Chapter Four

The next few days were filled with text messages that brought a smile to Jason’s face every time he looked at his phone. He stayed true to his word and asked Mae questions to get to know her. Jason started with easy ones, hoping to break through her shy exterior.

J: What’s your favorite color?

M: Green. Yours?

J: Black.

M: LOL. That’s not a color. Black is the absence of color, not a color.

J: But I don’t have to worry about matching stuff with it. What’s your favorite movie?

M: Ten Things I Hate About You. Yours?

J: Rocky. All of them. Favorite band?

M: Fallout Boy and Panic! at the Disco. You?

J: Highly Suspect.

He was lying in bed, about get ready to go in to work, when his phone rang, interrupting his text-a-thon with Mae. She was already at work, probably on her lunch break, and he wouldn’t see her after work because that’s when he went in. She hadn’t been staying, and he didn’t blame her, although he missed her. Jason was trying to figure out a way around their schedules. He cursed the assholes who’d made her feel unsafe, even with him there.

“Hello?”

“Jason, I need you to come to work in about an hour. We want to have a chat with you.” It was Mr. Amir, the CEO of the company.

“Sure, sir. Is anything wrong?” He wanted to be prepared if he was getting fired, but the chuckle that met his ears was a bit reassuring.

“Not at all. Just come in and let’s have a chat.”

“Okay, I’ll be there in an hour.”

He sent Mae one last text.

J: I gotta go, gorgeous. Bossman wants to meet with me.

M: Good luck! 

After showering and changing, which took all of twenty minutes, Jason sat on the decrepit balcony and thought about his life. He felt something in his gut after the phone call from Mr. Amir, and it was like the pressure before a big storm. Something was about to change for him, and he wasn’t exactly sure what it would be. He could only hope it would be a good thing.

Jason had never been a highly motivated kid when he was growing up. He’d sort of just gone with the flow and not caused waves. When the Marine recruiters had come to his high school class, he’d signed up, blinded by the promises of travel and adventure.

He’d done his time, been groomed for the Special Forces, but he didn’t want to take that test and have those responsibilities. He may have had the skill set they were looking for but lacked the intrinsic motivation necessary to do that job, and he knew it. He didn’t need a psych eval to tell him that.

But as Mae’s face swam in his vision, Jason knew something had changed. This tiny fairy of a girl had completely entranced him, and he couldn’t explain why. He didn’t really know her, but something about her sang to him. It was like a love song, those things he’d never put much faith in, thinking they were stupid. But as dumb as it was, he wanted to be with Mae—to please her, to protect her, and to do things for her.

He’d never wanted that before. Ever. He’d always been a loner, preferring to do things solo. Now, as he heated up his TV dinners, Jason wondered what Mae would think about his food choices. He wondered if she liked the scent of his body wash and deodorant. He wanted to know what sort of men she liked so he could be that man for her.

Wasn’t that just the shit? He wanted to change himself to please her. That was wrong, and he knew it, but he couldn’t help the thoughts as they filtered into his mind.

He wanted to be a better man. Who didn’t?

Jason finished his cup of coffee, grabbed his keys, and headed to his truck. He had a job to go to, a boss to see, and news to hear, whatever it was.

**

At work, Jason changed into his coveralls and walked up to the boss’s office. Mr. Amir’s office was on the top floor, and he was familiar with it. The man hardly ever had garbage to empty. Jason learned a lot about people from the garbage they had. Mr. Amir typically had a wadded-up sticky note here and there, and more often than not, candy wrappers. He preferred Twizzlers.

Jason took a fortifying breath as he knocked on the door, preparing himself for whatever his boss wanted, and he hoped it wasn’t going to fire him, not that he’d done anything wrong.

“Jason! Come in!” Mr. Amir sounded positively jovial. Jason had seen the man a handful of times, and as he entered the room full of people, he was instantly recognizable. His impeccable suit spoke volumes of his status in the room. There were other people as well, but Jason didn’t recognize them, so he smiled vaguely at everybody, still wondering what the hell he was here for. “These are members of Pierce Securities team, Jordan, Evan, and Simon. They’ve been doing a walkthrough of our security and are working up a proposal of measures we need to take to keep events like last week’s from happening again.” The three men in question stood and offered handshakes, seeming friendly enough. “This is the head of our legal team, Mrs. French. She’s going to draw up the paperwork.” Jason shook a woman’s hand, who looked like she would rather be hiking than cooped up in an office, her hair highlighted by the sun and her face looking like it had seen some weather. She certainly didn’t spend all her time behind a desk.

He didn’t know what to talk about, or why he was here, so after shaking everyone’s hands, he stood there, uncomfortable.

“I have a proposition for you, boy.” Jason rankled at the “boy” comment, but Mr. Amir didn’t seem to mean anything by it, so he cooled his jets and waited. “The security firm thinks we need full time security staff—guards at the entrance, video monitors, the works. I want you to oversee it. Mrs. French has a budget drawn up by the accounting department, and Jordan and Evan have graciously volunteered to walk you through setting up shop as our new head of security. They’ll be here while you order what we need and have it all installed and such, to answer any questions you have about logistics.” Mr. Amir beamed broadly, and Jason was still trying to figure out what had just happened.

“Sir?”

“I’m giving you the job of head of security for our company.” Jason reeled. “You single-handedly saved the records and that little girl from being blown to China, without killing anybody, for no other reason than you felt the need to. That shows the initiative and dedication to the company that I’m looking for. What do you say?”

Jason bit his tongue at the “little girl” comment, as well as putting the records before her in his sentence. He wasn’t willing to jeopardize this opportunity by correcting his boss while the man was offering him a promotion. Instead, he offered up a smile, making it as wide as he could. “Sounds great, sir!”

Mr. Amir clapped his hands together, rubbing them enthusiastically. “Great! I’ll let these guys spend the rest of the afternoon getting you up to speed on what your duties will be, and Mrs. French will draw up the paperwork.”

Jason left, dismissed and overwhelmed by the words. Nobody had ever praised his initiative, and he wondered to himself if he would have been so motivated if Mae hadn’t been in danger. He idly fingered the phone in his pocket, anxious to get alone so he could tell her about it. Honestly, he was loving their back and forth chats through the texting, but he couldn’t wait to get his hands on her again.

**

J: I got a promotion. You are now having an illicit text relationship with the head of security.

M: That’s wonderful! Congratulations!

J: We’re going to dinner to celebrate after work.

Mae spun around in her desk chair with a celebratory squeal. A few people turned to look at her, but she didn’t care. She was happy for Jason, and proud of him. And those were her thirty seconds of celebration. She had calls to finish if she were to get out of here on time.

“Hi, this is Mae with Amir Document Solutions. I need to expedite a subpoena. May I please speak with your records custodian?” She spoke fast, trying to get through her calls, notarizing documents for runners to collect, and filing like a maniac, all in hopes of being finished by the time Jason collected her. She had a date tonight.

Of course, the faster she worked, the quicker her day went, and by the time the lights were dimmed in the office space, Mae still had a stack of files to get through before she felt comfortable leaving. She’d been so lost in her own head during the day, she hadn’t registered everyone saying goodnight to her, until she heard the squeak of the desk in the row behind her.

Her skin prickled with fear as she realized she was alone up here for the first time since the incident. Exactly where she didn’t want to be. The groan of the fake wood of the desk echoed in her ear, broadcasting someone else’s presence behind her.

Who would watch her and not say anything? Without moving her head, her eyes darted around for a weapon and landed on her stapler. It was an old one—used to be her dad’s, from the sixties, all metal and heavy as fuck. Grasping it in one hand and her stack of papers in the other, she composed herself, then acted.

In one smooth movement, Mae spun around and stood, launching the stapler at the face of the man standing behind her. As soon as she registered who he was, he caught the stapler with lightning-fast reflexes in one hand.

Her legs turned to jelly and her grip loosened on the files as she sank into the chair, relief flooding her veins. A sigh filled the air, and she realized it was hers. Sheepishly, Mae looked at Jason, standing there with a smirk on his face.

“I’m sorry to sneak up on you, but you were busy, and I just enjoyed watching you.”

She bent down to pick up all the papers she’d dropped, still not trusting her knees. Jason looked hot in jeans and a t-shirt instead of the coveralls he usually wore. She’d only seen him in his casual wear once, at the bar, but it still took her breath away.

“It’s okay. I’m on edge up here by myself.” Her hands were shaking as she picked up folders and papers, sucking air between her teeth at the mess she’d made and all the new work she’d created for herself. Jason’s large hands joined hers, his scent overwhelming her as he helped her straighten the papers.

“I hate that,” he said, his low voice a murmur in her ear. “That’s my new job, to make you feel safer here.”

Mae risked a glance up at him, and those sparkling, green eyes bored into her, seeing her fears, her flaws, and softening in their presence.

Suddenly, the fact they were utterly alone sank into her, and not in a scary way. It was as if he realized it, too. The glittering eyes that had just a moment ago been so soft and caring were now a smoldering fire on her skin. Jason took the folders out of her hand and stacked them on top of his, setting them aside, never breaking his gaze.

Mae was on fire. Lust shot through her veins at his look, pooling in her panties. A whimper came from her throat, unbidden, and the next thing she knew, Jason’s massive hands were on her face, and his mouth was on hers as he brought her to her feet.

He kissed her like he was a man in the desert and she was his water. He pressed her against the desk like he needed to touch every inch of her.

And Mae loved every bit of it.

His lips nipped and sucked, and she gave back everything she could. It was as if they were the last two people on the planet and now was the only time for them. Jason held her face and angled it where he could get at her lips the best, even as she clutched his shirt in her hands and tugged him closer. Wrapping her hands around his neck as he pushed her against her desk, she tangled her fingers in his hair, tugging. He groaned. She groaned.

Jason’s hands gripped her ass and squeezed before lifting her to her desk and sliding his fingers up her thighs. His fingers traveled between her knees, and she knew what was next but couldn’t stop it if she wanted to. Jason’s kisses branded her collar bone as one of his hands went under her skirt. He plumped up her breast with the other so he could kiss the top of it.

“Lean back, Mae,” he husked out in a growl.

She complied automatically, unable to do any different. Leaning back on her hands, Mae watched and squirmed as he feasted on her cleavage, one of his hands still hidden underneath her skirt. She could feel it trembling as it trailed around the elastic edge of her panties, and she couldn’t help but raise her hips. He tugged down her top, freeing a nipple, looking at it for a second like it was a prime rib before sucking it into his mouth.

The warm wetness of his mouth sent a shock of sensations straight to her pussy, and she leaned on her elbows, arching her back and gyrating her hips against him.

Jason was worshiping her body as if he’d never seen a woman before. She felt the thrill of decadence straight to her toes as she wrapped her legs around his lean hips. A strand of hair fell over his forehead as he nibbled and sucked on her breast, moaning as he did. When his fingers found her opening and sank inside her, he opened his mouth and groaned, the heat of his breath fluttering across her skin.

Mae’s sensations were on overload. She could feel Jason everywhere, inside and out. She heard him as he hissed and grunted while he plundered her body, playing it like a sensual instrument. She heard her desire as it gushed between her legs with every pump of his hand. But she was too busy feeling to care. Everything inside was tight, like strings being plucked to make the most beautiful music right before they broke.

She felt the impending orgasm as Jason found her spot and concentrated on it, his thumb making light circles on her clit. When he started sucking her breast in earnest, he pushed on the spot, his forearm muscles bunching with the effort.

Mae couldn’t remember her name or where they were; all she could do was feel all the sensations he was laying on her. She arched further into his body, and he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer while his finger pulsated inside her.

Mae fell apart, wracking with convulsions of ecstasy while Jason held her and brought her down from the cliff she’d just jumped off of.

“I’ve never wanted a woman the way I want you,” Jason breathed into her mouth before kissing her senseless. It was insanity. She felt the same way, but his tongue took over her mouth while she heard the jangle of his belt as he began to release the erection she’d been grinding into.

She had to stop him. It wasn’t fair to not tell him he would be her first. It seemed to make a difference to guys.

Mae reluctantly broke the kiss, putting one hand on Jason’s chest and stilling his hand with the other.

“Wait,” she whispered, unable to find her voice. The disappointment etched on his face as he looked into her eyes made her want to weep. She almost took it back. But if he found out after the fact, it could be bad. “I’m a virgin.”

Confusion marred his features as he looked down at her skirt, at his hand, then back up at her.

She rolled her eyes, laughing. “Virgin. Not dead. I’ve never been with a man before.” Just her vibrator, really, but he didn’t need to know everything. He was surely wondering why he hadn’t run into a hymen on his finger expedition.

The confusion and disappointment morphed into something else, and she rushed to reassure him. “I want this, though. I’ve been trying to lose my V-card for years, but at this point, it’s more of a hindrance than anything. I just didn’t want you to be surprised, or whatever.” Now she was babbling, not sure what he would say.

Jason gripped her hips almost painfully as he leaned his forehead against hers, taking deep breaths.

“Dinner? You ready?”

Disappointment flooded her. He was going to be like all the others and drop her. He’d already committed to taking her to dinner, and now he was just fulfilling his promise as quickly as he could.

“Yeah,” she croaked.

**

Jason followed her to the Vietnamese place she’d picked for dinner. He’d never had this pho stuff she’d said was so amazing but was game to try it if it made her happy. He fretted the entire drive about Mae. He hadn’t thought it was possible for his feelings for her to gain intensity, but they had.

She was such a breath of fresh air. She wasn’t like any other woman, ever, in the history of women. She was pure and innocent, yet responsible and independent. She knew what she wanted and went after it, even though she was shy enough to not be brazen about it.

Jason couldn’t fucking believe she was a virgin. She was gorgeous. Surely, she’d had men follow her around like puppy dogs, willing to relieve her of the pesky virginity thing. He couldn’t understand why she’d called it a hindrance.

At the restaurant, which was a hole in the wall nestled into a strip mall not too far away, he found out pho was noodle soup. Tasty noodle soup, but still, just noodle soup. He watched as she filled her bowl of broth and noodles with all sorts of herbs and vegetables before slurping a big bite with her chopsticks.

They ate in silence, mostly because he didn’t want to interrupt her obvious enjoyment of the meal. Mae was careful to put a little bit of everything on each bite, almost obsessive about it, and he thought it was precious.

And the way her lips worked around the food was damn mesmerizing.

Mae swallowed, her long, elegant throat working like a masterpiece. Pulling Jason from his fantasy of nibbling on her neck and leaving a rash from his beard stubble all over her pale skin, she broke the silence.

“Tell me about your new job?”

“Uh, like I said, it’s head security specialist. I’m going to be setting up a new security system at the company, installing cameras, hiring guards, stuff like that. It’s a serious pay raise and better hours, so I’m happy with it.”

Her eyebrows scrunched on her forehead. “Does it go along with what you wanted to be doing?” Her eyes dropped to her lap. “Sorry. I assumed you were the custodian because you were in school for something else. But I could be totally wrong about that. I didn’t mean to be presumptuous.”

“No, it’s okay.” He took a bite of noodle and chewed slowly, putting off this part of the conversation. She was a good girl and probably didn’t want to have anything to do with a guy who had no intrinsic drive. “I hadn’t figured out yet what I wanted to do. I got off my last tour and knew I was done with the Marines but didn’t know what was next. I’ve been floating for a while, and then I got the janitorial job for something to do.” He worked his chopsticks, pulling more of the long noodles out of his bowl. “But the security gig sounds fun. I’m qualified for it, and it’s more than sweeping trash. I think I’m going to enjoy it. It will certainly put some of my skills to use, but I really hope I’m finished with the bomb stuff.”

“Is that what you did in the Marines?”

He nodded while he chewed but didn’t really want to talk about himself anymore. “What about you?” he prompted, changing the subject. “Do you want to be here forever?”

Mae shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s a great job, and up until last week, not too stressful. But I’m good at it, and there’s room for growth and advancement. The benefits are great. I don’t have a reason not to work there.”

“Is there anything you’d rather do?”

“At some point, far off in my future, I’d like to be a stay-at-home mom and just take care of my kids. But that is sooo far away. I’m fine right now.” Mae shrugged, even though her eyes lit up at the mention of kids.

Jason could see it—her tiny body big and round with some man’s baby in there. Of course, that thought brought something weird bubbling up in his gut, something he didn’t understand. He’d never once thought about having kids of his own, but the idea of Mae having someone else’s kids brought an insane, red jealousy streaking through his head, and he shook it to clear it out.

For fuck’s sake, what was this girl doing to him?

Mae had finished her noodles and had the giant bowl in front of her face, drinking the rich, anise-flavored broth from it. When she lowered it, she wiped her face with her forearm and continued the conversation.

“What are your parents like?”

“Never really knew my dad. Mom always said he was bad news, and I figured she was right since he never once tried to take care of us or even check in. So it’s just been me and Mom. Honestly, part of the reason I went into the service was so I could give her a break.” He chuckled. “I think I gave her more than her share of gray hairs.”

“I bet you did. Lots of trouble?”

“Not really. She just worried about me too much. Still does.” He picked up his bowl, following Mae’s example. “You?”

“My parents moved to Michigan for my dad’s job. I haven’t seen them much since then, but we talk on the phone a lot.”

Jason noticed her bowl was empty and Mae was fidgeting in her seat. With her earlier words ringing in his head, his arousal had been dancing around in his peripheral brain throughout dinner. He’d done the gentlemanly thing and taken her out.

Now, his thoughts were anything but gentlemanly.

“You have any dessert at your place?” His voice came out lower and more seductive than he’d intended, but her reaction made his cock spring to life.

Mae’s eyes lit up, and she smiled so brightly he couldn’t help but smile back.

“I thought I’d turned you off with that.”

“Sweetheart, I have no idea what sort of guys you’ve gone out with in the past, but your words did nothing of the sort with me.” He reached for her hand, the dainty appendage curling into his much larger one as he smoothed his thumb over her wrist. “I’ve never heard anything so sexy in my life,” he whispered. “And just so you know, if we do this, I’m it. I don’t share. Just because you lose your cherry with me doesn’t mean you get to sample others. You’re mine. Got it?”

Goose bumps rose on her neck as a flush stole up her cheeks and her eyes brightened at his words.

Hell yes.

“Got it,” she choked out on a whisper.

“Let’s get out of here.”