I knew I shouldn’t. Not only because I hardly knew him but because Rule was a man people feared, not someone you could lean on. As those kids had said, he was known as the Hollywood Fixer around these parts. The man who cleaned up other people’s messes, regardless of what they were. And while those kids thought he was cool—and maybe he was— he certainly wasn’t someone you could trust your heart with.
Not that I had a heart to begin with. Not the kind people boasted about in poetry. Mine pumped blood; it didn’t get hysterical or mushy. Not for my mother or my friends, and definitely not because of a man. I often wondered if mine was broken or if I was simply a byproduct of my upbringing. When you had a mother who cared only for her own well-being and worried about what strangers thought of her over her daughter’s needs, it wasn’t surprising that I was what therapists considered an ideal subject for research on a variety of emotional disorders.
But my heart didn’t have to be involved because my body was in tune with his. I’d spent the better part of an hour looking into Rule’s eyes. Although he was guarded, I felt as though those gorgeous brown eyes gave me a tiny glimpse into his soul. And what I saw there … well, I wasn’t trying to determine whether he could love me. That didn’t matter. I was looking for something tangible, something I could feel and taste. I sensed a dark passion beneath the gruff exterior. There was no doubt in my mind that he would satisfy me in a way I’d never been before. I wanted that. I wanted to let go with him for a little while, to give him my body and let him do wicked, dirty things to it. He would. Of that I was sure.
I just wasn’t sure what approach to take. He reacted to my taunting and teasing, and I could tell I was wearing him down, but I knew he would never make the first move. I would have to take charge, or he would keep turning a blind eye to the chemistry between us. For whatever reason, I got the feeling Rule wanted to protect me. And by not fucking me, he thought he was.
The drive to the beach took only a few minutes, and we did it in silence. I watched him as he drove, admiring his big, strong hands and the dark hair on his forearms. I snuck a peek at the strong column of his neck and the flex and pull of the muscles in his chest. I wanted those big, callused hands on me, those strong arms around me. I wanted to hear the rapid thump of his heart against my ear. I wanted him to wrap me up tight while our bodies were joined so I could feel something for the first time. I could all but guarantee the sensations would be heightened because of that electrical spark that arced between us, the one he was readily ignoring and I was constantly being singed by.
When I got out of the car, I realized I probably should’ve brought a sweater. The breeze was chilly coming in off the water, even when the temperatures were in the high 70s. Being a native of California, it was cooler for me than those who’d grown up in colder climates. I figured this might work in my favor, though, since Rule didn’t seem to be having problems with the temperature.
As we walked along the short wooden platform down to the sand, I took a moment to admire the sunset. It would be dark soon enough, but I didn’t mind. Sunrise or sunset, I could find beauty in either for the most part. My favorite part of the day was when the sun was low in the sky, casting the last of its radiance on the day as the sky darkened and the light was slowly consumed by darkness.
“What got you in the line of work you’re in?” I prompted when it was clear Rule wasn’t going to spark up a conversation.
“Happenstance.”
“Meaning someone needed your help and was willing to pay you a million a pop to take care of it?”
He glanced down at his feet and smiled. “My fee fluctuates depending on what I need to do.”
“So not everyone has to pay a mil?”
“No.”
“Interesting.”
He cut his gaze to me. “How so?”
I shrugged. “I figure I might one day need your services, and since I don’t intend to have any dead bodies lying around, I’ll expect a discount.”
He chuckled. “Hopefully, you won’t need my services.”
“To what extent will you go to fix a problem?”
His forehead pinched, and his eyebrows angled into a V. “I won’t cause a problem to fix one. That’s my rule.”
“Meaning … you won’t inflict bodily harm if someone wants someone to go away?”
“Not unless I have to.”
I knew he said not to think of him as the hero, but I couldn’t help thinking there was more good in him than he was willing to acknowledge.
“Where’d your name come from?”
“It was a nickname.”
“Is Jinx a nickname?”
“It is,” Rule confirmed. “I gave it to him when we were kids.”
Interesting.
“How’d your name come to be?”
“I have a lot of rules.”
“Really?” That intrigued me. “And you legally changed it?”
