Chapter 5
Blakely
I’ve read a whole lot of bodyguard romances, more than I care to admit, and Jack could be on the cover of any one of them. Well, it’d be better if he took off his leather jacket and reflective sunglasses. I wonder what the hard rock of his chest looks like under his black t-shirt?
Needing to see his face, I slide the shades off his nose and hand them back. He gazes pure heat at me before folding them and putting them in his pocket.
Pulling up the arm rest between us, he makes our thighs touch. “Better like that?”
I swallow hard and nod as the last stragglers load onto the plane. On the outside, Jack appears calm but his fingers tap on his leg and his feet are firmly planted to the floor. I get the feeling he could probably vault over the chairs and into the pilot’s cabin in a matter of seconds.
It isn’t until the stewardess closes the hatch that he leans back in his seat, his leg muscles release, and he turns to me. “Are any members of the film team on this flight?”
“I honestly don’t know. I only met the producer, Dr. Ned Carlos. He thought a reunion of me and my mother would tug at some heart strings. I told him not to hold his breath.”
“Then why do it?” His eyes penetrate like some weird truth serum but I’m saved from having to answer when the stewardess clears her throat in the loudspeaker.
She needs to explain the intricate mechanics of a seatbelt, an oxygen mask, and how to find a floatation device.
After she’s done, I picture all the people David Young has screwed and be brave. “The Church of Heavenly Bliss needs to be exposed for what it is.”
“Which is?” Jack’s dark brows raise as he waits for my response.
“Evil incarnate.” Out the window, the jetway collapses and folds back into the building, oblivious to the undertaking I’m embarking on.
Thankfully, Jack doesn’t ask me anything more because it’d be hard to speak over the lump in my throat. Today may be one of the hardest things I’ve done since leaving the cult. When I feel calm enough to speak, I poke his solid bicep, hoping to focus the conversation away from me.
“Can I ask you something personal?” I feel a little guilty about touching on a sore subject but I figure it will get his sights off of me.
“Shoot.” Handsome brown eyes focus on me making me feel naked but regardless, I meet his intense gaze. “Tell me more about how you became a bodyguard.”
“It’s a long, boring, story.” His mouth turns into a frown as his eyes shift to the inside of the cabin.
When his thigh jiggles, I touch his leg and try to reassure him. “Hey, you don’t have to answer. I was just making small talk.”
“I joined the Marines after I got my GED.” His tone is almost challenging but I nod and keep my face from moving a muscle. Obviously, people have judged him in the past.
“I did a couple tours of duty, had enough, and got out.” His brows are full of unspoken pain and he has to take a deep breath in order to continue. “I drifted a bit, took some college classes online, and met CJ Quinn at a local bar. Long before he met Mel, he was a rising star. Some asshole jumped him for hitting on his girl. I stepped in, and the rest is history.”
“Sounds like an interesting life.” I picture him jet-setting around the world, pushing paparazzi away from the rock star of football.
He laughs. “Most of the time, I’m just a glorified chauffeur. There’s been a few times where my services were needed. Honestly? CJ is more like a brother. The fact he won’t need me anymore is tough.”
“Why not move south so you can be near?” My heart cracks a little to say so but it makes perfect sense.
While we talk, his hand slips over mine still resting on his knee. “I thought about it for a while but being a bodyguard is what I know. Patten Securities has a standing offer or I could start my own investigative business. I’m just not sure which. I may be having my first midlife crisis.”
I grin at the expression. “What are you? Thirty?”
“Thirty-three next month.”
“Many people reflect at that age.”
“You analyzing me now, doc?”
“Maybe I was. Just a little.” I laugh, glad he’s back to smiling again. I didn’t mean to cause him pain, just get him off the subject of me.
Tiny crinkles appear beside his eyes and his smile widens. “What about you? Are you self-reflecting? Is that what this trip is all about?”
