“Ian, allow me to introduce you. This is Luke Gianetti. He’s an agent with the DEA. He’s been taking care of the children and me.”
He did everything but click his stupid shiny heels together. Like an automaton, Luke stuck his hand out and nodded at the distinguished-looking snob in the suit. His fingers were cold, his grip just this side of wimpy. And he’d be willing to bet that Ian’s nails were manicured. A moment later his lordship dismissed him. Just like that, with an arrogant little nod of his neatly combed head. He felt the knife in his gut twist a little harder when Ian leaned over Jillian and kissed her cheek.
“Well, good job, chap. I’m here now, though. I’ll be taking care of Lady Jillian from here on in. Thanks for all your help.”
“Ian, don’t be ridiculous.” Jillian intervened, blushing with embarrassment. “Agent Gianetti saved our lives. We surely would have been killed if he hadn’t protected us.”
Ian turned back, carefully sizing him up. Loverboy wasn’t as stupid as he looked. He’d recognized the admiration in Jillian’s voice.
“Of course, love.” His expression clearly condescending, Ian deigned to speak to him again. “Well see here, we’ll make sure that you’re properly recognized. I’ll get the paperwork going with the consulate. The duchess will be very pleased to hear that her daughter’s all right.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“But I can take it from here,” he continued loftily. “I’m here representing the Duchess of Sussex. As I’ve already indicated, I’ve been charged with acting on her behalf. You’re free to go,” he said, dismissively.
Luke stood frozen to the spot, his gaze locked on Jilly’s as his blood began to boil. He noticed that Ian hadn’t even acknowledged the two little boys who clung protectively to their mother. He hadn’t made the slightest effort to smile at Sarah. His hand tightened reflexively into a fist. This was the man her mother had picked for Jilly? This was the wimp she’d contemplated marrying?
“’Fraid I can’t do that, Ian, old boy. Until I say so, Jilly and the kids are still under my protection.”
Ian stiffened in protest. “That’s Lady Jillian to you, sir.”
“Whatever.” He shot an annoyed look in her direction and was surprised to see her lips twitching into a smile. When Ian turned to her, his expression appalled, she buried her face in Sam’s hair in an attempt to choke back her laughter.
Luke felt a trickle of warmth spread through his frozen limbs. She was so clearly not one of them. And he was sure she never had been. She was still Jilly. No matter what this prissy snob said and no matter what her title claimed, Jilly was the very real woman he’d fallen in love with. With that knowledge in hand, he knew he’d never enjoy putting someone in their place more than this very moment.
“This is still an ongoing investigation, Ian. Jilly and the kids,” he repeated, “are under my protection for the next few days. If that’s too inconvenient for you, then you’re certainly free to go.”
Prissy boy glared at him then, the white gloves coming off his manicured fingers for the first time. “Well, Mr. Gianetti, we’ll just have to see about that, now, shan’t we?”
Chapter 13
Jillian sighed when she heard the hesitant knock on her door. What in blazes could he possibly want now? Rolling her eyes, she jerked the door open with unnecessary force.
“Bloody hell, Ian. I said I’d think—” She tightened her grip on the knob and a tiny squeak of surprise escaped her lips. “—About it.”
Her heart pounding, she raised her free hand to her throat. “L—Luke, what are you—I mean, h-how are you?” Her gaze swept him from head to toe and came back to rest on his face. His beautiful, tired eyes watched her assessment. He looked horrible. And wonderful. She clutched the door handle while every single nerve ending in her body exploded at the sight of him. “You’re not shot again, are you?”
Unsmiling, he shook his head and stood awkwardly in her doorway. “I, uh… Can I come in?”
Her eyes widened in sudden comprehension and she pulled the door open. She was acting like a complete ninny. “Yes, of course. Please.”
She somehow managed to lead him to the sofa in the cluttered living room. Her eyes scanned the room, imagining what he was seeing. There were boxes piled in one corner, still waiting to be unpacked if she ever managed to find the time, pictures leaning against the wall, waiting to be hung.
“Sorry for the mess. We’ve only been here a couple of weeks.” She wished her heart would slow from its current gallop. Dammit, it had been nearly three weeks. She’d gotten along without him. Her nightly cry in the shower was working. She knew it was only a matter of time before she would start sleeping again.
Feeling a bit dizzy, she flopped into the nearest chair and shored up her resolve. He’d abandoned her in Tennessee. For all his challenging words to Ian that night, he’d left and he hadn’t returned. Up until the moment they’d boarded the plane for New Hampshire, she’d held out hope that he would show up at the airport—and had sobbed like a bloody fool when he hadn’t.
It was time to move on. She’d already made a complete and total idiot of herself over Luke Gianetti. She would not embarrass herself further by repeating those actions today.
“How are you? How’s your shoulder?”
His voice sounded strained and she braced herself for what would surely be an awkward visit. She wondered why he’d decided to seek her out now. She followed his gaze to her shoulder sling and waggled it in response.
“I told you it would be fine. It’s hardly been a bother. A simple graze…just like yours.”
“Jill, for God’s sake, you took a bullet to the shoulder at close range. There’s nothing simple about it.” He sat in the chair across from her and continued to fidget with his shirt collar. “Where are the kids?”
His eyes missed nothing. They never had. She had the uncomfortable feeling that he knew how edgy he was making her. He was stunning in his expensive suit, his golden tan set off to drooling perfection against the snowy white shirt. And he’d cut his hair. The beautiful honeyed strands only reached his collar now.
“Sarah’s napping upstairs and the boys are up in their room. Can you stay for a while? I know they’d love to see you.” She nearly leaped from her chair and headed for the stairs. Breathing room. She needed a little breathing room. There was far less chance of embarrassing herself with witnesses in the room. Leaning into the stairwell, she was intent on calling them down when he stopped her.
“Not yet. Please? I—I wanted to talk with you first.”
He’d followed her. She winced at the husky sound of his voice. She’d dreamed of that voice and now it was only inches away from her. Lord, it was so good to see him. She nearly ached with the need to touch him. “All right. Why don’t we sit down?”
He sat heavily in the armchair and continued to stare at her. Jillian swallowed nervously, her throat as parched as though she’d walked in the desert for days. She was unable to still her nervous fingers and finally clasped them together in her lap.
“Why are you here, Luke?”
“I—I’m on special assignment. I, um, just got here today.” He ran one hand over his face and for a fraction of a second she witnessed a flicker of uncertainty in the tawny depths of his eyes. And her pulse rate tripled. Good Lord, maybe he did care?
“I see. Going to be here long, are you?”
“I—I don’t know yet. That depends.”
Oh, yes. Agent Heartthrob was sweating. His expression was the same one he’d worn on the day they’d met. It was the grim look of pain and frustration and edgy fear. He looked as if he’d been shot in the butt all over again. Jillian schooled her expression carefully even though her heart felt as though it was about to soar straight out of her chest. She wouldn’t give herself away this time, dammit.
“Is it a big case? If you’re going to be around, I know the children would love to see you.”
“Jilly, we need to talk.” He fumbled with a neckti
e that appeared to be choking him and finally gave in to his burning need to remove his suit jacket. He resisted what appeared to be an urge to ball it up and throw it in her dustbin. Instead he stood and heaved it on the back of the chair he’d just been sitting in. “I saw your friend Ian down in the lobby.”
“I thought you were him again at the door. He just left. I assumed he’d forgotten something.”
“What’s he doing here? He been around a lot?”
Luke was pacing now, his back to her, so it was safe to grin. “He arrived a few days ago. My mum sent him to check up on me.”
He turned suddenly and she wiped the smile from her lips. It was all she could do not to dance a jig around the living room.
“What did you mean when you opened the door? You said you’d think about it. What’s he want?”
“Oh, that,” she drawled. “Ian still wants me to marry him. He said he’s willing to keep the kids if I really want them, but only if we return to England. Ian refuses to live here. Says it’s too inconvenient for him.”
“Inconvenient?” Luke’s eyes blazed a golden fury. “He’s willing to keep them? They’re not freakin’ house plants. What about the kids? Does he care about them? Does he even know their names? Dammit, Jill, you’re not seriously considering his offer, are you?”
It took every morsel of strength she had not to shout with joy. He was jealous. Luke Gianetti was stark raving mad. For her.
“Well, I—”
“You’re not going,” he announced, folding his arms across his chest as he glared at her.
“How dare you? You don’t know the first thing about it.”
“You can’t go. The kids would hate it over there.”
“You’ve been there before? That’s funny…you never mentioned it.”
“Well, no. Not yet.” He hesitated, his footing clearly uncertain. “It’s just…they’ve already been moved so many times. You’re already here. I mean, I think you should stay here.”
“Really? Ian’s not all that bad, you know.”
“That wimp.”
She had all she could do to keep a straight face. At six years old, James was nearly as bad as Luke. He’d already started referring to Ian as the wimp. “You’re a fine one to talk,” she reminded him. “You left me to fend for myself. All alone with three children—whom you never said goodbye to, I might add.”
“I left you? Try the other way around, honey. I came back and you were gone. Your prissy boyfriend made sure I couldn’t get anywhere near you.”
“What?” A shudder raced down her spine. It wasn’t possible. Was it? Had he really tried to find them?
“Yeah,” he confirmed. “The jerk must know people in very high places because I couldn’t even get close enough to get a message through to you. Duncan never regained consciousness,” he explained. “Once he was dead, I knew for sure you’d be safe. I had to be certain that Jimmy wouldn’t be required to testify.”
“He’s the one I saw in the papers,” she muttered.
Luke nodded. “He’s the one who shot me the first time. My own boss. We finally got the ballistics report back. The bullet was fired from Duncan’s service revolver. Murphy and I were getting too close to the source of all the heroin. He had to take us out. But then it mushroomed when I involved you.”
“Duncan was the man I saw in the courtroom that day. He’s the one who tried to take Sarah away from me.”
“Except he really didn’t want Sarah,” he corrected. “He’d probably already figured out that Annie might have stashed the money with the kids. He planned to swipe it back and you’d be none the wiser.”
She shuddered to think what would have become of Sarah if she hadn’t been there to stop him. “What about Danny? Is he all right?”
“He’s fine. He’s already home. Lucy’s taking good care of him. He should be back in another month or so.”
He continued to stare at her while the silence lengthened awkwardly. He still hadn’t told her why he was here. She decided to throw him a bone. “So, Ian was the only reason you didn’t say goodbye? You would have come to see us off?”
“Hell, yes. I couldn’t even find out where the bastard took you. The DEA brass had a big enough scandal on their hands with Duncan without risking another headline about a missing duchess. They put a muzzle on me.”
“You have no idea how difficult the past three weeks have been.” She gripped the arm of the chair, too edgy to sit still. “It’s bloody hard work being a single mother. I’m not sure I can handle it alone. I work all day and then I work all night. Sarah and the boys spend all the day in child care.”
“You do need help,” he agreed. His eyes registered surprise when she launched out of the chair and charged at him.
“And I suppose you’ve got all the answers?” Jillian stood, hands on her hips, not three feet away from the man she loved more than life itself. She couldn’t cave in—not yet. This was too important. “I suppose you’re going to tell me what I should do?”
“Damn straight, I am.” He took a step closer, his eyes more desperate than ever. He raised one hand to his face and she saw the way it trembled. He was in agony. Still, she held her breath and waited for him to speak.
“God, Jill, I missed you.” His voice was grim with misery as he made the admission. “I missed you so much.”
She couldn’t wait another blasted minute. Her eyes blurred with tears and she launched herself into his arms. Luke groaned when he caught her and held her, as though his very life depended on it. She felt him shudder with relief, could hear the pounding of his heart under her ear, and rejoiced at the depth of his feelings. Whether or not he ever spoke the words, she knew how he felt. Knowing he loved her was enough.
She blinked back her tears as she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his mouth down to hers. “I missed you, too. What took you so bloody long?”
She kissed him with all the stored-up passion she’d foolishly thought she could banish at will. And he responded with such urgency that Jilly came up gasping. “Lord, we’ve got to stop. The boys—”
He captured her mouth again and she melted against him while the outside world went totally hazy. Breathing hard, Luke pulled back and loosened his clasp. His eyes had gone molten with desire, but his expression was still grimly intense.
A shiver of worry snaked down her spine and she took a step back. “Oh, Lord. You’re not leaving me again? It’s your blasted stomach, isn’t it?”
He had the gall to laugh even though his eyes were still wary. “I—no. My gut is never wrong,” he reminded.
“But you said—”
“I know what I said,” he interrupted. “But it was me who was wrong, not my gut. My gut told me to grab hold of you and never let you go.”
She took in a startled breath and held it.
“I did something I’ve never, ever done. I went against my gut.”
She released the whoosh of air in her lungs at his surprising admission. And smiled when his gaze met and held hers. “You did?”
“And I’ve been miserable ever since.” He winced and began pacing again, pausing only to loosen his tie. “I was wondering if maybe you’d…that is, if we could—”
“Yes, Luke?”
He took a deep breath. “I’ll move up here. The royalty thing…I can handle it. I should tell you, though, I’ll need lessons on how to act around those pompous, arrogant—” He glanced at her anxiously. “I don’t even own a tuxedo.”
“Bloody hell, Luke.” What was he talking about? “There’s nothing to handle.”
He waved away the argument she wanted to start. “You were right. I was looking for an excuse. Any stupid reason I could find to run away. I used the only thing I had.”
“And now you don’t feel like running?”
He grimaced as he looked away. “How do I run away from myself? From what I want more than anything?”
He had to be able to see her heart beating through the wall of her chest. It was tripping
along like a freight train, out of control. She cleared her throat nervously. “What do you want?”
“I was offered another promotion. I’m seriously considering it this time, but it’s based in D.C.”
“I see. Is that what you’d like?”
Luke ignored her question, intent on his explanation. “I even went house shopping. How presumptuous was that?” He shook his head derisively. “I thought…”
Jillian held her breath as his pause lengthened, dying to know what thoughts raced through his enigmatic brain. “You thought…”
“I thought I’d come up here and convince you to move to Washington. I thought—” He reached out to gently tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “I talked to my friend at the Smithsonian. I had it all planned out. I’d get you a job…find us a house and…”
His voice lowered to a painful whisper. “God, Jill. I love you so much. Please, please don’t go back to England.”
The tears were pouring down her face when she stepped into his embrace. His arms tightened around her as though he would never let her go. “I never wanted to go back,” she admitted, sniffing. “As long as I’m with you, I don’t care where we live.”
“Then you don’t mind? Moving, I mean? You—you’ll marry me?”
She opened her mouth to answer and was startled by the voice at the top of the stairs. Two little faces peered down at them from between the railings. James’s eyes appeared to be especially worried.
“Bloody hell, Jilly. You’re gonna say yes, aren’t you?”
Luke checked his watch and frowned. She was late again. He sighed and opened the screen door and stepped back into the kitchen. “Yo, Jimmy, come here a minute.”
“Yeah, Dad?” James ran in from the living room, with Samuel perpetually two steps behind.
“Fire up the computer. Mommy’s lost again.” He smiled distractedly down at Sarah while she crept along the kitchen floor, moving from chair to chair until she could reach out and grab hold of his leg. He scooped her up and gave her a kiss before shifting her to one arm. With his free hand, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Jillian’s number.
For Her Protection Page 24