Rescuing Jenna - Anna Blakely Page 0,39
teenager, his body always primed and ready whenever she was near.
I can’t get enough of her. I see her and I want.
He was beginning to realize he never would.
With a lazy grin, she turned on her side to face him. Her eye makeup was a bit smudged, her hair was a mass of wild, red waves, and her lips were swollen and red from his kisses.
Hands down, the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
“I’m not going home,” she announced matter-of-factly. “Not yet, anyway.”
Adrian’s entire body stiffened. He half-expected to hear the loud scratching sound, like a needle sliding across an old vinyl record, because she’d just dropped a major wrench into his plans.
With a controlled tone, he asked her, “What do you mean, you’re not going home?”
He wanted to—no, he needed to—get her the hell out of this town. The sooner the better.
“Don’t worry.” Her smile made his heart kick against his ribs. “I’ll pay you back for the tickets.”
“I don’t care about the tickets, Jenna.” He pushed himself up and rested on an elbow. “I care about getting you as far away from this place as I can.”
“Why?” Jenna sat up fully, resting her back against the padded headboard. She brought the sheet with her as she moved, gathering it just above her breasts.
Such a shame.
Jesus, he needed to focus.
“Why?” He looked at her like she was nuts. “You were drugged and damn near kidnapped less than twenty-four hours ago.”
“That could’ve happened to anyone, Adrian. It’s not like I was specifically targeted.”
“Baby, you were targeted.”
“You know what I mean. Unless…” She studied him a moment. “Do you know something about what happened to me? Something you’re not sharing?”
“No.” He answered truthfully. “If I did, I’d tell you.”
“Okay, then.” She got up and walked unabashedly to where her clothes still lay strewn on the floor. “It’s settled.”
“No, it’s not.” Nothing was even close to being settled.
She talked while she dressed. “I’m not leaving, Adrian.”
“Yes. You are.”
Buttoning her jeans, she zipped them with a narrowed gaze. “No. I’m not.”
He shot out of bed and started putting on his own clothes. “After everything that’s happened, why the hell would you want to stay?”
“I want to stay because of what happened to me.”
“Okay, now you’re not making any sense.”
“I’m making perfect sense. You’re just not listening.” She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. “Look, I get that you’re worried, and I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. More than you’ll ever know.”
“But?” Because there was definitely a huge fucking but coming.
Three, two…
“But I’m the one who was drugged. I’m the one who almost disappeared.” Her voice cracked and damn if those weren’t tears forming in her eyes.
Adrian could handle just about anything. But seeing this woman cry damn near brought him to his knees.
Thankfully, Jenna swiped them away before they could fall. “Marie told me one of the two nurses who went missing had been found, which is great. But the other one…she just vanished, Adrian. According to what little Marie and the other nurses know, the police have no leads, and she had no husband or kids. They made it sound like no one’s even looking for her, anymore.”
“Okay, so I’ll talk to Gabe. I’m sure Bravo Team can track down the people who took her. Either that, or they’ll know someone else who can.”
“You’re missing the point.” Jenna took a step toward him. “I’m just like her, Adrian. A single woman with no family. No one at home to miss me if I’m not there.” Her eyes glistened again, and this time when she blinked, a single tear streaked down over her cheek. “That could’ve been me.”
“Like hell.” He covered the short distance separating them. With his hands on her shoulders, he forced her to look at him. “You’re not like that other nurse, Jenna. You have people who care. Who’d miss you like crazy if you were gone.”
She was shaking her head before he’d even finished. “Gabe and Ellena don’t count—”
“What about me?” he bit out. “Do I count?”
She searched his eyes, for what he wasn’t sure. Rather than answer his question, she asked him one of her own. One that knocked him on his ass.
“Do you want to count?”
Do I want to…
“Yeah, baby.” He swallowed. “I want to count.”
In every way possible.
Despite his words, Adrian could still see a sliver of doubt still swimming around in those gorgeous eyes of hers. He needed to set that shit straight right the hell now.
“I’ve never been in love,” he