Fighting Redemption

by Sidney Bristol

  “Shut up. You would have applied.”

  “I’m not so sure.”

  The way Trevor stared at the wooden surface without seeing it made her wonder which memory was stealing him away. She’d never met Detective Walters, but she’d heard the stories. Heroes didn’t always make good fathers.

  “Well, Romeo, I’ll drink to your new shield.” She lifted the cup.

  Trevor scowled and tossed bits of the napkin at her. Some landed in her drink, a few in her face and the rest tickled her cleavage.

  “Hey!” Jenna put her cup down and peered down her shirt. Yup. Napkin bits were stuck in her bra. “Not cool.”

  “Think about—”

  “Walters.”

  Ice laced with fire licked down her back. Jenna sat up straight and glanced over her shoulder at Alex standing at the end of the bar, glaring at Trevor, his hands clenched at his sides.

  Oh shit.

  TREVOR PEERED AT HIS TL. Alex had something up his ass lately, the question was what?

  “Something you want to say, Myers?”

  “Trevor,” Jenna muttered, the nuances of what she was trying to tell him completely lost in translation. Her gaze darted around as if Alex’s anger had her spooked. And why wouldn’t it? The man rode her hard when it came to work. More than the rest of them. It wasn’t fair.

  “Cut that shit out.” Alex’s gaze narrowed. There was a decidedly dangerous air rolling off him.

  “Chill out.” Trevor turned, putting himself between Jenna and Alex. The way Alex treated Jenna rubbed Trevor the wrong way. He’d never said anything because Jenna was more than capable of fending for herself, but Alex might as well have steam coming out from his ears.

  “Talk to me outside.” Alex thumbed over his shoulder.

  People were watching now, both their team and the average bystander. This was not the kind of bad PR stunt he needed right now.

  “Alex, we were just playing around,” Jenna said, but Alex ignored her.

  Like usual.

  “It’s okay, Jenna, Alex and I are going to have a little chat.” Trevor never took his gaze off Alex.

  Trevor liked Alex. Respected the hell out of the man. But he had a serious issue when it came to women in the field that were downright archaic. Jenna would never point it out, that wasn’t who she was, but there were dozens of instances that showed how little Alex trusted the two women on their team.

  They exited through the front doors, waves of heat radiating up despite the sun having set long ago. The patio area reserved for smokers was full, so they wordlessly stalked around to the side of the building. A single street light cast illumination on the broken, crooked sidewalk.

  Alex wheeled around to face Trevor and jabbed his finger at his chest.

  “Your behavior is completely unacceptable,” Alex said.

  “My—what?”

  “We all see it. You’re going to get yourself slapped with a sexual harassment.”

  “Me?” That was the stupidest load of horse shit he’d ever heard. “What about you?”

  “What?”

  “Man, you’re riding my ass? How about the way you try to side-line her every chance you get?”

  “Side-line her? You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.” Alex’s eyes were wide, rage wrinkling his brow and his stance wide, aggressive-like.

  “Really?” Trevor took a step back. An outright fight with Alex would leave them both hurt not to mention neck deep in trouble. “You need to calm down, man. I don’t know what’s set you off tonight, but you’re about to make a decision neither of us will like.”

  Alex inhaled and his gaze narrowed. Trevor dropped his right foot back, ready to brace himself if Alex lunged. Trevor didn’t want to fight, but fuck Alex if he thought Trevor was going to back down he had another thing coming.

  “Stay away from her.” Alex pivoted and stalked toward the parking lot.

  What the fuck?

  Trevor stayed rooted to the spot while Alex crossed the street. Something wasn’t right. Maybe it was the job or something else, but Alex was on a hair trigger. Why? He was always so calm. The picture of control. But lately...

  There was no telling what was going on in that idiot’s head. The only person who could talk sense into Alex was Delores.

  Trevor pulled out his phone and jabbed the contact. It was late enough he didn’t want to take the chance Delores was asleep, so he fired off a quick text. There wasn’t a department Delores hadn’t worked in, a cop she didn’t know, and yet it was Alex she treated like a son. If anyone could talk some sense into him, it was her.

  Satisfied he’d done as much as he could tonight, Trevor turned and entered the bar. The guys glanced his way immediately. He shrugged and took a step toward the bar, but Jenna wasn’t there. Two farm hands sat where they’d been chatting and her drink was gone. He swept the rest of the room, looking for her blonde hair, but all he saw were trucker caps, cowboy hats and their team.

  He shoved through to the bar and leaned over.

  “Jess, where’d Jenna go?”

  “Uh...” She poured two beers without glancing up. “I think she went to the bathroom?”

  “Thanks.”

  He wove his way through the bar to the bathrooms. Saloon style doors didn’t hide much, but a glance over the swinging half-door told him what he needed to know.

  Jenna was gone.

  Trevor pushed the emergency door open and stepped out into the alley between the buildings. He glanced over his shoulder, but it was empty. Where had she bolted to? And what was going on?

  “WHAT THE HELL WAS that?” Jenna stalked around the front of Alex’s truck. If she were a big, testosterone fueled guy, she might consider decking him on principle.

  Alex dropped his hand from the driver’s side door and turned to face her. His features were shrouded in darkness, but she didn’t need the light to tell her his gaze was stormy, his mouth a tight line. She crossed the space between them and prodded his chest.

  “What about your whole ignore each other act?”

  “Stop it, Jenna.” He batted her hand aside.

  “No. You don’t get to ignore me, then police who I hang out with. That’s not how this works.” She jabbed his arm, straight up pissed. If she were buzzed, it might offer her some flimsy excuse for her behavior, but honestly, she hurt. He didn’t trust her. This possessive asshole act with Trevor underscored how little her word meant to him.

  “Don’t poke me.” He held up his hand and this time she kept her fists at her side.

  “You don’t get to make the rules.”

  “He—flirts—with you.”

  “Yeah, and so do the rest of the guys. So what?”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “Well, too bad buttercup. That’s the way it’s always been, and unless you want to give them a reason why they shouldn’t, it’s going to keep happening. And for the record? Nothing has ever happened with any of them, least of all Trevor.”

  “You could call them on it. Talk to HR. File a sexual harassment claim.”

  “Seriously? This is a cake walk. You want to talk about sexual harassment? You should have seen what basic was like.” She rolled her eyes. The worst day on the force couldn’t hold a candle to the things men had tried to do.

  “What?” The notes of danger rippled over her skin.

  Jenna took a step back, her self-preservation instincts kicking in. Alex reached out and grasped her upper arm.

  “What did you say?”

  “Please. The guys aren’t bad.” She splayed her hands against his chest and forced herself to stare up at him. Her brain recognized Alex’s he-man act for what it was, protective jealousy. It didn’t change how her lizard brain screamed at her to run.

  “No, what did you say about basic?”

  Jenna smoothed his shirt over his shoulders. If he didn’t like a few off-color statements tossed her way, he would blow a gasket over the stuff she’d gone through in that first year.

&nbs
p; “Army medics do boot camp like everyone else. Ten plus years ago? It was a scary place for a girl. Before you jump to any conclusions—nothing happened to me.” But she’d heard stories. The whispers. The world was an ugly place. She just wanted to make it a little better.

  “That’s not right. You were enlisted.” His arms slid around her, his embrace warm, protective.

  “Hey, that’s in the past. Let’s focus on tonight?” And how much of an ass he’d just made himself out to be. She pushed his arm away, but it didn’t make a lot of difference.

  “Just because what happened in the past wasn’t that bad, doesn’t mean this is okay.”

  “Can you pull your head out of your ass long enough to see that it’s not really flirting? It’s their stupid way of accepting me, and if you screw that up, I’m on the outs again. It’ll fuck up our flow. Can you see that at all? Can’t you trust me to know where the line is?” He was a smart Team Leader. He had to know she was right.

  “Trevor didn’t have to stick his hand down your shirt.”

  “What? He did not. He threw a napkin at me. You’re being an obnoxious caveman. This jealous act isn’t cute and I’m not putting up with it. And it’s totally unfair to ignore me, then get pissed when someone else talks to me.”

  “I didn’t say Trevor couldn’t talk to you.”

  She stared at him.

  Seriously?

  “What?” he asked.

  “This isn’t okay, Alex.” She pushed at his chest. “I like you, a lot, and I get why we can’t tell anyone about us, but stuff like this? I can’t do us if you can’t pack in the jealousy. Or do you really think I’m the kind of girl who would cheat?”

  “No.”

  “And do you think any of those guys would keep going if I told them to stop?”

  “Hell no.”

  “Why be jealous then?”

  “Because...it’s not me.”

  She blew out a breath.

  It was both an endearing and frustrating answer.

  “I get it.” She patted his chest. “But we have to figure something out. Quick. Because now all the guys are going to talk and I’m pissed at you for how you behaved.”

  He was going to fight her on this. She braced herself for the argument while tiny muscles constricted and relaxed across his face. One micro-expression after another. After a few, long moments his shoulders dropped, and he blew out a breath.

  “You’re right,” He said.

  Well hell. The caveman could learn. That was promising. She could forgive this once, maybe twice, but that was it. He had to trust her.

  “We should get out of here.” Alex glanced around the lot.

  “Meet you back at your place?”

  She should be pissed at him yet the prospect of what might happen once they were behind the safety of his front door sent a shiver down her spine.

  “Yeah. And Jenna?”

  “Hm?”

  Alex didn’t reply. He tugged her closer and kissed her, hard, fast and deliciously deep.

  THERE.

  That was his Jenna—in another man’s arms. He couldn’t let another outsider take her from him. He gripped the metal pipe and ground his teeth together, watching the bull of a man kiss his Jenna.

  She was his. Had been ever since he’d met her. She loved him. They were perfect for each other. So what was she doing with this man who was not him?

  He turned and punched the brick wall. Pain shot up his arm. He hissed and shook his hand out. Jenna’s little car backed out of the lot.

  Shit!

  This was what he’d been waiting for, the chance to find out where she was staying. He’d had to remove the tracking device before the cop found it and hadn’t had a chance to replace it.

  He hoofed it down the street to where he’d left his vehicle and got in, but by the time he pressed the accelerator—she was gone. The empty street yielded no clues, no matter how many times he drove the quarter mile or so to the main intersection. He hadn’t paid much attention to the men she worked with. They weren’t important enough to bother with.

  Oh how short sighted he’d been. She wasn’t the angel of virtue he’d thought her to be.

  His Jenna had just made a mistake. He’d teach her.

  13.

  JENNA’S THOUGHTS PING-ponged back and forth between wanting to strangle Alex or hump him. She rode his bumper all the way back to his house, alternately fuming or chiding herself for imaging what it would be like to strip him down to nothing.

  She ground her teeth together and took the turn onto his street a little too fast. Alex, on the other hand, drove exactly five miles under the speed limit, with no sense of urgency.

  His sense of control chafed her need to feel the rush of arousal and need. When he kissed her, when they touched, everything else didn’t matter and that bothered her after tonight.

  Alex eased up next to the curb in front of his house and flashed his blinker at her.

  She whipped into the driveway and threw the car into park, glaring at the movement inside the pickup. He’d driven her crazy with longing before, but now it was worse. Now she was subject to the rules of their secret game, keeping this wild, passionate thing between them private.

  It wasn’t fair.

  He climbed out of his truck and crossed the yard. She could already hear Genghis barking from the back yard.

  Jenna grabbed her bag and climbed out of the car. The porch light highlighted just how big and wide he was in all the right places. She’d seen a lot of buff, action-ready men in the military. Alex had one of the best bodies.

  He stood back and held the front door for her, his phone pressed to the side of his face.

  “Yeah? They take care of you?” he said to the person on the other end of the line.

  She wanted to fight. She wanted to fuck. She wanted to throw his phone across the room. Instead, she took her things into the spare bedroom and chunked them on the bed.

  “Glad you’re doing better, Delores. I’ll check on you tomorrow.”

  He was right behind her.

  An electric sensation shot down her spine and into the floor, grounding her. She could smell the faint scent of hops and malt, and a stronger, spicier aroma that was all Alex. Fabric rustled and she could imagine him shoving his phone into his pocket.

  “What’s up with you?” he asked.

  “Nothing.” The venom in her voice said otherwise, but she wasn’t exactly sure why she was so irritated with him.

  “Fine, when you decide you want to talk, I’ll be in here.”

  She yanked the buttons on her paramedic shirt and glared over her shoulder.

  He couldn’t play this caveman act then pretend everything was okay. He’d set the rules for this thing between them and was now upset when she did exactly as she always did. Then he didn’t have the decency to really fight with her about it. Either he wanted her, or he didn’t. But that wasn’t the source of her frustration.

  After a long day, she wanted out of her uniform. She changed into pajama pants and a tank top, then poked around the room for Mittens. Nothing appeared shredded or peed on, so the cat was safe. For now.

  She could crawl into bed and try to sleep. By herself. But then she’d wake up even angrier, and she’d never been one to shirk a difficult conversation. They had to address tonight. Now.

  Jenna stepped into the hall and listened for the sounds of Alex moving around. The back door banged and heavy footsteps thudded across the linoleum. She took a right down the short, hall and a left into the kitchen. Genghis continued to make pleased canine noises outside while his owner ran water into a bucket.

  That made her pause.

  “Are you leaving him outside tonight?”

  “No. He just went out half an hour ago.”

  “Who lets him out?”

  “Neighbor’s kid. I pay him to let Genghis out and in while I’m on duty.” He nodded behind her.

  “Oh.”

  She leaned against the doorframe and watched him t
op the bucket off. The paper towels on the counter were properly shredded, no doubt thanks to Mittens. What else had the cat attacked?

  Jenna pushed off the doorframe and wandered into the living room, the familiar, restless itch driving her to pace and move about. How many nights had she lost to this same urge? Too many to count.

  She listened to the squeak of the back door and his heavy footsteps through the house. Calm, cool and collected radiated off him in waves. In other words, he was Alex. And she wanted to ruffle his feathers again because he was under her skin and in her thoughts.

  Jenna turned to face him, gathering up all her irritation and focusing it at a single point between his eyes.

  “I get being jealous, but tonight wasn’t okay.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

  “I agree.”

  He—what? She stared at him.

  Seriously?

  After that caveman act?

  “Then what was that back there?” She gestured in a rough estimation toward Ransom.

  “I told you, I was jealous.” Alex leaned a hip against the counter.

  “That’s supposed to make it okay?”

  “No. I acted like an ass. You’re right, it wasn’t okay.” His focus rested on her face, but she felt it everywhere. Her stomach. Her breasts. Even her toes. “Trevor is suspicious. He’s already called Delores.”

  Shit.

  “I’ll handle Trevor,” she said. He was focused on his mystery girl, not Jenna.

  Alex glanced away.

  “We’re friends. Remember?” She leaned into his line of sight. “You can’t tell me who to be friends with.”

  “I know, I just have this...I want that.”

  Be still my beating heart.

  Okay, so it wasn’t just her struggling with their attraction.

  “I’ve never slept at Trevor’s house. I’ve also never kissed or had sex with him.”

  “Good. I’ll get over it I’m just...”

  “A caveman.” She smiled despite still wanting to strangle him. The bubble of tension burst and the muscles across her shoulders eased. Deep down a feminine bit of her preened. Alex liked her a whole lot more than a little. Perhaps she drove him as crazy as he her?