N. Walters - Jackson’s Jewel

Jackson nodded. It was no more than he’d expected. Unless the stalker was Hatcher himself or he was stupid, and he hadn’t been so far, he wouldn’t have left any obvious clues. They might never find him unless he made some mistake or came after Emerald, either here or when she went home. She couldn’t stay away from her life indefinitely and Jackson was afraid that the stalker was counting on that, waiting patiently for her to return home.

That got him to thinking. “Do you know anything about self-defense?”

She appeared startled by his abrupt change of subject. “Not really.” She started to pile the supper dishes. “I mean, I know as much as most women. Don’t walk in the shadows or on sparsely populated streets, keep your keys between your fingers as a weapon, don’t wear your purse slung over your shoulder if you can avoid it.” She laid the dishes on the counter and faced him. “Why?”

“Because this might not be over before you have to return home.” She paled, all the color leaching from her face. Jackson didn’t want to scare her, didn’t want to be the one to frighten her, but he was also realistic. “This stalker might just wait until you return.”

As he watched, she squared her shoulders and nodded. “I’ve considered that.”

“You need to learn some basic self-defense. It can’t hurt and might help.” He paused and then plowed ahead. He’d started this so he might as well finish it. “I can show you some moves.”

“Really?” He could tell from the look on her face that she was intrigued. He was just glad to see some of the color returning to her cheeks.

“Yeah. Nathan’s had a lot of training over the years and I’ve sparred with him out in the old barn. He can probably give you a few more pointers than me, but I could get you started.” His mind was sorting through what he knew, what would be of the best use to Emerald.

“You’d do that for me?”

He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. “Of course.”

“Of course,” she repeated, shaking her head.

The room was closing in around Jackson. He’d almost swear he could smell her arousal even though that should be impossible. His body ached, his mind was racing and his heart was pounding. He had to get away before he did something they both might regret. “I’ll be out in the barn if you decide you want some pointers.”

Shoving the door open, he stepped out into the night. The air was still thick and the sun had a few hours before it sank below the horizon. Ignoring the pair of robins that flew past him, Jackson stalked to the old barn, thankful for the punching bag that hung from the rafters in one far corner. He’d set up the workout area years ago when he and Nathan were still in their teens. He’d never needed it as badly as he did tonight. If he didn’t work off some of his tension, he’d explode.

Emerald watched Jackson retreating through the screen door. She leaned against the doorframe, admiring the way his long legs ate up the distance between the house and the barn. Realizing that she was just standing there ogling his fine butt, she made herself turn away and finish clearing the dishes from the table.

Both Jackson and her investigator were right about one thing—the stalker might just decide to outwait her. Dane was working hard, but there were no obvious clues pointing to any one person. Several of the men were being more rigorously investigated, including her ex-boyfriend and Fred, the delivery guy, but that was mainly due to their proximity to her and their skills at computers. In the meantime, Abel and Nathan were still investigating Dane and the rest of the men on the list.

As she thought, she washed and dried the dishes by rote, her mind wandering. It really wouldn’t hurt for her to learn some basic self-defense moves. She probably would have taken a class or something if she’d stayed in New York. It had absolutely nothing to do with wanting to spend more time with Jackson. Really, it didn’t.

Grimacing, she hung the dishtowel up to dry. Who was she trying to kid? She wanted to be with Jackson. She was more drawn to him than any other man she’d ever met and it wasn’t just because of his exceptional good looks, although they certainly didn’t hurt. She loved the way he was with his family. If he didn’t see them, he at least talked to them on the phone every day. He was responsible and hardworking and there was no pretension about him. What you saw was what you got. Her parents and sisters would like him.

“Don’t go there,” she muttered to herself as she wiped her hands over the legs of her jeans. She was nervous, which was ridiculous. She’d just go out to the barn and get a few pointers from Jackson about self-defense and that would be that. If they happened to share a kiss or two, all the better.

“You’re losing it, Emerald.” Pushing the door open, she hurried down the steps and across the yard before she talked herself out of this. She had to make a decision, and soon. She couldn’t keep pulling him toward her and then pushing him away. That smacked of being a tease and that wasn’t something she was particularly proud of. Her emotions were just so all over the place.

“Maybe physical release is what you need,” she told herself as she neared the barn. She snorted as her mind immediately jumped to picturing her and Jackson locked in a tight embrace that had little to do with learning defense techniques.

Grunting sounds followed by the rhythmic thud of fists assailed her as she crept to the opening of the barn. She hadn’t been in here yet, but she admitted to being curious. It was a large building, older than the newer ones that Jackson had told her were used to store the apples during the harvest. This older one was used mostly as temporary storage for alfalfa and hay.

Making her way inside, she inhaled deeply. The scent of fresh-cut hay assailed her nose. It tickled her senses and made her smile, but that smile quickly faded as she strolled to the far end of the structure. The area was more like a large stall, but it had obviously been set up as a gym of sorts. There were free weights as well as a bench with a bar and more weights. But that wasn’t what Jackson was doing. No, Jackson had his shirt stripped off and was pounding on a punching bag that hung from a heavy beam.

He hadn’t noticed her yet, so she was free to watch and admire him as he feinted to one side, his fist shooting out to strike the bag. She swallowed hard as she leaned against the wall. She’d seen men that were more handsome, but never one who was so elemental. Testosterone practically oozed from his pores as he continued to work the heavy bag.

A bead of sweat trickled down her spine and her breathing deepened. The muscles in his back rippled and shifted with every move he made, reminding her once again of just what a large and powerful man he was. The waistband of his jeans dipped just below his navel, exposing his bellybutton. His lightly furred chest was glistening with perspiration and she wanted to run her hands over the hard ridges of muscles in his abdomen.

She must have made some kind of noise because he dropped his hands suddenly and spun around. His nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed, but he made no move to come toward her. Jackson swiped his forearm over his forehead and then sucked in a deep gulp of air. Rolling his shoulders, he stepped away from the bag.

“You come for a lesson?” He grabbed a towel that had been laid over the top rung of the stall and rubbed it over his face.

Emerald took that moment to compose herself. Or at least try to. Her heart was racing, her body all but shaking with a growing need that she could no longer deny. “Yes.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I came for a lesson.”

His head snapped up at the double entendre, but he was all business as he strode to the center of the small room. “Come here.”

The roughness in his voice made her nipples pucker and she almost groaned aloud. Now was not the time for this. But her body ignored her and she could feel her panties getting damp as she walked toward him. “What do you want me to do?” He seemed to freeze at her husky whisper, but then he shook himself.

“Stand in front of me with your back to my chest.” She did as he asked. His large frame dwarfed hers, but she didn’t feel afraid. No, what she was feeling was just as basic but totally different. Rather than wanting to get away, she wanted to lean against him. She wanted him to wrap his arms around her and hold her close. She wondered if she’d spoken her thoughts aloud when his muscled forearms came around her waist and across her collarbone.

“Now,” he instructed, tightening his grip on her. “If a man grabbed you like this, what would you do?”

Emerald tugged at his arm with her hand, but it was like a steel bar across her chest. There was no way she could move it. She lifted her heel and stomped down on his foot, but ended up only hurting her own. Her sneakers didn’t make a dent in his work boots. Frustration set in and she began to struggle in earnest.

“That’s no good.” His voice was brisk. “I’m much larger than you and stronger. We have to assume that your attacker will be too. You can’t beat him or me in a battle of strength. You have to go for the weak points.” He kept up a steady commentary as he continued to hold her almost effortlessly, her puny attempts to escape him having absolutely no effect.

“What weak points?” Frustration was giving way to anger. Her life had been turned upside down by some unknown man. She had done nothing, yet he was systematically trying to destroy her life and her.

“If you can get a hand free, go straight for the eyes. Don’t hesitate or think about it, just do it. The throat is vulnerable as well.”

She gritted her teeth. “That doesn’t help me at the moment.” If she were facing him, she would have gladly taken one of his suggestions. “Let me go?”

“No. You have to get free. Use your head, Emerald. Your hands are locked down around your waist. What can you reach on a man that’s vulnerable?”

Without thinking, she fisted her hand and drove it backward. Jackson jerked away, and her hand grazed his thigh, barely missing his groin area. She spun around, panting hard with anger only to find the idiot grinning at her.

“That’s my girl.” Pride filled his face as he circled her. All her anger dissipated under the warmth of his smile and she suddenly felt inordinately pleased with herself.

“You could have head-butted me as well.” He danced from side to side like a boxer as he reached out and tagged her on the shoulder. “So, you want to try it again? I’ll grab you from the front this time and you try to get away.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

He laughed in her face and that roused her competitive spirit. How she wished she’d taken martial arts classes years ago so she could flip him onto his arrogant male butt. All those art lessons had helped her career, but they wouldn’t do a thing for her in this situation.

“Think you’re tough, do you?” he taunted as he continued to reach past her raised hands and tap her on the shoulder.

She tightened her fists and narrowed her eyes. Oh, he was going to pay for that. She swung out with one hand and as she did so her foot hooked in the floorboard and she stumbled. Jackson dropped all pretense of sparring with her and reached out to catch her. With him off guard, she put her head down and rammed him with all her strength. He yelled and started to tumble. She had a momentary flash of pleasure at tricking him but it was short-lived. As he fell, he didn’t release his hold on her and she began to fall.

Shrieking, she stuck out her arms to catch herself, but there was no need. Jackson wrapped his arms around her and took the brunt of the fall himself. He grunted as he struck the wood floor and then rolled, tucking her beneath him. When she opened her eyes, she was flat on her back on the dusty floor with Jackson looming over her. He propped himself up on his elbows, pressing his pelvis against hers. She could feel his erection against her and the anger she’d felt shifted into a different sort of heat.

“You did that on purpose,” he accused.

“You’re darn right I did.” She tried to look tough, but it was hard. She knew that she was probably covered in dust. Besides that, her hair had come down from its knot and was tangled around her face, her top was untucked from her jeans and she couldn’t suppress the grin that threatened.

Jackson looked at her, threw back his head and roared with laughter. It was so infectious that she started to giggle. She pinched his sides in an effort to get him to move off her. The man weighed a ton and breathing was getting difficult.