Rev (Jack 'Em Up #4) (18 page)

“We don’t have to go if you don’t want to. Or I can leave and pick you up later, if that makes you more comfortable.”

“No. There’s nothing to be worried about. It’s only dinner.”

“With friends.”

“With friends,” she agreed.

“And your boyfriend.”

Her eyes flew back to mine. “Boyfriend?”

“Well, what else should we call it? We’re officially in this together, remember?” I echoed the same words she’d used with me after my nightmare.

Her smile grew to epic proportions. “We are, aren’t we?”

I leaned over until our lips were a whisper apart, our breath mingling. “We are.” I kissed her soundly then pressed my lips to the hollow where her cheek met her ear. “I’ve got you, Jewel. I will always take care of you.”

Her eyes slid shut. “You promise?”

“Swear on my life.”

“Okay.” Her voice trembled, but she’d squared her shoulders. “Let’s go inside and face the inquisition.”

“That’s really why they invited us tonight, isn’t it?”

“Of course it is. Apparently, the girls have had bets on us going for a while now.”

“For real?”

She popped open her door. “For real. What I really want to know is who won?”

We laughed and walked to the door, our hands linked. We glanced at each other as the door opened, our eyes communicating the secrets only we held.

Delilah’s eyes dipped down to our hands then back up with a cheesy grin. “Hey, guys. Come on in.” She swung the door wide and we stepped through to find ourselves surrounded by laughter and kids and instant scrutiny. Our friends were terrible at being subtle.

Blake caught me at the fridge when I left Jewel alone with the girls and ducked in for a drink. “So, you and Jewel, huh?”

I peered up and quirked my brow. I’d do anything for my friends, but I wouldn’t stand for any negative talk that would hurt Jewel.

He lifted a hand in surrender. “Hey. I’m happy for you. Just surprised.”

Jesse ambled in with Trace, deep in discussion about kids, effectively killing the conversation. “I can’t believe it’s been almost eight years since I’ve had any practice with this,” Trace said, sipping his beer. “I think I’ve forgotten everything.”

Jesse laughed and they sat at the table. “Like riding a bike, I’m sure.” He shot a grin our way as Blake and I pulled out chairs to join them. “So . . . you and Jewel, huh?”

“You, too?”

“What? It’s news.” I shot him a glare. “Good news. For what it’s worth, Rach is super happy about it.”

I sipped my water and nodded, not sure what to say. I wasn’t used to sharing anything of myself and this felt even more personal. “You guys in on the betting pool?”

Varying degrees of guilt filled their faces.

I had to laugh. “So, who won?”

“Tori, actually,” Trace supplied helpfully. “Must be her psychology degree. She hit it about on the nose.”

“I bet in another five or ten years,” Jesse joked. “With the rate you move at things, I figured you might make your move in the nursing home.”

“Well, I thought it would’ve happened a couple years ago.” Rachel sauntered in, baby Avery on her hip.

I ignored them all and reached for the baby. She willingly came to my arms and I nuzzled her close. “Hey, sweet girl,” I cooed softly. “How’re you doing, huh? Mommy and Daddy being nice to you?” I kissed her chubby cheek.

I lifted my head and found everyone, Jewel included, now in the kitchen, staring at me. “What?”

“Nothing,” several of them piped up quickly.

Jewel remained silent, her gaze appraising.

I turned to Blake for clarification.

“We’re just not used to seeing you like this, man.”

“Like what?”

“Happy.”

My gaze dropped to the baby in my arms and I instantly knew he was right. I’d been in a self-imposed shell since Afghanistan. Coming out into the light for the first time felt foreign, like walking on sand after too much time treading water in the ocean, but good. Right.

I caught Jewel’s eyes. She smiled. My heart expanded painfully in my chest.

The doorbell rang through the moment. “Who’s hungry?” Delilah called, sailing out to meet the pizza guy.

I handed Jesse his daughter then rose to stand near Jewel. “You good?” I whispered.

“Yeah.” She peered up at me. “They’re really happy about this.”

It was as if a thousand pounds of iron chains had been lifted from my soul. I couldn’t explain it, but I could breathe for the first time in seven years. A sudden jolt of my old playfulness bubbled up inside me. “Wanna give them something to talk about?”

Her eyes flared. “Like what?”

I cupped her hips. “Let’s call it payback for that betting business.”

She wrapped her arms around my waist with a grin. “Good thinking.”

Then I kissed the hell out of her. I didn’t care who was looking as I took her mouth with reckless possession, sliding my tongue along hers as she clung to me and gave as good as she got. On a ragged breath, I drew back and pressed my lips to her forehead.

It took a moment, but reality descended and I realized the room was silent. Jewel tensed in my arms, but I squeezed her and she relaxed instantly. There was soft clapping at first as one person began a slow rhythm. It quickly turned to a massive cheering section with catcalls from the guys. I laughed and kissed her again.

After all the pizza had been consumed, we settled onto the back deck to watch the sunset. The babies dozed in a playpen while Molly raced around the yard chasing the first of the fireflies. The air was warm but not stifling, and the scent of the ocean was particularly heavy. Jewel’s hand was soft and relaxed in mine as we lounged next to each other in deck chairs.

The back screen door slapped closed behind Delilah as she brought out fresh drinks and handed them out before taking a seat next to her husband.

“So, tell us what happened with Nolan,” Tori said, her hand resting on the swell of her stomach.

I shifted and faced Jewel. She seemed calm. I rubbed my thumb along her knuckles in a quiet show of support.

Her gaze dropped. “There’s not a lot to tell, really. I’d started having this weird feeling like I was being watched a few weeks ago, but nothing happened and I explained it away. Then the day after Blake’s party when Micah fixed my truck, I found a rose on the windshield.” Her eyes clouded and I knew there was more to that detail than she’d let on. “I thought maybe it was Micah being sweet, or this guy who’d asked me out . . .” Guilty eyes flashed my way. She’d never mentioned any guy. “Still, I felt safe. He’d have no way to find me. Or so I thought.” She swallowed and her gaze drifted to Molly in the yard. “I came home the other night and found another rose on my doorstep. He was in the parking lot staring me down, but not close enough to technically violate the restraining order.”

“What did the cops do?” Delilah asked.

“There’s nothing they can do until he violates the order.”

“So, he has to get close enough to hurt you before they’ll do something?” Delilah’s face was growing red with anger. “That’s bullshit.”

“That’s how it works unfortunately,” Rachel added softly. The lawyer of the group, she understood the intricacies of all this business better than the rest of us. During one of our talks, Jewel had told me that Rachel helped her get the restraining order and I was so thankful she had good friends.

“He’s not getting close enough to hurt her,” I vowed, my voice steel-laced granite.

All eyes swung to me. “You can’t be there all the time, man.”

I flinched at Jesse’s words, the truth of them the one thing that haunted my dreams now.

“No, he can’t,” Jewel cut in, squeezing my hand. “But surely Nolan knows we’re onto him now and that the police are involved. He’d be stupid to try anything else. Besides, if he did, I’m in this great self-defense class.” She attempted a smile, but I saw the fear she masked.

She spent the next thirty minutes answering questions and fielding concerns, while I stared off into the night. By the time we left, I was emotionally exhausted. I could only imagine how she was feeling.

“I’m fine,” she answered when I asked her once we were alone in the Jeep.

I didn’t believe her, but I was happy to have her to myself again and to be headed home. She said nothing when we got to the apartment and shut herself into the bathroom, where I heard her run a bath.

Swallowing the lump of lust in my throat, I forced myself to get ready for bed and ignore the fact that Jewel Jackson was naked in my home. But I couldn’t help but want her in my bed again. Minus the nightmare. She had been as soft as a dream and her curves fit into my body perfectly. I was aching to make her mine. Totally.

She appeared at my bedroom door a bit later, her hair damp, her face flushed. Her bare feet poked out of the bottom of her nightie and she smelled like Heaven. “Goodnight.”

The breath was expelled from my lungs in a rush. “Stay with me tonight?”

Her green eyes became nearly black as her pupils dilated. The air between us changed, sparked. She studied my face as if seeking a hidden meaning to my words.

I stepped back and drew down the comforter to sit on the edge of the bed. “Come here.”

She didn’t hesitate. She walked over and stood in front of me. I opened my knees and guided her hips closer to nuzzle her belly with my nose. She smelled like honeysuckle and roses. “Stay with me tonight,” I repeated, kissing her hip. “Please.”

“I’m not sure . . . are we ready?” Her voice was breathless and slow like molasses.

I lifted my gaze to hers. “We don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for. I just need to have you near me. You’re healing me.”

She melted into my lap and cuddled in. “I think
you’re
healing
me
.”

“We’re healing each other,” I whispered against the skin of her throat.

I shifted until we were underneath the covers and clicked off the lamp, bathing us in darkness. As my eyes adjusted, it seemed like her hair glowed in the night. I ran my fingers through the silky strands. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

Her body stilled. “No, you’re not.”

“You may not like it, but it’s still the truth.” She started to roll away from me, but I drew her back and wrapped myself around her. “Don’t. Don’t let your past cloud your future.” I kissed her brow. “I’ve literally spent years closing myself off from everyone and everything. I had no desire to feel because all I could feel was pain. The pain is still there, but now there’s you, and you make it all worthwhile. Please don’t pull away from me now.”

“It’s so hard to see what you could possibly love about me,” she admitted in a whisper.

“My God, Jewel. What’s
not
to love about you?” I pressed the hair back from her face and ran my knuckles gently down her neck. “You’re so beautiful it takes my breath away.” I shushed her denial. “You’re kind, you’re strong, you’re great at Twenty Questions.”

Her eyes dipped as she bit back a smile. “I could say the same about you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Then you’ll stay tonight? I won’t push for anything more if you’re not ready.”

The longer she was silent, the louder my heart pounded, until I was sure she could hear it thumping madly between us.

Finally, her hand traced down my shoulder to my bicep. “I’ll stay.”

Thank fuck.

We snuggled in together, wrapped up like spoons with my front to her back, our fingers laced over her stomach, as we picked up our game of questions.

“Who’s the guy?” I asked first.

“What guy?”

“The one you said asked you out.”

She hesitated, probably sensing my silly jealousy. “Officer Varga.”

“Officer? As in from work?”

“Yeah.”

“Was he the guy we ran into at the grocery store?” I vaguely recalled the tall guy with thinning hair that eyed her like a piece of candy. I didn’t like him.

“That’s him.”

I digested this. “You said no, right? That’s not happening.”