Slade (The Protectors #6)(23)

“Well, obviously, you don’t know me very well,” Caroline countered back. Her phone, which she turned silent, started to buzz and vibrate. She watched his eyes move to her purse then back up to her.

“You want me to answer that for you?” he asked, a look of irritation narrowed his eyes. “I’m sure I could help you with that problem.”

“No, it’s fine,” Caroline lied, but there was no sense getting everyone involved in her issues with Rod. It was over and he would soon get tired of being ignored and go away. “But I do have a deal for you. If you stop harassing Jill—”

“I am not harassing Jill,” Jax corrected her.

Caroline rolled her eyes at him. “Oh, okay then. When you stop provoking Jill and start helping her, teach me how to play guitar and, then I will have dinner with you.” Biting her lip, she wondered what he thought about her second stipulation. She had always wanted to learn to play guitar. She actually had an old acoustic guitar in the back of her closet. Jax laughed. The deep timbre of his voice washed over her and she suddenly found herself wanting to see him laugh more often. She surprised herself when she realized she wanted it to be her who made him laugh.

“I’m not provoking either,” Jax laughed again. “I’m being realistic.”

“In your own mind maybe.” Caroline cocked her eyebrow at him. “You like her.”

“And you know me so well that you know that as a fact,” Jax sparred with her some more, seeming to enjoy matching wits with her.

“I do,” Caroline nodded, also liking their banter. “If you didn’t, you wouldn’t care whether she was a liability or not, which she’s not.”

“No, I’m the liability.” His tone was disbelieving.

“Yes, now you’re getting it,” Caroline grinned, and then frowned when her phone buzzed again. In one long stretch, Jax reached into her purse expertly locating her phone. Flipping it open, his eyes met hers.

“Hello!” Jax’s tone was tolerant, not nasty, but definitely not nice. “You called this phone so why don’t we start out by you telling me who you are and why you are constantly ringing this phone.”

Caroline threw her hands up in the air, looking at Jax in disbelief. She was actually amazed he found it so quickly when it usually took her minutes of searching through all her crap to find it. When he continued to stare at her while listening to the other end, her stomach knotted up. This wasn’t going to be good.

“Rod? Did you say your name was Rod?” Jax made a face at Caroline as if saying ‘you dated a guy named Rod’. Then he snorted. “I bet you’re a muscle head. You go to the gym? Ah, that’s what I thought.” Jax looked proud of himself for calling that one.

She could hear Rod’s voice through the phone and he didn’t sound happy. Damn, this probably just complicated her plan of ignoring him. Now, he was going to be more persistent. Shaking her head at Jax and reaching for the phone only caused Jax to turn slightly so she couldn’t reach it, unless she went into his room since that’s where he stuck his head. “Dammit.”

“Well, listen, Rod. I don’t give two shits you and Caroline were engaged. She obviously doesn’t want to talk to you and I’ve taken it upon myself to warn you to stop calling her. If she wants to talk to you, she will call you.” Jax’s smile turned sinister. “Yes, I can back that warning up. Have no doubts about that.”

Taking her phone back that Jax handed her, she put it in her purse then looked up at him. She cleared her throat, trying to think of what to say.

“So you can dish out advice, but dated a guy named Rod.” Jax saved her from saying anything at all.

“He was my fiancé.” Caroline didn’t know why she threw that bit of information out there, but the way he was looking at her made her feel like one of her school kids.

Raising both eyebrows, he nodded. “Well, it sounds like it’s not a big loss on your part.”

“Yeah, he treated my sister pretty bad.” Caroline frowned, not proud of the fact she had no clue how much Rod had tried to run her life and separate her from her twin until it was almost too late. “It took me a while, but I figured it out, and well, just dealing with the end results of a failed relationship.”

“It happens,” he replied, still staring at her with those intense eyes.

“Yeah, it does,” she nodded with a frown. “And I have no idea why I’m talking to you about this.”

Jax didn’t say a word, just stood in the same pose against the door looking relaxed, yet she had no doubt he was ready to take anything head-on in a minute flat. It was pretty intimidating, especially as he continued to stare at her.

“Okay, well, I need to be going.” Caroline gave him a short smile before turning.

“Dinner. Wednesday.” It wasn’t a question. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“You’re going to be nice to Jill?” Caroline looked back at him, wanting to see his face when he answered.

“A saint.” His grin was far from saintly.

Caroline snorted. “Let’s not overdo it. I don’t think you’ve done saintly…ever and I’m warning you I will ask Jill, so you better be nice or the deal is off.” Caroline pointed at him like she would a student in trouble. She eyed him a few more minutes before adding, “My address is—”