He fixed her with a serious stare. “Everything about you is everything I want.” He kissed her on each cheek.
“Not everything.”
“Yes, everything. Your beauty. Your kindness. Your strength.”
“I’m not always that strong.” She fought down the blackbirds rising.Not now. Not when everything is so perfect.
Jake propped himself up. “Coulda fooled me. You’re the strongest woman I ever met.”
“I’m not. I’m—”
“Rachael. Look at me.” Jake took her chin in his hand and gently kept her from looking away. “You’re going to stop that right now. When I compliment you, when anyone compliments you, you’re gonna take it how it was meant. You are not gonna put yourself down, understand?”
Rachael nodded.
Jake frowned. “Not good enough, Angel. I want to hear you say the words.”
“I won’t put myself down.”
“When?” Jake grinned.
She rolled her eyes. “When you compliment me.”
“When anyone compliments you.” Jake’s grin turned into one of his trademark full-blown smiles. “But especially when I do.”
His smile was infectious. Rachael matched it even as she pretended to push him away. But this time Jake wouldn’t take no, not even a playful no, for an answer. He pulled her in tight and wrapped himself around her along with the blankets, creating a perfect nest where she felt safe.
Just before sleep took her, she whispered, “I love you, too, Jake.”
Her man growled and kissed her forehead, then tucked her head under his chin.
* * *
Rachael and Jake got up before dawn the next morning in order to get back to Ross and the meatpacking plant on time for work. Rachael woke up extra-paranoid, and insisted that Jake not take her home, or anywhere near home. She had walked to Elena’s the night before, her dress and heels hidden in her tote. She’d left her car in her driveway and slipped out the back door, crossed through a couple of neighbor’s yards and emerged two streets down. This morning, she planned on Lyfting back to Ross and repeating the process in reverse, with enough pre-dawn darkness to cover her.
“Are you sure?” Jake asked.
“I’m just worried.”
Jake grinned and Rachael knew she was in for a song reference. “Well, don’t worry,” Jake sang in a reggae-accented voice.
“About a thing? Bob Marley.”
“Got it in one. Look, if you want to be super cautious, I will respect that. But I’m here now for you. I always will be. I’ll protect you, Angel. You’re ever in trouble, I’ll come running. I want you to know I have friends who can back me up.” He’d gone serious, and Rachael wondered who he could mean. No one from the plant, that was for sure. Maybe he had more friends in Saunders, along with Bill.
“Who are your friends?”
Jake stroked her hair. “You’ll meet them when the time is right. I hate to be vague, but…”
Rachael touched his lips. “We all have our secrets. I understand, Jake. And I trust you. I hope when the time comes, I’ll be able to tell you mine.”
He took her hand in his and kissed the palm. “Then I’ll trust you to tell me when you feel safe enough to do so. Just remember, Angel, whatever those secrets are, I love you.”
“I love you too, Jake.”
Am I being too cautious about getting back to town? she thought as she hooked her bra.No. There was no such thing when it came to life with Daddy Deal.
Some women might have enjoyed the risk of sneaking around, but Rachael hated it. All she wanted was to live a life away from the shadows, free and out loud in the light of day. She wanted to shout to the heavens how happy she was, how much she loved this man who’d come into her life out of nowhere. Who loved her back without hesitation, without an ulterior motive involving her father.
