Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Liam
I sat on the bench outside Jenna’s building, ignoring the sidelong looks I got.
I couldn’t help that I was a big dude. But then I watched Jenna scan the parking lot before she even stepped out of her car, and the second she saw me, her tension eased and her eyes lit up, so fuck everyone else.
Her peace was all I cared about. I’d gladly sit there and scare her neighbors everyday if I could give her that.
She hurried toward me, her skirt, white with big teal flowers, swishing around her legs, her blond hair flowing. But it was her smile that stole my breath.
“Hi, Liam.” Her eyes shined even brighter than usual. Yeah, she was definitely happy to see me, and I felt the same.
I reached for Jenna and drew her into a loose embrace, dipping my head to rest my forehead against hers.
“Hi,” I whispered into her hair, belatedly returning her greeting.
I’d been waiting for seventeen and a half hours too long for this hug, and I yearned to cocoon her in my arms, but I didn’t.
Instead, I kept her close while barely touching her.
“Hi,” she repeated.
I reluctantly pulled back, and she blinked up at me, the glazed look in her eyes slowly clearing.
A long, charged moment later, we made our way inside. In the elevator, I asked. “May I come in while you get ready?”
Jenna nodded. “Of course.”
“There’s no ‘of course’ about it. We don’t do anything unless you’re comfortable with it. Understand?”
Emotion swirled in her beautiful blue eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered.
I brushed my lips against hers. “Always. You decide what’s okay.”
“Thor’s going to be really excited to meet you. He’ll jump on you.”
“It’s okay. That’s what dogs do.”
“Not like Thor. He’s going to hug and kiss you and insist that you hug and kiss him back.”
“What?”
Her smile shone bright. “He likes to hug.”
“Let’s go then, I’m ready for my hugs.”
Excited whining urged us on as we stepped out of the elevator, and Thor’s tail thumped against the wall as Jenna unlocked the door.
The moment we stepped in, Thor jumped up, his paws wrapped over the top of Jenna’s shoulders, his eyes tracking me.
He was a big, handsome guy, brown with a little black defining his face and on the tip of his wildly wagging tail.
He pressed his face against Jenna’s as she kissed his nose.
“That sure is a hug and kiss. I apologize for not quite believing it.”
At my words, Thor turned without letting go of her, placing himself between us. He pinned his ears back and gave me the stink eye as he pressed closer to her. Her laughter rang out, and I’d let this dog try to cock block me any day to keep hearing that sound.
“Hungry?” Jenna asked, laughter still in her voice as she led Thor into the kitchen where she gave him food and filled his water bowl.
“I just need a minute to freshen up. Make yourself at home,” she said before heading down a hallway that I assumed led to her bedroom and bathroom. Thor followed behind, glaring back at me until they were out of sight.
I wandered past the small foyer to see more of Jenna’s apartment.
The warm, inviting feel of it fit her. To the left, the dining room held a gray and white wooden table for four.
The kitchen, divided from the dining room with a half wall, had a white and gray tile backsplash, white cabinets, and light gray counters.
A fancy-looking coffee maker sat on the counter.
The space was small and the stove was dated, but it would be more than adequate to cook for her.
The hallway that Jenna had gone down was in the middle, and to the right of it was a modest living room with a gray couch and matching ottoman with colorful pillows and throw blankets scattered around.
Emma would call the style rustic farmhouse or modern farmhouse or something like that.
She’d like it, I knew that much. She’d like Jenna a lot too.
I walked over to the main feature, floor to ceiling bookshelves that framed her TV, photos tucked between rows of children’s and adult books. Most were of her with Juliette and Nicky, and a few were with her brother.
“That’s my brother, Tyler,” Jenna confirmed as she walked up beside me.
She was wearing the same skirt but had changed into a teal shirt that matched her beautiful eyes. The top was cinched at the waist and poofy above it, offering just the tiniest hint of her slight curves. She was fucking gorgeous.
“I met Tyler when he visited last summer. Good kid.”
“Yeah, he’s great.” Her face fell. “I hope he’ll visit again this summer. I miss him.”
“You haven’t seen him since then?”
“No. I haven’t been home, and it’s hard for him to come during the school year. He’s graduating next month.”
She looked so sad, I couldn’t resist taking her hand. Before I could ask about the graduation, a low growl rumbled through the air. Thor crept between Jenna and me, teeth bared, the hair on his back standing on end.
“It’s okay, baby. Liam’s a friend,” she crooned, dropping my hand to pet him. She threw me a worried look before turning back to him. “I’m so sorry. I don’t think he’ll do anything.”
“He’s doing the right thing by guarding you,” I said softly, taking a careful step back. “We just need to show him I’m not a threat, that I’d never hurt you. I’ll go sit on the couch so I seem less threatening.”
Jenna held his collar while I slowly walked away. His growls lessened, but he stayed positioned between us. Once I was sitting, she let go and moved to the other end of the couch.
“Give me a hug,” she said. I was confused, but Thor clearly knew who she was talking to.
He leaped over the ottoman onto her side of the couch and waved his paw impatiently in the air.
Then he sat up on his haunches and wrapped his front paws around her neck in the most real hug I’d ever seen a dog give.
He pushed his snout into her face, demanding kisses, while managing to keep his eyes on me.
I laughed and he scrunched his nose, showing me his teeth, but without the vehemence he’d had before. This look was all cockiness, like he’d won the girl.
“Come here,” she said softly.
“Me?”
“Mm-hmm.” She held her arm out, inviting me to join their embrace.
Even though no dog trainer would ever approve of this, I slid in next to Jenna, hesitant but trusting her. Thor tightened his paws around her neck, staking his claim. Challenge accepted, buddy. I wrapped my arm around Jenna’s shoulder, shifting her closer to my side.
“See, he’s nice. He won’t hurt us,” she murmured, her voice trembling.
My heart pounded. I was earning Jenna’s trust just as much as Thor’s. I let my hand drift down her back to her hip as she leaned into me, and I wrapped my other arm around Thor. This was the weirdest and most intimate hug I’d ever been a part of. And the most important too.
Thor licked my face, so I guess I had his approval now. We laughed and ended the hug, breaking the charged tension. I already missed the feel of Jenna against me.
We took Thor out to the dog run, which I was happy to see was well-lit and enclosed by the building. There were a lot of people around, and Jenna seemed friendly with everyone. She greeted all the dogs by name, and some of the people too. I wasn’t at all surprised that everyone knew and liked her.
Then we brought Thor home, and a few minutes later, we were in my car, heading to Market Square.
“I’m sorry about Thor. He’s really a good boy.”
“I know he is. Don’t worry about it. What kind of dog is he?”
“No idea, he’s a mutt from a shelter.”
“That’s awesome. I had a mutt growing up. I’d love to have a dog, but I can’t with the hours I work.”
“I wish I’d had a dog growing up.” Sadness crept into her voice before she smiled again. “I love having Thor.”
It was both impressive and concerning how easily she pushed her feelings aside as she launched into another funny story about him being scared, but I couldn’t help wondering what lay behind those moments of sadness and fear.
I wanted to be sure her happiness was genuine.
I wanted her to open up, to trust me with both her worries and her joy.
“Oh my! What an incredible place!” Jenna’s eyes glowed as she looked around Market Square, taking in all the colors of the lights and flags hanging across the streets and the eclectic Mexican restaurants and vendors.
“You’ve never been here?”
“Once, but it was a huge fiesta. I didn’t stay long or have any desire to come back. But on a quiet night like this, I love it.”
“Me too. It’s like we stepped into another world.”
Jenna admired the handcrafted goods as we meandered down the street toward the restaurant. She offered praise to the vendors, greeting them in English or Spanish, matching whichever language they greeted her in, sweet and thoughtful as always. Except…fuck.
Motherfucker. I grabbed Jenna’s hand and dragged her away from an asshole aggressively trying to sell her a necklace.
“Liam! What’s wrong?”
“You flinched away from him. From all of them. You smiled and thanked them, but you were scared.”
Jenna’s eyes softened. “It’s okay. I like looking at everything, and everyone has been friendly. No one did anything wrong. It’s not their fault I get nervous easily. They don’t deserve rudeness because of things that have nothing to do with them.” She said it matter-of-factly, like it was normal.
“Jenna,” I whispered, the pain in my chest stealing my words.
I don’t think she meant to reveal everything that sentence conveyed.
I don’t think she even realized how much I pulled out of it.
“You don’t have to talk to them or do anything you aren’t comfortable doing. You don’t owe anybody anything.”
“It’s for me, not for them. I’m having a great time. I’m used to feeling a little…afraid…all the time. I’ve accepted it. I’m not going to miss out on this or anything else because of that fear.”