Authors: Paulette Miller
He was momentarily impressed since he had been completely taken by surprise. Hearing her laughter, he didn’t fight her but, instead said, “Penny, you’ve had your fun. Now get in bed so that you can sleep this off.”
She rubbed the material of his shirt between her fingers and slurred, “Only if I get to wear your shirt.” She leaned in closer and took in a deep breath. “I like the way it smells…like you.” She gave him a playful snarl.
He was willing to do whatever it took to get her under control so he didn’t stop her when she started to unbutton his shirt. When her eyes caught sight of several deep scars, she said, “Let me kiss your boo boos.”
Although the touch of her hot lips on his skin made him sigh, his contentment was short-lived when she sat back up with a start and tugged on the material, commanding “Stand up.”
Penny backed off and he stood as requested. He was too tall for her so she pushed him down so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed. After crawling onto his lap with her legs straddling his sides, she slowly peeled off his shirt and let it drop to the bed. As he looked away to pick up the shirt for her, in a flash, she undid her bra and tossed it. As she spread out her arms, she said, “I want you to dress me.”
When he looked back at his captor, he was momentarily mesmerized by the sight of her body. Although he had seen her naked many times, her skin was never so close or offered so freely to him. While Penny giggled, he helped her put on the shirt. As he buttoned the center button, he allowed his fingers to gently touch her silky skin. She gasped and closed her eyes, feeling the iciness of his touch. She surprised him when she pressed his hand in the valley between her breasts and said, “I love your cool fingers. It’s like you’re a walking ice pack.” Her eyes shot open in delight and she let out a laugh, saying “Ice pack… do you get it?” She was very amused at her inadvertent pun.
The alcohol was winning the battle and she fell forward toward him, forcing him back flat on the bed. With nothing but a single button separating their skin, she snuggled into him with her cheek resting above his heart. Feeling the slow rhythm, her giggling stopped abruptly as her mood instantly shifted. She said somberly, “We’re much alike now. I’m also alone in this world.” She closed her eyes and passed out.
He lay motionless for a long while, loving the feel of her heat pressed on him. Knowing that they couldn’t stay in this position, he then rolled her over so that she was on the bed next to him with way too much of her body exposed. After scooping her up, he tucked her gently under the covers. For a moment he recalled David’s words and contemplated letting down his guard and holding her in his arms. Instead, he arranged her pillows the way she liked them and sat on his own bed. He stared at her while she slept with his body longing to feel the heat of her skin again.
In the morning, Ice left early to get food since Penny wasn’t feeling well enough to go out. By the time she had dressed for the day, Jax returned. Penny examined the food he brought, which were again items she often ate at home. While she nibbled on a cinnamon roll, Jax pulled a small box from his pocket and, after handing it to her, he commanded, “Wear this. It will help you stay out of trouble.”
She gasped when she found a beautiful, antique diamond ring.
The platinum ring had a large two carat, brilliantly round cut diamond bordered on each side by slightly smaller stones. Instead of a solid band, there was a trail of small inlaid diamonds running the center of the band and held in place by a gentle swirling of silver. As Penny turned to examine the ring in the light, all of the cuts caused the ring to give off a blinding sparkle no matter how she held it.
With all of the rings in the world, she would have picked this one for herself. Penny said, “This ring is stunning. What is it for?”
He took the ring out of the box, guided it onto the ring finger on her left hand, and said, “This will make it easier to explain in Virginia why I’m at your side. They might only let family in and I don’t want you going anywhere alone. I’m also getting tired of chasing men away from you. Hopefully, if they see that you’re taken they’ll keep their distance. “ To himself he added, “
And hopefully help my inner animal from ripping those men apart
.”
Penny explained, “But they just wanted to talk to me, nothing more.”
“Some yes; others no. Your pain is leaving you wounded and, like any predatory animal, men sense your weakened state. The hunters are circling you. They’re waiting for just the right moment to strike and take you down.”
“You think the worst of everyone.”
He knelt in front of her and said honestly, “And you wear your heart on your sleeve and are way too trusting. Not everyone has your best interest at heart.”
Initially she was going to argue, but she knew he was right. She had the same argument with her brothers many times. “I know that my brothers watched over me more than they wanted me to know, but I am the way I am. I don’t know how to live any other way.”
“That’s why I plan on protecting you until you’re strong again.”
“So in your words, this ring is marking me as a member of your herd?”
He replied, “Yes and, from this day forward, I won’t let you out of my sight.” He caught the sparkle of her new ring on her hand and was pleased. It would be very difficult for others to miss.
Hearing the honesty in his words, a lump formed in her throat. To his shock, she flung her arms around his neck and, while squeezing him tightly, she whispered, “Thank you. And I promise not to make it so hard on you in the future.”
He couldn’t stop himself from melting at her touch and found his arms wrapping around her. After they released each other and he walked away, she stared down at the ring with admiration. Without looking up she asked with curiosity, “So are we engaged or married?”
Jax stopped to think about the answer to that question and sad, “You pick.”
“Given that I’ll know some of the people we’ll see, I think engaged is a better cover. It will make it easier later when I have to explain that we broke off our engagement.” She turned to look over at Jax and asked, “Have we picked a wedding date?” She giggled but then cringed, as the movement caused her headache to spike. Jax tossed her a second bag. In it she found a very large bottle of aspirin. As she swallowed several, she said, “I’m sorry for last night and the late start this morning.”
He gave her a growl and began to pack up their stuff, intertwining her items with his.
She walked over and put her hand on top of his to stop him. She leaned in and gave him a kiss on his cheek and said, “Thank you for bringing me home before I did anything really stupid.”
He couldn’t help noticing how soft and warm her lips were. He gave her a smile and said, “Just try to resist dance contests in the future—both in public and in private.”
Penny’s face turned from green to white as she asked, “What dance contests?”
At first he thought she was joking but, when he looked into her eyes and saw no lies, he knew that she had no memory of what she had done the night before, including the fact that she stripped for him. He stood up straight and scanned her body, giving her a leering smile and walked away without giving her any details.
She demanded, “Tell me what I did!” When he remained silent, she threw a pillow at him. Without looking behind him, he caught the projectile before it ever touched him. He tossed it to the side and remained silent while he headed out the door with their bags.
While they traveled another leg of their trip, the mood between the travelers was much more relaxed. Jax even tried to make small talk. Although his attempts came across forced and rigid, Penny appreciated the attempt. When it was time for lunch, Jax suggested that they stop at a local park and have a picnic. He thought the fresh air would do her some good and would help her hangover.
While they ate, Penny kept staring down at her ring. She said, “This ring is amazing. Where did you get it?”
“In a vintage jewelry store that was next to the pizza shop.”
Seeing the light reflecting off the facets as she turned her hand, she said, “I swear this ring could blind someone from across a room.”
Jax smirked, knowing that was one of his selection criteria.
While continuing to admire its design, she finally asked, “Is it real?”
Jax replied without emotion, “It’s old.”
She gave him a look and said, “That wasn’t an answer.” Gazing down at all of the gems, she said, “It must be fake or it would have cost a fortune. Fake stones for a fake marriage proposal…seems appropriate. Regardless, I’ll wear it with pride, my husband to be.” She glanced over at him after she added the last part so that she could see his reaction.
He grunted in response.
The real test of the power of the ring came when they stopped for dinner. After being seated at their normal bar and restaurant combination, Jax excused himself to go make his daily call to Sam. While Penny sat alone at the table, Jax watched from across the room as a man started to approach her. But when the light flickered off her ring finger, the man took a quick detour and headed in another direction. Jax returned to the table with an expression of pride that his ploy had worked so well.
After their meal, they got back on the road. Knowing that it would be their last night before reaching their destination and sensing Penny’s nervousness, Jax decided to call it a day. After finding no rooms available in the first few places they stopped, they were informed that there was a convention in town and most of the rooms were booked. The only room they could find had one bed. Before Jax could respond to the man behind the desk, Penny said, “We’ll take it.” Jax agreed.
After they got settled in, Penny expected Jax to go out that night as he had every night but, instead, he stayed in and dressed for bed. She followed his lead. The bathroom routine was much easier now that they were adjusting to being roommates. Although Penny kept her items neat and tidy, she left them out. She even smiled when she placed her toothbrush in the same glass as Jax’s.
After he handed her his extra pillows and flipped on the news, Penny crawled in next to him. She was so exhausted, she fell instantly asleep with his pillow tucked tightly in her arms.
During the night, Penny was restless and knocked her pillows to the floor. With nothing to hold on to, she rolled against Jax’s back and snuggled in. Jax’s eyes shot open when he felt Penny pressed against him. Unsure how best to handle the situation, he crawled out of bed. After retrieving her pillows for her, he crawled in on the opposite side from where she was now sleeping.
In no time, Penny abandoned her pillows again and was pressed against Jax’s back. Once again he got out and moved to the other side of the bed. After they repeated the same routine for the third time, Jax gave up and let his bedmate snuggle into him. Since he was now lying on his back, she laid her cheek on his chest and draped her arm and leg over him, squeezing him tight. To his shock and delight, he had become her body pillow.
When he shifted his position so that he could wrap his arm around her, she instantly tightened her grip, fearing he was trying to get away. Even in her sleep, she wasn’t about to give up her newest pillow. He sighed and held her, quickly falling into a contented sleep.
In the morning, they both woke to a stream of sunlight coming into the room between a gap in the curtains. Penny was momentarily disoriented and unsure where she was. When she realized who she was clinging onto so tightly, she scooted away and said, “I’m so sorry.”
While stretching out the stiffness in her body, her embarrassment over the sleeping arrangements turned to wonder when she looked at the clock and saw that it was ten o’clock. She said in disbelief, “It can’t be. I actually slept through the night without waking.”
Jax added, “And some of the morning. You’ve been asleep for over twelve hours.”
Pushing aside the fact that it was a rare occurrence for her, she replied, “You should have woken me and kicked me to my side of the bed.”
He didn’t have the heart to tell her that he initially tried many times. It was the best night sleep he had ever had and, seeing her sleeping so contentedly against him, there was no way he would have woken her even if she had slept non-stop for days. Instead of telling her what he was thinking, he replied, “You’ve hardly gotten any real rest since we left home and were exhausted. You needed to catch up on your sleep.”
“I guess so.”
To avoid having to discuss how much the night meant to each of them, they both crawled out of bed and began to get ready for the day.
After they were packed and were in the car, Penny asked, “How far is it from here?”
“We should arrive this afternoon. I called them a few minutes ago and made arrangements. Your appointment is at four o’clock.”
Penny’s stomach clenched into a knot, knowing what was soon to come. After over forty-five hours of driving, she was about to reach their destination where the bodies of her family were waiting.
When the travelers turned onto the road not far from the Richmond Airport that led to a special hangar erected specifically for dealing with the crash. Penny had to glance at the clock. It seemed like minutes ago they were leaving the hotel and now it was almost time for her appointment.
Although she was now in an area of the country that she knew fairly well, everything looked surreal. As thoughts of the events to come filled her mind, her chest tightened and she found it difficult to breathe. With the target hangar a hundred feet away, she grabbed onto his hand. As she squeezed, she looked over at him with frightened eyes. “I’m not sure that I can do this.”
“You aren’t doing this alone. I’ll be at your side through every step.” His unwavering determination gave her strength and, while intertwining her fingers with his, she nodded her head.
After they parked Jax tried to release Penny’s hand, but she refused to let go. He said sweetly, “You’ll need to let me go for just a minute until we’re out of the car.” As she stared down at their intertwined fingers, she couldn’t force her fingers to release their hold. Jax lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it before helping her unlock her grip.
As soon as she let go, the panic slammed into her chest like a battering ram. In a flash, Jax appeared at her door and, as soon as the door was opened, he took her hand back in his and the pain began to subside again.
Jax guided Penny toward the building and found volunteers waiting outside the door. Although they were startled by Jax’s appearance, a woman finally gathered enough courage to ask their names. Jax introduced them, saying “This is Penny Blanchard. She has a four o’clock appointment.”
When the woman looked at Penny, her expression softened instantly and she replied, “We were expecting you.” After jotting down something on the clipboard she looked up at Jax and asked, hesitantly, “And you are?”
Although Penny had her eyes pinned on the door that she would soon be walking through, she heard the tone in the woman’s voice and snapped out of her daze. Before Jax could answer, Penny lifted his hand and pressed it against her chest, inadvertently causing beams of light to flash off her ring into the woman’s eyes. As the woman squinted, Penny announced proudly, “This wonderful man is Jax, my fiancé.” Seeing the judgmental expression on the woman’s face, Penny tightened per grip and stepped forward, so that she was standing slightly in front of Jax and added protectively, “Where I go, my fiancé goes.”
Seeing that arguing with Penny would be futile, the woman smiled and said, “Of course. Follow me.”
As they were led into the building, Jax couldn’t stop a smile from appearing on his face. Penny was like a lioness protecting her cub. Although this was a new sensation for him, he found that he liked it.
When they passed through a hall into a room with several groups of people sitting around, several of them crying, their guide said sweetly, “Please have a seat and I’ll tell them that you’ve arrived. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
After the woman disappeared behind a door, Penny scanned those around her. When several looked over at them and she could see fear and disapproval in their eyes, Penny released Jax’s hand and wrapped her arms around his chest, informing all that Jax was with her. She hated the way people responded to someone that she cared so much about.
Once their eyes returned to their own groups, Jax led Penny toward a chair. As they passed a group with a small girl who was crying, Penny stopped. After digging through her purse, she pulled out an unopened roll of Life Savers candies. She had bought several rolls at the last gas stop. After showing the item to the mother, the mother glanced over at Jax and hesitated. But when she looked back into Penny’s kind eyes, she nodded, giving Penny permission to continue.
Penny then knelt next to the girl and offered the gift, saying “This is what my mother used to give me whenever I was sad.”
Between sniffles, the little girl hesitantly took the candy and tried to offer a small smile.
“Thank you,” the mother said. Afraid of the answer, she asked Penny, “Are you here to…”
Penny nodded so that the woman didn’t need to finish her thought.
While holding her daughter tightly, the woman admitted, “I lost Maggie’s father.”
Penny took in a deep breath and replied, “I lost my parents and twin brothers.”
The woman gasped and her hand instantly reached out for Penny’s arm and she said, “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Looking down at the girl, Penny replied, “And for yours.”
The woman motioned for Penny to sit in the seat next to her. Penny accepted and, after introducing her fiancé, she sat down with Jax next to her with her hand clutching tightly onto his.
Jax watched as Penny and the woman comforted each other. He knew how much she hurt inside, but yet she was taking time out to offer support to strangers in pain. He couldn’t hide the pride he had for her projected strength.
True to her word, their guide returned minutes later and called Penny’s name. The woman sitting beside Penny, squeezed her arm and said, “It’ll be okay. Lean on Jax for support, and we’ll be thinking about you.”
Penny thanked her and Jax helped her stand.
Although Penny knew that they were still within the bounds of the hanger, as she passed through the next door, the perception of the world around her changed instantly. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought that she had walked into a home’s small living room. The room was decorated in calming earth tones with an oversized couch and several chairs. Hung strategically on the walls throughout the room were paintings of beautiful, calming nature scenes.
Although it was obvious that they had tried to make the room inviting, the disinfectant scent in the air informed her mind that this was all an illusion and something evil was nearby, waiting for her. She guessed it was right behind the brown door that her eyes couldn’t seem to look away from.
Penny and Jax were directed to sit on a couch and, after only a few minutes, a pleasant woman in a pale blue suit entered the room from a side door. After placing four envelopes and several folders on the table, she sat in the chair opposite from Penny. Given the expression on the woman’s face, it was obvious that she had been warned about Jax’s appearance and was trying hard not to react.
The woman said, “First I want to thank you for driving across country to get here. I know how difficult this must be for you. Although we’ve identified the bodies of your family, you were brought back to Virginia to validate our findings. Once in the room, all I need you to do is identify some trait or feature that will confirm each family member’s identification.” Pointing to the envelopes on the table, she explained, “In these packages, I have the personal items that each of them had on them when we found them. When we’re done today, you can take these items with you.” Knowing many need time to say good-bye and have closure, she added, “We won’t stay in the room any longer than necessary, but don’t rush yourself either. You and your fiancé are welcome to take as much time as you need.”
While she continued to explain what was going to happen, Penny’s mind wandered. She looked around the room and wondered how many had already sat in the very spot she was now in and how many more would come after she left.
Feeling Penny’s body tense and pulse rise, Jax squeezed her hand to remind her that he was right beside her. His touch brought her back to the moment. Although she offered him a smile, he could see the terror building behind her eyes. He wanted so badly to carry her away from this place and protect her from what she was about to face.
When the woman asked if Penny understood everything and was ready to proceed, Penny nodded numbly completely clueless to anything that she had been told. She was going to have to rely on Jax completely to guide her through what was coming next.
The woman picked up the envelopes, stood, and motioned Penny to follow. Jax helped Penny to her feet. Penny’s chest tightened as the woman opened the brown door. The slight breeze informed her that the room they were about to enter was the source of the sterile smell in the air.
Jax guided Penny forward, who followed his lead without hesitation. When they entered the room, Penny shivered at the cold, lifeless air and squinted at the reflective silver metal and sterile white materials that covered everything in the room. Once her eyes and body adjusted to the new environment, she stared at her distorted reflection on the surface in front of her. Mesmerized momentarily by the image, she was brought back when she felt Jax guide her body to turn to the right. She did as requested and froze as she stared at four identical gurneys that she knew were holding the remains of her family. Several men in lab coats and gloves were waiting next to each of the bodies, which were each covered in a white sheet.
Penny’s body began to shake and her grip on Jax’s hand increased to the point that her knuckles turned white. She watched as the first gurney was brought forward.
Once in position, the blue suit asked, “Are you ready, Miss Blanchard?”
Penny nodded on reflex. In reality, how would anyone be ready for this?.
Based on the size and shape, she knew who it was before the man in the lab coat gently pulled back the sheet. Penny’s knees went weak as she stared at the pale white face of her father.
As she stared at the man that raised her, she asked barely above a whisper, “Can you uncover his feet?” After they did as asked, Penny announced to the room, “This is my father, Henry. We used to tease him endlessly about his long toes looking like fingers. He had a hard time finding shoes that fit him.”
The blue suit opened the first envelope and handed Penny a small plastic bag. Penny examined the items and announced, “This is his wedding ring and watch. My brothers’ and I gave him the watch for his fiftieth birthday.”
The woman nodded to the technician, who once again shrouded the body of Henry. Penny wasn’t ready to say good bye and wanted to protest but, before she could make a request, her mind shifted focus to the second, much smaller body presented to her from a second technician.
As the sheet was pulled back, Penny swayed as she stared down at the burnt face of her mother. Jax grabbed her around the waist to steady her. Seeing her mother’s blonde waves, Penny had a strange urge to ask for a brush to fix a few strands that moved out of place when the sheet was moved. Although the room was spinning, Penny held in her emotions and with her voice breaking, she announced, “This was my mother, Rose. If you check, you’ll find that she has a fake right knee. She hurt it when we were on our first family hiking trip where they didn’t need to carry me everywhere. She loved hiking and told me that she and my father were going to retire somewhere with a mountain for their backyard.”
Once again the blue suit handed Penny contents of a second envelope. Penny said, “This is her summer wedding ring—no stones or fancy engravings. She told me she asked for one when we were still very little. She hated to take her wedding ring off, but said diamonds just caught dirt when she dug in her garden.”
As they re-covered Rose, Jax leaned down and whispered, “Do you need to take a break before going on?” When she shook her head adamantly, he couldn’t help marveling at the mental strength she was showing.
When the third body was brought forward, Penny surprised everyone by asking, “May I see my brothers together?”
The blue suit looked to Jax for guidance and, when he nodded, she told the other technician to bring the second body forward. As the technicians positioned the gurneys and took their place next to the bodies, Penny whispered a plea to Jax, “Don’t let me go.”
He tightened his grip on her waist and waited for what was coming next.
As the faces of those shrouded were revealed, Penny’s strength gave completely out. As her body started to collapse and then seize, Ice knew what was about to happen. In a flash of speed, he carried her to the side of the room and held her over a sink just in time for her to vomit.
As she coughed and gagged, Jax leaned in and whispered into her ear, “You’ve done enough and I’m taking you out of here right now.”
Penny shook her head and said, “I must finish this so that my family can find rest.” Feeling her legs shaking, she said, “My legs aren’t working right. You might need to hold me so that I can stand.”
“Please Penny. At least take a few minutes to rest.”
“No, I need to do what I came here for so that my family won’t have to spend another second in this awful room.” Thoughts for her family gave her the strength she needed and she forced her body back into a standing position. When she tried to take a step, her fears were realized and her knees gave out under the weight. Jax took ownership of her body and, while holding all of her weight, he carried her back to the exam tables.
This time Penny was more prepared for what was waiting for her. She guided Jax’s hand to the back of her neck and the coldness helped ease the nausea. When the sheets were once again pulled back, she ignored her brothers’ injuries and her mind replaced their features with the mental images of her brothers asleep. Staring at their matching M&M tattoos, she said, “These are my brothers Max and Morgan. They got those tattoos on their twenty-first birthday. Mom was furious, but Dad just laughed.” In their envelopes were matching intricately carved eagle necklaces in pure silver that their father had given them when they became Eagle Scouts. They were extremely treasured by the twins, and they wore them with pride. While clutching the items in her hands and with her voice breaking, she added, “I’ll miss them more than words can say.”