Elaina

by Jennifer Hanks

  I yelled for Bray, promising him a ride in the tow truck, and he ran as fast as his little legs could carry him. Turning to Lanie, I said, “I’ll just drive it back for you when it’s done.”

  She shook her head. “You don’t have to do that Jake.”

  “I live right here, Lanie, and it won’t take long for him to put it on. I’ll be home in no time.”

  She nodded, but it was clear she was uncomfortable with my answer.

  “It’s no big deal.” I reassured her.

  Her eyes softened. “It is to me.”

  “We’ll get the bed inside and set up.” My attention shifted from Lanie to see Ben gesturing between himself and Landon.

  “Thanks.” I motioned towards the door. “Just lock up when you leave.”

  “Got it.” Ben called out already jogging towards his truck, Landon following close behind.

  I grabbed Bray’s seat from my truck and waved to the boys as they made their way to their trucks, knowing Dad was following us to the garage. I watched Lanie make her way towards Paige’s car, her comment still lingering in my mind. It was as if it surprised her that someone would do something nice without expecting anything in return. It made me wonder more about her, where she came from, what her family was like. My eyes wandered down her back, over her incredible ass that I only noticed now and had to admit I liked the way she looked today, but part of me was missing her ridiculous bun and glasses.

  I groaned and rubbed my hand over my face. What the fuck was wrong with me?

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  JAKE

  I wiped my hands on my jeans when the doorbell rang. Why the fuck was I nervous? It’s Luke, that’s all. It had been four days since the boys set up his bed in the third bedroom of my house, but it felt like hours. I rubbed the base of my skull where another headache was forming and walked to the door, pulling it open and staring at the reason I couldn’t sleep, or eat, or even fucking think straight.

  “Hey brother.” Luke’s voice was weak, but he was standing on his own, my dad on one side, Brody on the other.

  I swallowed hard trying to choke down the lump forming in my throat and nodded. “Come on in.” I pulled the door open wider and he walked slowly inside.

  Bray’s little steps echoed in the hallway while we stood in awkward silence until he cleared the doorway and yelled. “Pappy!”

  “There’s my boy!” Dad squatted down and grabbed Bray, swinging him up to sit on his hip. Bray giggled, but then turned his attention to Luke.

  His face fell. “Unkel Wuke you hab owie?”

  Luke lifted his hand and ruffled Bray’s hair. “I’m okay buddy. Just need a nice, long nap.”

  Bray wrinkled his nose. “I no wike naps.”

  “Me neither, bud.”

  Bray looked thoughtful for a minute, but then smiled. “You sweep wif Bweasy. He wuvs to sweep.”

  I chuckled despite the sadness lingering, as did dad and Brody.

  “Who’s Bweasy?” Luke asked, a smile flirting around his lips, even though his eyes were wrought with pain.

  “Beasley is the neighbor’s giant-ass dog.” I clarified.

  “Wanie.” Bray said.

  Luke turned his head once again from Bray to me for interpretation.

  “Lanie. The neighbor’s name is Lanie and her dog is Beasley,” I explained.

  “Ah, I’m catching on now.”

  “Wanie will sweep wif you. She’s nice.” Bray declared, making Brody snort and hide his chuckle along with my father.

  Luke smirked and tugged on Bray’s shirt, leaning in like he was telling him a secret. “I think I need to meet Lanie and Beasley.”

  Bray nodded, excitedly. “Go now?”

  He started to wiggle to be put down, but I held up my hand. “Not tonight, Bray. We’re going to show Uncle Luke his room and where everything is. Besides Lanie left a little while ago so she’s not home.”

  I realized my mistake too late. My dad and Brody wore smug smiles, but Luke’s was more inquisitive.

  “It’s not like that.” I stressed, but they looked unconvinced so I changed the subject. “Bray, go make sure all of your toys are off the floor so we can show Uncle Luke his room.”

  He nodded and dad put him down, his legs running before they even hit the ground.

  “I’ll be over tomorrow to set up an alarm on the house,” Brody said. I looked his way, surprised. We hadn’t talked about an alarm on the house.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  “They haven’t found the punk who shot me yet, so for yours and Bray’s sake I asked Brody to set up an alarm. I can’t do much right now to protect anyone, so an alarm wired into the station is the best I can offer.”

  I recognized the helplessness in his eyes because I saw it in my own every time I looked at Luke or thought about what I’d caused. I knew he needed to do this for his own sanity, so I nodded. “Okay. What do I need to do?”

  “Nothing man. I’m gonna help Brody put it in tomorrow.” Luke said.

  “Daddy! Done!” Bray yelled, running down the hallway.

  Bray ran straight to Luke and stopped, reaching up to grab his hand and pulled. “I show you.”

  Luke smiled and followed. “Okay Bray, let’s go.”

  I watched him walking beside Bray, his movements slow and sometimes unsteady. I felt Brody’s hand squeeze my shoulder. “He’s doing good brother. Better than expected. He just needs a place to heal. I think Braydon might heal him faster than any of us.”

  I snorted. “You might be right.”

  ~*~

  It was after I helped Bray show Luke where everything was, after I put Bray to bed and heard Luke cursing in the shower, but adamantly denying any help when I offered, and it was well after the house was quiet for the night when I saw headlights pulling into the driveway separated only by a small lawn. What made me stand and go out the front door, I really don’t know. Maybe loneliness, maybe sadness, but I did walk out the front door and across the lawn just in time for Lanie to step out of her little black car.

  “Hey.” I spoke without thinking, causing her to jump about a mile and scream.

  I ran around the side of the car to stand in front of her, triggering her motion light to turn on and surround us in soft light, only taking the edge off the darkness. “Lanie, it’s me. It’s Jake.”

  She put her hand over her heart and closed her eyes, her breaths starting to even out.

  “Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “Then why the hell would you sneak up on me?” She asked, sarcastically.

  I was shocked by her comment as well as her sarcasm and proved it by standing there in silence, while she continued.

  “I mean there’s a reason I don’t watch scary movies or ride scary rides and that’s because I don’t like to be scared. I don’t even understand why people would purposely scare themselves, that makes no sense to me.”

  I listened to her babble, completely entertained until she stopped like she suddenly realized what she was doing. If it wasn’t mostly dark, I was sure I’d see a blush creeping along her cheeks and that thought alone made me smile. Again, I had no fucking clue why.

  The silence stretched on until she moved to walk by me, but at the last minute I reached out and wrapped my hand around her arm. “Wait.”

  “I need to let Beasley out.” She said quietly.

  That’s when I heard his deep bark echoing on the other side of her door. I nodded, letting her arm go, but stood still, waiting.

  She moved to her door, unlocking it quickly and Beasley pushed by her, standing at the top of the stairs, his growl low, his eyes focused on me. I knew in that moment not to move. The lazy, gentle giant that normally wandered around her yard was gone and in his place was one scary, fucking dog, protecting his girl.

  “It’s okay Beasley. It’s Jake.” She ran her hand along his head. “Can you say something to him?” She asked me quietly.

  I cleared my throat, pulling my attention from
her and focused on the pissed off giant staring me down. “Beasley. Come here boy.” I held out my hand and watched as he almost silently descended the stairs and came to stand in front of me. His wet nose hit my hand and I waited until I felt the breeze his tail created when it slowly waved back and forth.

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “I wouldn’t want to be on the bad side of him.”

  “I don’t think he’d really do anything.” She cleared her throat. “He probably heard me scream that’s all.”

  Beasley left, beginning his trek around the small front yard and I motioned towards the middle step of the three leading to her porch before I sat down. I didn’t say anything, I just waited and for some reason, really hoped she’d sit next to me.

  I exhaled a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding when she sat down, her scent surrounding me. She smelled sweet like lavender and vanilla. It was almost soothing. Her shoulder brushed against my arm and I felt her stiffen, but she stayed put, making me smile.

  “You need a better motion light.” I said.

  “I don’t really go out at night that often.” Her voice was quiet and sweet. I felt some of the stress drain from my body.

  I smirked before I answered. “Because you don’t like to be scared?”

  She giggled, the sound washing over me. “No, I really don’t. Sorry for going on and on like that.”

  I chuckled. “It surprised the hell out of me honestly.”

  She shifted uncomfortably. “Thanks again for taking care of my car.” She said and I smiled. I’d left the keys in it when I parked it in her driveway, but I hadn’t seen her since that day.

  “No problem.”

  She sighed. “No one’s going to tell me what it cost, are they?”

  I laughed. I knew because I’d talked to Cole that she’d called the garage inquiring, but he shut her down, told her it was taken care of and it would only be a waste of her time to try to pay anyone back. “No.”

  “That wasn’t necessary.”

  I leaned my elbows down to rest on my knees and rolled my neck trying to work out the tight muscles before turning my gaze once again to the yard. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

  I thought I heard her mutter something but it was so quiet that even sitting beside her, I couldn’t say for sure she’d actually spoken.

  We were quiet again, watching Beasley sniff throughout the yard. “What did my dad tell you about my brother coming to live with me?” I asked the question that had been plaguing me for the last few days, but I wasn’t sure why I cared what she knew.

  “Just that he’s a police officer who was shot and needs to stay with you while he’s recuperating.” She paused before continuing. “I’m sorry that happened to him. That’s awful.”

  I ran my hand along the base of my skull, digging my fingers in trying to work out the knots in my neck. “It was my fault.” I admitted, but had no fucking clue why I told her that.

  She swallowed hard and I waited, having no idea what she might say. “How was it your fault?”

  I put my head down, both of my hands wrapped around the back of my neck and closed my eyes. “I didn’t walk away from an argument when I should have and Luke was shot.”

  She laid her hand softly against my back and I felt my body relax. I’d never said those words aloud and now I’d said them to someone who was still basically a stranger. “I don’t know your family very well, but from what I’ve seen, I can’t imagine you ever doing something to hurt your brother.”

  “It doesn’t matter whether it was intentional. It happened and I could’ve stopped it, but I didn’t. I did what I always fucking do and mouthed off when I should’ve walked away.”

  She rubbed her hand in circles along my back and I found myself calming with every circle. “What happened that you argued? Was it about something important?”

  “The prick was talking shit about Braydon.” Anger laced my voice.

  Her circles faltered for a minute and I breathed a sigh when she started again, feeling like I needed that to breathe. “I’d imagine even the calmest person would change when someone said bad things about their kids.”

  I sat up and turned, my face close to hers. “Would you?”

  “I don’t have kids.” She said softly, her warm breath fanning my lips.

  “What in your life means everything?”

  She never hesitated before she answered. “Beasley.”

  I smirked having somehow already guessed her answer. I reached up and played with the end of her hair, running the silky strands through my fingers, reveling in her short intake of breath. “Would you Lanie? You’re sweet, so fucking sweet. I can’t imagine you being anything else.”

  I closed my eyes and dropped my hand wrapping it around the back of my neck when the headache that had been brewing, started to throb.

  “Are you okay?” Her soft voice floated along the small breeze.

  I snorted. “That’s a loaded fucking question, but if you mean my neck, then no.”

  “What happened?”

  I shook my head. “My fucking life happened.”

  “I mean to your neck.” She clarified.

  “So do I.” I shook my head. “I’m getting headaches from stress.”

  She nodded. “My college roommate used to get stress headaches all the time and she couldn’t afford to get massages so she talked me into going to one with her and learning what to do.”

  “And you did it?”

  She shrugged. “I thought it would be interesting to learn and I really felt bad for her. She always seemed to be in so much pain.”

  I think it was more likely she was too nice to say no, and my selfish mind hoped she still was. “Are you telling me you could help me get rid of the knots in my neck giving me headaches.”

  “I…I…” She stuttered. “I was just telling a story.”

  I believed she was, but I needed some fucking relief. “Could you try?” I leaned in close again. “Please.”

  She swallowed hard, but nodded and moved to sit on the step behind me. “I can try this way. Meghan was usually lying down, but this may work too.”

  Her hands hesitated, but then she finally laid them on my shoulders and ran her thumbs up the corded muscles in my neck. I groaned when I felt my muscles begin to relax under her fingers. When she pushed her thumbs under the base of my skull and rubbed them in circles, my neck and shoulders relaxed. I scooted back further on the step so she wasn’t leaning as far and reached out to pull her legs down along my sides. I felt her hands falter, but kept my arm firmly wrapped around her thigh and knee, dropping my head forward.

  I groaned when she hit the spot that had been bothering me for days and worked on it until the tenseness in my shoulders subsided. I ran my hand down her leg, wrapping it around her calf before traveling back to her thigh. The only sounds were my groans and her soft breathing interrupting the quiet night. It was erotic in a way I’d never expected and lost in the moment I turned, our positioning on the steps putting her a little taller and ran my hand up her arm to wrap around the back of her neck.

  “Lanie.” I said, my voice raspy and quiet.

  She jumped back as if the sound of my voice broke the spell and I cursed myself for saying anything.

  “I need to go in. I hope your neck feels better.” She went up the last step to the porch, turning only to call Beasley’s name. He was already headed her way and before I knew it, she’d closed the door.

  I got up and started back across the lawn to my own house. My shoulders relaxed, headache almost gone for the first time in weeks and all from a woman who literally and figuratively closed the door in my face.

  CHAPTER NINE

  LANIE

  I sat up straight in bed when the doorbell ringing woke me from a deep sleep. At least I thought I heard the doorbell, but looking down at the floor beside my bed, Beasley was still snoring so maybe I’d dreamt it. I slowly lay back down, but before my head even hit the pillow, it rang again. This time I was sure it was the
doorbell. I crawled across my bed because I usually slept dead center and grabbed my glasses off the nightstand, trying to put them on while walking quickly down the short hallway.

  Completed distracted by who would be at my door when it’s still dark out, I jammed my foot against the corner of the kitchen island. “Ow, ow, ow.” I chanted, holding my foot up and still trying to get to the door because the bell rang again. Why does that hurt so bad?

  I looked through the peephole, only to see Jake standing on my porch, running his hand through his hair and looking all kinds of pissed off. I hadn’t seen in him in two days, effectively avoiding him since I’d sat on my front steps with him and almost embarrassed myself more than I had in a long time. I closed my eyes, not wanting to answer the door, but knowing my conscience would get to me if I didn’t. He wasn’t there for fun, he obviously needed something.

  I threw on the light switch and unlocked the door and the deadbolt and pulled it open, cursing my body for reacting to him standing on my porch looking sexy in his jeans hanging low on his narrow hips and a tight black, t-shirt stretched across his chest.

  “Lanie, sorry, I know you’re sleeping, but I don’t have your number.” He started.

  I nodded. “Is everything okay?”

  He put his hands on the top of my doorframe and lowered his head. I should probably be worried about whatever was bothering him, but honestly the way he was standing was so hot I lost all ability to think.

  He lifted his head and I noticed the gray under his eyes telling me either his headaches were back or he wasn’t sleeping. “I forgot my parents were leaving this morning for their trip until I woke up and checked the calendar.” He paused and pulled his arms down, resting his hands on his hips. How the hell was that hot too? “Is there any chance you can watch Bray today while I’m at work? I’ll get something set up for the rest of the week, but I think it’s too late today to get anyone else.”