I think it was because I was always afraid of Donovan coming after me because of them. If I stayed away, then there would be no reason for him to seek me out. Good in theory, but obviously far from the truth. Donovan held a nasty grudge. For whatever reason, I never imagined him getting so violent – especially over me. It just didn't make sense, and that was what I was pondering when Jax entered the room.
“Are you okay?” he asked. He brought a few of his fingers to my face to examine it. Outside of a split lip and a mild bruise, I hadn't been hurt too bad.
Nodding, I met his gaze with my own. Tears pooled inside of my eyes again — ugh —but I tried to not give myself too hard of a time for crying. We had just gone through a pretty traumatizing experience, so I think it was perfectly acceptable to show my weaker, more vulnerable side. If anyone asked, I denied it happened or told them I was hormonal. I had a reputation to protect. Only Jax could see through that tough side of me that night, but he lived it with me. It was an experience I didn't mind sharing with him because it made the burden lighter.
“I'm more worried about you,” I mumbled. “It looked like you got walloped on pretty bad by them. Of course, looking at you, I hardly see a scratch. Okay, maybe one right here.” I touched his jaw where he had a small cut. “Otherwise, it doesn't look too much like you got your butt kicked. You could probably get away with telling everyone at work it was the other way around.”
He shrugged. “There's no reason to lie to protect my honor. It was one versus two, and even if I do have a black belt in tae kwon do, that doesn't necessarily mean I'm safe.”
“You have a black belt?”
“Just a first degree. After that I got too busy for it, but maybe I should go back?” He laughed.
I shook my head. “You held your own well.”
“Violence wasn't the answer. I had to focus on protecting myself so I could protect you. That meant letting them think they won instead of going for the kill so to speak. Besides, this might make me less of man to you, but I was kind of scared. It wouldn't have surprised me if one of them had a weapon. I kind of choked.”
“Choked?” I laughed. “If that's you choking, I don't want to see you in full attack mode. You surprised the snot out of me, and I mean that in a good way. I totally would not have pinned you as the type to be so… rawr!”
Jax also laughed, so hard he snorted, and his nerdy self came through again. “Rawr? Is that the official term for it?”
“Yes.”
“I obviously couldn't let him hurt you, and I didn't want to do a whole lot of talking. Being reasonable was out of the question. Still, I could have gone kung-fu movie on both of them and knocked them unconscious with my pinkies.”
“You can do that?”
“Ha! No.” He shook his head. “I wish.”
My laughter faded and I gave him a small smile. “Seriously, you're not hurt? I saw him hit you pretty hard in the side there. Nothing is broken, right?”
He shrugged. “I'll probably be bruised for a little while, but I promise you I'm fine.”
“What's going to happen now? Did they take a mug shot of you? Are you spending the night in jail?” I frowned, even more so when I noticed his lack of concern. I could have seriously just ruined this guy's life, and all he did was smile back at me. Wasn't he the slightest bit upset with me?
Jax relaxed in the chair and stretched out his arms. I'm pretty sure he did it just so he could do the classic move from the movies where the guy uses that as an excuse to put his arm around the girl. Why do I think that? Because he put his arm around me and hugged me gently to his side.
He leaned his forehead against mine. “No mug shot. Everything is going to be fine. I fought back in self-defense. Donovan is pretty vocal about the whole thing, so he's owning up to his part. Eli hasn't said much, but I'm not too worried. He can't really do too much to make things worse for either of us. I told them I wasn't going to press charges against him.”
“You're not?” I blinked. “Why?”
“Eli was pretty trashed,” he said. “No, it's not an excuse, but it hindered his judgment. I don't think he would have gotten violent if Donovan hadn't. He's going to go back to jail, that I'll see to. Pretty sure he's violating some kind of parole agreement anyway.”
I was still flabbergasted over him not pressing charges against Eli. “Are you sure that's what you want to do?”
“Pretty sure. The fight will be kept on record. If Eli tries to come after you again, I can change my mind like that.” He snapped his fingers. “I heard him talking in the hallway. He said he just wanted you two to talk again. I think he only wanted to help his friend and it spiraled out of control.”
“You're way too forgiving,” I said and shook my head.
He closed his beautiful blue eyes and sighed. “I want to move forward from this as easily as possible. If I pressed charges, things would go to court, get dragged out even further, and I don't want you to have to go through all of that. The media is already going to eat this story up enough as it is. Does Eli scare you? Because if he does, I'll make sure he goes behind bars too.”
Did Eli scare me? There had been a different kind of fire inside of him that night than usual. He'd always been fiercely loyal to his friends. It was one of the things I liked most about him until he dropped his loyalty to me. What's that saying? Bros come first? If he'd been drunk, he might not have been thinking straight. At the same time, I don't want to make excuses for him. The guy needed a new best friend, that's for sure.
I nuzzled Jax's chest with my nose, wanting the comfort of his warm body and his strong arms around me tighter. “He hasn't before, but there's a first time for everything. It's sweet that you'd do it just for me, but I think you have a point. If all he wanted to do was talk, he probably only got caught up in the moment. Kind of like you had.”
“Besides, he only kicked me once. Donovan was the one who was coming down on me the most. Eli stood there and watched.”
“It looked like otherwise from where I was,” I admitted.
He laughed. “I could feel the difference in their shoes. Okay, and he did knock me down to keep me away from getting to you. When Donovan hit you, everything in him changed. I think it opened up his eyes. I hope so, at least. Maybe I should try calling him later.”
“Wait. You want to talk to Eli? After that?” For a moment I couldn't help but wonder if Jax was high or something. “You're crazy.”
“It's something I'll have to pray on,” he said softly. “Most of this is. Maybe I'll not make up my mind until the morning and let them both sweat it out in the cell tonight.”
“Still think you're crazy,” I teased. And then I made sure he was looking at me before I continued, because what I was about to say next was very serious. “How did they know? I mean, how did the police know to come?”
Jax pulled out his cell phone and showed her his recent call history. At the top was 9-1-1. “Remember when you told me to call a cab? I called them instead. They heard most of the fight through my phone.”
I sniffled, the tears coming back to my eyes. “I'm sorry for all of this. You can say it's not my fault, which is true to a point, but it still doesn't change the fact that this is a pretty crappy way to end the night.”
He shrugged. “Eh.”
My jaw dropped. “Eh? So you like getting your butt beaten? Man, maybe I don't want to date you after all. Even I have my limits, you know.”
Jax leaned his face in closer to mine, his gaze holding mine once more. His warm breath misted over my skin. I could smell a slight hint of mint in it even, that's how close we were. Then he said in a low voice. “Don't forget about the other things that happened tonight. I personally had a wonderful time, butt kicking and all. It'll make for an awesome story.”
I licked my lips and swallowed. “That's for sure.”
He moved in closer, his eyes closed and his lips puckered ever so slightly. My heart pounded like never before inside of my chest. I also closed my eyes, and tu
rned my face away, letting him catch my cheek. His lips were just as soft as I imagined they would be. I couldn't help but smile at the tender pressure on my skin.
“I'm sorry,” he whispered, pulling away. He still kept himself close to me and his face was tinted with a light pink.
“Hmm?” I murmured.
Sheepishly, he smiled at me. “I thought we had a moment. I mean, I thought you wanted me to kiss you.”
I smirked. “Oh, I do want you to, but I heard somewhere that it was trashy to kiss on the first date.”
That caused his face to go from a light blush to full on red. His mouth opened and closed several times, he shifted in his seat, and even coughed. Dorky, but it was really starting to grow on me, that tender goodie-goodie side of him. Probably because I finally realized he could be exactly the kind of man I needed. Good in all the right ways, and yet perfectly flawed.
“I did say that, didn't I?” He scrunched up his nose.
“Kind of shot yourself in the foot on that one!” Served him right for being so judgmental at the beginning of the night.
“Oops.” His entire body deflated, shoulders drooped, his gaze averted to the floor, and he let out one long, slow, breath.
I shook my head at him and cupped his chin with my hand, tapping his nose lightly with my index finger. “I haven't heard anything about the second one.”
A slow grin spread across his face. “I'll call you.”
“Not in three days right?”
“But that means I like you.” He winked. “No, I'll call you tomorrow afternoon, first thing when I wake up. We can figure something out then.”
I nodded, enthusiastically enough where I probably proved myself just as much of a nerd as him. “I don't suppose you like kung-fu movies and Chinese take-out?”
His grin widened. I didn't think it was even possible to smile so huge. “Best way to spend my night.”
About the Author
J.F. Jenkins lives in Minneapolis Minnesota with her husband, son, and two cats. She graduated from Bethel University in 2006 with a degree in Media Communication with minors in both writing and film. When she is not busy writing, she spends her free time playing games, reading, and spending time with her family.
Also by J.F. Jenkins:
Prologue
Alan stood straight like an arrow. Sir Oriol walked down the line of Junior officers and stopped directly in front of him.
“You've been chosen for this mission because someone thinks you are the best,” the man said, eyes locking on Alan as if trying to make him falter. Instead he stood straighter, and Sir Oriol continued down the line. “As you know, we are here to stop the war on Altura from spreading to this planet. The people here are much like us. They call their home Earth.
“The inhabitants of this planet do not need to suffer from our war. We are to move in, eliminate the threat, and move out before the Earth people realize the truth. They are not as educated in the universe as we are. They do not know there is other life beyond their own. We do not want to start a widespread panic.
“All of you have been chosen to take on a team of these Earth humans. You are to train them and use their knowledge to help us stop the Gelandrosimbol and Basatlavan from winning this battlefield. Each of you have been given the coordinates of your team. Our forces will be focusing in on an area referred to as the Midwestern United States of America. Do all of you understand your mission?”
“Yes, Sir Orioltogorthan,” all of the Juniors said in unison.
“Best of luck to you all then,” Sir Oriol said, saluted, and then left the launching bay. But not before giving Alan one last dark look. He leaned in and whispered, “And you can be sure your father will know about everything that happens.”
Alan shook it off. Whether Sir Oriol believed in him or not would not stop him from going on this mission. There was personal business for him to attend to on Earth. The woman Alan was betrothed to was on the planet somewhere. Ultimately, his mission was to find her and bring her back to their home world again. She'd gone missing, and his gut told him she was involved in the war. It was the reason he'd joined the military to begin with.
One step at a time of course. First he would find his chosen charges on Earth. Then he would find the woman he loved more than anything. No one knew for certain if she was on Earth. Having charges would give him an excuse to explore the planet in search of her. His assigned coordinates programmed into his travel guide, he checked to make sure his atmospheric shield was fully charged. These devices would make sure he got to his destination, and that he did so safely.
Stepping towards the launch director, he took in one last deep breath to calm any final nerves.
“Sir Alanmendiquixanimackle, are you ready?” the director asked.
He nodded. “Send me to Earth.”
Chapter One
Gym class, the bane of Orlando's existence. Not to say he wasn't an athletic kid. Despite his dark, Gothic style, he did work out and stayed in good shape. He simply liked to do it on his own terms, and away from the rest of his classmates. He loathed every second of socializing.
“All right class, let's clean up and get changed.” Coach Wilson said, and it was practically music to Orlando's ears.
He eagerly put the basketball away and hightailed it to the boys’ locker room to hopefully get a head start on changing. The less time he had to interact with anyone else the better. He'd just finished pulling on his baggy black jeans and was in the process of buttoning his matching shirt when the jocks walked in.
“Good game, Holmes,” the leader of the pack said. Orlando knew better than to take it as a compliment though. “Make sure you try out for the girls’ team this year. I think you have a real shot for starting forward.”
He rolled his eyes. “I'd hate to steal the spotlight from you, Jesse.”
“That's right. Your family is more into the red-light. How could I forget?” Jesse said as he began to change.
Orlando clasped on his black wristband, chained his wallet back to his pants, and tightened his belt. Ignore the idiots.
“What happened to you, Holmes? You used to be cool.” Jesse wouldn't let himself be ignored, apparently.
“I grew a brain. Need me back on the football team? I thought you were having a great season, or is that the same line you feed all your female fans? A new pick-up line might be a good idea,” he said, slinging his backpack over his shoulder.
Jesse's right-hand man, Ryan, chimed in. “I don't know why you bother, Jess. He's converted to the freak side and not turning back.”
Freak side. How original. With another eye roll, Orlando made his way for the door, but Jesse blocked him. “Yes?”
“Don't think I'm finished with you.” He gave Orlando a shove. “School doesn't get out for another three minutes.”
“I didn't realize you missed me so much. I hate to break it to you, Jess, but my boat doesn't float that way.” He made a move to push his way past Jesse, but was shoved again and much harder than before, falling backwards onto a locker.
Jesse laughed, and all of his groupies followed along. “Cute, Holmes. I'll be sure to share that one with your sister when I see her on the corner of Lake and Hennepin next. After I show her a great time because she's so easy. Don't worry, I'll give her a great tip.”
Orlando's hands balled into fists. “She's not like that.”
“You're right, she's hard until you give her the green, since everyone knows that's how your family gets all of its money. Did you guys know his parents are never around? Probably because they're finding new kids to sell their illegal drugs. When do you plan on joining in on the fun, Holmes? I'm sure a guy like you could—”
Jesse didn't get to finish because Orlando's fist made contact with his jaw. His eyes wide and surprised, the seventeen-year-old boy stumbled back, then charged forward, swinging his fists. Orlando dodged the counterattack and rammed into him, shoulder first, and knocked him out of the locker room and into the hallway.
A few girls nearby squealed and scattered as they watched Jesse throw another punch in retaliation. It hit Orlando's chest, and now Ryan was throwing himself into the mix as well by trying to trip him at the knees. He caught this just in time and body-slammed Ryan into the drinking fountain. The boy hit it hard with his upper back and head.
“Boys! What's going on here?” Coach Wilson grabbed Orlando just as he broke Jesse's nose.
He willingly stepped away, pleased and satisfied with his work. “Fighting, Coach.”
There was no point in denying it. Jesse had it coming. His whole crew did. It was only a matter of time before someone taught them a lesson. While he much preferred to keep to himself and lay low, Orlando didn't mind stepping up and taking on the role of the teacher in this scenario.
“I see that,” Coach Wilson said. He went to Ryan and Jesse to make sure they were both okay. Orlando felt the firm hand of another teacher on his arm and saw Mr. Daniels the music teacher.
“To the office, right?” Orlando said with a glance up at the man. Mr. Daniels nodded and released him as the teen pulled his arm away to head towards the Dean of Students’ office.
“You're going to regret this, freak.” Jesse hollered after him.
Orlando snorted, “Doubt it.”
Astraea Press
Pure. Fiction.
www.astraeapress.com
Table of Contents
The Corruption of Mila
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
About the Author
Also by J.F. Jenkins:
The Corruption of Mila Page 5
