Knight Shift (23 page)

When he finally returned to the restaurant, he found her eating at a table with three construction workers. He watched as they took her bill and she walked away from the table with a full to go box.

Once in the car, Jax said, “I see you found some friends to sit with.”

“When I got to the restaurant, all of the tables were full. The three men had an open spot and offered for me to sit with them. They were very kind to me.”

“Did they give you their cards too?” He couldn’t hide his annoyance at her continued popularity.

“No,” she said with a smirk. In reality they wrote down their names and numbers on a napkin which she had tucked into her purse. She took it to be polite, but she never planned to call any of them. She added, “It did help to spend a little time with them to distract me.”

It was becoming painfully obvious to Jax that Penny’s look of distress made her appear as a wounded kitten. She was actually attracting men like moths to a flame. He had to admit to himself that he didn’t like it. When he analyzed his feelings, he realized that his protective instincts toward Penny were getting stronger by the minute. He had to find a way to temper these feelings before his hidden nature took care of it his way.

Before finding a place to stop for the night, in an attempt to show kindness, he stopped at a fast food restaurant that he had seen her eat at many times. Without thinking, he ordered her meal. She was shocked to hear him order exactly what she was thinking.

As he handed her the food, she asked with a puzzled expression, “Are you psychic like Ben?”

“No.” Realizing he was being a little too obvious with his knowledge of her life routines, he added, “I’m just a very good guesser.” Again, it was worth it when he saw out of the corner of his eye that she actually ate a little.

They stopped at a nearby hotel and, when Jax was asked how many rooms, he looked down at Penny. Seeing the pleading look, he said, “Just one.”

In appreciation, Penny added for Jax’s benefit, “With two beds.”

Once they were settled in, they decided to call it a day.

When she went to change and looked in her luggage, she only saw her skimpy nighties and no robe. She rolled her eyes at the next obstacle she had to climb over. When she noticed Jax staring at the black lace clenched in her hand, she said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that I would be sharing a room with anyone so I grabbed what I normally wear.” When she looked over at Jax’s open suitcase, she asked, “May I use one of your shirts?”

He tossed her a button up shirt and she headed into the bathroom. After a quick shower, she went to the sink to finish her nighttime routine. She didn’t notice Jax staring at her. Even though the shirt was way too large for her—to the point of looking silly—he found it just as arousing as seeing her in a negligée.

She had never shared a bathroom with someone and Penny wasn’t even sure where to put her toiletries once she was done. To make it easier on her roommate, she repacked all of her items into their bag and neatly tucked it in a corner so that they wouldn’t be in his way.

Jax had to quickly avert his eyes when she approached the bed. Once she was in her assigned spot safely under the covers, he walked over and handed her his extra pillows. She took them and asked, “Don’t you need these?”

In his typical short to the point response, he replied, “No.”

Penny was very grateful and, after adjusting her bedding, she grabbed onto Jax’s pillow tightly. Jax took a long, cold shower in an attempt to wash the intimate thoughts of his roommate that were quickly filling his mind.

As the night went on, Penny tossed and turned, unable to calm enough to find sleep. Jax watched her tired and weary body stare up at the ceiling. Unable to handle his urge to take her into his arms, he got up, dressed, and headed out wordlessly into the night. Watching him leave caused a pain in her chest.

Just as the night before, the morning routine was clumsy at best. Both were overly polite trying to make the other feel more relaxed. Their efforts had the opposite effect and made the whole scene awkward and uncomfortable.

The drive that day was long and silent. Penny could sense his growing frustration and assumed he was angry over being stuck with her. In reality, Jax’s mind kept wandering to the night before. He was taken aback by his desires to help her and wanting to hold her in his arms. In an attempt to force the old Ice to return to block what he considered inappropriate feelings given the situation, he attempted to convince himself that he killed Humans, not comforted them.

While they drove down the road, Jax had hoped that Penny would sleep, but she spent the entire time silently staring out the window watching the world go by. He decided to make it another short day in hopes that she would get some much needed rest. He stopped at a restaurant and, after they ordered, he excused himself to call Sam. When he returned to his table, he noticed yet another man staring at Penny with interest. When the stranger got up to walk toward her table, Jax blocked his path and sat down with his intended target. The man quickly diverted his path to head in another direction, occasionally looking back between Penny and Jax.

All through dinner, Jax was distracted. Every time a man looked toward their table, he knew they were all wondering why someone like Penny was with someone like himself. He had to wonder the same thing.

After they were done with their meal where only minimal words were said, Penny used Jax’s phone to find them a place to stay for the night. Jax checked them in while Penny waited in the car. Although she feared he might have ordered two rooms, she exhaled in relief when they again shared a room. Although she knew that she was on her own in terms of physical comfort, for some reason, she couldn’t imagine being on this trip with anyone else. His silent strength called to her and, even without his touch, she desperately needed him at her side.

Right after they settled into their room, Jax announced, “I’m going out for a while. Try to get some sleep.” He turned and walked out. Once the door was closed behind him, he took in a deep cleansing breath. His mind kept wandering to what she tasted like and he knew that he needed to get away from her for a while. He decided it was time for him to feed on something other than Human food.

He hid in an alley and, using his stealth form, he hunted for his prey. Once he spotted a woman who obviously had too much to drink, he hid in a nearby alley that would cross her path. As she passed his position, he pinned the woman against a wall and struck silently and quickly. He preferred to take blood from the neck but, as Penny’s face flashed in his mind, that now seemed too personal. Instead, he bit into her wrist. He was doing this because of a need, not for pleasure, so for Penny’s benefit, he also tried to make it as painless and quick as possible. He released his prey in record time and left her giggling and swaying as she left the alley, completely unaware of what just happened to her.

Back at the room, Penny sat on the edge of the bed and looked toward the door whenever she heard voices. She had hoped Jax had changed his mind and come back but, when the voices faded, she decided she needed to get out for a few minutes. There was a bar next to the hotel so she changed into a pretty top and skirt and headed out the door.

After a short walk, she entered the bar. It was early so the room wasn’t very crowded. There were just a few couples and a small group of men still in suits. She guessed they had stopped by after work to share a few pitchers of beer.

She sat down at the bar and, when the bartender asked her what she wanted, she replied, “Just surprise me.” She gave him a weak smile.

With an unknown fruity drink in her hand, she watched the television playing in the corner. Much to her dismay, the news was on and they were discussing the plane crash. She was distracted from the news anchor by a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see an attractive middle-aged man smiling down at her.

He said, “Hello. My name is David. My friends and I…” He pointed to the table of suits. “We were wondering if you wanted to join us for a drink.” Seeing the look of pain in her eyes, he asked, “Are you alright?”

She looked back to the television and a tear fell down her cheek. He followed her gaze and when he saw what was on, he asked, “Did you know someone on that plane?”

Without moving her eyes from the pictures of the crash scene, she nodded slowly and held up four fingers. He gasped. She turned back to him, desperate to talk to someone and said, “My family—parents and my twin brothers. They were all I had. I’m on my way to identify their bo—” She couldn’t finish her thought.

The man made eye contact with the bartender and said, “All her drinks are on me.”

The bartender shook his head and said, “No, they’re on the house,” and placed a shot of something in front of her.

Penny looked down at the familiar brown liquid of Jack Daniel’s—her brothers’ favorite drink. She knew she shouldn’t, but the pain welling inside her was too much. She picked up the glass and downed its contents in one swallow, giving a silent toast to the lost. She felt the burn down her throat but, when a slight numbing sensation followed, she sighed in relief.

David stepped back to his table to have a discussion with his companions and returned by the time Penny’s shot glass was refilled. David held out his hand to her and said with true sympathy in his voice, “Why don’t you come sit with us for a while.”

At first she stared at his hand, unsure what to do. But then she took it in hers and gratefully accepted the feel of someone’s touch.

David guided her to his table and introduced his colleagues, who all stood when she joined them. Once he was done with introductions, Penny replied, “I’m Penny.” When she wiped away a tear on her cheek, she added, “I’m not sure I’m the best company right now.”

One of them men said, “Nonsense. A beautiful woman is always good company. Please sit.”

At first the conversation was forced and awkward. They were unsure how best to comfort her, but after they all downed several shots in honor of Penny’s family, the real conversation started. Several talked about love ones they had lost over the years, downing several more shots to ease the pain of the memories. After a while, the alcohol was starting to take effect and the discussion began to include funny family stories and laughter. Penny even shared stories of her and her brothers as they grew up. When she spoke quite affectionately of her traveling companion and how his strength was the only thing keeping her together, David found he was jealous. It was obvious that Penny was smitten by the man she referred to as Jax.

Before anyone realized it, hours had passed and Penny was drunk. With the bar now full of people laughing and dancing, David asked Penny if she wanted to dance. Penny nodded, staggered after she stood, and let out a giggle. For the first time in days her body was pleasantly numb. Later when an impromptu dance content began, she leaned into her table of new friends and slurred, “I’ve got this in the bag, boys,” and joined in on the fun.

Meanwhile Jax finally returned to the hotel. Finding the room empty, he felt a twinge of panic in his chest. Just as he was about to head out the door to use his hunting skills to find her, his eyes spotted a folded piece of paper.

He read the words to himself. “
J. I’m walking over to Mel’s to clear my head. I’ll be back later. P
”

Knowing she was at the bar next door, he headed out into the night to go retrieve her. Guilt washed over him, realizing he shouldn’t have left her alone. When he approached the bar door, the bouncer automatically moved to the side to get out of his way. As he walked in, many turned to stare at him. With his shaved head, tattoos, and piercings, he didn’t blend in to their normal clientele. But since he made no threatening moves, they ignored him and went back to their partying.

Jax searched the bar looking for Penny and was irritated by the cat-calling for a couple of women who were on the bar dancing. His irritation turned instantly to anger as he noticed Penny was among them.

A drunk man that was standing next to him said, “You can look, but don’t touch. That green-eyed one in the middle is all mine. Look at that that body move.” He was unable to see Jax’s quickly growing fury, because the man’s eyes were still glued on Penny’s form. Not realizing the danger he was in, he added, “She needs a real man to comfort her and I plan to be the one to do it.”

Jax knew he had no claim on Penny, but the obvious interest in her by other men bothered him to his core. He was the one that needed to care for her, not these strangers. He replied with his fists clenched, “She’s mine and is leaving with me.”

The drunk man swayed and laughed him off, saying “She doesn’t have a ring on that finger so she’s fair game. She’ll be leaving on my arm before the night is over.” He staggered as he made his way closer to Penny so that he would have a better view of his target.

As Jax felt his inner fury stir, he started a low predatory growl. He wanted nothing more than to rip the man’s throat out. For Penny’s sake, he contained his inner beast. While he made his way through the crowd, everyone naturally gave him a wide berth. Even drunk, no one was going to argue with a man that looked like he could rip them apart with his bare hands.

When Jax stood protectively in front of his traveling companion, he commanded, “Penny, get down now.”

When she heard the familiar voice, she looked down and called, “Hi, Jax.” A huge grin lit her face and, as she focused all of her attention on him, her moves changed to be sultrier and the crowd roared their approval.

David saw the exchange and knew who the new arrival was. He approached and said, “You must be Penny’s traveling companion, Jax. She speaks quite highly of you.”

Jax snapped his head toward the man. David gasped and instinctively took a step backwards, seeing the animal behind Jax’s eyes. He instantly knew that there was so much more to Penny’s companion than a mere Human. Jax’s protective nature caused a shiver to run up David’s spine, informing him that the entire room was in grave danger.

David glanced up at Penny’s bright green eyes and, seeing the genuine affection she was directing towards Jax, David squared his shoulders and said calmly, “I’m glad you’re here. It’s time for you to take Penny home.” Seeing the shocked expression on Jax’s face for David’s comments, David added, “Although I’ve only known her for a few hours, I can already see how special she is and she has no idea the impact her presence has on those around her. Her pain has made her exceptionally vulnerable right now and she needs you.”

For some reason Jax couldn’t explain, he replied to the Human, saying “What she needs, I don’t know how to give. She deserves better than to be stuck with someone like me.”

Realizing that the one in front of him didn’t understand how Penny felt about him, he replied, “Stuck? I bet if anyone tried to take her away from you, she would fight them with every ounce of energy she has.” Seeing his disbelief, he said, “You have no idea how lucky you are. Take a close look at the one on the bar.”

Jax did as asked and, when David saw their eyes lock, he added, “She needs and wants only you. Take her home where she belongs.” Between the stranger’s words and the twinkle in Penny’s eyes, Jax’s fury began to subside. Noticing the calming effect Penny had on Jax, David added, “And it looks to me like you need her just as much as she needs you. Open yourself up and let her in.”

When Jax turned back to the man, he found his hand extended to him. Not sure what to do, Jax accepted it. After they shook, David said, “I wish you both good luck on your journey together.”

Jax nodded.

To the disappointment of the crowd, Jax helped a giggling Penny off the bar. Unable to walk without swaying badly, Jax threw her over his shoulder and carried her through the crowd as everyone sent her their best wishes. In a matter of a few hours, the entire room had already grown to genuinely care about her. As he exited the scene, Jax knew that David was right. He needed to step up and be the one to offer Penny the comfort she needed.

Once back in the room, Jax dropped his roommate on the bed with a bounce. She instantly scrambled to her feet and, while standing on the bed, she kicked off her heels and sent them sailing across the room. She then held out her hand to Jax, commanding “Get up here and dance with me.”

He growled in response and, when she nearly fell off the bed, he replied, “Get down before you hurt yourself. It’s time to get ready for bed.”

A huge grin lit her face and she replied, “Okay.” Instead of crawling off the bed, she decided to get undressed right where she was. In stripper-like moves he recalled seeing the night she celebrated her brother’s birthday via the computer, she started to undo her skirt. He tried to talk her down, but she wanted nothing to do with stopping. Once her skirt was pooled at her feet, she kicked it at him and it hit him in the chest. Before he could stop her, she pulled off her top in a single, seamless move. She was now standing on the bed in her underwear. Before she went any further, he reached out for her. She avoided his outstretched hands and jumped off the bed, squealing in delight.

He decided to end this quick and grabbed her as she tried to run past him. Her self-defense training kicked in and, in a flash, he found himself flat on his back with Penny sitting on top of him wearing a very proud smirk. She leaned down, kissed the tip of his nose, and exclaimed, “Got you!” She giggled even louder.