Rules of Protection (Tangled in Texas #1)(84)

I would’ve argued, but after going twenty-four hours without eating, food received precedence over curiosity. I inhaled the sandwich, then started on the pickle. When I finished, I set the plate aside and caught him staring at me.

“You did that on purpose. Absolutely no one eats a pickle like that, especially when they’re in bed naked.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked, grinning slyly. “Thought you liked torture.”

“Only when I’m doing the torturing,” he grumbled. He watched me as I slid out of bed, walking carefully on my sensitive feet toward the bathroom. “Where you going?”

“I need to get ready for dinner.”

“Dinner? You just ate,” he noted. “You can’t possibly eat again so soon.”

I shrugged. “Didn’t stop you earlier.”

…

By the time I got out of the bathroom, Jake had disappeared. I wondered where he went until I heard a truck door shut. Hank and Floss were back. Wrapped in a towel, I sat on the edge of the bed and applied antibiotic cream to my swollen feet. Seconds later, Jake came back inside.

“Floss is going to start dinner, but it’ll probably be a while before it’s ready,” he said, sitting beside me on the bed. “Want any help? While we’re waiting for dinner, I could give you a little petting.”

“You mean pampering?”

“Petting sounds like more fun, but yeah, that, too.” He lifted my feet into his lap, reminding me of how he did the same thing to me the first night we arrived. I watched him doctor my battered feet and wrap them with gauze, just as Floss had.

Then he grabbed me around the waist, nuzzling his face into my damp hair. Jake’s hands rubbed over my shoulders, kneading them hard, as if trying to work out the knots. It wasn’t long before his gently massaging fingers moved from my arms to my chest, then from my chest to my hips.

“Special Agent Ward, I do believe we’ve tapped into one of your hidden talents,” I said rolling my neck as he continued kneading his fingers into my shoulder blades.

“Mental medicine,” Jake said, lowering his voice to a whisper, brushing my shoulder with his lips.

“Mmm-hmm,” I murmured in agreement, concentrating more on the motion of his fingers as they etched into my skin.

Just when I thought our mental state would turn physical, someone knocked on the door. “Dinner’s ready!”

Jake sighed and hollered back, “Thanks, Floss.”

“Dinner? Already?” I said, looking at him. “That was fast. What’d she make…a bowl of cereal?”

He shrugged. “She must’ve decided it was leftover night or something. Better hurry and get dressed or we won’t be making it to dinner,” Jake said, eyeing the towel that had crept halfway down my breasts.

…

After a dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, Jake offered to put some boxes into the attic for Floss. I came straight to the room, undressed completely, and slid into bed. A few minutes later, he joined me, stripping off his clothes before settling under the covers in the moonlit room.

He ran his hand the length of my body, as if to assure himself I was as naked as he was, then snuggled into me, resting his arm across my stomach.

“Seeing if I had another man under there?” I teased.

“With you, you never know.”

Offended, I sat upright. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Calm down,” he said, pulling me back down. “I didn’t mean it the way it came out. I meant you always do things to purposely upset me.”

I let some of the tension out of my body, still trying to figure out if I wanted to be mad about his remark. Since I probably deserved it, I let it go. “Defense mechanism,” I explained.

“What’s the point?”

I sighed heavily. “To push people away, I guess. That way I don’t build an attachment to someone who doesn’t plan on sticking around.”

“So if you abandon ship first, and the other person follows suit, you don’t feel like you got left behind?”

“Something like that,” I admitted.

“Has anybody ever tried to jump overboard to rescue you instead?”

I hesitated, not liking the direction the conversation had taken. “Let’s just say I’m a strong swimmer.”

“So you’ve dated cowards? That’s strange. I wouldn’t have pictured that type of guy for you.”

“Truthfully, I haven’t dated much at all. Two long-term relationships, but neither lasted for a year or was that serious,” I said. “You know how some women say they stopped compromising in the boyfriend department? Well, I actually stopped shopping there altogether. It saves me from the disappointment.”

“Sounds lonely.”

I shrugged. “I’ve been alone since I was fourteen. Guess I’m used to it.”

Jake rubbed his hand over my arm, comforting me. “You’re not alone here, Emily. You know that, right? We all care about what happens to you. Hell, Bobbie Jo—”

“You’ve kidding me, right? Unbelievable! We’re lying naked in bed together, and you want to talk about your ex-girlfriend?” Disgusted, I pushed him away and rolled out of the bed. “Bobbie Jo can’t stay away from you, though she thinks you’re dating me and you want to—”