Page 85 of Hot for the Jerk

“I’ll be there to tuck you in in a sec,” Raina said, releasing him.

Marco nodded and headed down the hall to his room.She faced me, then pointed to a door just off the kitchen.“That room doubles as my office and the spare room.It has a futon.Go lay on that, then lay on the couch and decide which one is more comfortable.Then I’ll get some sheets.”

She didn’t wait for me to respond and just followed her kid to his room.

I did as I was told, my knee only clicking slightly when I stood up.The guest room was nice.It had a desk with Raina’s open laptop in one corner, binders on a shelf with one open on the desk, and a whiteboard monthly calendar fixed to the wall.

I scanned her lengthy to-do list for January, along with her daily business tasks as well.The woman was a machine.She was also enrolled in several social media courses—the same ones that I took—that focused on how to get more engagement, curate better sponsored ads, and get more views on Reels and stories.Maybe she wasn’t simply copying my social media posts and reworking them for her own, we just followed the same rules and took the same courses.

January 20 had a deadline that read, “Get prop to Gabs.”

What did that mean?

I bet their proposal for Bonn Remmen’s land was on that laptop.Ours was certainly on mine.

A noise in the kitchen of someone using the faucet had me kicking back into gear.I needed to see which was better: the futon or the couch.

After lengthy research, the futon wasn’t super comfortable, but it was a hell of a lot better—and longer—than the couch.No matter which way I tried to lie, the couch was too short, and I’d inevitably wake up with a pinch in my back.

Raina met me in the kitchen.“Futon,” I said, taking in her frazzled and terrified state.

All she did was nod, exhaustion in her eyes, then went to a linen closet in the hallway and brought down some sheets.She pushed past me into the spare room, and without saying anything, together, we made up the bed.It was only nine-thirty, but I could tell the woman in front of me needed sleep.I would have loved to stay up late talking to her, distracting her, learning more about her, and salvaging what small morsels of our date that I could.But she needed to rest.The emotional toll of today had her in an energy deficit.My desire to get to know Raina better could wait.

Standing there in her home office, with her desk and laptop in one corner, and a small keyboard piano in the other, she glanced up at me.Tears welled up in her red-rimmed, tired eyes.

“I’m going to hug you now,” I said, not waiting for her reply before hauling her against me.

She didn’t push me away, rather, she gripped the front of my shirt in her fingers and held on tight as fresh sobs took hold of her body.All I did was hold her, absorb what pain and fear of hers I could, while also letting her know that I wasn’t going anywhere.

I’m not sure how long we stood there, but when she finally pulled away, she wiped her cheeks and swallowed, glancing up at me as her cheeks turned pink.“I’m sorry for getting you tangled up in this.”The laugh that came next was forced and hollow, and she stared down at my feet.“You’re probably wondering how you got tangled up in this dumpster fire, and wishing we’d stayed enemies.”

Tucking a knuckle under her chin, I tipped her gaze to me again.“I’m not wondering, or wishing, either of those things.Stop trying to push me away, Raina.”

She swallowed again.

I gripped her by the shoulders, and she sagged a little, like I was the only thing holding her up at this point.“Go to bed.I won’t let anything bad happen to you guys.Soloman is in the jail cell at the police station.He’s not going anywhere besides back to the mainland in the morning.”

A breath stuttered out of her, but she nodded, then turned to go.

I went to double-check that the door was locked before heading to the guest room, only to find her standing where I had left her.“I’m sorry about our date,” she said, sheepishly.“I was looking forward to it.”

I smiled—way too happy for the current mood of the evening— knowing that she was also excited for our date.“Me too.It’ll happen.Don’t worry.”

Her eyes lit up, but her mouth barely moved.“Goodnight, Jagger.Thank you.”

“Sleep, Raina.You and your son are safe.”

She nodded.“With you here, I know we are.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

Jagger

Ireaduntilabouteleven-thirty.

It wasn’t that I thought Soloman was going to come back, it was that I couldn’t get Raina, or the life she escaped, out of my head.

The woman was … extraordinary.All four of them were.

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