murmured.
She had no idea what he wanted to say to her. Apparently, he didn't either.
Another few seconds passed. She forced herself to breathe and then to step away from his grip. She told herself she was just shaken by the break-in. Her nerves were on edge. That's the only reason she'd felt that sudden wave of heat. It was over now.
The chill followed her into the bedroom. She grabbed a pillow and a blanket from the messed-up bed and took them into the living room. Jax was kicking off his shoes.
"Here you go," she said.
"Thanks." As she turned to leave, he added, "Maya, you don't have to be afraid. No one is getting past me to you. You can sleep."
She stared back at him and then turned away without a word. She slipped into her bedroom and closed the door, leaning against it, as she waited for her heart rate to slow down. But it didn't seem in a hurry to do that, and she knew some of her rapid breathing had to do with Jax. She hadn't had such an intense physical reaction to a man in a very long time.
She heard Jax moving around in the living room, and then it was quiet.
She waited one more second, then turned the lock on her door and moved over to the bed.
Stripping off the sheets, she tossed them on the floor. Then she grabbed another blanket out of her closet and laid down on the mattress. Through the part in the curtains, she could see a half-moon. She wanted the light to reassure her, but clouds were swirling around that light and a moment later, the moon was gone. She didn't want to take that as a sign of foreboding, but she couldn't shake the worried thoughts that followed.
Everyone in her family thought she was making a mistake. She told herself that some of the most incredible discoveries in the world were made by people who refused to quit or to believe the naysayers. She had to trust her gut. And it was telling her that there was a huge story here, one that could make her career, that could change her family history forever. It was also telling her she could be in way over her head.
What voice did she listen to?
Hopefully, the morning would bring some answers, because she had no idea what to do next—about her grandmother's mystery, or about the man sleeping on her couch. She had a feeling they were both going to be a problem.
Chapter Six
Jax woke up to sounds and smells that took him back in time. He didn't open his eyes for a moment, letting himself linger in a very old dream: His mother moving around the kitchen barefoot with her hair in a ponytail, humming some tune under her breath. The smell of bacon frying on the stove. The rustle of his father's newspaper. He wanted to stay in this moment, to feel like it was real, but it wasn't, and as his sleep faded from his brain, reality woke him all the way up.
He sat up on the couch, a little shocked that his brain had gone that far back into the past. He didn't know why the memories were sneaking up on him the way they were. That needed to stop.
As his gaze swept the room, he realized the smell of bacon was real, and the woman in the kitchen was Maya. She was making breakfast. He was surprised he hadn't heard her get up. She'd have walked right by him on her way to the kitchen. But after hours of tossing and turning on the not very comfortable couch, he'd finally fallen asleep.
However, it wasn't just the couch that had kept him up; it was Maya. That look she'd given him in the kitchen…he could still feel the pull, and they weren't even in the same room.
What the hell was that about? She wasn't his type at all. She was beautiful, yes, but her emotions were all over the place. She was also impulsive and stubborn and seemed to leave chaos in her wake. She was not only on a crazy, dangerous quest to figure out a murder, but her mission could directly conflict with his. He didn’t need her stirring up old secrets at the Firebird Club when he was more interested in what was happening now and not thirty-something years ago. The more she rattled people at the club, the more difficult it would be for