by Malone, M.
Surprisingly it wasn’t all bad. There was always someone around to shoot the breeze with and his workload seemed lighter since he wasn’t spending valuable time in the morning and afternoon commuting. He probably should just give in and move in already.
But it was also exhausting having trained security agents watching your every move and analyzing everything you said. He couldn’t just lounge in his pajamas when he felt like shit without having to answer a bunch of questions. They were a nosy bunch, his crew.
He loved them anyway.
The elevator doors slid open and Jonas stepped into the entryway. It was dark and quiet, the only sound coming from the direction of Matthias’s room. That kid never slept no matter what time of day it was, but he also didn’t ask questions. So he was off the hook.
Then he stepped into the living room and was confronted with a tight, toned ass in skintight leggings.
All the parts of him that had been asleep fired to life. Jonas sucked in a deep breath as JJ shifted her position at the window, the globes of her ass bouncing slightly with the movement. His dick tried to follow her. It should have been a welcome diversion. Hell, at least he wasn’t depressed and feeling the sting of failure anymore. But this was JJ. The woman lived to torment him. So as spectacular as that ass was, it was the last thing he wanted to see in the middle of the night coming off a tough case.
“Why are you still awake?”
It came out harsher than he’d intended, but there was no need to apologize. JJ didn’t offend easily, probably because she thrived on insults and could throw out verbal daggers with the best of them. As he’d expected, she merely turned her head slightly to acknowledge his presence before turning back to the night sky, dismissing him.
“Why can’t you mind your own business?” she asked in a deceptively sweet voice.
Never mind that just a few moments ago, Jonas had wanted nothing more than to climb into bed without having to engage anyone. Now he stepped farther into the room, instinctively drawn to her. There was just something about Jessica Jones that he could not resist. It was sick in a way, but he got off on fighting with her. That smart mouth and those killer curves were the perfect combination to make his dick hard while simultaneously pissing him off.
It was a heady combination.
“What would be the fun in that?” Jonas asked, speaking truthfully.
She turned from whatever it was that was holding her attention outside and eyed him with a sneer. “I would ask if you had a hot date but that’s doubtful. Jackasses really aren’t in this season.”
Now that hurt. “Women love me.”
She sniffed and slid him a sidelong glance. “Frankly, I don’t see the appeal. But then again there are people who like candy corn and Peeps. There’s really no accounting for taste … or lack thereof.”
“Hey! Candy corn is awesome.” Jonas might have to rethink his taste in women if she was dogging on candy corn. How could you not enjoy something that was pure high-octane sugar? “You’re probably just too bitter to enjoy it.”
Her eyes flashed and for a moment there was something behind the look that made him regret his choice of words. “Too bad for you, you’ll never have a taste.” Her words carried a hint of hurt with them and he wanted to bite off his tongue.
They snarked at each other and played fast and loose with their words, but he would never actually want to hurt her. It bothered him that he even could. In his mind, JJ was as invincible as her comic book character namesake, and finding a chink in her armor was both disturbing and endearing.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by that.”
“Whatever. You’re probably right. I’ll leave the sweetness to you. I just happen to like my men a little bit … stronger with a hint of a bite. Same way I like my whiskey.”
When he looked up she was watching him closely.
“What?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Nothing. You just look … never mind. I was enjoying some peace and quiet, but I think that ship has sailed. Good night.”
He watched with a sinking feeling in his chest as she walked over to the couch and collected a blanket and a paperback book from the cushions. She did that frequently, curled up in a corner with a book and got lost in another world. It was one more thing about her that didn’t compute with the smart mouth and the fuck-off attitude. Jonas would never have pegged her for a bookworm—more like a party girl every night of the week.
“Night,” he called out.
She didn’t respond or look back. Which bothered him more than he could say.
#
JJ could feel his eyes on her ass.
She could actually feel it, like a physical touch. It was an ingrained response to be annoyed by Jonas, like swatting a fly or clearing your throat. But lately she’d had a harder time denying that having his eyes on her wasn’t exactly … horrible.
Oh, fine. It was arousing as hell to know that he couldn’t stop looking at her ass. But that didn’t mean she wanted him to know that.
She clutched her book tighter against her chest. It was such bullshit that he’d come in and ruined her night. It had been a perfectly fine day at work, crazy boss demands aside, but she’d been restless and dissatisfied all week. She’d been looking forward to a quiet night on the couch with a book and the stars. Then he’d come along and ruined it. What the hell was he doing coming in so late looking for a fight anyway?
Before she could question the wisdom of it, JJ spun on her heel and marched back down the hallway to the living room. She skidded to a stop as Jonas came into view. No longer in the middle of the room, he stood at the window with his forehead pressed to the glass. There was a wealth of pain in his expression, like he’d jump straight out that window and to the pavement below if it were possible.
JJ shifted uncomfortably, sure he wouldn’t want her to see him so unguarded. Despite how much they bickered and how crazy he made her, the sight of him so unmoored brought her no joy. Yes, Jonas was an asshole. But strangely enough, she thought of him as her asshole. And no one messed with her friends.
“Do you ever have any regrets?” she asked.
He didn’t move in any way, but there was a sudden tension in his shoulders that made her think he hadn’t known she was there. That, in and of itself, was telling. Jonas had senses like a cat. She’d never been able to sneak up on him before. And she’d tried.
“Besides meeting you?”
JJ shook her head. Maybe it had been foolish to try to relate to him on a serious note. She and Jonas just didn’t have that kind of relationship and there was no changing the rules now.
“I just thought … Never mind. I’m going to bed. You can be a grumpy ass by yourself.”
She turned to go, but before she could make it two steps, strong arms encircled her from behind. JJ sucked in a breath, caught off guard by how damn good it felt to be held like this. She turned her head slightly, freezing as her forehead brushed against his chin. He was tall and built, something she’d tried like hell not to notice before. But it was damn near impossible not to feel the rock-hard muscles behind her and around her. Or not to get lost in the warm masculine scent that drew her like a bumblebee to honey.
God, he even smells like testosterone. But in a good, nuzzle-into-his-neck-while-he-fucks-you-senseless-against-a-wall kinda way.
Her stomach clenched and there was an answering pull between her thighs. Damn it. She was not getting off on this.
“Let me go.” She’d meant for it to come out bitchy as usual but there was a soft, plaintive note to her voice that made let me go sound suspiciously like never let me go.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. It’s been a shitty day.”
He walked back to the window and JJ immediately missed the warmth against her skin. She followed at a distance, still clutching her book and her blanket.
“You didn’t lose a client, did you?” Belatedly she realized it was a terrible thing to ask. If he had, would he really want
to talk about it?
But to her surprise, Jonas nodded. “Yeah. Not in the way you meant, but … yeah. I lost one that I tried damn hard to save.”
“I’m so sorry,” JJ whispered, feeling for all the world like a complete waste of space. She’d been here snarking at him, and the whole time he was dealing with something serious.
Yes, her life was a shitstorm at the moment, but that didn’t mean she was the only one with problems. When she looked up, Jonas was watching her with shrewd eyes.
“What’s wrong with you?”
JJ shrugged. “Nothing is wrong with me.”
As he continued to watch her with eyes that saw way too much, JJ suddenly wished she could tell him everything.
Why not tell Jonas? He works in security, after all. Maybe he can help.
But the same silly part of her had once believed that a restraining order would actually protect you, as well. And she knew from experience that was absolute bullshit. So as much as she wished she could tell him everything, she couldn’t. Not that it wasn’t tempting. Jonas was an asshole, but he was also really good at his job. She’d seen him with clients before, on the rare occasions they had to bring someone to the office. The women in particular loved him. He had a quiet sort of protectiveness that made you feel safe, yet heard. JJ had no doubt that he’d listen to her spill the whole story without judgment and then immediately come up with a plan for how to handle everything.
Maybe he’d even hold her again. It might be worth spilling her guts to feel those muscles wrapped around her again.
But it wouldn’t be worth the humiliation. She’d worked so hard and come so far. Nothing from her past would ruin this for her. As hard as it was, JJ pasted on a smile and shook her head.
“There’s nothing wrong with me. But it looks like there’s something wrong with you.” She pointed downward.
His eyes followed her finger, and he cursed under his breath. She felt like a bitch for pointing it out. After all, she’d had a physical reaction to him too, but her blanket was covering up her goose bumps and hard nipples.
“Anyway, I’m going to bed. Alone. But enjoy your hand tonight.”
JJ turned and left him there alone with his hard-on. She tried to ignore the part of her that wanted to rush back there and give him a hand with it. Her past was coming back to haunt her, and she wouldn’t take anyone else down with her.
Until she figured this whole thing out, it would be best if she kept her distance from everyone.
chapter 3
He really shouldn't like kicking ass so much. After all, he'd been a cop once before. But there was something really satisfying about beating the shit out of some stalking asshole. Yeah, maybe it was vigilantism, but the cops would be called in the end. After he was long gone.
Who have you become?
Jonas shoved the question away. He didn't want to think about that right now. And yeah, okay, he might be taking some of his irritation and aggression out on this guy. His mind still ran through the reel of having to watch Mira walk into her apartment, back to her ex. Back to the man who had beaten her so bloody she'd had to practically crawl into Blake Security for help.
And he was just supposed to let that shit go?
Never mind that though. The asshole of the evening was none other than Clint Evans. He'd been stalking a girl named Clara Cole for the last two years. Clara's family had come to Blake Security six months ago to try to resolve the situation. The police didn't have much to go on.
Clara had been smart, kept a diary of all the times she thought she was being watched. The problem was that Clint was also smart. Or the luckiest fucking asshole on earth. He’d managed to stay off the police radar. And there was no probable cause. So the cops couldn't just bust in and go looking through his stuff. And all the while, he kept terrorizing that poor girl. Well, now it was time for him to be terrorized.
Jonas advanced on him and the guy tried to crawl backwards. "I told you guys I'd leave her alone."
Jonas cracked his neck. "See, that's the thing. You said you were going to leave her alone last time my boys came to talk to you. But instead of leaving her alone, we found you at her swim meet. You realize the girl is sixteen, right?"
The turd in front of him swallowed hard, his hands splashing into puddles as he scrambled to get away. "Look, she never told me she was sixteen."
"Did she have to tell you? After all, you were hanging around a high school when you first laid eyes on her.”
"Don’t make me sound like some kind of freak. I wasn't there for her. I was picking up my sister. Then I saw her. For all I knew she was eighteen. A senior, like my sister. So what? I've seen her around a few times. It's not a big deal."
Jonas just tsked. "No. No. No. You don't get to pretend like you had no idea. She was fourteen when you started stalking her. I've seen the pictures. She looked fourteen. Real young. So you don't get to pretend you had no idea how old she was. I mean, you even followed her on family vacations. Do you know what kind of sicko that makes you?" Jonas leaned close as he grabbed the guy by the shirt. "It makes you the kind of sick asshole that the guys in prison are gonna love."
The idiot’s eyes widened. "I swear. I never touched her. It was just a coincidence that I went to Key West when her family did."
That's right Buddy. Keep painting me a picture. One of the key reasons the police hadn't been able to do much was because they couldn't prove that he was there. That Clint was everywhere Clara said he was. Because it was always just a feeling. Clara would think she saw him out of the corner of her eye, or swear that he was somewhere. But the bastard was good at hiding. Right now, as he rambled on and on about how being where she was had been just a coincidence, he was giving the police everything they needed.
"I love how you say you never touched her, but you sure terrorized her, all right. And when the cops search your place tonight, they're going to find all kinds of pictures of her. Pictures Photoshopped into suggestive positions. You're a sick bastard."
And because he couldn't help it, Jonas closed his hand into a fist and popped the fucker in the nose.
Goddamn, that felt good. This isn't about Mira. Again he shoved away any thoughts of the woman who didn't want his help. Instead, he focused on the guy in front of him who was now trying to run. Damn it, why did they always try to run?
The guy crawled a few feet and then pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, and finally to his feet. Jonas let him think he was going to get away, because really, what was the fun if he didn't get to chase him down?
Why couldn't they ever run when he was wearing tennis shoes? No, instead he was wearing his brand new Italian loafers. And the jackass wanted to splash around in fucking puddles.
You didn't have to wear your loafers tonight. Yes, that was a good point. But he liked to look sharp. Not to mention they’d had a client meeting earlier.
His mother had taught him that clothes help you make the best first impression. They didn’t make the man, but they sure helped. It was a lesson he’d always carried with him close to his heart.
He didn't know he'd end up chasing after this asshole tonight, or he would have dressed for the occasion. He had a pair of four-hundred-dollar Nikes that would've gone great with a pair of black jeans and a black hoodie. So what? He liked shoes. Don't judge me.
"Dude, you're killing me with this running thing, and the splashing around in the puddles. Do you have any idea how much these shoes cost?"
He snatched the guy by the back of his shirt and dragged him around, slamming him into the brick wall of the alley. "Now come on. You must've seen where this was going. First, we have to track you down, and I'll give you credit: you're a slippery motherfucker. Next, we play nice and legal and get a restraining order. But like the fucking idiot you are, you still don’t listen. One of my boys shows up a few weeks ago and warns you to never go near her again. And I know Oskar; he hates guys like you. You probably got his temper all up, and he hates that. It’s not easy to get that guy to s
how emotion. Then we sent Matthias after you. You're lucky all he did was go after your bank accounts. That motherfucker could have killed you and not even blinked. Word is, Matthias left a lovely paper trail, so when the police come looking for you tonight, they’re going to find all the evidence they need to prove you’ve been stalking Clara."
"You … you … you can't do that. You don't have any proof. I was careful. I follow her, but I don't touch her. It's not illegal to fantasize about hurting someone as long as you never do it."
Thanks asshole, that's just what we needed.
"No. We didn't. Not until just now." Jonas tapped the breast pocket that held the recorder. “I do appreciate you fessing up to stalking her. It helps. Especially when the cops are gonna find this in your back pocket."
The guy looked around. "I don't see the cops."
"Oh, another few minutes alone with me and you'll be wishing they were here already."
"Look, we can work out a deal. I'll leave town. I’ll never come back again." The guy clutched Jonas's shirt, and Jonas dipped his head down to glare at the guy's grasp on his Brioni.
"I suggest you get your hands off my shirt. That's Brioni. You know that's a three-hundred-dollar shirt right?"
Asshole’s brows furrowed. "What?"
"Yeah, you break it, you buy it, so I suggest you loosen your grip."
But the idiot didn't feel like listening. And he clutched tighter. "Look, I'll make you a deal. Whatever you want. It's yours. I cannot go to jail. I'm scared. I'm not gonna make it. I was in juvie once. Do you know the kind of crazy people they have in there?"
"You mean crazy like you? I can't wait until some big dude named Bubba starts stalking you around the yard. Watching your every move, plotting to hurt you. And maybe I'll give him a little nudge and tell him you like little girls."