by Elle James
RJ brought JoJo half a sandwich. “It’s your favorite. Swiss cheese and pastrami.”
JoJo smiled up at RJ. “You’re going to spoil me.”
“Only if you let me.” RJ perched on the edge of JoJo’s couch and leaned close to JoJo’s ear. “I spoke to Hank,” she whispered.
JoJo shot a look up at her. “And?”
“And he said he’d check into it.”
“Thanks,” JoJo said. RJ’s news should’ve given her some sense of relief. Instead, it made her tense.
Max must have felt her stiffening beside him. He held out his hand palm up.
Without hesitation, she placed her hand in his. He closed his fingers around hers gently. That little bit of reassurance went a long way. She relaxed a little and sipped her hot cocoa, sucking one of the little marshmallows into her mouth. It reminded her of a time long ago when she and RJ would sit up until late into the night in RJ’s bedroom with their hot cocoa that Gunny had made from scratch. RJ may not have grown up with her mother, but Gunny had done everything in his power, and in his Marine way, to give her a happy childhood.
Having been raised by a single mom, JoJo understood the difficulties of single parenthood that Gunny had faced. Only it was worse for Gunny because he’d had to occasionally deploy. Which meant that RJ spent time living with her grandparents while her father fought on the other side of the world for twelve to fourteen months at a time.
JoJo had felt lucky that her mother wasn’t active military, but she still hadn’t seen much of her mother because the woman had to work two jobs just to put enough money in their accounts to pay the rent and put food on the table, which made JoJo a latchkey child.
She’d learned to cook meals at the age of nine, and she’d taken care of all the household chores, including washing dishes, laundry and mopping floors. But when her chores were done, she was allowed to escape to RJ’s house, where she, too, was a latchkey child when Gunny had to work long hours.
They’d formed a special bond during their teenage years. JoJo valued her friendship with RJ, and she loved that Gunny had taken her in when her own mother had died in a car wreck coming back from her second job, right before their high school graduation. Gunny and RJ had seen her through some of the worst days of her life with the sudden passing of her mother. She didn’t know what she would’ve done if she hadn’t had them to hold her up. And once again, they were holding her up.
RJ sat next to Jake on one of the other leather sofas.
Jake sipped on his hot cocoa and looked over the top of his mug at Max. “I called Hank and let him know what was going on. He said that if you really think that someone is out to harm JoJo, she should be your first assignment.”
Max’s hand tightened on JoJo’s. “What do you mean?”
JoJo frowned. “Yeah, what do you mean?”
Jake stared across the room at JoJo, his expression serious. “The purpose of the Brotherhood Protectors is to do just that…to protect.”
“Kind of figured that, based on the name,” JoJo said. “But why me? I’m not a paying customer. There’s no way I can afford a bodyguard, no matter how reasonable he might be.”
“When I came on board just a couple of weeks ago, I didn’t know what to expect. Hank had sent one of his guys, Kujo, out to recruit and to set up shop here in Colorado. When Kujo came knocking at my door I didn’t know what to think. I wasn’t sure exactly what they had in mind for me, and since I didn’t have any other job offers lined up for a one-legged man, I thought, what the heck? When RJ was targeted, Kujo and Hank decided that I needed to prove my salt with RJ. My job was to protect her.” A grin spread across his face, and he turned to RJ.
RJ returned his smile with one of her own. “I probably wouldn’t be alive today if it hadn’t been for Hank and Kujo assigning Jake to protect me.” She glanced across at JoJo and Max. “I think it’s a great idea that Max’s first assignment is to protect JoJo.”
JoJo pulled her hand free of Max’s and frowned. “I don’t think I like the idea of being someone’s assignment.”
“If you’re being targeted,” RJ said, “you need somebody to watch your back. I was like you. I thought I could take care of myself. I didn’t think I needed Jake to keep me safe. I was proven wrong. It really does help to have somebody else have your back,” RJ said. “Let Max help you.”
JoJo wasn’t sure she liked the idea of Max being her assigned bodyguard. He’d pretty much been protecting her since the beginning, but that had been out of the goodness of his own heart, not as his assignment. How would he feel about her if she was only his assignment? And why did she care? He had already proven resourceful while protecting her. Then again, somebody seemed to be out to get her. She needed someone to help keep her safe.
Max glanced her way. “What do you say?”
JoJo shrugged. “Whatever.”
Jake clapped his hands together. “Good. Then it’s settled. Max will be JoJo’s security.”
JoJo pushed to her feet. “Well then, let me make it easy on you, I’m going to bed. You can have the night off.” She carried her mug into the kitchen and rinsed it out in the sink. The swinging door squeaked on its hinges, indicating somebody had come into the kitchen behind her. She turned to find Max carrying his mug in as well. He rinsed it and put it in the dishwasher.
“You don’t have to call it a night on my account,” JoJo said.
Max shook his head. “I don’t know about you, but I’m tired. It’s not every day that you get blown up.” He gave her twisted grin. “How are you feeling?”
“I have a little bit of a headache,” she admitted. “And my tailbone is a little bit sore from landing on it. Other than that, I’m all right. What about you?” she asked, her brow furrowing. “You were closer to the explosion than I was.”
Max pressed his palm to his left ear. “Still have a little ringing in my ear. And everybody seems to be talking as if from the far end of a tunnel, but I’m okay.”
She nodded. “I’m glad you weren’t hurt any worse than that. That explosion could’ve ended much worse for both of us.”
He held out his hand. “Ready to call it a night?”
JoJo laid her hand in his, liking the way it felt. “Past ready.”
They left the kitchen and walked back through the great room.
The others were gathering up the items from the hot cocoa bar.
“Goodnight,” RJ called out as they passed by.
“Buenos Noches,” JoJo said and started up the stairs with Max beside her.
When they reached her room, Max’s grip on her hand tightened. “JoJo.”
She stopped with her free hand reaching for the door, her heart fluttering in her chest. He’d kissed her forehead earlier; would he do it again? Did she want him to? Or did she want him to kiss her lips? “Yes, Max?”
“I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, but I’d feel a whole lot better if you left the connecting door between our rooms opened or unlocked.
“You think somebody will attack me here?”
“After what happened today, I don’t want to risk it. Look, you don’t have to,” he said, “but think about it.”
She nodded. “I’ll think about it.” She entered her room and turned in the threshold before she closed the door, “Max?”
“Yes, JoJo?”
She came back out of the room, leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Thank you for saving me today.”
He raised a hand to cup her cheek. “It was my pleasure.” He bent to press his lips to her forehead, only JoJo moved, tipping her head back to capture his mouth with hers.
His lips were soft but firm against hers and every bit as wonderful as she’d imagined. Her pulse quickened, but not out of fear. She stepped closer until her body touched his.
Max gently cupped the back of her head and deepened the kiss.
When she opened to him, he swept in, sliding his tongue along hers.
Max broke the kiss first, stepped back
and let his hands fall to his sides. “I am almost certain kissing the client is not part of the job.” His lips twisted. “Go to bed, JoJo.” He reached around her and pushed her door open.
She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Her cheeks were hot, and her lips tingled. Hell, her entire body tingled. Not only had Max given her hope for a future relationship, but he’d also given her desire.
Chapter 12
Max waited to hear the click of the lock on JoJo’s door before he turned to enter his own room. He paced the short length of the floor from the door to the window several times, too anxious to sleep.
The gas leak in JoJo’s apartment had been no accident. It had to have been arranged. Set up by somebody. Probably the one who had been lurking around her apartment the night before and had tried to get in. He wished he had confronted the man when he’d had a chance instead of just intimidating him into leaving.
At least she was under the same roof as he was, which gave him a better chance of keeping an eye on her. And now that she was his responsibility, his job, his assignment, her safety was his number one priority, and he shouldn’t be kissing her. Not when she was now his client.
Max almost wished that Hank hadn’t assigned him to her, because he sure wanted to kiss her again. He kicked off his shoes, slipped out of his jeans and tossed his T-shirt over the back of a chair. Though he wasn’t sleepy, he lay down on top of the covers in his boxer shorts. Cocking his head toward the adjoining room, he strained to hear any sounds of movement, hoping to hear the sound of the lock turning in the connecting door between the two rooms. Either it was a very silent lock, or JoJo hadn’t unlocked it. He laid with his hands laced behind his neck, staring up at the ceiling and the starlight coming through the window.
Kissing JoJo had been as natural as breathing, only a heck of a lot more exciting. He wanted to do it again. He was surprised that she had initiated it, as skittish as she’d been. He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew he heard someone calling out. It jerked him awake, and he sat up.
A muffled scream had him leaping out of bed and racing for the connecting door between his room and JoJo’s. He prayed she had unlocked it. When he tried the door handle, it opened. He pushed it inward and called out softly, “JoJo?” He heard her moaning and sobbing. The sound was so heart wrenching, it made his chest tighten. He hurried toward her.
She lay in her bed writhing in the sheets. The comforter had fallen to the ground. The sheet had twisted around her body, keeping her from moving freely.
“No,” she murmured. “No. Please, someone help me.”
After having been tossed in the barn, Max was hesitant to touch her. JoJo’s defensive reflex was in good order when she was awake. He wasn’t sure how she’d react in her sleep.
“JoJo,” he called out, “wake up.”
Her head twisted back and forth, and she fought to free her arms from the sheet. “Can’t…breathe,” she said.
“JoJo, sweetheart, please wake up.” He reached out, daring to touch her in her sleep, moving the hair back from her forehead. “JoJo, it’s Max. I’ll help you. But you have to wake up.”
Tears drenched her face. She looked terrified and so small against the big bed. Unable to stand her tears and sobs a moment longer, Max gathered her into his arms and held her close. If she had struggled, he would have quickly let go. He didn’t want his arms to feel like constraints. He worked the sheets loose, allowing her legs and arms free movement. “Breathe,” he whispered. “You can breathe now.”
JoJo drew in a shuddering breath, and when she let it out, it was as if she released the tension with it. She turned her cheek into his chest and wrapped her arm around his middle. For a long time, he sat on the edge of her bed holding her. His heart hurt for her. Whatever she had endured had been indelibly etched into her memories. As her struggles ceased, her breathing smoothed and her sobs subsided.
“You’re going to be okay, JoJo,” he said. “I’m going to make sure you’re taken care of.” He smiled down at her even though her eyes were closed. “After all, you’re my fiancée. You promised to marry me.”
An image of her sitting in the ER on the hospital bed filled his memories. She had been smiling, enjoying his discomfort. He’d do it all again just to see her smile. Her eyes lit up when she did. The entire room lit up when JoJo smiled. She needed more reasons to be happy. He hoped that somewhere along the way he could make her smile again. In the meantime, he was just happy he could hold her through her nightmare. As her breathing deepened, he attempted to slide from under her and return to his room, but as he untangled her arm from around his waist, she whimpered.
“It’s okay,” he said. And brushed her hair back from her forehead. “You’re going to be all right.” Again, he tried to slip out from under her.
Her hand captured his.
“Please,” she said, and her eyes fluttered open. “Don’t go. I don’t want the dreams to return.”
“Try to think of something else. Like kittens, and puppies.”
“And babies,” she whispered.
“And babies,” he agreed. He could imagine a baby of JoJo’s. She’d have dark eyes and jet-black hair just like her mama, and she’d be as beautiful as her mama.
Since she didn’t want him to leave, he slid down until he was lying next to her with her body pulled up against his. His groin tightened, and his pulse increased pace as her leg slid over his and her breasts pressed into his chest.
He swallowed a groan. Lying next to her made him only want to hold her longer and closer, preferably naked. But she didn’t need that now. She needed him to focus on providing comfort not slaking desire.
His body tense, he tried to relax and go to sleep. It was a long time coming before he finally drifted into a disturbed sleep.
He remained half-awake for a while, afraid his body would react to hers, and he would touch her and take advantage of her without being fully conscious of it. And if she had been assaulted, attempting to make love to her would only frighten her.
So, he lay in a half-sleep, half-awake state loving the feel of her next to him and thinking that it was too bad they weren’t really engaged.
* * *
JoJo slept the deepest sleep she’d had since she’d woken up in the hospital in Ramstein, Germany. From the moment Max had gathered her into his arms and lay down beside her on the bed, she’d relaxed. She felt safe in his arms.
She blinked her eyes open to the gray light of dawn, as she nestled snugly in the crook of Max’s arm. Her cheek rested against his bare chest. She listened to the steady beat of his heart, reassuring in its evenness. Her hand rested on the solidness of his abdomen, his warmth seeping into her.
JoJo could’ve closed her eyes and gone back to sleep. Instead she lay there, taking in everything about Max, from his woodsy scent, to the hard planes of his muscles. He’d held her without any hint of sexual intent. Had he made a move on her, she probably would’ve backed away. Now, she lay with her cheek resting on his naked chest, wondering how it would feel to lie naked against his entire body.
Her pulse quickened at the thought, and heat spread from her core outward. What would it feel like to make love with him? Would he be gentle? Would she be receptive? Or would she freeze in the flashbacks of her rape?
His breathing was deep and steady. His eyes closed and his body relaxed. While he slept, light crept into the room. From where she lay, she studied his skin, his muscles and the way his chest rose and fell with each breath. As if of its own accord, her hand moved across his belly and lower.
His muscles twitched beneath her hand.
JoJo froze.
His breathing remained steady, indicating he was still asleep. Unable to resist, she slid her hand even lower. When she reached the elastic band of his boxer shorts, his hand came up and grabbed hers.
“Hey, darling. I don’t want you to start something you can’t finish.”
“What if I want to finish it?” she whispered.
> He chuckled and released her hand. “Knock yourself out.”
Taking a deep breath, she slid her hand beneath the elastic band and immediately encountered the velvety smooth head of his erection. Her breath lodged in her throat. Caught between the excitement of desire and fear, she hesitated.
“Don’t do it if it scares you,” Max said.
“You confronted your fears and came out stronger,” she reminded him.
“Fear of heights is a lot different than whatever’s got you knotted up.” He smoothed a hand over her hair. “Look, JoJo, we barely know each other, but I give you my word I would never hurt you.”
JoJo nodded. “I believe you.” And she did.
“That being said, you need to tell me what you want from me.”
She swallowed hard at the lump in her throat. “I don’t know what I want.”
He slid his hand down her arm. “Sweetheart, I could take you to the very edge and leave you satisfied without ever penetrating you.”
JoJo shivered at the velvety silkiness of his tone. His talk about sex made the heat at her core flame. “What about you?” she asked. “What if I don’t want to…”
He chuckled. “I could be more than satisfied just to see you come apart.”
A shiver of desire rippled through her.
His hand swept up her arm and back down. “I can go as slow or as fast as you want.”
She stilled, her heart beating hard against her chest. “What if I want you to stop?”
He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Then I’ll stop. You’ll be in control. And only you.”
With him touching her body, she doubted that she would be in much control.
“Or we could just lie here and enjoy each other’s company.” His arm tightened slightly around her, and then loosened.
He’d placed no demands on her or her body. Which made touching him even more tempting. “Go slowly,” she whispered, and then held her breath wondering if he’d heard her.