End of Day (Jack & Jill 1)

His head was still bowed, left hand frantically working the gel-inked pen over the paper. “I just made a note to have my receptionist revise the New Patient Agreement later this afternoon.” He kept writing but looked up at Jessica and for the first time he gave her a smile.

In that moment she was certain of only one thing—she needed him.

Chapter Nine

Knight

Three nights in a row of rain had the grass climbing to the sky on the first sunny day. A red-streaked tornado ripped through Peaceful Woods with a long ponytail of wavy blond hair, aviator glasses, frayed denim shorts, a silver bikini top, and red rain boots to protect her legs while weed eating. The same boots she’d been wearing with her panties and tank top to get the mail on the previous days. Jillian Knight was subconsciously hell-bent on giving every man in her path a massive heart attack. They were, however, destined to die with a smile.

“Bill has run his mower into three different trees and the corner of one garage. Maybe you should throw on a T-shirt before he ends up in the pond,” Jackson yelled.

Jillian killed the weed eater and popped out her ear buds. “Shut it.”

Jackson handed her a bottled water then leaned back in his lawn chair positioned in the middle of the driveway. He’d taught four piano lessons already that day and was enjoying watching his sister work her third job.

“Excited for your big night?”

“Shut it.” She twisted the cap back on the bottle. “It’s just sex toys. It’s the job you picked for me. Besides, I’m only training. I don’t make any money off the sales tonight.”

“Is your mentor having you demo stuff?” Jackson smirked.

“Shut it.”

“My my, someone’s grumpy today. Are you shedding the lining of your uterus?”

Jillian didn’t want to let Jackson see her grin, so she turned away, cupping a hand over her eyebrows to see how many more lawns she had to go. Ever since they had sex education in junior high, Jackson referred to her period as “shedding the lining of her uterus.” And years later she still got the giggles when he said it with the same seriousness as their instructor had in class.

“No, I’m not, so just shut it.”

“Then what is it? Your Harley arrives at the dealership tomorrow. You have boxes of vibrators and nipple clamps at your disposal. Dodge said Lilith enjoyed you being there to watch her the other day, so that’s going well. And you’re making money as we speak while getting a tan.”

“Dodge said Lilith enjoyed me being there? That’s weird, she slept the whole time while I did the dishes and dusted the furniture.” And told the deaf sleeping neighbor about her past. But she didn’t share that bit of information with her paranoid brother. “I don’t know.” She sighed in equal parts frustration and disappointment. “Have you seen AJ the past few days?”

“No. And why do you ask?”

Jillian brushed some grass off her arms. “No reason.”

“You don’t ask for ‘no reason,’ so what gives?”

“We had a … moment. That’s all.”

Jackson chuckled. “A moment? You’re kidding, right? I don’t think roughing him up then piercing his lip is considered a moment.”

Jillian noticed Bill gaining on her so she slipped her earbuds back in and picked up the weed eater. “It was for a few brief seconds between the roughing up and the piercing. But it was definitely a moment.”

Jackson shook his head, tilting it back with the contentment of a dog in the sun. “It’s too soon.”

“It’s never too soon to take your next breath.”

“He’s not a breath. He’s a step backwards. And he has the marks from you to prove it.”

Jillian yanked the pull cord on the weed eater and finished her work.

*

That breath pulled his black Jeep Wrangler into his driveway as Jillian hosed off her red boots. She flashed him a killer smile with the devil’s wink when he glanced over at her. He turned ahead without acknowledgement, pulling the rest of the way in the garage. Jillian shut off the water and hustled across the short patch of lawn to limbo under the descending garage door, clearing the beam by just millimeters.

“Sarge.”

His visual assessment of Jillian started with her boots and ended with her sexy grin. Any other day she would have been disappointed that he didn’t share her enthusiasm, especially after their moment. But on that particular day Jillian fought the onslaught of cold fear mingling with the heart-pounding blaze of adrenaline. She felt anxious, alert, and alive as he stood before her in his combat fatigues. His top was unbuttoned, revealing a fitted khaki T-shirt that hugged his hard muscles.

“Miss Knight.” He shut the driver’s door and slung his messenger bag over his shoulder. “Do you need something?”

“What does AJ stand for?” She inched forward until they were toe to toe, red rain boots to tan combat boots. Jillian loved how her skin tingled in his proximity, how she felt dominated by his stature but not submissive to his strength.