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Now Chad used the eerily calm tone of voice from his days in the military. It came out when he was pissed as hell and ready to tear someone to pieces, but also when he needed to keep himself calm and collected enough to deal with the situation.
“Jennie, did someone hurt you?”
“I’m okay, Chad. No one hurt me,” she answered, sending a wave of relief over him that left him weak—much weaker than he’d acknowledge. He grabbed his wallet and keys.
“On my way.”
“Thanks, Chad. I’m over by the greenhouses. I’ll wait by that entrance,” Jennie said.
The park was well known for the large row of greenhouses that boasted an impressive array of native plants. The local gardening club held a native plant sale twice a year. There was an entrance cut into the stone wall that surrounded the park, near those greenhouses. Chad knew it well. It was the entrance he used whenever he jogged through the park.
“Got it,” Chad said as he ended the call and grabbed a T-shirt. He pulled the shirt on as he rode the elevator to the garage and jogged to his truck.
What the hell, Jennie?
He didn’t know what story she’d have when he got there, but this sounded like a bit much, even for Jennie.
Explaining this to Chad wouldn’t be fun. How do you explain that you had to run from guard dogs with half your clothes missing because they snuck up on you when you were skinny dipping in some guy’s pool?
When Jennie had been running from the dogs, she was laughing. When she’d climbed the fence and run through a stranger’s backyard to get away, it had still been kind of funny. When she couldn’t find anyone other than Chad to come out and get her, she’d stopped laughing.
Kelly or Jill would have laughed with her. Even Jack or Andrew probably would have laughed a little. Chad? Not so much. He wouldn’t be amused and he wouldn’t hesitate to lecture her. And lecture her. And lecture her.
She spotted Chad’s black F350 as he turned onto Cliff Street. She had to force herself to stand still and keep her head raised. If she fidgeted, he’d see it as a sign of weakness and that would only make things worse.
Jennie twisted her long hair, squeezing the excess water from it. What a sight she must be. Her hair was wet, she was missing her shoes and her bra, and her T-shirt was torn and dirty. And if he noticed her limping, he’d probably drag her off to the hospital. Chad was nothing, if not overprotective.
And…there’s the scowl.
Jennie wished, for once, he wouldn’t look so damned sexy. She didn’t know how it was possible for someone to look so good and still have such an angry expression, but he looked gorgeous no matter what he was doing.
Maybe it was the dangerous edge he presented. Anyone who knew Chad knew he was a sweet teddy bear on the inside, but on the outside he looked like he could do some serious damage.
On a sigh, Jennie opened the door and climbed up into the large cab of Chad’s truck. She knew he’d picked his truck to fit himself comfortably. Unfortunately, it dwarfed everyone else, making it a project for Jennie to get in and out. She shimmied up and plopped into the passenger seat.
Settling herself, Jennie buckled her seatbelt and raised her face to Chad’s. She tilted her head to the side and took in Chad’s brooding gaze. A shiver of awareness went through her body as she felt his damn eyes on her.
Down, girl.
As usual, her body refused to listen to her when it came to Chad. It ran amuck, responding to every look, every whisper, and every grumble that came from those sexy lips in that low, controlled tone of his. Oh, what she wouldn’t do to see him lose that control.
No! I don’t want that. It’s only my stupid, traitorous body that wants that.
“Hey, Tiny,” she said. “I’d offer to buy you breakfast, but with no shoes, I’m afraid we couldn’t get in anywhere respectable.”
She put on her best cheeky grin and hoped he would ignore the embarrassing state of her clothing. Or, lack thereof.
Chad was apparently of a different mind and let his eyes roam from her face, down her body and back up again. Of course, his gaze felt like hands grazing her body and that lit her up from the inside. Somehow, she knew his hands would feel even more amazing on her. Caressing, roaming freely, they would set her ablaze.
Stupid body.
He kept his eyes on hers as he reached over and turned off the ignition with a short, economic movement. Then, he sat. Waited.
Great. He’s in interrogation mode.
She rolled her eyes. “Really?”
“Really.” His was a statement not a question and she realized that, yes, he really was going to wait until she spilled the story. She sighed heavily, hoping he would give up.
