Sixes & Sevens (Seven Hearts Book 1) (21 page)

“Even if he did, there’s a chance he could try again. Instead of focusing on what ifs, let’s focus on helping Jaycee. If we get her well-adjusted here, it’s going to be much easier for her to stay if this becomes an all-out battle,” Lee said firmly. “Alec, I’m going to put you in charge of coordinating everyone’s schedules. We need to make sure one of us is there to escort Jaycee between her classes starting Monday. Sean, I want you to monitor Roger’s movements; if you see anything suspicious, keep us informed.”

“We should probably head to bed; you have someone waiting for you,” Garrett said, smiling lazily, remembering his own night with her.

“Right you are! Meeting adjourned.” Lee clapped his hand on Marc’s shoulder in reassurance. They would keep Jaycee safe at any cost. Lee wouldn’t take any new jobs until this matter was resolved. It would leave him time to be Jaycee’s shadow. Aside from the class he taught, his schedule would be open. They had enough funds saved, they really didn’t need to take any jobs. Lee refused to live a life of leisure, he planned on serving his community as long as he was able.

Lee headed to his bedroom with his heart in his throat. It wasn’t the same type of adrenaline rush as heading into battle, but it was thrilling none the less. Tonight, he would get to hold Jaycee in his arms. He was trying not to imagine anything happening between them. The idea was to let Jaycee call the shots, but his body hadn’t been informed of the plan. Being a red blooded male, he couldn’t stop his mind from imagining the possibilities. Feeling Jaycee beside him in bed would be a type of exquisite torture, but one he’d gladly experience every night. The lights were turned out in his room, but the blinds were open. The moonlight allowed Lee to see Jaycee’s figure laying in his bed. A goofy grin splashed across his face, he was tickled pink at the sight of her in his bed. Throwing his shirt on the floor, Lee assessed Jaycee’s breathing to determine if she was asleep. Standing beside the window, Lee faced his side of the bed.

Jaycee kept her breathing slow and deep. She knew it was wrong to feign sleep, but for some reason her brain told her it was the right move. Lee had observed her for a moment, to check if she was out cold, he grabbed a pair of sleep shorts to change. Surely he would step into the bathroom, but Jaycee’s heart almost stopped as his hands reached for the waistband of his jeans. Oh my God! He was going to change
with her in the room
!!! From the angle he stood, Jaycee knew if her eyes stayed only slightly open, her lashes would hide her gaze. It was
so
wrong, and she was
so
bad…but she couldn’t help herself. Not only was she extremely attracted to him, and therefore dying to see more of his body, she also was more than a little curious to see the rest of his tattoos.

The ripple of jeans unzipping broke the silence in the room. Jaycee stared unabashed, as Lee hooked his fingers under his jeans, slowly sliding them to the floor. He was a boxer-briefs man, and they left little to the imagination. Jaycee could see his tight ass as he bent down to retrieve his pants. His thighs were corded with thick muscles, but the sight that held her immobile was the thick long bulge of his cock. Jaycee forgot to breathe, hell she forgot
how
to breathe! He was magnificent! Her mouth had been dry before as she waited for him to undress, but now it flooded with moisture as she imagined sleeping with him pressed against her.

Her guys ruined her for all other men, who could compare to them? Not that she was looking, she hadn’t intended to find anyone really, but the guys found her. Instead of being angry at the distraction, she was grateful for their guidance, but right now…she was entranced. Lee’s fingers grazed the waistband of his only remaining clothing. Her fingers balled into fists gripping the sheet beneath her as if it was her lifeline. Her heart pounded so loud, she feared he could hear it across the room! Lee sauntered to the bed, his fingers still hanging onto the band with the lightest touch. She was going to hell for sure, but what a way to go!

Lee moved so fast, his form was a blur! He whipped the covers away, pulled her under him, and pressed his lips to her ear. “You can stop pretending to be asleep now, Jaycee. If you want to see me naked, all you have to do is ask.” Even the tips of her ears flushed as his warm breath hit her ear, and his words registered in her lust-filled brain. He had known the whole time! She should have felt ashamed, but instead she felt liberated. Lee wasn’t afraid to show her his body and he wasn’t mad that she’d peeked. Jaycee’s pulse still hammered away, but her nerves were comforted.

The guys might not have wanted her to see Alec running buck naked through the house, but Lee didn’t seem opposed to giving her a private show, not that she’d take him up on the offer. It
was
tempting, but she hadn’t fallen that far…yet. Her lack of skills with the opposite sex had been one of the many drawbacks of having removed herself from the social scene after her father’s incarceration. Jaycee had advanced by leaps and bounds in that department in the last few days. With her pulse often running its own private marathon, it would be a miracle if she didn’t wind up with high blood pressure, or some other ailment. Deciding to play coy, Jaycee feigned waking up.

“Oh Lee, you’re back!” she said, faking a sleepy yawn, but wound up laughing as Lee attacked her sides with tickles. Her laughter was joyful and pure, but her squirming was causing other sides effects…less pure. Her clothes were askew; her nightgown was rising dangerously high up her thighs. Breathing was hard in between fits of laughter, Jaycee wound up clinging to Lee. She yanked on his arm, hoping to block any more attacks, but instead Lee lost his balance losing the last remaining space between them. The tickling had stopped as the moment grew heavy with tension. Her hand slid down between them attempting to yank her nightgown back down to its proper place, but Lee’s hand found hers, stalling her.

“Jaycee.” Her name on his lips felt so right. Lee’s hand remained on top of hers, but the tips of his fingers brushed her upper thigh. Lazily, his thumb drew circles on her skin, causing her to break out in goosebumps. Jaycee opened her mouth to speak, but words failed her. Thoughts raced through her mind, but none of them stayed long enough to be vocalized. She tried to imagine herself kissing Lee as she had Garrett, but she couldn’t act on it. Lee, while wonderful and kind, was also a little intimidating. He was a solider, he’d seen things—done things—she couldn’t even imagine. Bravery failed her, but the feel of his fingers on her sensitive flesh fed a place deep inside her. No, she wouldn’t—couldn’t—take the lead with Lee, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t follow his every command.

“Your skin’s so soft. Little Flower…it really is the perfect name for you, you’re like velvet here.” Lee’s hand slid off her own, traveling slightly further up her leg, and more inwardly. Her breaths were coming in pants now, but she didn’t notice. She couldn’t see or feel anything beyond him. Beyond what he was doing to her. His touch was far from innocent, but he didn’t reach for her most secret places either. He merely set her skin aflame, and watched a fire burn behind her eyes. If he didn’t say something soon, she’d be reduced to a pile of ash.

Lee felt the fire himself, he was using all his willpower not to run his hand further up her thigh, but he respected her. He refused to rush whatever was building between them. He pushed his wanton thoughts away, and focused on Jaycee. Her skin was prickled with gooseflesh, her eyes were wide, and her mouth parted slightly. Rather than steal the kisses he longed for, Lee lowered his lips to her neck placing soft kisses along the muscle that ran from her skull to her collarbone. Jaycee gasped as his soft lips touched her skin. She moaned soft and low, causing his hand to still, while he absorbed the sound. She was a goddess in his arms, he didn’t deserve her, but he wasn’t planning on giving her up either. Lee didn’t turn away gifts from above, so instead, he feasted upon her supple skin.

“Oh Lee!” Jaycee cried softly. His name on her lips touched him, but the breathy way she said it bathed his blood in lust. He needed to pull back, he needed to find a way to resist taking things further. His tongue flicked out to taste her skin, ah…she tasted so sweet. No. He shook his head, and rolled her on top of him. Maybe the reversal of positions would bring him some respite. Owl eyes looked back at him from Jaycee’s face. He’d startled her.

“Sorry, little flower, but you’re innocent, and I don’t want to push you too far. Lie on my chest a moment. We should catch our breath.” Lee closed his eyes, and wrapped his arms around her as she placed her head into the nook of his shoulder. She fit perfectly against him, like she was created just for him. Lee hadn’t minded sharing her affections, but he relished any time alone with her. He would always put the needs of the other guys before his own, but Jaycee wanted to be with him too, and her needs came first.

“You’re not pushing me. I’m sorry I pretended to be asleep,” she offered.

“No, you’re not, but it’s okay. I enjoyed your eyes on me.” Lee comforted her.

“I do have one question though…,” Jaycee mentioned.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“You said you had other tattoos…but I didn’t see any,” Jaycee stated.

“They’re still hidden beneath my shorts. I could show you, but I wouldn’t want you to die of shock,” Lee teased her, placing a soft kiss on her temple.

“Oh I promise I wouldn’t,” Jaycee replied before thinking it through, causing Lee to rumble with laughter, which shook her body and his.

“Another time, little flower. You have plenty of time to learn my secrets. I’m not going anywhere.” Reassuring her would be a constant job, but he didn’t mind.

“Good. I rather like you Lee.” She admitted, glad the darkness hid her blush.

“I like you too,” he said softly.

His words warmed her heart, but her courage still failed her. Her lust had abated while they spoke, but one desire remained. “Would you grant me a request?”

“Anything,” he said, meaning it wholeheartedly.

“Would you…,” Jaycee faltered, not sure she could ask for what she wanted.

“Show me what you want,” Lee requested, hoping she wouldn’t back out. Jaycee smiled shyly, raising her hand. She lightly touched his lips with the smooth tip of her pointer finger. Pulling her finger back, she pressed it to her own, looking nervous.

“Done,” Lee said lowering his head, he placed a chaste kiss on her lips. Pausing only a second to relish the softness of her skin there. Sighing, Jaycee placed her chin on his chest and stared dreamily into his eyes. “You better sleep now, little flower. Tomorrow morning we have to get up early. I’m taking you to my self-defense class. I want you to know how to protect yourself if you ever find yourself alone with Roger again. Not that I plan on letting that happen, but we can’t control everything. I’d rather know you will be safe.”

“Okay, and Lee?” Jaycee squirmed on top of him, causing Lee minor discomfort as he fought an erection. A guy could only take so much and his control, while vast, was waning quickly.

“Yes?”

“You really are beautiful. I’m glad you aren’t mad at my peeking.” Jaycee pulled the covers up to cover them both. Effectively ending the conversation.

“Good night, Jaycee,” he whispered into her hair.

“Good night, Lee,” she answered on a sigh.

January 8, 2016

The night passed quickly, and like always, Jaycee slept like the dead. Lee woke Jaycee with a kiss on her forehead early in the morning. After a round of showers—and a quick breakfast with the guys—Lee bundled Jaycee into his car. Jaycee was nervous, she didn’t know what you needed for self-defense, but she didn’t think she had it in her. Lee would have his work cut out for him. When they arrived on campus, Lee directed Jaycee to an old gymnasium. Several women were already loitering around, waiting for class to begin. Jaycee noticed they also had worn yoga outfits under their winter coats.

Lee lead the class like he would any day, except he couldn’t help giving Jaycee side glances to see if she was following along. He started the class by going over basic principles, like how to avoid a dangerous position, and how to spot unsafe areas or situations. The class didn’t change dramatically from day to day because the roster was constantly changing. There were some women who came every week like clockwork, while others may have shown up only once. Wanting to make sure each woman left with the basics to defend herself, Lee set up the class to repeat the basics at the beginning. They talked about confidence, and paying attention to your surroundings. Then they would go into different situations and how to protect yourself.

Observing the class during a practice session, Lee couldn’t help but focus on Jaycee. Some of the girls were here at the request of a family member, or to ensure their safety in the future. Jaycee, on the other hand, was plagued by an immediate threat. She also was rather uncoordinated, shy, and not at all assertive enough. Sean had relayed her bravery from when Roger had attacked, but she still hadn’t been able to get to safety until Sean rescued her. It wasn’t good enough, she needed to be ready. Deciding she needed more one on one training, Lee assigned the class partners. Leaving Jaycee to work with himself. Even if he didn’t know her personally, he would have chosen the least effective person to work with one on one. Sadly, in this case, that was Jaycee.

Lee planned on working with her later on her assertive speech, for now he wanted to focus on her defense and attacks. Having seen
Miss Congeniality
, Jaycee was already mildly familiar with SING, and since she’d already heard the term before, Lee decided to use it first. Solar plexus, instep, nose, and groin. The order of attack of vulnerable places. An elbow to the solar plexus, then stomp on their instep, use the heel on your hand in an upward thrust into their nose, and finish with a knee to their groin. Jaycee had trouble even pretending to hit Lee. He would need to suit up next time, and try again. For now, he focused on getting her to repeat the motions until they became more routine. Something that would be second nature if she were ever grabbed again.

“Okay, good. This time I want you to try to put a little more force behind your movements. No…you don’t have to actually touch me, but you should be able to feel how much strength you’d need to put behind each movement. Let it become second nature,” Lee said showing Jaycee the movements again.

“I’m sorry, Lee. I’m terrible at this, aren’t I?” Hanging her head, Jaycee twisted the hem of her tank, fighting frustrated tears. When she wasn’t tripping over her own feet, she was getting lost in the feel of Lee’s propinquity. He was so warm and comforting, it was hard for her to gather the rage she needed for the lesson.

“Little flower,” Lee said, tilting her chin up toward him, “no one learned to defend themselves in one day. You’ve spent your life running from confrontation. It’s natural that it would take you longer to recondition your responses. You’re doing just fine.”

Standing behind her, Lee guided her arms in the movements again. He showed her the amount of strength needed to break a nose. The class ended with smiles on the faces of everyone
but
Jaycee. The gloomy look on her face said it all, she felt hopeless, helpless, and weak. She hadn’t been able to even throw a punch into Lee’s hand hard enough to make him flinch. It didn’t cross her mind that his extensive military training could have had something to do with that, instead she blamed herself. Her focus was often broken by Lee’s touch, or voice, or hell even his smell. Apparently, she needed to hope her attacker would smell bad, or at very least
not
smell like one of her boys.

Jaycee sulked the whole drive home, despite Lee’s constant attempts to draw her out, or make her laugh. Alec was usually the comic relief of the group, though Lee had a fondness for sarcasm, that wouldn’t help him right now.

“Since you’ve had a rough morning, I’ll strike you a deal. I will do whatever you’d like to do for the rest of the day. How does that sound?” Lee asked.

“Anything?” Batting her big blue eyes, Jaycee’s whole demeanor changed to that of a doe-eyed child.

“I stick by my word. But remember, nothing will stop me from getting revenge if you pick something too regrettable,” Lee warned.

Laughing, Jaycee replied, “It’s not bad. It’s just that I have a guilty pleasure. I love watching Korean dramas…would you watch one with me? And by watch, I mean binge watch. Maybe we could even have some ice cream?”

Lee suppressed a chuckle at the starry-eyed look Jaycee got when she talked about ice cream…and people said the way to a
man’s
heart was through his stomach. Jaycee’s fondness for ice cream bordered on obsession. Luckily for her, the guys kept a stash of ice cream hidden from Jonathan in the deep freeze. When they arrived home, Lee went to retrieve it while Jaycee keyed up the app on the television. It was hard to choose a series to watch with Lee. Did she choose one she had already seen that she knew she liked? Or, would it be better to pick something new they could discover together?

Jaycee settled on a historical series called
Sungkyunkwan Scandal
about a girl who dresses as a man to support her family. It wasn’t quite as girlie as some of the other series, and Jaycee figured Lee could fill in the cultural gaps for her. Subtitles, while great for line translations, sometimes left the true meanings behind as the cultural significance wasn’t explained. Some of the things that initially had confused her in the past, she had been able to decipher as she watched more shows. Like the way Koreans turn their heads away from a senior person when drinking.

When Lee returned with the ice cream, Jaycee had already gotten them drinks, and prepped a blanket for them to snuggle under. She really did intend to binge watch as much of the series as they could before the other guys returned home. Halfway through her bowl, Jaycee’s lips were blue, and she shivered uncontrollably.

“That cold, huh?” Lee asked. Nodding her response Jaycee stuck her bottom lip out in a pout. Lee laughed, and gathered her close. He took her tiny hands in his own, and slipped them under his tee. His warm skin felt fiery on her frozen digits…so toasty warm. She sighed contentedly. Eventually, after Jaycee had practically crawled in his lap to get to more of his warm skin, Lee took off his shirt, and wrapped her up in his arms.

“Better?” He whispered into her hair.

“Much better. You’re better than an electric blanket,” she said with a sigh.

“Glad I’m good for something,” he said, laughing.

“You’re good for a lot of things, Lee. Like being a good friend to me. Being a warm snuggly blanket is just the icing on the cake that is you,” she argued.

“Ha! If you say so, little flower.”

The rest of the night passed in a blur of Korean, Jaycee was loving the show, and while Lee pretended to be uninterested, Jaycee thought he was secretly enjoying himself. She’d even caught him laughing at some of their antics. Koreans weren’t afraid to be silly in their shows. It was rather refreshing. As they approached the latter half of the series, the guys started filing in. All but Sean, even after dark. Jaycee waited and waited, but there was still no sign of him. The other guys had all come home, and while they tried to wait for him to arrive before they ate, eventually they couldn’t let the food sit any longer.

Jaycee tried calling Sean multiple times, but his phone always went straight to voicemail. He either had turned it to Do Not Disturb, or it was powered off. It was likely he’d simply gotten busy, and hadn’t noticed the low battery until it was too late. As much as she tried to calm her nerves, and reassure herself, Jaycee was worried. What if something had happened to him? What if he needed help, but couldn’t call for it?

Jaycee was scheduled to spend the night with Marc, but instead of lying down with him, she paced the floor in front of his bed. Marc watched her from its foot, still fully dressed and awake. The guys were as concerned thought not much as Jaycee. It was unusual for Sean to come home this late, but it wasn’t completely unheard of. He did often get lost in his work, so it wasn’t a stretch to believe his cell might have died without his notice.

Marc was feeling dizzy watching her pace. “Why don’t you sit down? Wearing yourself out won’t help Sean either way.”

“No, but keeping busy stops me from completely freaking out. Marc, you know what I went through as a child, there are really scary people in this world. I know Sean can take care of himself, but he isn’t invincible. I’ll feel better when he’s home safe.” She continued to pace, biting her fingernail as she went.

“At least stop chewing on your pretty nails. Please?” Marc hated to see her hurt her body in any way, even if she didn’t feel pain in the act.

“Fine.” Sighing, Jaycee plopped on the bed beside him. “But you have to distract me.”

“Is that an invitation?” he asked with a teasing grin.

“No, but you could tell me a story,” she suggested.

“A story? Like a bedtime story?” Marc’s nose wrinkled in confusion.

“No, silly, a story about you, or you and the guys. Tell me something I haven’t already heard. There’s still so much I don’t know,” she said.

“Okay, let me think…I don’t think we’ve told you how we all met except for the basics.”

“Tell me, please,” Jaycee requested.

“It was in elementary school; we all went to a school called Saint Benedict’s. It was an all-boys school, so the teachers felt the need to keep us extra busy to keep us out of trouble. We were encouraged to create our own clubs, we even had a student council.”

“In elementary school?” Surprised, Jaycee couldn’t stop herself from interrupting.

“Yes, even that young. Benedict’s is a school for the well off. Rich people care a great deal about responsibility and community, student government was a great way to teach us young. Of course, none of us were involved in the council, but we did form our own club.”

“Was Lee the founder?” she asked.

“You’d think that, but no. It was actually Sean. At the time, Lee only had minimal martial arts training, while Sean was already a star pupil. A bit of a prodigy even. Sean came to our school when he was adopted by Jonathan’s parents. It would have been the year before you…well it was his first year of school. Sean had begged his parents for lessons, and being the indulgent if absentee parents they were, they gave him everything money could buy. So by the time we all met, Sean was excelling, but he was lonely. Jonathan was a great big brother to him, but Jonathan was always in demand being an actual genius. So, Sean decided they needed to form a club so he could meet other kids his age, but when it came to finding members, Sean was at a loss. Knowing of Sean’s love of karate, Jonathan suggested forming a martial arts club. Finding members wasn’t easy, so Sean posted a sign-up sheet in the commons. We were the only ones who signed up. Lee might be our leader now, but if it wasn’t for Sean, most of us never would have become friends. We aren’t all the same age, and having various interests, our classes didn’t really overlap.”

“Wow. I didn’t realize Sean was so well trained,” she marveled.

“He seems like a big nerd, right? Well, he is, but he’s also so much more. Sean just doesn’t flaunt his strengths; he hides them away from the world. If he hadn’t craved family so strongly after losing his father, he wouldn’t have considered creating a club himself. I’m glad he did.” Marc wrapped his arm around Jaycee’s shoulders, feeling warmed by his own tale.

“Me too.” Jaycee held onto Marc, wishing she could erase the pain of the past for the guys. She wished she had known him then, maybe she could have lessened his burden. “I wish I hadn’t had to move. I would have liked to have grown up with all of you.”

“Ha, ha! Probably not, princess, we weren’t the polished guys you’ve come to know now. We were ornery—sometimes violent—mischievous boys. Besides, we would have been worse than a father to you, keeping you from everything fun.” Marc realized his mistake when he noticed the light in her eyes dim at the word
father
. Damn, he hadn’t meant to remind her. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s fine. Really.” She gave him a fierce look. “I promise.” Jaycee rose to her feet, and resumed pacing. Marc sighed, and lay back on the bed. He kept following her with his eyes.

“Do you need to relieve some energy?” Marc asked.

“Why?” Jaycee asked, mildly suspicious.

“We could play a game or go running. Anything would be better than watching you pace,” he groaned.

“Okay, I’ll stop.” Jaycee went to get her bag, and returned with a pair of pajamas. “I’ll get changed and we can call it a night.”

“Are you sure? I didn’t mean to force you to go to bed.” He felt lousy, he wasn’t trying to pressure her, he just had a hard time watching her suffer.