Jacked (Trent Brothers #1)(101)

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

“She cleaned out your house?”

Adam nodded. “She took everything, even the butter and f*cking ketchup. Told you the bed was new.”

How a woman could do that to someone was almost too much to comprehend.

“Except she left her tampons behind.”

His eyes closed for a moment. “All that shit is going in the garbage. I swear. I don’t want any of it touching you.” His head tilted. “If I let go of your knees, are you going to run?”

I couldn’t tell if he was serious or if he was joking, until it registered how truly scared he looked.

“I’m sorry you had to hear that. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for you.”

“It wasn’t.”

I leaned back when he tried to kiss me.

His broad shoulders slumped. “Doc…”

I held up my index finger. “I like you—a lot. I do. But I’ve got a lot going on in my life right now and I can’t afford to be derailed by crazy drama and a broken heart. If you’re seeing other people, you have to tell me right now.”

Adam’s face twisted up. “What?”

I hated being taken for a fool. “I heard everything. Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but I was worried when you strapped a gun to the back of your pants.”

“Is that why there’s a hammer on the floor here?”

I nodded.

He took a deep breath, picked it up, and then tossed it gently aside. I wanted to follow the hammer out into the hallway, hating confrontations of any kind.

I tried to calm myself, glancing at the wrinkled sheets.

Adam laughed to himself. “Amazing. The woman I don’t want to be with is banging my door down while the one woman I do want is always ready to run away. That’s why I’m holding your legs, in case you’re wondering.”

I couldn’t help but smile at him.

“I’m only seeing one woman,” he said, swaying me with his killer smile, “and she’s right in front of me.”

It was nice to be able to almost breathe again… Still, words were just words. “You told your ex that you had a date planned. I don’t want to get tangled up if you’re dating other women, Adam. Seriously. I’m not interested in standing in a line or getting jerked around.”

Adam glanced up at me, squinting one eye. “One of the guys in my unit is getting married in two weeks. I’m hoping you’ll be able to go with me. I was going to ask you about it today over breakfast, but we were interrupted.”

My spirit instantly warmed.

“No one else, Erin,” he stated, his voice deep and raspy but unmistakably stern. “We do this, it’s just you and me seeing where this goes. I don’t share and I don’t roam. We clear?”

I put my hand over his, taking in the severity of his tone, my mind veering off his serious expression to unwanted visions of Randy and his excess roaming. No matter how attractive Adam was on the outside, he needed to deliver a lot more than a few well-intended words and outstanding orgasms to get my whole heart. Until then, I was keeping myself well guarded.

“We clear?” he asked again.

“We’re clear.”

“Good. Then we can get back to eating breakfast.”

I nodded though I wasn’t hungry anymore.

He didn’t move. “You gonna kiss me now, or do we still need to talk shit out?”

The fact that he was determined to clear the air made me more confident. I hated stupid misunderstandings. Still, I didn’t want his incredible kissing abilities to distract me. “I can see why she is so desperate to get you back.”

“That’s never gonna happen.”

I believed him. “Regardless, I can see why.”

Adam stood. “Well, that’s good, I guess, but it doesn’t change anything.”

I stared down at his bare feet. Even his darn toes were appealing.

“You went outside barefoot?”

He put his hands on his hips. “I wanted to make sure she left without doing anything stupid.”

I looked up at him. “Stupid?”

“She knows that the silver SHO in my driveway belongs to the girl I’m seeing. From now on your car goes in the garage when you’re here. I’ll move my bike so you have room to pull in.”

My skin started to prickle again. “Is that why you have a gun in the back of your pants?”

Adam drew in a deep breath. “I trust very few people, Erin. I’ve also pissed off more people than I care to count. Some people don’t take too kindly to you putting them in jail.” His fingers brushed over my chin. “I will always be able to protect myself and the people I care about, even if that means I have to take out people I used to care about in the process. Know this. I never answer my door unarmed. Whenever I leave the house, I’m armed. There are guns hidden on every floor of this house. It’s just the way things are.”

“Are you that worried?” I asked gently.

He shook his head. “Not worried. Prepared.”

I watched him open up his nightstand drawer and pull out another black gun. He took the bullets out and handed it to me. I felt like he was handing me death.

Adam frowned. “You afraid?”