I went into my room and quickly changed into shorts and a T-shirt, and a pair of running shoes Marg had brought me. Then I made my way to the workout room. Jacob stood in the center of the room, waiting for me. His gaze raked me from head to toe, making my face heat. He motioned me closer. A mixture of fear and awareness spiraled through me. Dear God, I needed to get a grip. No man had ever filled me with such strong, mixed feelings before. Part of me was scared of him, while the other part of me wanted to touch all those hard muscles and see what they felt like, wanted to experience the danger that oozed off of him. He’d changed into gym shorts and a lose-fitting tank top, making me very aware of the strength and masculine perfection in every inch of his sculpted body.
I paused before him, looking up into his face. He moved suddenly, just a blur, and flipped me through the air. I landed on my back on the center mat with a thud.
I gasped, staring up at him, stunned. What the hell?
“Lesson number one,” he said in that deep, raspy voice that made a chill run down my spine. “Don’t stand so close to a potential attacker. You’re way too trusting. Do you see how easy it was to knock you down?”
I sat up, my heart thundering. He hadn’t hurt me, just taken me by surprise. Damn, he was fast. This guy was indeed dangerous. I sensed it deep down inside. He could hurt me all too easily. But would he?
He stepped back, motioning me to my feet. I rose, never taking my eyes off his, though I sensed he was so fast, it wouldn’t matter how hard I stared at him, I still might not see him move until it was too late. “How do I know if someone is a potential attacker?”
“Assume everyone is a potential attacker, and they won’t take you by surprise.”
I let out a scoff. “We aren’t in Augusta anymore. Why would anyone attack me here?”
He moved again, a silent, barely perceptible dance, and suddenly had me pinned back against him, an arm around my throat, and the other arm around my waist. I gasped and squirmed, pulling at the rock-hard arm around my throat, but it was no use.
“Jacob, this isn’t funny,” I panted out. “Let me go.”
“Once again, you’ve become a victim,” he whispered in my ear. “Now I can haul you away and do with you whatever I please.”
My heart raced. I swallowed hard, thinking of what he could do to me, and what I would like him to do to me. Oh God. I squirmed against him again. “Jacob, please.”
He released me abruptly and I stumbled away from him.
“Doesn’t matter where you live or what you do, Anna. There are always threats out there, someone who might hurt you. You can’t let your guard down. Ever. Trust no one.”
I drew in a deep breath and forced my gaze back up to his. There was a hard look in his eyes, a dangerous gleam that made my heart pound even faster. Why did I get the impression he was the one I needed to fear?
“Okay,” I said slowly. “So how do I protect myself?”
“Lesson number two,” he said. “You need to learn all the vulnerable parts of the human body, which are eyes, nose, neck or throat, groin, ribs, knees, feet, fingers, and abdomen.”
I nodded, saying them all back inside my head. “So, I punch or hit in any of those areas?”
“Any strike to a vulnerable area can temporarily disable your attacker if delivered correctly. But certain strikes are more effective than others. For a punch to the face, use your pointer and middle fingers as the contact point and really drive from the ground, keeping your elbow down.” He demonstrated with a mock punch to my face. He stepped back and motioned me forward. “You try.”
I lunged forward, lifting my arm toward his face. He easily caught my hand, stopping me.
“Try again. Aim for my throat this time.”
Again, I lunged with my hand, and again he caught me. “Again. Don’t hesitate. Strike fast, and move back out of the way.”
I tried again. And again. Five more times I attempted to land a blow, but he caught all five punches. He was too fast. This wasn’t fair. I would never beat him. I glowered. “I’ll never be able to hit you. You’re too fast.”
“Never is not a word in your vocabulary. You can and you will. Come on, Anna. You’ve got to be faster than that. Keep practicing. If you can hit me, then you can hit anyone. Pretend I’ve just come up behind you in a dark alley. You spin around, and there I am. What do you do?”
Instead of lunging for his face, I lifted my knee, aiming for his groin. He grabbed my leg, halting me, and spun me around, yanking me back against him again.
Dammit.
He chuckled softly. “You’re too easy to overpower and abduct. If I were an attacker, you’d be at my mercy right now.”
My breathing quickened. I already was at his mercy. The feel of his hard male body pressed up against me from behind made me lightheaded. He wrapped his hand around my throat and my heart rate accelerated.
“Now I’ve got you in a very vulnerable position. I can choke you out in three to five seconds. How are you going to escape?”
I swallowed hard against his fingers around my throat. “You haven’t taught me that part yet.”
“What do your instincts tell you to do?”
I slammed my hand back against him, aiming for his groin. He maneuvered his body sideways, just enough to evade the punch.
“Nice try,” he murmured, “but not fast enough.”
“So what do I do then?”
“Curl your hands into a C shape with your thumbs toward your fingers. Use this curl to yank my thumb off your throat.”
I did as he instructed, my fingers slipping under his thumb to yank it back away from my neck.
“Good job,” he praised, releasing me. “You’re a fast learner. I think if we do this for an hour every night, you’ll soon get the hang of it. I want you to practice the moves I’ve taught you so far, and tomorrow night we can go over them again and see if you’ve improved. Once you’ve perfected these ones, we’ll move on to others.”
Deciding to see if I could catch him off guard, I lunged toward him, swinging my fist toward his nose.
His arm shot up, catching my fist in his, and I let out a frustrated groan.
He let out a soft chuckle. “Your body language gave that move away. That’s another lesson I’ll have to teach you. How to read your opponent’s body language.”
This was all a bit overwhelming. I doubted I would ever be as good as he was. I sighed and stepped back.
“I’ll leave you alone to practice a bit now.” He headed for the door.
“Jacob?” I called.
He paused in the doorway, turning back to me.
“Who am I learning to protect myself from? Honestly?”
His gaze bored into mine. “Anyone and everyone. But especially, me.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Anna
That first week passed fairly quickly. Hazel and I got more acquainted and we did lots of fun things together. We went to the park three more times over the week. Eatonton was a quiet, peaceful town, nothing like the violence and the gang wars in Augusta. I liked living here. I enjoyed my time with Hazel. I could easily envision staying here for a long time.
Jacob taught me more defense moves each night, strikes to vulnerable areas with different body parts, and when he grabbed me from behind, I learned how to break free by dropping low and squirming out of his hold. I kept practicing the moves he taught me, but so far, I’d never even come close to touching him. He was too fast. I wanted to ask him how he’d learned all these fancy fight moves, but my gut told me he wouldn’t answer, so I didn’t ask.
He’d never brought up his parting comment from that first night, but his words constantly ran through my mind: Anyone and everyone. But especially, me.
What had he been trying to tell me? That he could harm me? I already suspected that. But why would Jacob hurt me? I was his daughter’s nanny. I wanted to ask him what he meant by that, but his manner became a little standoffish during our self-defense lessons after that, abrupt even, so I d
idn’t ask. Who was Jacob? And why did I need to learn to protect myself from him?
Jacob disappeared to his job at night, and sometimes I was awakened by the sound of the garage door opening and closing as he came or went. I envisioned all sorts of things he might do. A security guard. A deputy at a jail. An undercover cop. A martial arts instructor. A gang member. A mafia leader. Was he out committing crimes while Hazel and I slept? I didn’t want to believe I was working for a criminal, but how could I really know for sure? I didn’t know much about him. I didn’t even know his last name.
Just Jacob.
That’s what he’d told me that first night on the drive from Augusta. Who was Just Jacob? And why didn’t he want me to know? And why in God’s name would I need to protect myself from him? He hadn’t done anything inappropriate or threatening. He was always polite, somewhat distant, and I sensed he was shy underneath it all. Hazel and I coaxed him into playing games with us several times over the following days, and it was cute to see his interactions with Hazel. They both seemed a little hesitant around each other, but I noticed the more Jacob played with us, the more relaxed both he and Hazel became. Their bond was slowly growing, and it was beautiful to see.
In the mornings when I woke, he was always in his bedroom with the door closed—sleeping, I assumed. He would venture out of his room later in the afternoon, usually around one or two. Sometimes he would fix himself a snack, then hit the workout room and spend several hours in there. Other times, he would work out first, and eat afterwards. The man had the uncanny ability to move silently from one place to the next. It was a little unnerving. He would suddenly appear behind me or beside me, and I’d nearly jump out of my skin. My breath would catch whenever he was close, my pulse would race, and I found myself overly aware of his every move. I’d never been so aware, so attracted to a man before. It made me uncomfortable, especially since he was my boss. I caught him staring at my chest a time or two and each time it made heat spread through me. There was definitely an attraction there, but he made no move to pursue it in any way, which was a relief. A relationship with my boss beyond employer/employee would be totally inappropriate.
I tried not to think about that hard, sexy body working out in the back room each day, but it was impossible. Jacob was the hottest guy I’d ever met and it was really hard not to think about him. I had never even been to a gym before. In fact, walking was the extent of my physical activities. So I found it difficult to comprehend how someone could be so obsessed with staying in shape. He had way more discipline that I did.
And our nightly self-defense lessons…being in such close proximity to Jacob for an hour each night just made me that much more aware of him. Seriously. How could any man be so fricking hot? God, he was nice to look at. I could just sit and stare at him for hours and never get tired of looking at him. Everything about him was mesmerizing, his handsome features, the graceful, silent way he moved, his somewhat shy mannerisms, and those stunning, light blue eyes…so beautiful, yet so distant. It would be all too easy to get lost in Jacob’s eyes, if he would ever let me. Sometimes I caught a glimpse of sadness in his eyes, but he never held my gaze for long enough to figure it out. He always kept his distance from me, never engaging me in a conversation any longer than necessary. As if he was trying to keep our relationship strictly professional. Though Jacob was secretive, he gave little glimpses of his character through his actions. He was very protective of Hazel, yet he seemed to trust me completely with her. Which made me feel good. One thing I found interesting was that he never went outside during the day. Was he hiding from something? The law? Who the hell was he? My curiosity about him was going to kill me. I had to find out more about him.
I hadn’t taken any personal time yet. I didn’t have a car, and Jacob hadn’t brought up the subject of buying me a new one yet. Not that he owed me a car or anything. He was doing more than enough for me as it was. And it wasn’t as if I had anywhere to go, anyway. I didn’t know anyone in this town, except the few mothers I’d met at the park during the past week. Hazel had been a little shy with the other children at first, but now she loved the playtime at the park. Hazel was quickly coming out of her shell. Now, if only I could get her father to open up to me more.
My curiosity about Jacob continued to grow over the coming days, but I knew no more about him on day seven than I had on day one. He was still so secretive. So mysterious. And that aura of danger that emitted off him never seemed to go away, no matter how much I was around him.
I wanted to confront him about some things, like why he was so distant with me and why he thought I needed protection from him. But I feared such a conversation might get me fired.
On the following Thursday, Jacob emerged from his room around two o’clock in the afternoon. Hazel and I were in the middle of a game of Twister. It just so happened that the moment he walked into the room, my ass was in the air, my legs spread wide while I twisted over the top of Hazel to reach the red circle on the opposite end of the playing mat.
He paused in the doorway to the living room, his eyes widening. “What the hell is going on?”
I snorted out a laugh, my face heating with embarrassment.
“We’re playing Twister, Daddy,” Hazel said proudly. “And I’m winning. Anna is almost gonna fall.”
His gaze raked over me and my face grew hotter. Then he chuckled. “I want to play.”
Oh crap.
Hazel giggled and reached over to spin the wheel. “Right hand, red.” Yes, the kid could read. Apparently her mother had taught her when she was three. She was a smart little thing.
Jacob glanced from me to Hazel, and back. “What does that mean?”
“That means you have to put a right hand on a red circle without falling over.”
His lips twitched and he came forward, leaning toward me. There was a red circle to the left of my right leg, too far for me to reach without falling, but I could see that was where Jacob was aiming. The only other vacant red circle was underneath me, to the left. I slowly maneuvered myself around, trying not to fall, and put my right hand on the red circle beneath me. Hazel found a red circle near her head and placed her tiny hand on it with a grin.
We glanced at Jacob and waited. His gaze met mine, then he reached for the red circle near my right leg, brushing his shoulder against my ass as he landed on the circle with his right hand.
Heat swept through me and I squeezed my eyes shut. His head was right next to my butt. Holy crap on a barn door.
“You better hope I don’t fart,” I blurted, “or it’ll blow you off balance and you’ll lose.”
Jacob choked. Then his shoulders shook with laughter. But he didn’t fall over.
My face burned. Had I just said that?
Hazel spun the wheel again. “Left foot, blue.” She giggled, then moved her left foot to the closest blue circle. She had the advantage of being little and flexible.
Jacob and I both eyed the vacant blue circle in between us. He swung his body around, moving his left leg forward in a fluid, graceful move. At the same time, I tried to maneuver my body around without falling and reached for the circle with my left leg. As usual, the man was too fast. His foot touched the circle before mine, and in my awkward struggle, I lost my balance, toppling forward into him with a soft gasp. He caught me against him with a grunt, and we fell to the mat together, a tangle of limbs.
Hazel giggled and clapped her hands. “I won!”
I lay sprawled across his hot, hard body, awareness sparking through me. Oh dear God. Neither one of us moved. I blushed furiously, my gaze darting to his. He stared up at me, his eyes heating with what could only be described as desire. I swallowed hard, unable to look away.
His gaze swept down, centering on my heaving chest, then crawled back to my face, landing on my mouth. Heat coiled in my loins.
I jerked my gaze away and found myself staring at his arm where it lay casually by his side. I wanted to feel it, see if it was as hard as it looked. Fascinated by the coil
ed strength in that arm, I lifted my hand and gently squeezed his bicep. “Holy crap,” I blubbered. “Your arms are like steel. I’ll bet you could bench me with one pinkie finger.”
He rolled me off him, his body shaking with laughter, and rose into a sitting position. “You’re a nut, Anna. Bench you with my pinkie?”
Hazel glanced from me to Jacob, then launched herself onto Jacob’s back, shouting, “Dog pile on Daddy!”
Jacob chuckled and reached back to tickle Hazel, making her squeal with laughter. He’d come a long way in the past week and was really starting to act like a normal father now. Playing with Hazel. Doing normal things. It was so nice to see their bond growing stronger with each day.
I wanted to join in. So badly. I wanted to dogpile Jacob. But that would be so inappropriate.
I was just the nanny, anyway. I wasn’t a true part of this family. But I wanted to be.
The thought sobered me. Dream on, Anna.
A lump formed in my throat. I swallowed hard, pushing it back. I was becoming way too attached to Hazel.
Not just Hazel…
Jacob’s gaze met mine. There was still laughter in his eyes, and something else. Desire. I jerked my gaze away.
This attraction between us was getting stronger. I wasn’t sure what to do about it.
He was my boss. We couldn’t become romantically involved.
No matter how attractive he was or how much I wanted him.
He was off limits.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Jacob
I don’t think I’ve ever laughed as much as I did with Anna. She was hilarious, the silly things she did, and the wisecracks that came out of her mouth, so unexpected that they made me roar with laughter. It felt good to laugh with her, to be with her.
I couldn’t get her out of my head. She was all I could think about. I wanted to play Twister again. This time just with her. In my bedroom. With the door locked. I wanted to get all twisted up in the sheets with her. I wanted her all twisted up around me. Everywhere.
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