Undercover Attraction (12 page)

In fact, he had been willing to start over
as friends earlier and tried to pet the ridiculous cat, when it had
attacked him again for no reason other than spite. Unfortunately,
he had been standing there naked and the evil cat tried to take off
a vital part of his anatomy. He had barely turned in time to
deflect the blow.

Oh, the damn critter still got him. His
thigh now sported a rather vicious set of claw marks, but he was
eternally grateful that he had moved at the last second, or the one
part he prided himself on may have been maimed permanently.

Then, said evil cat sneezed against him,
leaving a rather gross blob of kitty snot stuck to his shin. He
definitely wanted revenge against that animal.

Jenna turned when she heard Jacob come out
of the spare bedroom and Chuckles's "
mreow
". Jacob was
standing there looking down at her cat with menace. Of course,
Chuckles was trying to play nice, rubbing himself against
Jacob.

Then all thoughts of her cat disappeared and
went to a distinctively naughtier turn. Jacob wasn’t wearing a
shirt, his gleaming muscles perfectly tanned and calling out for
her touch. His jeans were low on his hips, teasing, tempting her to
follow the line of that light dusting of hair that ran from his
navel down. Her mouth went dry and she traced her lips with her
tongue, an attempt at regaining her wits.

Of course, Jacob’s dark eyes followed the
movement. He wanted her naked and on the floor, or couch, or
wherever he could get her. He took a few steps closer to her,
watching as each breath lifted her breasts against the tight cotton
tee she was wearing.

His cock rose with each step he took,
beckoning to her, reaching for her touch, until he was directly
behind the couch, staring down at her.

She couldn’t tamp down the answering call in
her own body, despite the fact that she knew he was bad news. She
watched as his head lowered slowly, his mouth coming closer and
closer until she could feel his breath on her face. All she had to
do was nod to touch her mouth to his.

But he beat her to it. His lips closed over
hers tenderly, caressing instead of demanding. Coaxing instead of
punishing. And she felt herself obeying it, her lips parting to let
his tongue slowly explore the cavern of her mouth, dancing with her
own in a dance as old as time.

The phone rang. It startled both of them
apart. Panting, she reached over, trying not to blush when her eyes
were level with the immense proof of his desire. Of course he
didn’t move and she began to think that he liked making her
uncomfortable.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Hey Jenna, it’s Mac. So how bout this crazy
situation we find ourselves in?” Mac sounded like her perfectly
cheery self.

Jenna almost smiled thinking about how it.
“Yeah, I know. Hopefully it will be over with quickly and we can
get on to our normal lives. I know I can definitely do without all
the drama.”

Mac laughed. “They could have at least given
me a decent looking bodyguard. My so-called protector is bald and
old. You ended up lucky, girl.”

“That’s a matter of opinion.”

“Yeah, well, I won’t let this guy into my
house so he is sitting in his car with god-knows-what-kind of
surveillance crap. I’m even paranoid to pee now.”

“Ditto that.” She looked up to see if Jacob
was still standing behind her. He was, and looked rather intent on
trying to hear the conversation. She slid a little closer to the
arm of the couch, trying to keep him from crowding her, but he only
walked around and sat next to her, practically on her lap.

Mac went on, “Anyway, I wanted to warn you
about the guy looking for you. I think I’ve seen him following me.
He isn’t happy that you got away with whatever he wanted. Just be
careful, okay? Don’t play hero or anything.”

“I don’t have a death wish, Mac. Nor do I
want to tangle with an aggressive man.” Jacob’s eyebrow rose when
she stared pointedly at him. “Make that any man.”

“I hear ya. Just be careful.”

Jenna promised Mac she would and hung up the
phone.

Jacob sat there for a few minutes watching
her. He could easily tell that there was something on her mind and
after what he could catch of her side of the conversation, he was
sure she was worried for her friend. The thought to console her and
reassure her that everything would be fine was on the tip of his
tongue, but she turned to him, all worry gone in an instant.

“Well, since you have to stay here, I have
to go to the grocery store to stock up.” She held up her list as
proof that she really needed to go.

“You don’t need to be out and about where
this perp can get you,” he said, not wanting her out in the public
at all. Especially since they had no idea how desperate the guy was
to nab her. “I can send someone for all the things on your list and
we never have to get out. Safer that way.”

Jenna looked at him incredulously. “I don’t
think so. I will get my own groceries- I have for years now. And if
you’re worried about safety, then I suppose you will have to step
up and do your job at the store. I refuse to become a prisoner in
my own home simply because you are worried.”

He ran his hands through his hair. “Woman,
you have no sense of self preservation.”

“And you have no idea how wrong you
are.”

They stared at each other for a few seconds,
a battle of will, until finally he caved. “Okay. You win, but you
had better follow my instructions to the T should something happen.
And I will be behind you every step in that store.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Great. I’ll go
get ready.”

Thirty minutes later, she emerged from her
room feeling a bit more confident than usual. She had taken a quick
shower, towel dried her hair, and dressed in a comfortable pair of
jeans and a pink t-shirt. Makeup completed the look, which she
rarely worried about, but she needed a pick-me-up after her
dramatic day.

Granted, she wouldn’t call herself sexy,
with faded jeans and the baby pink monkey shirt, but she definitely
looked better than she felt, and that was worth
something
.

The doorbell chimed its merry tune and she
stepped from her room to see Jacob already standing behind the
door, gun ready. Chuckles stood next to him as if reluctant to miss
out on any action.

“Jenna, it’s me. Open up, before I use my
key,” Amy’s voice penetrated through the door. Jacob peeked through
the peephole and holstered his gun, stepping back to let her open
it.

Her sister flounced in looking none the
worse for wear, wearing red tights under a short black dress and
black leather kid boots. Her light brown hair was in a ponytail and
her blue eyes were painted a dark gray, which always made them seem
brighter. She had always been jealous of Amy’s flawless talent for
looking perfect, no matter the situation.

Amy took one appreciative look at Jacob and
arched an eyebrow at Jenna. “I so envy you.” She walked to Jenna
and hugged her, then linked their arms together.

“What are you doing?” Jenna asked her.

“I need to go shopping and I figured you
would want to get out, so here I am.” Amy had a habit of shopping
whenever she was depressed or upset, so Jenna wasn’t surprised.
However, she did welcome the distraction.

“I was getting ready to go get some
groceries myself, so I suppose we could go together.” Jenna looked
over at Jacob, daring him to tell her that Amy couldn’t come.

Amy just smiled. “Yay! You sure that your
undercover stripper won’t mind?” She turned to Jacob with a hopeful
look.

“Just do what I say, and there won’t be a
problem.” He was tucking all of his little gadgets from his duffel
into various pouches on his belt. Jenna noticed he had changed into
a pair of slacks and a black shirt with matching jacket. His badge
was visible at his waist and there was a bulge at his underarm
where she was sure another gun was concealed.

It took them all of ten minutes to make it
out the door. A large black Tahoe was parked outside her house
along the street and when she headed to her Camry, Jacob steered
her instead towards the huge black monster.

The interior was everything she could have
imagined a cop would drive. All black leather interior, a high-tech
touch screen computer mounted within the center console, and even a
two-way speaker system that was more like an intercom. The windows
were all tinted with a black mirror tint, and a large container sat
in the very back, where additional seats were folded up. She easily
guessed that this was their protective unit.

Amy let out a low whistle when Jacob opened
her door and she climbed in, getting a good look around. “Does this
thing come with the armor and rocket launcher like the Bat mobile?”
she asked Jacob once he had climbed into the driver’s seat.

He chuckled as he fastened his seatbelt and
turned the ignition. “No, but there are tons of other capabilities
to make up for it.”

“Like what?” Jenna asked, also curious.

Jacob steered into the almost non-existent
traffic. “Like tracking devices, voice activated systems,
Bluetooth, navigation radio, remote starter, and everything needed
to guarantee your safety.”

“What? No Smurf to do your bidding?” Amy
said, thoroughly impressed with the giant Tahoe.

He laughed. “It wasn’t in the budget. Now,
where are we going? And please let it be someplace that I can do my
job easily.”

#

Of course it had to be the mall. He had
almost argued with them, but decided against it. There was
something to be said about safety in numbers and he would much
rather have Amy and Jenna together and in a group as a precaution
against an attack.

Unfortunately, the mall was packed, making
it even easier for him to lose them in the crowd. He had laid down
the rules before they had gotten out of the Tahoe, and they had
even agreed to wear the locator bracelets he had in the glove
box.

Jenna had been more willing to accept the
rules than Amy, and had even commented on the James Bond gadget he
tucked at his waist that went along with the bracelets. Amy had
grumbled about how gaudy the chunky silver bracelet looked,
clashing with her outfit, but Jenna had talked sense into her
within moments.

Now he was watching a certain backside sway
in front of him. The sisters had their arms linked and Amy was
practically dragging Jenna from store to store. It was incredibly
hard for him to stay alert when such a delectable piece of flesh
was hypnotizing him, but he was making an effort to periodically
scan the crowds for suspicious activity.

He watched them duck into another store and
he followed, frowning when Amy looked back to wink at him. He
looked around and his heart almost stopped.
Victoria’s
Secret
. They were determined to kill him.

“Good evening, ladies. Can I help you find
anything?” he heard a sales lady ask them.

Amy smiled and waved her away, “No, thanks,
I think we got it.”

She steered a reluctant Jenna directly
towards the back, past the lotions, towards the sexy little
nothings.

Jenna observed wide-eyed as Amy went wild.
She picked up frilly lace panties, sheer thongs, push-up bras, and
delicate cammies made from materials that she herself had no idea
existed. She was embarrassed to be there, with Jacob just a few
steps away, watching every move they made.

She looked up in time from a set of pajamas
to see a pair of green satin flying at her. Catching them, she held
them up for inspection.

“Just try them on.” Amy was looking at her
with a smirk.

“What?! No! I don’t need these.” Jenna
walked around the table and handed them back to her.

“You do. I saw the granny panties in your
drawer. And with that man in your house, you definitely do want
something a little more tempting. I’m trying to help you because I
know you’re lusting after him and I am the expert on these
things.”

Jacob watched their bowed heads, only
imagining what they could be discussing. Especially since they both
cast him sidelong glances from the corner of their eyes.

Jenna sighed, “I made it clear to him that
nothing is going to happen, so I don’t need these at all.”

Amy gasped. “You did what? Jenna, this could
be one of the best things that's ever happened to you. A gorgeous
man falls into your lap then has to protect you from becoming a
victim by staying in your house. Not to mention I know you've
already had sex with him, so what’s your problem? Do you want to be
the old single aunt with fifty cats, no kids, and nothing to look
forward to other than a hot pot pie for supper?”

“No, but he is still a stranger and I have
plenty of time to worry about all that stuff,” Jenna huffed.

Her sister patted her arm. “You are in
serious denial. Here are the facts: you’re thirty, haven’t had a
real date in four years, live alone with a cat, and even worse,
won’t talk to strangers. Here’s your newsflash: you have to talk to
strangers to get to know them, thus making them no longer a
stranger, and battery operated toys do not count as a sex life.
Stop being such a prude.” She picked up another pair of sexy
panties and thrust them at Jenna. “If you fall for him and it turns
out to be wrong, then at least you won’t wonder ‘what if’ for the
rest of your life. If it turns out to be right for you, then there
are no regrets.”

Jenna took the panties and cast a long look
at Jacob, who was studying every face in the store. “How did you
end up with all the guts?” She looked at Amy again, “Okay, I’ll
bite, but I am so doing the
I told you so thing
when this
ends badly.”

“Deal.” Amy began picking up handfuls of the
delicate under-things, handing them to Jenna to try on, and then
led her to the dressing rooms, Jacob silently following behind.