Chapter 22

Someone was staring at her.  Shifting further into the warmth beside her, Amy tensed.  She was dead asleep when the feeling hit her.  Someone was watching her, and she didn’t know if she wanted to open her eyes and find out who it was.  One eye opened, and when she saw angry blue eyes hovering over her face, she jerked a little before closing her eye again.

“I know you’re awake,” Spencer whispered, most likely trying to keep Jaxon from waking up, but as soon as the words left her brother’s mouth, the arms that were around her tightened.

“Scariest wake up call,” Jaxon mumbled against her neck as a small yawn escaped his mouth.

Spencer grabbed Amy’s arm, tugging her away from Jaxon.  “Stop cuddling,” he grunted when she didn’t move an inch.  “Let her go, right now.  Damn, you’re lucky that it’s just me who decided to wake you up.”

“Why are you so mad?” Amy asked as she finally looked at her brother.  “We didn’t do anything.”

“I know,” Spencer said with another angry glare at the both of them.  “You still have all of your clothes on.”

Jaxon withdrew his arm from around Amy, and as soon as he did, Spencer jerked her out of the bed.  Her head swam with quickness of the action, and she had to reach down and hold onto the bed to keep from falling.  Jaxon’s hand on her back settled her, but when she went to send a smile of thanks over her shoulder, Spencer pushed her towards the adjoined room.  “I need to talk to you,” he paused, sending her another glare.  “Alone.”

She frowned at her brother before turning a questioning glance towards Jaxon.  His knees were bent,  the blanket covering the bottom half of his body even though she knew he was wearing pants.  His arms rested on his knees as he sent her a tight smile.  “I’m going to just sit right here until you leave.”

“You don’t have to come with me today if you don’t want to,” she whispered.

His tight smile relaxed into a genuine one as he shook his head at her.  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world, Amy.  I told you I’d be there for you, and I will.”  He glanced around the room he was in.  “But, I’m going to have to take you up on that offer of some borrowed clothes.  I don’t particularly want to meet your ex wearing nothing but a pair of sweat pants and an old shirt.”

“I’ll send you something,” Spencer snapped as he pushed her towards the door once more.  “Jump in the shower, and they’ll be out here when you’re done.”  He looked at Jaxon with an evil grin.  “I’m sure there’s enough cold water.”

Jaxon opened his mouth, but whatever the man was going to say was cut off when Spencer pulled her into the room and slammed the door shut.  Spencer looked angrily at the door as if the object had done him personal harm before he locked it with so much force Amy was surprised the door knob didn’t break. 

“Why are you so angry?” she asked as she walked towards her closet.  She knew that her old clothes would still be here, the clothes she had before she began wearing sensible teacher’s clothing, and maybe, today, something more revealing was what she needed.  Maybe, just maybe, she should show her ex exactly what he had given up. 

Spencer stepped beside her.  With a sigh, he reached up and grabbed the shoe box she couldn’t reach.  “I can’t believe you slept with him.”

“We didn’t have sex.”

A grunt left his mouth.  “That’s the problem, Amy.  If you would have slept with him, I wouldn’t be so worried.”  He popped open the box, glanced at the sensible black pumps inside and tossed it back where it was. 

“I was going to wear those,” she mumbled as he rummaged through her shoes.  “And why would you be worried if I didn’t sleep with him.  I’d think it’d be worse if I was caught without clothes on, not better.”

“Maybe for all of your other brothers, but you forget, I’m the smart one.”  He pulled out another shoe box, opened up the top and grinned when the bright red stilettos came into view.  “Did he even try to make a move?”

She grabbed the box from his hand with a grin.  It looked like her and her brother was thinking the same thing when it came to showing her ex what he was missing.  “Not once.  He’s the one who said ‘just for sleep’ when I asked if I could stay with him.”

“That,” he said as he pulled out her floral sundress, “is the problem.”  He held it up to her body with a nod.  “If a man spends all night long in bed with a woman and doesn’t make a move they’re either gay, not interested, or care way too much.”

Grabbing the dress from his hands, she twirled it around, noticing the large red flowers that kept the dress from looking too innocent.  “Maybe he’s not interested.”

Spencer snorted.  “Dad didn’t threaten the man’s life because Jaxon looks at you like a sister.”  He stepped towards her dresser, and when he went to pull out the top drawer, she yelled at him.

“I can pick out my own underwear!”

The grin that he sent her showed her that he was joking with her.  “You really think I’m stupid enough to open up my sister’s underwear drawer?  God, what you hide in there, I don’t want to know.”

Her face flushed red as she picked up the closest shoe and threw it at his head.  He dodged it, the grin still on his face.  “The only thing in my underwear drawer is underwear.”

“Whatever you say,” he whispered with a laugh.  “Go get a shower.  Asher wants to leave in an hour, and we all know that he’ll leave us if we’re not ready.”

“What do you mean us?” she asked with narrowed eyes.

He rolled his eyes at her.  “You really think any of us would let you go on your own?  Yeah right.  We had to force Mom to keep Dad at home, that’s how bad it is.”

“You’re all staying in the car.”  She marched towards her dresser, pulled open the drawer and grabbed the first thing her hands landed on.  Her brother’s eyes widened as he looked away with a shutter.

“Knowing what type of underwear you wear was not something I wanted to experience in my life time.”

She laughed at his dramatic actions.  “Like you haven’t seen them before.  We lived together for almost twenty years, Spence.  This isn’t the first time you’ve seen my underwear.”

“Hopefully, it’ll be the last,” he mumbled as he turned and reached out to open her door.

“Hey, Spence,” she whispered, making him glance at her over his shoulder.  “You don’t have anything to worry about.”

His hand didn’t drop from the door knob, but his smile dropped from his face.  “I just wanted you to have a little fun, Amy.  Fun is what you need, not another relationship that may or may not work out.  Jaxon is being hunted down by some very dangerous people, and even if they don’t catch him, the cops could put him away for murder.”  He shrugged.  “I just don’t want to see you hurt again.”

“I’m not getting involved.”  When he raised his eyebrow at her, she sent him a small, sad smile.  “Even if I wanted him to care about me as much as I’m beginning to care about him, he has his own demons to fight; he doesn’t deserve to be saddled with mine.”

“Any one that you let close enough to even know your demons is damn lucky, Amy.  Remember that.”  He pulled open her door, sending one last smile over his shoulder.  “Love ya, kid.  Be ready in forty-five minutes, or we’re leaving you.”

“Love you too,” she said as the door closed behind him.  With a laugh, she grabbed her clothes and walked towards the bathroom.  Maybe Spencer was right, maybe she just needed to have a little fun.  Maybe, she didn’t need to let her emotions ruin something that could help her forget about her past.  There was only one problem.  She already cared, and no matter how hard she tried, she’d never be able to turn her emotions off, not when it came to anything, and certainly not when it came to Jaxon.

***

Jaxon stepped out of the shower and a billow of steam followed him.  Glancing towards the bed, he shook his head when he saw the pile of clothes waiting for him.  Who had put them there, he didn’t have a clue.  He hadn’t heard anything when his door opened, hadn’t heard anyone enter the room.  Usually, he would wonder if he was slacking off.  He’d wonder if he felt too comfortable in this house, if it was making him sloppy.  But for the first time in years, he didn’t have to worry.  He didn’t feel unsafe; he didn’t have to look over his shoulder.

Amy’s family, no matter how many of them wanted him gone, would never let anything happen to him, and with the place guarded better than a prison, Jaxon knew only people who were welcome were getting in. 

Dropping the towel from around his waist, he rummaged through the clothes and sighed when the only things that were there was a shirt, a pair of pants, and a pair of socks.  “No underwear.  At least the clothes are nice.”  He had half expected them to send him a clown’s outfit, complete with a red nose, anything to test him. 

He grabbed the pants, slipped them on, and was buttoning them when a knock sounded on the door.  “Just a minute!” he called out as he grabbed the shirt and tugged it over his head.  Walking towards the door, he zipped up his pants, pushed his shirt down, and then opened the door with a smile on his face.

His smile dropped when he saw Spencer’s narrowed eyes.  “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Jaxon took a step to the side and motioned for Spencer to enter.  Easing the door shut behind the man, Jaxon sighed before running a hand through his hair.  “Look, nothing happened between Amy and me.  All we did was sleep.”

Spencer glanced up as if he was asking help from God before turning towards Jaxon.  “Why don’t either of you understand?”  Since the question sounded rhetorical, Jaxon didn’t say a word.  “The reason why I’m so upset is because all you did was sleep.”  He shook his head before taking a deep breath.  “You really care about her, don’t you?”

“More than I should,” Jaxon said with a nod as he stepped towards the bed.  Plopping down on the end, he grabbed the socks and began slipping them on his feet.

“That’s the problem.”

Jaxon nodded in agreement.  “I know, and I promise you, I’ll never let the relationship between Amy and I progress into anything until I’m sure I won’t bring her down.  I won’t allow us to get close until I’m completely positive that she won’t get hurt in the process.”

Spencer stared at him in shock.  “You’re not going to push her into a relationship?”

“After what that ass did to her, do you really think I’d start a relationship when I don’t even know if I’ll be in or out of prison in a couple of weeks?  I won’t hurt her like that, not when she’s already been hurt too much.”

“Holey shit,” Spencer whispered as he plopped down in a nearby chair.  “Hell and damn, are you serious?”

Jaxon nodded as he swung his feet back to the ground.  “I wasn’t there to keep her from getting hurt the first time, but I’m here now, and I’ll do anything to make sure she’s not hurt again.”  Spencer mumbled another curse before covering his face with his hands and said something Jaxon couldn’t understand.  “What?”

“I’m giving you permission to date my sister when this is all through with,” Spencer said more clearly as he dropped his hands.  “I hate you right now for making me like you.”

A laugh escaped Jaxon’s mouth as he shook his head at Spencer.  “That wasn’t my intentions.”

“I know,” Spencer said with an annoyed tone.  “That’s exactly why I’m starting to like you.”  He jumped to his feet and shook his head.  “I think you’re exactly what Amy needs.”

“A little fun?” Jaxon asked, knowing that it was the youngest son’s motto.

A serious expression fell onto Spencer’s face as he shook his head again.  “A lot of fun and whole lot more.  She needs someone like you, someone who will put her before everything else, because we all know that her own welfare is the last thing on her mind.”  Amy’s brother paused for a moment, smiled, and then nodded.  “Yeah, someone like you to love her is exactly what she needs.”

Jaxon opened his mouth to deny anything close to love, but for the second time that day, Spencer interrupted him by leaving the room and slamming the door behind him.  Jaxon stared at it for a moment, not knowing whether he should chase after Spencer or be happy that another brother had admitted to liking him.  With a sigh, he ran his hand through his hair again, wondering when he could finally get that hair cut he desperately needed. 

A timid knock echoed on the adjoining door, and Jaxon moved his gaze to it.  He knew who was on the other side, but at that moment, he was afraid to open the door.  He was afraid of what Amy would see on his face after that conversation with her brother.  Schooling his expression into a smile, he headed towards the door.  As it swung open, his smile dropped.

“Is it too much?”

“What?” he asked, staring at the tight sundress that showed off every curve of her body.  It would have looked sweet and innocent if it weren’t for the three inch heels that she wore on her feet.  Even her toes were painted red, and he knew, without a doubt, that her ex would be drooling when he saw her.

“It’s too much, isn’t it?”

Jaxon reached up, touched his chin to make sure it wasn’t wet, before shaking his head at her.  “God, you look amazing.”

She took a step back, looking slightly unsure.  “Are you sure?  People always say that red heads shouldn’t wear red.”

“They’ve obviously never seen you in this dress,” he mumbled.  He shook his head again, trying to make some through flow through his shocked mind.  “Can I say something without sounding like an insensitive jerk?”  She nodded.  “I’m glad your ex is such an idiot.”

A laugh fell from her mouth, making him blink at her dumbly.  “Thanks, Jaxon.”

“No problem.”

Silence settled between the two of them, but it was far from being awkward.  Heat flew between the two of them, and he had to curl his hands into fists to keep from reaching for her.  She looked down at his hands, frowned, before reaching towards them.  Uncurling his fingers, she squeezed his hands in hers.  “And thank you for coming with me today.  You really don’t know how much this means to me.”

He pulled her into a hug, knowing that this was the most contact he could have with her.  “It’s my pleasure.  Believe me; I’d pay to see the look on his face when he sees you.  God, Amy, you’re beautiful.”

She chuckled as she pushed back from him.  Glancing up, her smile slipped slightly as her eyes landed on his lips.  His head bent down without his permission as she went up on her toes.  A knock sounded on her door, making the two of them jerk apart.  They both took a deep breath, and as they let it out, laughter filled the awkward silence in the room.

“Amy,” Spencer called out on the other side of the door.  “Asher’s ready.  Better be down in five or he’s leaving.”

Reaching out to him, Amy gripped his hand in hers.  “Come on,” she said with a slight tug.  “He really will leave us, even though I’m the one who needs to go.”

Jaxon let her pull him from the room.  He stared down at her as they walked down the hall and stairs.  Shaking his head, he remembered his words to Spencer.  He couldn’t get involved until this mess was clear.  Amy didn’t deserve to be second to his vendetta.  He said he would do anything to keep her from getting hurt again, and if that meant keeping his distance, that was what he was going to do.  Letting out a deep breath, he began being honest with himself.  Somehow, in the past few days, Amy hadn’t become second to his vendetta.  Somehow, the woman had gotten so under his skin that his first thought was to keep her safe, to make sure that she didn’t get hurt.

Staying away from her would be the hardest thing he had ever done, but if it meant keeping her safe, he’d endure it.  Once things were settled, once Amy was no longer in danger, and he was back on his feet, nothing could keep him away.  When the time was right, Jaxon would fight to keep her by his side, but until that day, he’d do exactly what he promised Spencer, he’d keep their relationship from progressing too far.

A deep breath left his mouth as a chuckle fell from his lips.  He was already lying to himself, because the truth of it was, his relationship with Amy was already progressing, and he knew no matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he pushed her away, he couldn’t stop them from getting closer, he couldn’t stop them from caring about one another no matter how hard he tried.