Page 25 of Finding Carly
Carly’s gaze bored into his own, and she said with uncanny insight, “I feel the same way about you.”
For a nano-second, Jag panicked. Had she guessed? Had she figured out he was out of his depth when it came to being intimate with a woman? He wasn’t a virgin—the thought almost made him snort out loud—but in all the ways that mattered, he might as well have been. Everything seemed different with her. Natural. Right. The way it always should be between two people.
Taking a deep breath, and inhaling Carly’s sweet cherry blossom scent, Jag pulled her toward him once more and gave her a quick kiss. He wanted to linger, wanted to explore their connection, but this wasn’t the time or place. Reluctantly, he let go of her as he sat back. “You still up for going to Food For All?”
It took a moment for Carly to get her bearings, and Jag couldn’t help but be flattered. He liked keeping her off balance. At least at the moment she was thinking about him and not about being scared that she wasn’t inside his apartment, where she felt safe.
She slowly nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”
“Good.”
“Although I forgot to ask Alani if there was any extra food I could bring.”
“You’ll have plenty of time in the future for that,” Jag reassured her. He reached for the keys in the ignition and felt Carly’s hand on his arm.
He turned to her.
“I…thank you, Jag. For everything. If it was up to me, I’d still be sitting in a corner of my apartment, hearing and seeing monsters everywhere. I’m not saying I’m ready to skip around town without a care in the world, but it feels good to at least be starting to try to take control of my life again.”
“You’re welcome, angel. And no one’s saying you have to immediately forget about all your fears. I happen to think some level of caution is a good thing. You’ll get back to your old self, I know it.” He didn’t add that he hoped she’d still want him in her life when she did.
Not even wanting to think about the possibility of her outgrowing her need for his protection, Jag backed out of the parking space.
He was confident when it came to his SEAL abilities. On a mission, he was unbeatable. He didn’t accept defeat and would do whatever it took to be successful. But on a personal level, things were much different. Jag hated that about himself. He wanted to be the self-assured Navy SEAL all the time. But the truth was, he was too damaged to be able to carry that confidence over into his personal life. He could kill without a second thought, but thinking about being with a woman made him break out in hives.
Until Carly.
She was different. Special.
But could she deal with his quirks when it came to intimacy? He wasn’t sure. It was nothing against her, but he had some pretty fucking big issues.
Not wanting to think about how or why he was the way he was when it came to women, Jag concentrated on driving. He checked the rearview mirror and didn’t see anyone or anything to be concerned about. But he had to stay on his toes. Carly’s life might depend on it, and if he let her down, he would never recover.
* * *
The man in the shadows of the parking garage scowled. He just happened to be in the right place at the right time to see the bitch walking along Kalakaua Avenue, as if she didn’t have a care in the world. The last he knew, she was still cowering in her apartment.
As if it was meant to be, a car pulled out of a parking space on the street right after he’d seen Carly, so he’d pulled in and followed her to Duke’s. He had no idea who the man with her was…but he didn’t like the way the guy constantly scanned their surroundings. He was much more aware of who was around than the bitch ever was, which wasn’t good for his plans.
He called and let his boss know he was going to be late getting back to work, lying about having car trouble. He was a model employee though; no one would question his word. It was more important to try to find out what was happening with Carly.
He watched from a distance as she was welcomed back at Duke’s with open arms and laughter. The longer he watched, the more upset he became. He’d been glad when she quit. He wanted her isolated and scared out of her mind. He’d had her right where he wanted her and was getting ready to make his move.
But now something had changed.
It was the man with her. He knew it.
And it pissed him off.
Nothing would keep him from carrying out the plan. Shawn might be dead, but he’d complete what they discussed if it was the last thing he ever did. He owed it to the man.
Shawn had taken him under his wing. He’d never been able to make friends easily…people thought he was weird or awkward. He never said the right thing, laughed at inappropriate times. But Shawn had accepted him. Taught him how to be arealman, including how to take charge of his woman. They’d gone to bars, watched football, and generally hung out a lot. Shawn was a true friend. His only friend. And with Shawn’s help and expertise, he’d been laying the groundwork for a special someone of his own.
The fact that his mentor had done everything for Carly, and she’d dismissed him so easily, enraged him. She’d beenluckyto have Shawn.
It was up to him to avenge his friend.
He and Shawn had talked long and often about how they would make Carly pay for her disrespect and disobedience. For thinking she could just walk away. Their friendship deepening as they planned her downfall.
