Page 11 of Twisted Devotion

“We know that. This is a temporary fix, Kels. I promise, we’re working to figure out something more permanent.”

The tightness in my chest eases some, but not completely. I’m still stuck here for now.

“I should go check on things,” I say reluctantly.

“Sounds good. Listen, I’m heading out of town tonight, but if you need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out to Nikolai, okay?”

“Got it. Thanks, Sky.” I end the call and drop my head back against the couch, staring at the ceiling and letting loose a colorful string of curses in my head.

Reaching over, I grab Jackson’s file from the coffee table in front of the couch and flip it open. Skylar kept daily entries about everything that happened during her time guarding Jax, which helps to give me an idea of what I’m in for. A lot of it seems rather boring—accompanying him to work, watching the daily practices of the facility, and making sure he’s safe anytime he’s outside the house. My brows knit when I get to the end of the entries and none of them note any sort of social life. It doesn’t make sense for someone as charming and outgoing as Jackson not to have friends. Though given his profession, perhaps it doesn’t leave much time and energy to entertain people.

I pull myself off the couch before I can allow the pang of sadness in my chest to blossom, then freshen up in the bathroom before heading back to the main floor. I’ve only been here once before, back when I met Jackson, so I don’t really know where I’m going. I figure there’s no harm in checking out the place considering I’ll be living here for a while. I should get to know Jackson’s home like the back of my hand to ensure I can do my job effectively, and—

“Looking for me?”

I spin around at the sound of his voice. “Look at that,” I say. “You found a shirt.” It’s a nice white collared shirt. He also swapped his sweatpants for black slacks.

“It’s a shame, I know.”

“For women everywhere,” I remark sarcastically.

“She’s funny,” he observes. “Good to know.” He rakes his fingers through his hair, tousling it into a mess of waves. “I’m not going to the facility today, so you’re free to do whatever around here.”

Basically, whenever Jackson is here, I’m not on active duty. There are enough members of his security team around the premises that the odds of an attack are low enough that I don’t have to be on alert. However, the moment he leaves the house, whether it’s to work at the facility or go anywhere else, I have to be at his side.

“Great,” I say.

“We should probably get to know each other if we’re going to be spending all this time together.”

“How do you suggest we do that? Twenty questions?”

He whistles. “Easy, Red. I’m trying to work with you here.”

I sigh. “Okay. Why don’t you tell me about yourself?”

With a grin, he starts walking toward another room. “Follow me. This conversation needs coffee.”

Finally, something we can agree on.

Jackson has Gloria bring us a French press with cream and sugar on the side and we sit on the enclosed balcony of the second level. The sun is shining, the sky is clear without a cloud in sight, and there’s nothing but thick, deep green pine trees as far as the eye can see. Under other circumstances, being here would be a peaceful reprieve from the chaotic city life I’d grown accustomed to.

Jackson pours coffee into one of the mugs and holds it out to me. “Cream or sugar?”

I shake my head, taking the mug. “Thank you.”

He nods and pours himself one, dropping in a few spoonfuls of sugar. “I know what you’re thinking.What’s with all the sugar? He’s already sweet enough.”

I roll my eyes, taking a sip of my coffee. Jackson is insufferably arrogant, but what makes it worse is his naturally welcoming personality. It’s easy to laugh at what he says, and if I had to bet, he very well knows it.

“So, tell me. How’d you get roped into this gig? You pick the short straw?”

“I’m good at what I do,” I tell him.

“Guarding celebrities?” he says with a wink.

“Yes, exactly,” I respond dryly. “No. I used to work for Tristan Westbrook when he was the dark fae leader. And, as you know, I worked with Nikolai and Skylar to take down The Experiment.”

“Ah, yes. Good times.”

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