“Is that a yes, Jenna?”
“Yes, Noah, I want to see where this goes. And I want to sleep in your bed. With you. I don’t think Aunt Maggie will be scandalized. She never married because she didn’t want to be told what to do. Back then, a woman couldn’t even have a credit card or a checking account without her husband’s permission, and she said no effing way was she doing that. So I’m pretty sure a little sex outside of marriage won’t offend her.”
“I can’t wait to meet your aunt. She sounds awesome.”
“She is. She’s not your typical eighty-one year old. She’s very active. She looks at least ten years younger than she is.”
Jenna realized, telling him about her aunt, just how much she’d missed seeing her. The idea that her aunt would be here in a few hours was suddenly more exciting than worrisome. Aunt Maggie wasn’t going to like having to leave her home, but she wasn’t a stupid woman. She would do it, and they’d spent the next few days catching up again. Jenna didn’t want to think about what would happen if Noah and his team didn’t find the money or put a stop to Owen Fisher’s threat. She couldn’t imagine Aunt Maggie agreeing to hide out for the rest of her life.
Noah kissed her, his tongue delving into her mouth for a hot second, sending her body into a deep pool of need. “I have to order the pizza. I hope we can get Alice to bed a little early tonight. I want to do hot, dirty things to you before the guys get back with your aunt.”
Jenna’s nipples tightened. Her pussy ached with the desire to be touched. She wished it was eight o’clock and Alice was in bed, but it was still nearly three hours away. “I want that, too,” she whispered, kissing him, dragging his tongue into her mouth and sucking on it.
“Denna,” came a little voice. “Dog hungry.”
Jenna pulled away from Noah and looked down at the child, who stood next to the couch with her toy. She looked between Noah and Jenna then held out her dog.
“Oh goodness, Dog is hungry? Would he like pizza? Uncle Noah is going to order pizza.”
Alice nodded in that exaggerated way little kids had. “Pizza good.”
“Do you think Dog needs a snack now? Something to tide him over until the pizza gets here?”
“Yes,” she said very seriously. “His belly growl.”
Jenna stood to take Alice to the kitchen. Before she could walk away, Noah glided his hand over her ass and under the leg of her shorts, his fingers skimming the line of her panties. “Something to think about,” he said.
She’d be thinking about it all right. And then, the minute Alice was asleep and they were alone, she was going to make him do it again—with his tongue.
Noah was a lot less certain than he let on about how his team was going to find the money—or find where the money went—and stop the Flanagans from coming after Jenna, but he wasn’t going to let her know it. She was worried enough as it was, and he didn’t want to make it worse on her.
Besides, if she thought Strike Team 2 didn’t have a chance, she’d run away and he might never see her again. He wasn’t going to let that happen.
Right now, he was a lot more worried about getting deployed before they’d found a resolution. But at least if Jenna and her aunt were safe in Mystic Cove, he could get through the two weeks or more without fearing Jenna would be gone when he returned. If she had her aunt and Alice to anchor her, plus the HOT women who’d promised to call and come over to help with childcare or just visit if she needed it, then it would be enough to make her stay.
Gem had called shortly after the pizza arrived to tell him they’d reached Dunkirk, Delaware. Jenna had taken a deep breath and called her aunt. Maggie hadn’t wanted to leave at first, saying she had a pistol and she knew how to use it, but Jenna eventually convinced her it would be best. Gem, Zany, and Muffin knocked on her door while Jenna was on the phone, there was an agreed upon code word exchanged, and then her aunt sighed and said she needed a few minutes to gather her things. Half an hour later, they were on the road again.
Noah had watched the tension leach out of Jenna once he gave her the message. He could see the exhaustion on her face, the effect of so much fear and worry and adrenaline that she’d been experiencing. He told her to rest on the couch while he bathed Alice and got her ready for bed.
When he brought Alice back down for her hour of play before sleepy time, Jenna was curled on the couch, sound asleep.
“Denna seep,” Alice said in a stage whisper.
“Yes, sweetie, she is. Why don’t we go play in your room until bed so we don’t wake her?”
“Okay.”
He carried the toddler back up the stairs, then played with her for half an hour before her eyes started to droop. He put her in the crib, read her a story, and thanked his lucky stars that she was out before he was done. He crept from the room, shutting the door behind him, and went back downstairs to check on Jenna.
She opened her eyes as he hit the last step. It creaked beneath his feet, as it had earlier, but she’d been tired enough she hadn’t noticed. This time she blinked awake then pushed herself up, looking adorably confused.
“Where’s Alice?”
“Bed.”
“It’s too early,” she said tiredly. “She’ll be up at four in the morning.”
Noah went over to the couch and sat beside her, pulling her onto his lap. She didn’t protest, her body sinking trustingly against his. “It’s not early, Jen. It’s eight. The guys will be here by ten or eleven. They had to make a pit stop for your aunt. She also wanted a milkshake.”
Jenna made a sound that he thought was a laugh but might have been one of frustration. “That’s Aunt Maggie for you. She loves a milkshake for a road trip, but then she’ll have to stop a couple more times along the way. I tried to tell her it was important not to dawdle.”
“It’s fine. She’s got three big bodyguards who are armed to the teeth and disinclined to let anyone get close enough to harm her. They’ll take a bit of a circular route back here, just in case. That’s part of why it’s taking longer.”
“I hate that I’ve gotten her into this,” she whispered.
His hold on her tightened. “You didn’t get anyone into anything. If anybody’s to blame, it’s Sam Baxter. He’s the one who was in league with criminals, then got himself killed for stealing from them.”
“I wish I’d gone home that night. But Sam was working late, so I stayed. He didn’t ask me to. I just thought he was a good guy, and he did so much for others that I wanted to help. He was always doing pro bono work for charity organizations, or for people in need. I think he really cared about those things, despite what was going on behind the scenes.”
“I don’t think it would have mattered, Jen. These people think you know where their money is. Whether or not you were there that night wouldn’t have mattered to them. They’d still be looking for you.”
“I’ve been thinking about it a lot.” She lifted her head to look at him. “I didn’t leave for a month, and I sometimes thought I was being followed. It was never overt, but I saw the same car a few times in different places. I just… I had enough of a feeling that I kept it a secret I was planning to leave.”