Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

L eaving Rexy at Jerico's house was tough. In a strange place that was quiet, clean, and comfortable, the dog clung to her, needing some normalcy. It made perfect sense. Aspen had tried to dog proof the house as much as possible.

Please don't let me find he ate the sofa , Aspen thought as she dragged herself to her car.

Her work was always physically challenging. Tonight, it was even tougher. A repairman was there working on the service elevator. Aspen was not allowed to use the clients' elevator to haul her equipment from office to office, so she'd had to take the stairs.

Lugging a bucket full of cleaning products and rags from floor to floor was exhausting. The climb up the stairs to the tenth floor had not been pleasant.

"I need some more offices on the second floor," she told herself aloud as she rounded another corner in the stairwell.

It didn't help that the image and feel of Jerico kept ricocheting into her mind. Each time, her body reacted. How such a hot man could be interested in her, Aspen couldn't understand. There was no doubt that he was. His fiery gaze followed her and those kisses… Damn, he was good at that.

After constantly pushing thoughts of Jerico out of her mind, Aspen finally completed all of her job duties. Looking at her watch, she noticed it was after eleven. That was too late to call Jerico. Surely, he'd given up and gone to bed. She took a shortcut through an alley to reach her car. Seeing it in front of her in the lot just through the alley gave her the energy to walk faster.

Crap! She stopped in her tracks as she realized she didn't have a key. How was she going to get inside Jerico's house without waking him?

A ringing sound swept that concern away. Aspen looked around, trying to see who or what had caused that sound. It came again and Aspen zeroed in on the direction the noise had come from. There.

"Good evening, sir. Just passing through," she called to the man standing by the dumpster.

"I'll take that bucket and everything else you have," his growling voice announced.

"You don't want a bunch of furniture wax and toilet cleaner," Aspen said, as she weighed her options. Part of her mind told her to set it down and run, but those cleaning products were expensive.

If she edged past him, she could dash to her car. She tried to be very subtle as she reached into her bucket of cleaning supplies and blindly searched for something she could use that wouldn't cause permanent harm. It made her sick to think about hurting someone, even if they were threatening her. Skipping over the round sprayer that held an ammonia-based cleaner, Aspen closed her fingers around the dish soap she used for greasy spots.

"Don't tell me what I want. You don't know me," the man snarled as he stalked forward. "I've been watching you."

That scared her almost as much as his approach. Without thinking twice, Aspen lifted the bottle from the bucket and squeezed it hard.

"Ahhh! You bitch. I'm going to kill you for this." The man swiped at his face, trying to get the thick substance away from his eyes.

Aspen didn't hesitate. She dodged around him and ran for her car. Fumbling for the keys in her pocket as the bucket bashed against her, Aspen pressed the unlock button and yanked open the door. She threw the bucket into the passenger seat and jumped in. Pressing the button to lock the doors, she started the car and threw it into reverse. Aspen backed away from the man who stumbled after her, wiping the soap from his face as he continued to spew curses and threats. As she shifted into drive and pulled out of the lot, Aspen watched him in the mirror as he waved his fists behind her.

Completely rattled, she drove on autopilot, only catching herself returning to her old apartment when she was three blocks away. Aspen pulled over and found the address she'd added to Jerico's contact information. Selecting it, she tried to concentrate on the road, but she was shaking so badly. She needed to get out of this neighborhood. Running into Eddie would be dangerous.

When she made a third wrong turn, she panicked. Pulling over, she took several deep breaths and tried to calm down. Her phone rang, making her jump and her foot popped off the brake, allowing the car to lurch forward. Aspen stomped back on the pedal, shaking.

Grabbing her phone to turn off the insistent cheerful ringer, she saw his name. Jerico . She stabbed at the button.

"Jerico! I can't find my way back to you."

"Tell me where you are, Aspen?" His voice was calm, but urgent. She could hear him moving.

"I don't know. I pulled over in a neighborhood."

"Are you near an intersection, Aspen?"

"There's a street sign in front of me. I'll move up a bit to see it."

"Put the phone on speaker and set it down in the seat next to you first, little girl."

She followed his instructions and felt some of her panic recede as he took over. Thank goodness I'm not alone . A flashback flooded into her memory in reaction to that thought. Aspen could remember staring at her apartment door as Eddie bashed against it. She'd known it would give way someday each time he pounded on it.

"Aspen? Are you driving yet?"

"The landlord wouldn't change the door after the second time he damaged it. He said it was a personal problem and I could replace it if I didn't stop provoking Eddie."

She heard only silence before he cursed, "Fucking bastard. I'm going to run a tank into his door tomorrow."

That mental image made her laugh. It dispelled some of her remembered terror. "God, I needed that."

"A tank?" he asked.

"You." It was easy to admit that with him far away. "Sorry. I'm being ridiculous. I'll get my act together in a few."

"Something happened. Tell me."

"It's not important."

"Now."

"Now?" Was he demanding that she tell him now? "Jerico, I just want to get somewhere safe. Don't make me think about it."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. It's not important now. It will be when you're home safe. Ready to drive up to the sign so I can come get you?"

"Yes," she breathed out in relief, not questioning how he knew she hadn't moved.

"Good girl."

Aspen sat up straighter at his praise. Two words shouldn't mean so much, but they did. Working alone after hours in an office building didn't give her people to interact with. She'd almost started believing her awful neighbor Eddie's statements about her being garbage.

"Thank you for being nice to me," she whispered. "I'm moving up the street."

Taking her foot slowly off the brake this time, Aspen rolled forward and drove down the street. As soon as her headlights hit the sign, she stopped to read the names off. "I'm at NW Thomas and Main Street."

"Got it. Can you see the street numbers on the house next to you?"

"It's too dark." Aspen paused for a second before asking, "Want me to walk up there?"

"No. I want you to stay locked in the car until I get there," Jerico said firmly.

"Okay."

"I'm on my way. The GPS says four minutes."

Aspen kept her head on a swivel. She thought this looked like a safe neighborhood, but sometimes a good neighborhood would be concerned about someone parked at their curb. A man walking his dog crossed to the other side of the street to avoid walking by her car. Aspen saw him pause and look at her license plate. She'd need to move soon.

Bright light filled her mirrors, and she turned to see Jerico's large silver truck pull up behind her. Aspen threw the door open and started to jump out only to realize that she'd never put the car in park when it lurched forward. Shaking her head at how rattled she was, she stomped back on the brake and threw the gearshift into park.

Jerico was by her side when she turned back to step out. He helped her stand up out of the car and wrapped his arms around her. Aspen melted against his chest. Under her ear, she could hear his steady heartbeat.

"I'm so glad you're here," she whispered, taking solace from the corded strength of his body. She knew Jerico wouldn't allow anything to happen to her.

Her heart lurched in her chest as he tangled his fingers in her hair to hold her closer. What was so magnetic about this man? Aspen didn't care. She was just so glad he was there.

"Is she okay?" an older male voice asked from the doorway of the house closest to where she had parked.

"She's good. Just lost and scared. She's fine now," Jerico called back.

"I was worried about her. Just too much dangerous stuff out there now to come out and check on her," the man said apologetically.

"I appreciate you keeping an eye on her. I'll take her home now," Jerico assured him before saying softly to Aspen, "Let's go home. Can you follow me?"

She nodded and forced herself to take a step back and nod. "Sure. I'm fine."

"I'll go slow and keep you in my mirror. Let's get you ready to go."

Jerico held the door as she slid back into place before leaning in to fasten her seatbelt. Aspen watched his gaze roam over the scattered contents of her bucket in the passenger seat and floorboard. "You'll tell me what happened later."

When she nodded, he pulled his phone from his pocket. "Grab your phone and put this call on speaker."

He waited until she'd found her phone on the passenger seat and then called her. Jerico waited patiently until she found the speaker button. "Set it in the cupholder. We'll talk as we drive."

Not waiting for her to answer, Jerico stepped back and closed her door with a solid thump. She watched him in her mirror as he walked back and jumped into his truck. Seconds later, he pulled around her and waited a short distance in front of her.

"Come on, little girl. Let's get you home," Jerico invited.

She nodded and realized he couldn't see her. "I'm coming." Pulling away from the curb, she followed him through that intersection and down to a light.

"How about if I tell you about my afternoon?" Jerico asked.

"Okay," she agreed out loud after a delay, feeling silly because she'd nodded again. He can't see you!

"After we returned to the truck, we grabbed lunch on base. I had something that was supposed to be stroganoff. My grandma would have argued about that label."

"Why?"

"It didn't have noodles. My grandma Betty always made her own noodles fresh when she made stroganoff."

"Grandmas know how to make fun treats like that," Aspen commented as she stuck right behind him in the light evening traffic. She could feel the tension easing from her shoulders.

"She'd always let me help her. I have the recipe. Would you like to make some one day?"

"What do you do?"

"It's like making bread dough, but with more eggs and no yeast to make it rise. Super messy and fun," he told her.

"I'd try it. You know, if you want to."

"We'll do it. Two more turns and we're home. Look—there's the best Mexican restaurant in town," he said, and she knew he was giving her landmarks so she wouldn't get lost again.

"I love La Mesa Mexicana. It has the best tacos."

"Soft ones? Those are the only ones I like."

"Really?" she squeaked in amazement. "They do have them, but the hard shells rock. They make the tortillas there."

"Hmmm. Maybe I could try them. For you. Here's our turn. Galaway Street. I always laugh. My neighbor on the corner has a concrete goose on the front porch that she dresses up. Can you see what he's wearing?"

Peering out the window, Aspen saw something yellow. "I think it's a raincoat."

"Perfect. It's going to rain tomorrow. That goose is always right about the weather. It wears a bikini when it's going to be hot."

Aspen couldn't keep the giggle inside her mouth. She wanted to see that.

"We live here in the white house. You pull into the garage."

"Oh, no. I don't want to kick you out of the garage. It's your house."

"I'll have to leave early. First one out has to park in the driveway," he decreed.

That made sense. "Okay."

After pulling into the empty space, Aspen took a few minutes to organize her cleaning supplies. She shook her head. Why hadn't she done this while she was waiting for him to come find her?

"Come on, little girl. Let's go in. You must be exhausted."

A yawn stretched her jaw at that suggestion. She was totally wiped out. Swinging her legs out, she took his hand and let him tug her to her feet.

As she stepped away, Aspen remembered, "My phone. I have to charge it."

Without a word, Jerico leaned in and grabbed it from the cupholder. "Be ready. I think someone missed you today."

The beast howled happily at seeing her when they walked in the door. Weaving around her legs, Rexy rubbed against her, lapping wet kisses on her skin. Aspen stroked her hands through the dog's fur, enjoying the enthusiastic greeting.

"Rexy didn't cause any problems, did he?"

"None. He was upside down on my bed, fast asleep, when I came in. That dog can snore worse than my grandpa."

"He does saw some logs," Aspen agreed as she stood back up. There was no mistaking when Rexy was sleeping. "Did he bother you last night?"

"No. I tried to get him to come stretch out on the bed with me last night, but he wouldn't leave his guard position outside your door."

Jerico handed Aspen her phone before guiding her into the house and to the kitchen. "I'm figuring you didn't have dinner?"

"No. I never stop while I'm working. I'll eat tomorrow morning."

"You need to eat something before bed. Peanut butter sandwich or cheese and crackers?"

"Peanut butter crackers?" she suggested.

"You've got it. Take a seat."

Jerico poured two glasses of milk and made one chocolate. Taking a sip, Aspen was surprised again at how delicious it tasted. Maybe she did like milk. Curious, she watched him move fluidly through the kitchen. His fit body glided through the movements. She'd never known someone as in shape and in control of his muscles as Jerico.

After gathering a knife, the jar of peanut butter, and saltines, he stood across the counter from her and spread the thick mixture on a cracker.

"Eat," he ordered, handing her one.

Taking a big bite, Aspen chewed with delight. This was just what she needed to settle her churning stomach. She watched as he lined up more in front of her. A whimper from the doorway caught her attention. Rexy peeked from around the door, torn between the memory of his past owner and the aroma of peanut butter.

She moved to the edge of the chair to slide off and take him one, but Jerico's hand covered hers. "Let me."

Aspen watched as he took a cracker and set it a foot away from that fuzzy snout. Only when Jerico walked away did Rexy decide it was safe to eat.

"I didn't know I could hate that asshole more," Jerico grumbled.

Nodding, Aspen snagged another cracker for herself. Rexy moved just inside the doorway. Holding her hand over her mouth as she chewed, Aspen mumbled, "Give him a few more. I can't eat that many."

"No talking with your mouth full. I don't want you to choke. Even though Rexy needs to maintain his boyish figure, one more won't hurt. I'll help you," he assured her before setting another full cracker on the floor just inside the room.

"You don't need to keep yours?" she teased.

"If you only knew how many miles we ran today. By the way…" Jerico's voice trailed away.

She knew he was waiting for her to relax, so he could ask what happened to have rattled her so much. "I don't want to talk about it."

"You don't want to tell me what happened tonight?" he asked.

When she shook her head, Jerico told her softly, "You can tell me anything, little girl. Sometimes, it's better to tell someone. Keeping bad memories bottled inside you isn't good."

"I'll be fine."

"I can't force you to tell me, Aspen, but I wish you'd trust me enough to share."

"Are you going to kick me out if I don't?"

"Of course not. Finish eating, little girl. Then it's time for a shower and bed. I'll be out for early maneuvers before you wake up. Are you safe to go to work this afternoon?"

"This afternoon?" Aspen checked her phone to see that it was after midnight. Instantly, she felt bad. He needed to be in bed to get up as early as he did.

"Sorry, I kept you up."

"Knowing you were safe is more important than sleeping. I'm good on a couple of hours. I'll have twice that tonight. Sure you don't want to talk about it?"

Aspen carefully controlled her expression, so he didn't know the truth. "It's not important." She picked up her milk and drained it.

Maybe I'll park a distance away and take a rideshare to the building and back. Something. Jerico isn't going to want to save me from everything.

"If you say so, little girl. I don't want you in danger. Tell me now if we need to make some changes to keep you safe."

"I'm good. I'll say goodnight and go shower. Thanks for dinner."

"Tomorrow, you'll be home earlier. I'll make something yummy."

"You don't need to take care of me, Jerico." Aspen slid off her stool and headed for the guest bedroom she was fighting against calling her own.

"Oh, yes, I do," he said, and his voice seemed to follow her down the hallway.