My heart starts racing when Bo glances in my direction.
“Yeah, it does,” I murmur, keeping my eyes on Faith. I don’t want to see Bo’s expression for fear of what it might be.
Excusing myself, I leave the room in need of a shower. Living with Bo will likely be a disaster. The less I am around him the better for now. He wants answers that I don’t know how to give.
Bo had sat my suitcase in Faith’s room. As I am digging for some pajamas, I hear Bo and Faith talking in hushed tones.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Bo scolds her.
“Don’t even act like you don’t know. We’ve talked about this.”
“Skinny dipping, Faith. Really?” I can imagine the look on his face.
Faith bursts out laughing. That little wench. “I have to admit, I’m good,” she gloats. Silence blankets the room and I wish I could see their faces to know what they are thinking. After a few moments of silence and possibly Bo’s expression, Faith asks, “Have you ever seen her naked?”
“No,” he simply says.
“Oh, well, you will tomorrow. You can thank me now.” My best friend is a traitor.
“I have no words right now, Faith.” Me either, Bo. “Listen, I need to run and help Dad with something real quick. I’ll be back within an hour.”
“Okay, we’ll be fine. Go,” Faith says, shooing him out the door.
Once I have everything I need, I tiptoe to the bathroom and turn on the water. I peel off my clothes and gaze at myself in the mirror. Would Bo like what he sees? What if he’s disappointed in my figure? I still have some more pounds to gain to look healthy again.
My phone buzzes on the counter and I almost ignore it. When I read the text, I wish I had. A sob breaks free, and my hand shoots out to the counter for support. I knew my past would catch up with me.
Stepping into the shower, I let the water wash over me as I stand there and cry.
40
Bo
My phone buzzes in my pocket so I reach for it and pull it out. I haven’t been gone long from the house and I have a gut twisting feeling that something is wrong.
“Is everything okay?” I ask, worried.
“Bo, I don’t know what happened, but Jess is freaking out. She’s upset and scared about something and I can’t understand what she is saying. I hate to ask you since I know you need to work, but she’s worrying me.”
“I’ll be right there.” I hang up and run to my truck. Thankfully, I wasn’t far out in the field today.
My mind is racing, trying to figure out what or who could have upset Jess.
When I reach the house, I throw my truck in park and hop out, leaving my truck running in case I need to go beat someone’s ass.
Turning the knob, I open the door and rush in. Faith is sitting on the couch with a worried look in her eyes. “Where is she?”
“In the shower. I don’t know what happened, Bo. She’s been in the shower a while and all of a sudden I heard hysterically crying, so I went and asked her what’s wrong and she started saying things I couldn’t understand. The only thing I caught out of everything she said was, ‘I need to get clean.’ That’s it, and I instantly thought of Craig and Ryan.”
Motherfuckers are dead if they have so much as contacted her. “Are you okay?” I ask, still worried about her.
Faith rolls her eyes. “I’m fine. Jess needs you right now.”
Toeing off my boots, I place my phone and keys on the coffee table before going in.
I can hear Jess’ cries in the hall and it’s killing me. Closing the door quietly behind me, I take the two steps to the shower and climb in. Jess is facing the tile, leaning against it.
“Come here, Jess,” I murmur softly, making her jump. When she doesn’t move, I place my hands on her shoulders and turn her to me, pulling her against my chest. “I’ve got you.”
I hold her tight as she clings to me. I’m glad she isn’t pulling away because it means she’s growing more comfortable around me.
“He’s going to come after me, Bo!” she cries.
“Who, Jess?”
“Craig!”
Fuck! “How do you know he’s coming after you?”
“He texted me,” she whimpers.
I tighten my arms around her and kiss her hair. “I’m not going to let him touch you. He’s not getting anywhere near you, you hear me?”
“I’m scared, Bo!”
“I’ll protect you,” I vow.
We stay in the shower until the water turns ice cold. I don’t think Jess has realized that her naked body is pressed against mine. If she had, she would have freaked out and made me leave. Jess is still clinging to me when I shut off the water so I cradle her in my arms and step out of the shower.
Jess looks lost as I set her on her feet. Grabbing a towel, I wrap it around her. “Come back to me, Jess,” I whisper in her ear.
She snaps out of the trance she was in and her eyes flick up to mine. It’s the first time she’s looked at me. I’m prepared for her to push me away and yell at me, but what I am not prepared for is for her to quietly walk out of the bathroom.
I follow behind her, wanting her to talk to me. She says he texted her. I want to get his number and call him myself.
She tries to slam the bedroom door in my face, but I hold my hand up to stop it. We aren’t through talking yet. She can try and shut me out now, but it’s too late.
“Let me see the text,” I tell her as calm as I can.
Jess picks up her phone off the bed and stares at it a moment before handing it over to me.
Unlocking the screen, I read the words and their underlying message.
I’m coming to get what’s mine.
What Jess hasn’t told me is that it’s not the first time he’s texted her. The messages started a few days ago and she hasn’t said a word to anyone.
“Why didn’t you tell me that he has threatened you before?”
“There were other things more important going on.”
I shake my head, scrubbing my hands with my face. She doesn’t understand. “It doesn’t matter what all is going on, Jess. What matters is your safety!”
“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything. I thought they were empty threats until I received this one.”
I believe her, but it still pisses me off that she wouldn’t tell one of us, mainly me. “Empty threats or not, Jess, this needs to be stopped.”
Hitting the call button, I put the phone to my ear and wait for the piece of shit to pick up.
“Baby girl changed her mind, didn’t she,” he answers, pissing me off even more.
“Listen here you piece of shit. You will not get near her. Do I make myself clear?”
The fucker laughs like he thinks I am joking. “I’ll be there in a few hours. You tell Jess that I am getting what is owed to me. Do I make myself clear?” He hangs, up preventing me from blowing him out.
Pocketing her phone, I look at Jess’ worried expression. I’m sure she heard what he said. “Pack a bag for you and Faith,” I order her.
Leaving her in the bedroom, I stalk over to my phone and pick it up. I call for backup. “J, I need your help. Get to my house ASAP.”
“I’ll be there,” he says, no questions asked.
My plan is to have Faith stay with my parents tonight, along with Cassie and Ella so J and I know they are protected. J is going to drive Jess out of town for the night while I deal with Craig. Jess won’t be happy, but I expect Craig will search for her in more than one place. Brilliant is a very small town so it won’t take him long to look.
I call Dad next and fill him in on what’s happening so he won’t be blindsided if Craig stops at their house. I don’t know where all Craig knows to look, but I’m not taking any chances. Dad is putting an officer inside the house with me to make sure I am safe. Dad may not be chief anymore, but he still has his connections. Only my truck and Jess’ car will be in the drive since the officer will be dropped off.
J arrives minutes later and I fill
him in on my plan. “Why don’t you take Jess? He’ll expect you to be here waiting on him.”
I guess I could, but I want to watch him get arrested for trespassing on my property. J also wants to be close to his wife and daughter, and I can’t blame him for that. “Fine, okay, but I want to know everything. Keep me updated.”
Rushing into my room, I throw some clothes into a bag along with some toiletries. In five minutes, I am packed and ready to get Jess away from here. Will she go with me? Who the hell knows, but I’m doing it to keep her safe so she will need to swallow her pride and ride with me. I haven’t figured out where we are going yet. I’ll probably drive far enough away from here until I think it’s safe.
“You girls ready?” I ask Jess and Faith, who both nod. “I’m going to take your bags to the truck first.”
I hate we are having to move Faith. She needs to be resting, not worrying about what is going to happen.
I toss the bags into the backseat. J walks up with a determined look in his eyes. “Motherfucker messed with the wrong family,” he growls as he retrieves his shotgun from the truck.
Jess may not be part of the family by blood, but everyone considers her family and the worst thing a man can do is put his hands on a woman, especially if she doesn’t want to be touched. I had to talk myself out of driving to Miami to beat Craig and Ryan’s asses after I found out. Jess thinks she’s tainted now, but I know she isn’t. She may have lost her way and done stupid shit that she regrets, but she isn’t dirty or something to toss away. No, she’s still beautiful and perfect in my eyes. She doesn’t know I know she thinks that way about herself. I overheard a conversation between her and Cassie one day. I can show her just how beautiful she is if she would let me.
I don’t know if Ryan will be with him or not, Craig didn’t mention him. Plus, Ryan knows what I am capable of so surely he wouldn’t be stupid enough to come here.
“Part of me wishes I could stay here for when he shows up,” I say to J.
J places his hand on my shoulder. “Listen, you and Jess need this time alone to talk, to figure things out. That’s why you are driving her instead of me. And I know you would also want to be the one to make sure she’s safe, too.”
He’s right, I do want to be the one to protect her. “The last time I talked to her, I told her I loved her and she hasn’t spoken to me much since.” We’ve had a few short conversations here and there, but other than that, she remains quiet around me.
“Make her talk, lay it all out for her to think about. She’ll eventually talk because I know there are things she wants to tell you. There has to be.”
I can’t force the words to come out of her mouth, but maybe J is right. Maybe she will get some stuff off her chest. “I’ll try,” I promise him. It’s all I can do.
J slaps my shoulder again. “Good. Now that we have that settled, let’s get Faith out of here.”
Jess
My stomach is in a thousand knots as I wait for Bo to tell me what he has planned. All he told me earlier was to pack a bag, nothing else. Earlier during my breakdown, I didn’t think about being naked in Bo’s arms. Now, the memory of him holding and whispering soothing words in my ear will be forever etched into my memory. The way he held me, the gentle way he took care of me is something I will never forget. I have so much that I wish I had the courage to tell him. He deserves to know how I feel about him.
Faith is beside me, holding my hand. I hate she is getting involved in this mess again, especially now. “It’s going to be okay, Jess. Breathe.”
My body is wound up so tight because I am scared of what will happen.
Bo and J walk inside the house, stopping in front of us. I wait with bated breath to hear what the plan is.
“I’m going to let you girls know real quick what’s happening before we hurry and get you both out of here. Faith is going to my mom and dad’s and Jess will be with me.” He pauses, his eyes cutting to me, waiting for a reaction. I hadn’t expected to be with Bo. “I will drive Jess out of town until I know it’s safe for her to come back.”
Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I try not to think about being alone with Bo.
“Jess, I need to borrow your phone,” Bo says, holding his hand out. I pass it over to him and watch as he scrolls through the phone before putting it to his ear.
Oh no! He’s calling Craig again. Why is he calling him? Bo is going to piss him off even more and make this situation worse!
Bo struts away with my phone so I can’t hear what he is saying to Craig. He’s gone for a couple minutes, and when he returns, he looks madder than hell.
“J help me get Faith to the truck,” he orders.
“I am capable of walking, Bo,” she fires back. Faith gets up and begins to head to Bo’s truck. J falls in step with her to make sure she’s okay, walking with her.
Bo crosses the room to me with a look in his eye that makes my heart race. He takes my hand, pulling me to my feet. One hand rests on my hip while the other hand cups my cheek. Bo hasn’t looked at me in an intimate way since we made love that night at his house. That moment feels like a lifetime ago.
He doesn’t say anything as his thumb pads over my cheek, before brushing over the seam of my lips.
I wait for him to utter a word, anything to let me know what he is thinking. But he doesn’t. He slowly drops his hands and backs away.
Hurt by his silence, I follow him out and climb in the truck. Faith gives me a knowing look, but I don’t acknowledge it.
We ride in silence as Bo drives us to his parent’s house to drop off Faith. We aren’t there long before Bo and I are on the road again. This time alone. Faith hugged me tightly before she got out of the truck and whispered, “Talk to him,” in my ear.
“I’ll try,” I promise her. That’s the best I can offer.
41
Bo
The radio fills the silence surrounding us. Jess stares out the window, keeping her hands folded in her lap. Her silence is bugging the shit out of me. “Why do you act so differently around me? You hardly talk to me and you barely look at me. Why, Jess?”
She whips her head around to look at me, her hands fidgeting in her lap. “The truth is that I’m scared to see looks of disgust in your eyes. I’m not the girl I used to be. She’s long gone and I couldn’t bear it if you looked at me differently.” She breathes deeply like she’s afraid to be honest with me.
I cut my eyes over at her for a split second. “Jess, I need you to look at me.” Glancing over at her, I make sure she is. “Listen, while I can’t look at you in the eye and tell you right now, I need you to trust that I am telling you the truth.” I pause to take her hand in mine. She doesn’t pull her hand away so I link our fingers. “I don’t care if you aren’t the same girl you were in high school. All I care about is who you are now. We all make mistakes, Jess. That doesn’t mean that I will be disgusted by you. You have to give me a chance, Jess.”
“There are some things you don’t know, Bo.”
“Then tell me. I’ll drive and listen, while you talk to me, but I promise you, Jess, it’s not going to make me see you differently.”
For a minute, I think she’s going to change her mind, but then she starts. Holy shit, she’s actually talking to me!
I listen intently as she begins with why she spiraled so low. It is hard sitting here listening to her bare her soul to me. Using sex with Ryan to numb the pain. Stripping. Why she changed her hair. She tells me everything.
She’s crying by the time she is finished and I want to hold her and wrap my arm around her. Letting go of her hand, I lift the console separating us. “Scoot over,” I tell her.
She unbuckles and moves to the middle seat, laying her head on my shoulder. I let my arm drape around her shoulders and kiss her temple. “You are so strong, you know that?”
“I don’t feel like I am,” she murmurs quietly.
We’ve been driving for over an hour now and I feel it’s safe to stop, so I find the next hot
el I see and pull in. Jess starts to pull away so I tighten my arm around her. I need to make a phone call first.
“Yo, bro. Where are y’all at?” J greets.
“A little over an hour from home. How are things there?”
“Good. Quiet. No sign of him yet.”
Maybe he is bluffing.
“Okay, keep me updated.”
“Will do, bro.”
I hang up with J and climb out of the truck. While Jess climbs out, I grab our bags. She falls in step beside me, her hand reaching up and holding onto my arm. I like that she feels more comfortable around me.
We check in and head up to our room. Her hand is still clasped around my bicep. As soon as we enter the room, I drop the bags to the floor and spin her around to face me, my mouth immediately on hers. God, she tastes like heaven. I’m addicted to her lips like they’re fucking crack.
I push her arms around my neck, before letting them slide down her body, resting on her hips. I press my body against hers, wanting her to feel what she does to me, wanting her to feel how much I want her.
Breaking the kiss, I lift her in my arms and carry her to the bed, laying her on her back. “Before we go any further, I want you to know one thing.” Her breath hitches as she waits for me to tell her, fearing the worst. “I love you,” I breathe. “I should have told you that night I made love to you, but I didn’t.”
Tears brim her eyes as she cups my cheeks. “My biggest regret is pushing you away when I should have been in your arms. Even during my darkest days, I still loved you. I love you more than I ever thought was possible.”
“God, I have been waiting to hear you say that.”
As we tear off each other’s clothes, I silently vow to forever make her feel special. I now realize I wasn’t ever afraid of commitment, I was afraid of loving Jess and then losing her.
She’s my forever. The future I never thought I wanted. Everything is suddenly so clear now. All of this hurt we’ve been through could have never happened if I had pulled her close instead of pushing her away in the beginning.
Holding on for you (Saved #2) Page 16