Page 11 of The Runaway

“I’m not. That’s why I’m here. My boss has no use for me.” The thrumming in his lean sinew hiding under his shirt eased at my reassurance. “In Russia…everyoneis a criminal, sono oneis a criminal.”

“That… is a meme-worthy phrase.” I had no idea what that meant, and it didn’t seem to matter, anyway. Jacob rocked back on his heels to gaze at me steadily, his brow wrinkled with worry that warmed my soul. “Safe to say someone’s following you. If I have nothing to worry about, then you can agree to come to my place, right?”

“You— you’re… you’re dumb, Jacob.” His smile widened, and he reached to scratch my crown with blunt fingertips. That pleasurable sensation slithered down my back and eased the throbbing in my shoulders. “You should go home alone.”

“That’s the smart thing to do, isn’t it?” Dragging his palm down to cup my cheek, Jacob flat-out grinned at me when I nodded. “Too bad I’m dumb.”

11

Jacob

Joci hadn’t said a single damn word the entire Uber ride to my apartment, and I jabbed the key into the lock roughly in frustration. I wasdyingto know what that guy was talking about at the pizza place. She’d been held hostage for a month? He had toallowher to stay?

What the fuck was going on?

Shuffling into my apartment, I tossed my keys onto the small table against the wall and shirked off my jacket. My mind wouldn’t slow its churning, the voices arguing loudly, trying to talk over themselves and banging against the backs of my eyes. Turning to kick the door closed carelessly, I helped Joci out of her grey coat to frown at how pale she was. Her face was gaunt, eyelids sagging, physically trembling, and I hung up her jacket next to mine to grab her hands.

“Joci—” Dull, brown eyes flickered to mine, and my heart lurched at the thick sheen threatening to spill over their edges. Licking my lips heavily, my mouth dried as I rubbed the back of her clammy palms with my thumbs. “I think it’s safe to assume that I know enough to know I don’t want to know any more, but if you need to talk about what your ex did to you, I’ll listen.”

I spoke slower than usual, careful not to use uncommon words, because Joci had trouble understanding me without the added mental strain. Sourness coated my tongue when she just ducked her head in a nod, but there was nothing more I could say. If she wanted to tell me, she would; I couldn’t force it out of her. Leading her through my open living room, I rounded the sofa carefully, and she glanced around.

“Him doing that has nothing to do with that guy. My boss felt bad for me, but America wasn’t around until just now. They don’t matter. I’m here to stop.”Uh…I nodded as I tried to decipher her thickly accented words, and Joci sighed softly. “I like your place.”

“Thanks. I do, too.” The carpet silenced us as we walked into my bedroom, and I kicked off my shoes. Sitting Joci on the foot of my bed, I worked off her heels before seating myself next to her. I was so dazed from what happened that there was no awkwardness, no discomfort, when she crawled up my bed to pull back the sheet.

Okay— I’m an idiot. That’d already been established in my head when I invited her over. Anyone else would’ve run away as fast as possible from the looming possibility that Joci would make my life difficult. But here we were, in my home, and I had no idea what the Hell was going on anymore. This situation was far more than I could handle; that guy back there didn’t strike me as someone that made threats lightly.

A soft, shuddering gasp drew my attention, and my head snapped up as Joci laid down on her back. Even in the low light, her skin shimmered with cold sweat, lips and chin wobbling dangerously. My heart twisted sharply, yanking the muscles in my body to move to her side. If she knew I was there, only her expression drenched in pain when the bed dipped under me.

“Hey— hey. It’ll pass.” I didn’t know if that was true, but even if it wasn’t— the thick crease between her slender brows eased ever so slightly at my coo. Joci was so tense that most of her back didn’t touch the bed, and I slouched heavily to work my arm under her. Her sharp, shallow breaths and little whimpers grated my ears but lessened in intensity when I propped my forearm right in the center of her back.

I wasn’t sure how long it took for Joci to release all the tension in her, but when I glanced at my watch, the hands were quickly approaching 5pm. Glancing out the window on my side, I frowned at all the artificial light that seared my retinas. Winter in New York Citysucked, and an ugly mix of sleet and rain was sticking to the glass.It wasn’t supposed to rain until 8pm.

“It’s better than normal.” Humming softly at her murmur, I turned my attention to Joci as she rolled onto her side heavily. Even with sweat sticking her hair to her neck, her face drawn haggardly, she looked a lot better. I scooted down, propping a pillow under my head as she licked her lips, and butterflies invaded my abdomen. “You don’t have to deal with this, Jacob.”

“You know why I approached you at the bar last night? I thought you were hot.” The confession picked up the corners of my mouth as Joci’s breath hitched, her eyes widening in surprise. “I knew Caleb was gonna be late, so I figured that I could chat you up while I waited. Maybe get your number. Talking to you was fun— you’re interesting. You’re Russian, and you came to America for a better life. You’ve never had mozzarella sticks, and I thought that was adorable.”

“… But…?” My brows rose at the tentative tone, and Joci tore her gaze from mine to frown. “I’m dangerous to be with.”

“There’s no ‘but’. That’s all I was gonna say. Everyone has baggage— violent ex-boyfriends— regrets— overcoming the past gives you the start to the future, Joci. The fact that you came to America by yourself, with no one to help you, and no plan… that says a lot about you— more than you probably know. Besides…” Trailing off to touch her cheek, I smiled when her eyes flew back to mine. “You’re here to get away from it, Joci. If you do manage to free yourself, the past isn’t going to matter. No one’s going to come up to us and threaten us. No one’s going to stalk you to make sure you’re not a spy. Everything’s gonna get better.”

Joci didn’t reply to my reassurance, but I whole-heartedly believed it. Thingswouldget better. Her being in this country was proof of that. Sure, some guy said some things I knew she didn’t want to tell me. And, yeah— I was stupid for ignoring the red flags that cropped up as a result. Some douchebag in a suit that cost more than my rent wasn’t going to scare me.Admittedly, he was terrifying at the time, but that’s the not the point.

She was just dealing with a rough patch— a dick boss, relocating, no friends.There’s nothing unique about that.

Soft, warm lips on my own broke me from my rationalizations, and I tensed as my heart leaped into my throat. Joci wiggled a little closer to me, her hands plucking apart the buttons of my shirt. Wrapping my arm around her back gingerly, I cupped the back of her head when my own screwed back on right. The shock of her sudden kiss wore off quickly, and I groaned softly as the taste of her seeped through the seal of our mouths.

I didn’t protest when she pushed me onto my back, and Joci straddled my waist with her long, slender legs. By far, the best legs I’d ever had wrapped around me. Nimble fingers pushed open my shirt, her lips parting to invite me in. My heart raced as the taste of her overwhelmed my buds, and I tangled my tongue around hers to intensify the kiss.

Shivers rampaged just under my skin as our kiss turnedsloppy. The need that I couldn’t shake since seeing Joci at the bar flared wildly, and I grabbed her plump ass to roll my hips. Even through both our pants, my cock throbbed from her heat. Her moan caught in my throat, and saliva roped from her tongue when it untangled from mine. Staring into those sparkling, brown eyes, I panted faintly as I struggled to pull my brain out of my jeans.

“I… shouldn’t have done pants.” She blushed faintly, and I clenched my jaw as she sat back against my thighs. “So…”

“You want to wear one of my shirts? I might have something long enough to cover everything.” Surprise flashed in her doe eyes before they practically melted out of their sockets, and I pushed myself onto my elbows with a grunt. “You don’thaveto, but if you’re adamant about having sex…”

“It was more nice than I thought… that’s all.” The look on Joci’s face right now was worth the strife even as she hid behind a thick curtain of mahogany waves.

“There’s plenty to do that you don’t have to be naked for, Joci.” Sitting up fully, I reached between us to cup her mound, and Joci tensed with a sharp inhale. Holding her chin, I brushed her lips with my thumbs. Never did I look at her like she was some creature to be pitied for her situation.