Jackson and Jesse ragged James. Their dad preened, claiming he’d raised his boys right, and their mom muttered something about the Lord would be the judge of that, but she was smiling. Jared exhaled with relief.
His mother handed him a bouquet of roses and a box of Godiva chocolates she’d just bought. “Give her respect. Bring her love and laughter, be her friend and lover and she’ll be yours forever.”
Jared headed to the front door for his date with a spring in his step. He could do this. His mother followed.
Just before he opened the door, he glanced up at the plaque posted above it and paused. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” M 11:28.
“I put that there because of you boys,” his mother said. “The best thing a mother can tell her child before he leaves home is that God is always there no matter where they go.”
Jared kissed his mother and rushed out the door. He couldn’t wait to see Rocky.
“Dessie, I can’t find my other blue earring! Help! Jared will be here any minute.” Ever since Jesse had officially concluded her life was no longer in danger, she’d been staying in Dessie’s spare bedroom until the repairs to her house were finished.
Trying not to wrinkle her silk dress, Rocky got down on her knees, looking under the bed. She’d already looked everywhere else logical, now she was working on the illogical. She was running late for her date because she’d stayed longer at the nursing home with her father than she’d planned, talking to his new physical therapist.
Her father had spoken twice more over the past two weeks, saying the same thing he’d said before. Keira, unforgivable, stop, pray. Despite Rocky’s reassurances that all was well, he was still stuck in a nightmare inside his mind. Rocky was still working with her father’s attorney on getting the “after death” papers her father had left for her. Since her father had the stroke the night he discovered who Maggie and Riley really were, McNall had suggested that her father was telling her to stop Maggie whose name had been O’Prey before she’d changed it to Dupree.
Maggie was being held in jail without bond, under accessory to murder and attempted murder charges. She’d insinuated herself into the fringes of Rocky’s life over a year ago, quietly looking for the diamonds. She claimed she never meant for anyone to get hurt. But in a conversation a few months back with Riley, whom she had known since childhood, she said the wrong thing. Riley caught on about the diamonds. He'd known the story of what had happened in Ireland and came looking for Maggie and took over the search, becoming more and more impatient and violent. Rocky knew that Maggie had had a hard life, but given Pat’s murder, her father’s stroke, and what Maggie and Riley had done and were going to do with Jared and Collin, she didn’t have any sympathy for the woman.
Collin had been the biggest surprise. Losing his father and seeing the violence Riley had been capable of, shook him to his soul. He was selling Rocky his father’s third of the company for whatever amount she wanted to buy it for, and was in the process of going to the Sudan to help build a church orphanage. He apologized to her again for what happened in the past and for not remembering what he had done. She forgave him and wished him well.
After staying several days, McNall had flown back to Ireland, promising to come back. Rocky returned the promise. One day soon, she’d go to Ireland and met her biological father’s family. She wanted to hear more stories of Finn and growing up. She also wanted to find the O’Loughlins in Australia.
First she had to figure out her relationship with Jared.
It had changed drastically and she didn’t know what to do about it. The first few days she’d known him had been a highly intense, sexually charged rollercoaster that she hadn’t wanted to stop when it ended. Now that attraction seemed to be under layers of spun cotton. Still there, still visible, but unreachable and she didn’t know if it was her fault or his.
“Did you try the bathroom counter?” Dessie asked. “I remember seeing something sparkly and blue by the toothpaste.”
“Huh?” Rocky snapped her head up and smacked it on the bed frame. “Ouch. The bathroom?” She scrambled to her feet before a bounding Pebbles, met her nose to nose. “Of course, I took it off because it got tangled with the curling iron. Where is my brain?”
“Don’t know,” Dessie said. “I’m wondering the same thing. Why a woman needs a first date when a man’s already taken her to the pearly gates is beyond me.”
“Dessie! For Heaven’s sake. Would you please forget that I told you that? I will never drink Godiva Martinis with you again. They are deadly and you are merciless.”
Dessie laughed. “Relax. Your sex secrets are safe with me. And just so we’re tit for tat, remind me to tell you about what Mr. Saint did. OMG, I am still vibrating. Page eighty-six of the manual if you’re interested in getting a sneak preview before I have time to share. I’m late to work. Don’t wait up for me. I hope you and your first date will be hitting multiple home runs by the time I get home. Just keep the stereo going and I won’t disturb you. Pebbles knows that when the music’s playing she’s to stay in her bed.”
“You’ve trained her to do that? How?”
“Multiple dog biscuits, hidden all over her bed.” She left with a wave of her hand.
Rocky found her earing and put the finishing touches to her makeup. Then she went down stairs to wait for Jared. Pebbles had parked herself tragically against the front door to await Dessie’s return. How a two-hundred pound St. Bernard could look so helplessly forlorn was beyond Rocky.
The longer Rocky waited, the more she became worried about the change in her relationship with Jared. Sure, she’d been upset with him, but coming so close to losing him, had quickly put things into perspective for her. At least, she thought, she had. Maybe all that was needed was a spark to rekindle what she was missing.
Page eighty-six.
Leave it to Dessie. She just had to mess with Rocky’s mind. First, Rocky would get Pebbles to move from the front door, then she’d go peek at page eighty-six.
“Pebbles want a dog biscuit?” Rocky went to the kitchen and came back with a biscuit.
Pebbles turned sad eyes her way.
“Hmm.” Rocky added a pitch excitement to her voice. “Pebbles want to go outside?’
Pebbles laid her head down.
Rocky decided to turn on the stereo and dump dog biscuits in Pebble’s bed. She put on a CD labeled, band, jazz, and rock. Pebbles didn’t move. Rocky got the dog’s leash, snapped it on, smiled at Pebbles as she held up a dog biscuit, “Let’s go for a walk.” Pebbles rolled over onto her back.
Glancing out the side-window, Rocky saw Jared get out of his blue truck. Her palms grew damp, her heart hammered, and butterflies swirled in her stomach as she watched him navigate through the faded pink flamingos. Darn. She weighed her options and dashed up the stairs to the Kama Sutra Pocket Guide and flipped to page eighty-six.
Good Heavens! She was not doing a handstand with her heels locked around Jared’s hips while he sat on the side of the bed rocking into her tonight. She tossed the book aside. At the last minute she grabbed the bag she had sitting on the nightstand. It wasn’t perfect, but it was something. Tupelo Honey. The bottle had been pricey, but she’d been told it was the sweetest, tastiest liquid gold of the South. Stuffing the honey in her purse, she ran down the stairs. Pebbles still blocked the door and Jared was knocking.
Setting her purse on the table, she rapped on the side window. “I can’t open the door. Pebbles is in the way.”
He peered into the window, frowning. “I think I know where the diamonds are.”
“What?”
“Open the door.”
She pointed down at the floor. “Pebbles won’t move.”
Jared leaned in close and whistled. Loud. Pebbles rolled onto her stomach, wagging her tail and got up with a bark.
“Really?” Rocky glared at Pebbles as she opened the door.
Jared came inside. He swept her into his arms, pulling h
er tight against his chest. He smelled like heaven and felt even better. She clung to him, treasuring the moment.
There was so much she wanted to know about him, so much she wanted to share with him that every minute she was with him didn’t feel as if it was long enough.
He found her lips, kissed her hard and swung her around. Then set her down and smiled into her eyes with his. “Did you hear me?”
“Hear what?
“I think I know where the diamonds are?”
“Okay. Where? But I have to tell you I am more excited to see you at the moment than to think about another search that will likely end nowhere.”
Jared laughed. “Every man dreams of being wanted more than diamonds.”
“Then let me make your dreams come true," Rocky grabbed Jared's hand and brought his fingers to her lips, hoping to ignite the fire between them.
“Do you have a Bible? I think the code is a Bible verse.”
“A Bible verse?” Rocky stopped and stared at Jared, her heart pounding. “There’s a family bible! My mother specifically put it in my hands the day before she died. She told me it was the greatest treasure of life.”
He grabbed her hand and turned back to the door. “Show me.”
Rocky snatched her keys from the key rack in the hallway, and they rushed over to her house. She went to the bookshelf, and pulled down the Bible, thankful that it hadn’t been damaged in the explosion.
“Where should I look?”
“How many chapter twenty verse seventeen’s are there?” Jared asked.
“More than just a few,” Rocky said.
“The numbers were Roman numerals, try Romans.”
Rocky flipped to the New Testament and found Romans. “There’re only sixteen chapters.” As she held the book up for him to see, she saw rainbow colored ribbons hanging from a bookmark. Her hands shook as she turned to the page. The bookmark was of a princess riding a unicorn. It marked the twentieth chapter of Luke.
“You’re shaking so much, I can’t read the verse.” Jared reached up and steadied her hand.
“What then is this that is written, The stone that the builder rejected has become the cornerstone.”
Rocky frowned.
Jared hooted. “Is there any sort of plaque on the foundation of your office building?”
She grabbed Jared’s hand. “On the corner. There is a large marble brick with 1984 engraved on it. The year it was built.”
“That’s it. It’s perfect. ‘The stone the builder rejected.’ You mother and father built the office and they’d rejected the diamonds. Diamonds are called stones. ‘Has become the cornerstone.’ The diamonds are in the cornerstone of the office building, likely in a time capsule.”
Rocky hugged Jared’s neck, practically jumping up and down. “You did it! You’re right. Oh my gosh! I can’t believe it.”
He laughed. “Neither can I.” He explained how seeing the verse his mother had above the door on his way out tonight got him to thinking.
“Good Lord,” she sucked in air. “What am I going to do now? I need to return them to who they were stolen from without involving my new uncle.”
Jared kissed her hand. “Don’t worry. There’s time to figure it out. They’ve been there for decades. They aren’t going anywhere. We’ve got reservations for dinner to make.”
“Let me get my purse.” She led the way to Dessie's, bringing the family Bible with her. They walked hand in hand. When Rocky went to open the door, it didn’t budge an inch. “Pebbles! Let me in girl. I’ll give you a doggie biscuit.” She pushed on the door. Nothing. She frowned at Jared. “Whistle for me.”
“Anytime,” he said, grinning. He whistled and the door flung open. She went flying inside and would have bounced off the wall if Jared hadn’t caught her. He groaned as she brushed up against his groin. She snapped her gaze to his, and saw the need burning in his eyes. He wanted her bad, but instead of sweeping her into his arms, he inhaled and stepped back. “You ready to go?”
“Yes.” She set the Bible on the table and picked up her purse. Why was Jared so refrained? “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
For having uncovered where her parents had likely hidden a million in diamonds, the conversation as they drove wasn’t very exciting. They talked about the weather, the jobsite, and her father’s recovery. She kept wanting Jared to be the way he was before, and he wasn’t. He was different, and she didn’t know what to do about it. She was pleasantly surprised when he drove up to the river and she learned they were going on a dinner cruise.
She’d never been on one before.
“Wait for me,” he said. He got out of the truck, retrieved his suit jacket from the backseat, and came around to her door. He opened her door for her and handed her roses and a gold box of Godiva chocolates.
“Thank you.” She breathed deep of the roses.
“My pleasure,” he said softly and brushed a kiss on her cheek.
Rocky shivered, lifting her lips up for more, but he turned away, and urged her from the truck.
She kept the roses, tucked the Godiva’s in her purse, and followed his lead. Twenty minutes later, they were cruising down the river. Stars twinkled in the night sky, a mild breeze caressed her skin, and the earthy scents of the coast flavored the air. They walked around the deck, enjoying the experience before going inside to eat. Crystal chandeliers swayed over the formal dining room, champagne bubbled in flutes, and a live band played oldie-but-goldie music she hadn’t heard in a long time.
Jared raised his champagne glass. “A toast.”
She lifted her glass.
“To first dates,” he said and clinked his flute to hers.
She smiled and nodded.
His gaze searched hers and he set the glass down. “You’re not having fun, are you? Hell. Can you tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it? I’m sorry about what happened. I’ll do whatever—”
Rocky reached over and pressed her finger to Jared’s lips. “I just want the Jared that stormed across a bar and swept me off my feet back. I know you’ve been recuperating, but something’s wrong. I don’t know how to explain it. I just want the Jared that was so hungry, he couldn’t even wait for me to get my robe. The Jared—”
Jared sat back and roared with laughter.
“What is so funny?”
“You. Me. Hell. Life. Here I’ve been killing myself to be a gentleman. I’ve a hundred nights of roses and romance planned before I was going to let myself storm your citadel.”
“A hundred night’s like this?”
“Give or take a bit. The yacht’s sort of pricey, but I can do candlelight on a balcony and a stroll down River Street.”
“Don’t get me wrong. This is all amazing. I’ve never had such an elegant date. It’s beautiful, but if I have to choose between this and you distant, or pizza and you all over me. Give me the pizza.” She slipped her purse out from under the table and withdrew what she’d bought for him. “This is for you.”
He took the bag, but didn’t open it yet. “I only pulled back because I wanted to give you time to know me. To know you can trust me.”
“And I was wrong to say what I did. I’ve had a lot of time to think about this. There’re different ways to know a person. Fact-wise in your head, or soul-wise in your heart. Soul-wise you never misrepresented yourself. The intent of your heart from the start was to protect me. Same goes for my parents.”
“So, I’m forgiven?”
“Yeah. Just don’t make leading me to the wrong conclusions a habit, or I may have to take Jesse up on his references for stupid.”
“References for stupid?”
“Apparently it’s a common problem with Weldon men.”
Jared frowned.
“Don’t worry about it now.” Rocky reached across the table and pushed the paper bag closer to Jared. “Open it.”
He opened the bag and sat staring at the bottle inside. His body shook. “You bought me honey for my biscuit.”
<
br /> “Yes.”
“You know what that means?” He looked up and his gaze met hers.
She nearly burst into flames from the sensual heat. She licked her lips. “Yes.”
“Come on.” He stood.
“Where are we going?”
“The dance floor. It’s not like we can jump ship. Hell, it’s all I can do to keep from dragging you into a dark corner.” He pulled her into his arms and slid his body flush to hers with his thigh so tight against her sex, she nearly whimpered with every step they took. The words to the music faded as he whispered into her ear exactly what he was going to do to her with the honey when the cruise was over.
Whatever barrier that separated them burned in a heartbeat.
Jared was back.
It was the most romantic dinner of her life. It was the sexiest dinner of her life. It was longest dinner of her life.
They hit Dessie’s house at a run, having stopped and bought condoms on the way. He’d really taken his plan to heart and had thrown out his supply.
“Which way to the kitchen?”
“To the left. My bedroom is upstairs on the right.”
“Later,” Jared said, pulling her into the kitchen.
He stripped her clothes off. Dress, bra, and thongs all landed on the back of the kitchen chair. Then he set her on the kitchen table top. “Remember what I told you on the dance floor? How I wanted you to look?”
She nodded. “Do it then. Scoot to the middle and lay back.”
She did, feeling like a feast placed before a decadent knight.
“Now spread your legs wide.”
She let her legs fall open.
“Wider,” he rasped. Clasping one leg he edged her wider until her foot slid off the side of the table, bending at the knee. “Now the other one.”
She did as he asked, and shivered at how exposed, and yet, delicious she felt. He stood at the end of the table looking down at her. He opened the bottle of honey, and poured dribbles over her stomach and her sex. Then he poured honey on his finger. He put his finger in his mouth and moaned as he sucked, taking his time.
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