When he was close, she started walking toward the door, searching through her keyring. Hurrying to catch her, he put a hand on her arm, causing her whole body to shudder as the familiar electric zing raced over her skin.
“Why don’t you stay out here and walk Snickers around some more? Let me go in and check the house out first.”
Rolling her eyes in exasperation, she huffed a breath as she handed over her keys. “Fine, if you insist.”
“I do,” he said seriously before shooting her a wink.
Watching as he unlocked the door and went inside, she steadied her breathing. First the touch, then the wink. And her mind was flashing back to last night and the mind-blowing experience in the barn. She was so screwed.
She’d never admit it, because she was a motherfucking Boss Bitch, but the break-in had her a little on edge, and she was glad Jax was here to check the house out before she went in. But still, she didn’t like him in there when he could possibly be in danger, and she felt like ants were crawling over her skin as she waited for him to return.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Jax came to the door and waved her in. Releasing the breath she was holding, she tugged gently on the leash and went to the door.
“And?”
“It doesn’t look like anything was touched. I don’t think anyone has been in here since we left.”
“Thank God,” she said, shoulders drooping in relief for a moment.
“I’m gonna go grab your bag and the new deadbolts. I’ll be right back.”
Nodding, Piper shut the door behind him and unhooked the leash. Squatting down, she ruffled the fur on Snickers’ face, getting him going and playing until Jax came back. Shutting the door, he sat her suitcase down and watched as she roughhoused with her dog.
“He looks like he’s enjoying that,” he noted.
“Yeah, well,” she replied, rubbing her hand on Snickers’ head one last time before she stood, “I wouldn’t try it if I were you. Snickers tolerates it with me, even enjoys it. But he doesn’t with anyone else, and he’ll bite the shit out of you if you try.”
Raising an eyebrow, Jax nodded as he eyed the dog. “I’m gonna go fill in the hole in the backyard before I change the locks. You said he’s an escape artist, and I don’t want him getting out of the house while I work on the doors. He’d be better off in the backyard.”
Nodding, she watched as he strode through the back door. Exhaling, trying to ignore the desire she felt coursing through her body as she watched the fluid way he moved, she grabbed her bag and took it upstairs to unpack.
As she walked to her room, she thought about the fact that Jax was a shifter. An eagle. Maybe it should have caused more of a reaction in her, but it didn’t. She always knew he was different. She just hadn’t known how he was. But it felt right to her, natural. And so ironic, considering her tattoo and love of eagles. But Jax being an eagle just fit with the man she knew.
Putting everything away, she paused as she got to her leather cuff, only realizing then that she never put it back on. Fingering the leather, soft from years of use, she thought hard. She didn’t really have a reason to cover the tattoo up anymore. She’d done so before because she thought everything about her and Jax’s relationship had been a lie, and she didn’t need the reminder every time she glanced at her wrist.
She now knew it wasn’t all a lie, so it was okay to think about it. And Jax had already seen it. No one else mattered when it came to this particular tat. With a sigh, she put the cuff on the dresser and turned, walking out of the room and not giving it another thought.
Coming down the stairs, she saw Jax was already hard at work changing the lock on the front door. Not wanting to bother him, she went to the kitchen and peeked out the back door, checking on Snickers. She was a little paranoid that he would get out again.
She walked to the kitchen window and opened the curtains so she could see the backyard while she worked, and then got out the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies. She wanted to do something nice for Jax, and all the fighters. But she didn’t want to send the wrong message with lemon drops, so chocolate chip it was.
Turning on the playlist on her phone, she got in her zone as Metallica filled the air, making the cookies and periodically checking on Snicks. She was vaguely aware of Jax coming through and starting on the side door, but she was absorbed in what she was doing and barely noticed.
It was when she was pulling the first batch of cookies from the oven that she finally came back to the present. Jax was working on the backdoor, and Snickers wandered in. Leaning down, she made smooching noises at him as she ruffled his fur.
“There’s my Bubby Wubby Woo Woo. Who’s a good Bubs, huh? That’s my boy.” Glancing up, she saw Jax smirking at her, and she scowled at him in return. “What?” she snapped, getting Snickers’ kibble from the table and pouring it into a bowl.
“Nothing,” he replied, voice full of suppressed laughter. “It’s just a little strange, hearing a badass like you make kissy noises at your dog. And bubby wubby woo woo?”
Shrugging, she put water in the dog bowl and sat it down before answering. “It’s just a nickname. Even Boss Bitches can get lovey dovey with their dogs.”
“Boss Bitch?” he asked, amusement glinting in his dark green eyes.
“Do you doubt?” she shot back, eyebrow arched.
“Not at all,” he replied with a laugh, standing up and shutting the door. “All done.”
Blowing out a relieved breath, she nodded. “That’s good.”
Walking toward her, he pulled out a set of keys and handed them to her. “Here you go. I had the keys made so that you only need one. Any one of these will unlock all three doors. No one else has access now. Including me,” he said, eyes dancing with amusement.
“And that’s a big relief,” she replied, suppressing her smile. “Now I just need to make sure I don’t leave any windows open for birds to fly in.”
Arching an eyebrow, his lips curled up. “Haha, funny. Have you thought about an alarm system?” he asked as the timer went off for the second batch of cookies.
Taking the last of the cookies out of the oven, she placed the cookie sheet on a cooling rack and turned the oven off before turning to face him. Leaning back against the counter, she shook her head. “What would be the point of that if I’m not staying?”
A gold ring appeared around his pupils as pain streaked through his eyes, quickly masked. “But you’ll be here for a while yet. I think that warrants it. At least look into it. Please.”
Unsettled by the flash of pain, Piper nodded. “Okay, I’ll look into it. Is the way your eyes change color part of your shifter nature?”
Looking surprised at the question, Jax nodded. “Yeah, that’s my eagle showing through. Some shifters’ animals’ take over their whole eyes. Like Seth. His go from dark brown to bright gold. Others change to completely different colors. I only have the ring of gold.”
“That’s interesting. I like how yours does it. The ring is really pretty.” She froze for a minute. She didn’t mean to say that out loud, and she could feel an uncharacteristic flush fill her cheeks. Turning away, she asked, “Do you want something to drink? I made sweet tea yesterday.”
“Yeah, that’d be great.”
She bustled around the kitchen, getting glasses and filling them with ice and tea. Handing him a glass, she took a sip of hers, unsure what to do next. Being nice and interacting with him in a normal way was unusual to her, and she wasn’t sure what to do next.
“We need to talk, Piper,” he said quietly.
“We do?” she asked, surprised and not able to think of another reply. Shit, what if he wanted to talk about them? About being a couple again? She wasn’t ready for that.
“It’s not about us, or what I told you last night, or our past,” he said quietly, like he was reading her mind.
Taking a deep breath, she nodded. “It sounds serious, just the same. Let’s go to the living room. I have a feeling I shoul
d get comfy for this talk.”
Leading the way, she went to the informal living room. This room was unlike any of the others downstairs. The rest were more in keeping with the era of the old Victorian home, more stiff and formal. The walls in there were a pale green, and there were throw rugs scattered about the floor. Candid photos were placed here and there, and the artwork was mostly pictures Piper drew when she was younger, convinced her destiny was to become an artist. Actually, come to think of it, maybe it really had been her destiny, considering the portraits and landscapes she painted now.
Everything about this room invited guests to sit and stay while. There was a large sectional, and bookcases scattered throughout the room. On the shelves weren’t the classics like in her grandfather’s study. These were books by Michael Crichton, Danielle Steele, and Nora Roberts, among others. The only thing her grandmother hadn’t updated, though Piper begged her to when she was younger, was the television. An older 1980’s floor model, Helen always said it worked fine, and if it wasn’t broke, don’t fix it.
Blowing out an exasperated breath, she turned to Jax, inviting him to sit down, aware she’d been procrastinating like a pro while she looked around the room. Taking a seat on the other end of the large couch, she took another sip of tea before setting it down and curling up in the corner.
“So, what did you want to talk about?” she asked, bringing her knees to her chin while she wrapped an arm around them.
“Scott. I want to talk about Scott.”
Frozen, she stared at him as the words sank in. “You want to talk about my ex-husband,” she said slowly. “I’ve already told y’all—”
“I know you said it wasn’t him. I’m not convinced, but I trust your judgment on it. Mostly. I still want to know all about him. About your marriage. All of it. I know it’s a lot to ask but—”
“No. I get it. I’ll tell you what you want to know,” she said quickly, not believing the words coming out of her mouth. What the hell was wrong with her? She didn’t volunteer information about Scott or her doomed-from-the-start marriage to anyone.
“I know you said you didn’t think it was him, but there was a second where you wondered if it was. Was he that bad?”
“Toward the end, he was a complete ass. Looking back, there were a lot of little signs, but I didn’t see them at the time.”
“Blinded by love?” he asked lightly, but she could see the flash of pain in his eyes and the way he balled his fists.
“Not even close,” she replied with a sigh, looking away and leaning her head back on the couch. “I met him my sophomore year at the University of Washington. He was handsome and popular, and everyone said I was lucky he noticed me. I was never really that interested, but… well, I still wasn’t over you, and I thought Scott would get me there. We started dating, and before I knew it, we were engaged. We got married a month after I graduated.
“Scott came from old money, grew up with very proper parents in a posh neighborhood. He had all these expectations for how his wife should look and act, and I went along with them because I felt guilty. I thought he was this great guy who loved me, and I knew, even as I was walking down the aisle, I didn’t love him like that. Even then, I was still—” cutting herself off, she cleared her throat. Jax didn’t need to know all the details. “He didn’t want me to work, so I never got a job. He wanted me to be this perfect Stepford wife, and I did my best to accommodate him.
“I had my hair highlighted, I drove the car he wanted me to, acted how he instructed me to. I thought he was telling me these things so I’d fit in. But I realized he was just trying to control me when I came home one day to find all my makeup and clothes replaced. He told me he’d just been giving me some leeway because I was new to his way of life, but I was to use only what he purchased for me from then on. He told me I could no longer see my friends from college because they weren’t good enough for me or my life now.”
Pausing, Piper pushed down the rising anger as she thought back to Scott’s actions and demands. Jax was quiet, but when she stole a peek, she saw the fury in his face, the muscle in his jaw jumping as he clenched his teeth.
“He even went so far as to give me a list of foods I was allowed to eat. I was miserable, but I stayed. I felt ashamed that I’d let myself get into that position, and I didn’t want to admit defeat. Didn’t want to get divorced so quickly after getting married. But then it all changed. I was out getting my hair done, at an appointment Scott made for me, by the way. And as I was leaving the salon, I ran into my old college roommate. We went to get lunch, and time got away from me. I was going to be late getting home, but I thought it would be okay, since Scott wouldn’t be home yet.
“But when I pulled up to the house, his car was in the driveway. And when I walked in, he was waiting by the door, instantly in my face. I didn’t want to tell him I was out with Gail, because I knew he’d throw a fit. So I just said I was window-shopping, and I’d lost track of time. But he was convinced I was out with another man, accusing me of cheating on him, and demanding I tell him how long it had gone on. Nothing I said got through to him. And then he grabbed my arms hard enough to leave bruises, and started shaking me. And then he lifted his arm like he was going to hit me, and that was it. I reached the end of my patience. I kneed him in the groin and took off. Left and went to a hotel. I took pictures of the bruises he left on my arms, and the next day I filed for divorce.”
“I. Will. Kill. Him,” Jax gritted out.
“He’s not worth going to prison over.”
He took a deep breath, visibly trying to calm himself, and slowly blew it back out. “That’s highly debatable. Nothing you’ve told me explains why you think he wouldn’t have followed you here and broken in. It makes it sound more likely, in fact.”
“He’s a coward, Jax. He made a lot of threats after I filed. Said he was never letting me go, never granting me a divorce. Said he’d kill any man who touched me. And then we pulled into the parking lot of the courthouse at the same time, and he barreled toward me, starting in again, and my temper snapped. I yelled back, getting in his face, threatened to feed him his balls one by one. Kind of like I did to you the other day,” she said with a smile. “He backed down, and there was fear in his eyes. And all his threats about what he’d do if I got any of his money in the divorce, all his threats about everything really, came to nothing. And that was two years ago. Why would he come after me now, especially if he remarried?”
“Maybe he was waiting for the right time. Or maybe there’s no reason we’d think of, because we think logically, and he sounds like he’s a few fries short of a Happy Meal. Who knows? I still think he bears watching, especially after what Alex told us this morning.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. And I promise, I’ll think about an alarm system.”
“So you took some of his money, huh?” he asked with a smile.
“Sure did,” she replied with a laugh. “We weren’t technically married long enough for me to qualify for half of the assets, but the judge awarded me a large lump sum for emotional damages after he saw the pictures of the bruises. And he ordered Scott to pay me a small amount of spousal support every month, as well. I used the lump sum to buy my car and restore it, and for a down payment on an apartment. I donate the monthly support to a woman’s shelter, though. There are women who were truly abused and left that relationship, and are trying to start over. I want his money to go to helping them.”
“That sounds like you,” he said with a smile that faded into a frown. “I’m sorry you went through that.”
“It’s okay. It just solidified that all men are jerkoff assholes.”
“Not all men are, Pippy,” he replied, frown deepening.
“The men in my life are. Look at the whole picture. My dad was a grade A asshole who was an alcoholic and druggie. He pulled my mom into that life, isolated her from my grandparents and everything she’d known, and then killed her one night when he decided to drive drunk and high with her in the car
. Then there’s you, who ripped my heart from my chest in the most callous way possible. I get that you had your reasons, but you still did it. Then Scott. ‘Nough said about him. I think I just made my point.”
“I’m sorry for my part in your view of men,” he said softly, gazing into her eyes. “Truly sorry. I needed to protect you, and I didn’t know of any other way. And I thought I had to be harsh, because I know you. You would have dug your heels in and tried to change my mind. I had to do it in a way that ensured you walked away. But you’re right. There were better ways of handling it, and possibly other alternatives to breaking things off with you to begin with.”
She stared at him, moved by his words and the sincerity in his voice. It meant a lot that he was taking responsibility for his actions. But it also meant she was another step closer to forgiving him, and she still wasn’t sure if she wanted to go there. Frowning as a thought occurred to her, she turned to face him more fully on the couch.
“Shouldn’t your grandfather and colony be on the suspect list? If that Zane guy is on there because I’m associating with you, they should be as well.”
Jax shook his head with a half-smile. “I went to see my grandfather early this morning. Went to threaten him, actually. He said he couldn’t care less what I did with my life or who I saw now, and if someone was coming after you, it wasn’t him. And shifters can hear lies, so I know he was telling the truth. Then I thought the colony was acting on their own, but I ran into one of the old timers at the hardware store. He said none of them were on board with my grandfather’s plan back then, and none would stand in our way now.”
Piper sat quietly, absorbing that. “So you mean you broke up with me for nothing? None of the eagles would have attacked me?”
Rubbing a hand over his face, he exhaled. “I guess not. I mean, there’s a good possibility my grandfather would have done it on his own. But the colony as a whole wasn’t backing him up on this. In fact, when his plan got out, the colony disbanded and those who were able to, left Eagle Creek. I’m so sorry, Pippy. If I’d waited just a few more days, everything would have been different. This is all my fault. Our breakup, our pain, your marriage to assmonkey Scott, all of it. It’s on me.”
Fight Song: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (Rocky River Fighters Book 3) Page 12