River's Redemption: Blackwater, Book 5 (6 page)

Oh man, he tasted good. No woman could kiss a mouth like his and walk away with her mind in one piece. But when she felt his hands skimming over the swell of her bottom, she knew she had to put a stop to things before they got carried away.

Pulling back the slightest but still close enough to feel his heavy breathing against her wet, swollen lips, Jeanette murmured, “Innocent, right.”

She stepped out of his arms and hurried to go, but came up short when his arm wrapped around her waist. “You don’t get off that easily, sunshine. You started something here tonight, and there will come a day when you’ll finish it. Eagerly,” he growled.

His voice was gravelly, as if he were as turned on as she was. River might be annoyed with her, but the deep timbre gave away how much she’d affected him with the kiss. She turned around, agonizingly aware of his close proximity. “Yes, I did start something, but one of us has to. Might as well be me.”

He loosened his hold but still managed to keep her from bolting. His mouth crooked up at the corners. “You shouldn’t tease a man that way. It could lead to trouble.”

She reached up and gently removed his hand from her hair. “I can honestly say I don’t have a habit of kissing and running.”

“I know beyond a doubt that you’ve probably only kissed a handful of men your whole life. Am I right?”

His voice was gentle. He wasn’t making fun of her, but she felt like she’d been slapped all the same. Had the kiss been that awful?

Her back went ramrod stiff. “That’s none of your business. And now I’m tired. You might as well go home.” Again she turned to walk away, but she didn’t get more than a step before tripping over the curb and tumbling forward. She lost her footing and twisted her ankle. She cried out, and suddenly River’s strong arms were catching her. If he’d been any slower, she’d have landed on her ass. Lovely.

He caught her up and cradled her in his arms. “See what happens when you try to run from me? Never a good idea.”

Jeanette buried her face in his shirt. “I feel ridiculous.” She squirmed. “Please, I can walk just fine.”

He kept his hold on her and crossed the sidewalk to her apartment. “Are you hurt?” River asked, as he glanced down at her.

“Only my pride,” she muttered.

“Where’s your key?”

She slumped against him, too tired to do anything else. She fished around in her pants pocket and came out with a ring of keys. She turned them over to him with her door key facing up.

River took them and unlocked the door, then flipped on the light. “Why don’t you have an alarm on this place?”

That amused her. “An alarm? Why? There isn’t anything here to steal.”

“I was thinking of your safety, silly.” He looked around. “Jeez, this place is a wreck. Don’t you ever clean?”

She rolled her eyes. “Must you always criticize my apartment?” River was a total neat freak, the exact opposite of her. “You will never get used to my clutter, huh?”

He cocked his head at her. “Are you secretly a hoarder or something?”

“River,” she warned.

Her tone told him he was treading on dangerous ground, but he never had learned to censor himself. However, he didn’t want her getting angry on top of being in pain, so he tried to smooth over his words. “It’s not disapproval, just curiosity.”

“Uh-huh,” she mumbled as he took her to the couch and sat her down.

River started to argue, but the phone rang. Jeanette grabbed it off the end table. “Hello?” River watched a frown appear. “Who is this?” Whoever was on the line, it wasn’t a friend. Jeanette jerked suddenly, as if someone had slapped her. “Ew,” she muttered before hitting the END button and slamming the phone onto the table.

River knelt in front of her. “Who was it?”

She blinked several times and said, “The guy who stole my purse.”

“What the hell did he say to you?”

“He repeated my street address. Twice.”

“How do you know it was the guy who mugged you?”

“The voice.” She shuddered. “He has a really weird, screechy voice. I’d know it anywhere.”

“Damn it!” River shot to his feet. “When I get my hands on that son of a bitch, I’ll kill him.”

Jeanette stood. When she didn’t feel any pain in her ankle, she went to River and forced him to stop pacing and look at her. “No, you will not touch the guy. We’re letting the police do their job.”

He glared at her. “Fine, but you’re coming with me.” His voice was as cold as ice. “You can’t stay here alone. Not now.”

“It’s not really practical for me to live with you, River. We don’t have any idea how long it’ll take to catch him.” Her nose shot up in the air in a show of defiance. “I’m capable of handling this on my own.”

“He’s taunting you, Jeanette. What’s to say he won’t come here?” He shook his head, unwilling to think of what all could happen if the freak got his hands on her. “No, it’s too risky.”

Fear crept into her big brown eyes. “Do you think he’s dangerous?”

“Who knows, but I’d rather you not find out the hard way.” She was starting to get anxious, and River could feel her panic rising. He wanted her calm. Safe. He tamped down his new protective instincts and focused on the task at hand.

He took hold of her shoulders and brought her close. “Please, for me,” he murmured. “I won’t sleep knowing this guy is calling you, harassing you. It’ll only be temporary. And you’ve stayed with me before, so what’s the problem?”

She bit her bottom lip and looked away. “I feel like a complete fool. A child in need of protection. I’m tired of everyone treating me like I can’t stand on my own two feet.”

“No one thinks that, sunshine, least of all me. We simply care about you, that’s all. Is that so bad?”

She let out a deep sigh. “No, I suppose not.”

“So you’ll stay with me?”

She nodded. “But don’t think for a minute that you can keep me locked up. I have a life, River. I can’t put it on hold.”

“No, of course not.” Just the thought of her in his apartment day and night sent his libido straight into overdrive.

Within an hour, Jeanette had packed a bag and they were at his apartment. Sammy had called the second River had walked in the door, asking him to come in to the restaurant. When River thought of the family restaurant, an image of his father, Chet Jennings, standing behind the counter with his apron tied around his waist and laughing with the customers sprang to mind. His dad had been a barrel-chested man with a mustache and deep-set eyes that always saw everything. He’d worked himself to the bone to keep the place running. After his death, the place had lost business and come close to bankruptcy. Too close. River and his four brothers had stepped in. They’d turned the old diner into a successful bar and grill, because letting the restaurant go wasn’t an option. Not for any of them. It was their legacy. It was a part of their family. They’d all been willing to fight tooth and nail to keep it.

Although, it had taken a ton of work to remodel. His brother Vance owned a construction company, and he’d offered to do the work free of charge. One of his other brothers, Brodix, with his keen mind and financial expertise had managed to bring in the maximum profit, keeping the restaurant safely in the black. It was his oldest brother Sammy who took on the daily running of the place and oversaw the rest of the operation.

Sammy had always been more of a father to River than a brother. For whatever reason, River had always had a hard time talking back to Sammy. They all did. It wasn’t out of fear but rather respect. Oh, he and Sammy had left bruises on each other plenty over the years. That was just what brothers did. But before Wanda and Chet had come along and adopted the five of them, they’d all looked to Sammy for guidance. Even though he’d only been a kid himself, Sammy had done what he could to watch out for the rest of them. Sammy still carried around a truckload of guilt over the abuse River had suffered at the hands of Larry Briggs. Didn’t matter that Sammy had just been a kid at the time too, and placed in a different foster home as well. The situation hadn’t been something Sammy could control. But Sammy still felt responsible. It was just the way he was made.

Now, Sammy needed his help and he wouldn’t leave him hanging. Apparently the walk-in freezer was on the fritz, and there was melted food and spoiled meat to deal with. With Brodix out of town with Sarah—she was off doing research for the newspaper she worked for—they were down one. Still, knowing Jeanette was upset, River couldn’t leave. He could never handle it when she was angry with him.

He took hold of her upper arm and pulled her along with him to the couch. The large, overstuffed cushions practically swallowed her small frame. “Please, don’t worry. This guy will get caught, and you’ll be back in your apartment in no time.” When her gaze wouldn’t meet his, River started to wonder if there was something else bothering her. “What is it? You’ve been quiet ever since you got that phone call.”

“It’s nothing,” she mumbled.

River wasn’t buying it. He crouched down low in front of her and looked her in the eyes. “This place has everything you could ever need. For once, let me pamper you. I only want you out of harm’s way.” When had her happiness become so important to him? “Sammy needs my help at the restaurant, but I’ll only be gone a little while.”

“Wait, you’re leaving?” Her gaze shot to his. “But I thought we could have dinner together. Maybe watch a movie or something. There’s an Abbot and Costello marathon this weekend.”

He flicked the tip of her nose with a finger. “That sounds pretty great. I won’t be gone long, I swear.” His voice turned deep with desire. “I cannot say that it doesn’t give me a secret thrill to have you here all to myself.” His groin tightened at the thought.

Her pretty brown eyes brightened. “Really?”

“Hell, yeah,” he groaned.

She smiled and shook her head. “You’re driving me crazy these days, River Jennings. Completely batty.”

He bobbed his eyebrows. “If you only knew what I wanted right now, you’d run for the hills.” She was such a tempting little thing. His mind kept imagining her naked, lying contentedly across his bed, all sleepy from his loving.

River hated to do it, but he needed to go. They needed the extra help at the restaurant, and he couldn’t leave his brothers in the lurch. When she leaned against the back of the couch and pulled her legs up underneath her, River cursed under his breath. The tempting picture she presented nearly drowned out all his good intentions. He would make it up to her later. He would make it up to both of them later. He’d see to it.

“I really do have to go, sunshine,” he explained.

“You make me crazy,” she muttered as she glared at him.

River leaned down and touched her lips with his index finger. “So you tell me. All the time.” He leaned in and had to hold back a chuckle when she stiffened and turned her face away, not allowing him to kiss her on the lips. So stubborn. He kissed her cheek instead. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he murmured. “I promise.”

She shrugged. “Don’t hurry on my account.”

He quirked a brow at her. “That mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble one of these days,” he vowed as he strode from the room.

As River reached his car, he realized his phone was beeping, signaling a new text message. Christ, his concentration was shot all to hell just thinking of Jeanette’s sweet body safely ensconced in his apartment. There was something damned enticing about that knowledge.

He retrieved his cell from the front pocket of his jeans and checked the messages. Sammy, asking about Jeanette. River smiled. Sammy would always look out for those he loved. He sent a quick text back to let him know of the new developments before getting in behind the wheel and revving the engine to life.

The sooner he took care of things at the restaurant, the sooner he could get back to Jeanette.

Chapter Six

Jeanette didn’t know how she’d gotten herself into such a mess. Her whole life seemed to be a series of near misses. She attracted chaos like sugar attracted ants. She took a deep breath and willed her wildly beating heart to calm down. But how was she supposed to remain calm in the wake of all that had happened? Any sane person would be going nuts right about now.

She sighed and got to her feet. Her stomach rumbled. She supposed if she was to be detained, she might as well get something to eat.

Her spirits rose and her anxiety began to ebb at the tempting prospect of being near River 24-7. He was by far the handsomest man she’d ever met, in a dangerous, outlaw sort of way. A little thrill of anticipation ran up and down her spine at the thought of his return. Even now, thinking of the kiss he’d given her made her imagine other, more intimate things. Curiosity had her wondering what he would look like nude. Jeanette groaned as an image popped into her mind. Heat curled through her, and she marveled at the peculiar sensation.

Her stomach rumbled again, and a wave of dizziness overtook her. Food. That’s what she needed. Food and another pain pill. Then she’d wait for River to return. She intended to have a talk with him about his high-handedness, and afterward she’d seduce his socks off. The thought made her heart leap. She ignored it and kept her mind on her stomach. If she were to go up against River, she’d need to keep up her strength.