Jobe: Alvarez Security Series

by Maryann Jordan

  “What does this mean for us?” Tony inquired.

  “The Richland police are stepping up their surveillance, presence in the gang infested communities, even some that are undercover, trying to get information. Tito’s smart but not infallible. He’ll make a mistake and we want to be there when he does. We’re hoping to put more pressure on the Kings as well, to maybe discourage them from doing as much business with the Sixers,” Matt said.

  “But that money is a big pull,” Shane admitted. He looked around the table at Tony’s group, his gaze landing on Jobe. “Gotta tell you, the center that Mackenna runs is a concern. And she’s not the only one. There are at least four other centers in the city that need someone to keep an extra eye on because they offer gang alternative places to be.”

  “We just got the last of the security cameras up on those locations that you gave us,” Gabe announced. “That’s what we did today.”

  Matt nodded, “Appreciate it, man.”

  Jobe’s jaw ached with the pressure of clenching his teeth and with each comment he could feel his anger ratcheting up. Finally he said, “You gotta know this shit’s killing me.”

  Vinny, sitting next to him, clapped him on the shoulder, promising, “Nothing’s gonna happen to her. We got this. We got her.”

  Jobe turned on his friend and growled, “No disrespect, bro, what about Annalissa? We thought we had her too and your fiancé almost died before you could get to her.” His eyes moved to the others, including Lily. “I could keep going, but you know what I’m saying.” Immediately, understanding passed over every one of their faces. Most all of them had been in the same situation—trying to protect the woman they loved…and almost failing.

  “Any chance she’ll stop working?” Shane asked.

  Hanging his head, Jobe asked back, “For how long?” There was no response. “I mean, drugs and gun running and gangs have been around for a fucking long time. You think this mess with Tito is going to just go away because we’re all watching them? I don’t see that happening. This scares the shit outta me, but my girl’s got a career where she’s trying to help. Trying to fight for other women who don’t feel like they’ve got anyone in their corner. You think she’s gonna just walk away from that?” He hung his head, emotions flying through him as his hands balled into fists on the table.

  Sucking in a deep breath before letting it out slowly, he lifted his gaze to his friends and said in a calmer voice, “I want to march home right now and order her to quit. The idea of losing her or the baby is unthinkable to me.” Swallowing loudly, he continued, “But I gotta work with this. Through this. I…I…just don’t have a fucking clue how.”

  Tony, taking charge as always, said, “Not this time, bro. We got this.” Looking at Shane and Matt, he said, “You know we’ll help the chief as much as we can, but we’ve got the surveillance cameras in place on some of the gang hangouts for the police to monitor, and,” he looked over at Jack, “you’ve got the task from the Governor to try to take them on. But for us,” he returned his gaze back to Jobe, “our primary job is to ensure the safety of New Beginnings and Mackenna.” Then looking around the table at the rest of his crew, he reiterated, “That is the mission of Alvarez Security in this matter.”

  Jobe felt the sting of tears hit the back of his eyes, and he swallowed several times to bring himself under control. Under control. Fuck, that was the whole reason I broke up with her in the first place…feeling out of control. Taking a shaky breath, he knew the friends around the table knew what this meant to him, and he nodded to each of them as the meeting dispersed.

  Driving home, anxious to pull her in close, the words of Tony rang over and over in his ears. “We got this.” Yeah he thought, I got this.

  Chapter 19

  Walking into their apartment, Jobe once again saw Mackenna in the kitchen pulling out plates. She smiled at him as he tossed his keys and some bags onto the breakfast bar and made his way around toward her. Her long hair fell softly down her back and he wanted to run his fingers through it. His gaze did a body scan, from her old, faded, tight t-shirt to her form-fitting yoga pants, down to her pink painted toenails. As his eyes made their way back up, they rested on her flat stomach.

  “How ya doing, doll?” he asked gently as he closed the distance between them, taking her in his arms.

  “I’m great,” she replied, her smile touching his heart as he tucked her head against his chest. She leaned way back to stare at him, her eyes twinkling as she said, “I’m glad you called to say you were bringing Chinese. I’m starved and hated the idea of cooking tonight.”

  He leaned down to kiss her nose, saying, “Anytime either of us doesn’t want to cook, we order out. Simple as that.”

  “I did put plates out so that it’ll seem more like dinner.”

  He chuckled as he let her go so that he could grab the takeout food and they sat at the table to eat. He wondered how to bring up his concerns, afraid that she would feel as though he were trying to run her life. But dammit, we’ve got a baby to consider.

  As she grabbed their plates to take to the sink, she stared at him. “Are you going to tell me what’s on your mind or are you just going to scowl all night?”

  Caught off guard, he looked up in surprise, a guilty expression on his face. Laughing as he stood, he grabbed her hand and gently tugged her into the living room. Sitting down on the sofa, he settled her on his lap, her back against the arm and her legs draped along the pillows.

  “I was just wondering about…you know…plans. Your plans. Well, I mean our plans.”

  “Plans? Honey, what kind of plans?”

  Looking around evasively, he said, “Well, like this place? Do you want to stay here or find a house? Do you still want to tell our parents together this weekend? I want us to get married as soon as we can, so have you thought about that anymore? Have you thought about a replacement for when you’re on maternity leave? In fact, have you thought about quitting once you have the baby? Or maybe before?”

  The smile that had been growing as she listened to his questions slowly fell from her face. “Jobe, I’m not quitting my job! What on earth made you think of that?”

  “Because you’re in danger. The whole fucking place is in danger and I’m not going to go through what all my friends did.”

  She pushed against his chest in an effort to move back, but his arms held firm. Huffing, she glared as he continued.

  “I wasn’t willing to take a chance with just you and I’m sure as hell not going to now that you’re carrying my baby.”

  “Well, my quitting isn’t going to happen, so you can get that idea out of your head.”

  “Mackenna, you’re being unreasonable,” he growled.

  “Me? Me? I’m being unreasonable? Jobe, you’re asking me to quit my job. This isn’t how a relationship works. You can’t just pull the macho, ‘I’m the man so we’ll do it my way’ act.”

  Sucking in a deep breath, his jaw tight with frustration, he said, “I’m not trying to argue or take over. I had a bunch of concerns and you jumped on this one.”

  “Okay, fine. Let’s talk about the others. No, I don’t think we need to move right now. A baby can have everything they require right here and doesn’t need a house yet. My mom’s downstairs and we can turn the study into a nursery for now. Down the road, we can move.” She glared then said, “There. Does that make you happier?”

  Hell, I went about this all wrong. How the fuck do I make this right? he wondered. The silence poured over them, each stewing in their own frustration.

  She watched him struggle with his emotions and then finally lay his head back on the sofa to stare at the ceiling. Looking away, she allowed her eyes to move about the room. The table still loaded with the boxes of Chinese food that he so thoughtfully brought home. The shelf over the flat screen TV that now held silver picture frames of them—some recent and a few from their lives years before. She glanced at the coat rack that stood by the front door holding his leather jacket snuggled ne
xt to her woolen coat. This place represented both of them. What they have as a couple. Who they are together. I don’t want him changing me, but I can’t ask him to be less than who he is, she realized.

  Turning her head back to his, she leaned forward and kissed his stubble covered neck. He lowered his head, his eyes on hers in question.

  “I’m sorry, Jobe,” she said softly. “I don’t want to argue.”

  “I don’t want to either,” he replied, capturing her lips in a gentle kiss.

  “I really do want to stay here for now and have us buy a house later when the baby is bigger or we have another one.”

  That thought brought a smile to his lips as the future lay before him. “I’d like that. Both. Have lots of children and wait to buy a house.”

  “And as far as our parents go,” she continued, “let’s get them all together this weekend and tell them then. Do you think you can get your parents to have everyone over without them getting suspicious?”

  Chuckling, he replied, “Babe? My mom need an excuse to get the whole family together? Not a problem.”

  She felt his chest rumble against her side as he laughed. Loving the feel as much as the sound, she relaxed in his arms as they tightened around her.

  He kissed her once more, this time with more of a promise of things to come. “What about getting married? I want to as quickly as possible but know that these things take time.”

  Mackenna sat quietly in thought and he began to worry about what was on her mind. She finally lifted her gaze to him, licking her lips nervously.

  “Um, I was thinking a lot about this and I really need you to hear me out, okay Jobe?”

  His heart pounded as he grew fearful of what she was going to say. “Okay. I’m listening.”

  “Well, here’s the thing. I…I don’t need a big wedding. I know that years ago we were planning a huge wedding with all the trimmings. You know, princess dress and veil, big church, everyone we knew, big reception.” Her voice choked, “Dad walking me down the aisle. All that.”

  A tear escaped, and his heart broke knowing that his stupidity had kept her from that dream. Wiping the tear with his rough thumb, he said, “Baby, I’m so sorry—”

  She quickly interrupted, “Oh no, I’m not looking for an apology. Please let me finish.”

  He nodded, so she continued. “Five years ago that was important to me. The wedding that, when you’re a little girl, you dream about. But now life is so different. Those things just aren’t important to me anymore.”

  Wanting to take away his confusion, she plunged ahead. “Jobe, I just want to be married to you. That’s it. Period. That’s all I want. No big wedding. No big, expensive reception. Just you, me, our families and a few friends. We can even go to the Justice of the Peace if you want.” Grabbing his face in her hands, she said, “Are you getting this, honey. I just want you. Just married. That’s all. And if you want to do it this weekend when we tell our parents then that’s fine too.”

  Before he could respond, she pulled him in all the way, her lips melding with his. She moved her mouth over his, knowing the taste, the feel, the sensations that always engulfed her when they kissed. He allowed her to take charge for a moment, her words resounding in his head. “I just want you. Just married. That’s all.”

  As the realization washed over him that she was his—truly, passionately, wholly his—he pulled her tighter and took over the kiss. Angling her head for maximum contact, he thrust his tongue into her mouth, tasting every inch.

  His hand moved from cupping her face to slowly sliding down her arm to the bottom of her shirt. Grasping the material he peeled it off of her gently, dropping it to the floor. The creamy skin of her breasts spilled out of the top of her lacy bra and he trailed his lips from hers as he kissed his way tortuously down her neck into her cleavage.

  Mackenna’s head fell back as her skin came alive from his lips. He reached behind and with a flip of his fingers her bra was unsnapped and she shifted her body so that the scrap of material could slide down her arms and join her shirt on the floor.

  Standing with her in his arms, Jobe strode toward the bedroom, his lips fused once more to hers. Reaching the bed, she was lowered to the mattress when he finally halted the kiss. Standing over her, he tugged her pants down past her hips, snagging her panties as he went. With her body now naked for his perusal, he leaned over, resting his weight on one hand as he admired her perfection.

  Her rosy tipped nipples beckoned and he obliged. Sucking one deeply into his mouth, he halted when she jumped. “Was I too hard, doll?” he murmured.

  “Ummm,” she replied. “No, they’re just sensitive. More so than usual.”

  Realizing that her pregnant body was already responding differently, he moved back to her breasts, this time licking her nipples before sucking gently on them. She writhed underneath his ministration, feeling each pull on her breasts send a jolt to her womb.

  She smiled in delight as he stood up before grabbing her ankles to pull her to the side of the bed. She raised her head to watch as he laid a trail of open-mouth, wet kisses from her breasts down her stomach, ending between her legs. Her legs spread wide, he feasted on her wet folds, sliding his tongue deep inside. She tastes sweeter than anything I could have imagined.

  Her head fell back on the bed as the sensations swept over her, threatening to drown her in their intensity. Her pussy throbbed as his tongue continued its thrusts. She began to rock her hips up seeking more contact, more pressure, more…anything.

  He chuckled, placing his large hand on her hips to keep her still. He continued to lick her folds, pressing his tongue inside her pussy, then moved up slightly to pull her clit into his mouth. His hand slipped up towards her breasts, lightly pinching a nipple at the same time.

  She cried out as her world exploded in a shower of sensations, sparks flying out from her core in all directions. He lapped up her juices as the orgasm created the flow he had been waiting for. She lay boneless, not sure she could move until he stood and leaned over her, dragging her body up higher on the bed. Lifting herself up, she admired the physique towering over her. She would never get tired of seeing him naked, his muscular body proudly on display. Over six feet of sinew honed from years in the military. His six-pack abs led downward to his massive legs, with his cock standing out ready to meld his body with hers.

  He crawled up her body. With the scent of her sex filling the air, he nipped at her still flat stomach and suckled her breasts gently. Lowering his hips between her legs, his dick strained to enter her as though it had a mind of its own. Jobe gazed down at the face of the woman he loved, marveling that such a perfect creature wanted him. Her eyes were closed allowing her thick lashes to touch her cheeks. Her pale complexion was reflected in the moonlight shining through the windows. Her shiny mass of thick hair laying on the pillow.

  “Eyes, babe,” he softly ordered. She smiled as her eyes opened and her gaze met his.

  “Love you, Mackenna. You’ve got my heart,” he whispered.

  “You have all of me, soldier-boy. Always.”

  With that, he plunged his straining cock deep inside her, fully seating himself in one thrust. Her hips moved upwards to meet his as his thrusts became more forceful. With wild abandon, he pumped furiously inside as though reaching a secret place inside of her that he wanted to touch. With that intensity, it did not take long until she was screaming his name as her climax roared through her.

  He pumped until her pussy had stopped milking him, then he quickly pulled out much to her dismay. Before she could question him, he flipped her over onto her stomach and grasped her hips to pull them up and back.

  “On your knees, babe,” he ordered, voice raspy with need, as he placed a pillow under her hips.

  She quickly obeyed, desperate for his cock again. He held a handful of her hair in one hand, pulling gently as he slid his fingers back through her drenched folds, giving her clit a light pinch. Immediately, she felt her pussy clench and moisture pooled again.
She moaned involuntarily, and he leaned over her back.

  “Is that okay, babe?” he asked, wanting to make sure she was comfortable.

  Moaning in pleasure was the only answer she was able to give, and he just chuckled again as he thrust his engorged dick into her waiting core.

  This angle brought new sensations and she felt as though her world was tipping on its axis. His fingers gripped her hips, digging in to hold her as he pounded in fiercely.

  She rocked back and forth as his body dove into hers, over and over. She loved the friction inside but wanted to feel the sensations on her clit. Slowly moving her hand down between her legs, she fingered herself.

  “Oh, babe. Seeing you touch yourself is gonna make me harder,” he panted, between thrusts.

  Sliding her fingers back to her clit, she rubbed and pulled on the swollen nub, feeling herself race to the end, desperate for the finish line.

  Wanting her to come again before he did, he reached around tugging gently on her sensitive nipple, sending her moaning.

  “Are you close, babe?” he asked roughly.

  “Yes,” she panted. “Yes, yes.” The gripping sensations from her pussy were sending sparks outward as the pressure began to build. Like a volcano that needed to erupt, she was so close, straining to find her release. Her hands went back to the bed as his hard thrusts pushed her forward.

  Her pussy convulsed around his cock, and with a few more thrusts he felt himself give over to his own release. Head thrown back, thick neck muscles straining, he pulsated into her waiting body, experiencing a release unlike one he had ever felt in his life.

  They both fell forward onto the bed, his large body completely covering hers. Sweating and breathing heavily, Jobe had never felt so sated in his life. Awareness slowly came back, and he realized that Mackenna was crushed under him.

  Rolling to the side, he pulled her gently to him. “Babe, sorry. Didn’t mean to crush you. You okay?” He brushed her hair away from her beautiful face, peering deeply into her eyes. What he saw stunned him.