His eyes crawl up my body, locking with mine as I press the back of my head into the door, wishing he’d touch me so I could punch him. Or grab the back of his head and eat him alive. Whichever came first.
“Baby,” he murmurs, “…this is a fucked-up situation. I want you. But I’d never take you against your will.” He kisses my nose like he did this morning, but this time real slow. “However…if you gave yourself to me, you’d thank me for it.”
He leans in to kiss me but drops down without doing so, grabs my backpack and flashes away from me, pulling my gun out.
I explode, “What the fuck!?” pushing off the door and coming at him. “Give me that!”
He jumps on the bed and holds it up. “Now what’s this for, huh?”
“You tricked me!”
“Yup.”
I chase him around the bed, totally helpless. I’m not about to tackle him outright. That weapon is fucking loaded.
“GIVE IT BACK!”
He grins. “You sound like my brother Jeremy when I found a love letter from his ex-girlfriend! Now, now, Sunshine, stop trying to grab me. You said it was never gonna happen. Can’t change your mind just because I got ya all wet, baby.”
“FUCK YOU!”
Waving my gun at the ceiling, he laughs loudly then cocks an eyebrow, “Well, if you insist.”
“It wasn’t an offer!”
“Sounded more like an order.”
Growling, I back away and cross my arms. “You really don’t want to get on my bad side.”
His eyes dance and he tucks the gun in the back of his beltline. Throwing his gorgeous arms out wide, his naked, stunning chest is on full display. The hair under his arms is blonde, and that means…Stop it, Luna!!
“I’ll tell ya what, Kitty, you tell me what your name is, and why you were there, and I just might give you back your piece.”
“What’s YOUR name?”
“I already told you, Sunshine. It’s Jett. Jett Cocker. Very fun meeting you. Your turn.”
Wickedly, I smile. “Oh right. You did mention your name. I just forgot, because I don’t give a shit.”
His grin falters, but then expands. “Ooooooweeeeee! You are a fuckin’ spitfire! I love this!”
I dryly announce, “That wasn’t the reaction I was aiming for.”
Jett reaches up and holds onto the popcorn ceiling. He looks massive, a fucking monster of a man. If it weren’t for that smile I would be a little scared, but surprisingly, I’m not.
I am just pissed off and maybe enjoying it.
“What’s your name, Sweetheart?”
“Kitty. Baby. Sweetheart. Sunshine. Any of those work fine, thanks.”
“Alright, SMARTASS, what were you doin’ hidin’ outside that kitchen with a gun in your pretty little hand?”
He pauses, waiting for me to reply.
I say nothing, smirking back at him.
His eyes narrow as he sizes me up. “Because I’m thinkin’ that you aren’t involved in the Human Trafficking thing. You’re not the victim type.”
Unexpected pain punches me in the chest as I see my mother’s face.
Suddenly I can’t breathe.
I turn away so he can’t see that my whole world just came to a complete stop.
The rooms goes dead quiet.
Luna
He jumps off the bed and lands with a thud on the aged carpet.
A second later I feel his hands softly touch my elbows as he whispers, “Hey, I’m sorry…I didn’t know.”
I was having fun and now it’s ended with the reminder of where I come from and what I’ve lived through. The little girl in me wants to lean into his strength. It’s a foreign desire. I’ve never turned to men for comfort. They are always the enemy.
But his voice. It’s so…compassionate. I never hear that tone. Especially not in my own head.
Before I know what I’m doing, I let him wrap his arms around me. He rests his forehead on the back of my head.
A scared little girl inside me whispers, ‘Can we stay like this forever?’
Because I don’t understand these feelings at all, I turn around to look into his eyes, searching them and wondering where my voice has gone.
Grey Eyes stares into me like he can handle this.
Are these tears tugging inside of me? I haven’t cried in years!
Over a throat dryer than I’ve ever had, I rasp, “I don’t need to be held.”
He nods and murmurs, “No, you’re too strong for that.”
“That’s right,” I whisper, barely able to talk.
“C’mere.” He pulls me in against his strength and hugs me so hard it almost hurts. “I don’t know what happened to you, Sunshine,” he whispers against my hair, “but I’m sorry it did. I wish I could make it go away.”