Embracing Danger
Danger Incorporated
Book Four
by
Olivia Jaymes
www.OliviaJaymes.com
Embracing Danger
Two broken hearts…
Shane Anderson knows how much a broken heart hurts. Since the moment she left he’s made it a point to never be emotionally vulnerable with a woman ever again. Not that it’s helped much. He thinks about her every day.
Arden Cavendish has made more than a few bad decisions in life and coming back home after her divorce just might be the biggest. She’s never stopped loving Shane and there’s no way she’s going to be able to avoid him in this little town. Keeping up the façade of indifference might be more than she handle.
A mystery from the past…
When Arden’s father goes missing, she has no choice but to turn to Shane and his family for help finding him. With his shady business and double-dealings, she’s terrified her father is in mortal danger. But their search has barely begun when she finds out her father’s disappearance is only the tip of the iceberg as devastating secrets from her past are revealed.
Thankfully, Shane is there to offer a shoulder to lean on and strong arms to hold her. How can she tell her heart not to get too used to it?
EMBRACING DANGER
Copyright © 2016 by Olivia Jaymes
Kindle Edition
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
Table of Contents
Title Page
About the Book
Copyright Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
About the Author
Other Books by the Author
Chapter One
‡
Another party, another worthy charity, and another chance for vapid conversation with people Shane Anderson barely knew. Funny how they always seemed to know him. They’d slap him on the back, smile and laugh, then ask him what he’d been doing since they last saw him.
He had no idea.
He didn’t remember the first time he’d met them, if he truly had at all. These weren’t his friends or even acquaintances. Usually they were people that wanted something – money, influence, favors, sex, or just the opportunity to say they were good friends with an Anderson.
That and a dollar would get them a cup of coffee at the corner diner.
He had no illusions what the woman on his arm this evening wanted. Cassie Bowden was a long-legged brunette who liked to wrap those limbs around his waist while he pounded her into the mattress. To say that she was enthusiastic about their carnal pursuits was a dire understatement. The woman was voracious.
“I guess the rumors are true.” Cassie squeezed his arm to get his attention. “I wasn’t sure but here she is.”
“Who are you talking about?”
Cassie did this quite a bit, starting in the middle of a conversation as if he’d been privy to her thoughts before she began to speak. It was annoying but at least he didn’t work for her. She had to drive the employees of her real estate business insane if she did the same to them.
His companion nodded over to a throng of people gathered around the woman he hadn’t seen in a long time. On purpose. “Arden Cavendish, of course. She’s divorced and back in Tremont. She took a substitute teaching job at the high school hoping for a full time position next year. She even bought a house off of Old Pony Road that she’s having renovated.” Cassie wrinkled her nose disdainfully. “She used another real estate agent. I could have negotiated a better price for her. Well, her loss.”
Arden was back in Tremont. People in hell must have been pulling on parkas and ice skates. He’d never thought to see the day.
“You shouldn’t gossip,” Shane replied automatically, his gaze glued to Arden. She hadn’t aged a bit since the last time he’d seen her…about three years ago or so. She didn’t come to Tremont often in the last decade, usually only for holidays so it was a shock to his system to see her tonight. He hadn’t been expecting it so he hadn’t had time to prepare properly.
Cassie simply laughed at him, running her manicured fingertips across his jaw playfully.
“It’s not gossip if it’s true. I thought you’d be interested as your families have always been such enemies. Benjamin Cavendish is through in local politics thanks to your brother West, and now his daughter is back in town minus a husband. Let’s face it, that’s the most exciting thing to happen in this one horse town in months.”
Shane dragged his gaze from Arden and back to his date, giving her his most charming smile, the one that made panties drop and good women turn bad. “The Cavendish family doesn’t really interest me, but if you want to talk about what might happen later this evening that’s a topic I can get behind.”
With a throaty giggle, Cassie lightly slapped his shoulder and her eyes darkened with lust. She was a sweet woman with more than her share of ambition, which made her perfect for Shane. She was all about her career, and the care and feeding of the male animal was not high on her list of wants.
“Shane Anderson, you are a naughty boy. Sexy but naughty. Is there any woman in this room you haven’t been to bed with?”
Shrugging carelessly, he found himself looking again at Arden who was now standing much closer to him, just a few feet away.
“I think you like me this way. In fact, I know you do. As for the women here, does it really matter? I’m not husband material, we both know that, so my sexual history isn’t really an issue.”
“You’d make a lousy husband.”
Her tone was caustic but she spoke the truth.
“Damn straight.”
Cassie looked up at him, her mascaraed eyes narrowing dangerously. “Someday you’re going to meet a woman and you won’t be able to help yourself. You’ll fall in love and – if there is any justice in the world – she’ll break your cold, black heart.”
Been there. Done that.
“We both know what this is, babe. Let’s not pretend it’s anything more.”
Her fingers drew circles on the fabric of his suit jacket. “I don’t care about the women in the past. You know that. And I don’t care about the women in the future when you and I are through. I only care about the here and now, Shane. When a man’s with me, he’s with only me.” She looked up at him, her hand sliding across his chest to rest over his heart. “Can you honestly say you’ve had better sex? I doubt it.”
He took a step back
so her hand fell back down to her side. He liked Cassie but he didn’t like feeling she was trying to saddle him, even if it was only for a short time. He didn’t play that game.
And he could say he’d had better sex.
“Go powder your nose, Cassie, before you say something we’ll both regret. Then come back out here and dance with me.”
Her fingers tightened on the champagne flute in her hand but she nodded in agreement, her posture relaxing and a smile returning to her face. “That’s a good idea. Please excuse me.”
The party was being held in the local theatre and the room was packed with people, the cloying scent of perfume and musty old props mixing together in a mad-scientist brew that drove him out of the main room and into the dressing room area behind the stage. He breathed in a lungful of air and only then realized he wasn’t standing there alone.
Act normally. Don’t let her see you sweat. You’re past this.
“Arden.” He inclined his head stiffly, his brain telling him to flee but his feet weren’t listening. “I didn’t realize you were here.”
“I needed some space.” Her fingers twisted around the leather of her small handbag. She wasn’t as at ease as she tried to appear. “It’s a little overwhelming in there.”
“Welcome back to Tremont.”
If she was thinking he was going to show any emotion or weakness, she would be disappointed. Too many years had passed and he’d learned to move on and survive without her. Barely.
“Thank you, Shane. It’s good to be back.” Her voice was husky and a little hesitant, probably wanting out of this conversation as much as he did but their manners had been drilled into them from childhood. They’d make small talk for a few minutes no matter how tortuous.
“I hear you took a teaching job at the high school.”
Her hand fluttered to her throat and her cheeks turned a shade of pink. “That is what I trained for.”
His gaze flickered to her bare ring finger and she curled her hand into a fist and shoved it behind her back, her body language betraying her agitation.
“You only taught for a few years. I assumed you didn’t enjoy it.”
“I was doing other things.” She shifted on her feet like she wanted to bolt at any moment, her own gaze darting everywhere but at him. “I hear you’re a big shot in Anderson Industries now.”
He didn’t want to talk about himself or how he’d spent his time since she’d left town.
“What other things were you doing? Did hubby not like you to work?”
She stiffened at his dig and her chin lifted slightly. This was more the Arden he remembered. This mild-mannered, soft-spoken debutante barely resembled the young woman he’d spent a sun-drenched summer with.
“I don’t think it’s any of your business, Shane. And asking about it is rude, by the way.”
“It was honest, or don’t you care about that anymore? Are you your father’s daughter completely now, princess?”
He hadn’t stood this close to Arden in over a decade but his body responded as if he were that twenty-two year old besotted young man all over again. She’d always had that effect on him from the first moment he’d laid eyes on her.
Gorgeous as always, tonight she was wearing a black cocktail dress with some sort of rhinestones around the neckline and hem. Her mouth-watering legs were shown off to perfection by the sky-high black pumps she wore, although they did little to help her see over the crowd. She’d always been a tiny thing and high heels weren’t going to change that much. Her blonde hair was piled on top of her head in a mass of curls, a few falling down to brush the petal soft skin of her face.
Her lips tightened into a thin line, but then he’d always known what buttons to push. “You just can’t leave my father out of this, can you? He doesn’t have anything to do with this.”
“Keep telling yourself that and you might start to believe it.” Shane stepped toward the back door, not enjoying this exchange in the least. Too much had gone on between them to make nice now. As it was, memories were crowding his mind making it difficult to think clearly. “Good night, Arden. Enjoy your new job.”
It was time to get the hell out of here. The party was only pissing him off and this woman was a big reason. He was normally quite sociable but tonight he wanted to be alone with his thoughts and a longneck.
He burst out of the back door of the theatre, the chilly wind biting at his skin. It slapped him in the face and woke him up from the unreality of the last few minutes with Arden. He’d never thought to see her move back but now she had. He needed to decide what that meant for him.
Or if it even mattered.
Of course it did. It changed everything.
He rubbed the back of his neck and turned to go in and find Cassie, but a figure stood in the doorway. Benjamin Cavendish blocked the entrance, his expression familiar to Shane. It was the same one he’d worn the night Shane had learned that Arden had gone back east to school.
“Ben.”
“Shane.” Ben moved closer but still kept a few feet between them. “I saw Arden come back to the main room and I wondered who she was talking to. I should have known it was you. I’m surprised you waited this long, honestly.”
Shane’s jaw ached as he gritted his teeth together, hate for this man churning in his gut. He disliked few people, but Ben Cavendish was right up there on the list and for so much more than what he’d done to Shane and Arden.
“Still spying on your daughter, Ben? Seems like she’s old enough to run her own life now. She’s a grown woman.”
“I’m a parent who cares.” Cavendish pointed his finger at Shane, his demeanor bordering on threatening but Shane wasn’t afraid of this man. He’d already done his worst. “There’s no point in you sniffing around her again. She’s getting back together with her husband.”
“Does she know that? Because she’s got a job and bought a house, Ben. Not the actions of a woman looking to reunite with the hubby you hand-picked.”
Unless she was simply trying to make her husband jealous.
“She and Michael are the perfect couple.” Cavendish took another step forward. “She doesn’t give a shit about you anymore, Anderson. How does it feel? Do you still dream about her at night? She doesn’t give you a second thought.”
“You’ve invaded her thoughts as well? Jesus, Ben, you’re getting paranoid in your old age. You don’t even want poor Arden to have dreams. The woman I knew wouldn’t have appreciated that.”
“The woman you knew left,” Ben spat, his cheeks stained crimson as anger took over. “Even if she wasn’t getting back with Michael, how could she ever be with you again? Look at what you’ve become. A rich playboy with a different woman every night. She couldn’t respect you or love you. Stay away from Arden, Shane. She’s not for you. She was never…for you.”
Cavendish whirled on his heel and strode back into the theatre but Shane stood rooted to the spot despite the rapidly falling temperature outside. This night had gone downhill quickly and he needed to leave before he did or said something that would absolutely only make things worse.
Heading to find Cassie and leave, he nodded to a few donors along the way, determined to get out of the theatre without getting waylaid by anyone else. The polite veneer he wore at events like this was quickly peeling away and he needed to vacate the premises before anyone saw the raw man underneath. Running into Arden tonight was too much. He hadn’t been prepared for it.
Seeing her was like a knife to his heart.
Chapter Two
‡
Trembling with emotion, Arden struggled to open her car door, her fingers slipping on the handle before succeeding in climbing into the vehicle. She sat there for a long time, taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart but her body wouldn’t cooperate.
She’d seen Shane. She’d talked to him although that hadn’t worked out so well. She’d wondered how long she would be back in town before she ran into him and now she had her answer. Not long. Back only a few we
eks, she hadn’t been prepared for the storm of conflicting feelings that swamped her when she’d laid eyes on him tonight.
He looked good as always, a few strands of silver at his temples and a couple of lines around his eyes. Time looked good on him, she had to admit. He clearly had improved with age.
“Don’t think about him,” Arden muttered to herself, exhausted after an evening of answering the same questions over and over. Everyone was naturally curious as to why she’d come home but her patience was beginning to wear thin. “Concentrate on getting your life back.”
Her psyche needed the pep talk. It had been a long, crappy year with the divorce and frankly, she was looking forward to starting over with a new home and a new job. She was glad to be close to her beloved grandmother although it also put her into close proximity with her father, their relationship the definition of complicated. She was living with him at the moment while her new home was being remodeled but hopefully only for a short time. She needed her independence from Benjamin Cavendish. If it was up to him he’d control every aspect of her life down to her friends and job.
Turning right onto the dark, deserted private two lane road that led to her father’s house, Arden didn’t let herself dwell on her meeting with Shane. The future was all she could control and she was excited about her new life.
Slowing the vehicle as she approached a sharp corner, she reached out and turned the radio on and the car flooded with happy tunes from the oldies station. A flash of headlights had her squinting as she came onto the straight part of the road. The car opposite had their brights on and she could barely see a few feet in front of her. Instinct had her decelerating, but the other vehicle was upon her before she could stop completely.
Those same blinding headlights were now coming straight at her in her own lane at a frightening speed. She barely had time to mutter a curse before jerking the wheel to the left, hoping the driver would stay in her lane while she occupied his rightful one so she could go around him safely.
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