by Laney Powell
After my last class, I hurried back to the house. I didn’t know if it was due to my first waking thought this morning, or truly just the day, but it was one of the worst days I’d had in a while. I was tired, and the coffee I’d had at lunch hadn’t helped. I was so happy to go back to my room and close the door.
I laid down on the bed, just to rest for a moment.
When I woke, it was getting dark outside.
“Shit!” I sprang off the bed and grabbed my back pack. I needed to study more for Organic Chem, and I had other things due. I threw myself into my work, not taking a break until I heard a knock at my door.
“Casey?”
It was Delia.
“Hey, what’s up?” I sat up, stretching and pushing my homework away from me.
“You have someone here to see you.” She smiled, and there was something in her grin.
“What? I don’t know anyone outside of you guys. Who is it?”
“Come and see,” she walked away from the door, not answering my question.
I headed for the entry hall downstairs. I could hear giggles and whispered talk as I passed the rooms of my sisters. As I came down the stairs, I saw why they were giggling.
Jax Denby stood with his back to me, looking at one of the chapter’s pictures. He turned as he heard me on the stairs.
“Casey. How are you feeling?”
I didn’t want—or need—him to advertise any more details about my little mishap than everyone already knew. I hurried down the stairs, desperate to shut him up.
“I’m good. Behind.”
“Behind in what?”’
“Everything.” I waved a hand. “It doesn’t matter. Why are you here?”
He shrugged. “I went and reported the whole thing to the cops on campus. I wouldn’t want them to do that to someone else.”
My angry ‘what the hell’ was stopped by his words. I didn’t want anyone else to deal with those two creepy guys either. I hadn’t even thought about reporting it—I just wanted to get my life back to normal.
“I…I didn’t even think about it,” I admitted. “Thank you.” God, I sounded so pathetic!
He shrugged again. “Why would you? You don’t think straight when you’re hurt. But I wanted to tell you that they’ve had more than one woman report a couple of guys harassing them. Are you still planning to run at night?”
“I was.”
“I thought so. You don’t let anything get in your way, do you?”
The way he asked, I wasn’t sure it was a compliment.
“I’m pretty focused.”
“I get that. It’s a good thing. But I figured you’d be running, so I’m going to run with you, if that’s okay.”
I opened my mouth, ready to shout at him. Who did he think he was? I wasn’t a little kid. I could take care of—I remembered how I’d felt again when I’d been knocked down, and how the hair all over my body had stood straight up. I’d been afraid, and I didn’t want to be afraid again.
“All right,” I sighed. “It’s a good idea. Thank you for thinking of me.”
Jax
I was so relieved she’d agreed. All the way over here, I’d been going through arguments in my head. I was sure she’d push back and fight me. But she’d agreed. I felt a weight fall off my shoulders that I hadn’t known was there.
She’d let me run with her.
Which meant she’d be safe. Even if she didn’t want anything else to do with me, I’d be able to keep her safe.
It also meant I’d have to keep my hands, and my thoughts, to myself. That was going to be the hardest thing to do. My cock was already awake and ready to go, just being near her.
I needed to calm down. She had kissed me, but that didn’t mean anything. Well, it could, but it would probably be a bad thing for me to assume it did.
“When were you planning on running?” I asked her.
She ran a hand through her hair, looking frustrated. She was like the nutty professor when she did that, and it was so damn hot. I doubt she even realized it.
“I could stop what I’m doing now, if you are… um… ready?”
I was ready, and I stifled a grin. I was ready for all manner of things. “I have workout stuff in my car. Let me go grab my shoes.” I turned and headed back out the door to where I’d parked. I let the grin I’d been hiding come out. Ever since she’d run off after kissing me, I’d gone over all our interactions, small as they were.
She liked me. It might be despite herself, but she liked me. There was something that stopped her from letting us move forward. I understood that. I also understood that this woman was someone I needed in my life.
The problem was I wasn’t sure if she knew or understood any such thing. I’d have to give her a chance to see it. It might not work—she might decide I was the biggest douche bag she’d ever met. It’s a chance I’m willing to take. It’s worth the risk. Casey is worth the risk.
It also gives me time with her. And I think I need that. Time, I got. I’ll just need to make the most of it.
I tie on my shoes and change my shirt, then I race back up the stairs to the front of her house. I’m debating whether to knock again when the door jerks open and Casey comes out.
“This is good timing,” she said. “I’m so frustrated with everything I have to do.”
“What’s the worst?” I ask as we head down the stairs and start a slow jog along the street.
“It’s everything! I’m a senior and I’m trying to get all these classes done and prep for grad school. There’s not enough time in the day!”
“What are you going to grad school for?” I hadn’t realized she was a senior. She wasn’t going to be here long.
“Chemistry. I am planning on getting my Ph.D. And I need to schedule my internship around next semester so that’s one more thing!”
She’s going to be in school forever. So am I, so I can’t throw stones.
“That sounds frustrating,” I say, cursing my own sorry conversational skills.
“It’s just that it’s happening all at the same time. Oh, and I have to plan my room at the haunted house.”
I laugh. “That doesn’t sound that bad.”
“It’s one more thing to be in charge of. Listen, I don’t want to be a jerk, but can we just run? This helps me sort things out.”
“Yeah, as long as we stretch in a bit.”
She nods, and we head off. We fell into silence, and I notice that she’s picking up the pace at times, and then slowing again. I glance over at her, her pony tail swinging next to her ears with every other step. She’s deep in thought. Her speed changes depending on what she’s thinking about.
I find that I like knowing these little things about her. It’s been a long time since I cared—or cared to know—about the details of peoples’ lives. It was too hard. I’d lost too many guys in my unit, too many friends.
But we weren’t in a war zone, and Casey wasn’t a soldier. She was fighting her own battle for sure, but it wasn’t anything that would get me killed. Crush my heart is more like it.
I’m hyperaware of her next to me. The swish of her hair, the sound of her shoes on the pavement, the scent of her that wafted over me at intervals. She smelled delicious, and I felt everything below the waistline walk up and stand at attention. Good thing it was dark.
Good thing I was already counseling myself to be patient. This would either work or it wouldn’t, my wooing of her—and it was wooing, to use an old-fashioned word my mom used to use—but I had to be patient. Kiss aside, Casey wanted nothing to do with any kind of romance. That came off her like she was screaming.
After about five minutes, she stops and stepped off the sidewalk and bent over to stretch her legs.
Oh, God. Don’t stare at her ass. Don’t stare at her ass. Don’t —
“Hey, this is your chance to stretch out,” she said. The tone of her voice is warm.
“What? Oh, yeah,” I mumble, and leaned down toward my left leg, avoiding looking at
her again.
Casey sighed, and I risked a glance at her. She was still looking at her own feet.
“I’m glad you’re with me. I didn’t want to accept your help, but I keep seeing shadows everywhere. Thanks, Jax.”
A sense of victory roared through me. Even though I didn’t know her that well, I could tell that she didn’t like to accept help from anyone. She was one of those women who liked to do it on her own. I wondered why it was so important and decided that it didn’t matter. I got it, and I appreciated what she’d said.
“It’s my pleasure. I’d hate to think of you not being able to do something you like. Plus, I’m a fellow runner. I get it.”
She looked up, and we smiled at one another. My entire body reacted to her.
Holy shit, it was going to be a test on my patience.
Without speaking, we finished stretching, and started to run again. When we’d been running for about thirty minutes, Casey turned, and slowed. “I think I’m about done. You ready to head back?”
I nod even though she can’t see me in the dark. “Yeah, this works for me.”
“Thanks again.”
I’d been scanning the area as we ran, but I hadn’t seen anyone who looked like the two guys who ran into her. “You’re welcome. It’s nice to have someone to run with.”
“Did you just get out of the Marines?”
“About six months ago. I wanted to figure out what I wanted to do before I made any moves.”
“How old are you?” She asks.
“Twenty-seven,” I say. “And I’m only a sophomore,” I add.
Casey laughs. “How are you already a sophomore?”
“I was taking classes online while I was deployed. Not much else to do.”
“You had time for that?”
Not really. “I made the time. I knew I didn’t want to be in the military forever.” A hard tone crept into my voice and I reminded myself to throttle it down.
She didn’t need to know about the real reasons why I left. No one did. Those were my memories, and my burdens to carry.
We reached the sorority house, and she stopped, putting a hand on my arm. Her touch was like gasoline on a fire, but I wasn’t sure she knew that.
“So, tomorrow, then?”
I nodded. “Seven-thirty OK?”
“Perfect. See you then.” She ran up the steps to the front door and went inside.
I stared at the house for a moment before heading back for my car.
“You’re gonna need a lot of patience,” I muttered to no one in particular.
Casey
Every night, Jax met me on the sidewalk in front of the house. Every night, we jogged in almost silence, broken by a little bit of talk at the end of our run. I’d learned a lot about him, even though he didn’t say much.
He’d been a medic in the Marines. His lips tightened when he spoke of his time in the service, so I didn’t inquire further. He’d been in Iraq and Afghanistan. It stood to reason he’d seen some unhappy things.
Besides, when I didn’t pry, he didn’t either. Which was great. I lived in the middle of gossip central—my sorority sisters were all atwitter at the guy they called “your handsome rescuer.” He was hot. I’d been ignoring it all week, and it was going to kill me.
Only the fact that I couldn’t afford to get involved with anyone stopped me from just flinging myself at him every time I saw him. He radiated power. His dark hair was a little longer than I liked, but his eyes were full of fire and…and everything.
I thought he was interested in me as well, but he was letting me take the lead, and while I appreciated it, I damned it at the same time. It made him even more hot and made me want him even more.
Damn it.
To top it off, I wouldn’t be able to run with him tonight. I had to finish up my room at the haunted house. I’d gotten some of it done throughout the week, but Halloween was only three weeks away, and I needed to get this finished. Of course, three of my classes had major exams coming up the same week. I sighed.
“What are you doing?” Stacy asked as she came down the stairs.
“I have to cancel with my running partner, and I’m getting all the things for the haunted house together,” I waved to indicate the various boxes and bags that were sitting by the door.
“Oh, Mr. Knight-In-Shining-Armor?” Stacy asked, smiling.
She must have heard all the gossip.
“Yeah, he’s a good guy.” Then I shut my mouth, unwilling to talk about him. It made things harder. I glanced at my watch. It was almost seven thirty; Jax would be waiting.
“I gotta go,” I muttered, hurrying out the door before Stacy could give me any more grief. My refusal to date made all my sisters a little crazy. They called it a waste, usually as they were telling me to do something different with my hair, or makeup, or whatever. But I had a goal, and I wasn’t going to be deterred. Guys did that. They deterred you. Right off your road and into a ditch somewhere. They were not in The Plan.
Jax wouldn’t, a voice said in my head.
“Shut up,” I said.
“I didn’t say anything,” Jax appeared in front of me.
“Oh, God! I’m sorry! I was talking to myself.”
“Clearly,” he said, a smile breaking up his normally stern look. “You definitely need a run then.”
“Yes, I do, but I can’t. I have to get my work done for our charity thing.”
His eyebrows went up in question.
“We’re doing a haunted house. I think I told you about this. I have to set up my room.” I huffed out a sigh.
“You want some help?”
I eyed him before answering. He’d been nothing but nice, and he was continuing to be nice. It wouldn’t hurt.
Famous last words, right?
“I would love some. Can you help me get the stuff to my car?”
“Sure.”
He followed me back into the house and I pointed at what seemed like a mountain of boxes and bags. “This is all of it.”
Jax looked at where I pointed and then back at me. “I didn’t think you were moving in,” he said, the wonderful, rare smile I’d seen occasionally showing itself again.
I sighed. “I’m not but putting on a scary room takes a lot of props.”
He chuckled as he grabbed a box and a bag. “Whatever you say. Where’s your car?”
I grabbed a couple of bags and we walked out to the lot behind the house. It took two more trips to load everything into my car.
“You want me to follow you there?” He asked.
I nodded. “That’s easiest, I think.”
One thing I liked about Jax was that he didn’t talk just to talk. Once he’d said what he needed to say, he shut up. It was restful. Unfortunately, it was the only restful thing about him. Him wanting to help me made all my wants and desires for him go bananas.
He was waiting in his car when I pulled out of the parking lot, and we were at the old mansion within ten minutes.
“This place is…” he stopped, looking around.
“I know. It’s something, isn’t it?”
The old mansion wasn’t exactly abandoned, but it had been uninhabited for a long time. Had it been in decent shape, it would be beautiful. As it was, it had just the perfect amount of creep factor for a slightly scary haunted house. It didn’t hurt that all of us did up the sexy for this. It made money, and that was the point. “Stacy’s parents—she’s our president—they bought it and want to fix it up, but they’re not ready, so she talked them into letting us use it for our fundraiser.”
“What’s the fundraiser for?”
“Oak Ridge Children’s Hospital,” I said. “They’re a great place. I have an internship with them next semester.”
“In what?”
“Research,” I said, not wanting to get into it.
“Gorgeous and smart,” Jax said. “I make friends with all the right people.”
I smiled. He didn’t often compliment me. It was nice to hear. I
had to stop myself from falling into the trap of wanting that though.
Guys brought nothing but distraction, and trouble.
We quickly got all my stuff in. I found the room with my name on it. I opened the door and dragged a box in with me.
“I didn’t even ask. What’s your theme?”
“I’m doing the haunted infirmary,” I said. “I’m the crazy nurse in charge.” I looked over and grinned at him.
“Not stepping out of character too much, are you?”
“Hey, you have to go with what you know. Thanks for bringing everything in. You don’t have to stay. I need to get this set up.”
“Abandon you now? My good guy self would never let me live it down.”
“Well, don’t say you weren’t warned. I’m putting you to work.”
He grinned at me, and a flash of what it would be like to see him with that grin, with no clothes, hit me like lightning. It would be amazing.
I shook my head to clear it of thoughts of a naked Jax and dived into the boxes to cover my thoughts. My face felt like it was on fire.
Jax helped me, and then patiently waited as I decided where to set things up. At last, the room had the look I wanted.
“OK, I think we’re all done, except for the last thing.”
“What’s that?”
“The blood. It needs to look scarier.” I found the bottles of fake blood and handed one to him. “Spray it everywhere.” I shook my bottle and started to squirt the liquid in ways that looked like an operation gone berserk.
After a moment, I looked over at Jax, and he hadn’t moved from where he’d been when I handed him the bottle. The look on his face was one I’d never seen before.
“Jax, what’s wrong?”
He didn’t reply.
“Jax?”
He looked up and met my eyes. “I’m sorry. This is very realistic.”
I opened my mouth to say something, and then what he’d said hit me. Oh, shit. He’d been a medic. In a war zone. And here I was going on about making things look real.
Oh, shit. I was an idiot.
I set down the bottle and went to him. “Jax, I am so sorry. I didn’t even think.” Still not thinking, I put my hands on his face, cradling his head in my hands. He had a five o’clock shadow, and the rasp of his beard on my hands made tingles shoot up my arms.