Page 40 of Hunting Justice
They strode out the door toward the exit.
Noelle’s mind replayed Jonah’s kiss. The moment would be etched in her memory forever.
She made a mental to-do list. At the top, after protecting Jonah, she added, Don’t get your heart broken by wishing for something you can’t have.
EIGHT
FRIDAY, 1:00 P.M.
Noelle sat at her kitchen table, staring at the clutter. Ken’s planner lay open. Jonah’s stacked mail that Raven had delivered earlier that day had fallen and scattered across the surface. She closed her eyes and fought the compulsion to clear the mess. Her OCD tendencies, a nice gift to go along with the scars from the serial killer—her serial killer. Control. Noelle thrived on it. And she’d never felt so out of control as she did at that moment.
The groove the bullet had cut through her arm burned, but it was Jonah’s gentle touch that had seared her skin. In the past fifteen years, no one had shown as much compassion as Jonah had in that moment. Of course, few of her friends knew—but not even her best friend, Lizzie Tremaine Lee, was privy to the details.
Noelle gritted her teeth to hold the tears at bay. Jonah’s tenderness was almost too much to handle. And what about that kiss? She closed her eyes and exhaled, letting the tension of the day wash away so she could focus on how to keep Jonah safe and find the person responsible for the attacks.
“I’m sorry.” Jonah ran his hand across her back and sat next to her.
“About what?”
He swept his hand in an arc across the table. “The mess. I know it bothers you.”
The denial sat on her tongue, but no way would she lie to him. Besides, he knew the truth whether she admitted it or not.
She shrugged. “Yes. But I can live with it for a while. Why don’t you go through your mail while I examine Ken’s planner again.”
“Gladly, if it’ll ease your stress.” He sat and scooped the pile of mail together.
She grabbed the planner and opened it. “Why are you being so accommodating?”
He tore open an envelope and tossed the paper strip onto the table.
Gah! This would be harder than she’d thought. She retrieved a trash can and placed it next to him.
He grinned and threw away the scraps of paper. “I don’t mean to be a hot mess. Just like you don’t purposely want everything perfect. But here we are. I can try harder to pay attention to what is important to you.”
She tilted her head and studied him. “Are you for real?”
He full-on belly-laughed. “I’m just me.”
“Aren’t guys supposed to be self-centered?”
The smile on Jonah’s face disappeared. “Well, I can’t speak for everyone in the male population, and even though we can be, when a guy finds a woman he wants to explore a relationship with, he treasures her. That means doing the little things so she feels cared for and loved.”
She jerked to face him. “Really?”
“Now it’s my turn. Are you for real? What kind of guys have you dated?” He tossed the current piece of mail into the trash and reached for another.
She was so out of her league it wasn’t even funny. But she’d started the conversation, so she owed him an honest answer. “I don’t date.”
Jonah froze. “As in never?”
Noelle squirmed in her seat. How did she explain and not come off looking ridiculous? “My parents didn’t allow me to date until I was sixteen. And even then, I wasn’t that interested.” She shrugged. “Sure, I liked boys, but I didn’t have a lot of time with my sports schedule. Most of us hung out in groups after practice.”
“Now, how did I guess you were a jock?”
“Because you know me.”
“Apparently, not as well as I thought.” He placed his hand over hers on the table. “Go on.”