Hard to Forget

  I walk Jax over to the group of men he points out to me. He introduces me as his guest for the night and I’m okay with that. I hold my purse close as I glance around the room, listening only vaguely as Jax talks to his colleagues. They get to talking about his newest hotel, being built in Los Angeles and I zone out, just keeping my eyes on people.

  We should be fairly safe in here, considering it’s protected by security, but still, I can’t be too careful. Someone could have gotten in without my notice, and could be acting as one of the guests. I can’t risk that, so I stay close to Jax and smile when I need to, and answer questions when required. I’m the perfect guest.

  The night goes on, and Jax starts easing up, laughing and making conversation where needed. Dinner is served and the auctions begin. I sit and watch with a smile as they make money for some well-known charities with Jax’s hotel chains being a big contributor. He goes up and makes a speech and I stick close, keeping my eyes on the people surrounding him.

  It seems they’re all fine.

  When dinner is over, the dancing begins. Couples start heading out onto the dance floor, and I smile as they move, staring longingly at each other. I’m busy staring when an arm curls around my waist and I jerk, turning to see Jax walking us towards the dance floor. I push my heels in and protest, “I don’t think so, handsome.”

  “Come on, kitten, you’ll love it.”

  “No, thank you. I look like a headless chicken dancing.”

  He chuckles, low and sexy. “Then you should definitely come and give me some entertainment for the evening.”

  “Eat a giant penis, Jaxson Shields.”

  His chuckle turns into a laugh. “Fuck, you’re cute when you’re sassy.”

  “I’m not dancing. The entire dance floor does not want to see my superhero underwear when I go ass over head.”

  He leads me further on. “You wear superhero underwear?”

  “Of course I do, don’t you?”

  He snorts.

  “Iron Man is very real in my world.”

  “God,” he mutters. “You could have at least had the Hulk on your panties.”

  “He’s green, nobody wants a green man near their junk.”

  He grins and swings me around until I’m forced to put my hands up to rest on him. He starts swaying us, his hands on my hips, mine resting on his shoulders. His eyes lock with mine and suddenly all the humor is gone. I’m taken back to his kitchen last night and my heart starts pounding.

  Stop thinking about it, Delaney. For God’s sake, stop thinking about it. I look away, glancing at the couples around us, trying to look at anything but him. He pulls me closer with a little tug of my hips and I gasp as my body presses against his, his muscled flesh molding around mine and making me feel alive. I look into his eyes again and he’s gone from playful, to lusty.

  Oh God.

  I should push back.

  I can’t.

  He sways us, our bodies moving to the music. I try, God do I try, to ignore the thickness pressing against my pelvis, but it’s nearly impossible. His eyes are heated and he leans down close, so our foreheads are touching. No, God dammit, no. I can’t allow this. I go to pull back, but his hands tighten on my hips.

  “Don’t,” he whispers. “Let me have this.”

  “You know this is dangerous,” I whisper. “Dammit, Jax.”

  He turns his head to the side, pressing his cheek to mine and he says nothing more. Our bodies are pressed together, our cheeks warm against the other’s, and it feels amazing. I let my eyes flutter closed, and I let my body move with his, relaxing my hips so we sway together. My breathing becomes ragged and I want to kiss him, more than anything in this world I want his lips on mine. But I don’t.

  The song ends and we stand like that, wrapped in each other, until a throat clears and I jerk backwards. A tall, gorgeous woman is standing, smiling at Jax. “Hi there, gorgeous. Remember me?”

  His eyes scan over her face and his jaw hardens. “Can’t you see I’m busy?”

  She grins, not at all offended by his harsh tone. “I’m sure, but I was just going to ask for the next dance.”

  “No thanks,” he grunts.

  “I need to, ah, use the bathroom,” I say, pushing back.

  “Me too,” Jax growls, glaring at the woman and following me out of the room.

  We have to use the bathrooms that are in a long narrow hall outside the ballroom, because there’s none directly in the ballroom. Granted, they’re just outside it, but it still means stepping into an unsecured area. I open the door first, shoving my hand in my purse to clutch my gun as I stare around. It seems fine, so I follow Jax towards the restroom.

  We reach them and I come to a problem. If I go into the bathroom, Jax won’t be safe. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, then I turn to him. “I think you’re going to have to go, and I’ll have to take you back to the safety of the ballroom and then go myself.”

  The muscle in his jaw jumps, and I know he doesn’t like me coming out here alone. Before he can answer, two men step into the hallway. One comes from the left, the other from the right. I flinch and my eyes instantly fall to their hands that are reaching into their jackets.

  “Look at that, two in one,” the man to my left says, and my blood runs cold.

  I step closer to Jax and finger the gun in my purse, not wanting to use it, but more than willing to if need be. Jax curls a hand around my wrist and squeezes, he’s sending a message, only I don’t know what it is.

  “This will be easier than we thought. You’ve been a burden on us for too long now,” the second man grunts, glaring at Jax.

  He pulls out a gun and all the breath is sucked from my lungs. They wouldn’t shoot us in a casino, would they? God, of course they would, and now’s their perfect chance. I stare at the gun and I know I can’t reach for mine that fast, my only chance is a quick attack. I’ve been taught how to disarm a man with a shock attack, but it’s still a risk considering there’s a man on the other side of Jax with a gun, too.

  If I take this guy down, will the other man shoot Jax before I get the chance to get to him, too? I have to take the risk, because if I just stand here doing nothing, they will most certainly shoot us. I glance at Jax and he nods ever so slightly. Does he know what I’m going to do? Is he going to take the other man down? I have to hope he is. I nod slightly too and the man laughs.

  “You two have no way out, you can close your eyes, if you like. It’ll hurt less. I promise to make it right between the eyes.”

  I flinch and turn to glare at him, he aims the gun between my eyes. Now or never. I duck low and twist so quickly he doesn’t see it coming. I don’t try to disarm him yet, but instead drive a fist into his stomach when I make contact. He takes a couple of steps back upon impact and I’m grateful that I haven’t heard a gun go off. Instead I hear grunting. Jax was thinking the same as me, thank god.

  I focus on the man who has now wrapped one arm around my head and is shoving my face into his stomach, trying to suffocate me. I use my free fist to drive up and punch him between the legs. He bellows and topples backwards. I stand and twist my body to the side, preparing to kick him as hard as I can when he turns skillfully and drives a fist into my cheek.

  I gasp as pain shoots through my skull, exploding in the depths and sending me off-guard for a second. The man takes that second, and drives the other fist into my eye and I topple backwards. I trip on something and I realize it’s a body. I land on my backside and like lightning, Jax moves past me. There’s a loud crack and then a gun slides my way. I grasp it even though I’m dizzy.

  I see Jax and the man on the ground, their bodies rolling about, fists flying. The other man, who I tripped over, is out cold on the ground. I take a deep, shaky breath and fight the pain as I crawl across the floor towards the two men. The one I was fighting has a small knife. I don’t know where he pulled it from, but there’s no way he’s going to get that into Jax.

  I aim the gun and with a shaky hand, I
shoot him in the leg just as he raises the knife to slash at Jax. He bellows in agony and topples backwards, hitting the wall. After that, what happens is a blur. A passerby heading toward the bathroom spots us and runs away, then starts shouting for help. Soon people from the casino swarm us. I fall backwards, head spinning. I realize my dress is torn and my panties are showing, but I make no effort to cover myself as Jax kneels beside me. He’s got blood on his lip, but otherwise he looks okay.

  “Hey, look at me,” he says. “Can you see?”

  “Y-y-y-yes,” I whisper, groaning.

  Before he can say anything more a guard comes through the crowd. I vaguely hear him asking Jax what happened, and listening as Jax explains his situation. I keep my eyes closed, and focus on anything but the pain in my face. This is why I don’t get into fights, being punched hurts.

  “Hey.” I feel a warm hand on my cheek. “Look at me.”

  I open my eyes to see Jax staring down at me, a worried expression on his face. There are two police officers beside him, handcuffing the two men.

  “Are you okay?” he asks.

  I nod.

  He turns and barks at the crowd in general, “Someone get me some fucking ice.”

  Then he turns back and swipes a piece of hair from my forehead. “How’s your vision? Can you see? Is the pain severe?”

  “I’m okay,” I whisper. “It’s just going to hurt like hell tomorrow.”

  “I’ve called Nak, he’s on his way. Here.” He shrugs off his suit jacket and lifts me gently, draping it over my shoulders. I clutch it close, breathing it in, grateful for the warmth and coverage it creates.

  “I have to talk to the police, but I’ll be right here,” Jax assures me.

  He stands and when an ice pack comes, he hands it to me. I place it against my cheek and sit back against the wall, as I listen to him give a full statement. The officers are familiar with his case, and they said it’s a good thing these two men have been arrested. I think it’s a bad thing. A very, very bad thing.

  This will only make them angrier.

  “Jesus.”

  I hear Nak’s voice and open my eyes to see him shoving through the crowd. When he reaches me, he kneels in front of me, taking my chin in his hands. “What happened?”

  “They cornered us in the hall when we were alone,” I croak. “They had their guns drawn before I could pull mine. I did the best I c-c-could.”

  “Hey,” Nak says. “You’re both alive and they’re both in custody, you did well.”

  “He hit me, I went down … Jax fought the other one and then got the guy off me.”

  “Then it was lucky you were together.”

  I nod. There’s no point worrying that I didn’t do my job correctly. It would have been no different if it was Kyle in the situation, or even Nak. Nak is right, we got out safely and that’s all that matters.

  “Are you in serious pain?” Nak asks, turning my face from side to side.

  “It doesn’t feel great, but I think I’ll be fine.”

  “Take a few days off, Delaney. You’ve had a hard time, it’s been full on. Let Kyle take over until you’re ready to go at the end of the week. Spend time with your family.”

  “I’m okay, Nak, really I am.”

  “It’s not an option, Laney,” he says gently. “Take the time off.”

  “He’s right,” Jax says, kneeling beside Nak. “Take it off, recover.”

  I meet his eyes and my heart aches. I don’t want to take it off, I just want to keep doing my job. It makes me feel weak to have days off over a black eye.

  “I’m honestly fine, it’s just a black eye and—”

  “It’s not just a black eye, Delaney,” Nak says, his voice firm. “You’ve had a drive-by shooting this week and now this. Most of my men don’t deal with that much in a week. It’s a lot to process. You deserve a few days off. You’ve barely seen your family and you’ve been working like a madwoman.”

  He’s right, I have. I would like to see them.

  “Okay,” I say, suddenly exhausted.

  “I’ll call Kyle in now, he can escort Jax back to his apartment. I’ll take you home.”

  “If you don’t mind, Nak,” Jax says. “I’d like to make sure she gets home safely. Kyle can drop her off on the way.”

  Nak nods. “Understandable. Are you good with that, Delaney?”

  I nod and he helps me up. Jax wraps an arm around my waist and we’re escorted out. Fifteen minutes later, Kyle arrives and we get into Jax’s car. I wave to Nak weakly and he gives Kyle a list of instructions. When we’re on the road, my body slumps and I can’t help it, I lean into Jax. He doesn’t put his arm around me, probably because Kyle is in the car, but he strokes a finger over my hand, letting me know it’s okay.

  When we arrive at my apartment, Kyle gets out first and does the usual checks while we wait in the secure underground car park. When it’s all clear, he leads Jax and me up to my apartment at Jax’s request. I know he doesn’t like it, because his jaw is tight, but he allows it. When we reach my door, Kyle goes in first and checks to make sure it’s safe, then we all enter.

  “Give me an hour with her, Kyle,” Jax orders, not looking at Kyle. “It’s better if you wait by the door.”

  “Why do I need to wait at the door? You shouldn’t be doing anything that requires an hour. Is there something going on between you two? Because that’s against the rules!”

  Jax stiffens and turns so sharply Kyle takes a step back. He stalks over and gets in his face. “Listen to me, and listen good. That woman got two hits to the face tonight, by a man twice her size. You might be a piece of shit willing to leave her here, but I am not. Until I know she’s okay, and not injured severely after doing her job and protecting me, then I won’t be leaving. If you want me to leave a complaint with Nak, argue again.”

  Kyle flinches and his face pinches, but he spins and stalks towards the door, growling, “One fucking hour.”

  When he’s out of sight, Jax wraps an arm around my waist and we walk to my room. I sit on my bed and he kneels before me, taking my foot and sliding my heel off, then he does the same with the other. I say nothing, I just watch his hands gliding over my feet. When my heels are off, his fingers graze the skin of my foot and I shiver.

  Our eyes meet and the tension is thick again.

  I swallow and say, “You have a bloody lip. Let me get something for that.”

  “No.” His voice is a low rasp. “You’ve done enough for me, just sit and let me check your cheek and eye.”

  I don’t argue, I just sit and watch as he moves around my room, finding a washcloth. He dampens it in the bathroom and returns a moment later, kneeling in front of me. He takes my face and his eyes grow concerned as he gently presses the cool cloth against my flesh. “This is going to fucking hurt tonight, and especially tomorrow. Have you got good pain medication?”

  “My aunt lives just next door, she will have some.”

  He nods and stands.

  “What are you doing?” I ask.

  “Going next door to get some.”

  “What, no!”

  I stand up and my head pounds. I press a hand to my forehead and Jax turns, walking over and pressing his hands to my shoulders, pushing me gently down. “Don’t argue with me, kitten. I’m doing this, like it or not.”

  Then he turns again before I can protest and leaves the room. I groan and put my head in my hands, waiting for it. Aunt Bett won’t take the news of me being hurt well, and any moment now she’ll burst through my doors, demanding answers.

  I’m right. Ten minutes later, I hear her voice.

  “Where is she?”

  A moment later, her small frame appears in my bedroom doorway and her face drops. “Oh my poor girl, my poor Laney.”

  She rushes in and sits beside me, taking my face in her hands.

  “I’m okay, Aunt Bett, honestly.”

  “Your face is swollen!” she cries.

  “It looks worse than it feels,” I say
.

  I’m such a liar.

  “Don’t you lie to me, young lady,” she says and I smile.

  “Okay, Aunt Bett.”

  “Come, come, let me help you out into the dining room. I bet you haven’t had a decent meal in weeks. Let me prepare something, get you all warmed up and ready for bed.”

  “It’s okay, truly.”

  “No arguments. Your friend can stay, Kyle too.”

  I smile at the idea of her using the term friend to describe what Jax is to me. I don’t say anything, though, and let her lead me out into the dining room where Jax is standing in the kitchen, preparing painkillers for me. He turns when he sees us enter, and his eyes flick to mine. So much hides beneath those depths, I want to rush over and tuck myself into his arms, but we both know I can’t do that.

  I glance at Kyle, who is standing at the front door, watching me too. I give him a nod of my head and let Aunt Bett lead me to the table. She sits me down and then faces the room in general, mostly Jax. “I’m making soup, you two will stay and eat it.”

  No argument there.

  “Sorry, Bett,” Kyle says. “But I have to get Mr. Shields home.”

  “I have nowhere to be,” Jax says, giving Kyle a look.

  “But—” Kyle starts, but Aunt Bett throws her hands up.

  “It’s settled, Kyle. Stop arguing and relax.”

  Kyle mutters something, but he knows he has no choice. If Jax wanted to stay here all night there’s nothing he can do about it. Aunt Bett tries to get him away from the door, but he stands there, sulking. God, he’s such a child when he wants to be.

  “Can I help you with anything, Bett?” Jax asks and my mouth drops open.

  First-name basis? Seriously?

  “No.” Aunt Bett shoos him away. “You just sit, my dear, and make sure Laney doesn’t do anything crazy.”

  “Aunt Bett!” I scoff. “I’m hardly going to do anything crazy.”