by Susan Stoker
Without warning, Brian lifted the hand that wasn’t holding her and put it around her neck. He backed them up until she hit the wall behind them.
Jess drew in a quick breath and brought both hands up to grasp Brian’s wrist.
“Brian, please . . .”
He squeezed her throat. “No, I’m done with this shit. You have until the end of the month and I want you out. Seriously. You have nine fucking days.”
Jess just looked up at Brian. It didn’t even look like the Brian she knew. His face was contorted with an irrational anger she’d never seen before. She opened her mouth to speak, to tell him whatever he needed to hear to placate him, but he tightened his grip on her neck.
Shit. He wasn’t letting go. Jess’s hands clawed at Brian’s hand around her throat and wiggled, trying to make him lose his grip.
Finally, with a smirk, he let go. Before Jess could catch her breath and get away from him, he’d wrenched the arm he still had in his grasp, spun her around, and held it up against her back.
“I’m serious, crip. Nine days. Got it?”
Jess could only nod frantically and try to block out the pain of Brian wrenching her arm at an unnatural angle. She swallowed painfully, and prayed he’d let go of her.
When he did, Jess didn’t even look back, just fled up the stairs to her room. She’d slammed the door and locked it behind her. Not that the flimsy lock would keep Brian out if he really wanted in, but it made her feel marginally better.
Now Jess was at work. She had to figure out what she was going to do. She didn’t want to go back to the townhouse, even for the nine days Brian had given her, but she had nowhere else to go. None. She also didn’t want to leave Tabitha. Somehow she knew the girl was only hanging in there because of her. Jess knew if she said it out loud to anyone, it’d sound conceited, but she knew, deep down inside, if Tabitha thought Jess had abandoned her, she’d break.
Jess picked up the heavy tray and tried not to wince. She had no idea what she was going to do, but she had to get through her shift first. Then she’d think about it.
* * *
Benny pulled into the parking lot of Aces and turned off his engine. He had no idea what he was really doing, but something in the back of his mind wouldn’t let him let this go. Something was wrong, and he liked Jess. He didn’t really know her, but he liked her nonetheless.
He pocketed his keys as he walked to the front door of the bar. Entering, it took a moment for Benny’s eyes to adjust to the darkness. It was later than he’d been there in a long time. Usually the team and their women came around dinner time and ended up leaving around ten or so. At eleven, the bar was busy and the lights had been dimmed.
Benny looked around and didn’t see Jess. He made his way to the bar and sat on a stool on the end so he could see the entire room. He ordered a draft beer and took his time nursing it. Ignoring the looks the two women across the room were giving him, he wasn’t there to pick up a woman, he kept his eyes peeled for Jess.
Finally he saw her. Jess was his age, probably late twenties or early thirties. She had pale skin, which somehow made her look more fragile than she was. She was shorter than his six feet by a few inches. She was curvy, and as Benny noticed for the first time tonight, she filled out her clothes in a way which was sexy as hell.
She was struggling to hold on to a tray filled with empty bottles and glasses and make her way across the crowded bar. Benny stood up and went toward her.
It looked to Benny that Jess was limping more than usual. He had no idea why she limped, he only knew that she always had. They’d all noticed it the first time they’d met her at the bar, and when Wolf had commented on it, she’d given him a death stare. No one had asked about it again. She was entitled to her secrets, and besides, it was kinda rude for Wolf to have asked in the first place.
He reached Jess just as she got bumped by someone behind her. She would’ve gone flying, but Benny grabbed the tray with one hand and her waist with the other. He spun them in a move that would’ve gotten them high points if it was being scored, and saved her, and the tray, from sprawling on the floor.
“Thanks,” Jess breathed, thankful she wasn’t sitting in the middle of the grimy floor surrounded by broken glass.
“You’re welcome.”
The voice was low and strangely familiar.
Jess looked up. Wow, it was one of the SEALs. She wasn’t sure of his name. She’d heard all of their names more than once, but it was confusing as hell because sometimes she heard their nicknames and other times their real names. She couldn’t keep them all straight.
The man continued to hold her to him, finally she shifted, trying to break his hold. He held on for another beat then finally let her go, brushing his hand along her hip in the process.
Jess held back a shiver. “I’ll take that.” She gestured toward the tray he was holding up. Some of the bottles had fallen over, but nothing was broken.
“Lead the way, Jess, I’ve got it.”
Jessyka stared at him for a beat. “You know my name?”
“Yeah, I’ve only been eating here with my friends for an eon now and you’re always our server. I know your name.”
Jess blushed. Shit. Of course he knew who she was. She shook her head and tried to play it off. “Just checking. Come on.” She turned her back on him and led him back to the busy bar. When they got there he finally allowed her to take the tray out of his hands and she placed it on the bar.
Turning back she said, “Thanks again, that would’ve sucked to have spilled all those bottles.” Looking around she asked, “Where are your friends?”
Jess knew this guy was always here with the other SEALs. She’d watched them with a bit of jealously over the last few months. Most of the men were now either married or in a serious relationship. Jessyka had watched how they treated their woman. It was a mixture of tolerance and protectiveness with a bit of caveman thrown in. But it wasn’t over-the-top. It looked delicious. If Jessyka had a man who looked at her like those men looked at their women, she didn’t think she’d ever give him up.
“Don’t know.”
“What?”
The man smiled at her as if he knew she had slipped into a daydream for a moment. “I said, I don’t know where my friends are. They’re probably all at home with their women.”
“Then why are you here?” Jess paused, then blushed. “Oh, never mind. Sorry. Yeah, why does any single man come to the bar? I’ll just . . .” Her embarrassed words were cut short.
“I’m not here to pick up a woman, Jess. I’m here to check on you.”
“Me?” Jess just looked at him incredulously.
“Yeah, you. I’m worried about you.”
“Uh, I don’t mean to be rude, but you don’t even know me.”
“Jess, remember what I said earlier in this conversation. I’ve been coming here for a while now. I know your personality has changed over the last few months. I know while you always limp, it’s gotten worse. I know that the last time I saw you, I touched your arm and you flinched. I know you used to wear cute little tank tops and short sleeves, now you’re wearing a damn turtleneck. This is Southern California and I can’t remember the last time I’ve even seen someone wearing a fucking turtleneck. I’m a Navy SEAL, gorgeous, I’ve been trained to be observant. Maybe someone else wouldn’t notice, but I have. I don’t like it when women grimace when I touch them. I don’t like knowing why they might do that. So I’m here because I’m worried about you.”
Jess just stared at the handsome man standing next to her, baffled. As usual, her mouth opened before her brain could stop it. “I don’t even know your name.”
He smiled and shook his head. “Will you ever stop surprising me?” It was obviously a rhetorical question, because he continued without letting her answer. “I’m Kason. Kason Sawyer.”
“Is that your real name or nickname?”
“Real name.”
After a beat, Jess asked, “Are you going to tell me your nickna
me? I know you all have them.”
“No. I don’t like it, but I earned it fair and square. The guys call me by my nickname, but you won’t.”
“But . . .”
“Are you all right?”
“Kason . . .”
“Don’t lie to me, Jess.”
“Jessyka!”
She turned to see the bartender gesturing at her then to the drinks he’d lined up at the waitress station.
“I gotta go.”
“When do you get off tonight?”
Jess stared at Kason for a moment. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him. Hell, if she couldn’t trust a Navy SEAL, she couldn’t trust anyone. She was just still confused about why he was there. Jess didn’t actually believe it was because he was worried about her. Yeah, he probably did notice all those things about her, but he didn’t know her. So he couldn’t really be worried about her.
“Two.”
“I’ll wait.”
“Kason . . .”
“I said, I’ll wait.”
Jess looked at him for a beat, then turned abruptly and headed for the drinks she had to deliver. She didn’t have time to worry about Kason. He’d get tired of whatever game he was playing and bolt. She had more important things to worry about. Namely, where the hell she was going to live and how she was going to come up with enough money to find a place of her own in nine days.
Chapter Three
Benny watched as Jess worked the rest of her shift. Focusing one hundred percent of his attention on her, he could see she was definitely not the same person as he’d met when they first started coming to the bar. Oh, she was still efficient and good at what she did, but she was different.
She used to touch people all the time. She’d lay a hand on their arm, or she’d touch their hand briefly when they handed her money. She used to laugh more and flirt more. She didn’t smile as much and she didn’t flirt at all.
She was completely focused on the job at hand . . . getting drinks to patrons and collecting money. The more Benny thought about it, the more he was bothered by her clothes as well. All waitresses knew in order to increase tips, it was good to wear clothes that showed a little skin. Benny couldn’t see any skin on Jess except for her face and hands.
Benny knew Jess was uncomfortable with him being there, but he didn’t let it stop him. He joked with the bartender and rebuffed every woman who approached him. He was here for Jess, nothing else. He wasn’t even tempted by any of the ladies that came on to him. In the past, he probably would’ve jumped at the chance to spend a sexually charged night with any of the women that were there, but not tonight. He was completely focused on Jess.
Benny watched as two o’clock came and Jess cashed out. She shoved her tips into the front pocket of her jeans and disappeared down the hall where the office was. She came back a moment later with her purse over her shoulder and headed for the door, without looking around for him.
Benny quickly followed her and gave a chin lift to the bouncer. “I’ve got it. I’ll make sure she’s safe.”
The bouncer nodded, he knew Benny, had seen him around and knew he was a SEAL.
Benny came up next to Jess as she walked into the parking lot. “Can I take you home?”
Jess stopped in the middle of the lot and turned to Kason. “Why are you following me?”
“We’ve already been over this, but I can rehash it if you need me to.”
Jess shook her head impatiently, at the end of her rope. “Look, Kason, I’ve had a bad week. Hell, a bad month, and I don’t need you fucking with me. I’ve seen your friends. I’m too young for all of you. I don’t do one-night stands. I’m not looking for a military guy. I’m broke, crippled, and too tired to deal with whatever it is you want out of me tonight. So just back off and let me go. Okay?”
As if he didn’t hear a word she said, Kason simply said, “Let me take you home.”
Jess sighed and looked down at the ground. She looked back at the bar then turned to Kason. “I usually take the bus.”
“Please.”
“Fuck. All right, Kason. You can take me home.”
Benny took Jess’s elbow in his and steered her the other way to his car. He clicked the locks as they were walking up and opened the door for her. He waited until she was seated before closing the door and walking around to the other side. Still without a word, he started the engine and pulled out of the lot.
“Where to?”
Jess startled. Duh, of course he didn’t know where she lived. “I live in the Pinehurst townhouses over on Sunshine Way. Do you know them?” Jess watched as he nodded.
“Put your head back and close your eyes, gorgeous. Relax. I got this.”
Jess blew out a half laugh and did as Kason said. It wasn’t because he ordered it, it was because she was exhausted. She hurt. She was tired. She was stressed. The small break to let down her guard was unexpected, but appreciated.
Jess felt the car slow after a while, then stop. She opened her eyes and started in surprise. They weren’t at her place.
“Where the hell are we?” She demanded.
Benny turned in his seat so he was facing Jess. He’d driven to a local park that he knew wasn’t too seedy, and parked the car. He was going to talk to her whether she wanted to or not.
“I know we don’t really know each other, but you need a friend, Jess, and I’m it. I’m not fucking with you. You aren’t too young for me. Hell, we’re probably only like five years apart in age. I’m not looking for a one-night stand with you, I don’t give a damn how much money you have and you aren’t fucking crippled. If I hear you say that about yourself one more time, I’m gonna take you over my knee. And you’ll never be too tired to let me be a sympathetic ear for you. That’s what I want. Now talk.”
Jess just looked at Kason for a beat, thinking back to what she’d said to him in the parking lot of the bar. “Did you really just address every single thing I said earlier? How did you remember all of it?”
“Jess, focus.”
“I am focused, Kason!” Jess exclaimed. “Seriously! That was impressive.”
“Did you hear what I said?”
Jess nodded and rubbed her temples. “Yeah. I’m sorry. I was being honest when I said I’d had a bad day. I’m sorry for being a bitch.”
“You aren’t a bitch.”
“I can be.”
“I have no doubt.” Jess watched as Kason chuckled. “All of my friend’s women can be. It’s not a big deal. But I meant what I said earlier tonight. I’m worried about you. Talk to me. Please?”
“I don’t know what you want me to say. I feel awkward.” Jess picked at a thread hanging off the bottom of her shirt. “I’m not in the habit of spilling all my problems to people I don’t know.”
“I’m Kason. I’m a Navy SEAL. I’ve been in the Navy for about ten years. I love my friends. I’d give my life for any one of them and the same goes for their women. I love to cook and I’m good at it. I can pick a lock faster than anyone else on my team. I hate my nickname, but the guys won’t change it. It’s an inside joke between us now. Hell, if they did let me change it, I probably wouldn’t. My favorite color is brown. I’d love to own a piece of land someday where I could go days without seeing anyone. Most of the time I don’t like people, they’re rude and conceited and self-absorbed. I’ve seen more shit in my lifetime than any person has a right to. I love dogs and hope to have at least four when I get my piece of land somewhere. I’ll always be a bit rough around the edges, but if I ever find a woman who can put up with me, I’ll put her first in all things in my life. I’ve seen how my teammates are with their women and I want what they have. I’m the odd man out on my SEAL team right now and I hate it. I’ve been thinking about transferring, but haven’t told any of them yet.”
He stopped talking and Jess just stared at him. Finally she whispered, “Why did you tell me all that?”
“I want to get to know you, Jess. I’m spilling my guts to you in the hopes it’ll make you
feel less awkward and so you’ll talk to me about what the hell is going on with you.”
Jess licked her lips and picked at her thumbnail. She thought about what Kason had said. He really had shared some pretty personal stuff with her.
“Jess,” Benny said taking hold of one of her hands so she had to stop picking at her fingernail. “Look at me.”
When she did, Benny continued. “I consider us friends. We’ve known each other for a while now. We might not be the type of friends to go and get a manicure together and spend all day shopping, but I’ve seen you around enough to know when something is different. Let me help. Or at least let it out. It’ll help. I promise.”
Jess sighed. She loved the feel of her hand in his, but knew she couldn’t get used to it. She decided to copy him, but start with the easy stuff first.
“My name is Jessyka . . . spelled y-k-a, not i-c-a. I think my parents were drunk when they filled out the birth certificate.” She smiled so he’d know she was kidding. “I grew up around LA and my parents are now living the high life in Florida. I like the color pink and I love dogs, especially hounds. I want a basset hound, a bloodhound, and a coonhound when I can get a place of my own. I’m currently a waitress and I make crap money at it, but interestingly enough, I like it. I meet lots of neat people.” She smiled at Kason, but stopped talking. Now for the hard stuff.
“It’s my roommate.”
Benny sighed in relief. Thank God, she was talking to him about what was really bothering her. He loved hearing more about Jess and her life, but he wanted to know more about what was going on with her. Hopefully he’d have time to get more into the easy stuff later. “What about her?”
“Not her, him.”
Benny tensed. A guy? She was living with a guy? He knew there was a guy involved somehow, but she was living with him? Fuck. “Go on. What about him?”
“Long story short, we met in high school, started dating while we were taking classes. After we graduated, we stopped dating, but were friends. I moved in with him because I needed a place to stay and he didn’t seem to care. We’re . . . having issues now.”