Page 33 of Guarded from Corruption

When we walked into the barn and Jade threw me a tiny, scared glance, it just seemed natural to take her hand.

Once her hand was safely enfolded in mine, it would have been weird to drop it. She might have wondered if she did something wrong.

And if I believe that’s the only reason I’m still holding Jade’s hand, there’s a bridge in New York someone wants to sell me.

The truth is, I like the feel of her slender fingers twined around mine. I like standing close enough to smell her shampoo and count the cute little freckles on her nose. I like the affection in her gaze whenever she looks up at me.

I like that Jade trusts me enough to come out here with me, even though I know it’s not the easiest thing for her.

Although the longer we’re out here, the more she relaxes. At first, she was stiff, shoulders high and tight, constantly scanning the barn as if she expected someone to come after her. But somewhere between her second beer and our victory at cornhole over Dante and Erik, she started smiling for real.

But I’m not sure how she’ll do with someone who’s not on my team. Like TJ and his wife, Milena, who just arrived and are making a beeline toward us.

“Niall.” TJ reaches out to clap my shoulder, but stops short as his gaze drifts to Jade. Lifting his chin at me, he says, “Great to see you. This place looks amazing.” Then he smiles kindly at Jade. “And it’s nice to meet you. I’m TJ. And this is my gorgeous wife, Milena.”

Jade tenses and her fingers convulse around mine. Her face pales, but she forces a smile. “Hi. I’m Jade. It’s nice to meet you, too.”

An intense wave of protectiveness sweeps through me—my instincts shouting, she’s scared and it’s your job to protect her from this—and I drop Jade’s hand so I can wrap my arm around her instead.

There’s a moment when I worry that I made a mistake, but in the next, she leans into me and snakes her arm around my waist.

She feels so perfect nestled against me, it’s a punch to the chest.

This.

I want this. Evenings with Jade by my side. Tucking her into me protectively, like I’ve seen my friends do with their women. Making sure she’s happy. Seeing her lips curve into a smile and knowing it’s because of me.

“Hi, Jade.” Milena beams at her. “I’ve heard so much about you. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Jade stiffens. “Oh. I…” Her gaze flickers to mine, worry darkening her eyes. “What?—”

“It’s not like that,” I murmur, hugging her closer. Without thinking, I press a soft kiss to the top of her head.

TJ nudges Milena and they share a quick, loaded glance. Then Milena says gently, “Oh, Jade. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it to sound that way. It’s just that Niall has mentioned you in the past. All good things, of course.”

Surprise moves across Jade’s features. Still looking at me, she asks quietly, “You’ve talked about me?”

Is there a hopeful note to her voice, or is that just in my imagination?

“He has,” TJ answers with a shit-eating grin. “I remember him telling me how you graduated summa cum laude from Brown and were headed to one of the best PA programs in the country. And then when you graduated and had half-a-dozen job offers to choose from.”

Milena eyes my arm around Jade’s waist, and I can practically see the little hearts in her eyes. “And then when you moved to Austin,” she tells Jade, “Niall made sure to tell TJ to watch out for you.” She turns to her husband. “What was it he said? Something about not letting any of your friends try to hook up with her?”

“I think so.” He smirks. “I believe it was, Jade’s beautiful and smart, and I don’t want some guy?—”

“Anyway.” I shoot him a quelling look. Whatever happened to guy code? “Enough about that. How are the kids?”

There’s nothing like bringing up someone’s kids to derail a conversation, and Milena immediately switches gears. “Oh, they’re just great. JT is playing baseball now, and he just loves it. You should see him out there. He’s so cute and earnest about it. And Steven is in a dinosaur phase. He knows all their names and he sets up little dinosaur scenes around the house.”

“Which is cute,” TJ adds with a rueful grin, “until you step on a triceratops in bare feet. Then it’s not as cute anymore.”

Milena snickers. “I told you to wear slippers. That’s what I told my mom to do.” To Jade, she explains, “My mom lives near us, so she babysits a lot. She’s with the kids tonight, so we can get an adults’ night out. Not that I don’t love being with them”—she glances around the barn—“but this is nice, too.”

“JT’s birthday is coming up next month,” TJ says. “If things are more… settled, you should come. We’re having a big party with stuff for the adults to do as well. Games, drinks, music. It would be great to see you both there.”

I have to swallow back a laugh. He couldn’t be more heavy-handed with the hints if he tried.

Since when did my old buddy turn into a matchmaker?

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