

  “I’m going to scout around the house, see what kind of traps I can set up, and then I need to hide my truck. How well do you know your neighbor?”

  “Old Man Gibbons? He likes to yell at me about the dogs and act mean and crotchety, but really he’s a sweetheart. He’s also former military from, like, the Revolutionary War.”

  “Which side did he fight on?”

  “Ours. I think.”

  Given Risa’s mixed background, that didn’t tell Jax much. He’d just have to hope the man was willing to help out a brother-in-arms. Risa wished him luck and went inside. Jax stood there long enough to hear the lock click into place. Then he hopped into his truck and drove the half-mile down the road to Risa’s nearest and, clearly, dearest neighbor.

  A half-hour later, he jogged back up the road with his truck stashed out of sight. As he came up on the house, movement on the side caught his attention.

  Jax crept as quietly as he could, using all of his training to not make a sound. When he was within a few feet of his target, he k
nelt down, prepared to spring forward and catch his man—or rather rabbit. Risa must have been watching out for him, because she came flying out the door.

  “Buggsy,” she called, sliding to her knees. The little guy hopped right into her waiting hands. “Where have you been? Where’s Lolita? I’ve been worried sick about the two of you. Jax, if he’s here, she’s got to be nearby.”

  “I’ll find her.”

  Risa walked inside, cuddling the furry fluff ball.

  He looked around. “If I were a scared rabbit, where would I hide? Or if I were a hungry, scared rabbit, where would I go?” Jax spied the perfect spot and quietly crept up on the bush. In a soft voice he called out, “Lolita, come on girl, dinner time.”

  After a few moments, a little, pink, wiggling nose peeked out from under the plant. Jax scooped her up and headed inside. He watched as Risa laughed and cried and cuddled both animals before placing them in a portable kennel on top of the dryer.

  “Tonight, you two are staying inside.” Then she turned and threw herself into Jax’s arms, kissing him softly and laying her head against his chest. “Thank you. Now tell me, what kind of trap are we setting for Sal?”

  This woman amazed him. One minute she was an emotional wreck over a lost animal being found, and the next she was out for blood. Something he’d have to keep in mind, because he didn’t think his tenderhearted superwoman was going to like what he said next.

  “I’m going to set up surveillance in that old tree fort, and you’re going to be—”

  “Right there with you.”

  She stepped back and crossed her arms, daring him to say otherwise. He knew this meant a lot to her, but he had no choice. He couldn’t take the chance she’d get hurt.

  “Risa, I need you in the house with the animals. So that everything looks normal.”

  “He can’t see in my house at night. I close the curtains, and they’re too thick to see through. We’ll turn on the living-room light and the TV.”

  “And when the dogs don’t stop barking, he’ll wonder why. If it is Rossi, he knows you well enough to know your dogs are trained and listen.”

  She waivered, sucking in her bottom lip and nibbling at it.

  “He also knows I sing in the shower and they bark, thanks to Fee.”

  They went back and forth for a good twenty minutes, with Risa countering his every argument, until he couldn’t come up with one more excuse.

  “I think you missed your calling, Doc. You should have been a trial attorney instead of a vet.” Not ready to give up, he gave one last plea. “Risa, it could be a long night. He might not show, and if he does, he might get violent to avoid getting caught. I’d never forgive myself if you got hurt.” He pulled her into his arms and rested his chin on top of her head.

  He hadn’t wanted the complication of a relationship, but damned if he wanted to be anywhere else right then, or with anyone else.

  “What if I promise to stay in the fort? No matter what happens, I won’t come down until you give me the all-clear, or the tree is set on fire or chopped down.”

  Chuckling, he kissed her on the nose. “Any other conditions you want to throw out there for me?”

  “Can we eat first? Because I think I see the pizza delivery pulling up out front. Please don’t shoot him first before checking. He’s really a nice kid.”

  Jax groaned and went to the door. “I rarely shoot people bringing me food, especially pizza, unless it has anchovies or pineapple on it.”

  An hour later the animals had been fed, let out, and put to bed. Strategic lighting had been set up in the house to look like Risa was up, and the TV was on loud enough to make anyone sneaking around think she was totally engrossed in the movie that was airing.

  They climbed up the semi-rotted steps to the fort. Risa was in the lead at her insistence that she alone knew the secret to opening the trap door. Honestly, he thought she was afraid if he went first, he’d lock her out. It had crossed his mind a time or two. The space was small, built for kids, not a guy who cleared six-two. It especially wasn’t built for two adults, but they managed. They each had their backs to opposite walls and their legs were bent. He’d give her two hours until she caved and went inside.

  Him? He could go all night like this. He’d done it before. At least this time he didn’t have sand blowing in his face, up his nose and everywhere else. He wasn’t carrying a thirty-pound pack on his back, scanning every direction at once, wondering if the person he called an ally really wanted to kill him.

  He’d take a cozy tree fort with a pretty woman on a summer night anytime. This one even had a skylight through which they could gaze at the stars. If it had only been a little wider, they could sit side-by-side, and a little longer, they could lay out flat, it would be perfect for a lot more than watching stars or waiting for a vandal.

  “You’re awfully quiet,” Risa whispered.

  “That’s because I don’t want the bad guy to know we’re up here,” he whispered back. Make that an hour before she gives up.

  “Jax, have you ever made love outside before?” she whispered, gazing at the sky.

  Oh, sweet heavens. She was going to be the death of him.

  How was he supposed to keep his mind focused on the task at hand and watch out for Rossi when all he could picture was Risa naked and spread out under the constellations?

  Chapter 10

  He’d been wrong, and he wasn’t too proud to admit it—at least in his head. Sitting watch in the desert was child’s play compared to spending the night with Risa’s head on his lap.

  The first hour or two had been a breeze. Risa had settled in her corner, occasionally whispering a question or comment. Then the little sighs turned into yawns, then to steady breathing. He shifted to give her more space, and somehow she ended snuggled up between his long legs.

  Things had been quiet…too quiet for his own good and peace of mind. Casey had texted him when they released Rossi. Apparently Rossi had been the ideal sailor: helpful, forthcoming, and just pissed off enough to come across as truthful. The man’s alibi for most of the day was rock solid, except during lunchtime. The new wife had vouched that her loving husband had come home then and, no, there was no way he’d slipped away without her knowing, if you got her meaning.

  It didn’t add up in Jax’s head or his gut, and those feelings had saved his butt numerous times. Based on what he’d seen when he’d inspected the exterior of Risa’s house, she had interrupted the culprit in the act. Except Rossi was front-and-center with his department head, XO, and commanding officer at the time.

  Absently, he stroked Risa’s hair while he scanned the property through the fort windows and tried to figure out what he was missing.

  He could see it, hanging out on the peripheral of his mind.

  A key element to solving the mystery waited for him like a lover waited for her sailor to return from sea: impatient, edgy, and sometimes unpredictable. Jax was sure the guilty party would have returned that night to finish the job, but as night slipped toward morning, he gave up hope and enjoyed the moment.

  The stake-out hadn’t been a complete waste of time. Risa and her home were safe. She’d slept soundly, and that was worth the long day ahead for him. He’d caught a power nap here and there so he wasn’t totally dragging ass. Plus, there were few things he liked better than spending the night with a beautiful, intelligent, sexy woman in his arms.

  A nearby twig snapped. Jax straightened up to peer over the edge of the window, jostling Risa awake.

  “What—”

  He put his finger against her lips, lest whoever was out there hear them. After a few moments, he spotted their company and signaled for Risa to take a look.

  Her brows scrunched up, and she climbed half over him to take a look. She turned to look at him, her face lit up with delight.

  “Bear cubs. Oh, there’s so cute and I�
�m really glad Buggsy and Lolita are inside tonight.”

  “Yeah, but, where’s mama bear?” he asked, craning his neck to look out the other window. “Here she comes now. I hope your trash cans are put away, or we’re going to have a bigger mess to clean up.”

  “They’re locked in the shed.” Risa looked out the window again, one hand on Jax’s shoulder to steady herself. “The cubs have grown so much since spring.”

  “Don’t tell me. These are more of your pets.” The woman didn’t need a farm, she needed a sanctuary.

  “I wish, but I have spotted them before in the woods. They come around every couple of weeks.”

  “Is there an animal you don’t like?” She leaned across him again to watch the bears, which put her breasts in his face. He hoped the beasts took their sweet time exploring the area.

  “Not really. Although I’m not overly fond of reptiles, or fish, or most rodents. They smell funny. Aww, they’re leaving.” She sat back on her knees, wedged between his bent legs. “Were they our only visitors during the night?”

  “Yep. It’s peaceful out here. You’d never know you were only ten minutes to a major road and town.” He reached up and wrapped a strand of her loose hair around his finger. The blonde stood out against his dark skin in the twilight.

  “It’s why I love it. It’s away from people and civilization yet within minutes of finishing my shift I can be back here at my oasis.” She spoke like it was no big deal, but Jax didn’t buy it. Some event or person had turned Risa off people.

  “Not all of us two-legged creatures are bad.” He tugged gently on her hair to pull her close enough to brush his lips across hers.

  “No, some are definitely worth getting to know.” She slid her hands up his chest and looked skyward before meeting his gaze. “What time is it, anyway?”

  “Around o-four-thirty. ”

  “Aren’t you tired?” she asked, smiling.

  “Not at all.” He wanted her mouth. He wanted to taste her, to tempt her, to tease her, but not here. “We should go inside,” he said.