Matt cleared his throat. “I think that proves my point.” His voice was tight. Forced.
Okay. Okay. This is fine. I can cope with this. It was a game. He won. It’s all good.
She took a deep breath. It had gone too far. They both knew it. Only Jena could salvage things between them. She knew exactly what to do.
On shaky legs, she walked over to him. She pasted a wide smile on her face and smacked him on the abs. “You were right. I was wrong. I can say it; I’m a big girl. It’s clear all those other guys didn’t have a freaking clue how to touch a woman. Maybe you should teach classes? Or make videos for YouTube? The men of the world need you, Matt. It’s your duty to save women everywhere from a life of mediocre sex. You the man, buddy.”
Matt’s eyes shot to hers before a small smile curved his lips. “You the man?”
“Oh yeah.” She nodded solemnly. “You the man.”
He opened his mouth to speak. Jena knew there was an apology coming. She cut it off.
“I’m so impressed you made me beg.” She kept a grin on her face. Her cheeks hurt, but she’d be damned if it slipped. “Thanks for giving me what I asked for. I know you didn’t want to go that far, but when a girl gets a chance to have a sexy guy’s hands on her body, she takes it. Much obliged.” She waggled her eyebrows at him. “Very hot, Matt. Don’t worry; next time there’s girl talk, your reputation will be safe.”
His shoulders relaxed. His eyes softened. He ran a hand through his hair. Relief. She was watching relief. It bit at her.
“Okay,” Jena said. “Thanks to you, I need to go upstairs and have a nice, long cold shower. Have fun with the floor while I’m gone.”
She gave him what she hoped was a cheeky wink before sauntering out of the room.
When all she really wanted to do was run.
Matt had taken it too far. He knew the minute he’d put his hands on Jena, and still he couldn’t stop. Her soft pleas undid him. His control had been shot. He looked at Jena’s back as she made a run for it—because that was definitely what she was doing. He couldn’t blame her. She’d been great about his loss of control, but it was still his fault. He was a cop. A cop working to protect a girl. He wasn’t on a date. And even if he was, going by Jena’s track record, he’d probably be in hospital by now.
He ran a hand over his face, working to keep his breathing steady. Jena had relationship stamped all over her. She was looking for permanent. She’d said it herself in bed. She was looking for a home. Somewhere to belong.
And he was looking for another job far away from Invertary. One that didn’t bore him to tears or involve any pet rescues. Things with Jena were slipping out of his control. Being around her 24/7 was blurring the line between professional and psychotically horny. It was time to step back and let someone else watch over her.
Lake had promised a replacement on Saturday. Well, Saturday was here and Matt was ready to be replaced. He was about to call Lake to see where the guy was, when a thump at the front door changed his plans. Hoping it was Lake’s man, Matt rushed to answer.
It wasn’t Lake’s man.
“Not going to happen,” Matt said as soon as he spotted Frank Di Marco standing on the front stoop.
Today’s suit was a black pinstripe, perfectly cut and obviously expensive. If it wasn’t for the matching black shirt and ever-present bling, he wouldn’t have looked out of place in London’s financial district. As usual, he was flanked by his flunkies.
“Officer.” Frank’s tone was ingratiating. “It’s a free world. You can’t stop me from spending time with Jena.”
Matt folded his arms. “I can if she doesn’t want to see you.”
“Look, we had a misunderstanding. I should never have dipped my wick where I worked. I get that now. When you have a sweet piece like Jena at home, you need to make the effort to keep it in your pants.” He spread his hands wide, as though he had nothing to hide. “I made a mistake. I succumbed to temptation. What guy wouldn’t? I mean, if you had access to an all-you-can-eat buffet of willing women, you’d snack too, but that’s all it was, a snack. Jena is the real deal.”
Matt cast a glance at the men standing behind Frank. The looks of disgust on their faces said it all. Frank wasn’t impressing anyone.
Frank took a step closer to Matt and lowered his voice, as though letting him into a confidence. “What we had was special. I want it back. I want her back.” His eyes narrowed. “To achieve this aim, I have to talk with her. I have to tell her that I know I didn’t appreciate her. I learned my lesson. No more work pussy.”
Matt took a step back, shaking off the crawling sensation that ran over his skin. “Good for you. You’re enlightened. You learned what most guys know from the get-go—don’t cheat on your woman. Unfortunately for you, Jena isn’t into giving second chances. She won’t want your wick after it’s been dipped in half the strippers in Atlantic City.”
Joe smothered a laugh as Matt focused in on Frank. “I suggest, strongly, that you go back to America. Find someone else to impress with your newfound knowledge that a guy never screws around on his woman—no matter if he’s starving and the buffet is begging him to eat.”
A little blood vessel in Frank’s temple throbbed violently. Matt thought it might burst.
“Be careful, officer. You don’t know who you’re messing with.”
“No.” Matt took a step back into the house. “I don’t care who I’m messing with. There’s a difference.” He slammed the door shut on Frank Di Marco’s angry face.
As soon as it closed, he changed his mind about calling Lake. Frank Di Marco was trouble. Unfortunately, he didn’t trust anyone else with Jena’s safety—no matter how well trained Lake’s men were. Nope, it looked like Matt was it for the duration. It was time to start acting like the trained professional he was. It was time to dial back the contact with Jena. She was a job. Nothing more.