Ivan blinked, barely resisting the urge to slam the door in the poor woman’s face simply to vanquish the asinine image forever. He didn’t know her. Had zero interest ingettingto know her. In fact, all he wanted to do was get rid of her so he could go home.
Uncaring of why she was here, he opened his mouth to inform her she’d have to come back later when the woman spoke up again.
“I, uh…” She paused briefly, the tip of her tongue swiping nervously against her bottom lip. “I-I need to see Jax Monroe.”
Of course, you do.
The subconscious thought was automatic, a reflex as natural as breathing. Mostly because, well, they always wanted Jax.
“He’s not here.” Those eyes continued pulling him in as he added a belated, “Sorry.”
There. That didn’t sound douchey, did it? Ivan didn’t think so. But then—
The woman’s narrow shoulders fell, and she looked away. When she met his stare once more, the disappointment filling her striking gaze tugged at his heart in ways it absolutely shouldn’t.
“Do you know when he’ll be back? It’s…” The tip of her tongue darted out, swiping nervously along her plump lips. “It’s really important.”
“Two weeks.”
Her eyes doubled in size. “Two weeks?”
“Jax is on his honeymoon.” Ivan watched her like a hawk as he waited to hear her response.
Her gorgeous face twisted with an expression he didn’t quite understand. “I-I don’t…I don’t think I have two weeks.”
She didn’t have two weeks? What the hell did that mean?
Floors forgotten, Ivan kept he broom in his hand as he did his best to pull more from the cryptic woman. “If you’ll tell me what it is you’d like to discuss with Jax, I might be able to steer you in the right direction.”
If she’s here to claim some BS about Jax, so help me…
The man was very well-known around the city. Well-known, highly connected, and justifiably feared.
Most of the time, those connections of his came in handy. But every now and then, Ivan’s unapologetic friend would have a run-in with some dumbass stupid enough to think they could con a con. Not that Jax was a con man.
No, the sly bastard was simply street-smart enough he could think like one. Or perhaps in this case, they were dealing with…
A con woman?
While Ivan may not be privy to every detail of his friend’s personal history, hewasfamiliar with most of the women who’d whisked their way through Jax’s life in recent years. Despite his earlier lapse remembering Laura’s name, Ivan was really,reallygood at remembering faces.
And the one staring back at him now…
Oh yeah, sweetheart. I’d damn sure remember you.
“Thanks, but…” The woman released a heavy sigh. “I guess I’ll just figure something else out.” With a mumble he couldn’t quite make out, the beautiful stranger promptly returned the hood to its place on her head and walked away.
Ivan watched silently as she stepped off the curb and rounded the back of the car parked directly in front of the club. A piece of shit two-door with bad tires and a mismatched hood.
He squeezed the broom still clutched in his fist, the move reminding him he needed to finish the last of the clean-up. But for some unknown reason, he couldn’t seem to drag his ass back inside just yet.
And as he stood there, unable to look away from the unexpected visitor, Ivan’s mind worked overtime to figure out why he’d had such a visceral reaction to a woman he didn’t know.
Sure her eyes were spectacular, but their beauty wasn’t what called to his subconscious. He wasn’t surewhatthe hell it was, but there was something about the skittish brunette that beckoned him. An unseen force calling upon him to keep her from leaving.
Before realizing his feet were even moving, Ivan was pushing the door out of his way completely, and he was stepping outside. With that damn broom still dangling from his grip, he hollered after her.
“Hey!”