“No thanks, I only have a little left. I may take you up on that for the staining, though.”
“Sure thing, just tell me when.” Brady looked at Dylan and Ryan. “You?”
“I have a class this afternoon.” Ryan taught women’s self-defense classes at a few local places, usually gyms or schools that brought him in for a series of lessons. We helped him occasionally, especially if it was a bigger group. It was a cool program. Empowering for those women.
“Want to meet up at Nolan’s after?” Brady asked.
Ryan agreed, but Dylan declined, saying he wanted to spend his last few uninterrupted days with Juliette. I got it. If I could have Jenna home with me, I wouldn’t want to leave the house either.
I declined as well, obviously, but I wasn’t ready to tell these busybodies about my date with Jenna. Hopefully, it would be the start of something real, but if it wasn’t, no one needed to know her business. “Next time. I’m just going to lay low tonight.”
Dylan shot me a look. Jenna must’ve told Juliette about our date, which hopefully meant she was as excited as I was. Warmth spread through my chest. I still couldn’t believe she’d asked me to dinner. I may have made the first call and offered to driveher to the party, but I wouldn’t have dared jump right to dinner. Nope, Jenna got all the credit for that.
“Can I have a word before you go?” Dylan bit out.
I narrowed my eyes at his sharp tone. “Of course,” I replied, then turned to Brady and Ryan, who were watching with blatant curiosity. “See you soon,” I said with a chin lift, letting them know we were cool. At least, I hoped we were. I wouldn’t let him come between Jenna and me, and I’d be pissed if he tried to.
I waited for them to get in their cars before I finally gave him my attention. “What’s on your mind?” The words came out harsher than I’d intended.
He crossed his arms and puffed out his chest. “You’re taking Jenna out tonight?”
“Yes. You got a problem with that?”
“Shit,” he sighed, dropping his posture. “I don’t mean to offend you. It’s just, Juliette feels protective of her, and I do too.”
“And you think I’d hurt her?” It cut deep that he’d think that, and I didn’t try to hide it. I would never hurt any woman, especially not Jenna.
“No! It’s just...she—” He ran a hand through his hair, searching for the right words.
I’d love to know more about Jenna, but I wanted it from her. “I get it. She’s got demons in her past. Or something. I’ll be careful with her.”
Dylan sighed, his relief visible. “Yeah, man, that’s all I wanted to say. I know you’d never hurt her. You’re the most stand-up guy I know. Just go slow and easy.”
“I will. But I’m also going to be sure she knows I’m interested. I’ve been taking things too slowly for a long time, and I almost lost my chance once already when we all stopped getting together.”
At the reference to his and Juliette’s break up, Dylan’s brows drew down for a moment before he smiled again. “Well, Julietteand her friends aren’t going anywhere, so now it’s on you. Don’t fuck it up. You wouldn’t want Juliette to ask me to kick your ass.”
I laughed. Dylan was strong, but he was no match for me. I had a good five inches on him, and my physique was broad compared to his leaner build. Not to mention, I may not have been in the Army for that long, but I’d learned more than enough to take him down. “Wouldn’t want that. You can assure Juliette I’ll take good care of her.”
“I know you will.” He hesitated for a moment. “We’re good?”
“Yeah, brother. I’m glad she has friends looking out for her.”
“Have fun tonight.”
“I will. Enjoy your night with Juliette too.”
A few hours later, I was sanding the deck and still thinking about Jenna. I didn’t mind Dylan’s worry, nor was I surprised by it. She made every protective nerve in my body zing, and I’m sure he felt a little of it too. Jenna was so kind and friendly, yet she simultaneously seemed scared of people most of the time. Warm, but wary. When I first met her, I got the impression she was nicebecauseshe was scared. Like she was overcompensating for her distrust by being overly nice.
But as I got to know her better, I realized her goodness was an unshakable part of who she was. She truly was that sweet and caring, and she was strong enough to stay that way despite what some asshole did to make her so afraid. It made me want to kill the fucker. I didn’t know who or what, but I had no doubt someone had left her with deep scars. It also made me want to stand between her and anyone or anything that could hurt her. It would be my honor and pleasure to protect her so she could keep shining her light on everyone she came into contact with.
But not just to protect her. I wanted to share in that brightness with her.
I saw it from the first day I met her, the same day Dylan met Juliette. I still remember her reaction when her group of girls joined up with us at Nolan’s. We’re all big dudes, both in height and/or muscle, depending on who you’re looking at, and I’m the biggest in the group. Her eyes widened almost cartoonishly as she took us in, but there was nothing funny about the way she took a small step away from me. But then she straightened to her full height of five foot three, leaned back in, extended her tiny hand, and greeted me with a gorgeous smile. She was beautiful, with her brownish blond hair and greenish-blue eyes—green on the inside, blue on the outside—the color of a deep tropical ocean. And wasn’t that fitting for her?
Beautiful.
Powerful.