The Hidden Years

by Susan Kearney

  But what would solving the mystery cost him? He’d never forgive himself if anything happened to his sisters. But while she and Jake were being hunted, they couldn’t go to them. She was sure Jake didn’t like relying on bodyguards to protect his sisters. But what other choice did they have?

  Their pursuers had been remarkably organized. They’d found her within thirty minutes of her phone call. They’d staked out both their homes and businesses and bugged their phones. It was only a matter of time before they found this cabin, too.

  JAKE FULLY INTENDED to work through the night for a multitude of reasons, all of them important. First off, ever since Cassidy had run into him before he’d had a chance to wrap a towel around his hips, he’d seen the speculation in her eyes. He wasn’t the lanky boy she remembered. His muscles had finally caught up to his height and he’d filled out. Special Forces training had done the rest, giving his body a definition that he’d longed for as a teenager to impress the girls. Okay, to impress Cassidy.

  But now he didn’t want her to notice him for his physique. He wasn’t sure if he wanted her to notice him at all, since he found the sexual tension that simmered between them distracting. For his sake, for her sake and for his sisters’ sakes, he needed to keep his mind on the case. Lives could be at stake. The feel of this case had a gritty professionalism about it that kept him on edge. Jake would never forgive himself if lack of concentration caused someone he cared about to be hurt.

  Despite his best intentions, he couldn’t help feeling pleased that Cassidy found him attractive. He tried to rationalize the idea away. He knew danger made the brain increase production of certain chemicals that sometimes caused people to do things they wouldn’t do under normal circumstances. Men and women often made love the night before they went to war. Kidnapping victims even fell in love with their captors.

  Jake didn’t want Cassidy under these circumstances. Letting her go ten years before had been too difficult. He wasn’t about to take a chance for a few nights of pleasure—not when he already knew how long it would take to forget her when she returned to her normal life.

  He’d learned from his past mistakes. He wouldn’t repeat them. So when Cassidy walked over and put her hand on his shoulder and peered at the document he’d been holding and pretending to read for the past five minutes, he ignored the increase in his heart rate. Pretended he couldn’t take in her delicious feminine scent. Faked a lack of interest in seeing if he could tug her into his lap and tease her narrowed lips into a full lushness.

  “Found anything?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  He hadn’t read a word but forced himself to do so now. “A diploma. From the University of Florida for Mary Lou Ellis.” He picked up another diploma. “And one for Michael Scott.”

  Cassidy kept her hand on his shoulder and leaned over to read them. Jake knew he should remove her hand, but he didn’t want to reveal to her how much her touch disturbed him. So he shifted uncomfortably in his chair and crossed his legs, unwilling to let her glimpse the bulge in his trousers.

  She drank her coffee. “Jake, I don’t want you to get false hopes. The stuff I found in my father’s attic was dusty and most likely had been there for over twenty years. Maybe the adoption papers for your sisters just got mixed up with another of dad’s clients. This Mary Lou Ellis and Michael Scott may not have anything to do with your family at all.”

  Jake finally turned and took her hand off his shoulder and held it in his. “It’s the only conjecture that makes sense. The reason I never found anything was because I’d searched for records under their assumed names. Not the ones they were born with.”

  Taking Cassidy’s hand from his shoulder had been a mistake. Because now she was looking directly at him and at the same time grazing the calluses on his hand with her soft palm; the strength in her fingers reminded him why he’d fallen for her once before. The perfect combination of strength and softness, she appealed to him in ways he couldn’t keep fighting. Her willingness to help him, her courage in the face of danger, slipped beneath his resolve like spilled water seeping under a door. He couldn’t keep her out, and when she stood so close, he had trouble remembering why he was resisting getting his feet wet.

  As if sensing his moment of weakness, she floated onto his lap with the fluidity of a cat. And suddenly he knew he was in over his head, drowning in new scents, new sensations. He tended to forget her impulsiveness until she knocked his feet out from under him.

  And then it was too late. Her curves pressed against him in all the right places, and he ached to put his arms around her and pull her into a tight embrace. But he didn’t. He might not have enough fortitude to push her away, but he wouldn’t encourage her, either.

  Tilting back her head, she parted her lips slightly and locked gazes with him, her knowing eyes letting him see that she was thoroughly comfortable in his arms. “Tomorrow let’s drive to Gainesville.”

  He forced himself to answer her in a casual tone, pretending that she didn’t affect him, hoping his eyes didn’t reflect how badly he wanted her. “The university may have records.”

  Her fingers traced tiny circles on the back of his neck, releasing tension along his shoulders. Her nails lightly scraped a sensitive spot near the pulse at his throat. “Maybe we can find a professor who remembers them.”

  He could no longer prevent his tone from deepening. How could he when she snuggled so close? Still, he kept his words on their investigation. “We can start with the registrar’s office and admissions.”

  She seemed eager to keep talking, as if by doing so she gave him the opportunity to pretend the attraction between them wasn’t extraordinary, that the simmering tension could keep building without consequences. “We can trace their former address.”

  She twisted until she could face him. “Find family.”

  “Neighbors.”

  “Someone who can…”

  Jake heard the words, but he was more fascinated by the temptation of her lips. He wouldn’t kiss her. He wouldn’t think about her firm bottom pressed against his thighs. Her breast nestled against the crook of his arm. He wouldn’t take advantage of her need to be held. He wasn’t going to kiss her even if her lips were only inches from his.

  As if sensing his resolve, Cassidy allowed a tiny smile to escape. She turned back to him and impulsively wound her arms around his neck, taking him by surprise.

  Her mouth, a mere inch from his, tantalized him. “Now where were we?”

  She moved slowly, sensuously, giving him every opportunity to pull away. But as if mesmerized by the heated glimmer in her eyes, he held perfectly still, neither advancing nor retreating, simply leaving her with all the choices.

  And she chose to taunt him.

  He figured that within a moment, impetuous Cassidy would kiss him. But she was in no hurry. Instead, she explored his face with her fingertips, the pads of her fingertips circling the lobes of his ears, his forehead and eyebrows and the bridge of his nose. Her delicate touch brewed a storm of needs inside him. Not just physical needs, but emotional turmoil.

  Cassidy hadn’t simply been his first teenage crush. She’d been his first real friend. And back then, as much as he’d wanted to take their relationship to the next level, he’d known he would have lost her friendship if he’d tried. She’d make it very clear that she thought having deeper feelings for any man would jeopardize her resolve to follow her dreams.

  But she meant everything to him. All his life Jake had longed for a family. A wife. Kids. He now possessed a house with a three-car garage, but he still ached for a family, for a woman to tend the home, take care of the kids and be waiting for him after a hard day of investigation. Cassidy didn’t fit into this picture. Cassidy was a career woman.

  Yet just because she was the wrong woman for him, he couldn’t so easily put his feelings for her aside. She’d been the first person who’d cared about him since he was five and had lost his parents. And now here she was sitting on his lap, her head tilted bac
k with that lion’s mane of hair still damp and enveloping him in a sensual haze.

  “Sunshine, maybe we should talk about—”

  “I don’t want to talk. I just want to feel,” Cassidy murmured, her voice husky and sultry and very sure of itself.

  “But—”

  “Time for talking is over.” She raised her lips halfway to his. “Kiss me.”

  He didn’t know if he dipped his head or she raised hers. But their lips met, and he couldn’t hold back the flood of desire that crashed over him. Not when she parted her lips under his, yielding to him, tasting sweeter than any drift of spun sugar. She was all woman, fire and lightning and temptation and pure heaven rolled into one.

  She didn’t hold any part of herself back. Like a wave building and cresting before rolling and dashing itself onto the shore, Cassidy kissed him with a fervor that matched the soaring of his spirit.

  Jake finally came up for air and out of his daze to realize she’d kissed him with her eyes wide open. Dilated with passion, tinged with a heavy-lidded sensuality, her eyes challenged him to take more. He knew she was about to ask him to make love to her. And he wanted to. But he couldn’t let her ask and then refuse her.

  With more determination than he’d ever exhibited in his life, Jake pulled back. “We shouldn’t.”

  She nibbled a spot on his neck. “Why not?”

  “Because I don’t do one-night stands,” he growled, his voice harsh with his frustration. He never should have kissed her or allowed her to kiss him. He’d known better. And now he would pay the price—sleepless nights, dreams of what could have been, memories that would haunt his waking hours. But as much as it would cost him now to refuse her, if he made love to her, he didn’t think he’d ever be able to let her go.

  “That’s what I am to you, a one-night stand?”

  “What else could you be?” he lied to protect himself. She was far more. But even so, he had enough sense to realize she didn’t love him. She wanted a night of pleasure with someone safe, someone to chase away her loneliness and fears. Well, Jake had too much self-respect to let her use him.

  “You’re trying to push me away, start a fight,” she murmured as she tried to kiss him again.

  If he let her, he’d be a goner for sure. She was very good at reading him. But he needed to keep a smidgen of self-respect.

  Jake held her shoulders firmly, refusing to let her change his mind. She’d already done enough damage with her kiss. “Think anything you like, Sunshine. Just leave me the hell alone.”

  Chapter Six

  Cassidy fought past the sensual haze Jake’s kiss had woven around her, tried to understand his words. He’d just told her to leave him alone, but his body made him a liar. She was too close not to see his pupils dilate with need. Too close not to hear his ragged breaths between words. Too close not to feel a very interested part of his anatomy denying what he’d just said.

  Hurt and confusion had mixed as he’d pushed her away. And the reasons behind his harsh words left her wondering why he didn’t just tell her what was going on. Obviously he found her attractive. He’d kissed her with a passion that had rocked her to her core. Cassidy wasn’t innocent. Yet never before had a kiss made her feel intoxicated, bubbly with the happiness of being alive, excited to be held, and happy to give and receive affection.

  And Jake had said he didn’t want her.

  His words told her so. His hands on her shoulders kept her from leaning against him. Cassidy raised her chin, looked directly into Jake’s eyes, which were filled with an edgy heat that contradicted the fierce expression on his face.

  Without another word, she slipped off his lap, walked to the bedroom and lay down on the bed. She’d left the door open, knowing he’d never walk through it.

  Cassidy laced her fingers behind her head and stared at the ceiling in the darkness. Their kiss had been stunningly passionate. It had made her forget the danger they were in. She’d forgotten the reason she was here. She’d simply let taste and touch and smell take over, and it had been better than reading her romances. Better than her dreams. Better than any hot-fudge sundae—her consolation dessert when a date didn’t turn out so hot.

  But Jake’s kiss had been hotter than a Fourth of July bottle rocket. And he’d sent her soaring farther than she’d ever expected to go.

  Then after showing her exactly how good it could be, he’d pushed her away. Was it simply him being able to control his hormones? She didn’t have the courage to go back into that room and ask him. Not with her lips still swollen and tender from his kiss and her breasts aching for his touch. Certainly not until Jake could speak in a rational tone of voice. His last demand to keep away from him had been close to a growl.

  Which only proved that the kiss had affected him, too. Cassidy couldn’t fathom the reason for the contradiction between his words and his actions. She expected to spend a sleepless night pondering the peculiarities of the male species. And one male in particular. But it had been a very long exhausting day. Sometime during the next hour, her eyes drifted closed and she slept.

  Someone was rocking her. Jake?

  She opened her eyes to sunlight. Cassidy almost always awakened with full use of all her faculties. She didn’t need coffee to jump-start her day, but came awake, totally aware and refreshed.

  “Rise and shine. We’ve got a long day ahead of us,” Jake told her from the safety of the bathroom. He’d already shaved and showered. “It’s all yours.” He gestured to the bathroom as he sauntered out.

  So he planned to act as if that kiss had never happened. Cassidy might have thought she’d dreamed it, but the details were too vivid in her mind. Jake had the most wonderful masculine scent, kind of musky and earthy. Coffee on his lips had flavored the memory so that she doubted she’d ever drink another cup without thinking of Jake and that kiss.

  Cassidy smelled bacon frying and hurried to check the closet for clothes. She found nothing suitable. At least the underwear she’d rinsed out last night had dried. After her shower, she slipped them back on under the clothes she’d worn the day before, thinking that a shopping trip was in order.

  When she joined Jake in the main room, bright sunlight gleamed through the cabin’s windows, and the room had lost the intimacy of last night. Jake had set the table. A glass of orange juice sat next to a plate that held a Belgian waffle. Jake was transferring crisp bacon from the frying pan onto her plate when she joined him.

  “Looks great.” She took a seat, placed a napkin on her lap and waited for Jake to join her after he poured them both coffee. Cassidy added creamer to hers and watched the dairy product disappear into a cloud of murky darkness. Just like that kiss would vanish if she didn’t bring it up. Instinctively she knew Jake wouldn’t. And Cassidy wasn’t sure she had the courage to ask Jake why he’d pushed her away. Suppose he gave her an answer she didn’t want to hear? Maybe it would be better not to mention the kiss, either.

  She sipped her coffee, trying to make up her mind, when Jake pulled out a map. He bit into a slice of bacon as he traced a red line. “If we take the highway east to I 75 north, we can be in Gainesville before lunch.”

  “I need to stop at a store and pick up a few things.” Cassidy caught the reluctance in his eyes but wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Harrison brought you clothes. I need some, too. And I’m a quick shopper.”

  “Fine.”

  With that settled, they both finished their breakfast and cleaned up the cabin while making small talk. Cassidy used Jake’s newest cell phone to call her secretary and instruct her that she wouldn’t be in for the rest of the week. Next she called a colleague and asked her to take over a few hours of free counseling at the women’s clinic. Luckily Cassidy had no pets to care for, no swimming pool that needed chemicals. Her lawn and plants might suffer because she couldn’t be there to water them, but that couldn’t be helped. She’d re-sod and replant if necessary, although she might have to wait until rainy season.

  They walked outside and Cassid
y was surprised to see that the Mercedes they’d driven yesterday was gone. A white four-wheel-drive SUV was parked there, instead. “Harrison’s doing?” she guessed.

  “Standard operating procedure.” Jake swung his bag into the rear compartment. He stowed the briefcase with his mother’s legacy next to the driver’s seat. “Whoever is after us saw us in the Mercedes. This one isn’t even registered to the firm.”

  Recalling her question about the cabin’s ownership, Cassidy slipped into the passenger seat and buckled her seat belt. “Can the deed on the cabin be traced back to you?”

  “Not easily.” Jake started the engine. “But eventually, yes. That’s why I’m anxious to get out of here.”

  Jake stopped at a twenty-four-hour superstore, and Cassidy loaded up on clothes, toiletries and a backpack in which to carry everything. After using an automated teller machine to withdraw her daily limit, she moved to the checkout line. Her shopping didn’t take as long as getting through the cashier’s line, and it seemed longer because of a man who stood behind her. He seemed too interested in her, but every time she looked up, he turned the other way. Nervous, she returned to Jake and the SUV.

  She waited until Jake pulled out of the parking lot to voice her concern. “Are you sure those men followed us to the print shop after you used a credit card?”

  “It’s possible they planted a bug on my car in the restaurant parking lot.”

  “You think so?” Hope rose inside her. If Jake was correct, then they should be safe in the new car Harrison had brought them.

  “It’s not difficult to get hold of a bug and tracking device. Between the Internet and magazine classified advertisements, anyone could order one.”

  “But?”

  “Having one and planting it shows an extraordinary amount of forethought.”

  Cassidy finally asked the question that had been bothering her ever since she’d paid cash for her purchase. “How difficult is it to track ATM withdrawals?”