fact she thought he might be on the wrong side of the law dug deep into his chest and pulled at the old scars on his heart. Years ago, when all of Hope Springs saw a delinquent kid, she’d looked at him as somebody worth befriending. Cleo always made him feel as though he mattered.
But for the first time, the look in her eyes had changed. Was she now looking at him as her mother had done and seeing him as the no-good Monroe kid who could never amount to anything but trouble. Anger and hurt churned in his gut. He thought he was far past these old feelings—yet being here with Cleo had rolled back time.
“I’m not a criminal,” he ground out.
Color filled her cheeks. “I—I didn’t mean it like that. This whole thing has me on edge.”
“I guess once you’re considered the bad boy, the reputation sticks.” His jaw tightened, holding back old resentments.
“That’s not true. You’re forgetting all of the people who cared about you. People like Kurt and my grandfather.”
“You’re right.” He sighed. “I shouldn’t have gone off on you. It’s just been a stressful day.”
“And I deserve some answers.”
“Yes, you do.” Although he was certain his words would not give her the peace of mind she was seeking, he owed her the truth. “I’m a key witness in a federal court case.”
“A witness.” She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “I take it this isn’t a simple murder case.”
He couldn’t help but smile at the way she classified murder as a simple case. “No, this isn’t about murder. It’s actually a white-collar crime.”
The worry lines on her face smoothed. “Well, that doesn’t sound so bad.”
Would it be so wrong to let her cling to the idea that this case was no big deal? Then she wouldn’t have to worry. But she also might decide to let down her guard, giving that thug a chance to get near her again. No, she definitely needed to know the whole truth.
“It’s a money-laundering scam that involved my business partner. I blew the whistle on him before he could take us both down. I wore a wire and gave the government all the evidence they needed to make their case against him and his shady affiliates.”
Cleo’s face grew ashen. “That sounds dangerous.”
“Let’s just say these men aren’t the friendliest people to cross.”
“That...that man... Does he want to—”
“Scare me off? Yes, he does. But it won’t work. I will finish what I started.”
“Oh, Jax. What if—”
“There are no what-ifs. I just have a few more weeks until I return to New York for the trial and then this will all be over. Now it’s time to call it a night. I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted. It’s been a long day.”
In truth, not only was he truly tired but he also needed some space. He was still smarting over the fact that Cleo thought he might be a criminal.
Her fine brows gathered. “You can’t expect me to stay here with you until the trial.”
“We’ll have to see how things go. But for now you’re staying where I can protect you.”
He yawned. Maybe tonight he’d be able to fall asleep without the endless hours of staring into the dark. Or even worse, to drift off only to have that blasted recurring nightmare where he was chased down a dark alley. Stupid dream.
“Come on.” He knelt down beside her and held out his arms. “Your chariot awaits.”
* * *
Cleo’s head felt fuzzy. She didn’t know if it was the painkillers or the information she’d just learned. Either way, it didn’t matter. She was tired of being treated as if she was helpless. And she didn’t need Jax making decisions for her.
When Jax reached out to her, she pushed aside his offer. “Thanks, but I can get to the bedroom on my own.”
His face creased with frown lines, but he didn’t argue. Instead he grabbed her crutches and held them out to her. “Are you sure?”
She nodded and placed the crutches under her arms. A bump on the head hadn’t made her forget the way Jax had rejected her earlier that day. The memory still stung. Why should things change just because she got hurt?
They weren’t a happy couple. They never would be.
She paused at the bottom of the long line of steps. Suddenly, sleeping on the couch didn’t sound like such a bad idea.
“Sure you haven’t changed your mind?” Jax prodded in a persuasive voice.
“I can manage.” All she had to do was focus. Soon she’d be upstairs and then she could lie down.
“You don’t look so good.”
“Thanks. You sure know how to give a girl a compliment.”
“That isn’t how I meant it and you know it. You’re just being difficult.”
He was right. But tonight she didn’t care. Maybe it was the medicine or hitting her head, but she didn’t feel like acting as if everything was all right when it clearly wasn’t.
He followed her into a spacious bedroom with a king-size bed done up in peaches and cream. She sat down on the edge, very aware of Jax’s presence. He knelt down in front of her to remove her shoe from her good leg. Why did he have to be so nice when she wanted to be angry with him?
“I can do it.” She attempted to take over.
He brushed aside her hand. “You don’t need to. That’s what I’m here for.”
His gentle tone smoothed her agitation. “I’m not even sure how I’ll sleep tonight. Every time I close my eyes I see that ape man. You have to promise to be careful. He isn’t a nice guy. He totally gave me the creeps.”
“I’ll be careful.”
“You promise?”
“I do. I brought us here, didn’t I? He won’t know where to find us.”
She lay back against the bed and closed her eyes, willing away the image of that man. Jax’s warm fingers touched the bare skin of her calf, snapping her eyes open. What was he doing? Then she realized he was removing her sock. How could such a mundane task feel so amazing?
Dropping the sock, his fingers continued to work their magic, kneading and pressing on the sole of her foot. One by one her muscles relaxed and she turned to putty in his hands. The most amazing sensations coursed through her body. If he could do this massaging just one foot, she couldn’t even imagine what other tricks he had up his sleeve.
“This will help you relax.” His voice was soft and soothing.
She
