by Jayne Blue
“Safe?” Safe. I couldn’t even process the word. I wasn’t safe. I’d never be safe again if I didn’t have the man I loved by my side. None of it mattered. Not a single thing. If Huck didn’t pull through … God. I couldn’t even finish the thought.
“Judge Key?” Pratt came back. He held his phone out. “There’s a phone call for you I think you should take.”
I bit my lip and took a sharp inhale. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. Especially not him in my current condition. But even when your heart is in pieces on the floor, when the president calls you have to answer.
“Mr. President,” I said, stiffening my back as the three men stared at me. I wished a hole would open up so I could hide inside of it.
“Jillian,” he said, his voice full of grave concern. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, sir,” I answered. “Marshal Huckman saved my life. Again.”
“Thank God. Any word on his condition?”
“No, sir, he’s still in surgery. But it’s serious.”
He paused for a breath, then Matt Vance unleashed a series of rapid fire statements befitting his station. “He’s going to get the very best care. And I know men like him. He’s tougher than you think. Plus, I think he’s got something very special worth fighting for.”
“Yes, sir,” I said; my voice sounded so small.
“Pratt’s going to stay with you as long as you need him. The Marshals Service is going to send someone to your house too. If there’s anything you need, Jillian … I mean anything … you let me know. I’m sorry I had to leave The Maples so quickly. I wanted to see you with my own eyes to make sure you’re all right. I may be the leader of the free world, but I still have to do what the Secret Service says. But don’t be afraid to reach out to me. Do you understand? I’ve told my staff to put your calls through to me.”
“Thank you, sir.” I took a breath and stood. Chandler, Loomis, and Pratt rose with me and stepped aside as I walked a little away from them for privacy. “But I’m not the one who needs anything. I need you to promise me that if Huck makes it through this …”
“Jillian, you don’t even have to say it. He just saved the life of one of my favorite judges on the bench. Anything he needs. Any assignment he wants. Even early retirement with a fat bonus. I’ll take care of Huckman. Don’t worry.”
I sniffled and smiled. “Thank you. But right now, I’d just like to see him open his eyes and talk to me.”
“He will. I have a feeling about it.”
“I hope so, sir. Thank you again.”
A tap on my shoulder drew my attention. Two doctors stood before me, their expressions grave. So with that, I hung up on the President of the United States.
“He’s going to be groggy,” Dr. Hammond, Huck’s surgeon, told me. “He might not even fully understand where he is or what’s happened.”
I sank down into the chair beside Huck’s bedside. He looked ashen and had tubes coming out of a port in his side, his arm, and an oxygen mask over his face. But he was breathing on his own and his eyelids fluttered when he heard my voice.
“Huck? Oh thank God. I’m here. Okay? I’m not going anywhere.”
Huck thrashed a little on the bed and raised his arm. He moaned and struggled with the oxygen mask.
“He’s agitated from the anesthesia,” the doctor said.
“That and getting his gut shot,” I answered, my tone harsher than I meant. I couldn’t help it. “May I?” I reached for the oxygen mask to help Huck remove it.
“For a few minutes,” the doctor answered. “But we’re watching his vitals. If he gets too agitated we’re going to have to step in.”
“I understand,” I said, unable to keep the smile off my face. Huck shot me a wink as I pulled the mask down. I leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. His skin was warm and just a little clammy. A strong pulse beat in his temple and he squeezed my hand.
“I’ll leave you two alone for a minute,” the doctor said, then closed the privacy curtain behind him.
“Hey,” I whispered, smoothing Huck’s hair away from his eyes.
“Thank God you’re okay,” he croaked and my heart melted.
“Of course I’m okay. I had you.”
“Gemma.” He tried to sit up and started to cough.
“Shh. It’s okay. She’s downstairs getting treatment. She’s going to be okay. She has a lot to answer for but Loomis said she’s cooperating. You’ve drawn quite a crowd out there. Chandler and Loomis got flown down here special. We’ve got a Secret Service detail and the president himself called to see if you were okay.”
“Come here,” Huck croaked. He found the strength to pull me closer. I leaned in and kissed him. His heartbeat sped up on the monitors and I couldn’t suppress a giggle.
“Don’t get too excited, they’ll kick me out.”
“Fuck ’em,” he answered.
I lost it then. Tears streamed down my face and I pressed my cheek against his chest, relishing in the slow, steady, strong beat of his heart. It was my heart too. God. I never realized it would feel like this. When he hurt, I hurt. When he bled, I bled. It was an awful mess. Chaos and danger. There was so much about this I’d never be able to control. But at that moment as I squeezed Huck’s hand and he lifted my head to kiss my tears away, none of that mattered. It only mattered that for once in my life I knew exactly where I wanted to be.
“I love you,” I said, my voice growing stronger with each breath. I’d been afraid to tell him before. Afraid of the mess and uncertainty I knew would come with it. But now, not telling him felt even worse.
“I love you.” I said it again. “I love you, Huck. And I don’t care who knows it. I don’t care if it messes up my career. I don’t care what happens with those tapes or if you lose your job because of it. Besides, I fixed that anyway. You’ve got the Commander in Chief in your corner from now on. But I love you. Do you hear me? If it blows my life up, if I never take the bench again, I’m not going anywhere. So, I hope you like having your kitchen organized alphabetically, and unpacked moving boxes and the occasional mini-nervous breakdowns I’m sure I’ll have.”
Huck leaned up and kissed me again to quiet me. “Well, then, I’ll just rub behind your ears.”
I laughed and he laughed with me. Then he clutched his side and started to cough. “Shh,” I said through tears and laughter. “I forgot to tell you. You kinda don’t have a spleen anymore. Apparently you can live without those. Amazing, huh?”
He ran a hand over the curve of my skull and pulled me close. “I love you too,” he said. “Now come here and kiss me.”
And so I did. I kissed him hard and deep and knocked off his pulse monitor. We didn’t hear the alarms go off. We didn’t hear the privacy curtains getting pulled back. But when we finally came up for air, Huck’s eyebrows raised and his face broke into a wide grin. I’d never been so glad to see that dimple in my life. I turned and faced our audience. Doctor Hammond, two US Marshals, and a Secret Service agent stood slack jawed watching us.
“Fuck ’em,” Huck said again and pulled me down into another toe-curling kiss.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Six Months Later
Huck
Jillian snored beside me. I pulled her to the center of the bed and nuzzled her neck. She slept on her side and I ran my hand down the smooth curve of her hip. I kissed the space between her shoulder blades and she started to stir. I moved down and licked along her spine. I put another kiss between the two dimples just above her ass. She jumped and then settled back against the pillows.
“Mmm. What time is it?”
“Time to wake up, sleepy head. It’s almost dinner time.”
“Are you serious?” Jillian rolled to her back. I couldn’t help myself. Her breasts jiggled and I was already hard and throbbing for her. She put up a half-hearted protest. It was her first full day at my place and we’d spent it in bed. I’d made a bet with her that she couldn’t spend a single day without a schedule. I lost the bet. Than
k God, I lost the bet.
“Huck,” she said, yawning. “You’re going to wear me out.”
“Mmm hmm. That’s the idea.” I nudged her thigh and she spread her legs for me. I nipped her lower lip as I slid inside of her. For as much as she fussed, she was warm and wet and more than ready for me. God, she felt so good. I would never get tired of this.
I moved inside of her and she moaned, quickly rising to meet me. We didn’t have much time. The movers were scheduled to arrive with the last of her things any minute now. It had taken me six months to convince her, but I’d finally worn her down.
We’d followed the money trail. Jerry Jordan had been behind the plot to kill her all along. The Moldonados had plausible deniability, but they had enough trouble with their impending RICO trial. It had been assigned to another judge so in the end, the fuckers got what they wanted. But it wasn’t Jillian’s problem anymore. Gemma Sanders had been granted immunity. She’d be in witness protection by the end of the month and Jordan would probably never see the light of day without razor wire and metal bars again. After six months’ leave, I’d be starting a new gig at the Investigative Operations Division. I’d wanted IOD since I first joined the Marshals Service. But, more important than any of that, Jillian was safe. And she was mine.
“You feel so good,” she whispered against my ear as she raised her hips and wrapped her legs around me. I’d bide my time. Getting her to agree to move in with me was a huge step. But it was only the beginning. I had a two-karat diamond ring hidden in my bookshelf safe. She’d wear it soon. She’d say yes. She’d be mine forever and I’d be hers.
“You feel better.” I drove deeper inside of her and felt her walls clench around me. God. She was almost there already. Just a single touch could do it and she’d rise to meet me every time. Jillian was made for me. I was made for her.
“Come for me, baby,” she whispered. And I did. She had my earlobe between her teeth and her nails gently scraped my back. I poured myself inside of her and she held me close. Afterward, I rolled to my back and she climbed on top of me. Her hair fell down in a mass of blonde waves, forming a curtain over us both. No one else saw her like this but me. My Jillian, wild and unkempt and just a little bit messy. She threw her head back and cried out my name. I held her hips in place and let her wring out her pleasure. She was mine, but I was hers. And it was only just the beginning. As she crested down, the doorbell rang. She bit her lip and we laughed together.
Jillian stood in the center of my living room with her hands on her hips. She’d gotten rid of most of her things when she left her apartment and agreed to move into my house. It made sense. Though the threat against her was neutralized, she felt safer leaving Ann Arbor at least for now. Plus, my house was big enough for the two of us and whoever else might come along. She leaned back against me, pressing the back of her head against the hollow near my shoulder. I kissed the top of her head.
“We’ll unpack them together,” I said. “One by one. You going to be all right?”
She looked up at me and ran her fingers along my jaw. Her smile gutted me. “One by one. I think so.”
We started with the box in the kitchen. She had copper pots and pans and we hung them on hooks along the wall. It looked nice. Even Jillian admitted it. It was a big step among some giant ones she’d taken in the last few months.
An hour later, when the doorbell rang again, my hackles went up. When I opened the door my heart sank. “Shit,” I said. “Is it the second Saturday already?”
Rick Chandler and Ben Killian stood on my doorstep, each holding a six pack in their hands. Jillian came to my side and her eyes grew wide. She was wearing nothing but one of my oversized hockey jerseys. Rick at least had the decency to look up at the sky. Ben on the other hand broke into a shit-eating grin and extended a hand to shake hers.
“Ben, Rick, this is Judge … uh … Jillian.”
God bless her, the color drained from her face, but Jillian smiled and moved out of the way to let them in.
“I’ll just … go put on something less comfortable.” Jillian shot me a scowl as she disappeared down the hall.
Ben and Rick whistled as soon as she disappeared but I knew damn well she could still hear them.
“Sorry,” I said. “I lost track of time.”
Ben slapped me on the back. “Well done, my friend.”
Rick shook his head. “Huckster, I never thought you had it in you. Congratulations. I like her. Did I mention that? I like her a lot.”
Jillian came back into the living room. She’d tied her hair in a bun and wore jeans and a t-shirt. She padded across the floor in bare feet and leaned up to kiss Rick on the cheek.
“Good to see you again,” she said, then she pulled out one of the beers from his six pack and twisted the cap.
“Uh, problem,” Ben said. “Kyle called and said he can’t make it. He got pulled off to another assignment this morning.”
“What the hell then?” I said. “We could just do this next weekend. I’m kind of in the middle of something anyway.” I gestured toward the unpacked moving boxes in the middle of the room. “You can’t play euchre with three people.”
Ben made a show of pointing his fingers and counting. Jillian raised a brow when he got to her. He was testing her and dammit I wanted to punch his lights out. He could spook her. It was her first day here and there’d been nothing but mess and chaos.
Jillian cocked her head to the side and gestured toward the kitchen table. “Fine by me,” she answered. “But I get Chandler.”
Rick laughed and put an arm around her. He had a cigar in his pocket and Jillian slipped it out and put it between her teeth.
“No way,” I said. “The judge is mine.”
Jillian walked with Rick to the table and took a seat across from him. “The judge,” she said, “would rather kick your ass. Sit down, Deputy. We’ll let you deal.”
“Yes ma’am,” I said, laughing.
“Oh, hey.” Rick got up and put an arm around me. “I’ve got something for you.”
He led me into the kitchen and looked back to make sure Jillian and Ben weren’t listening. Ben was leaning in close to Jillian. He told her some joke that made her roll her eyes and laugh.
“What’s up?” Rick took a small yellow envelope out of his back pocket and handed it to me.
“Old friend of mine, former agent at the Bureau, called me up the other day. He seemed to know we’re in regular contact and wanted to make sure I got this to you.”
“What is it?” The envelope had a small, hard bulge inside of it. I tore it open. Inside was a flash drive and a sticky note.
Rick shrugged. “No clue. He didn’t tell me and I didn’t ask. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to confer with my very attractive partner about how we’re going to cream you and Killian tonight.”
I flipped him off and slid the note out of the envelope. My heart skipped a beat and a slow smile crept across my face. “I’ll be damned,” I whispered as I turned away from the rest of them and read it. “She fucking did it.”
You have my word this is the only copy left. It’s better if you don’t know how. I trust you’ll do the right thing with it and her. I told you the horse I back always wins. Always. Nina.
I palmed the flash drive. Jillian gave me a quizzical look and took a sip of her beer. I winked at her. “I’ll be right there.”
I grabbed a hammer out of the utility drawer in the kitchen and walked out the back door. I lay the flash drive and Ross Dennison’s last remaining hold over Jillian on the cement porch and smashed the fucking thing to smithereens. Then I tossed the pulverized memory chip into the trash and headed back to the table.
Jillian was waiting for me, her eyes sparkling at me over the top of her cards. Her eyes held a question. I gave her a smile. “I’ll tell you later,” I said. “Let’s play cards.”
Three hands in, and she did kick my ass. I didn’t mind a bit. Because she was mine, that night and always. There might be chaos and u
ncertainty around every corner. Life is like that. But she trusted me to navigate it with her. I would. No matter what, I’d protect her with my body, my life, and my heart.
And rub behind her ears whenever she needed it.
THE END
A Message from Jayne Blue
Thank you so much for reading. Huck and Jillian were characters that just jumped off the page and took root in my heart and mind for weeks as I got their story out. I hope you loved them as much as I did. I also got the chance to bring back some characters I loved from a few of my other books. More on that in a second.
Next up, in the Tortured Heroes Series, get ready to take a ride with S.W.A.T. Officer Ben Killian. As a member of Lincolnshire P.D.’s elite Strike Team, Ben is used to living life fast and hard. Running toward danger isn’t just his job, it’s a rush. But when that danger threatens to destroy the woman he loves, he’s in for the fight of his life. Don’t miss Strike, heading your way in early 2017. You can click here to get more information and sign up to get notified of all my new releases.
Now, if you’d like to know more about Nina Sharpe, the mysterious madam Huck encountered toward the end of this book, she’s got a series all her own. You can follow Nina’s adventures and rise to the top in the Owned Series. As a special bonus, I’ve included the first part of the Owned Series (Owned by the Playboy) at the end of this note. At the end of that bonus book, you’ll find a special link where you can download the second part (Owned by the Billionaire) absolutely free! President Matt Vance also features heavily in that series so you won’t want to miss it.
Be among the first to get notice, cover reveals, exclusive excerpts and links and first dibs on the release of other Jayne Blue titles by signing up for my Jayne Blue’s Newsletter. You’ll get a FREE EBOOK as a welcome gift just for signing. Your email will never be shared and you may unsubscribe anytime you’d like.