The Jinxed Jackpot

Ben - A danger to her own damn self

“Didn’t I tell you not to take the Lord’s name in vain?” she seethed.

She had a way of making me feel like a kid being scolded and that just made me laugh more. “What do you want me to say?” I asked. “Oh jeez?” I teased.

I was not expecting her to walk in on me, but hell, it was kind of funny. Two minutes earlier and she would’ve seen a whole lot more of me. She was blushing like crazy, trying to keep her eyes off me, but they kept coming back. And I kind of loved it, even though I knew I shouldn't. This was a form of torture that I kind of enjoyed putting her through. God only knew my brain was tortured all night from seeing her in that towel.

“You don’t have to keep standing there,” I said with an amused grin, using the towel to dry my hair a little more.

She grabbed the door handle. “You see this?” She pointed at the lock. “That’s there for a reason, you… you…”

My eyebrow arched, waiting for her chosen word.

“Dummy! Use it,” she yelled before stomping out.

I chuckled to myself. At least her fight was back this morning. I could take the yelling, the fighting. What I couldn't take was last night– that morose shut down version of her with the telltale signs of crying all over her pretty face.

“Did you need the bathroom?” I called out.

She came stomping back, her jaw and fists clenched tightly. “Yes. Get out.”

I snorted a laugh. “Yeah, you look like you need to wash up,” I said, taking my time to pull on a shirt. “Got a little…” I gestured to her cheek and hair. It was actually kind of cute. The way she had blue and white paint splats on her.

She just popped a hip out and lifted her cute, upturned nose in the air as she jutted her thumb toward the door, a silent get out.

In what must’ve been a show of defiance, she refused to budge to make space for me to leave, so our bodies were forced to brush.

I heard a sharp inhale, and I couldn’t tell if it was from me or her. Looking down, I clenched my jaw because I noticed something I had no business noticing: She clearly wasn’t wearing a bra.

My body screamed at me for more contact, to make her react again. She was like a strong drug, tempting me, pulling me in. I could practically see myself shoving a hand up her shirt, shoving my other hand up in her hair, crashing my mouth to hers, making her make all kinds of sounds.

The way she froze and her eyes darted, I knew she felt it too. We were balancing on a dangerous tightrope here.

My voice was thick when I forced out, “Good morning to you too, Mags.”

And I knew I needed to get the fuck away from her before I did anything stupid.

In the living room, I reminded myself of all the reasons I needed to box up my stupid attraction to her and get my head right.

I leaned against the sectional and dropped my head as I ran through the mental reset that Eileen instilled in me years ago to help me control my mind.

One: Admit your thoughts. Okay, yes, she was beautiful. Hands down one of the most beautiful women I ever laid eyes on. Yes, my body ached to pull her against me. To crush my lips against hers. To run my hands down her body and never let her go.

Two: Alleviate shame. It wasn’t unusual to feel a pull towards her. I was a man attracted to women. She was a very attractive woman. I’d have to be dead not to want her. Every dude that passed her probably felt the same way. This attraction I felt humming under my skin just meant I was human.

Three: Reason through it. Only a stupid human would act on bodily impulses when they were in my position.

I needed to close this case. And then I wouldn't even be in Colorado anymore. I’d surely be reassigned back to NYC or DC. This case was meant to ease me back in. After things went to shit in DC, I disappeared for three weeks and no one could tell me I wasn’t allowed to. I hadn’t taken a vacation in over five years. I had plenty of days stocked up to go off the map for a while. I did feel bad for not telling Coleson, but he knew I needed to get my head right. And besides, he easily tracked me down after two weeks anyway. But Coleson was given strict instructions for us to work a case out here to get our feet back under us. Timothy and the organization were supposed to be a quick and easy take down. I didn’t expect to be stuck here for weeks…

And I was already ready to leave.

Maggie, on the other hand, was looking to settle down. It was easy to tell. She admitted back in the interrogation room that she was after a boyfriend. She was probably looking for a mushy guy who would shower her in attention and love. A guy she could walk all over. I snorted. She was someone who needed to run the show.

That wasn’t me. It would never be me. I’d never let romantic love rule my life. I had personal experience with people around me losing their heads for love and it never ended well, so why would I open myself up to that?

I blew out a sigh.

I needed her trust, not her heart, damnit.

Maybe I just needed to lengthen the leash on this whole situation a little. Maybe if we went out, she’d find herself a nice boyfriend. It’d squash my temptation, and she’d get what she wanted. As an added bonus, I could run extensive background checks on the guy and make sure he was good enough for her. I’d actually be helping her then, and I’d feel better about leaving her when this was all over.

So it was settled.

I’d help her with this little plan of hers.

The smell of fresh coffee pulled me into the kitchen. I poured myself a cup, then walked around to her little project on the ground. I looked from the canvas to the view outside and back again. It was pretty accurate. I could already tell it was going to be beautiful when it was finished.

Maggie came out of the bathroom twenty minutes later wearing a turtleneck and a plaid short skirt, her long hair still sopping wet.

“You do know it’s going to be about 80 degrees today, don’t you?” I asked, sipping my coffee. I was wearing my usual black joggers and a t-shirt.

She rolled her eyes. “Don't really want everyone seeing this.” She pulled down the neck to reveal her bruises and my jaw clamped shut. I was an ass. She did such a good job with covering her bruised eye that I nearly forgot about her other bruises. “They’re already gonna have a bunch of questions about you lurking around.” She rolled her eyes as she threaded a brown belt through the loops of her skirt.

“I don’t lurk.”

She snorted.

“I don’t,” I grumbled. “Is your wrist okay? Take two of these.” I threw a bottle of painkillers at her.

She looked up, but her hands never moved. The bottle hit her smack in the cheek and fell to the floor. Her jaw dropped open and her hand flitted up to her face.

I blinked at her, my own shock mixing with anger— I didn’t mean to hit her.

Her eyes narrowed. “Did you just… Did you just throw that at me?”

My eyes bulged. My hands went to my head. “Why didn’t you catch it? You didn’t even try!”

Her head did a flustered little shake. “You didn’t even give me a chance to realize I was supposed to. And I can’t catch.”

I shoved my palms in my eyes to battle my internal frustration. Maybe I’d been hanging around Coleson too much. We practically finished each other’s sentences and got into a groove of movements, always throwing things at each other and having confidence the other would know what to do. Living with someone else was bound to be a transition, but to not even try to catch something coming for your face?

The pill bottle hit my stomach.

I took my hands away from my eyes and shot her a dry look.

“Why didn’t you catch it?” she asked in an innocent voice, a triumphant little grin tugging at her smart mouth.

“Oh, so you can throw?” I ran my tongue over my teeth as I snatched the stupid bottle from the floor. “You want two or not?”

“I don’t need them. I’m fine.”

“You banged your cast on the counter,” I said dryly, calling her out, “that had to hurt.”

She pressed her lips together. “Well it doesn't hurt. I’m fine.”

I arched a skeptical eyebrow. That right there was her tell. She pressed her lips in a firm line when she was about to spew a little white lie. I hated that she was in any pain, but it’s not like I could force her to help herself. I pulled at the back of my neck. “Suit yourself. If you wanna be in pain, that’s your prerogative. What’s the plan for today?”

“Meetings, then classroom prep,” she answered without looking at me.

I grimaced. I never thought I’d be going back to school. I hated kids. I mean, they were fine from afar. But… up close they were sticky little liabilities. They were a danger to themselves and all around them. At least the kids didn’t show up ‘til Monday, that’d give me enough time to mentally prepare for the situation.

“What grades do you teach again?”

“All of them.”

I gave her a questioning look.

“I’m an elective teacher, so it works differently for me. This semester, I start the day with high schoolers that signed up for art. First AP kids, then other high school kids come in based on their level, there’s level 3, 2, and 1. After lunch, I see kindergarten through fourth graders. Next semester, I’ll see fifth through eighth after lunch.”

She left to finish getting ready. A minute later, I heard the hair dryer on in the bathroom.

Okay, so at least I only had to deal with the little kiddies and the high school punks. I had a feeling teaching middle school would be a smelly warzone, and I was glad to be missing them.

I sat on a stool at the kitchen island and started making a list of everything else we’d need for the apartment for the time being. I’d get the list to Coleson so he could stock up for us.

When she emerged from the bathroom, my chest tightened. I never should’ve accepted this role. I should’ve shoved it on someone else. I shouldn’t be in such close quarters with her. Her long black hair was pulled into a claw clip, exposing her elegant neck. I envisioned pulling her shirt down and tracing a finger down it, my tongue down it. My pants bulged. Fuck. I was in deep. I needed to protect her. And keep distance. Nothing else. And I needed to change the subject right away.

I coughed into my hand. “What food do you like?”

She pouted her lip in thought. “Food?”

“For the pantry.” I waved a hand at the kitchen.

She shrugged as she pulled on her shoes. “Chipotle.”

“So like, the ingredients? Rice, chicken, guac, what else?”

A laugh blurted out of her. “You’re kidding, right?”

I didn’t understand her laughter. I wasn’t being funny. “No.”

She stared at me with those green eyes. “I mean, I drive to chipotle for food. I don’t meal prep.” She said it like it was the most ridiculous thing she ever heard.

I scratched my cheek. “Stocking up isn’t meal prepping, Maggie.”

“Well, I don’t care. Get whatever you want.” She waved me away.

I shifted on the barstool. “Well, what are you eating for breakfast?”

She held up her coffee mug without looking at me.

Was she joking?

“Let’s go or we’re gonna be late,” she said, pulling a backpack over her shoulder.

Jesus, she was serious. She skipped breakfast? She’d be running on fumes in a couple hours. I knew it wasn’t my problem, but it pissed me off all the same.

I grabbed out a protein bar and ripped it open with my teeth before following her out the door.

_______

In the parking garage I beeped the Escalade, but she continued on walking to her jeep.

“We can take the Escalade,” I told her sternly.

“We?” she snorted. “You are more than welcome to drive your own car and follow me if you want, but I am driving myself to work.”

I stopped walking. “You’re injured.”

“I can still drive.” She smoothed a loose piece of her hair back into the claw clip before reaching for the driver’s side door of her jeep.

“Well, you shouldn't–”

“Let’s get some things straight,” she said, cutting me off and facing me. “I did a little thinking this morning.”

“And?”

“And I thought you were supposed to be a shadow? Shadows can’t talk now, can they?” She lifted her angular chin in triumph. “Be silent, shadow.”

My jaw throbbed with frustration. I weighed my options. I could easily pick her up and deposit her into the stupid Escalade. But that’d be a surefire way to burn down the trust I was trying to build.

“Getting in or not?” she asked over her shoulder.

Give her a little more freedom, gain her trust , I mentally rattled off to myself.

As soon as I swung open her shotgun door, empty water bottles fell out onto the concrete ground. My eyes trailed up to find the entire seat littered with empty coffees, different bottles, and random wrappers.

My eyes went up to hers. “You’re kidding me.”

Her hands were already on the wheel, ready to go. Her lips twitched like she wanted to laugh. “You can always drive separately,” she said with an oh-so-innocent little shrug.

My nose flared with frustration at her little act.

This was going to be a long day. I shuffled up the garbage as quickly as I could before throwing it away.

“Is it to your liking now?” she asked sarcastically.

I shot her a glare before folding my body into her cramped car. My knees practically hit the dash and I had to push the seat back to its furthest setting for a little space. She started up her car before buckling, and I wasn’t sure why I was even surprised at that point.

Taking stock of her car, it was clear she had a thing for good luck charms– a rabbit’s foot keychain hung from the mirror and there was a four leaf clover sticker on the dash, but none of those charms would mean jackshit if she continued to act so carelessly.

“Don’t you dare put this car in reverse without buckling up,” I grumbled. “And take that damn clip out of your hair.”

Her fingers flew to the clip. “What? Why? It took way too long to make this look cute. I’m not taking it out now.”

I stared at her. She seemingly had no qualms about her own damn well-being, I was sure of it. She was determined to fight tooth and nail against every safety precaution I wanted to enforce. “Do you know what will happen if we get in an accident? You really want that clawing into your brain?”

Her eyebrows slammed down defensively. “Well, I’m a very safe driver, so I’m not really concerned about it going into my brain.”

“You need to worry about others being shitty drivers as well,” I told her. But she refused to make a move. “Maggie,” I said as a warning.

“Benny,” she shot back, crossing her arms over her chest.

I reached for her hair. She tried to stop me, but I had her hands restrained in two seconds before I stole the clip and her long hair cascaded down. Jesus. All that hair. I could wrap it around my fist and–

“Buckle up and drive,” I grunted.

Her jaw dropped. “That was so uncalled for!”

I just shrugged.

“Say you're sorry,” she demanded.

“Can’t,” I said, facing forward, struggling not to grin. “I told you I wouldn’t lie.” I could feel her glare on my cheek. I liked pissing her off way too much.

“And I told you–”

“You’ll get it back when we get there. You gonna drive or do I need to take over?” I asked dryly, cutting her off.

Her nostrils flared with a deep breath. She was clearly trying to calm down. She messed with her phone, booting up the GPS and music. Taylor Swift’s voice crooned through the car. Then she backed up fast. Way too fast.

“Maggie!” My hand flew up to the dear-Jesus-handle to hang on.

She slammed on the break and looked over at me in panic, her eyes wide. “What?”

“You didn’t even look back!”

She pressed her lips together. “Yes, I did.”

“No, you didn't.”

She scoffed. “How do you know? I totally did.”

I stared at her. She couldn’t be serious. “You could’ve run someone over.”

“Well, I didn’t.” She looked back to check and murmured, “See, I totally didn’t.” She continued backing out of her space, slower this time. As we exited the parking garage, her eyes flitted over to me. “Jeez, relax,” she breathed out. “You’re heightening my cortisol level with that scowl of yours.”

“Yeah, well, I’m tense, too, Maggie.”

“Pshh,” she waved me off.

Dear God, help us.

As she drove, I kept a watchful eye, because the way she sped up when she saw yellow lights was giving me anxiety. That’s why it took me so long to notice that the same song had been playing for over five minutes, and she was starting to tear up as she sang along.

I swallowed hard. “Are you… Are you crying?”

She sniffled. “It’s emotional.” Her hand went to her chest and she let out a ragged sigh.

“Hands on the wheel,” I bit out, feeling my whole body coil up even tighter. I shook my head, she was too damn emotional.

Taylor Swift went into the bridge of the song and when a single tear rolled down her cheek I’d had enough.

“Nope.” I slammed music off. “No more.”

She pursed her lips. “It’s not bad to feel feelings, Ben.”

I scoffed. There she went again, talking to me like I was a child. I bet she talked to her students with that exact tone.

“Fine, who is your favorite artist?” she asked, her eyes dancing over to me.

I held my breath as she ran another yellow light. “I don’t know,” I answered distractedly. “I listen to a lot of Goo Goo Dolls.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Oh my God.”

“What?” I asked warily.

“You’re a romantic!”

I reeled back. “No, I’m not.”

She shot me a sassy get-real look.

“Eyes on the road,” I said tersely.

She rolled her eyes. “Iris is the most romantic song ever written. Let’s listen.” She fumbled for her phone in her lap, but I quickly stole it away. Jesus, she was barely holding onto the wheel.

“No,” I barked.

“What the heck? Why not?”

“You’re way too distracted.” I shifted uncomfortably. “No more music,” I added for good measure.

Her delicate jaw set. “Then no more driving together. Play it.”

“Not if you’re going to cry again.”

She rolled her eyes and sighed.

I only had to wait a single minute before she was rambling again. It was almost laughable how predictable she was– she hated awkward silence. “That song really is a tear-jerker. I mean, he says he’ll give up forever just to touch her. Like, can you imagine ? Can you imagine feeling that much for someone? Like… wow. I just…” Her shoulders slouched and a far-away look filled her eyes. “I want to experience that.”

I studied her side profile, feeling an uneasiness in my chest.

“What? What’s so bad about that?” she snapped defensively.

She was out of her damn mind if that sentiment didn’t scare her. That was the problem with this world. Too many people lost their heads because of love and then they completely disregarded the rest of the world. “We’re not listening to that damn song.”

“You’re the one who said you liked the Goo Goo Dolls.” She let out a disgruntled sigh. “Fine, play a pump up jam then. I can’t do silence.”

I snorted. No, she couldn’t. “Silence is fine.” I grinned, loving that it was making her squirm.

Her jaw angled to the side. She reached for her phone in my lap, slightly swerving the car.

I wrestled the phone away from her weirdly strong grip, grabbed her hand and shoved it back on the wheel.

“Okay!” I looked at her like she was crazy. Maybe she was crazy if she was about to risk her life for music. “I’ll find something, just drive.”

I blew out a breath and started scrolling through her spotify playlist when she swerved so hard that I slammed against her door. Horns blared at her until she righted the car in her lane.

I momentarily blinked in shock. Then anger took over. “What the fuck, Maggie?!”

Her face went white as a sheet. She was breathing hard, looking straight ahead with bugged-out eyes.

“What happened?” I demanded, scanning the road for threats.

“There was… There was…” she worried her lip while scanning the road.

“There was what?” I demanded.

She looked at me with wide green eyes. Her shoulders were practically scrunched up to her ears. “A black cat,” she squeaked.

Disbelief hit me first. Then anger hummed under my skin, threatening to take over. She just risked her life, our lives , for a fucking cat?

She eased to the stop light.

Rubbing my forehead, I muttered, “Saint Anthony, Saint Anthony please come around. Something is lost and needs to be found.”

She scrunched her nose up in confusion. “Isn’t that the lost prayer? Did you lose something?”

“No, I didn’t, it’s for you ,” I gritted out, trying to rein in my emotions.

She looked over at me in confusion while hitting the gas. “ I didn’t lose anything.”

“You lost your mind!” I exploded, throwing a hand up to the road. “Pull over. Now.” My voice boomed so loud in the car I even surprised myself.

“Relax,” she chided.

“I can't,” I gritted out, feeling on edge. “Pull over. We’re switching.”

She rolled her eyes, but she had to be a little freaked still too, because she was paler than usual. “Fine.”

She flicked on her hazard lights and slowly pulled to the curb.

I flung the door open and breathed deep, trying to settle my heart rate before I took over driving. I rounded the front of the car, but as I passed the left headlight, she lurched the car forward, making me jump back.

“What the…” I stared daggers through the windshield.

She threw her head back laughing. I could hear her cackles from where I stood on the hot cement.

That pushed me over the edge. This was done. “I hope you’re enjoying yourself,” I muttered. Because she was about to get an earful. She needed a lecture on driver safety. You didn’t mess around like that behind the wheel. I reached for the driver’s side door to pull it open, but it was locked.

“Open the door,” I demanded, staring at her through the window.

“ That one is open!” she yelled through the glass with a bright smile, pointing to the shotgun seat.

“Open this one.”

She schooled her face into pure innocence and pouted her plump pale pink lips. “But you wanted to get out.”

“Maggie, my patience is thinning.” The morning sun beat at my back as I stood there like an idiot.

Her face pinched in fake apprehension. “I’d back up if I were you.”

“You don’t even have a license right now!” I reminded her– as well as myself– while pulling hard on the handle. Her clear disregard for the rules was chipping away at my last nerve.

Her car lurched forward again, making me jump back. She cackled more. Secretly, I might have even enjoyed the sound if I wasn’t so damn pissed. I ran my hands over my head, ready to pull my fucking hair out.

Her window cracked open about an inch. “Rookie mistake, big boy! I can feel the freedom!”

“Maggie!” I yelled furiously.

But I was too late. She was already speeding off, leaving me here.

She rolled the window completely down and waved her arm around in the air.