Page 9 of Jacob

But, oh God, right now, that focus was lost, gone up in smoke.

When he’d realized that Alex had walked through the doors of the Atlanta building, he’d set things in motion immediately and then hadn’t been able to think of anything all day except for the fact that Alex was being brought to him. Every minute brought her closer to him. He’d been in a fever of anticipation. He couldn’t even go over what he was going to say to her because his mind slid right off that shiny central thought. ThatAlex was coming. He couldn’t think of anything else.

Unable to get beyond the thought of being with her again after eighteen years, it hadn’t occurred to him what a shock it would be for her.

It had crossed his mind that she wouldn’t recognize him. Would barely remember him. In that scenario, he was a guy she knew in high school who had disappeared out of her life when she was still a kid and she hadn’t spared him a thought since.

That seemed possible. Likely, even. Why not?

So much had happened to her. She’d gone east to live with a great-aunt, excelled in the last year of high school there and went to Harvard on a full scholarship. Did a two-year stint in Geneva at the WHO. Worked for a big biotech corporation before being head hunted for the CDC. Eighteen years was a long time. They were both different people. He’d been prepared to remind her who he was when they met again.

He hadn’t calculated that meeting him would knock her out.

Hell no.

She was in mild shock, there was no mistaking it. God knows he’d seen men and women in shock before. He’d seen people fucking die of shock.

Not him and not his teammates, though. No way. SEAL training beat shock right out of you. The only way he’d ever go into shock would be to lose upward of two liters of blood. Their training prepared them to deal with more or less anything life could throw at them, even if it was thrown at warp speed. Hell, the SERE course alone was based on delivering nonstop shocks to the trainees.

But Alex was trained in science, not soldiering.

Alex’s pupils were dilated. Her fair skin had lost every trace of color as the blood rushed to her core. It was the animal response of someone who thought she was in mortal danger. Shock was the body’s response to what it perceived as danger.

Jake was definitely dangerous, though not to her. Not in any way. God no. Shit, he’d die to keep her safe. But she couldn’t know that. Her mind had simply blanked from overload.

Jake carried her to the couch, carefully laid her down. He sometimes slept over in his office. The closet held five suits, ten shirts, underwear, shoes, boots, several changes of combat gear, workout clothes. And a blanket.

“Be right back,” he murmured and two seconds later he draped a blanket around her, tucking in the sides.

Alex was trembling. Kneeling next to her, Jake wrapped his arms around her, transferring his body heat. His head dropped next to hers as he tightened his hold, drawing in a deep breath, nose next to her cheek. He’d never smelled anything as good as her skin.

She smelled different. Jake had always been sensitive to smell. His father’s trailer had nauseated him, reeking of shit and sweat and beer. He’d spent as little time there as possible. He’d stayed over at the Hethering’s for as long as they would put up with him.

Alex had always smelled good, like a young girl. She used a strawberry shampoo and soap and she always smelled of strawberries and freshness.

Now she smelled like a woman. Something elusive and rich that bypassed his brain entirely and went straight to his groin. He hardened in a rush, absolutely unstoppable.

She was moving slowly, the way you do in shock. She was trying to sit up, awkwardly. Her hands on his shoulders trembled.

Jake pulled away, placed one hand between her shoulders and pushed her upright. He was still kneeling, face on a par with hers. Her pupils were dilated and she shuddered when she took in a breath.

No. No. These were the physical reactions of pain. Deep and devastating pain.

It hurt him to see her like this, so lost and wounded. He was a hardass, always had been to everyone, with the exception of Alex and her folks, who had somehow reached beyond the hard face he showed the rest of the world. But seeing Alex like this hurt him, physically. There was a sharp thudding pain right behind his breastbone where his heart would be if he had one.

He knew the basics of her life since they’d parted. He’d kept tabs on her as much as he could when he was Stateside, which wasn’t often. From an innocent, shy, smart young girl, she’d become a well-known and respected scientist, a woman of substance, whose papers were often the keynote lectures at international conferences.

So, yeah, the young girl was gone.

But one thing couldn’t have changed—her heart. She’d had the kindest heart of anyone he’d ever met. Her parents had been good people, too, but he didn’t know them the way he knew Alex. His entire childhood and adolescence had been among the cruel and the brutal and the crazy, his father at the top of the miserable heap. Meeting Alex had been like meeting a member of another species, a better one than his.

The idea of her suffering because of him was… he couldn’t even go there. He folded himself around her to try to control her shivering.

His heart was thudding so hard he was surprised it didn’t knock its way out of his chest. He couldn’t remember the last time his heart raced. Certainly it never raced in battle. He was cool, even cold, under fire. Now? Now sweat was trickling down his back and he had to work to keep his hands steady.

“Jake,” she whispered hoarsely. She fought to free her hand and laid it against his cheek. Her eyes searched his, seeking something. Fuck yes. Whatever she wanted, he wanted to give it to her.

“It’s me, honey.” The words came out scratchy. His mouth was dry as dust.

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