Night Hack: A forced proximity alpha hero hacker romantic suspense (Nightshade Book 4)

Chapter 16

Jana

Oh, God!

I really didn’t know what to do with the way Brycen was looking at me.

This can’t be happening.

One minute, we were behaving like normal adults—friends even—and in the next, I had this beautiful man before me, looking as hungry as a wolf, appearing as though he wanted to gobble me up like I was a rabbit.

I’m sure women would swoon over less than that desire-filled gaze of his.

But swoon I couldn’t.

I swore I wouldn’t give in to my baser instincts—at least not yet. We’d both agreed just that morning. And my life was in shambles.

Despite my suddenly swollen tongue, parched mouth, and dry lips, I managed, “Hand.” Brycen’s eyes flared impossibly hotter, so I cleared my scratchy throat and added, “I’m tired. Let me doctor your hand, and then I’m going to head to bed. You’ll have to ice it again when I’m done though.”

With a shake of his head and a step back, Brycen emitted an “Oh…uh…” swallowed, and proceeded with, “O-okay.”

“Where’s that first aid kit you mentioned on the car ride here?”

“Kitchen sink,” he responded, taking a seat at the kitchen table, a look of confusion—or was it rejection—strewn across his beautiful face.

What a long night.

How Brycen hadn’t called me on my evasiveness by doctoring his hand, then escaping for his spare bedroom at a little past eight in the evening, I’ll never know. Thankfully, I had my own bathroom and a television, which enhanced my seclusion.

Nearly three hours later, after having bathed in some fancy bubble bath, coupled with candlelight, and some music from one of my trusty Spotify playlists, I was just starting to doze, when light enshrined my entire bedroom, followed by the loudest bang point-five seconds later.

A surprised shriek snuck out and delight at the electricity in the air filled me.

I loved thunderstorms. Always had, and probably always would. But it also meant I wouldn’t be sleeping until it let up. Storms typically energized me to the point I was obsessed with watching Mother Nature’s light show. It was the rain that followed that generally relaxed and lulled me into a fitful slumber afterward.

In nothing but a thin tank top and some lounge shorts, I added thick wool socks to keep my feet warm, then grabbed the throw from the foot of my bed. Wrapping the soft material around my shoulders, I tiptoed out of my room and headed for the front door. I knew exactly where I’d most likely get the best show, therefore, I headed for that egg-shaped swing thing on Brycen’s porch.

Brycen

Jana hadn’t spotted me as she snuck out the front door. If I’d hazard a guess, I’d say she had taken the opportunity—being the reasonable adult—and had made her escape earlier to avoid the attraction that undoubtedly had grown exponentially between us over the last few days. The spooked look in her eyes had given her away, and neither of us were in the right headspace to test the proverbial waters.

So, here I was, in the present, feeling like a creeper for sitting in the dark, watching the woman of my most recent fantasies trying in vain to cover her shapely thighs and legs with a small throw as she cozied herself up in my porch swing.

The peaceful look on her face following each lightning flash had me entranced.

She loved thunderstorms.

So did I, in fact. And Bailey…not so much. The big lug was currently cowering in the back of my walk-in closet after having knocked everything out of his way so he could be as deep as could be in his self-made den of safety.

Standing by one of the living room’s windowed sliders, the sight of the woman shivering at the abrupt gust of wind made my mind up for me.

Heading to the kitchen, I set the kettle to boiling and grabbed the two large mugs from beside the coffee maker which I’d left before deciding to call it a night shortly before Jana had come out of her room. Reaching for the pantry, I grabbed a couple tea bags and dropped one in each mug before filling both with the ready boiled water.

“Ah, the interloper finally joins,” she said softly, her eyes remaining on the sky as soon as I slid the door open. “I was wondering when you’d stop creeping and come out.”

“I brought something to warm you up,” I said, presenting her with a mug of tea, which she accepted readily, not pushing for me to acknowledge her earlier statement. “It’s chamomile.”

She studied me for a split second and her eyes filled with humor. “You drink chamomile?” She brought the cup up to her lips, savoring the smell of the liquid before taking a small sip to test its temperature and taste.

“My sisters like to make sure I have all the fixings,” I explained. “They claim that it’s half the battle to be able to bring a woman over and have her want to stay.”

Jana grinned.

“I never had the heart to tell them to stop, and some of the shit they bring over is actually pretty good.” I shrugged.

“And the woman part?” she inquired.

“No woman has set foot in this house that I haven’t been related to.” My eyes met and held hers in all seriousness. “Until you.”

Jana froze at my statement.

To break the awkwardness of my truth, I pulled the large lounging chair closer to the swing and made myself comfortable. Jana’s long legs stretched out, her feet meeting the edge of my chair’s cushion for swinging leverage. My hands itched to lean forward and run them over her smooth skin. Instead, I clasped both around my large mug and forced myself to remain a gentleman—a friend. It’s what the poor woman needed more than anything right then anyhow. Anything else would fall into place, eventually, if Lady Fate would allow it.

“Couldn’t sleep?” I asked at the same time she said, “Sorry about earlier.”

“Don’t be.”

“I just didn’t—” She broke her own progress, sighed, then looked to the sky as if it would provide her with the right words. Instead, she led with, “To be honest, I was just fading into sleep when the storm started. I can never sleep during these things because I prefer to watch them.”

Let it slide, Bryce.If she wasn’t ready to bring up the proverbial elephant in the room about our undoubtable attraction, then I wasn’t going to force anything.

“I kind of gathered that when I saw you walk by me in the dark and come out here,” I smirked.

“There’s just something about watching Mother Nature come alive,” she explained.

I nodded, then added, “I agree.” Her eyes were still aimed skyward.

“What about you?” she questioned, meeting my gaze. “What were you doing sitting in the dark?”

I wasn’t really going to tell her about my internal debate on if I should go to her and apologize about earlier; at least, not yet.

“Couldn’t seem to fall asleep,” I said instead. “Probably because, under normal circumstances, I’m still working at this time.”

Jana looked alarmed and a wee bit guilty. “Am I preventing you from doing your job by being here?”

“If anything, Dalton would probably say you’re a good influence, in the sense you got me out of the office and kept me away from my dungeon, which led to an early bedtime.” I couldn’t help the self-deprecating smile. “Like I’ve mentioned before, I’m a workaholic.”

“Dungeon?” Jana’s eyes were wide, her soft pouty lips pursed.

“It’s what I call my home office. It’s in the basement because it’s so large, and the women in my life think it’s better suited for a man cave than in all the good number of bedrooms I’m meant to fill,” I told her.

That tinkling giggle of hers graced my ears, then was chased by a flash of light in the distance, and another loud rumble of thunder.

“How many sisters?”

“Three. I’m the youngest.” The look of horror on her face had me laughing out loud. “Yes, it was as horrific as you’re imagining it in that pretty little head of yours.”

She shook her head. “Oh, you don’t want to know what’s going through my head right now.”

Her suggestive and teasing tone caused a certain part of my anatomy to take notice, and I leaned forward, not only to hide its appearance, but also because she had me enthralled in what her thoughts about my upbringing would entail.

“Please, nothing could top the times they put in barrettes and tried to braid my hair. I was like their own personal baby doll for most of my early years,” I said. “I’ve woken up many times with painted toenails, lipstick. Hell, Cora even managed to convince me to try her eyelash curler when I was eight.”

Jana’s laugh pierced the night, and I was smitten, reveling in the fluttering sensation in my chest.

“You’re close,” she stated rather than asked.

I nodded. “We are. All three are married now, and I’m an uncle five times over, and a sixth on the way. I don’t see everyone as much as I’d like to, but at least twice a month or so, I’ll join Dad for a day of fishing, and we have family dinners every Sunday that, I’ll admit, I miss more often than anyone and myself would like.”

Jana’s expression fell from dreamlike to sad. “That sounds beautiful…and amazing.” I simply nodded. “And I take it your parents are still together?”

My grin only widened. “They are. I swear, I’ve never seen any two people so in love as they are, except for maybe D and Huss—that’s Dalton and Devolin. Shane and Emberlyn, as well as Cade and his new woman, Aspen, are close seconds. Their love is one for the ages. My parents have been together since Mom was seventeen and Dad was nineteen. They’ve been married for forty-four years. Forty-five in a few months.”

“Wow!”

“I know. I’d like to have something like them some day,” I confessed. Jana didn’t say anything, so I prompted her. “How ’bout you?”

“Everyone I know hasn’t had much luck with marriage and relationships,” she began, “yours truly included. I used to think everyone has a soulmate, but once I became an adult, the sparkle of the idea faded away. Once bitten, twice shy, you know?”

I did. “Yeah.”

“It’s not that I’ve given up on the idea of love and a happy ending for myself; it’s just I don’t think it’s in the cards for me.”

“So, you’ve sworn off men?”

“Not really. It’s just I don’t feel I need a man to help me through life.”

“Feminist?” I teased, making her laugh lightly.

“All for women taking a stand and pursuing their life goals and being successful. If that’s the level of feminism you’re asking about, then I suppose, yeah.”

“So, you’re egalitarian? You believe that women should be able to do whatever a man can, equal pay, et cetera?”

“You got it.” She pointed a finger at me while still cradling her mug in both hands.

“What about your family?” Jana cringed. “Sore point? I’m sorry, you don’t have to answer that.”

“No, it’s okay. Let’s just say there’s nothing to write home about. Mom and my father split when I was two. I’ve never seen the man again, but if you’re asking if Jason, my mother, and I are close, you already know we are. We try to have time where all three of us are together, but with Jason’s and my schedules, since they’ve moved in with me, it’s been tough. And now, with Mom’s health declining further, and…”