Jack and Djinn (The Houri Legends, #1)(8)

“Complicated.” His flat tone told her he knew a brush-off when he heard it. “Right. Well, you deserve better.”

“What makes you say that?”

“No one deserves that. Getting beat up in a bar fight or something, that’s one thing.” Jack seemed to struggle for words, for calm. “Letting your boyfriend just beat the shit out of you? That’s not okay.” He shook his head, a lock of brown hair slipping down to brush his temple.

“It’s not like I just let him. It’s not that easy, Jack. I can’t just—” She shook her head, cutting herself off. “You know what? Never mind. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Maybe not.” Jack took a step forward, hands on the railing on either side of her. Not touching, but close. Too close. She should want him to back away. She should turn away, go inside. But she didn’t. She couldn’t. He was inches away, far too close, but she stayed where she was. He smelled of engine oil and deodorant and male sweat, a masculine combination of scents that had her heart hammering, had her wanting to bury her face against his T-shirt. “I might not understand why you stick around a cocksucker like that, but what I do understand is that you shouldn’t. You’re beautiful, Miriam. You deserve better. You may not believe it, but you do.”

Miriam’s breath caught. She didn’t believe it, and Jack somehow knew it. Every guy she’d ever been with had treated her the same as Ben. It was how men were.

But Jack was different. She knew it, deep down.

She stared at him, unable to fathom her own reaction to him. Normally, when someone started in on how she should just leave whoever was giving her the black eyes and sore ribs, she would clam up and shut down. If you’ve never been caught up in the cycle of violence, you can’t understand it. Even if you know you deserve better, even if you know you should just leave, it just isn’t that easy. Guys like Ben, they don’t let you leave. And if you tried, there would be hell to pay.

As Miriam got to really know Ben, she had felt herself closing up, emotionally, mentally, physically. She pulled in, put walls up, hardened herself. She went into survival mode, thinking of nothing but getting through whatever new hell came next but unable to free herself from him, from his hold on her.

But Jack, standing on the stair one below hers…he inspired a different reaction in her. He made her wonder if, maybe, there could be someone out there better than Ben. Was there a way to break the cycle? To get away from Ben and find someone who would treat her better? Jack made her want to open up, to allow someone in who would care for her heart, for her body.

He made her wonder what would happen if she kissed him right then. It was a crazy thought. Totally insane. She couldn’t. She wouldn’t. Ben would know. He’d smell it on her. And she just couldn’t. She couldn’t kiss a man she’d known for less than three hours. But she wondered, nonetheless, what it would be like if she did.

The crazy desire to find out pestered her, nagged at her, dug at her. He was right there, inches away, his messy, sweaty hair hanging around his face and in his stunning blue eyes, his strong hands on the railing just below her own hands, his body angled forward, his eyes searching her. His lips were right there; all she had to do was lean down and touch hers to his.

Scant inches narrowed to scarcely a hair’s-breadth, their faces so close she could feel his breath, feel the heat from his body mingling with her own.

Before the impulse took over, Miriam backed away, up a step, two, three. “Thanks again, Jack.” She turned around and went up the rest of the way, feeling his gaze on her. She turned back around as she opened the door. “It was nice meeting you.”

Jack nodded. “No problem. Nice to meet you, too, Miriam.”

He was watching her, one foot on the first step, as if he was about to follow her up. She half-hoped he would. She felt an attraction to him that was dangerous in its suddenness and intensity. She’d known him for a matter of hours, and she wanted to feel his strong, gentle hands on her body, kiss his lips and tangle her fingers in his hair. She wanted to feel things with him that she’d never had before. Not with anyone.

She shook herself. It was impossible. But god…she wanted it.

Pulling open the tautly sprung screen door, then pushing open the interior door, Miriam heard a boot on the steps. “Miriam, wait.”

Jack lunged up the steps, reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out a business card for an auto repair garage in downtown Royal Oak. He pulled a pen from the same inside pocket and scribbled his first name and a phone number on the card. “If you ever need anything, call me. Okay? Anything, anytime.”

Handing her the card, he didn’t wait for a response before turning and tripping quickly down the steps, stuffing his helmet on his head.

Miriam let the door slam shut, then threw herself on her couch and listened to the roar of his motorcycle recede, thinking of his eyes on hers, dreaming of impossible things.





*





The next day came all too early. Miriam worked a mid-shift, which she hated. Opening was fine, closing was fine, even doubles were okay, but mids were the worst. Showing up at one in the afternoon meant there wasn’t enough time to really do anything before work, and by the time she got off at eight or nine, the day was mostly gone. She’d rather just close and be done with it. Closing meant she could avoid Ben, who tended to work primarily day shifts. He’d been texting her and calling her nonstop since first thing in the morning, but she couldn’t make herself answer.