Page 76 of Carry Me Home
Essie
I’m still waiting.
Janie
For what?
Essie
An explanation. Where did you and Jack disappear to and why did you show up late for fireworks with hay in your hair?
Janie
We decided to go for a run and ended up in a hay field, that’s all.
Essie
Why do I feel like there’s more to the story?
Janie
Trust me, babe. There are some things sisters don’t need to know about their brothers.
Essie
Ew.
“Areyou sure you want to do this?” Jack hesitated in my doorway, chest and feet bare, gray sweatpants hung low on his hips.
Gray. Sweatpants. I set my hairbrush on the dresser and turned away from his reflection in the mirror to look at the real thing. Hell, yes, I ogled him. I ogled theshitout of him. I owed teenaged Janie that much.
“It depends on what you mean bythis. Ifthisis sleeping next to you all night and waking up with you still beside me, then yes. Ifthisis an all-night sex marathon, then also yes.”
He ducked his head, trying not to laugh. But when he looked at me again, all amusement was gone. “Janie,” he said, eyes serious. “If I try to strangle you in your sleep, don’t flick me in the forehead. Palm strike to the nose, honey. You understand? Here, I’ll show you how.”
“Jack!” I swatted him away, laughing. “Don’t teach me how to hurt you.”
He wasn’t laughing at all. “I’m teaching you how to defend yourself ifIhurtyou. I’m not fucking around here, Ace. You’re too important to me. I need to know you’re safe. There is nothing I want more than to spend all night with you in my arms, but that’s not going to happen if I’m worried about you.”
I tried to stay patient, but I hated that he thought he might actually hurt me. “Flicking you in the forehead proved to bepretty effective,” I reminded him. “When was the last time you had a nightmare, anyway?”
“Three months ago, but that’s not the point. It only takes once. Curl your fingers but keep them relaxed and loose. Palm open.” He guided my hand as he talked, putting me in the right position. “And then push at an angle. You want to hit with the heel of your palm. Right here.” He tapped a centimeter above my wrist. “Imagine you’re sending my nose into my brain. That’s how hard you need to hit, okay? Don’t hold back. If you can’t get to my nose go for my throat or solar plexus.”
“All right, all right. Ruin your pretty face and possibly your frontal lobe. Got it.”
“Good.” He crossed his arms over his chest and quirked an eyebrow. “Now get your ass on the bed and show me your perfect tits.”
A thrill shot through me. I loved it when Jack got all bossy with me. “Yes, sir.”
With a little smirk of my own tossed over my shoulder, I sauntered to the bed, hips swaying. When I hit the foot of the bed, I crawled forward, my ass pointed directly at him, the angle making my tiny sleep shorts ride up like a bikini. It occurred to me too late that maybe I didn’t want to do that. Maybe I should have turned off the lights before I gave him an unfettered view of the dimples and jiggles back there. But his sharp inhalation behind me reminded me that he had already seen every inch of me extremely up close and personal and that hadn’t stopped him from coming back for more.
I spun around to face him at the center of the mattress and sat on my heels. He cocked his head, his gaze dipping pointedly to my T-shirt. I knew he could see the outlines of my peaked nipples and metal studs through the thin cotton, but he leaned back against the dresser, arms crossed like he was totally unaffected.
But gray sweatpants told no lies, and right now his were telling me that he was very much affected.
“I’m waiting, Janie,” he growled impatiently.
I held his gaze as I grasped the hem of my T-shirt and pulled it up and over, then tossed it aside. And then I couldn’t look him in the eyes because his were glued to my chest.
