“You know, Penelope…I think you might be right.”
“I am?” Damn it, she hadn’t planned on saying that part aloud. “I mean, yeah. I know I am.”
His smirk grew a tiny smidge, but he remained silent.
Frowning again, Poppy felt even more bewildered than before. Giving up on the drink of water she’d come here for, she started to walk past Ivan when the apartment door opened, and Jax walked in.
She froze, her head swinging toward the mouthwatering man. Dressed in a pair of well-worn jeans, a black t-shirt that stretched tightly over his defined chest, and his jean jacket, his gaze went straight to hers.
Heat swirled behind those entrancing eyes as they ran the length of her body.
You’re very different than the women he takes into his bed.
Remembering Ivan’s keen observation of her, Poppy suddenly felt extremely self-conscious about the fact that she was dressed in nothing but the somewhat-modest shorts and tank set.
“Why aren’t you in bed?” Jax grumbled.
Well hello to you, too.
Poppy shrugged one of her bare shoulders. “Couldn’t sleep.”
As if sensing the tension in the air, he turned his focus to Ivan. “Everything okay, here?”
The other man nodded. “Penelope and I were just getting to know each other better.” He flashed her a grin before speaking to Jax once more. “What about you? You get what you needed.
A rush of relief filled Poppy’s system when Ivan didn’t reveal to Jax that they’d just been discussinghim.The last thing she wanted was for him to think she’d instigated a conversation about the man’s sex life.
She knew she wasn’t his type. Or at least she’d assumed. Ivan’s astute observation had simply confirmed her previously seated suspicion.
“Yes and no.” Jax answered his friend. He kept his expression neutral, but the look he gave Ivan told her he was saying a whole lot more withoutactuallysaying it.
“Since you’re back, I’m assuming my babysitting duties are complete.” Ivan began walking to the door.
“For now.” Jax nodded. “Thanks.”
“Any time, Boss.”
Sliding a parting glance her way, Ivan offered her a dip of his chin and opened the door. He stopped just before crossing the threshold, muttering something that sounded a lot like, “She’ll do,” before whispering additional words she couldn’t make out.
She’ll do? What the hell is that supposed to mean?
Without another word, Ivan stepped into the hall and shut the door behind him. Leaving her alone in the apartment with Jax.
He moved toward her; his slow steps casual yet purposeful. “Why can’t you sleep?”
Gee, I don’t know. Maybe because I’m in a strange apartment with a man I barely know after he and his friend shot a man who’d been about to shoot me. But that’s just a guess.
Feeling like she’d just been through some sort of test, Poppy kept her answer short and sweet. “I had a bad dream and came into the kitchen for a drink. I was surprised to find Ivan here instead of you.”
“I asked him to stay with you while I went out.” Jax moved closer still. “I had some—”
“Business to attend to,” she finished his thought. “Ivan told me.”
“Did he tell you where I was?”
She shook her head. Crossing her arms at her chest, the move unintentionally pushing her braless breasts together in the process.
Jax’s gaze dropped, his sights closing in on the deep cleavage now peeking out from beneath her silky loose tank. The fire in his eyes made all her girlie parts stand up and take notice. But then she remembered what Ivan had told her.