The Baker's Bodyguard

by Lori Ryan

  Chapter Six

  The week before classes passed in a blur. Jesse was relieved to find she really liked Mary, the counselor Zach had found for her. Talking to her a few times that week had already helped. After four nights with Zach sleeping on the chair in her room, and then two with him on the couch outside her room, she’d felt comfortable enough to let him go to his own bed after he checked her room for her.

  She felt better than she had in months, and was beginning to understand a bit more about her reaction to Kelly’s kidnapping. Apparently, her reaction wasn’t as uncommon as you’d think. People who witnessed loved ones go through a traumatic experience were often as affected by the event as the person going through it, just in different ways. She realized that her friend Jill’s attack several months ago had only served to reinforce her fears, bringing her anxiety to new levels. She was a long way from wanting to go out without Zach by her side, but she felt as if she were making progress.

  But today, Jesse’s anxiety was spiking in a new way. Zach was about to teach her some self-defense moves. They’d help her get out of a situation if she ever did end up in trouble. That meant being close to Zach. Having him touch her. Feeling the heat of his body as he came close to her. She’d been keeping as much space between them as she could during the week, but there was no way to avoid being too close for comfort this afternoon.

  Jess felt raw, exposed. As if he’d be able to read the effect he had on her body all over her face. Would he figure out that she couldn’t even breathe when he touched her? That her breath came in short pants and her palms got sweaty? That her heart raced and arousal balled deep in her belly? Of course he would. There’s no way he could miss the signs.

  Jesse jumped when Zach’s knock came on her door. “You ready, Jesse?”

  She took a few steadying breaths and opened the door. And felt her stomach flip. Those brown eyes of his looked right into her as if he could read her every thought. As if he knew her like no one else ever had.

  Jesse knew in her head this was probably just a normal reaction for her to have to the man who was her only anchor to safety right now. Like patients who fall for the nurses who care for them. Or is it the other way around? Florence Nightingale falls for the patient? Oh hell, whatever. It was probably just a normal reaction people had to their rescuer. Because that’s what he was doing now. Rescuing her.

  Jesse nodded. “Ready.”

  “All right.” Zach stepped to the middle of the living room where he’d pushed most of the furniture aside to create an open space for them to work. “We’ll start easy today. We’re just going through a few basic moves to get you started.”

  Oh, God, how I want to see his moves.

  Jess bit her lip.

  Shut up, brain. Just shut up. Self-defense moves. Nothing else.

  “You okay, Jesse?”

  Oh, God. He knows what I’m thinking. This is so embarrassing.

  Jesse barely suppressed the squeak of humiliation trying to sneak through her lips and nodded, staring mutely at the hottie in front of her.

  “If you’re nervous, you just tell me, okay?”

  Jesse nodded and Zach came around behind her, sending instant shivers of arousal coursing through her body. Jesse spun and stared wide-eyed at Zach.

  “What’re you doing?”

  Zach laughed and lowered his arms. “Take it easy, Jesse. I’m just going to show you a basic technique for breaking away from someone who grabs you. It’s an easy move for a beginner, so it’ll give you confidence.”

  There was a little voice inside Jesse’s head singing “Oh, my God, you’re an idiot. An idiot. Oh, my God, you’re an idiot, an idiot, an idiot.”

  “Oh…um…okay, then. Go ahead,” Jesse said and she turned her back to Zach.

  Zach put his hands on her shoulders and turned her back around. “You sure you’re okay with this? It’s all right if you’re not ready for it.”

  Oh, I won’t ever be ready for you to touch me. Well, wait that’s not true. I’d love for you to touch me. Oh, hell. This is confusing.

  Jesse smiled. “I’m good. I promise.”

  Turning her back on Zach once again, Jesse waited for his touch, willing the fluttery feeling in her chest and stomach to go away.

  It didn’t. It just spread to her legs.

  Damn.

  “Okay. I’m going to show you an easy way to break away from someone trying to grab you from behind. We’ll practice what to do when you’re grabbed from all different directions until you can get out of any hold. When I put my hands on your shoulders, I want you to raise both of your arms straight up in the air and then spin hard in a full circle letting your arms come down over mine. Go ahead and try it.”

  Zach put his hands on her shoulders. Jesse ignored the warm little zings running to all the happy parts of her body, and did as he instructed. She raised her arms, whipped around and down and broke his grip. Zach gently pushed at her back, sending her forward away from him.

  “And, now you run from your attacker. You scream 911 as loud as you can, and you don’t stop screaming or running until you get help.”

  They continued like that for an hour. They ran through the proper degree to kick at a knee for maximum damage, what points were most vulnerable to jabbing from knuckles or a key, and how to throw her attacker off balance.

  The entire time, Zach’s body was either pressed tightly against Jess’s, brushing against it, or so close she could smell the incredible woodsy, spicy smell that drove her nuts when he was around. And he, unlike her, seemed totally unaffected. When he dismissed her from her lesson, she went to her room and tried to figure out just how the hell she could keep herself away from the only guy who made her feel safe.

  Jess crawled into bed after a long hot bath. She pulled the covers up over her, wrapping herself in the soft silky feel of the high thread count sheets. She couldn’t get the feel of Zach’s arms surrounding her during their lessons out of her head. Biceps as hard as rocks pulling her close to an even harder body. As Jesse drifted into sleep, the memories became dreams, morphing into what she wanted instead of what had been.

  Zach pressed his body along the full length of Jesse’s, letting her feel the steel outline of his erection against the cleft of her bottom. His lips brushed against her neck, the feel of his breath on her bare skin sending shivers through her body and heat pooling between her legs.

  Jesse moaned as Zach trailed a hand slowly, so slowly she thought she would die, zigzagging down her stomach, over her hip, then back to dive between her legs. His strong, solid hand cupped her, and Jesse writhed against it, willing him on, begging silently for more. Weeks of pent-up frustration poured through her as Zach kissed the back of her neck, then nipped gently at the back of her shoulder, mixing tiny droplets of pain with the pleasure, making her cry out for more.

  ***

  Zach stopped still in front of Jesse’s door. He’d heard her crying out in her sleep, and came expecting to wake her from a nightmare. But, that wasn’t a nightmare. The soft moans coming from behind the door had Zach hard and wanting in seconds. Not that he wasn’t hard and wanting almost twenty-four seven living with Jesse. Zach let his forehead rest on the door as he mentally kicked himself.

  He had no idea how he’d get through the rest of their time together. Keeping his hands off Jesse was getting harder and harder. The heated looks he doubted she knew she was sending him were becoming almost impossible to ignore. He’d had to be so careful when they were working together earlier, making sure his hips never came in contact with her. If she felt his reaction to her during those sessions, she’d know for sure what was going through his head. He didn’t want her to know the truth. That he wanted her more than he’d ever wanted another woman.

  A sensual cry came from the other side of the door, and Zach stepped back from the door as if burned. He needed space. Zach spun and crossed to his side of the suite, closing his door to try to shut out the sound of Jesse’s cries. He couldn’t answer them. He wou
ldn’t take advantage of Jesse like that.

  But the bedroom door wasn’t enough to block her from his mind. He went to the bathroom and turned on the shower. Partly to muffle the sound, and partly to see if cold water would help. He knew it wouldn’t. He’d been trying that for weeks now, and it hadn’t helped a damn bit.

  Chapter Seven

  Zach trailed Jesse everywhere. He waited outside her classroom when she was at school, and accompanied her anywhere she went outside of school. He also served as her guinea pig for new recipes for her bakery. Jesse wanted to offer a lot of traditional items, but she also wanted to offer creations that no one else had. That meant experimenting. A lot. Zach ate dozens of pies, cookies, cakes, tarts, croissants and éclairs.

  Today though, Jesse needed tasters of a different sort. While Zach was working out in the gym, Jesse was playing around with a new idea she’d had for the bakery. Dog treats. She’d have one shelf in the cases devoted to bakery-style treats for dogs, made out of human-grade ingredients. They were designed to look like little pastries and cookies that humans would eat.

  Jesse had researched the idea, and planned to mail some of the samples to Jack and Kelly to have their dog, Zoe, try out the treats. She also put together a packet of info for Jack to look over so she could get his take on the idea. Although organic and human-grade dog treats made up less than one percent of the overall figure Americans spent on their pets each year, the overall figure was fifty-five billion dollars. Jesse wanted to know if Zoe liked the treats and if Jack thought it was worth going after a piece of that one percent.

  Jesse slid the last of her dog treat recipes off the baking tray and onto the cooling racks on the counter. She surveyed the samples and smiled. They were all either round, heart-shaped or diamond-shaped. She didn’t make any of the typical shapes for dog treats like bones or fire hydrants. She’d designed them to look fairly similar to the Italian cookies she’d sell in the bakery. She’d dipped some of them in a carob coating, and had drizzled a peanut butter yogurt glaze over others.

  Even though they were made with human-grade ingredients, they didn’t taste anywhere near as good as her Italian cookies did. Jesse’s Italian cookies were buttery and sugary. If she made the same recipe for dogs, she’d have a bunch of sick dogs and unhappy owners. So, she’d pared down the butter quite a bit, using yogurt instead, and they only had a bit of honey to flavor them instead of sugar. They weren’t bad tasting. Just blander and dryer than her usual recipes. But according to her research, that would be just fine for dogs. She couldn’t wait to see if Zoe liked them. She’d have to send enough for Kelly try them with Zoe, and for Jill and Jennie to try them with their dogs.

  Smiling to herself, Jesse left the dog treats cooling while she went to take a shower.

  ***

  Zach came back from his workout famished. He was glad Jesse had become accustomed to the suite and felt safe there when he went to work out. It let him get away and clear his head of the fog she induced whenever he was with her. But, it was still nice to come back to some of her treats waiting on the counter.

  Zach grinned and wondered how many he could steal without asking her. He shrugged. Even when she was making something for a class assignment instead of just her own experiments for the bakery, she usually made plenty extra for him. Zach eyed the little cookies and grabbed one of the chocolate-dipped ones and popped it in his mouth. He waited for the happy little taste explosion that Jesse’s treats always brought.

  And waited.

  What the hell?

  Jesse must have gotten the recipe wrong. These were pretty gross. Well, not gross. Just bland as hell. Her chocolate was always gooey and rich, with just the right amount of sweetness. If these were something she was working on for the bakery, Zach would have to find a gentle way to tell her she couldn’t sell these things. Zach’s stomach sank at the thought of disappointing Jesse. Before he could force the bland food down his throat, Jesse walked into the room.

  When she spotted him eating one of the new cookies, her face broke out in one of those big, bright grins he loved to see.

  Oh, shit. She’s gonna ask me what I think.

  “Trying the new cookies, huh? Like em?”

  Zach saw the sparkle in her eyes, and knew these must be one of her recipes she was trying for the bakery. She was always so proud of them.

  “Oh…um.” Zach forced the bite of cookie down and looked at the tray of others sitting on the counter. “Are they something new you’re trying?”

  “Uh huh.” Jesse was all smiles. “I’m sending them to Kelly to try.”

  That’s weird. I usually try her desserts for her. Why would she send them to Kelly?

  “Oh. Why are you sending them to Kelly? Are they special? Oh, wait, they’re diet cookies, aren’t they?” That must be why they’re so bland.

  Jesse put her hands on her hips. “I’m sending them to a woman, so they must be diet cookies? Is that what you’re saying?”

  “Oh…no…I mean…”

  Abandon ship!

  “And what on earth makes you think I would send diet cookies to a pregnant woman! Are you crazy?” Jesse sharpened her gaze, and Zach knew he was sunk.

  Lifeboat? Flotation device? Anything? Anyone? Heeeelllllllp...

  “Well, no. It’s not that. It’s just they’re…um…” Zach looked at the cookie in his hand. “They’re a little more…um…plain than your usual stuff. So I thought—”

  Jesse’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, so now my cookies are plain. Keep going, Zach, you’re doing a bang-up job here. Tell me, what did you think of the chocolate coating? Did you like that or was that bland, too?”

  Stand still. Freeze. Maybe she won’t notice you’re still here.

  Before Zach could figure out how to get out of the room without having to answer any more questions, Jess burst out laughing. She laughed at him as she grabbed the box sitting on the counter and started packing the cookies away. Zach watched, not sure what was so funny, but he knew the joke was at his expense.

  “You should see your face. Trying to find a nice way to tell me they sucked.”

  Zach leaned a hip against the counter and watched Jesse. “Okay, what gives? Why the crappy cookies?”

  That earned him a huge smile and a smug look from Jesse. “They’re dog treats.”

  Zach dropped the rest of the cookie like a hot coal, incredulous. “You fed me dog treats!”

  “Ha! I didn’t feed you anything. You fed yourself. Next time wait for me to tell you what they are. Now,” Jess smiled her sweetest smile for Zach. She picked up one of the treats with the peanut butter drizzle, “can you taste this one for me?”

  Chapter Eight

  Zach watched Jesse come out of the school and search for him. He’d gone from waiting outside her classroom to waiting outside the school. Her therapist thought it was a good idea, but Zach worried the therapist and Jesse were both pushing too hard, too fast. He could always see a small flash of panic in Jesse’s eyes right before she caught sight of him, and he didn’t like it.

  Jesse fell into step next to him, and they walked toward the coffee shop. They’d begun to stop there routinely at the end of the day.

  “How was class?” Zach asked. Jesse always had funny stories of mishaps and suspected sabotage. Apparently, pastry school was a lot more cut-throat than Zach realized. The students hid ingredients on one another, swapped out similar looking ingredients to ruin each other’s work, or rigged tools so they wouldn’t work right. They all vied to be the teacher’s pet. All except Jesse.

  She seemed genuinely concerned when something went wrong for one of her fellow classmates. She stayed above the fray, just plugging away to finish the program. Of course, she had her own bakery to go home to, but Zach had a feeling Jesse wouldn’t get involved even if she did need to compete for a job after graduation.

  Jesse rolled her eyes. “Someone screwed with a bunch of the mixers today. They began smoking halfway through the cakes we were baking, and we had to mi
x everything by hand. My arms feel like they might fall off.”

  Zach’s eyes dropped appreciatively to Jesse's toned biceps before he could stop them.

  “Good practice for when the mixer goes out at your bakery someday?” he suggested hopefully, but in reality, he was beginning to wonder about all the ‘pranks’ at the school.

  Jess laughed. “Yeah, sure. Way to look at the bright side. It’s getting a little insane though. Switching ingredients is one thing, but this is going overboard. You should have seen the director. I thought her head would pop right off her neck when she came in and saw all the smoke. It was an expensive day for the school if they have to replace those.”

  Zach opened the door to the coffee shop and let Jesse in ahead of him. As usual, she went and sat at a table while Zach ordered, giving her just a tiny taste of being on her own. Zach ordered their usual: black coffee for him and a latte with three pumps of caramel for Jesse. They never ordered food. Jesse would whip them up something when they got back to the room. This stop was mostly just a chance for Jesse to get her feet wet being out in public without Zach right next to her.

  Zach always kept one eye on her while he ordered, making sure she wasn’t having an anxiety attack. He could see she was focused on her breathing. Her eyes flitted to him occasionally, but overall, she was doing well. He carried the coffees over to the table and sat next to her, reminding himself once again that he was here for business. Not pleasure.

  “Do you think it’s just one person doing all these things at the school, or is everyone in on it?” Zach asked.

  She shrugged, eyebrows knitted in thought. “I don’t know. I thought it was a few people at first. And, everyone seemed to be fair game. It wasn’t as if any one person was targeted over others. I even had my baking soda switched for my baking powder one day. I’ve started tasting every ingredient before using them now. But, I’m beginning to wonder now if there’s only one person. It just seems like things have gone past practical jokes. That seems like one person, you know?”