“But I—”
He reached up and pressed a finger to her lips to silence her argument. “Consider it pro bono work. I need all the tax deductions I can get.”
She took another step back in retreat from his touch despite her desire to move closer and let him press his lips to her mouth instead of his fingertip. “Don’t I get any say in this? I don’t recall asking you to—”
“Nope,” he interrupted. “If I know you, and I’m pretty sure I do, you’re not going to take this situation seriously. I’m here to do that for you.” He smiled and walked away from her. He opened the driver’s side door to his car and hesitated. “I’ll be there in about an hour.”
Jade watched him back out of the driveway and disappear down her parents’ street. Her stomach was aching with worry even as her blood still hummed hot in her veins.
Being close to Harley was dangerous. And now she was going to be around him more than she’d ever anticipated. What was she going to do? It was one thing to see him in short visits, but if he was staying with her? Sleeping feet away in her guest bedroom? Would she be able to resist the pull he had on her?
Jade prayed this investigation would be finished quickly. Her reignited libido couldn’t take this for too long.
Four
“So, let me get this straight,” Harley began, with an exasperated expression on his face. “You’re a single woman living alone with no alarm system or means to protect yourself if something happened.”
Jade had only expected Harley to show up and get settled in for the night. It was late enough when he arrived. She didn’t expect him to do a full home investigation, but then again, this was what he did for a living. So far, nothing nefarious could be found, but now that he was finished, it was time for the inevitable lecture about her personal security.
Jade wasn’t really listening. She was too distracted by watching him work, her gaze drawn to his clenched jaw and brow furrowed with concern. He took it all very seriously. He was very thorough, she had to admit. He’d studied her windows more closely than she ever had. She’d never even opened them before, so she couldn’t tell him if they had locks or not.
“This neighborhood is pretty quiet,” she argued when he looked at her with dismay. “I’m not aware of any criminal activity that would send me running after an alarm system.”
She had initially been worried about having Harley’s hulking presence in her house. Every room felt smaller with him in it and she had no escape from him. He was a constant reminder of her past, of her current predicament and of what she couldn’t have in the future. That seemed less important now as he was nitpicking every aspect of her home.
Jade liked this little house. It was the first place she’d ever had by herself. She’d moved from her college dorm to Lance’s house, then they bought another house together when they moved to Virginia Beach with his work. This was all hers. Her life was all hers. She didn’t have a husband to tell her what to do any longer and she didn’t need Harley to take over the role.
Harley just shook his head. “It’s all got to change, Jade. If you’re not comfortable with guns, that’s fine, but you’ve got to have something in place to keep you safe. Maybe a stun gun. The noise alone is usually enough to deter an attacker.”
“An attacker?” How had they gone from a threatening letter to break-ins and physical assaults? “It was one letter. And you’re here now. That’s all I need, right?”
“Yes, I’m here, but I won’t be around all the time. You need more protection here than you’ve got.” He whipped his smartphone from his hip and started typing with a flurry of thumbs. “That’s about to change.”
“What are you doing?”
“I’m emailing Isaiah with my East Coast surveillance team. I’m going to have him send down someone to secure the home and make it safe for you to be here alone.”
Jade’s eyes grew large. That sounded intense. And expensive. “Harley, I—”
“It’s not going to cost you anything,” he interrupted, holding up his palm. Apparently, he’d come to anticipate her concerns before she voiced them.
“How is that possible?” It cost someone something. Jade might not be rich, but she wasn’t in a position to happily accept handouts, either. Especially from Harley.
He glared at her. “Please don’t argue with me about this. It will make me feel better. This is what I do for a living, remember? Whoever wrote you that note wants to scare you into dropping your search for answers. If you’re going to continue, and I think you should, you need to be smart about it.”
She sighed and shook her head. It was too late to waste any more energy on this. If he wanted to put armed guards in her trees to leap down on intruders, she’d let him. It had been a long day and she was ready for bed.
While she’d been fairly nonchalant about receiving that note when she’d spoken to Harley, it was only because she’d stayed up most of the previous night convincing herself it was nothing. She’d never expected anything like this to happen, and when it had, she’d been taken aback. By the time she’d fallen asleep, it was almost time to get up. She usually opened at the pharmacy, which allowed her to get off in early afternoon, but that didn’t make it any less painful when her alarm went off at five.
Jade looked over at Harley, who was still typing furiously into his phone. Part of his business was in alarms and surveillance, so she shouldn’t be surprised he’d want that done here. Maybe that would make him feel comfortable enough that he wouldn’t have to sleep here every night. She hoped so.
And yet she didn’t.
It was confusing being around Harley again. More confusing than she’d expected it to be. She thought she’d gotten over him a long time ago, but whenever he got close to her, her body responded as though it remembered him. She felt this desperate urge to reach out and touch him. For him to touch her. It was a ridiculous and inappropriate thought about the man who’d been hired to investigate her case. She knew that. Apparently she had made a mistake going too long without male companionship after her divorce. Harley had showed up unexpectedly and here she was, ripe for the picking.
As much as the idea of being plucked by Harley was appealing to her neglected body, her head knew better. He was not the one for her. She’d overridden her body before, and she knew she could do it again. The only difference this time was that Harley was so close, and would be for who knew how long. It was easier before, when she could just break off with him and return to college, where she didn’t have to see him every day.
But she could stay strong. She had to. It wasn’t smart to muddy the investigation with personal feelings. And feelings where Harley was concerned were a terrible idea. He might be attracted to her, but there were times when she got the sense he didn’t want to be. If they did hook up, that would be all there was to it. Neither one of them seemed keen to make the same mistake again.
“Okay, that’s done,” he announced, then slipped the phone back into its holster on his belt. “They’ll probably be out the day after tomorrow or so to get you set up.”
Jade just nodded. It wasn’t a bad idea, really. It would give her some peace of mind. “Thanks. It’s getting late, so if you’ve got all your things, I’ll let you get settled in for the night,” she said. The sooner she got him settled in for the night, the sooner she could put a couple walls between the two of them.
“Great.” Harley bent to pick up the small overnight bag and larger garment bag he’d brought into the house with him.
She led him down the hallway toward the bedrooms. The little bungalow had been perfect when she was looking for a place. Since it was just her, two bedrooms and a single bath were all she needed. Now, as she stood in the hallway and realized the two beds were technically only about eight feet apart, she wished her place was a little larger.
“This is the guest room.” She opened the door to the small room that had yet
to house any actual guests. She used it mostly for an office and storage, but she’d put a sofa sleeper in there just in case someone needed to stay. “I went ahead and unfolded the sofa bed. It has clean sheets and blankets on it, but if you get cold, there’s another in the closet. You probably saw it earlier, but the bath is here at the end of the hallway. There’s just the one to share.”
Harley eyed the space and then turned back to her. “And you’re right across the hall?”
She gestured to the closed door. “Yes. That’s me.”
“Okay, great.” He threw his bags down on the bed and switched on the little bedside lamp.
She watched him circle the small space like a Great Dane trying to get comfortable in a tiny bed made for a Chihuahua. Finally, he sat on the edge of the bed and the metal frame and springs gave a loud squeak of protest. She closed her eyes in embarrassment and wished she’d bought a regular bed for here. It would’ve taken up most of the room, but would have been better for company. Especially tall, muscular company.
It occurred to her that he would be more comfortable at his nice hotel suite or wherever he was staying. Heck, he’d probably be more comfortable in a sleeping bag on the front porch. He shouldn’t suffer because he felt the need to protect her. “You don’t have to do this,” she said.
He looked at her, his blue eyes searching her face for a moment, and then he smiled in a way that made her stomach clench. “I know I don’t. Good night, Jade.”
His words were a gentle dismissal to keep her from trying to talk him out of this. He was obviously too stubborn and would stay here no matter what. Jade had to appreciate his dedication, if nothing else. “Good night, Harley.”
She left his room, pulling the door closed behind her and crossing the narrow hallway to her own room. Shutting the second door, she leaned back against the wood and felt her body finally starting to relax. She hadn’t realized it until she was alone again, but she was strung tight as a drum when she was around Harley. It was emotionally and physically exhausting to be so close to him after all this time. The attraction between them, long-suppressed and bubbling just below the surface, was at constant odds with her sense of self-preservation. Keeping everything in check was a balancing act she wasn’t sure she could keep up much longer.
Dropping onto her own bed, she stared at the door. She supposed she should be happy to feel something. After everything that had happened with Lance, she’d almost become numb. Her mother actually thought there was something wrong with her because she hadn’t cried over the divorce. It was as though she was in a state of shock that didn’t allow her to feel anything at all.
She’d stayed there, stuck in limbo all this time, snapping out of it only when she’d received that DNA test.
Then, suddenly, all her emotions were flipped back on like a switch and her whole body was a bundle of raw nerves. She spent all day on the verge of tears or laughter, never quite sure which one was ready to burst from her without provocation. Could she risk unleashing that kind of pent-up energy on Harley?
With a sigh, she slipped out of her heels and got ready for bed. Maybe she would be exhausted enough to fall into a deep sleep and forget that Harley was only feet away.
Somehow, she doubted it.
* * *
A loud crash snapped Harley out of a restless sleep as his tailbone whacked the ground. It was only then that he realized the springs had given way on the sofa bed and he was lying on the hard wooden floor with only the thin mattress beneath him.
A pounding of fists at the door came next. “Harley, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. The bed is another matter.”
The door slowly opened and Jade stuck her head inside as she switched on the overhead light. Her face was washed clean of makeup and her long, pale hair was loose around her shoulders. For a minute, as he looked at her, it was as though she were seventeen again. Beautiful. Natural. Just the way he remembered her when he thought back on their time together.
Until she started laughing at him.
She held it in at first, but he could see the facade start to crumble as her hand went to cover her mouth. The giggles escaped from her lips, making him glance down at himself. He really did look ridiculous sprawled across the lopsided mattress, in a tangle of blankets. He had to laugh, too. He was too damn big for a bed like this and he should’ve known better than to even try sleeping on it. He’d tried not to move too much once he got into bed, but once he was asleep, he couldn’t help it. He’d rolled over and—BOOM.
They both laughed for a moment, their ever-looming tension finally dissipating with the emotional release. He supposed it was worth making an ass of himself if it helped break the ice between them. It would be a long and awkward assignment if they never got past it.
He shook his head and started checking out the sofa bed. He thought perhaps he could put it back together, but the hooks of the metal springs had actually ripped through the plastic fabric that held up the mattress. This thing wasn’t fixable. He would buy her a new sofa bed. A sturdier one. Maybe just an actual bed, with box springs and a steel frame.
Harley threw back the blankets with a heavy sigh and Jade’s laughter abruptly silenced. He looked down at himself again and realized he wasn’t wearing anything but a snug pair of black Calvin Klein boxer briefs. He wasn’t much for pajamas, but hadn’t thought about it until he exposed himself. When he glanced back at Jade, he realized her eyes were fixed on his chest and stomach, her mouth agape. It was probably a different sight than she remembered. His whole body had changed over the years. He’d been a scrawny kid back then. Now he was a solid man made of muscle and covered in coarse, dark brown hair.
When she finally closed her mouth, a curious smirk formed at the corners of her lips. Jade seemed to like what she saw. And he liked that she liked it. He just wasn’t sure what he should do about that glassy look in her eyes. Probably nothing. Maybe everything.
He got up from the shambles of the bed, wrapped the blanket around himself and snatched his pillow from the floor. His movements seemed to jerk Jade from her intense study and make her realize what she was doing. When her eyes met his again, he couldn’t help smiling with amusement. Her cheeks flushed red as she seemed to realize that he’d caught her staring at him. With any other woman, he would’ve walked up to her, dropped the blanket and let her look and touch her fill. He wasn’t shy, especially when he wanted something. Or someone.
But not with Jade. Things were too damn complicated between them for that. If there was one lesson he’d learned in the military, it was that life went the smoothest when he was in control. His existence before that point had been a mess as he spiraled through situations he didn’t have a handle on. After his service ended, he’d applied that principle to every part of his life and things were infinitely better. He had the distinct feeling that maintaining control would be more difficult with Jade in the picture.
“This bed is toast. I guess I’ll just move to the couch in the living room,” he said. It might not be more comfortable, but it wouldn’t collapse on him. Hopefully.
“Don’t be silly,” Jade said with a shake of her head. “The living room furniture is okay for sitting, but it’s awful for sleeping. I couldn’t afford anything nicer. But I have a king-size bed in my room. There’s plenty of room for you there.”
Harley arched a brow at her. She wanted to share her bed? After the way she’d looked at him just now, he wasn’t sure that was such a good idea. She might not admit it to him, or even to herself, but she wanted to touch him and reacquaint herself with his body. And he wanted to let her. “I don’t know about that, Jade.”
She stuck out her chin defiantly. “We’re adults, Harley. Surely we can sleep in the same bed without an issue. If it makes you feel better, I promise to keep my hands to myself.” She held up three fingers in the Girl Scout salute before opening the door the rest of the way.
Harley now got a good look at the little cotton nightgown she was wearing to bed. It was short, with the lacy trim skimming her upper thighs. The fabric was pale pink, and transparent enough for him to see the rosy shade of her nipples as they pressed against it. The light from her bedroom behind her highlighted her figure through it, showcasing her narrow waist and the slight curve of her hips.
He swallowed hard. “I promise nothing,” he said in a gruff voice. He didn’t like to go back on his word, so he didn’t make promises he knew he couldn’t keep. As it was, he was clutching his pillow in front of himself to hide his pulsating desire. How could such a sweet, innocent piece of clothing stir such a reaction in him?
Probably because Jade could wear a clown suit and he would still want her. That was the long and short of the matter. He might not like it. He might even try to convince himself that he didn’t harbor such a strong attraction to Jade any longer. But it was a damned lie. She’d hurt him when she chose Lance, even if he didn’t want to admit that to himself. And he could tell himself he didn’t need someone in his life who didn’t think he was good enough for them. But somehow all that flew out the window where she was concerned.
“Come on,” she said with a laugh, and left the doorway, seemingly oblivious to the heated thoughts running through his mind.
Did she think he was being funny? He wasn’t sure, but he was running out of sleeping options if he was going to stay here and keep her safe. Once the security equipment was up, he could return to his bed at his mother’s house, but until then, he needed someplace to get some decent rest. Reluctantly, Harley followed her out of the guest room and glared across the hallway to Jade’s bedroom. He could see the large bed with the floral quilt tossed back and half a dozen decorative pillows piled on the unoccupied side.
While he stood there, Jade leaned across the mattress to snatch the extra pillows off the bed. As she stretched for the last one, the hem of her nightie crept higher and higher, until he could see the firm cheeks of her bottom peeking out from baby blue cotton panties. Not a thong or cheeky cutouts. They were sweet. Innocent. Just like the kind he’d fantasized about peeling off of her back in high school.
From Mistake to Millions Page 5