In Jack's Arms (Fighting Connollys) (5 page)

I practically vibrated with giddiness at the discovery.
Me. Me. Me. He wants me
.

"Abs?" He waved a plastic tumbler. "You zoned out there for a second."

"Oh. Sorry." Flushed, I reached for the cup and rinsed it quickly. Trying to get a grip, I searched for a safe discussion topic. My gaze landed on the tattoo marking the underside of his left forearm. It was the

first time I had been at the right angle to read the Latin inscription inked on his skin. "Fortune favors the bold, huh?"

Jack glanced at me with surprise. "You know Latin?"

"Catholic school," I explained.

"Really?" He seemed even more surprised by that.

"I went to St. Mary's."

"The private school?"

"I was a scholarship kid." The all-girls academy was the best in Houston and had a rigorous curriculum that sent all of its graduates to good colleges. "Actually, I was in the same class as Lena Cruz. Erin Hanson and Cassie Roberts were in the year below us." Knowing that Jack had recently had trouble with Cassie's boyfriend John Hagen, I didn't mention the connection. Instead, I asked, "Do you know Erin?"

"Ivan Markovic's new wife?"

"Yep."

"I know her by sight. She's really pretty—and not at all the type of woman I would ever expect a man

like Ivan to marry."

"Their wedding was really beautiful. They seem to be madly in love with each other."

"She must love him to take on that history," he muttered. Scrubbing a plate, he asked, "What about Bee Langston and her friends?"

"You mean like Hadley Rivera?"

"The one who draws comics?"

"Graphic novels," I corrected. "She was a year under me and in the same class as Vivian Valero. Er—I guess she's Kalasnikov, now. Bee Langston and her bestie Coby, the DJ, were a year behind those two.

Caitlin Weston went to school with us for a while, but she graduated really early, even earlier than Bee. Pips Barlow Bennett, the oil heiress who hangs around with Ty Weston, was in the same year as Lena and Erin

too."

"Jesus," Jack breathed with a tinge of awe. "You've just listed the who's who of Houston."

"The program attracts the best. We've all stayed in touch, networked and supported one another."

"I guess Beyoncé was right about girls owning the world," he said with a playful wink.

I rolled my eyes and flicked suds at him. "I never pegged you as the Beyoncé type."

He splashed me back. "What can I say? I'm a well-rounded guy."

I giggled and dabbed at my cheek with the dishtowel. Looking at the bold ink on his arm, I asked, "So why that motto?"

"It's the way I've lived my life."

"Does that mean you like taking risks?"

"Calculated risks? Sure."

"Like?"

"Like this one." With those lighting reflexes of his, Jack swooped down toward me and planted his lips against mine. Shocked by his unexpected kiss, I inhaled a sharp breath. My eyelashes fluttered together and excitement rocked me. The chaste touch of his lips against mine, an innocent, sweet kiss like two teenagers on a first date might exchange, ended much too soon.

Still reeling from the surprise of it, I blinked and peered up into the grass green eyes that had enthralled me from day one. "Jack?"

"Tell me to stop, Abby. If you don't want me, you need to tell me right now."

I gulped as his roughened voice sent shivers right through me. "And if I do want you?"

His forehead touched mine. "Kiss me, Abby. Show me how much you want me."

Gripping his shirt, I rose on tiptoes and captured the mouth of the man who had been starring in my

fantasies for ever so long. Though I initiated the kiss, Jack quickly took control. Something told me that he would always be the one in control, the commanding alpha male who protected and supported me—and I

wouldn't have it any other way.

He cradled my face in his wet hands and flicked his tongue against the seam of my lips. I clutched at his

arms, desperate for something to hold onto, and let him swipe his tongue across mine. Head pounding, I

prayed my shaky legs would hold me up as Jack stabbed deeper and kissed me with such passion.

As if reading my mind, Jack crouched down and used those brawny arms of his to lift me right up. He

deposited me on the nearest countertop, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, drawing him in and

keeping him close. His strong hands gripped the front of my polo shirt, tugging it free from my jeans, and then slid under the fabric to stroke my bare belly. His fingertips were rough and hot, rasping me and setting me on fire.

"Jack." I breathed his name with such need. I couldn't believe this was happening. It was a million times hotter than I had ever imagined. Nearly delirious with desire, I rocked against Jack and encouraged the

exploration of his masterful hands.

He plundered my mouth, taking what he wanted and giving me so much pleasure in return. Clasping my

nape, he tilted my head back and gazed down into my eyes. We were both breathing hard now and both

desperate for more, so very much more. "Abby, I want—"

But he didn't get the rest of that thought finished.

A terrifying crash shattered our beautiful moment. Squealing tires and exploding glass could be heard

throughout the house.

Jack snatched me right off the counter, dragged me down to the floor and covered my body with his.

As if he had never left the battlefield, he shouted orders to Mattie, commanding him to stay put and lock his bedroom door. Pushing me into a corner where I would be well protected, he pinned me with a stern, no-nonsense look as he fished his cell phone from his jeans. Shoving it into my hand, he said, "Stay here. Call 9-1-1. Do not come after me. Understand?"

"Yes, Jack."

He kissed my forehead and rushed out of the kitchen. Dialing the phone with shaking fingers, I prayed

he would come back to me in one piece.

*

With a calm learned through many years in combat, Jack crept into the living room and killed the light

by smacking the nearest switch. The room was plunged into darkness. Without the light silhouetting him, he was no longer an easy target. Though he had heard the squeal of tires following that explosion of glass, he didn't dare trust the miscreants who had attacked Abby's home to leave so easily.

Enough moonlight illuminated the space to let him see what had happened. Warm, muggy air drifted

into the living room through a broken window. The slats of the wooden blinds were cracked and hanging

awkwardly. As he hugged the wall and cautiously moved toward the front door, planting each footstep

deliberately down on the hickory planks, Jack spotted the heavy brick sitting in the center of the room.

His gut lurched when he considered how badly that brick could have hurt Mattie or Abby if they had

been sitting in the living room watching television as so many people did this time of night. He refused to even think about how lucky they were that it had only been a brick and not gunfire. He couldn't even

stomach the thought of either of them being seriously injured.

Listening intently and scoping out the quiet street, he confirmed it was safe to venture outside. The

neighbors to the left were coming out of their front door, one of them on his cell phone and rattling off his address to the police. Sirens were already wailing in the distance and growing louder. He wasn't surprised by the quick response.

Though Abby and Mattie lived on one of the safer streets in this neighborhood, the area still had a bad

reputation for violence and crime despite the efforts of the community to tamp it down. Judging by the

speed of the response, a unit had been patrolling very near. Hopefully someone had seen the car that had

brought the vandals to Abby's front door. Whether they would talk was another issue altogether.

Back in the house, he quickly returned to Abby and found her exactly where he had left her. She flung

herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and letting him drag her into his embrace. He kissed the side of her neck and rubbed a reassuring hand down her back. "It's okay, sweetness. We're all right. It was only a brick."

"A brick? Why? Who would do something like that?"

Jack had a good idea and lowered her until her feet touched the floor. "Maybe that punk who tried to

pull a knife on you in the store."

She continued to lean against him. "You really think he would take it that far?"

"I do." He heard a noise that sounded like Mattie's voice and grasped her hand. "Let's get Mattie. The police will be here any second, and he's going to be scared."

With their fingers interlaced, they made their way across the modestly-sized ranch-style house to

Mattie's bedroom. The younger man sat wide-eyed on his bed and hugged his knees. Abby started to rush

toward him but Jack stopped her. He took the lead this time, certain Mattie didn't need or want to be

coddled.

"Hey, bud, it's okay." He crouched down in front of the bed and tapped Mattie's knee. "Some bad guys tossed a brick through the window but they're gone now. The cops are here, and we're all okay. Everyone is safe."

Mattie took it all in and finally nodded. "Okay, Jack—but it was
really
loud."

"I know it was." He motioned toward the television. "You want to keep watching your shows or do you want to come with us to talk to the police?"

Mattie shook his head. "I need to watch my shows. I've already seen the police before and they're not as cool as the firemen."

Jack smiled. "No, I guess not."

He stepped back to let Abby give her brother a hug and noticed the irritated expression on her face. The

pinched set to her lips didn't bode well for him, and he accurately guessed he had overstepped the line by going to comfort Mattie first. Out in the hallway, she waited until the door was shut behind her to frown at him. "Why did you do that?"

"I knew what he needed. You're tense with fear and anxiety. I wanted him to see me and know that I

have it under control."

"You're acting like I'm hysterical."

"Sugar, you're getting there," he said gently and reached for her trembling hand. A short while ago, she had been trembling for a totally different reason. Now she shook with terror and adrenaline.

Abby let him tug her close but she didn't allow him to pull her into his embrace. She tipped back her

head and stared up at him with a bit of warning reflecting in those chocolate-brown eyes. "Jack, I'm his sister.
I
know what he needs."

Remembering what she had said earlier, he reminded her, "You told me that you appreciate the way I

treat him like any other twenty-year-old man. That's what I was doing, Abby."

She considered his statement. Finally, she admitted, "It's hard for me to let someone else in, Jack. For years, I was all Mattie had. Until Granddad rescued us from that roach-infested hellhole where our mother

kept us, it was just me and Mattie. That's it."

Jack wrapped his arms around Abby and hauled her in tight. His stomach pitched at the image of a tiny

Abby shielding her baby brother in such an awful place. He had known that their mother had been a drug

addict but he hadn't had any idea it was
that
bad. He pressed his lips to her temple and let them linger. "I'm used to being in charge, Abby. I've always been that way, even as a kid. I may have left my career as an

officer in the Marine Corps behind but I'm still that same man."

"I like that man," she admitted quietly. "He makes me feel safe."

Eyes closing briefly, Jack relished her admission. "I won't let anyone hurt you or Mattie. I swear it, Abby."

She leaned back and smiled up at him. "I've never doubted that, Jack."

A knock at the door interrupted their tender moment. Taking her hand, Jack headed for the door and

opened it to reveal a pair of police officers standing on the front porch. After giving his statement, Jack retrieved his phone from Abby's hand and called Finn while she talked to the police about the break-in at

her shop, the run-in with the gang member and now this brick incident.

"Hey, bro," Finn greeted cheerfully. "Where are you? We're about to start a new round of Trivial Pursuit. Bee and Kelly are crushing Pop and me."

Considering Bee's brilliant mind that didn't surprise him in the least. "Finn, leave Pop with Bee. Get Kelly and meet me at Abby's place."

"What's wrong?" Finn's tone instantly changed. "Are you okay? Is Abby okay? What about Mattie?"

"We're okay, but we need some plywood or plastic sheeting. Some asshole threw a brick through a

window."

"What's going on?" Kelly's deep voice rumbled in the background.

"Someone tried to hurt Abby and Mattie," Finn answered.

"Son of a bitch," Kelly grumbled. "Tell Jack we're on our way."

"I'm sure he heard you," Finn said. "Hell, I'm sure half of Houston heard you bellowing like that."

Shaking his head at his younger brothers, Jack interrupted their squabbling. "Finn, today would be

nice."

"Yeah. We're coming. See you soon."

Glad to have his brothers on their way, Jack put away his phone and returned to Abby's side. By now,

another familiar face had arrived on the scene. Looking tired as hell but fully focused on the crime,

Detective Eric Santos listened intently to Abby's recollection of the events before conferring with the

patrolmen who would be handling the case.

After making it clear he wanted to be kept in the loop, Eric caught Jack's eye and motioned with his

fingers. Jack trailed the detective to a more private spot away from the officers and Abby. Eric ran his

fingers through his midnight black hair and sighed. "I worried something like this would happen."

"I'm sure it was that asshole who tried to get nasty with Abby in her store. Only a coward throws a brick through a damned window."

"Agreed," Eric replied. Forehead creased with concern, the detective confessed, "When I heard the call go out for Abby's house, I thought for sure it was a drive-by. I couldn't get here fast enough."