Chapter Eleven

Quietly closing the door behind them, J.D. kept his distance from the others in the room. All of his senses were on hyper alert. Within the span of sheer moments, he’d felt an irresistible attraction to Jody. And her voice? He couldn’t explain it, but her first utterance had imprinted the sweet tone somewhere deep within him. If all of that wasn’t bad enough, the only reason he knew her name was because the dirt bag artist had whispered it in her ear loud enough for him to hear. The fact he’d followed her name with ‘baby’ continued to fuel his anger.

Somehow, she’d broken through the barriers to J.D.’s hardened heart. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was his. None of this made any sense to him. Even if his life depended on an explanation, he wouldn’t be able to articulate the why or the how of it. They were simply meant as his grandmother used to say. His grandmother—the only person who’d ever loved him, and she hadn’t crossed his mind in years. Jody had reminded him of that long forgotten, treasured memory and how being loved unconditionally had made him feel a lifetime ago.

She was the reason he decided to attend this event. He could feel the rightness of that fact down to his bones.

Not being the sort of person to act so irrationally, J.D. needed to back down, if only momentarily. He wanted to learn more about her to figure out what his first move should be. To accomplish that, he needed some space to observe.

Being so far out of his comfort zone had his body feeling stressed. His fists clenched tightly—leaving his fingers feeling the burn from the strain.

It didn’t take his deft powers of observation long to recognize Nathan and the artist were both protecting her, and that fact burned. Watching her intimate interaction with them play out had his gut twisting with resentment.

I should be the one holding her! As that thought flew across his mind, annoyance followed closely behind. What the hell is happening to me? Everything inside him screamed to make an advance, carry her out of here, and take her to his home where she belonged. Being this out of control left him in a position of weakness. His first order of business required getting a tight hold on his feelings before he did something stupid.

If he acted too quickly, whatever advantage he had would be gone. As of yet, he had no clue what kind of edge he would have, but when the opportunity presented itself, he’d find it. He always did. At this point, the only thing he could be certain of was the queasy feeling he had from being trapped in this emotional wasteland.

Having to stand silently by and watch as Nathan sat Jody down on the couch to soothe her, had his ire flaring. He wanted nothing more than to kick his partner’s ass for comforting the woman who only moments ago he’d claimed for himself. Nathan sat next to her, tucking her into his side for an affectionate embrace. The outward show of adoration caused a lurching sensation in J.D.’s heart. He strained to keep his mouth shut. Apparently, the artist wasn’t the only one with deep feelings for his woman. Observe, dammit! Don’t show your hand.

“You okay?” Nathan gently prodded, speaking in a soothing tone to the woman who had stolen his heart.

Although painful for him watch, J.D. wasn’t able to tear his gaze from her as she held a firm grip on Nathan’s suit coat. The intimate contact between them appeared to provide her with much-needed strength. Nodding her head in the affirmative, she nuzzled his neck for comfort. While he didn’t have all the facts yet, J.D. was sure this scene had played itself out before. All the participants were comfortable—all the participants except for himself, of course. He planned on rectifying that soon.

Nathan angrily looked to the artist for answers. “What the hell was that all about, Terry? Those people treated her as if she were some sort of superstar. None of them were going to be happy until they got their hands on a piece of her. You know how much Jody hates being the center of attention.”

So the artist’s name is Terry. That’s a perfect name for a man who plays with paints for a living.

Ignoring Nathan’s question altogether, the artist focused on Jody. He slid forward on the table, and then the asshole placed his hand on her knee as if he had a right to do so. Trying to curb the outrage this intimate gesture provoked, J.D. breathed deeply, hoping each flare of his nostrils would curtail his anger. His commitment to self-control weakened more with every minute that passed. He’s got a fucking death wish! If that bastard doesn’t get his hand off of her in two seconds, I’ll take it off for him and leave a bloody stump behind! Unaccustomed to the green-eyed monster of jealousy, his fervor shocked him. As the unfamiliar riotous feelings continued to grow, he sank deeper into a murderous mindset. He didn’t have a clue how to bridle the destructive emotions.

“Jody, I’m so sorry about including Solitude in the show. I should have shown you the portrait and asked your permission first.” As the artist continued to speak, she scooted out of Nathan’s embrace and slid to the front edge of the couch. “After all, it was your emotions I exposed to everyone. I put your private hell on exhibit for everyone to see.” Terry’s lips pursed as he paused, almost as if he were afraid to ask the next question. “Can you forgive me?”

J.D.’s breath caught in his throat when she drew Terry’s face near her own. Her small hands caressed his cheeks, as she offered a smile which held nothing but love. Watching the interaction between them left a cold void in his chest where his heart had just been crushed. He wanted to turn around and bolt out the door, slamming it shut to free himself of whatever had overcome him this evening. But he couldn’t leave. She had him glued to where he stood. No matter what the circumstances, he knew he’d never be able to turn away from her, especially with the likes of the other men in the room. She was his, plain and simple. She just didn’t know it yet.

“Terry, the portrait is beautiful. I’m so honored you would memorialize me that way.” She bent forward, and her lips touched his nose. J.D.’s mind came to a full stop as he watched the intimate scene play out in front of him. “It’s…” she paused trying to find the right words. “It’s arresting. It’s extraordinary!”

In one fluid motion, the douche bag pulled her onto his lap, and rocked her. His relief evident by the way he burrowed his face into her neck. J.D. couldn’t bear the pain of seeing her in the artist’s arms any longer and turned away.

“Jody, if the portrait isn’t what has you so upset, what’s wrong?” Nathan’s voice served to refocus J.D. and aid in resuming his eavesdropping efforts. It was evident, even to J.D., she was about to give some sort of lame excuse. He’d seen his clients with that expression more than once. He felt a tug at the corner of his lips as he grinned. She’s not a good liar. That’s good to know.

Saving her from having to lie, Nathan held his hand up to stop her from denying the problem. “Don’t tell me nothing’s wrong. Your eyes have dark circles, and you look as though you haven’t slept in a month. You seem… I don’t know. Maybe fragile is the word I’m looking for. It’s like you’ve been on a long, arduous trek through hell and haven’t quite made it back yet. It’s obvious to both me and Terry that something is terribly wrong.”

She nodded and bit her lip. “Why don’t we talk about this later, after the show? Terry needs to get back out—”

Nathan interrupted her. “Whatever is bothering you is important.” His eyebrows furrowed, reflecting his worry for her. When she didn’t respond immediately, he barked, “Now!” J.D. vowed to kick his ass for speaking to her like that.

Seeing she was close to caving in, clued him into the fact his time for observation was nearing an end. Whatever bothered her had weighed her down enough that she couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“I need you to do a favor for me, Nathan.”

“Of course. Whatever you—”

Everyone’s attention shifted in J.D.’s direction when he loudly cleared his throat. With full awareness locked on Jody, he strode toward her, every muscle rippling with tension. As he cleared the distance between them, he felt the full force of the possessive wall Nathan and Terry had erected around Jody. Hell, the air was so thick, the barricade could be felt as if it were a real, unmovable object. He silently vowed to break that wall into tiny shards by any means necessary.

“Terry, I’d like you to meet my partner, J.D.”

Ignoring the introduction, J.D.’s intense gaze remained locked on Jody, who now stood across from him.

Terry scoffed. “Well, now I understand.” He turned to Nathan with a look of disgust. “You were right. He is an asshole.” Nathan waved off the remark.

“This is Jody.” Her hand tentatively inched out toward J.D. Almost afraid to touch her again, he gently took her offered hand in both of his. As had happened before, his body’s reaction to her was immediate and filled him with wonderment. For the first time since entering this room, he felt calmed by nothing more than her simple touch.

“Jody, this is J.D.”

A shy smile deepened her dimples and lit her face, leaving J.D. hypnotized. Before he knew what was happening, he gave her more than he’d ever offered another living person. “Please, call me Jared.”

His demeanor, while gentle, was confident and commanded Jody’s full attention. His eyes sparkled like a piece of shiny obsidian glinting in the sunlight. When he finally allowed his smile to reach out and touch the rest of his face, she almost sighed from the beauty of him. Beauty—not a word typically used for characterizing a man, but Jody instinctively knew this man was anything but normal. He had the rugged male good looks that women swooned over and displayed what she perceived as a controlled supremacy. The sheer power emanating from him was nothing like she’d ever felt before.

He wasn’t a man to be trifled with, either in business or love. She wasn’t fooling herself. He carried a sense of fierceness about him. Something deep, dark, and feral resided within him. The force of his presence made the woman in her wonder how she could tame him. And didn’t that just ring of stupidity?

Jody was shocked at how quickly she fell under his spell. Being in his presence made her realize he was the type of man she could easily see herself falling for head over heels. But then he’d have so much power over her he’d end up destroying Jody when he left. And he would leave, of that, she had no doubt. If she had to live through a loss that devastating, she’d never survive. The failure would be the end of her.

She cringed when she realized how easy it would be for her to give into her baser needs where this man was concerned. She had to do something to back away from him before he had her completely under his spell. But gazing into his eyes left her powerless. Magic resided in those beautiful dark eyes.

“Whoa! Wait just a damn minute here!” Nathan declared.

Regretfully, Jody returned her attention to Nathan. Antagonism rolled off his body in waves and zeroed in on J.D. The sudden tension surrounding the men made her extremely nervous. Animosity grew quickly between the business partners, and for the life of her, she couldn’t understand why.

“What’s wrong with you?” she asked, genuinely shocked by her friend’s behavior. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think he was jealous.

Ignoring Jody, Nathan spoke through clenched teeth, a tactic he’d learned from J.D. “I’d like to talk to you outside, Jared, if you’ve got a moment,” clearly not positing a question but delivering an outright demand.

J.D. ignored Nathan’s aggressive request. “I think I’ll stay for a while. I believe Jody was just getting ready to tell us what’s bothering her. I’d like to help if I can.”

The man’s obvious advances on Jody prompted Nathan’s heartbeat to race. Neither he nor Terry had ever had a romantic relationship with Jody, so his feelings didn’t stem from jealousy. She was closer than a sister to him. With all the heartache she’d been through in her life, she didn’t need someone as dark and ominous as J.D. moving in on her now. For her sake, he had to stop whatever this was between them from happening before it began.

Nathan had known J.D. for several years. He’d been his business partner for just over a year now. In all that time, he’d never socialized with him outside of the professional environment. The man was a secretive bastard who kept to himself. He’d be surprised if the number of people with whom J.D. had shared his given name could be counted on more than one hand. Hell, he saw the man every day and hadn’t even known what his given name was. J.D. didn’t like people and would never dream of granting anyone the intimacy of addressing him in such a manner.

So what was up with all this warm and fuzzy stuff? How dare he make a move on Jody! Nathan had no doubt J.D. would bring her nothing but pain. He’d never seen his business partner show even a passing interest in a woman before. As far as he knew, the man had never before lowered himself to chase a woman. Grinding his teeth together resulted in a shooting pain in his jaw. Partnership be damned. He’d be the one to put J.D. in his place. Jody was much more important to him than any job.

Nathan’s anxiety clearly presented itself to all in the room as he became bolder in his attempt to separate Jody and J.D. He needed to end whatever was happening between them immediately. Sparks of fear for the consequences Jody could face with a man like him in her life ran through his body, leaving him jumpy.

“No. You and I, we need to talk.” He tried to keep the timbre of his voice resolute but, it sounded jittery even to his own ears. “We’ll go outside and—”

“Nathan!” Jody cut him off. “What in the hell is wrong with you? Stop this. Please, stop being so rude. I don’t need this right now.”

The pleading in her voice had gotten through to him, making him feel like a real shit until he saw J.D.’s face radiating with smugness at the small victory. That fucking smirk almost sent him over the edge of reason. If he couldn’t control his anger over this situation soon he might just punch his partner in the jaw. He had to restrain himself for Jody’s sake. She’d never forgive him if he crossed that line.

Nathan almost boiled over when J.D. again took her hand in his and even added a goddamn caress.

“As I said before we were interrupted, please, call me Jared.”

“Jared it is.”

Shit! Nathan watched in horror as his sweet, little Jody smiled innocently at a man whom he’d called a cold-hearted bastard no less than a dozen times a day over the last year. He just wished he knew what was in J.D.’s mind.

J.D. hadn’t heard anyone call him by his given name since childhood visits with his grandmother. He had to admit it felt good when his name rolled off of Jody’s tongue and couldn’t wait for her to say it again.

Enjoying the warmth of her hand in his, he continued to stroke her silky skin. “Why don’t you sit down and tell me…” He felt a quick jab on his back and realized the forgotten artist had hit him with his elbow. “Excuse me. Tell us what we can do to help.”

Nathan, still standing in the middle of the room, got everyone’s attention as he groaned loudly. He swiped at his hair and, J.D. realized, accepted defeat if only for the moment as he crossed the room to join them.