by Jordan Dane
“…you wanted to make a difference. And you have. Believe me, you have.” She nodded and let go of his arm. “I mean, you did. With Mandy.”
For an instant, his eyes softened and his guilt-ridden grief faded long enough for her to imagine he might kiss her again. She held her breath, waiting for that moment. That second chance. But when he didn’t, she saved face by shifting the conversation.
“So…have you reconciled your past with Max? I mean, are you still planning on using that old case file to track down the kids he saved? I know it’s none of my business now, but—”
He stared at her, blinking. The shift in topic had thrown him. He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair.
“I don’t know, Jessie.” He shook his head. “When I found you, I realized you were a strong, capable woman, making it on your own. You didn’t need me. Mandy was different. If I did make a difference with her, maybe I should still pursue this…quest of mine. And you’re right. It’s not about my father anymore.”
“Oh, I think Max has a great deal to do with this.” She grinned, feeling the heat of her blushing cheeks. “You inherited his good-guy genes…and his courage. You’ve had a connection to your father all along, smart guy.”
Seth nudged his lips into a crooked half smile, an expression Jess wanted to remember. And after he touched Mandy’s headstone one more time, he headed for his car. Jess walked with him, but halfway there she got a call on her cell. She reached into her pocket and recognized the number. Area code 907. Payton Archer.
“I gotta take this. It won’t take long,” she assured him. “Don’t leave me—”
He interrupted her by saying, “Never.”
“At least, not without saying good-bye,” she added.
Seth watched her walk away, but not before he saw her smile, and say, “Hey, Payton. Yeah, it’s good to hear your voice too.”
And his heart sank.
He should have been happy for her. Jessie had found someone she cared about, yet seeing her happy with another man only made him miserable. It had been the reason he had walked out of her life months ago, something he’d never told her. He could see being a friend to her eventually, but his heart wasn’t ready to let go.
Most men would see Payton Archer—a former NFL quarterback—as a major rival. But Payton was a good man and not the problem. It was Jessie. She thought of him as a kid and had no feelings for him beyond friendship. And hearing the phrase “let’s be friends” would zap the love muscle out of commission. He couldn’t face hearing those words from her.
By the time he got to his Mustang, he blocked out the world by plugging music into his ears as he waited for Jessie. When Secondhand Serenade launched into “Fall For You,” he slumped against his passenger door and shut his eyes, letting the lyrics do a number on his heart. He was so rapt in his misery that he never saw Alexa walk up. She pulled the earbuds out to get his attention.
“Hey there, Harper.” She slid next to him and nudged his shoulder with hers. “I came by to steal you away. Nothing fancy. Just you and me.”
“I thought you left town after the funeral.” He let his eyes search for Jessie. When he found her, he wished he hadn’t. He heard her laugh from where he stood.
“No, I thought you might need a friend.” Her hand brushed his hip as she leaned against his car.
“A friend, huh?” he asked, finding it hard to hide his disappointment at hearing the word “friend” from another woman.
“For starters,” she said in a low husky voice.
His eyes grew wide when Alexa raised an eyebrow and lowered her gaze to his lips and beyond. But she shocked him even more when she loosened his tie. She straddled his legs and leaned close, tugging at his tie and unbuttoning his shirt, not taking her eyes off his. He swallowed, hard. And when her perfume drifted to him on the wind, goose bumps raced across his skin. And his reaction had nothing to do with the chill of a stiff breeze.
“Don’t you want to hear what I have in mind?” She winked.
Jess ended her conversation with Payton, promising she’d call later when she had more time. After the fire, she’d called him, and they had talked. And he’d called to check on her several times since then, yet with the time difference between Alaska and Illinois, they had played phone tag all day. A part of her wished he lived closer to Chicago. The close emotional bond they had formed, while searching for his niece, had been hard to live without these past few months. But Jess knew in her heart that a visit from Payton would only complicate things.
She’d been in denial and had to deal with her feelings for Seth, whatever they might be.
Was she trying to sabotage her long-distance relationship with Payton, protecting her heart before he broke it off? Or were her feelings for Harper real? Two good men. And she had no idea if the choice was even hers to make. Maybe both of them would open their eyes and see her more clearly—a familiar pattern she’d noticed for the men in her life.
When she headed toward Seth, she looked up to see Alexa unbuttoning his shirt. The intimacy of her stance disturbed her. And Harper couldn’t take his eyes off the tall blonde.
“Damn it, Beckett,” she muttered.
Jess veered toward the van, hoping they wouldn’t see her. She had no right to be jealous. She’d cleared the path for Alexa. And Seth deserved a good woman in his life. But if she truly believed that, why did she have this damned lump in her throat?
“Hey, Jessie. Where are you going?”
She stopped when she heard Alexa’s voice, but she stayed where she was, and yelled back, “Something came up. I gotta go.”
Alexa narrowed her eyes and left Harper behind, walking toward her. The woman’s eyes never left her, and she found it hard to hide what was in her heart.
“You’re welcome to join us. We’re just grabbing a bite to eat…and take things from there.”
“No, really. I’ve gotta go.” She tried to smile, but couldn’t. “Take it easy on that Midwest boy. Break him in real slow, you hear?”
Alexa touched her arm as she turned to leave. “Are you okay with me…and Seth? Seriously. I’ll back off if you’re not.”
Jess stared at Harper standing on the curb near his vehicle. He’d tossed his suit jacket in the car and stood in shirtsleeves minus the tie, looking anxious. Alexa had given her one more chance to make her choice. But for Harper’s sake, she couldn’t do it.
She’d never be anyone’s prize.
“No, I’m okay with it. He could use a good woman in his life. It should be you.” She hugged Alexa, and this time she smiled at Seth and waved good-bye. “Thanks for all your help, Alexa. We couldn’t have done it without you. Have a safe trip back.”
“Well, I was hoping I wouldn’t go back to New York City alone,” the blonde said.
“Oh?” Jess’s heart lurched in her chest.
Was Alexa going to take Harper with her? Harper had shallow roots in Chicago. None that couldn’t be uprooted for something better. The thought of that kind of finality with him gripped her stomach.
“Yeah, Garrett would like to meet you. I think he wants to make you an offer you can’t refuse. Wielding your own justice can be addictive…and empowering. Think about what we could do.” Her friend smiled. “You game?”
Jess had almost forgotten about Garrett Wheeler’s interest in her. And after the background check she had done on the man, what little she’d found only made her more intrigued. Linked to the most powerful and influential men on the planet, Wheeler had access to money, resources, and connections she could only fantasize about.
And he wanted her. Jessica Beckett.
Was she ready for the big leagues? Could she be the kind of woman he was looking for? It only took her a moment to make up her mind. Jess took a deep breath with her heart throttling her rib cage. A big change was coming. She felt it.
“Hell, yeah, I’m game.”
Downtown Chicago
Midmorning
Days later
Seth Ha
rper had come to the realization that for him, women should come with warning labels—something fitting yet blatant like the tag he’d seen on a kid’s Superman costume that stated Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly. Or another warning had hit home with a message from a Swedish chain saw, Do not attempt to stop the blade with your hand. Most people might find such advice obvious, but in his case when it came to women, nothing should be taken for granted. Considering his boneheaded moves with Jessie Beckett, could taking flight in spandex or stopping a chain saw with his bare hands be that far behind?
Those options certainly would have been less painful.
In his limited experience, he found that being in love exposed a guy to losing a vital body part—the heart in most cases—unless your name happened to be John Wayne Bobbitt. But the hazards in love weren’t readily apparent or tagged with a warning. And he saw no easy way out of his current predicament.
Especially since things weren’t up to him anymore.
It had been days since he had seen Jessie at the cemetery, and she was ignoring his phone calls again. After leaving a couple of messages, he figured the ball was in her court, and she knew how to reach him. But playing hard to get was not his gig. And no guy in his right mind ever sounded convincing in that role, not with a strong, intelligent woman like Jessie.
She had put distance between them. And he had no say in the matter.
So this morning he’d agreed to join Jonathan Humphries for breakfast, something they did from time to time, but his heart wasn’t in it. His heart was with Jessie. He knew he’d be lame company for Jonathan, but he’d made a promise to the man. They walked together to a nearby hotel café and he pretended to enjoy it despite how he felt.
“Great day, isn’t it?” the older man prompted.
“Yeah, sure is. I’m glad you suggested this.” He forced a smile with hands in his slacks and barely glanced up. Ignoring the beautiful weather and his good friend, Seth had only one thing on his mind.
How could Jessie cut him out of her life so easily?
After the question formed in his mind, he realized how stupid it sounded. He had done the same to her not long ago when he walked out of her life after she left for Alaska in search of a missing girl. And he had been as miserable then as he was now.
“Allow me.” Jonathan pulled open a glass door and stood to one side, extending a hand into the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on East Pearson Street. Seth had been so distracted he’d forgotten his manners.
“No, here, Jonathan. Let me.” He reached for the door and let the man go first.
The café served a fine breakfast and overlooked the lobby. They were seated and ordered, but halfway through their meal Jonathan eased back in his chair and stopped talking. He stared at Seth as if he were a science experiment that had gone bust.
“What?” He’d kept up his side of the conversation, hadn’t he?
“You’re putting up a good front, but you can’t fool me, young man. If I had to guess, I’d say a woman was at the root of it.”
Seth winced at him, hating to be so transparent. But he’d known Jonathan Humphries too long to continue faking a good mood.
“Why are women so…complicated?”
Jonathan raised an eyebrow. “Do you really expect another man to answer that?”
Seth crooked his lip into a smile and shook his head. “Guess not.”
“Dare I ask the young woman’s name?” the man questioned.
But as Seth thought about what to say, someone caught his eye in the lobby below. He saw Alexa Marlowe, Jessie’s friend. And seeing her gave him a good excuse to avoid answering Jonathan’s question. The man knew Jessie and might voice his disapproval, something Seth was in no mood to hear.
And even though he appreciated that his friend had his best interest at heart, when it came to how Seth felt about Jessie, he wasn’t ready to deal with the stark reality that she had no interest in him. None. He wanted to believe that love was a gift between two people and that it had all the durability of Super Glue—without being toxic to small animals.
Yet with Jessie, things were never that simple.
“Excuse me, Jonathan. I see someone I know. Do you mind? I won’t be long.”
Alexa glanced over the hotel lobby, looking for Jessie. They had made plans to eat breakfast together somewhere close and talk about the job her boss Garrett Wheeler would propose. If the bounty hunter still felt like making the trip to New York City with her, she would arrange for another passenger on Garrett’s jet, a departure already set for three days from now.
But a male voice calling her name forced her to turn around. Seth Harper was a very pleasant sight to see as he walked toward her, dressed in navy slacks and a pale blue dress shirt. The only thing better would have been to see him naked under her bedsheets—an image that warmed her skin and other places.
“Good morning, Alexa. Great to see you. Are you staying at this hotel?” he asked.
A cute smile graced his lips, and his dark eyes held her in place as they usually did. His physical beauty always took her breath, especially when he stood near her like this. Beyond decency, she inched closer as if they were already lovers and playfully tugged at a button on his shirt. By the look on his face, her intimacy surprised him, but she loved teasing to keep him off-balance.
“Yes, but I’m only here for a few more days unfortunately. I’d love to see more of your city…and you.”
After being Garrett Wheeler’s lover, she’d learned how to please a man but had been obsessed by the idea of taking on a younger lover. And Seth Harper would be perfect. Sensitive. Expressive. Giving. And she had no doubt he’d be eager once she exposed him to her needs.
“What are you doing here, Seth?”
He told her something about having breakfast with a friend at the café and went on to polite conversation about Chicago, but she couldn’t keep her eyes off his full, sensual lips. She imagined them on her nipples, along with the warm sensation of his tongue. Her skin rippled with goose bumps, and her body flushed with heat. The faint pulse of her heart throbbed in her ear with a steady urgency as images of him flooded her mind.
Those lips probably tasted like—
Without thinking, she let her body react.
“Hold that thought.” She placed a finger to his lips, relishing the feel of them coupled with the blush of his skin. “There’s something I have to do. And I hope you’ll allow me.”
From having a confident and aggressive man like Garrett as a lover, she’d learned to take what she wanted. Life was too short to waste time with playing coy.
She tugged at his shirt to draw him closer—and kissed those irresistible lips. Surprised by her sudden move, he tensed his body. When she felt him pull away, her hands found the small of his back and his muscled shoulders. That was when Seth gave in—and let it happen.
At least, that’s how she chose to remember the moment.
Jess shoved through the hotel’s revolving glass door and into the lobby in time to witness Alexa locking lips with Harper. A two-by-four in the face would have hurt less. Her heart stopped midbeat. Jess had seen enough. She slipped behind a column to hide and leaned on it for strength with eyes shut tight. When she opened them again, she saw her own reflection in a window. A scarred face stared back. Her face. An unbending reminder of what everyone else saw when they looked at her.
And the image of Seth kissing Alexa had been seared into her memory. Salt in a very old wound.
Being faced with what she’d given up hit her hard. Seth Harper. Even if she felt confident enough to compete with someone like Alexa, it was too late. What appeared to be the “morning after,” the beautiful blonde had seduced Harper here at her hotel. And Seth wasn’t the kind of guy who crossed that line easily. If he had made love to Alexa, he’d apparently moved on with his life. And she had to respect that.
Jess knew she had no special hold over him. Hell, they’d only kissed once, and she’d been the one to pull away. She’d become a part
of his past. And all of it happened after she’d given her worthless blessing to Alexa, as if she had the right to give the green light on Harper’s life…and heart. She had only herself to blame for how things had turned out.
If she hadn’t arrived when she did, she might have missed the whole encounter between Seth and Alexa. Would that have been better…the old ignorance-is-bliss routine? Not one to live in denial, Jess felt her gut twist with the agony of what she’d seen. She obviously had feelings for Seth, but in the harsh light of truth, he needed someone whole, someone undamaged, who could give him the stable kind of love he deserved.
Yet if he was moving on with his life, and she had claimed to be okay with that, then why did she ache all over?
She slipped through a side door of the hotel and headed back to her vehicle, but stopped when she got far enough away to use her cell phone. She placed a call, and when Alexa answered, it took a moment to find her voice.
“Hey…Alexa. It’s me.” A tear slid down her cheek. She brushed it aside and tried to sound casual. “Look, I gotta cancel our breakfast. Something’s come up. Rain check?”
“Yeah, but…” Alexa began.
“And I’ve been thinking,” Jess interrupted. “Can we bump up our flight to New York to tomorrow morning, first thing? I’m anxious to meet Garrett and hear what he’s got to say. I’m ready to…move on with things.”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll rearrange his private charter. And I’ll call you when I have details. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, thanks. See you tomorrow.” She ended the call, ignoring the noticeable concern in Alexa’s voice.
She had already made up her mind. If Garrett Wheeler proposed a reasonable job offer, she would accept it. Sticking around Chicago had lost its appeal.
“I gotta get out of this town.” Jess headed for the parking garage. “Time for a change in scenery.”
She needed a major distraction to get a guy like Seth Harper out of her mind. And if things worked out, Garrett and his secret organization of wealthy and influential vigilantes might hold the key to a much-needed change in her life—in more ways than one.