Chapter 5
5
J ordan smiled as she watched Rhys out in the yard with Honor. The pup had been forever grateful when Jordan had released her from the crate. She couldn’t believe Rhys had locked the dog away so they could have private time.
“Again?” Rhys snorted.
Honor trotted back over to him with her toy in her mouth.
“That’s to make up for locking her up,” Jordan called out. She rested back against the chaise she was lying on. Their evening had been going perfect. Good sex, good food…she was a lucky girl and she knew it. The sun was balancing on the horizon, giving them a perfect backdrop. She adjusted the cushion behind her and sighed.
After they’d eaten their amazing meal, they had just relaxed. Rhys had a football game on the patio’s television. She had always been one who could fall asleep anywhere, and his hollering at the television didn’t disturb her nap.
This is what married life would be like , a voice whispered in her head. Her smile slowly disappeared. It could be. She glanced around at the patio, the acres of land that stretched out in front of them, and the house that she had come to love. Her gaze landed on Rhys again who unmercifully teased Honor with her throw toy.
“I’m not sorry either,” Rhys said. He held the toy up in the air.
Honor jumped up, trying to grab it from him. The dog gave a bark before settling down. She backed away from Rhys, her laser focus not leaving the toy.
“I’d do it again.”
Jordan rolled her eyes. He didn’t have to lock the poor dog up. He could have just closed the door or something. The pup shouldn’t be locked away when they were home.
Rhys gave the toy another toss. This time it flew through the air. Honor took off across the yard, her body a blur.
“That’s it. I’m done,” Rhys muttered. He turned around, a sexy grin on his lips.
Jordan’s heart did a little dance.
He walked back toward the patio while Honor was happily trotting back from catching her toy. “I’m too old for this.”
“Seriously?” Jordan arched an eyebrow. He was in perfect shape. Between working as a police officer and owning his small farm, the man was fit for his age. His body was perfectly sculpted, and she would know. She knew every inch of him and had counted the amount of ridges on his abdomen with her tongue numerous amounts of times.
He came over to her and grabbed her by her hand.
“Hey, I’m comfy here,” she grumbled.
He plopped down on the chaise and then pulled her down onto his lap. He spread his legs to allow her to fall between them. He tugged her back, wrapping his arms around her.
“Isn’t this better?” he murmured. He kissed her shoulder then reached for the remote to the television.
“Yes.” She turned and snuggled down, resting her face on his chest. Here was where she belonged. Honor came up on the patio and dropped her toy down next to the chaise. Her pleading eyes met Jordan’s. “Oh, no, girl. Not right now. I’m too sore from workouts today.”
She wasn’t going to complain. Mac and Declan kept the SWAT team in tip-top shape. They had to be in order to be proficient at their jobs. They had to be ready for any situation when it came to being a SWAT officer. It was a dangerous job, and each officer was responsible for making sure the entire team remained safe and returned home. From kidnappings to drug raids, there was an element of danger that went into their job. She loved the adrenaline rush she got, putting her gear on and strategically entering a building.
They never went in guns blazing.
That was how someone got killed.
Instead, every move was practiced with such precision that working with her SWAT brothers became second nature to Jordan. She could always count on them when they went into a hot situation.
Honor whined then moved around them as if looking for a spot for her to join them.
“Honor, go get some water or something,” Rhys suggested.
The dog gave them another look before turning away and doing as she was commanded. Her food and water bowls were located across the patio.
“Why did you send her away?” Jordan chuckled.
“Because she or Nova is always getting your attention. It’s my night,” he said and tightened his hold on her.
She leaned into him, loving when he got in these moods.
“Don’t tell me you are jealous of your dog and your daughter.” Jordan grinned.
He narrowed his eyes on her, a scowl forming.
“I love spending time with the girls.”
“I know you do, but dammit, sometimes I need you to myself.” His lips brushed her shoulder again, but his focus was on the television.
There was another football game on. Jordan wasn’t a football fan, but her father was. She was used to the games being on their television. It didn’t matter who was playing, Cecil Knight would be watching the game.
“Are you sure about that?” she shot back. His attention would be on the game and not her. Rhys couldn’t fool her. Not that she minded. Today was his day off, and the man didn’t often relax. There was always something to do on the farm, or training he had to go to with Honor, or getting called in when not working his regular shifts.
“Does it feel like I’m lying?” He shifted his hips, and it was then something nudged her bottom.
Jordan inhaled sharply. After their afternoon romp in the bedroom, she didn’t think he would be ready so soon. She clamped her legs shut, already feeling the awakening of her nether region. She should have known better. She couldn’t think of a time when he hadn’t been ready for her.
“No,” she replied softly. She bit her bottom lip and tried to beat down her libido. Jordan allowed her body to relax back against his. The commentators on the television were excitedly talking about the matchup between the two rival teams. She didn’t mind watching the game with Rhys. It just felt good to not be doing anything but spending time with her man.
Honor trotted back over to them and glanced one last time at the chaise as if to see if they had made room for her. The poor pup plopped down on the ground next to them. With a warm breeze blowing past, Jordan couldn’t help but enjoy how their evening was progressing.
The sound of a phone chirping bit through the air. Jordan stiffened at first. It wasn’t the particular ring tone that she had programmed for when SWAT was being called out on a mission.
It was her sister, Omara.
Jordan snatched up her phone and stood. She padded over to the edge of the patio.
“Hey, sis,” she answered. The heat of Rhys’s stare was on her. She could feel it without looking over her shoulder. He didn’t like the fact that she hadn’t wanted anyone to know about them. It wasn’t that she was ashamed of their relationship or anything.
She just needed more time.
And it killed her that she hadn’t introduced him to Omara and Jason. She would love to bring them all officially together. Rhys and Honor had been there the night Jason’s father had kidnapped him. It had been Honor who’d chased down her nephew’s father when he’d tried to run and it had been Rhys who’d handcuffed him.
When Rhys had showed up that night, he’d remained professional, even called her Officer Knight . Their relationship had been extremely new at that time. But he and Honor had come through for her. Her nephew was unharmed, and his crazy father was captured. That incident had been one of the worse of her life. It wasn’t often that Jordan felt fear when out on a mission, but when it had involved her nephew, her flesh and blood, it had been a different ball game. She had dreaded the notion of returning to her sister’s house empty-handed, but luck was on their side and they got their happy ending.
“Where are you? I haven’t seen or heard from you in days.” Omara’s voice came onto the line.
Jordan leaned against the railing and took in the acres of land surrounding them.
“I’ve been around.” Jordan snorted.
“Well, I know for one you are not at work. Zain told me that after workouts you shot out of there like a bat out of hell.”
Jordan scowled. She was going to have to have a little chat with her future brother-in-law. Didn’t he know what happened to snitches? She didn’t need him sharing her every move with her younger sister.
“Is that what Zain told you?” she replied softly, already plotting her revenge on her teammate.
“Now don’t go taking that tone of voice with me. Zain didn’t do anything. If you would just include me in on what’s going on with you, I wouldn’t have to ask around.” Pain came through her sister’s voice.
Jordan sighed, regret filling her. She had never been one to keep so many secrets from her sister. If Omara knew the true sordid secrets she was hiding, her not sharing Rhys would be immediately forgiven.
“Have I done something to you, because if I have, I’m sorry.”
Pain lanced Jordan’s heart. She squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed the center of her forehead. This wasn’t what she wanted. She just needed to make sure what was going on between her and Rhys was real. She didn’t want to have another failed relationship under her belt.
“I’ve worked back-to-back shifts, and Zain was right. When workouts were done, I left right away. I’m off today and wanted to spend the day with, um…him,” she said softly. She was met with silence. She pulled her phone away from her ear and glanced down at it. The call was still live. She replaced it back to her ear. “You still there?”
“Yeah. I am. I just don’t know what to think. You’ve been acting strange, and I just want to be there for you if something is going on?—”
“Everything is great, sis. I promise. It’s perfect,” she whispered the last part. She reached up and pushed a few wayward strands of hair from her face. She fought the urge to look over her shoulder at Rhys and Honor. She was surprised the dog hadn’t followed her, but knowing Rhys, he’d held her back with a silent command.
“Well, if you say everything is perfect then I have to take your word on it.” Omara sniffed.
“I promise, soon you will get to meet him. He’s dying to meet you and Jason,” Jordan said.
Maybe it was time for them all to meet and she let the cat out of the bag. She couldn’t hide away in this bubble forever. Jason would love the fact that Rhys was into football. Her nephew was a fanatic of the sport and had one hell of an arm. Zain’s brother, who coached at one of the local high schools, had been letting Jason come to their practices. He’d become an unofficial member of the team. Jordan loved her nephew as if he were her own. A smile crested her lips at the thought of Rhys tossing the ball with Jason.
Or maybe a little replica of himself with Jordan’s smile.
Unable to resist, she glanced over her shoulder and found Rhys’s attention glued to the television with Honor sitting in Jordan’s vacated seat.
No wonder she hadn’t followed Jordan. She was currently snuggled up in Rhys’s lap getting her ears rubbed.
Honor’s eyes flicked to Jordan.
Traitor , Jordan mouthed the words to the dog. Her eyes widened at the smirk that appeared on the dog’s face.
“I noticed you didn’t mention Zain. So he must know my man,” Omara quipped.
Her sister’s sassiness was breaking through. Jordan chuckled and shook her head. Omara had definitely been hanging around cops too much.
“I’m not going to answer that,” Jordan joked.
“Well, don’t make us wait too long. I need to meet the man who has tamed my wild-ass sister,” Omara teased.
Jordan grinned, not going to argue with her. If any man could come close to taming her, it was Rhys Newman.
“I promise. Now did you call me to guilt trip me or was there a reason for this call?” Jordan asked. She didn’t want to cut Omara off, but if she didn’t really want anything then they could continue this call another day.
“Damn, girl. Always direct.” Omara giggled. “Well, did you forget about the baby shower?”
“Of course I haven’t forgotten. How can I when Mom is texting me every other day needing me to do something.” Not that Jordan minded, but their mother was a drill sergeant when it came to ensuring her daughter’s baby shower went off without a hitch. Omara’s special day was going to be just that. Jordan had taken care of all the details that were needed here in Columbia. Their family was coming in from Atlanta, and it was going to be an epic shower. “Was there something you needed?”
“Besides knowing that you’re alive and well? Not really, but there were a few things I wanted to go over. I figured we could grab lunch this week.”
“Sure, but I’m not changing anything with the shower without Mom.” Jordan snorted.
There was no way she would go up against their mother. That woman was finally getting a second grandchild, and she was on a warpath to ensure the baby shower went off without a hitch. Jordan looked forward to seeing her sister and going out to lunch with her. Maybe they could make a day out of it. She couldn’t remember the last time they had a girls’ day.
“Chicken.” Omara mimicked the sound of a chicken. She fell into a fit of laughter.
Jordan held the phone away from her ear for a moment before bringing it back. Rhys hollered at the television, lost in the game. Jordan eyed him for a moment. He didn’t even glance her way, his attention was solely on the TV.
“Definitely not a chicken, just a fan of breathing.”
They made arrangements to meet for lunch at one of their favorite cafés located near Omara’s beauty shop. Jordan disconnected the call. She turned back and walked over to Rhys. Honor gave her a slick side-eye. The stubborn dog appeared to not want to give up her spot on the chaise with Rhys.
“It’s like that, huh?” Jordan playfully scowled at the German Shepherd. She folded her arms.
Honor gave a whine and glanced back at Rhys.
“You took her spot.” Rhys gave the dog a firm rub on top of her head, motioning for her to get down. “Give Jordan her seat back.”
Honor gave a whine. She slowly hopped down from the chair. Jordan smirked as the dog gave a humph and ambled over to her water bowl.
“Don’t mind her. She’s just being dramatic.” Rhys chuckled.
Jordan returned to her spot and leaned into his warmth. The scent of his cologne always had her nuzzling her face into his chest.
“I can deal with dramatic women,” Jordan joked. She glanced over at the television and saw that it was on commercials. She peeked up at Rhys and found his eyes on her. There was a warmth that was always there when he looked at her. She had to admit she liked it. His eyes gave so much away when it came to his emotions. “Is something on your mind?”
“Just wondering if everything is good with you and your sister?”
She took a moment to think of the statement, and deep down, she knew the answer.
“Yeah, we’re good. She’s still trying to figure out who you are. She’s on that you know Zain.” Jordan smirked.
Rhys of course knew the entire SWAT team. They had worked on countless missions together.
“That crazy son of a bitch.” Rhys grinned. He tightened his hold on her. “How’d he pull your sister?”
“I don’t even want to know.” She shook her head. She had heard plenty of stories of Zain’s and Iker’s antics with women. But Zain wasn’t the same person anymore. There was definitely a change to him. She could see it in all of the guys. They were all in love with their women and would do anything for them.
Hell, she’d even helped out when shit had hit the fan.
The Demon Lords had it in for the SWAT team. The infamous gang did not like the police, much less the SWAT team, and that was an understatement. They had tried their hand at coming for members of the SWAT team and their loved ones.
Jordan’s heart skipped a beat at the thought of something happening to Rhys or Nova or even Honor. Her hand tightened into a tight fist as emotions swirled around in her chest. She understood exactly what her fellow SWAT teammates felt. She hadn’t until she’d met Rhys. There was nothing she wouldn’t do to protect her man. Jordan had even begun looking at Nova as a daughter.
The Demon Lords were vicious and had no morals. Just to think that she had been so close to a member of the gang brought a newfound fear to her. She was able to distance herself from them before and planned to remain that way.
She’d even had to start over.
All thanks to the damn gang she hadn’t realized she’d had ties to.
“What’s got you so tense?” Rhys murmured. He slid a hand down her spine which instantly brought her back from her darkened thoughts.
“Nothing. Just something that came to mind from my past,” she replied softly. She hadn’t really shared with Rhys what had happened in Atlanta. All of it was bottled up inside her, but she just couldn’t share it.
Would he think differently of her?
It was taking a toll on her. Should she be in counseling for it?
Probably.
But Jordan hadn’t had time to even think of finding a therapist. Life after the trial had sped by, and Omara at the time needed her, and it was also her way to escape and make a new life for herself. She just hadn’t had time to call her own.
Plus she was fine. She had a new focus in life and would just keep all of that hurt and trauma buried. It’d been working so far. She could handle it.
“Want to talk about it?” he asked quietly.
Jordan shook her head immediately. Now wasn’t the time. She was sure at one point she would need to tell him. If they were to have a future together, she would want to come clean and lay all of her cards down on the table. She did believe in honesty.
“No, I’m okay.”
“Are you sure? Last time you slept over?—”
“I said I’m okay.” Jordan didn’t want to think of the last time she’d slept there. Everything had been fine until she’d had a certain dream.
A nightmare.
She had scared the crap out of Rhys and Honor who had been asleep in the bedroom with them. She’d woken up confused and then embarrassed.
Rhys had caught a name coming from her lips during her nightmare.
Bravon.
Jordan pushed off of Rhys and stood. Her skin crawled from the thought of his name. She walked away and headed toward the stairs. She took them and began walking away from the house. Unsure where she was going, she kept walking straight. The cool blades of grass greeted her feet.
She ignored Rhys’s curse.
“Jordan!” he called her.
Her hand came up to rest over her mouth to find her lips trembling. Her vision grew blurry as tears teetered on the edge of her eyelids. She tried to will them to not fall, but they didn’t listen. The fat drops slid down her cheeks.
What. The. Fuck?
Why was she crying?
Despite everything she had been through, she hadn’t cried once. Not when she’d found out who Bravon truly was. Not during the trial. Not through the slander from her old precinct that she’d undergone. Not even when she was home at night lying alone in her bed, trying to figure out her next move.
She’d been strong. Held herself together, and not once had she reached out to anyone for help. Jordan’s one regret was not checking into Bravon when she had seen the red flags, but she’d tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. She’d ignored it all, and look how things had played out for her.
She was Jordan Knight.
She could handle anything the world threw at her. Anger filled her at the way she was reacting at the moment. She didn’t want Rhys to see her this way. If she was going to lose her shit, then she’d want to do it alone where there were no witnesses.
Honor’s bark echoed through the air behind her. The dog could have easily caught up to her. Rhys must have given her an order to stay on the patio.
Jordan didn’t know where she was going. She wanted to scream out at the world. Why did shit always have to happen to her? What did she do in another life to warrant all of this crap that she’d had to deal with? A warm hand slipped around her bicep and whipped her around so fast she didn’t have time to stop the momentum of her body crashing into Rhys.
“Where are you going?” Rhys’s voice was gruff and strained.
Jordan blinked to clear her vision. His eyes were wide, a frazzled look on his face.
“I needed some air,” she replied.
She tried to pull back, but he held on to her. His other hand came to rest on the small of her back.
“We are already outside. How much air do you need?” He paused and released her arm. He reached up and trailed a finger along her cheek. “What is this?”
“It’s nothing.” She shook her head and inhaled sharply, trying to get herself together. Panic filled her. Rhys was probably thinking she had lost all of her marbles.
“It doesn’t seem like nothing.”
Rhys’s hand cupped her cheek, and she found herself leaning into it. Maybe this was what she had needed all along. Feeling the strength of his body pressed against hers, the warmth in his voice…maybe she had needed someone to lean on.
Rhys.
That’s who she had needed all along. Who was she fooling? The longer she was with him, the more she was finding she needed him.
“It’s silly,” she admitted. It truly was. After all of these years, why would these emotions be so strong now?
She reached up and tried to wipe the wetness, but Rhys brushed her hand away. He leaned down and placed a kiss on each cheek where the tears streaked. Jordan’s body softened, leaning farther into him.
This man.
“Tell me, Jordan. Whatever it is, I’m here for you.” He rested his forehead on hers.
Jordan bit her lip to keep everything from spilling. Her eyes fluttered closed while she basked in the feeling of him.
“I can see something has been bothering you, and it kills me that you haven’t shared it with me. Whoever it is who has upset you, just point them out and me and Honor will go handle them.”
Honor growled as if cosigning Rhys. The damn dog’s hearing was crazy good, and it wouldn’t surprise Jordan that Honor was listening to every word they said.
“Rhys.” Jordan sighed. He was just as crazy as she was, and there was no doubt that he would take his dog and go hunt down who had caused her to cry.
But they wouldn’t be able to do that since Bravon was in prison.
“Don’t shut me out.” His other hand came to her other cheek and held her face softly. He tilted her head back where her gaze could meet his.
Jordan shuddered as she stared into his eyes. Rhys was dead serious. Those blue eyes of his were clear with his intentions. He wanted to see into her soul, and if she wasn’t mistaken, he could see through her bullshit.
“You know everything about me. My ex-wife, the divorce—everything. Don’t do this to me.”
More tears slid from her eyes. The last thing she would ever want to do was hurt this man. She would cut off her trigger finger before she’d do that. She’d come clean to Rhys, and if he didn’t want her any longer, then she would hold her head high and leave.
It was time for her to pull up her big girl panties and tell him everything that had happened in Atlanta.
Then maybe it would make it easier to tell her teammates.
But for now she’d take it one step at a time and speak with Rhys. She’d think of the guys later. She may need to lean on them if this conversation didn’t go the way she hoped it would.
“Okay,” she breathed. She closed her eyes and nodded.
Rhys released her head, allowing her to lean forward to rest her forehead on his chest.
She inhaled his scent, fearing this may be the last time she breathed it in. “We are going to need a drink or two for what I have to share.”