Her 24-Hour Protector by Loreth Anne White Page A

quickly pulled his shirt over his head, cleared his throat. “We should get into the shade. It’s…hot.”
    “It sure is.” She grinned. Genuine. Affectionate. Definitely not calculated. And deep down Lex wanted to believe that whathe saw in her face, in her eyes, was real. And that’s when he knew he was in real trouble. “Do…uh…you want to go get an ice cream…or something?” Like a cold shower.
    “Love to.”
    “Hey, Coach!” The skinny kid suddenly came trotting back around the corner, all toothy smile and sweaty gear. “I lost my bus money.”
    “Again?”
    “Could you maybe loan me some?”
    Lex peeled off a couple of notes from his wallet and handed them to the kid. “You gotta watch your cash, Slim.”
    He shuffled on his feet. “Hey, I’ll pay you back, just like I did last time.”
    “Yeah. Take it. Go.” Lex slapped him playfully on the back. “Get yourself some dinner while you’re at it. Put some meat on those skinny bones of yours.”
    “Thanks, Coach! Thanks a ton.”
    “Go!”
    He spun and jogged off.
    And in that moment, Jenna thought she could fall head over heels in love with this man. He was the furthest thing from any of the guys she’d ever dated, and way out of her social circle, but he did something to her. He’d make a terrific father, and that made her think that maybe she wanted a family of her own someday. Something real, built on love. And the notion shocked her. Jenna had never, ever thought along these lines before.
    “Come,” he said, taking her hand in his and leading her back to his car. “You surprised me back there, you know?”
    “Because you thought I’d melt?”
    “You did,” he chuckled, holding the car door open for her.
    Jenna flushed. He was right—she had melted. Her hair had frizzed out all over the place. She’d gotten sunburned and sweaty.And she didn’t give a damn. Because he thought she looked gorgeous. She could see it in his eyes. She’d tasted it in his kiss.
    And that’s all that mattered right now.
     
    Afternoon was segueing into evening and wads of purplish-red clouds were now scudding in from across the Mojave as they entered an industrial part of the city. Jenna felt fatigue creeping up on her. With the low feeling came a sense of regret.
    After watching Lex give of himself to those kids, after having seen him suffer on stage at her auction because he cared for them, Jenna was beginning to feel she was a flake. Truth be told, she’d wasted a good chunk of her life shopping and partying. Moving from one pseudoevent to the next. She was surprised Lex had even bothered to bring her out here, that he’d actually given her a second chance.
    Why had he?
    She glanced at his strong profile as he drove, and Jenna found herself wishing it was because he’d glimpsed something in her. More likely it was because he was interested in her connection to Candace—and his case—and he wanted to keep plying her for information.
    He shot her a look. “Hey, what’s up? You’ve gone quiet on me.”
    She shook her head, feeling a weird burn of emotion in her eyes. “It’s nothing.”
    “Jenna?”
    She looked out the window.
    He drove in silence for a moment. “I’m sorry,” he said. “For what happened back there.”
    “Oh, no, Lex…that’s not it.”
    “You sure?” His eyes were vulnerable, and she felt a sharp stab of affection. It bloomed soft and warm through her chest. She tried to smile. “I was just thinking…about how I’ve wasted my life, my money. How I could’ve been doing so much more.Seeing what you did in one afternoon, how you create a sense of family for those kids…” Her voice faded as she thought of her own dysfunctional family, that stupid woman her dad had gone and married. About how she wished she’d had her real mom around. “It’s nothing.”
    “Hey, you haven’t had a normal life, either, Jenna. Growing up in Vegas, imprisoned by your father in that—”
    Defensiveness flared in her.