Page 65 of Fighting For You
“Delicious,” Jack McKean said. “Thanks for the recommendation.”
Wait.Dammit. Jack McKean was who she directed the question toward?
I shifted in my seat enough so I could see the rest of the group. Bruce and Eddie were talking in low tones to Cookie, and then here stood my idiot friend andtheJack McKean.
Cool.
Great.
“Couldn’t let you miss it this time. But why are you up so early?” she asked, smiling up at the world-famous actor with perfect dark hair and vibrant blue eyes that gave Adam’s a run for his money.
I mean sure, the guy was good-looking. He was paid to be. His livelihood rested on his ability to look good. And he was in a tax bracket a retired soldier-turned-private-security guy like me could only dream of.
Not that I was comparing myself because I wasn’t an idiot.
Also, I was the one sitting across from Jess.
So. There. Take that, McKean.
Though looking at him in real life with no filters, I questioned what he did to have skin so smooth and to just look so… polished. It was like looking at a filtered photo but there he was in real life, not a blemish or errant hair to be found.
Guess when being attractive was half your job, you used the good stuff.
Jack had been saying something I missed, and Jess laughed, her wide, genuine smile bringing me back to the conversation.
“Thanks. Are you with me again today?” Jack asked.
I stoutly ignored the little geyser of envy at those words.With me againlike they were together and that was a thing I had any business having an opinion on. Crap, my mind was scrambled with jealousy, and if I ever let on about it, Jess would probably punch me in the eye for being an idiot. Or worse, she’d think I didn’t respect her because I thought she’d date someone she was contracted to guard. Or even worse, because me being jealous hinted at not believing she was a faithful person, and that simply wasn’t true.
I caught Kenny’s eye and he gave me a sly, irritating grinlike he knew exactly where my mind had just gone. The twerp.
“Sure am. Fueling up and I’ll be with you right at eight. I was briefed to be at your room, but feel free to have the team text me and I can meet you wherever.” Jess sounded friendly and professional, much as any normal person not enflamed with jealousy would expect.
“Room’s good. I’ve got to let this settle and then get in a workout. Any chance you want to run with me?” He gave her a hopeful look.
I kept my jaw wired shut and did not look to my left where I would undoubtedly see Kenny’s beady little puppy dog eyes boring a hole into the side of my head in an effort to catch a glimpse of my reaction to this exchange. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
“I’m up for whatever. See you soon,” she said, like it really was all fine with her.
Everyone else filtered out, Cookie giving us a chin nod and Bruce and Eddie giving us a quick hello before they were all gone, leaving us to our meal.
Jess took a big bite of her omelet and waved out the window at Kenny, who was walking backwards and waving like a child leaving his parents.
She chuckled. “He’s an idiot.”
I grumbled. She had no idea the amount of hell I was going to pay now that he’d both seen us on our little breakfast dateandhad a front row seat to me mentally freaking out over Jack McKean talking to her.
“You’ll never hear the end of this, will you?” she asked.
I shoved a giant bite of pancakes into my mouth to avoid a more detailed answer. I’d been very honest with her all along, but I didn’t need to describe the torment Kenny no doubt had in store for me.
She dropped her head. “Wait, does he know about…” She cleared her throat. “Does he know we kissed?”
Her cheeks had deepened into a blush I wanted to savor for a moment, maybe explore other ways to make her blush. Jess wasn’t the kind of woman who got embarrassed easily—her innate self-confidence and competence made this blush a deliciously rare sighting. I was a good man and all for taking cautious steps forward to make sure she was on the same page, but my lovesick mind didn’t manage to avoid several vivid scenes flashing through my mind that might make her cheeks brighten just like this again.
That said, I also didn’t want her thinking I’d been wandering around talking about kissing her like some bragging idiot. “Not because I told him—apparently, he saw us at the hotel. But I did talk to him after I left your house when I followed you home from the cabin.”
Understanding dawned. “Ah.”
