I can do this. I can do this, I tell myself over and over as I pick up the pitcher of water. You’re just asking a customer if he wants a refill. No big deal. You can do this.
I walk around so I come at him from the back this time. I watch the muscles move in his neck and shoulders and then his body tense when I get close. You can do this, Jenna.
I stop next to his table and am holding the pitcher with both hands to stop myself from spilling it, but at least I get the words out. “Can I get you a refill, sir?”
4
Dylan
The coffee shop was closed when I got off the plane last night. Instead of checking in at my hotel, I went straight to Jenna’s apartment. I made a point to walk the complex, making a list of everything I needed to do while I’m in town. More lighting in the parking lot, security cameras on her floor. And I’m not sure, but if I had to guess, she doesn’t have an alarm in her apartment or any on her first-floor windows.
I did what I could through the night, but the ones in the apartment will have to wait until she lets me inside.
I didn’t lay eyes on her until she came in to work this morning. I was already sitting in my rental car parked across the street. She was looking down at her phone the whole walk to the front door, not a care in the world. Anyone could have come up on her.
And I’d kill whoever it was.
I don’t know what it is, but before I even heard her voice, I knew that she’s the one. The thought that someone may want to hurt her or has hurt her has me completely on edge. I won’t stop until I can claim her as mine.
I wasn’t able to find anything more on the ex-boyfriend, but it’s obvious just from the little bit I’ve overheard from being in the coffee shop all morning, there’s definitely something going on. And from the way Madison talks, it sounds like she would want to be in line to take care of him. Of course, she’d have to get in line after me.
I’ve watched Jenna all day. Well, I watched her while I also worked. The guys in Brazil needed an alternate route once they were on the ground. I was able to access the satellite layouts and found them another way in. I’ve kept one earpiece in, just in case I’m needed, but for the most part, I’ve kept my eyes on Jenna.
She obviously doesn’t realize how beautiful she is. The number of men that come in here and flirt with her—well, I’ve lost fuckin’ count. Each time a man approached her, I was ready to shove him out the front glass window. She’s mine, fuckers! I scream it over and over in my head, but I don’t say a thing out loud. If I did, there’s no doubt I’d scare the woman half to death.
She and her friend don’t know what to think about me. I’ve caught them both watching me and then whispering. I’m sure it’s because I’ve sat in this same spot for six hours, unless you count the few bathroom breaks I’ve taken. Other than that, I’ve stayed at this table.
The friend, Madison, came to talk to me earlier, but I didn’t look at her. I didn’t want to. I only have eyes for Jenna, and there’s no way I’m going to fuck it up by talking to the friend. So I grunted, “No thank you” at her offer of a refill, and then she turned and walked away. If you ask me now, I wouldn’t be able to tell you anything about what she looked like. Ask me about Jenna, and I’d tell you that she has brown hair that is thick, and I can’t wait to wrap my hand in it. Her lips are puffy and pink, full and perfect for kissing. When she’s nervous, she fidgets. When she sees something she wants, her eyes get round, and she bites her lower lip. That’s the exact look she gave me when she walked by here a few minutes ago.
Now she’s standing here asking me if I want a refill, and I’m reveling in the fact that she called me sir, thinking I wish I was somewhere private with her, and all I can do is stare at her dumbly.
She bites her lip, unsure. “Ummm…”
I barely resist reaching for her and soothing my thumb across her lower lip. “Yes. Yes, I’d love one.”
She nods and pours the water into my glass. Her eyes switch back and forth between the cup and me. “Can I get you anything else?”
There’s a thousand things I want from her, but nothing I can say to her now. “I’m Dylan. My friends call me Riggs.”