Page 107 of Ravage
“Anyway, I lasted five years without any help. I swear I can take care of myself. I’m sure you have other things to do…” I drift off as we enter Hype and I wave at the staff cleaning and preparing the club to open soon.
We head up the stairs to my apartment and I open it to let us both inside. Thankfully, I’d cleaned the mess this morning that had been made last night.
Ugh. Don’t think about it.
Jackson brings my bags right into my room and sets them on the bed. I’m not sure if nerves make me feel like he stares at the missing headboard, because when he turns back, he doesn’t say a word or look confused or curious.
I hope he didn’t notice.
Fuck me.
“Raegan.”
Jackson’s suddenly standing right in front of me, his hood down and cerulean gaze locked on me. It’s almost disconcerting how he looks at me so intensely. Like the rest of the world doesn’t exist anymore, and I’m the one and only thing he sees.
His hair is as black as his clothes, which only makes his eyes pop that much more.
“There is nothing more important to me than you. I will do whatever it takes to make sure you’re safe.” His fingers push my blonde hair behind my ear and continue down my neck. A shiver snakes from my neck directly between my thighs at the sensual contact and his words.
“I’ve been looking into how Gifted Enterprise found you here. I’d been careful to cover up any trail of you and yet they showed up anyway. Between that and eliminating the smaller units they sent in to take you, I’ve been a bit busy. So, I’m sorry if I haven’t been around much.”
His hand settles against my neck and his thumb strokes over my pulse like he’s desperate to feel it beat and push against him.
I reach up to place my hands over his and close my eyes. I sigh and lean into his hand. “From the sounds of it, you’ve been around me plenty,” I start softly, thinking both of him going behind my back to kill people for me as well as watching over me when I’m unaware. “But I’d rather see you when you’re around or know that you’re there.”
I open my eyes as he smiles and pulls his hand away to dig into his hoodie pocket. He extracts a paper crane and then gently fixes its shape and holds it in the palm of his hand. He blows behind it and it lifts and flies the short distance to me, where I catch it.
“I’ll send you one of these if I’m around then, but can’t be seen.”
My chest aches as I caress the little paper crane and all of the good memories it brings back. “I’d prefer you in person when you can, but I like this if you can’t.”
Smirking, Jackson whispers in my ear, “I doubt you’d want me to interrupt if you’re in the middle of something with Kellan.” He shifts back just enough to see my face and his smirk deepens. “Or Aiden,” he adds in a teasing tone.
Fuuuuuuck.
I push him back and turn away from him to stare at the kitchen counter. My face feels like a hundred degrees, and internally, I chide myself for it. What am I embarrassed for? It was just sex. Aiden was…well, that was a mistake. But he kissed me first. Did Jackson see that? Why do I care so much that he saw all of that?
Ugh. I’ve been going around dancing and having sex while Jackson’s been protecting me for weeks. I feel like a complete asshole. What does he see in me, after watching all of that, that he sees worth protecting?
My hair is dragged over the front of my shoulder, exposing my neck. Jackson’s breath warms my skin as he chuckles behind me.
“Did you watch?”
“No.” I turn my head over my shoulder to look at him expectantly for more. He just shrugs and smiles at me. “I wasn’t invited,” he adds, like that explains everything.
Except it explains nothing and has my heart hammering in my chest. Is he saying he wants to be invited? With the others? What does he mean?
But I’m too chicken shit to ask and swallow the questions down.
As if he can sense my nerves on the entire topic, he steps back to give me some breathing room and tucks his hands away into his hoodie pocket. It’s like a foot comes off my lungs and they can finally expand to full capacity again. Jackson’s relaxed demeanor lulls me back into feeling calm.
I can do this.
Push that knowledge to the side for later so I don’t act like a complete idiot in front of him. With the others, I’m like my usual strong and confident self. But with Jack, all my walls come down and I’m just a girl in a big world trying to survive one day at a time. I want to bury myself under that hoodie and hide away from the world with him, where I know he’ll keep me safe.
“I was actually on my way to you to bring you something today.”
“What is it?” I ask, curiosity piqued.
