Explosive (The Black Opals) (19 page)

T w e n t y – t w o

J
ayce’s eyes snapped open at the sound of a robin beyond the window. His body turned as stiff as iron as one thought yanked him from dreams.
Jordan.

“Shit,” he muttered.

Once again, he’d let Alyssa sidetrack him from a commitment to his sister. Once again, he’d let Jordan down. It was bad enough that Alyssa’s mysterious phone message and disappearing act ten years ago had been all Jayce could think about when Jordan needed him most. But now he couldn’t even manage to follow through when he was in the same damned city. Fine example he was of a big brother—the anniversary of his sister’s rape was tonight, and he was doing his damndest to leave her home alone at every opportunity.

Still mumbling curses beneath his breath, he eased out of the bed, careful not to wake Alyssa.
He needed to be focusing on Jordan, making sure this time of year didn’t mire her in memories, not chasing a woman who was adamant about keeping him in her bed but out of her life. Alyssa might have a threat lurking around her house, but Kane could—

Fuck.
Kane.

Jayce glanced at Alyssa’s clock and sighed in relief.
Just six in the morning. He sincerely doubted Kane would be on an earlier flight. Jordan, however, would already be at the studio, more than likely, which would give Jayce time to drive back to her townhouse with her favorite sausage biscuit from McDonald’s. She might dance obsessively, but thankfully, she wasn’t afraid to eat like a lot of professional ballerinas.

He dressed quietly and glanced around Alyssa’s room for something to leave a note on.
When his cursory search yielded only a pen and nothing to write on, Jayce frowned. He could try her office.

Aw, hell—why bother?
She might have agreed to fuck only him, but she’d made herself clear. She didn’t want any entanglements beyond pleasure. Lovers that passed in the night didn’t leave notes in the morning. And the gesture would only make her think he’d read more into the invitation to share her bed solo. Holding her hand last night, the way he always had, already pushed a fine line. That gesture, however, he couldn’t have stopped if he’d wanted to. He needed that illusion of intimacy after she shut him out again. Damn it, he was falling hard, fast, and she was only going to tear his heart out all over again. He needed to get the hell away and
stay
there.

Carefully, Jayce tucked his gun back into his waistband and took a moment to watch her sleep.
The dim light of dawn peeking through her blinds cast a faint lavender hue to the room that enhanced the softness of Alyssa’s expression. She looked so at peace with the world around her. Untroubled by everything, despite her obvious upset the night before. She mumbled something he couldn’t decipher, and for a moment, he moved backward in time, seeing the young girl she’d been, who had somehow seen something of worth in a long-haired troublemaker from the wrong side of town.

He gritted his teeth as the memories stirred.
Whatever she’d seen obviously hadn’t been enough.

As Jayce’s heart twisted, he bent over her, smoothed a thick lock of her chocolate hair away from her face, and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“Sweet dreams, baby doll,” he whispered, then turned away. His cell was still downstairs, along with his shirt and shoes, and he wanted to escape the house before McTavish started asking questions. It was daylight; whoever had been skulking about the property last night likely wouldn’t still be around. Chances were too high they’d get caught.

He made his way to the living room, finished dressing, and activated his phone.
The message icon blinked anxiously, the time-stamp announcing it had arrived thirty minutes earlier. Jayce tapped the voicemail option as he hurried out the door, taking care to lock the bottom knob behind him.

Kane’s voice rumbled in his ear.
“Caught the earliest flight I could. Arriving 7:30am. Counting on a lift to the hotel.”

Damn.
So much for breakfast with Jordan. He had only time enough for a quick shower, before he had to head to the airport.

He let himself inside his truck and tapped in a quick text message to his sister.
So sorry about yesterday. Got tied up with some unexpected things. Make it up tonight with a movie. Cross my heart.

When she didn’t immediately respond, Jayce keyed the engine and backed out of Alyssa’s drive.
At the corner stop sign, his phone chimed with an incoming text.

No worries.
‘Alyssa’ said everything I need to know. Movie sounds good. Later.

He didn’t know whether or not to be offended by that remark.
Had she expected him to forget his offer to take her house shopping? Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he turned the corner. Sometimes, he really hated how well his youngest sister knew him. But she had one thing wrong—he wasn’t going to let Alyssa render him incapable of being there for Jordan. Not this time.

* * *

Beneath the lightweight covers, Alyssa stretched languorously, a faint smile playing on her mouth. If her body ever been so thoroughly, so delightfully used by a man, she couldn’t remember when. Her limbs felt weighty, but beneath the dull satisfying ache, contentment hummed. In a strange combination of mixed emotions, she was exhausted, and yet more alive than she’d been in years.

She rolled over, seeking the warmth of Jayce’s body to ward off the early morning
Colorado mountain chill. But when she opened her eyes, she found only an empty pillow. Confused, she edged onto her elbow and looked around her room. Jayce’s clothes no longer scattered across the floor. His gun wasn’t resting on her nightstand.

Cocking her head, she listed to the sounds drifting up from the stairs.
Pans clattered. The blender whirred to life. The scent of bacon lingered in the air. But Jayce’s voice didn’t accompany Brice’s usual Sunday morning foray into the kitchen.

So he’d left.
Without even a word of goodbye.

The realization shouldn’t have bothered her.
After all, she’d told him point blank she didn’t want anything deeper than sex. Yet not once had he ever wanted to leave the bed when they had opportunity to wake up together. That he could do so now, seemingly indifferent to the night they’d shared, created a strange hollow feeling in her belly.

Frowning, she forced herself to get up and get dressed.
She’d let things go too far last night, and exactly what she’d feared would happen had—making love to Jayce opened her to truths she wasn’t ready to confront. Truths she didn’t know how to handle. And clearly, given his abrupt departure, he’d decided he didn’t particularly want those truths either.

Don’t you dare hate me after.
I can do cold and meaningless better than you can possibly imagine.

She flinched as his angry proclamation surfaced in her memory.
In a handful of minutes she’d gone from achingly content, to aching with yearning. But she refused to let resentment rise. She’d asked for this. Now she had to suck it up and cope.

And the best way of coping was to immerse herself in work for a little while, to dive in with the things she could control.
Numbers didn’t object, they didn’t argue, and they certainly didn’t make her want to scream in pleasure.

She pulled on jeans and a T-shirt then fished her sneakers out of her closet.
She had a few accounts at the office she could work on. A few hours there would help clear her head.

Determined not to dwell on Jayce’s silent departure, she ventured down the stairs to steal a strip of bacon before she headed out.
Brice hovered over the stove as he sipped on some green concoction he’d crafted in the blender. It hit her again, how devoted he was to their friendship, how unselfishly he gave. Guilt gnawed at her stomach all over again. Had she betrayed him somehow last night? She couldn’t deal with that possibility right now. Not on top of everything else.

As he lifted his green-goo to his mouth, she wrinkled her nose at the offensive drink and snatched a piece of bacon off the paper towel in front of him.

“Someone was sneaking around the house last night, Brice.”

He raised an eyebrow, a grin tugging at his mouth.
“Yeah, I heard. And I heard him leave less than an hour ago.”

As a blush threatened, Alyssa frowned.
“Not what I meant. Jayce heard them, I heard them. I came down to tell you both, and Jayce was up, with a gun, looking like he was waiting for them.”

Brice shrugged.
“He’s in security. I imagine he knows what he’s doing.”

She took another bite, and her frown deepened.
“You know, you could act a little more concerned.”

With a soft chuckle, Brice leaned forward and planted a kiss on her cheek.
“You do a good enough job for both of us. One of us has to remain level-headed, sweetheart.”

Alyssa sighed.
Although his response was less than what she’d expected, he had a point. His easy-going attitude about nearly everything was one of the things she treasured most. He possessed an innate ability to remain calm, which rubbed off on her most of the time and helped to keep her grounded.

“Did Jayce suggest anything?”

She shook her head and finished off her meager snack. “He turned on the light and they ran off.”

“But he stayed the night.”

Alyssa nodded as she reached for a coffee mug.

“With you.”

She bristled, knowing exactly where this conversation was headed. Without comment, she filled her cup and sipped the steamy brew.

“With
out
me.”

Was that disappointment that echoed in his voice?
Had she taken his prodding the wrong way? As another fist thumped into her gut, she turned to gauge his expression. The usual jovial brightness in his eyes had dimmed, but he face gave no concrete hint as to what he might be feeling. She arched an eyebrow. “I didn’t think you’d mind. You’ve been pushing me to do so.”

To her surprise, he shook his head and let out a laugh.
“Mind? Hardly. Just making sure I’m not misunderstanding. You spent the night alone with Jayce.”

“Yeah.
No big deal.” If she said it aloud often enough, she might even believe it. She reached for another strip of bacon and gnawed it in half. “I’m running over to the office for a little bit.” Finishing off the remaining half, she turned for the doorway.

“The office?
I don’t want you there right now.”

She frowned at him.
When his grim expression didn’t soften, she rolled her eyes. “Give me some credit. I’m not
staying
there. I’m getting some files and coming back here. I have to work today.”

“Because you have a deadline, or because you’re trying to escape?”

Irritation prickled down her spine. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Again, he shrugged.
“When’s the last time you worked on a Sunday?”

Alyssa’s defenses stood up screaming.
She turned to face him more fully and lifted her chin. “I work on Sundays. It’s tax season.”

“When?”
He braced on hip on the counter and regarded her steadily.

She did.
She
knew
she had, at least once. Certainly during tax season. But when that occasion had been, eluded her. She opened her mouth to object in some way, only to have whatever she might have concocted drowned out by Brice’s too-accurate observations.

“You’ve never let him go, Alyssa.
He’s right here in your hands now, and you’re intent on pushing him away. For God’s sake, when’s the last time you spent the night with someone other than me?”

Unwilling to face the truths he was throwing in her face, she narrowed her gaze and deliberately twisted his insinuations.
“Are you jealous?”

Brice’s bark of laughter bounced off the cabinets.
“Jealous? Fuck, Alyssa, I’ve been waiting for you to wake up and kick me to the curb. To go after what—who—you’ve always wanted. It isn’t me. Never has been me. And I’ve always been cool with that. Don’t create an argument where there isn’t one, just so you can control the outcome.”

She blinked.
“Control the outcome? Is that what you think I’m doing?”

“Hell yes, it is.
You’re too afraid to have faith in Jayce, to grab what you’ve got and give it a chance.” His voice softened, compassion creeping into his ice blue gaze. “Sweetheart, I know you. You’ve got damned good reasons. But look at what’s around you. You crossed a bridge last night, and there’s no way back to this side.”

Alyssa’s throat tightened.
Maybe she had crossed some bridge. Maybe she couldn’t retreat to what she’d known was safe and dependable a handful of days ago. But the other side was barred to her as well. As she’d suspected, Jayce had tried to drag her into explanations, and she’d shut him down. She’d insured distance remained between them, and Jayce’s cold departure this morning made it evident her tactic worked.