Chapter Twenty-Four
Jade awoke to deep, distant voices rumbling from the floor below. A gentle wash of disappointment had her frowning as her hand pressed into the cool side of the Jeremy’s bed.
What time is it?
Turning to see the clock, she realized she’d made two grave mistakes. One, sitting up too quickly, and two, it was only seven forty-five. As she rushed to the bathroom, she wondered who the hell made house calls at this hour.
After a lovely bout of morning sickness and almost peeing her pants—because puking took precedence over peeing—she took a shower and vigorously brushed her teeth. Retrieving her borrowed clothes from the night before, she dressed and pulled her hair into a haphazard ponytail.
It was almost December and her feet were freezing from the early morning chill. She found socks in a top drawer, exactly where she kept hers and snatched a pair. She also found something that should have been destroyed a long, long time ago—a tattered picture from high school of Jeremy, Kat, and herself.
He looked like he did now, only rail thin and too naive for his own good. Kat looked the epitome of innocence, which she was until she got pregnant a few months later. Jade smiled, her attention shifting to her younger self. She wore a cocky smirk like her shit didn’t stink—which it didn’t.
God, we were babies. Where did he get this?
Feeling like a snoop, she quickly placed the picture back at the bottom of the drawer and covered it with clothes. She pulled his way-too-large socks over her feet and padded into the hall. Pausing at the bottom of the stairs, she listened to the grate of baritone voices rumbling from the kitchen.
“I want it wired to all the windows and doors,” Jeremy said. “None of that key on, key off bullshit either. I want it so that if a door’s opened, it beeps until it’s shut.”
“Does she have any pets we need to work into the system?” A deeper voice asked.
“No, it’s just her. And if someone breaches the system I want to be notified the same time as the police.”
“You got it. A system like that isn’t cheap though, Jer.”
“I’ll handle it.”
Were they talking about her? The cottage? Feeling like she should be a part of this discussion, she stepped into the kitchen.
Jeremy was sitting with his back to her and a giant of a man was sitting across from him. Holy Goliath Batman.
She thought Jeremy was big. This guy could turn the chair supporting him into kindling. Every thread of his shirt looked ready to split as it stretched taut over his enormous, chiseled biceps. He was nothing but cut muscle.
Pitch black hair tucked behind his ears, dusting his shoulders, exposing a jagged scar down his neck which disappeared beneath the collar of his shirt. He was a gigantic broken beauty of a man—
“I can see why you’d want to protect her.”
Jade’s gaze snapped to his. Piercing blue eyes, trimmed with lashes so thick and dark they looked lined with coal, stared into her and she found it impossible to move.
Jeremy walked to her and brushed a kiss across her lips. “Hey, baby. Did we wake you?”
“No, uh, I was sick,” she mumbled, looking back at the outsider.
“Do you want some toast?”
She shook her head and he followed her gaze.
“Oh, this is Trent. Trent, this is Jade.”
The man stood, his head nearly clipping the light fixture. He reached out a hand. “Trenton Cole.”
“Jade Schultz,” she replied as his hand swallowed hers. Pulling away, she took a seat at the far end of the table.
“Trent lived with me in Okinawa. He lives in PA now and specializes in security.”
She glanced at Trent but had a hard time maintaining eye contact. His overwhelming size made her sit a little straighter and want to hide at the same time.
Jeremy poured a glass of milk and put bread in the toaster.
“Jeremy’s been telling me a little bit about the problems you’ve been having, Jade.”
She shot Jeremy a chastising look, but he had the nerve to appear unrepentant, pointedly arching an eyebrow at her as if daring her to disagree.
“He tells me you don’t have an alarm system at your new place.”
If she was going to be informing anyone about the inadequate security at her home, it certainly wouldn’t be a guy who could smother her in her sleep with his pinky. Her roundhouse wouldn’t even reach this guy’s cash and prizes.
Jeremy placed a glass of milk in front of her with some lightly buttered toast and returned to his seat. “She doesn’t have sensory lights around the perimeter either.”
“I have locks,” she grumbled, taking a bite of her toast and pushing her milk aside.
“She has privacy locks.” Jeremy slid the glass of milk back in front of her.
“And this is a single home?” Trent asked.
“Yup, ground level too. Drink your milk, Jade.”
“That really isn’t a great set-up.” Trent turned his baby blues on her. “I got my one sister all hooked up, mortise locks, night latches, sensory alarms, and a panic button.”
“Is she expecting an invasion?” she joked, but no one laughed.
Jeremy gave her a reproving look. “This isn’t a joke, Jade. You live alone and you’re small.”
“I have Tyson and Kat two houses away.”
“How’s that going to help if someone breaks in during the dead of night?”
“Oh, come on, you’ve heard me scream,” she teased, trying to lighten the mood. Trent laughed. Jeremy didn’t.
“I’m serious. You need to be prepared in case—”
“Look,” she interrupted, not about to divulge her every vulnerability in the presence of a stranger. “I’ve already started my morning with puking. I’m sorry if I don’t want to follow that up with a discussion about how defenseless I am to predators. You’re going to do whatever you want anyway, so why even argue about it?”
Her voice cracked and she became painfully aware of Jeremy’s enormous friend watching her. Did he think she’d object to a better security system at her home? She wasn’t an idiot, but she also knew having the best alarm in the world still wouldn’t make her feel safe. Nothing would.
“If someone wants to harm me badly enough there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m small and uncoordinated and every day I become more and more pregnant.”
“You’re pregnant?” Trent interrupted.
“Yes!” Why the hell am I crying? “I’m a big, hormonal mess. So, if you don’t mind, I’d rather skip the lecture. You don’t need to scare me because I’m already terrified. Put whatever goddamn alarm in you want. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She stood, jostling the table enough to spill a splash of milk over the rim of her glass, but she couldn’t deal with that at the moment. “I need to go cry.”
When she reached the living room, she sat on the couch and tried to calm down. She wasn’t even that upset—not really. It was super sweet of Jeremy to have his burly security expert friend customize a security system for her home. What other guy would do such a thing? She should be thanking both of them for taking such an interest in her safety, but she couldn’t stop crying. She wanted to bawl into a pillow and the fact that they’d hear her only made her want to cry more.
“Got yourself a feisty one there.” Trent’s voice carried from the other room.
“I don’t know why she got so upset.”
“Well, first of all, she’s a woman. They’re all nuttier than bat shit. Second, she’s pregnant. She won’t be normal until that kid’s at least three. Third, we probably did scare her. No one likes to feel helpless and threatened.”
“I should apologize.”
“Give her a minute. It probably didn’t help that I was here, a stranger.”
Not wanting to hear anymore, she grabbed her coat and slipped out the front door. She needed fresh air and some privacy.
Trent was right. She was going nuts. But surely she’d be better before her child turned three. Right?
As she sat on the cool cement of the front porch—probably increasing her chances of finishing this pregnancy with hemorrhoids—the front door opened. Expecting to see Jeremy she turned, only to find Trenton Cole. The guy was seriously freak show tall, probably had carny ancestors.
“Hey, you okay?”
She wiped her now wind-dried tears from her face and nodded. “Sorry you had to see that.”
“Got a lot of sisters. I’ve seen it before.” He awkwardly folded his body and sat next to hers on the step. His booted feet stretched onto the pavement like leathered cinder blocks. “How far along are you?”
“Almost thirteen weeks.”
“It’s about to get a lot easier. My one sister, Phoenix, cried every minute of her first trimester. It was like she was possessed. We’d tease her and she’d start laughing hysterically, but still cry while she laughed. It was like she was leaking.”
She giggled because she could relate.
“Then, when she reached her second trimester, the tears just stopped. My other sister, Bristol, she walked around half-naked the entire pregnancy. Said there wasn’t a laundry detergent out there that didn’t irritate her nose or skin. I figure you ladies are doing something almost godly, creating life and all. You do whatever you gotta do to get it done.”
She smiled, beginning to like Trenton Cole. “Do you have kids?”
“Nope, can’t. I was in an accident when I was a boy. Got this scar on my neck and my equipment was damaged.”
She made a silent “O” with her mouth, not sure how to reply to something like that.
“Got eight nieces and nephews, though. I spoil the girls rotten and make sure all the boys know how to fight and curse. My sisters don’t really appreciate that much, but boys gotta know how to be boys, you know?”
“You said your sisters names are Bristol and Phoenix? Are you all named after places?”
“Yup, Bristol, Phoenix, Ireland, Georgia, Brooklyn, Paris, Dallas, Austin, Brielle, Carlisle, Carolina, and Trenton Jr.”
“Wow.” She shook her head. “I didn’t realize there were so many places that could be used as baby names. How did your parents pick them?” She needed to start thinking about names.
“Well, my mom was from Trenton and my dad was from Bristol. She always wanted to visit Ireland and I don’t know how they came up with Georgia. I guess they just wanted to stick with geography.”
“What are your parents’ names?”
“Bill and Nancy.”
She chuckled.
“You got a name picked out for your little one yet?”
Placing her hand on her stomach she thought. There were names she liked to say, like Jebediah and Aurora, but they weren’t the names she wanted to give her first-born. Maybe she should name the baby after someone she loved, like Kat. Katherine Schultz. No, that didn’t sound right. She could always go with something nice and traditional, John, Kate, or Will, but that didn’t feel right either. She wanted something good, something strong.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, you got time.” He patted his denim-clad knee with a big bear claw of a hand. “And by the way, not that I’m suggesting anything, but just so you know, my equipment might have been damaged, but it still gets the job done.”
Yikes, Way too much information. Time to change the topic. “So you’re going to install my alarm?”
“That’s what I hear.”
He didn’t intimidate her as much as he had five minutes ago. “Is that what you typically do, alarms and stuff?”
“Actually, no.” He unfolded his legs and re-crossed them at the ankles. “I do all kinds of security, but mostly I work as a guard.”
“Like a prison guard or like a Kevin Costner-Whitney Houston kind of shtick?”
He laughed and it practically rumbled the foundation. “I’ve done the bodyguard thing, but I’m better than Kevin Costner. I’ve also guarded valuable objects and celebrities’ children and bounced a few private parties for politicians. And I teach self-defense.”
That got her attention. “Really? Could you teach me some moves?”
“Sure. Want to learn some now?”
“Okay! We just have to watch the bean in the belly.”
He laughed again as he stood up. “I promise not to harm the bean.”
She stood and faced him with her legs apart and knees bent. Her eyes were level with his torso. “Jesus, you’re big.”
He laughed.
“What do you eat, antelope for breakfast?”
“Nah, too chewy. I prefer buffalo.”
She smiled and tossed her coat to the steps. “Okay big guy, I’m ready. Let me warn you, I’m small, but I’m spry, so watch out.”
“Settle down, Scrappy Doo. I’m just going to show you some quick defense techniques. Now, your most powerful weapon’s your elbow. If your attacker comes at you from behind, make a fist, hold it with your other hand, and slam it as hard as you can into their solar plexus.” He curved her hand into a fist and showed her the technique.
“Use your entire torso to throw your weight into the strike, but strike before he has a chance to grab your waist. Once he makes that grab, your mobility’s limited and you lose force.”
She cuffed her left hand over her right fist and jabbed her elbow back. “Got it.”
“If he does get your waist, your next best weapon is your foot. Keep it low and kick as hard as you can. A clear cap to the knee can incapacitate an attacker, but it isn’t always an option. Don’t underestimate the power of simply slamming down your heel on someone’s foot. And don’t try to get fancy with round houses and Karate Kid shit. If he grabs your foot mid-kick, you’re done. You want to move fast.”
She nodded. “Kick low, aim for the knees. Got it.”
“As soon as you strike, bring your limbs back into your safe zone. If he gets into your zone, you fight him out. This isn’t a time to shy away from a little blood and gore. If you throw a punch, aim for the throat.”
He pointed to his own throat and she again took note of the jagged scar there.
“It’ll do more damage there and not be as hard on your fist as, say, a face. Remember, no one’s expecting you to tackle, detain, and hog-tie your assailant. Your only objective is to escape.”
She bobbed and weaved. “Got it. Heel, no face, elbow. What next?”
“Use your palm and slam it as hard as you can, upward toward his nose. If he bleeds, he’ll be distracted. Don’t be afraid to use your fingers to gouge out his eyes.”
“Ew.”
“You’re defending your life. If you have nails, even better. Or a set of keys, but only if they’re already in your fist, which they should be if you’re walking alone. Don’t think about it, just do it, and when you do, be prepared to run. People don’t take kindly to losing an eye.”
Blowing out a breath, she bit her lip and stopped bobbing. “I don’t know if I can poke someone’s eye out.”
“You could if you needed to. You fight dirty. You pinch, scratch, and even bite if you have to. And if he gets you on your back, you drive your knee into his balls with all your strength. You ready to try out some moves?”
“What if I hurt you?” The things he just explained could seriously fuck someone up.
“You won’t. We’re gonna move slowly, no force. We’re just doing a run through the motions to help you remember.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
He walked behind her. “Stay where you are. You’re alone and walking. You have no idea you’re being followed.”
His warm breath clouded in the cool air of her peripheral. She shut her eyes, imagining the scene.
He grabbed her shoulders. “He’s got you. What do you do?”
Making a fist with her left hand, she held it with her right and, in slow motion, slammed it into him.
“Good!” he said, as he dodged her shot. “You knocked the wind out of him. Now what?”
“Run?” she guessed, unsure.
“Okay, you run. Go ahead, go.”
She took a step just as his long arms snaked around her ribcage, pulling her feet off the ground and she sucked in a startled breath.
“He’s bigger than you. His reach is longer. Before you ran, you should have made sure you had a fighting chance. Don’t be afraid to do a little damage.” He lowered her to the ground. “Elbow him more than once while he’s bent over. Why not go for the temple? You only need to deter him long enough to get away. Every distraction is to your advantage.”
With each word, his warm breath fanned across her cheek. His grip remained on her upper arms, firm and secure.
“What the fuck’s going on?”
Trent’s attention jerked to the porch where Jeremy stood, brows low. She slammed the heel of her socked foot into the top of Trent’s boot and he grunted, his arms instinctively loosening.
She spun. Her arm extended to his jugular, halting a mere hair before making contact. “Throat!”
Opening her fist she held her palm up to his face as if directing traffic. “Nose!”
Grinning triumphantly, she made a peace sign with her fingers and pointed them at his face. “Eyes.”
His smile was slow but proud. “Atta girl.”
Beaming under his approval, she turned to Jeremy, raising her chin. “I just kicked his ass!”
Jeremy scowled and she pressed her lips together trying to hide her delight. Wasn’t defense his big thing?
“Maybe we should ix-nay on the ighting-fay,” Trent mumbled from the corner of his mouth.
She turned to Trent and then back to Jeremy. “Oh please, come on. Jeremy, I kicked his ass. He’s, like, three times my size!”
The morning sun glittered across Jeremy’s golden hair as he bent and reached for her coat. He walked over to her and wrapped the jacket around her shoulders, pulling it closed in the front. As she looked down she realized her nipples were stabbing against the shirt in the cold December air.
“You shouldn’t over-exert yourself.”
She frowned at him. “I didn’t.”
“Then why are you flushed?”
“Probably because it’s cold out or because I was crying twenty minutes ago.”
“You have hives.” His thumb brushed over her cheek.
Trent tilted his head to examine her face. “Huh, maybe you wanna go in and take a look at that, Jade.”
“What?” She pressed a hand to her face. “Oh, sonofabitch! I get them when I exercise. I usually have to take a pill before my Pilate’s classes, but I can’t take them while I’m pregnant. It’s nothing, really.”
“Well, maybe you should go and splash some cool water on your face,” Jeremy suggested.
“Yeah, right.” She snorted. “And leave you out here so you can pee all over the spot I was standing on and be all territorial. Give me a break, Jeremy. We were just having fun. He was teaching me self-defense. I figured you’d be all about that.”
“Really, man,” Trent chimed in. “I didn’t show her anything I haven’t shown my sisters.”
“Yeah, so stop being all possessive and weird,” Jade tacked on, teasing.
“I’m not being weird.”
But he was being possessive, which she sort of liked. There was such a sensitive man hidden under all that growl and gruffness. He wasn’t fooling her, not when he always made sure she had enough milk and asked if she was warm enough. And if he thought she didn’t know about him playing princesses with Mia, he was wrong.
Seeing he wasn’t taking her teasing well, she gave him a hug. Nestling her cold nose into his warm chest. “I love you.”
His arms tightened around her and he kissed the top of her head. “I’ll catch you later, Trent.” His words sounded almost like an afterthought, as he shuffled her up the steps.
Trent laughed. “All right, man. Call me when you’re ready to have that system installed. Nice meeting you, Jade.”
“Nice meeting you, too,” she called as Jeremy shut the door behind them.
He turned and locked the deadbolt, facing her with clear intentions. She stepped onto the first step and he slowly stalked her. Her position on the stairs put them almost at eye level.
“Did you like Trent?” His gaze locked with hers.
“Yes. He’s nice. Are you jealous?” She stepped up another stair.
“Should I be?” His hand played at the tie of her sweatpants.
“No, but I think you are. You look like you want to mark your territory.”
“Maybe I just don’t like seeing your face all flushed from exertion while you’re in another man’s arms.” He pulled at the string and the pants loosened, drooping around her hips.
Another step. “Maybe I don’t like the feel of another man’s arms.”
The pants fell to her ankles, tangling at her feet. He moved his hand to her arm, securing her balance, as her other hand grabbed the railing.
“Still no panties,” he rasped his focus now between her legs. Lifting his gaze, he watched her as he dragged a slow knuckle over the hood of her clit. “”Spread ’em.”
Her feet stepped further apart as his finger slid into her wetness and her breath hitched. His gaze locked with hers as his finger slid deep inside of her.
“Will you use self-defense if I fuck you here on the steps, Jade?”
She loved the way he said her name when they were being intimate, voice thick with arousal. “Never with you.”
She inhaled as he added another digit, cupping her pussy as he buried his fingers inside of her. “Careful.” Reaching down, he moved the pants from around her ankles and tossed them aside, never taking his fingers out of her.
She stood before him in nothing but oversized gym socks and his too large T-shirt. He smiled as his fingers withdrew slowly, glistening as he brought them to his mouth. “Sit.”
She lowered herself to the step as he knelt before her on the foyer floor, pressing her knees apart. His gathered the extra material of the shirt in his fist and yanked it behind her, exposing her pussy. Leaning in, he dragged his tongue up her slit.
She arched backward, her fingers gripping the lip of the step as his fingers returned, pushing, teasing, stroking her into a fast frenzy. Her moans echoed through the empty house, reverberating off the rafters. He crooked his finger and she shattered, gasping his name as he made her come hard and fast.
“Beautiful.” He kissed up her thigh, dragging his tongue slowly over her exposed flesh until he found her mouth. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders as he kissed her softly.
He was the perfect lover for her. Tender when it counted, but feisty when the time was right. It was like they were made for each other. And he loved her. He actually loved her. His mouth moved to her neck as he drew her into a hug. She tightened her arms around him and started to, of course, cry.
“Hey, hey… Baby, what’s wrong?”
Sniffling into his shoulder, she hiccupped. “Nothing. I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me today. I just can’t stop crying.”
Trent was right. It was like she was leaking.
“Come here.” He picked her up and turned, seating himself on the steps. She rested her damp check on his shoulder as she sniffled.
“Did something upset you?”
“No, I was just happy.”
His lips pressed into a thin line as his eyes creased.
“Don’t laugh at me. There’s nothing funny about this!”
His broad shoulders quaked as he tried, unsuccessfully, to hide his amusement. “Maybe you should just let it all out.”
“But I wanna have s-s-sex on the steps.” Dear God, it was getting worse. She gasped and choked on an inhalations.
His laughter pealed from his lips in a deep gasps.
“I said it’s not funny!” She shoved his shoulder, but he was so damn built he barely moved.
“I’m sorry.” His words vibrated with laughter. “I really am…”
She leaned back and frowned at the top of his head.
He took a few deep breaths, small hoots of laughter slipping out in between. When he finally gained control, he blanked his expression and raised his head, keeping his face under control for about three seconds and then bursting into guffaws again.
“Oh, for God’s sake!” She shoved off his lap and marched up the stairs.
“Wait, don’t go!” he shouted, still laughing. “I’ll stop… I swear…” He fell back against the wall, holding his stomach and yelled in a mock crying voice, “But we were gonna have sex on the steps.”
When she got to the top of the stairs she pulled off her sock, balled it up, and pegged it at his head. He dodged it, the dick wad. “I hate you.”
“You love me.”
“No, I’m pretty sure it’s hate.”
His mouth twisted in a crooked smirk as his gaze turned challenging. “I’m coming to get you in two seconds. You better be naked on my bed by the time I get there.”
She scoffed and then saw him start to move. With a squeal she pivoted and bolted down the hall, her own laughter now mixing with his.