He came around the counter to her side and, placing his arm across her back, he lowered his tall body until he was eye level with Jenna. Taking her chin in a light grip, he pulled her face around to him. "She's all yours, Jenna. he can't take her from you." He spoke in a quiet voice so Lola couldn't hear.
Jenna swallowed and nodded. She wanted to believe in this fairy tale. She wanted to believe that this big good-looking man was rescuing her, instead of kidnapping her, but she couldn't seem to quiet the niggling doubts.
She blinked back the tears and frowned at him. "What happens if you and I don't work out?" she whispered and gestured toward Lola. "Will you send her back?"
His frown, when it came, was a lot more intense and scarier than hers was.
"You and I will be working out, Jenna. Period. No question." When she tried to speak he cut her off by placing his palm over her lips. His hand was so big it covered half her face. "But just to appease your curiosity, no, Lola will always be yours, no matter what happens between us."
Jenna thought about it for a second and nodded, her eyes searching his. He had the most beautiful brown eyes she'd ever seen. They were like crushed velvet with some golden flecks that highlighted their depth.
"And what is happening between us... Vince?" she asked shyly.
"Fucked if I know," he said, and stood, towering over her. Jenna tilted her head back and leaned in her seat so her nose wouldn't accidentally rub on his bare chest. He kissed her forehead, placing his hand over her shoulder. His dark eyes pierced hers. "But whatever it is, kinda feels like forever."
Jenna's mouth fell open as he walked back around the counter and began cleaning the mess he'd made. The man could cook, he cleaned, and he babysat. If he kept this up, then Jenna's heart was going to be in very big trouble.
Twelve
Jenna was most definitely not in love. Who could possibly love this overbearing, autocratic, pigheaded asshole who was blocking her way? Luckily Lola was playing in another room and not able to hear the fireworks that were about to take place.
Jenna gritted her teeth and repeated the request he had just denied without a second thought. "Vince, I very much appreciate all of your help with Lola, but I need to get back home. I have laundry to do, dishes to wash, a life to get back to. I have to work the night shift tonight! I can’t just move in with you."
He crossed his arms over his chest and simply stood staring down at her, literally blocking the front door. She tried not to stare at the way his biceps popped out. Jenna was standing with Lola's bag and she was still wearing her borrowed T-shirt. She was beginning to feel self-conscious running around in so little. Though Vince didn't seem to mind, and it was a little empowering to have his eyes on her all the time they were in the same room together.
"I need to go to work," Jenna said slowly, trying to get through to him. "I need to make money. Especially now. I have Lola to worry about, I don't want to take her home to that shitty little place where I'm living now."
Vince grunted. "Finally, we agree on something."
"So, you'll let us leave?"
"Nope." He didn't bother elaborating, just continued to stand in her way and look imposing.
Jenna balled her hands into fists and tried hard not to shout. Maybe it was leftover attitude form her days with Zach, but she couldn't stand being told where to go, how to act or who to see. She suspected if things went down the path they seemed to be going with this guy, that she was going to end up in that kind of hell all over again. She didn't need another controlling man in her life.
"You have no right to stop me from working, Vince," she said sharply, shaking her finger at him. "Or to stop me from walking out this door. I'm leaving the second you clear out. You'll have to go to work eventually."
Maybe she shouldn't have announced her plans to leave, but she was getting so frustrated she was ready to bonk him over the head with the nearest lamp and rush out with Lola. She must've finally caught his attention with her last little speech because he dropped his arms from their crossed position and stepped threateningly toward her.
He batted her finger out of the way and kept walking, purposely backing her up until she hit the nearest wall. He placed his hand just over her shoulder and hunched until he was right in her face. "You will not leave here without my permission."
"But that's...!" she was about to say 'barbaric' when there was a loud, brief knock on the front door.
Vince glanced over his shoulder, his body tensing. When Jenna tried to peek past him, he pushed her back until his body was completely covering her. He didn't seem too concerned though, not like he thought there were a bunch of ninjas about to break into his house and take them all out.
Jenna heard the door opening, but couldn't see who came in. She decided from the relaxing of Vince's body that the intruder was a friend. Sure enough, Jared's deep voice filled the room. "Hey man, where're the girls at?"
Vince glanced down at Jenna, rolled his eyes and stepped away from her. She tugged at the hem of her T-shirt and stepped away from the wall. "Hey Jared."
"Hey, red!" he said enthusiastically, grinning at her bare legs.
Vince growled and stepped back in front of her. "I'll need you to take her shopping. New wardrobes for both her and Lola. Anything else they might need. Toys n' shi.... uh stuff."
"Consider it done, boss."
"I have to go to work!" Jenna exclaimed trying to shove past Vince. He grabbed her arm before she could rush away and held her in place.
“Absolutely not!” Vince snapped.
“Too dangerous,” Jared growled at the same time.
The two men looked at each other and seemed to have a silent conversation that Jenna was not privy to. Each second that passed was another second for her temper to rise. It reached boiling point when they turned to look at her in unison and Jared said, “Go get changed and get the kid ready, we’ll head to the mall in half an hour.”
“I don’t want to go shopping!” Jenna protested; annoyance clear in her voice.
“Sure you do,” Jared countered while Vince gave her a little push and pointed down the hall.
Jenna realized that with these two big men against her she wasn’t going to win her argument. At least not when they were watching her. She stomped down the hallway toward the room she shared with Lola. She stood in the door for a minute and watched her daughter. The little girl was sprawled out on the floor on her stomach, still in her pajamas, her legs kicking in the air. She was drawing on a piece of paper with a pen that Vince must’ve given her. Watching Lola amuse herself with just a pen and paper made Jenna realize that she should probably accept Vince’s offer of a shopping trip. Lola needed supplies. Many, many supplies. An evil smirk stretched her lips as she thought of the money she could spend on her daughter. Vince’s money.
“Hey chicken,” Jenna said brightly and entered the room, shrugging off the remnants of her anger. “What’re you drawing?”
She crouched in front of Lola and turned the paper so she could see. It was a drawing of a person, the sex indistinguishable, flipping circles in the air. Jenna guessed that it was probably Vince flipping pancakes at the oven.
“Vinz,” Lola announced, “An pantakes.”
“It’s very good,” Jenna announced, and, unable to help herself, lifted Lola into her lap and pressed her against her chest. She dropped her head to inhale the scent of her child; a combination of warm sun and juice. “Let’s get dressed now. Jared is going to take us on a shopping trip.”
“Who Jar?” Lola asked, then immediately forgot what she was asking as she continued to chatter about everything her brain could come up with. Vince, the house, the bedroom, her pajamas, the colour purple, Vince, and their upcoming shopping trip.
Jenna dressed her daughter in the only outfit she could find in a bag that Vince’s guy had packed the night before, a pair of stretchy-waisted jeans over top of Lola’s pull-ups and a T-shirt with a unicorn on it. She handed Lola a pair of socks and told her to put them on whi
le she dressed herself. Jenna kept looking at her daughter as she pulled on the sweats that Vince had left on the dresser for her to use. She couldn’t quite believe that she had free and unlimited access to her child. It was like a miracle come true!
The custody battle had taken so much out of her, she almost didn’t realize just how much until this very moment. She wanted to weep in relief, but still felt some niggling doubt, which created fear in her heart. What if Zach found a way to take Lola back? He was manipulative, charismatic and without integrity. He was also law savvy. He was undoubtedly, at that very moment, trying to find a way of getting Lola back. Because without Lola he had no way of controlling Jenna. And the idea of trusting someone like Vince to help keep them safe felt impossible. What possible benefit would he have in procuring an instant family?
Vince was tough, sexy and scary. All the things that Jenna was not. He could have any woman he wanted at the snap of his fingers. She didn’t believe that his interest in her could hold for long. She needed to be ready to take care of herself and her daughter, the way she’d always done. All by herself.
“Are you ready to go yet, chicken?”
Jenna chuckled when she realized Lola was struggling diligently with putting on her sock. Though she wasn’t quite succeeding she was trying. Her tongue peeked out of the side of her mouth as she concentrated, and her mop of blond curls fell into her face as she leaned over to see what she was doing.
“Do you need help, baby?” Jenna asked, reaching a hand out for the sock.
“ ‘es pwease.” Lola handed her the sock and stuck her foot out.
When they were dressed they left the room together, Lola’s hand tucked in Jenna’s. They walked back down the hall toward the front room, following the sound of men’s voices.
“Until he’s taken care of, we’ll have to up security on the house. Don’t trust that fucker not to come after the girls.”
Jenna’s heart beat a little faster as she realized they were discussing Zach, and echoing her exact thoughts. Zach wouldn’t just give up with ex-wife and child without a fight.
“Please watch your language,” she said briskly rounding the corner. “There’s a child in the house now.”
They both turned to look at her. She blushed as Vince looked her up and down. She thought when she’d gotten dressed that no one in their right mind would find the giant T-shirt and sweatpants attractive but the warm glow in his eyes told her otherwise. He was looking at her as though he could see exactly what she looked like underneath the clothes.
Jared broke the intense moment by smacking Vince on the back of the head. “Yeah man, watch your language.”
Vince growled at him and stood up. “Take them to Redberry mall, keep an eye on anyone that comes near them and don’t let them out of your sight.” He opened his wallet and handed a card to Jared. “Make sure they get everything they need. Clothes, toys, toiletries, whatever. Don’t come back until they have enough to last at least a few weeks.”
Jenna bit the inside of her lips so she wouldn’t burst out with an exclamation about how she had her own money and didn’t need his. The reality of her situation is that she had $50 left in her grocery budget and $200 in savings, which was earmarked for her phone and power bills. She couldn’t afford new anything let alone an entire wardrobe. She would have to accept Vince’s generosity, since it seemed he wasn’t going to be letting her go home any time soon.
“Aren’t you coming with us?” Jenna surprised both herself and Vince by asking the question that had been lurking in her mind. Why was he sending her shopping with his best friend, bodyguard, employee type person?
Vince’s eyes heated in pleasure at her question and she wished she could snatch it back. “I have to get to the job site, sweetheart. The project needs a firm hand.”
“And I’m crap at managing the sub-trades,” Jared added. “Vince can get those guys to do what he says the first time he says it.”
“Crap!” Lola yelled, tugging happily on Jenna’s hand.
Jenna raised an eyebrow at the guys. They both looked a little sheepish as Lola made her earlier point for her.
“Crap isn’t a swear word,” Jared defended himself.
Vince slapped him on the back of the head. “Don’t do it again, we’re a kid friendly household now.”
Jenna smothered a giggle and knelt next to Lola to help her with her coat and shoes.
As they were leaving, Lola held firmly in Jenna’s arms, Vince cupped the back of her neck and bent to place a quick hard kiss on her lips, lingering for just a second, as though breathing her in before backing away. “We’ll talk later,” he said gruffly.
Jenna resisted the urge to touch her tingling lips as they headed out toward Jared’s truck. She couldn’t wait for that conversation. She was starting to hope that it would be less words and more action.
Thirteen
It took Jenna a solid hour of shopping before she finally got into it. That’s how long it took her to just accept the gift Vince was giving her, with whatever strings might be attached. She hemmed and hawed in every store they went into until Jared starting picking things out for her. This was when Jenna decided she needed to give in gracefully, or she’d be wearing something even her 88-year-old grandmother would scoff at.
She giggled as Jared held up a shell pink blouse that looked like it should be on the set of Little House on the Prairie. It was ultra-feminine with lace at the very high collar and wrists. What was even worse than the style was the price tag. $149.99 for an item that should be immediately made into doilies.
“Please tell me you’re kidding,” Jenna said incredulously as she tried to get her laughter under control. “I can’t wear that.”
Jared turned it around and looked at it, his lip stuck out in concentration and his brow wrinkled in a frown. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Never mind.” Jenna took it from him and placed it back on the rack. “Not this store.”
She picked up Lola who was messing around underneath a rack of clothes and strode out of the store, Jared close on her heels. He moved quickly in front of them, his head swiveling from side to side. From the moment they stepped foot out of Vince’s house, Jared had taken his bodyguard duties extremely seriously. He followed closely and blocked the girls with his body, while constantly scanning every store they went into. When Jenna asked what he was looking for he’d muttered something about crowds and exits.
Jenna wasn’t sure what was supposed to attack them in the shopping mall, since Zach wouldn’t have a clue where to find her and as far as Jenna knew, she didn’t have any other enemies. But she was still grateful for the protection. She’d been on her own for so long she hadn’t realized how nice it was to actually feel cared for. The warm glow that started that morning in the kitchen was beginning to grow into hope. An emotion that both exhilarated and frightened Jenna.
She tried to remind herself that she’d only been in Vince’s home for less than a day. That he could easily change his mind. That he basically kidnapped her and her daughter, after threatening her if she didn’t take part in a murder. She needed a reality check. These were not good people, and she would not be easily swayed by homemade pancakes and shopping trips.
Still, she did need new clothes and Lola needed new everything, so she would accept the money and guard her heart.
“Over there,” Jenna pointed at the Neiman Marcus store. It was a higher end shop than she usually frequented. In fact, the entire mall was filled with luxury stores. She hadn’t frequented Bravern shopping centre since her marriage. Back when she’d had the money to shop here.
Once inside the shop she inhaled deeply and closed her eyes for a few seconds. Then she looked over at Jared. “Keep an eye on Lola for me.” She dove into the racks, pulling clothes off of them as she saw items that caught her eye and handing them to the nearest attendant who bustled off to set up a dressing room for Jenna.
She shopped as though she were spending her ex-husband’s money and needed new
everything, which she did. She pushed back the feeling that she was prostituting herself by using Vince’s credit card. That was her issue. The guy hadn’t once said she would have to put out for her food and board. In fact, he’d simply told her she’d have to put out. Period. Because he wanted her.
The thought brought mixed feelings. Happiness that someone found her attractive. Desire, because she wanted him too. Eagerness because she hadn’t shared a bed with anyone since Zach. Fear of the unknown.
$5470.36, several bags filled with clothing and a very happy shop attendant later and Jenna was ready to call the shopping expedition done. Lola had everything she would need, since they’d stopped at the kid stores first. She now had a brand-new wardrobe, more toys than any self respecting three-year-old could ever hope for, thanks to Jared’s fascination with children’s toys, toiletries, shoes, coats and a new bed. Jenna had hesitated over the extravagance of a new bed for Lola, but Jared had pointed out that Jenna’s daughter shouldn’t be sleeping on a queen-sized mattress in the guest room. That comment hit home to Jenna that both Jared and Vince really did expect Jenna and her daughter to move in. Permanently.
When Jenna insisted that she was done shopping, Jared shook his head and pulled her and Lola toward the Luis Vuitton store. Jenna balked at the expense of unnecessary items like purses and high heels, but Jared started piling things into her arms.
“Stop! I’ll do it myself,” she said laughing as he grabbed a ridiculously oversized orange purse with chain buckles and threw it on the pile in Jenna’s arms. “You have the worst taste in women’s accessories.”
“Do not,” Jared defended himself.
“Do you have a girlfriend?” Jenna asked pointedly, shoving the purses she had no intention of buying back into the shelves where they belonged.
“Nope.”
“Case in point, you scare them off with your terrible taste.”
Loving Vincent: A Mafia Romance Novella Page 5