To Protect the Heart of a Brazen Woman [Brazen Sisters 6] (Siren Publishing Classic) (6 page)

A branch w
h
acked her bare leg and she hissed. A tank top, shorts, and old sneakers weren’t the best hiking attire, but thanks to Jake she hadn’t had much of a choice. She slapped a branch out of her way and moved to the middle of the path. She wasn’t going to be able to hide out up
there
for too long. As she passed one of the bigger trees
,
she heard something rustle. Thinking it was a skunk or some other small creature
,
she moved closer to the other side of the trail and picked up her speed.

Without warning
,
someone came up behind her and wrapped their arms around her waist. It only took a few seconds for Bobbie to recognize that it was Jake. It wasn’t his scent—though it
was
so distinctly him—that gave him away. Bobbie knew from the way her body practically hummed every time he touched her that it was him. She wasn’t sure what he was trying to prove with this little stunt, but it wasn’t going to work.

“Oh
,
scary stranger
,
don’t hurt me.” She let her body go limp.

Her knees buckled and she started to slide through his hold toward the ground. Jake must not have been prepared for that move, though he should have been since he taught it to her. His arms tightened just below her breasts
,
stopping her descent. Bobbie didn’t move a muscle. She just closed her eyes and let herself hang there like a rag doll.

It was really hard, because with his warm
,
hard body at her back all she wanted to do was wiggle back against him. He jostled her a bit
,
trying to get a better grip. One of his hands grazed her breasts and he growled. Bobbie bit her lip
,
not sure whether or not she was trying to keep from laughing or moaning. Either way
,
it would have only showed him he had gotten a reaction. She was going to do her best not to give him anything.

“Damn it
,
Bobbie. You have to
do
everything the hard way
,
” Jake groused as he managed to turn her around so she was facing him.

She was glad she’d kept her eyes closed. Now with her face against his chest she found it even more difficult to be unresponsive. Still
,
when Jake had given the self-defense class he stressed three things. First and most importantly
,
try to run
.
T
hat was out of the question here. Second
,
you should do whatever you can to make it impossible for them to take you anywhere. Third—and this
,
too
,
wasn’t a choice in this situation—was to do as much damage to you
r
assailant as possible.

So her only choice was to make this as rough on him as she could. Jake surprised her by slinging her over his shoulder and marching up the path to the top of the peak. She fought the urge to pound on his back and demand for him to put her down. Once he reached the outcropping of rocks he started to lower her to the ground. Beyond pissed off at his manhandling
,
Bobbie took advantage of his stooped position and shoved at his shoulders.

He fell backward onto his ass
,
and she turned to run. Jake was too quick and agile because he lunged forward and grabbed her. This time Bobbie let out a high
-
pitched squeal and squirmed with everything she had. It wasn’t enough. Jake pulled her onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around hers and hooked one leg over hers. She growled and faced the fact that there was no way for her to get away.

Though she gave up the fight—for now—the fury continued to build inside her. If Jake was trying make her see that he had the brute strength and skills to subdue her
,
he’d gotten his point across. However
,
Bobbie had skills of her own
,
and he should be very careful where he tried to take this little show of his.

“Are you ready to listen to me now?” Jake asked even though they both knew she didn’t have much of a choice.

“Sure.” Bobbie’s sister
,
Frankie
,
would have been so proud at the surliness in her tone.

His chest rose and fell behind her as Jake let out a deep sigh. Bobbie barely held back a moan as his warm breath tingled against her neck. At least with him behind her back he could
n’t
see the way her traitorous body reacted. With just a thin tank top and bra on
,
there would be no way for him to mistake the way her nipples hardened. The jerk should be forced to see the effect he had on her.

“Damn it. You make everything so hard.”

She wiggled against the firm bulge his cock made beneath her ass. “Well
,
you should have thought about that before putting us in this position.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know
.
” She sighed
,
wishing he did. “But really it is uncomfortable. My legs are going to be all scratched.”

“If I let go
,
do you promise not to try and run so we can talk?” She nodded and he got to his feet
,
keeping her in his arms as he did.

He settled her on her feet and took a step back. She crossed her arms under her breasts and waited. Jake surprised her
,
bending down and running his hands up the back of her legs. She held her breath as his fingers slowly brushed away any dirt that might have been stuck to her skin. She glared at him over her shoulder as he stood up. He moved in front of her with a smile and glanced at her breasts. Bobbie knew he was fully aware of what he was doing, or trying to do.

Not about to let him think he still had the upper hand
,
she turned her gaze to his groin. Jake looked down
,
too. The ridge behind his zipper was quit
e
telling. He just shrugged his shoulders and smiled. Bobbie used to love when he looked at her like that, but things had changed
,
and it was time for him learn that.

Don’t start this unless you’re ready to finish it, a little voice in her head warned. She wasn’t going to. Not there and not then. The next time one of them made the move they were going to finish it.

This wasn’t the right time. “So what’s so all
-
fired important
that you won’t leave me alone
?”

“Look
,
before we get into that I want to explain about that thing with Kerri on
e
more time.”

Thing.
She wasn’t going to let him off that easy. “You mean your date?”

“It wasn’t a date…I mean
,
we didn’t go together as a couple. We just went as two people who…were required to make an appearance, but didn’t want to bring a date.” There were enough pauses in his explanation that she could have interjected at any time, but she didn’t.

“So you went as each other’s date?” Her question was more of a confirmation.

“Yes.
N
o
!” He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. “You’re determined to twist anything I say
,
aren’t you?”

“It wouldn’t be so easy if you weren’t trying to make up a lame excuse, not that you
even
owe me one. Besides
,
if you’d just stop talking and leave me alone I wouldn’t have to.” It would
also
make things easier if she didn’t love him so much.

“Maybe we should just skip all this, because I have a more immediate situation to deal with and you happen to be a major part of it.” Whatever his issue was he didn’t sound happy about it
.
M
ore likely it was the
“
needing her
”
part that he didn’t like.

“Really?” She didn’t plan on being a willing participant in anything he had up his sleeve.

“Yeah. You and I are going to disappear for a little while.” He dropped the bomb and just stared at her.

She shook her head and stabbed her finger at her chest. “I’m not going anywhere. I just got home.”

“You’ve been here for almost two weeks and we’ve barely talked at all, because you won’t give me a chance.” There was hurt in his voice, but she refused to take all the blame.

She gave him a small smile. “I told you there’s nothing to say. Things happened while I was gone and we need to move on.”

The time away was supposed to give her a chance to determine how to deal with Jake’s passive
-
aggressive stance on their relationship. Obviously
,
nothing had changed for him. He still wanted to ignore the fact they wanted each other. Bobbie
,
on the other
hand,
was ready to issue him a life
-
changing ultimatum. But maybe if she gave him just one more chance to reach the decision on his own he would realize what everyone else already had.

Could she, should she, go along with him
?
“Where do you think we’re going, and why?”

“I’ve made some enemies over the years, and one of them has made a threat that I have to take seriously.”

Okay
,
she didn’t like the sound of that at all, but she needed to know more. “What does this have to do with me?”

“She said she’s going after something I care about.” His voice had a roughness that scared and turned her on.

“And you instantly thought me?” Well
,
that would be a declaration of sorts.

“Everyone in town has us linked together and that’s not something she’ll miss.”

“She? You’re running from a woman?”

“No. I’m protecting you from a woman.”

“Don’t you think there are other people or things she might consider more important?”

“Beau took Charlie on an impromptu vacation. She’s thrilled. Anything else I can live without.”

She totally understood that his brother and niece were the most important things in his life. He was right to want them out of the picture, but if someone was out to seek revenge then he needed to be focused on finding and stopping them
,
not protecting her.

“You don’t need to worry about me.” She was a big girl and could take care of herself.

“Even if that were the case, which it’s not, do you really want to put your sisters at risk?” He had her there.

“No
,
I don’t, but that doesn’t mean we need to go away together. School starts in a week, but I’ll have Jessie explain the situation to my professors. I can go down and visit Frankie in Boston for a few weeks. And you can stay here and deal with your issue.” And they’d have a buffer of space between them.

Truthfully, having some room between them would probably be a good thing, since it seemed like neither of them had come to terms with his relationship with Kerri, however insignificant he thought it was. She wasn’t sure she could spend time alone with him without losing what little strength she’d found to keep her from falling back into their same old patterns. She wasn’t happy about him seeing someone else, but it had shown her she might be able to live without him. Being forced to live with him would only make it harder for her to believe that.

Jake didn’t need to think over her suggestion. It just wasn’t an option. He already knew there would be too many uncontrollable scenarios putting her in that situation.

“That won’t work,” Jake said with a shake of his head.

“Well, I think it would, and I’d like to spend some time with Frankie.”

Jake figured Frankie would love showing her around town and introducing her to all of her fiancé Hal’s friends. “Sorry, your visit will have to wait. You’re staying here.”

“Why?”

He wanted to tell her it was because he’d just gotten her back and couldn’t stand to watch her leave again, but he held back. Jake never had trouble telling the truth—hell, even just telling it like it was—until Bobbie. For her, he’d lie just to spare her feelings, but not if it put her in any kind of danger. Keeping her safe was his first priority. He had to protect her the best way he could, which meant keeping her with him.

Somehow he needed to get her to see it, too. “Because it wouldn’t be safe enough. There would be too many ways for her to find access to you, maybe even putting your sister at risk. You need to be someplace secluded. Out of reach, yet protected at all times, which is why I’ll be staying with you.”

“If you’re with me who’s going to track this woman down?”