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Always for You:Jack(11)

By:Alexis Morgan


He moved with the same grace as one of the big cats at the zoo. His  slight limp did nothing to detract from the confidence and strength that  showed in each step he took, like there was nothing the world could  throw at him that he couldn't handle. She shivered slightly, but for  once her reaction was based not on fear but on something else equally  primitive-a feminine appreciation for a dominant male in his prime. Oh  boy, she really needed to get moving.

As she drove past him, he stopped long enough to wave one last time. She  responded in kind and started counting off the hours until Monday when  she would see Ricky again.

And, with any luck, Jack.





Chapter 5


Jack punched the heavy bag, hitting it six times in rapid fire, shifted  his stance, and then attacked again with his other hand. He'd already  worked up a good sweat from jumping rope and doing calisthenics. After  another few minutes on the heavy bag, he'd finish up by lifting weights.  He'd been slacking off lately on his normal workout, but his  conversation with Caitlyn had left him restless-not to mention horny.

There was just something about those soft gray eyes that drove him  crazy, wanting to know what made her tick. For one thing, she always  wore dressy slacks with a tailored blouse. Very fitted, very neat and  tidy. Stylish was the word to sum up her attire. But then there were her  earrings. Today they were a dangling pair of elephants in the same  shade of blue as her shirt. The other day, she'd worn a brightly colored  pair of clown fish.                       
       
           



       

Maybe she wore the silly things as a way to appeal to her younger  students, but he suspected they really represented a whimsical side to  her nature that she normally kept under lock and key. Regardless of the  reason for her taste in jewelry, he got a kick out of seeing what she  came up with next.

If anyone would have ever told him that he'd get turned on by a woman  with honey-gold hair worn in a long braid and a pair of elephant  earrings, he would have said they were crazy. And he would have been  wrong. It had been all he could do to keep his hands to himself when  they'd walked out of the house together.

After she drove away, he'd tossed the mail on the table inside the front  door where his mom would see it and then headed straight for the small  gym he and his brothers had put together on the first floor of their  garage apartment. He'd stripped off his jeans and replaced them with a  loose pair of gym shorts to allow him greater freedom of movement.

The ache in his leg made it clear that he'd regret not taking it a bit  easier, but ice and aspirin would help with that. Right now he needed to  burn off excess energy more than he needed to baby his fucked-up knee.  If he gave in to it every time the damn thing acted up, he'd end up  spending the rest of his life parked on the couch with a beer in his  hand. He'd take it easier on himself tomorrow, but today he needed to go  all out.

A knock at the door broke his rhythm. He considered ignoring the summons  but then rejected the idea. After another quick series of jabs, he  walked over to open the door. Ricky was just lifting his hand to knock  again. He jumped back as if Jack had startled him.

"Need something, kid?"

"Yeah, your mother said to tell you that some guy named Gabe wants you  to call. He tried your cell, but it went straight to voicemail."

While he relayed the message, Ricky angled his head trying to see past  Jack. He was no doubt wanting to check out the gym. Jack stepped back.  "Come on in if you want to."

Ricky reached the center of the compact gym and looked around. "Is all of this equipment yours?"

Jack walked over to the small fridge in the corner and pulled out two  bottles of water. He started to toss one to Ricky before he remembered  the kid only had one functioning hand and carried it over to him  instead. "My brothers and I started off with that set of weights when we  were teenagers and have added to the collection over the years. We all  stay here in the annex when we come home for a visit. It only made sense  to have a convenient place to work out."

He took a swig of water and then wiped the sweat off his face with a  towel. "It pays to stay in shape anyway, and that's especially true when  you're in the military. I'm no longer in, but I guess the habit stuck."

Ricky stared at the wraps on Jack's hands. "Were you punching the bag?"

"Yeah, I was." Unsure how much to share with the kid, he added, "Hitting  something helps knock the edge off when I get bored or frustrated."

"Do you like to fight? You know, like boxing?"

Jack shook his head. "No, I never went in for the sport. The heavy bag  is just part of my normal workout. I skip rope to warm up, do an  exercise routine I learned in the army, hit the bag for a while, and  then lift weights."

"Is that how you built up all that muscle?"

Jack recognized envy when he heard it. Ricky still had the lanky build  of a teenager who hadn't come into his full growth yet. The fact that he  probably hadn't eaten regularly for a while before coming to stay with  Jack hadn't helped matters, either.

"Yeah, pretty much. I was a beanpole when I entered high school, but the  weights helped with that." He looked around the room to see what advice  he could offer his young charge. "You're welcome to use the equipment,  although there's a limit to what you can do until you get that cast  off."

Ricky wandered over to study the free weights, picked one up, and flexed  his good arm several times before setting it back down. Then he sat  down on the end of the bench and tried a few leg exercises. Jack left  him to it while he did a few more rounds on the bag. He hadn't forgotten  about the message Ricky had delivered. What did Gabe want now? Jack had  taken a few jobs that his old friend had thrown his way, mostly  bodyguard work for American businessmen traveling overseas.

He had a break in his construction schedule for the next week, so now  would be a good time to do a quick job for Gabe. If it was any longer  than that, though, he'd have to turn it down. His mom wouldn't mind  watching over Ricky for a short time, but the kid was really Jack's  responsibility.                       
       
           



       

His reps on the bag done, he headed for the weight bench since Ricky had  moved on to the treadmill. He'd do a shortened version of his usual  program and call it good. Afterward, he'd go upstairs and take a quick  shower before calling Gabe.

The whole time he was lifting weights, he was aware of Ricky's scrutiny. "Something on your mind?"

"No."

Then a second later, Ricky changed his story. "After dinner, I'm going to take off for a while to see some friends."

Okay, that wasn't good news, but Jack forced himself to think things  over before responding. He didn't like the idea of Ricky taking to the  streets on his own. Yet Jack knew from his own experience as a teenager  that if he were to forbid Ricky to see any of his friends, the kid was  likely to go anyway. Worse yet, he might not come back, at least not on  his own.

Jack stayed seated on the bench with his eyes focused on the floor.  Ricky might be more willing to listen to reason if he didn't feel like  Jack was using his size to intimidate him. They both knew Ricky had  every reason to fear someone stronger and bigger than he was.

"I'm not your jailor, Ricky, but I also have to say that I don't like  the idea of you being out on the streets by yourself." He slowly lifted  his gaze to meet Ricky's. "Whoever attacked you could still be out  there."

Actually, for sure the guy was out there. Judging by the way Ricky just  flinched, he knew it, too. That seriously pissed off Jack. How was he  going to keep the kid safe if he insisted on protecting the identity of  his attacker?

Jack didn't miss the fact that Ricky had stepped off the treadmill and  was slowly making his way around the edge of the room. He took care to  stay out of Jack's reach as he headed for the door. "I'll be hanging  with my friends. It's no big deal."

"Okay, like I said, I'm not your jailor. Having said that, there will be  some rules when you leave the house. I want to know where you're going  and when you'll be back. Also, you'll take a cellphone with you and  answer anytime my mom or I call. We won't make pests of ourselves, but  we need to be able to reach you at all times."

He finally stood up, still making no move to get closer to Ricky. "Understand? My mom will worry."

So would Jack, but the kid might care more about how Marlene would feel.  Ricky shuffled his feet and stared out the window. If he were anything  like Jack had been when he first came to live with Joe and Marlene, the  whole idea of anyone giving a damn about what happened to him was a  foreign concept. Jack had chafed against their restrictions at first,  but he had gradually come to appreciate the fact that someone actually  cared.