Jake: The Sinner Saints #3 (7 page)

Finally, he rose from the edge of the bed and strode the few steps to his duffel bag. He drew back the zipper, pulled out a fresh shirt, and slid it over his head.

Something that felt suspiciously like panic crept into her chest as she watched him slip on his boots.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“We need to eat,” he said without a hint of emotion. “There’s a diner a couple of blocks down. I’ll go and bring us back a couple of cheeseburgers.”

“Oh. Of course.” Verity’s shoulders fell in relief. He wasn’t walking out on her. Not really. “Thank you.”

“I shouldn’t be gone long. Fifteen minutes maybe.” He started toward the door. “Twenty if I stop at the liquor store and pick us up a six pack.”

“Better make it twenty then,” Verity said with a nervous little laugh. “I don’t know about you, but I could
really
use a cold beer right now.”

Jake gave a tense nod as he turned the knob and walked out of the room.

The door shut behind him with a soft click, and Verity didn’t waste any time rushing over to the window and pulling back the corner of the heavy drape. She leaned her shoulder against the wall as she watched Jake stride away across the parking lot, only letting the curtain drop once he had turned the corner onto the sidewalk.

Twenty minutes.

Suddenly, that seemed like a lot of time to be left alone with all of her thoughts and plans and regrets.

Especially since one of those three felt a lot heavier than the others.

A hell of a lot heavier.

Chapter Five

Jake stared up through the darkness of the ceiling above his bed.

Verity had turned off the light above her bed well over two hours ago, but he was nowhere near falling asleep. It looked like tonight wasn’t going to be much different than any other.

That wasn’t entirely true.

This one was shaping up to be a hell of a lot worse.

And he’d be a liar if he said that he’d expected anything else.

There’d been a couple minutes there when he’d been out walking when he’d hoped that the fresh air and solitude would clear his head. But hoping was a hell of a lot different than
expecting
.

Now Jake knew, down to the marrow of his bones, that it was going to be a long time before he was able to shake the image of Verity down on her knees, her hand pressed against his chest, her wide, dark eyes staring up at him.

His cock stirred at the memory.

Shit
.

This knot that had formed deep in his belly had nothing to do with lust.

Okay. Maybe that wasn’t totally true.

But it wasn’t
completely
about lust.

Desire was something Jake knew well. He understood it. He was a damned master of it.

He’d felt the passion pouring out of her fingertips as she’d caressed his skin. He’d heard the soft tremble in her voice when she spoke. She wanted him.

And that was fine.

He wanted her back.

Hell, the air between them had been crackling since the moment he’d first spied her back at the Crossroads. God knew, there was nothing Jake wanted more than to spend the night peeling off her clothes and exploring every lush curve her body had to offer.

But he wasn’t going to.

Verity Green might be the most tempting woman Jake had come across in months—hell, years—but she was also his responsibility. He was honor-bound to protect her. And not just her body, but all of her.

It had nothing to do with Carter forcing him to take this ridiculous assignment. Verity had tracked him down because she trusted him. Her devotion to her brother might be misplaced and her reasoning might be flawed, but that didn’t change a damned thing.

Verity might want him with a passion that showed in every move she made, but she
needed
him more. She needed him to be sharp and on top of his game…and not distracted like he had been that morning with Tessa and Charlie.

That’s why he’d been so certain that he’d be able to resist Verity’s hungry gaze as he explained the story behind his tattoo.

And he had been.

But what he hadn’t been prepared for was the look of deep understanding that he’d found there too. One look at the compassion burning bright in her eyes and Jake had felt himself falling deep into unfamiliar territory.

He was used to women wanting him. He was even accustomed to a little curiosity. But that was about as far as things went.

About as far as Jake would let them go, if he was being honest.

But Verity hadn’t waited for his permission. She’d just jumped straight in with her empathetic looks and her gentle questions. Then she’d listened to his answers as though she truly cared about what he had to say.

As though she truly cared about him.

And that was what had him wide awake and staring up at the ceiling. At least it wasn’t guilt this time. No, this was all new.

All it took was a story from his past, a few understanding words, and one sweet smile that had somehow moved him all the way to his core, and—boom—he felt a connection to her.

What surprised him even more was the sensation hadn’t been fleeting.

When he’d returned with their burgers and beer, Verity had met him with that same smile. Of course this time it had been hidden under a few layers of embarrassment, and a couple more shaky apologies, but the sincerity in her eyes still shone through.

He had no idea why she insisted on pretending that he wasn’t interested in her, but in the end he figured that everyone had their own way of coping with stress.

And seeing how he was awake in the dead of night staring at the ceiling because for the first time in his adult life he had feelings for someone that had nothing to do with duty, or honor, or lust, Jake figured that he wasn’t one to judge.

He glanced over at the clock just in time to see the hour turn over.

He let out a long breath as he leaned back against the pillow. He bent his elbows, slid his open palms beneath his head and listened to the soft sleepy sounds Verity made as she rolled over beneath her covers.

Yeah. He didn’t get to judge at all.

***

Verity woke up slowly. She opened her eyes gradually, giving herself plenty of time to adjust to the sunlight pouring in through the gauzy curtains.

So, it was already morning. It felt like she’d only fallen asleep a few minutes before, but she figured she must have slept the whole night through.

And here she’d thought she’d have trouble falling asleep.

Maybe those two beers last night hadn’t been such a bad idea after all. Between them and that greasy cheeseburger that Jake had brought back for dinner, she’d nodded right off.

She stretched out her arms and arched her back against the mattress before sitting up. There weren’t any kinks in her neck, no soreness in her muscles. Her body felt rested, but her mind, well, that was another story.

All the troubles that she’d turned the light off on last night were still here waiting for her. They all came back to her in a rush—the problems at work, the awkwardness between her and Jake, Roman’s legal troubles. Not to mention the art she needed to get and send back before Roman arrived at the house.

It was that last one that made her heart clench.

The clock was ticking. She knew what she needed to do and why, but she couldn’t seem to ignore the fear that sunk its claws into her insides every time she imagined getting out there and actually doing it.

But that was exactly what she needed to do—ignore it. Because the sooner the task was done, the sooner this was all over. The evidence that Roman had broken the law would be gone, the treasures would be returned to their rightful home, and she could get back to her normal life.

Her nice, quiet, unremarkable normal life. The one where she didn’t find herself picking pockets, or dodging bar fights, or road tripping with soulful mercenaries.

Verity rubbed her eyes before looking around. She found Jake sitting across from her in the room’s only chair. In one hand he held a sharpening stone, in the other the scariest damned knife that Verity had ever seen.

“Good morning,” she said, pulling back the covers from her legs.

Even from across the room, Verity could make out the tense lines around his eyes as he glanced up at her. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one that was worried about the day’s activities.

“Good. You’re up,” he said, sliding the knife in a smooth arch down the length of the stone. “I was hoping we could get an early start.”

“Then you should have woken me up,” she said, but her tone lacked any punch. Her eyes were glued to the beast of a blade in his hand. “Do you think we’re going to need that?”

“I hope not.” But the edge in his voice told her just how much stock he put in
hope
.

“All right then. I’ll get ready.” Verity plopped her feet down on the floor and went to her bag. She pulled out a fresh set of clothes and crushed them against her chest. “Just let me take a quick shower.”

She turned around just in time to see him stand up and slide the knife into a sheath hooked onto his belt.

“I’ll wait for you outside,” he said.

She cocked her head to the side as Jake strode past her to the door.

He was in a hurry. There was no doubt of that. The only thing she couldn’t figure out was if it was because he was anxious to get on the road, or to be away from her.

Either way, she couldn’t blame him.

Verity swallowed past the lump quickly forming in her throat and made her way to the bathroom. She didn’t linger in the shower. She toweled off quick and threw on her clothes. A few minutes and a couple of coats of mascara later, she stepped out of the motel room.

She found Jake leaning against the grill of his truck, his cell pressed against his ear. He said a curt goodbye to whoever was on the other end as she approached.

“I wasn’t expecting you to be so quick,” he said.

“I didn’t want to keep you waiting.” She watched him tuck the phone into his pocket. “Who were you talking to?”

“Someone back at the office,” he said, walking over to the driver’s side door. “Just needed to give them a head’s up on where we are headed.”

Verity’s mouth went flat as she climbed up into her seat. “In case something goes wrong.”

“Exactly.” Jake started the engine and threw the truck into reverse.

He turned out of the parking lot and on to the main street. Verity bit into her lip as she turned her face toward her window, hoping that her anxiety would lessen if she wasn’t facing Jake.

No such luck.

The nervous coil in the pit of her belly tightened with every turn of the tires.

“Are you expecting something to go wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing in particular,” he said.

“More like a general sense of concern?”

“Sure.”

Verity nodded as she stared out across the passing traffic lights and buildings. Her nerves were just getting the better of her. There was probably nothing to worry about. After all, she knew that Roman wasn’t going to be there. The house was going to be empty. Everything was going to be fine.

And Jake was probably
concerned
before every one of his jobs. That was what made him so good at what he did, right?

Unless…

“Okay,” she said, swiveling back around in her seat suddenly. “But, just to clarify, what kind of
general sense
are we talking about? Would you categorize it as the
bad
gut feeling
kind or more like the
years of experience have trained me to be ready for anything
kind? Because those are two very different things.”

Jake shot her a look out of the corner of his eye.

“You all right, Verity?” he asked.

“Fine.” Her voice sounded tight even to her own ears. “Mostly. I’m mostly fine.”

“Starting to have second thoughts?”

“Nope,” she said truthfully.

Sure, she was scared, but what else was new? Her knees had been shaking since the moment she’d opened Roman’s letter. She’d been nervous getting on the flight out here. She’d been terrified when she’d walked into the Crossroads. And, now that she was just minutes away from doing the actual deed, she was damned near petrified. But that didn’t mean that her resolve was wavering.

She couldn’t turn away from doing what was right just because she was scared.

Even if it did feel like her heart was going to pound its way right out of her chest.

At least, Jake seemed to accept her answer.

He uncurled his right hand from the steering wheel and laid it, palm up, on the armrest next to her. Verity looked down at it for a long second before slipping hers on top. A surge of warmth flowed through her as his strong, rough fingers closed around her hand.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “We’re just going out there this morning to check the place out. We might not even get out of the car.”

“No?”

“Not until I am one hundred percent convinced that everything is cool,” he said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you, Verity.”

The tightening coil in Verity’s belly eased up a touch.

She didn’t dare ask what was behind this unexpected display of compassion. Maybe he wasn’t a complete hardass, and he actually cared a little bit about her.
Or
maybe he’d just been concerned that she was about to freak out and ruin his plans.

Either way, it didn’t matter. The simple act of holding Jake’s hand was working wonders. Bit by bit, Verity’s heartbeat calmed. Her breathing slowed. Her anxiety didn’t dissipate completely, but at least now she could manage it.

She turned her palm slightly so that her fingers intertwined with his. He didn’t pull away from the added level of intimacy. If anything, his grip tightened.

Verity kept her hold on him as the small downtown area of Augustville gave way to mile after mile of rolling, golden hills. She turned her attention outside her window and watched the wide-open countryside pass by. She lost herself in the silence and the scenery as Jake steered the truck through every twist and turn in the road.

For a moment everything was almost peaceful.

Then Jake pulled the truck over, slowing to a stop on a wide gravel patch on the shoulder.