Kiss Marry Kill, page 7
As for her label and PR, she declined any interviews until she was safe and back at home. In response they spoke in detail about the upcoming tour, which took her mind away from the hellish events of the previous night.
By eight that evening she was tired and hungry and eager to see Jax. Funny how she hadn’t seen him for five years and now, after twenty-four hours, her anxiety over not seeing him was so high.
Would he just disappear again?
That thought made her restless and annoyed at herself. She didn’t need him. She’d done very well for herself without him. But just because she didn’t need him, didn’t mean she didn’t want him.
She spent most of the day snacking on chips and cookies and now she was in the kitchen getting ready to make a sandwich when she heard the front door open and close. Her heart picked up, but she closed her eyes and counted to ten.
Control yourself, Cruz!
“I brought a pizza,” Jax said, dumping the box on the counter.
“Oh, yummy. That beats the grilled cheese sandwich I was about to make.”
“I remember your cooking, that’s why I brought the pizza.”
“Ha. Ha. Living on my own and being broke . . . you learn a few things. Especially how to make a kickass grilled cheese.” She put the bread back where she found it while Jax pulled out a slice of pizza and set it on a plate for her, then took one for himself. “Tomorrow you can wow me with your grilled cheese. Today, pizza.”
“Sounds good to me,” she agreed. “So, how’d it go today?”
Jax motioned toward a chair. Once she sat and he’d eaten most of a slice, he said, “So, you got a fuck ton of trees. That’s a problem. Your house is massive, that’s another problem. You have the ocean in the back—”
“Let me guess: that’s another problem.”
He nodded. “A big fucking huge one. And your current security system is shit. How you have a multimillion-dollar mansion and shit security is beyond me. A shit security system you don’t even use,” he added, taking another bite of pizza.
“But you can fix it, right? You can make it safe?”
“Of course. Made all the calls and work starts tomorrow. Will take a few days. Got a bunch of prints, too. Hope to get some answers tomorrow.”
“Oh, good.” She sighed in relief. “Thank God. Just make my house safe.”
“Not your house, Meg. You. We’re making you safe.” He did the thing where he made her look at him as he said it. No fumbling around, no fidgeting, just his full attention on her. And his eyes were so honest as he said it, she knew he was sincere. She would be safe, so long as she was with him.
With her mouth open and a pizza hovering, she just stared at him. All the emotions she’d felt for him back then hadn’t gone anywhere. There was no denying it. It was as if he’d never left and she wasn’t sure what to do with it, especially since he wasn’t the same Jax she once knew. Spending all day trying not to think about him, trying not to miss him, pretending she was being overly sentimental about her memories and desires for him . . . it was all bullshit. She was deluding herself. Nothing had changed on her part. The problem was, was he feeling the same way about her? Or was he just being a good friend? A good security guard?
Lost in thought, she barely noticed when he stood up. “Going to shower and sleep. Have to be at your house early. You got everything you need? You good?”
She felt the lump form in her throat. “Yep. All good.”
She lied. She wasn’t good. Not at all. And she wasn’t even sure if it was because of Ryan or if it was from having Jax back in her life.
* * *
The next morning, Megan saw that there was coffee already brewed and a note stuck to the coffee maker.
At your house. It was signed with his name and, as if he was trying not to be a barbarian, he added, as an afterthought, Hope you slept well.
She had slept well. Even though her thoughts kept wandering to the man a room away, the fact he was there made her feel safe and secure. As soon as she laid her head on the pillow she fell right asleep.
Now, making herself comfortable on one of his black leather recliners in the living room, she pulled out her cell phone and called him.
“Hello,” Jax yelled into the phone.
“Hi.”
“One sec,” he said, obviously moving to a quieter area since she could hear the background noise die down. “Hi,” he said breathlessly, and she felt a smile form on her face.
“Hi,” she repeated, feeling stupid for sounding like a teenager with a crush. She cleared her throat. “Any news?”
“Nothing. Put in a call this morning to Chief Martinez and nothing’s come back from forensics on their end either.”
“I’d like to go home. I need clothes, and my notebook, and stuff,” she said.
“Not safe yet, Meg.”
She looked around his house, which didn’t look all that secure either. “And this is safe? I’m alone in here.”
“There are cameras all along the perimeter of my house, the alarm’s on, and I have my team nearby. Plus, no one would think to look for you there.”
Oh God, he’d tell her if the cameras were around more than just the perimeter, right? Like in the interior of the house as well? She looked around as he spoke.
“Megan? You there? Megan?”
“Uh . . . yeah, sorry. Um,” she said distractedly, “I have some Skype meetings this afternoon and my stuff is in my office. I thought I’d go with you this morning, but you left before I woke up.”
This time the silence was on his end of the phone. “I can have Joey bring you over, okay? But you stay inside the house the whole time.”
Megan ignored his he-man commands, as if she would want to take a meandering stroll through her garden days after being threatened. “Joey? I remember him.” This reunion just kept getting better. She hadn’t known Joey more than a few hours, but she’d liked him immediately.
“He has a key. Otherwise don’t open the door for anyone. He’ll be there soon.”
“Hey, Jax?” she began, still looking around the house, her thumbnail by her teeth. She was happy he hadn’t given her a hard time about going home but something was still bothering her. “I . . . um . . . do you have cameras inside the house too?”
He chuckled loudly into the phone. “Why? Did you do something you weren’t supposed to? Did you snoop? Nothing weird in my medicine cabinet, as far as I can remember.”
“I’d never invade your privacy.” She scrunched her face and then started to look around again. Was he watching her lie right this very second? “Maybe I’m just worried you’re some sort of pervert, looking at me naked or something?”
“Interesting idea you just gave me. Maybe I’ll have to install cameras inside the house tomorrow. Or better yet, in your room here in your house.”
Was he flirting?
Gah!
She couldn’t tell through the phone and with his deep voice, but it definitely seemed like he was flirting.
“I knew you were a pervert!”
He laughed loudly again. “See you in a few, Meg.”
“Bye, Jax.”
When he said Joey’d be there soon, Megan didn’t realize he meant ten minutes. Luckily she was already dressed and was washing the mug she’d used when the front door opened and closed.
“Megan Cruz, as I live and breathe,” Joey drawled, with that infectious grin she remembered vividly. He stood by the kitchen door with his arms open looking the embodiment of calm, cool, and collected, much like he had back then. Except now, his once smooth twentysomething-year-old skin was tanner and the lines around his mouth and eyes were more pronounced. His eyes, so brown they were almost black, still held that kindness they had back then. His head had been shaved when she met him before, so she hadn’t realized how black his hair actually was.
Where Jax was the all-American boy next door who’d turned into an all-American hairy badass, Joey had gone from Mr. Congeniality to Mr. Tall, Dark, and Dangerous. The humor was still there, but there was something in his eyes that told a tale of things he’d rather forget.
With a smile on her face she went right into his arms. “Joey Clad.” When they parted she looked him over. “What do they feed you Marines? You guys are huge.”
“You’re good for the ego, Megan.” He winked and led her to the front door. “Jax said you wanted to go home. Ready to go?”
“Yep.”
He led her to his low-to-the-ground black sports car. She didn’t know anything about cars but it looked expensive and fast, so she immediately buckled up. “So how have you been?” he asked.
“Well, except for the stalker thing, I’ve been pretty good. You?”
“Well, except for the war thing, I’ve been pretty good, too.” She laughed loudly. He was just as playful as she remembered him, and just as quick-witted. Joey and Jax had been two peas in a pod, laughing, finishing each other’s sentences, always up for an adventure. She’d only met him once before, and for only a short period of time, but he’d been very friendly and immediately made her feel like part of their group.
“You made it big, Megan. You must be proud of yourself.”
Looking out the window, she said, “It feels pretty good, not going to lie. And you? Other than all those new muscles you got, you don’t look like you’ve changed much. Not that I knew you that well before.”
He shrugged. “I was lucky. I didn’t get hurt, came back and we started ICS, which is doing well.”
Didn’t get hurt? Did Jax get hurt? She wanted to ask him, but at the same time she didn’t want to pry. But . . .
“Jax, though . . .”
“I know what you’re going to say, but give him some slack. He’s had it rough.”
“What do you mean? What happened?” She turned her body to face Joey, wanting to absorb any information he had to give her about Jax.
“Nothing that doesn’t happen to a shit ton of servicemen. The short of it is, lots of men died and he was hurt; lucky to have survived. He doesn’t like to talk about it.”
She needed more. “He looks sad, Joey. So hardened.”
They pulled up to the house and he turned to her. “During the last year, Jax has been . . . not himself. After a few drinks when he would loosen up, he did talk about you, though.”
“He did?” She perked up, wanting to know, grabbing any morsel of information he was willing to share. She’d talked about him to Nelly and Taylor too, especially that first year. She always wondered if he regretted those days they spent together. Or the way they parted ways. Did he like her music? Did he know what Promise Me was about? “He really had no idea about TNT?”
“Yes. ‘I wonder what Megan is doing,’ or, ‘You think Meg ended up a lawyer?’ Shit like that. We didn’t really watch a lot of TV in the desert or hear pop music, so no, he really didn’t know. Neither did I.”
“Oh, well, wow,” she said, feeling a little better about things. It would’ve been exponentially worse if he’d known about her, known where to find her, and had chosen to stay away. She looked down at her purse, zipping and unzipping it repeatedly. “I thought about him too. I wasn’t sure I’d ever see him again. It was very surpr—Oh my god!”
Megan screamed when she looked up to her house. “Oh. My. God!” She opened the car door and slammed it shut. “Jackson Iron!” Megan yelled at the top of her lungs. “Where are all my trees?”
No! No! No! This was not happening.
It had to be a dream. Her months of dedication to her yard hadn’t been ripped out in a matter of hours. The peace it had given her to map out where every single tree, flower, and topiary would go, and then, with her own bare hands, help plant them, tend to them, and watch them grow. All her planning and hard work . . . no no no.
Joey stood by his car laughing his ass off. “Do you find this funny?” She narrowed her eyes at Joey, pointing at the construction crew on her front lawn.
“A little,” Joey admitted as he walked past her to the full crew of men ripping a huge palm trees out of the earth.
“Is that . . .” she sputtered the words in disbelief, “a . . . is that a bulldozer?’
“I believe it’s called a backhoe, babe.” Joey looked like he wanted to laugh again, but the glare she gave him was enough to effectively shut him up and send him off to look for Jax.
The man had lost his damn mind! How could he have thought this would be okay? Just moments ago they’d spoken and he’d promised to run things by her first.
Stomping to the front of her house, Megan climbed the grand keystone stairway, taking two steps at a time. She turned to the crew, fists clenched. “Stop! Stop it!” Some of them stopped immediately. Some ignored her, and others didn’t hear her over the noise of all the heavy equipment. “Stop immediately!” she yelled again, stomping her foot, at the very moment that Jax came through the front door.
“What are you doing?” he asked, clueless.
“What am I doing?” She looked around and swept her arm to the crew of workers destroying her property. “What the hell are you doing?”
He had his arms crossed over his chest like some sort of impenetrable statue. Well, she wasn’t scared of him. Right now he should be scared of her! “I’m ensuring your safety,” he said. “You told me to make you safe.”
“By destroying all my landscaping? Setting aside the fortune it cost, it took years to get it this way. Years! I loved it! I picked out every single goddamn frangipani and bougainvillea. Oh my god, my mango tree—” She stomped down the stairs toward the big hole that used to house a mango tree.
“Calm down.”
Calm down? Was he crazy?
She whipped her head around and poked him with her index finger. “Do not tell me to calm down!” All the workers were looking at them, awaiting instructions, but she couldn’t care less. She was furious and distraught. “You’re all fired!” Then she turned to Jax, fighting back tears. “Especially you.”
“Why don’t you guys take a break?” Jax said. He followed her inside the house seeming equally angry. Why was he mad?
“Now, babe, you need security. The shit with Ryan is serious.”
Megan bristled. “Don’t you think I know that? And don’t call me babe,” she hissed, her hands clenched by her sides. He was being condescending now, and she didn’t appreciate it. He wanted to call her babe when he saw her in the morning or when she brought him a glass of water? Okay, those were all babe-worthy moments. “Good morning, babe.” Or, “Thank you for the water, babe.” Fine. But babeing when he was pissed . . . no way. That got right under her skin. “This is messed up, Jax. You destroyed my yard.” She shoved him out of the way and started into the house but he grabbed her forearm and stopped her.
“Maybe I went overboard, but it came from a good place. I want you to be safe, Meg.” When he called her Meg and spoke in that soft tone, she could see the guy from all those years back shining through. She looked over her shoulder and then back at him, her lips quivered. She was trying her hardest to contain her tears. Being angry was easier than feeling nostalgic, which is what happened when he called her Meg and said nice things to her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again.
“I loved my yard. It brought me peace. It was the one thing that I enjoyed doing just for me, without anyone around to film me or critique. Everything I do is always under a microscope and involves a crew of people,” she said, her shoulder sagging low and her lips turned down.
She needed space from him, from the disarray around her house, from all the feelings she had when she was around him. “I have a meeting. I’ll be in my office.”
* * *
Jax couldn’t remember when he’d felt like a bigger asshole. Obviously, he hadn’t torn down her yard with the intent to hurt her or piss her off. But hurting her was exactly what he’d accomplished. This was not the way he’d treat a normal client, acting without consulting with them. But nothing with Megan was normal.
She was Megan.
His Megan.
At least that’s how it felt at one time. And thinking of all the shit that Ryan could’ve done just made him go overboard. Where Megan was concerned, he wasn’t thinking clearly.
Standing outside next to Joey, he looked around the barren yard.
“Well, there definitely won’t be any place to hide now.” Joey teased.
“Fuck you, very much.”
“She’ll come around, don’t worry about it.” Joey said, patting him on the back, hard. “She’s pretty fucking famous, you know? How did we not know she was famous?”
“When’s the last time you saw an MTV video?”
“Pretty sure that’s not a thing anymore, Irons.”
“Didn’t really have time to keep up with the top forty in the desert, did you?”
Leaning his arms on the veranda, Joey said, “You know I didn’t, brother.”
After a few quiet moments, Joey asked. “You never looked her up? Googled her?”
Jax reluctantly shook his head. “Didn’t really want to know,” he admitted. “Seeing her happily married with a family, or miserable as an attorney? Neither was anything I wanted to see. Even after I came back last year, I still couldn’t bring myself to look her up.”
“She’s pretty hot. I don’t remember her being that hot before.”
A deep guttural growl vibrated through Jax’s body and Joey laughed. “Relax, man. You should pick up where you guys left off.”
“I’m doing a job. She’s my client. Not gonna happen.”
“Who the fuck cares? She’s Megan.”
Exactly: She’s Megan. How could he not understand? Joey had been there with him when he moped around drinking and waxing poetic about Megan for months. At one point, the men in his squad held an intervention and ruled that the subject of Megan was prohibited.
