Everyone glanced down at Bo and all three of them sighed knowing Rowan was right. The dog had a bottomless stomach.
For the next five hours, the three of them placed the small weatherproof cameras all over the island. They installed motion sensors attached to floodlights at the dock and boathouse. Everything was set up so he could log in to his phone or computer and see every part of the island. He thought about placing some cameras inside the house, but with Emma staying there, that might be going too far. Especially since everything that happened on the island was now being recorded and uploaded to the secure server system he used for his projects.
“Think this will be enough to catch whoever’s been messing with you?” Rowan asked later that evening.
They were out on his back deck, and JT had steaks on the grill for the four of them.
“I hope so.” He flipped a steak and Bo’s eyes watered as he begged at his feet.
Emma came outside with a pitcher of tea and a few more cold beers. She sat down at the table, and Rowan and Brock each took a beer from her.
“Thanks,” both of them chimed at the same time.
“Here.” JT tossed Rowan’s steak on a plate. “Raw.” He handed the plate to Rowan.
“Thanks.”
“I don’t see how you can eat it like that. It’s still walking,” Brock added as he took a sip of his beer.
“Better than charcoaled like you like it.” Rowan dumped some more steak sauce on his plate, then piled on the potato salad and baked beans Emma had helped him make.
“Do you really think whoever it was was using a rowboat to get here?” Emma asked, looking out over the water. The sun was sinking lower
“It’s a theory.” He watched the steaks and sipped his beer. “Otherwise Bo would have barked each time he heard a boat motor.”
“Maybe he did,” she said. “Remember, each time I let Bo out because he asked to go out.”
Everyone was silent for a while.
“Why don’t you just use a leash for a while?” Rowan said. “Before I had the new fence installed, we had to walk Blue every time she had to go out.”
JT looked down at his dog, who was now begging Rowan for a bite of his steak. “I can do that,” he agreed. “Keep him inside, at least until we catch whoever this is.”
“I’ll help. I’ve been meaning to take more walks,” Emma added. “It’ll be nice having company.”
“He’s not trained on a leash,” JT added.
Emma smiled. “I’m sure he’ll pick it up quickly.”
* * *
Emma had fooled herself thinking the dog would pick this up easily. JT had given her a thick black leash before he’d locked himself in his office to work for the night.
Of course, half an hour after he’d left, Bo had wanted out. She’d snapped on the leash and walked him around the grass yard within sight of the house and well in the light of the flood lamps on the back patio.
But, when the dog refused to do his business, she decided a quick walk around the house couldn’t hurt.
She was halfway around the house when the leash slipped from her fingers and Bo yanked free. She slipped on the wet stones and landed on the pathway on her hands and knees. Feeling the sting of her skin being ripped open, she hissed and sat on the stones to look at the small cuts on her palms. That’s when she heard the rustling in the bushes.
Every fiber of her body went on guard. Her breathing stopped all together as she strained her ears and eyes to find what had made the noise.
Bo had run off in the opposite direction. She could hear him barking in the distance. Whatever it was that had made the noise less than five feet from her, she realized she was on her own.
She couldn’t do anything on her butt, so she started to get up slowly and heard a hiss from the bushes.
Okay, not a murderer lurking in the darkness to kill her.
“Shh.” She held her hands out and moved a little slower. “It’s okay.” She used her calm voice. “I’m just going to stand up, slowly.” She continued to talk as she moved. The animal was still out of sight, and its low growl started growing louder. “Are you a cat?” she asked, taking a step closer. “How did a cat get on the island?” She moved closer and knelt, holding out her hands as she made her way towards a small gap in the bushes.
Just then, Bo came rushing up to her, something small and dirty in his mouth. He set it down gently at her feet and she almost jumped when it moved. Her first thought was that Bo had just brought her a drowned rat, but then the hissing animal from the bushes rushed out and started attacking Bo, who just sat on his butt and looked at it in question.
That’s when she realized that Bo had brought her a kitten. “Easy.” She reached down and picked up the kitten, then grabbed Bo’s collar, just in case he decided he didn’t like being attacked by a wild cat and snapped.
The cat backed up, its fur sticking straight up as it continued to hiss.
The kitten in her hands meowed, and the mama cat stopped instantly when she realized her baby wasn’t in the clutches of the dog anymore.
“I’ve got your baby. It’s okay.” She looked at Bo. “Stay,” she told him in a firm voice. The dog looked at her and she could have sworn he nodded in agreement.
Taking a step away from Bo, she made sure he hadn’t hurt the small thing. Then she knelt and held out the kitten to its mother. There wasn’t a scratch or mark on the tiny silver kitten. Bo had been so gentle with it, and Emma’s heart melted.
When the calico cat came back out from the bushes, she held the kitten and the mother slowly move forward, its eyes darting between her and Bo.
Gently, the mother took the kitten in her mouth and sprinted away, disappearing back into the bushes. Bo made a move to go, but she snapped her fingers and he sat back down.
“Is this who you’ve been hanging out with?” She turned to him, then jumped and fell on her butt when she saw the dark figure at the mouth of the pathway.
A loud scream escaped her lips before she landed hard on the dirty ground.
Chapter 16
“Sorry.” JT held up his hands and stepped into the light. “I saw you on the cameras.” He motioned to a red blinking light a few feet over, underneath the dim path light. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” He felt guilty, even though he knew she had been too busy with whatever she’d been doing to notice him approach her.
Bo was running circles around his feet.
“What was that?” JT asked, moving closer as his eyes scanned the dark bushes. He stopped next to her and reached down to help her off the ground.
“It was a cat. Bo had found one of her kittens.”
He was about to tell her there was no way a cat could get to the island on her own, but she was dusting off her jeans and he heard her hiss in pain.
“What?” He took her hands, turned them over, and noticed the blood covering each of her palms. “You’re hurt?” Worry flooded him. Without waiting, he grabbed her up, swung her into his arms, and rushed towards the house.
She laughed. “It’s a cut, not a broken leg,” she said.
He glanced down at her and when the light hit his face, she stilled. She must have seen the worry in his eyes, because she reached up and touched his face.
“I’m okay.”
“You will be, after we get that cleaned up and bandaged.” He held the door open and whistled for Bo, who rushed in after them. “Did Bo do this?”
“No, the slick stones did.” She sighed when he set her down gently on the kitchen table. When she moved to get down, he held her in place.
“I’ll get something to clean you up. Stay put.” He narrowed his eyes at her until she nodded in agreement.
He grabbed the small med kit in the laundry room along with a clean towel.
When he went back in the kitchen, she was swinging her legs and leaning back.
“I can—”
He stopped her with a look.
“I’ll clean you up.” He stepped between her legs, then started dabbing the
dried blood away with the damp cloth. “Does it hurt?”
“No,” she said, then hissed when he touched a tender spot. “A little.”
For the next few minutes, he worked on cleaning dirt from the small cuts. He dabbled Neosporin over them, then carefully placed a bandage over each palm.
“There, now, what’s this about a cat?” he asked as he cleaned up the mess. Then he stepped back between her legs, his hands moving to her hips.
“There was a calico, the baby was gray,” she said breathlessly. Her eyes ran over his face. “It must have swum to the island.”
He shook his head. “I doubt it. No animal could swim that far.” He thought about it for a second, then got distracted by the way the light hit her face.
“JT?” It came out as a whisper. He shook his head, not wanting her to distract him from her lips. He’d locked his eyes there and felt the need to brush his lips across them. Moving closer, he pushed his erection against her softness and heard her moan.
“JT, take me upstairs…”
Just then they both heard the boat motor and froze. “Are you expecting anyone?” she asked.
He shook his head, then pulled out his phone and frowned when he saw the boat circling his dock. Cameras flashed, then the boat sped off in the opposite direction.
“What the…” he said under his breath.
“They found me,” Emma said.
Looking up, he realized she’d pulled out her own cell phone. When she turned it around, he held in a groan.
Sure enough, the headline she was looking at online was clear enough.
“Emma Wilder and JT Whistler, the inside scoop on what caused her breakup with Mark Rayes.”
She swiped her phone to another screen.
“Emma Wilder holes up on JT Whistler’s private island after vicious breakup with Mark Rayes. Is this what the fight was about?”
“There are more.” She continued to swipe her phone screen. After a moment, he took the phone from her and set it down on the table, setting his own phone with hers.
“What do you say we head upstairs and forget about the rest of the world until tomorrow?” He placed a kiss on her forehead.
She wrapped her legs around his hips, holding him in place.
“What do you say to staying right here.” She kissed him and he felt his need for her grow. “At least for a while,” she said while running her mouth over his face and neck.
In a flash, she reached for his shirt and pulled it over his head. He nudged her shirt over her head and enjoyed the pink lace covering her perfect breasts.
She was wearing those sexy tight jeans of hers that showed every curve she had, but he managed to slide them down her hips and push his fingers into her silky softness. Her response was instant as her hips moved with his motion.
Her kisses grew hungrier. His followed. When she yanked his jeans down his hips, he didn’t hesitate to thrust into her. She was everything he’d fantasized about. The feeling, the scent, everything about her was beyond words.
“I need…” She threw her head forward and sank her teeth softly into his collarbone, then cried out as she exploded into his hand.
His cock jumped in his shorts, demanding. He blinked a few times, then realized the kitchen table wouldn’t make for a soft bed.
Hoisting her into his arms again, he carried her up the stairs. Halfway up, she sighed and opened her eyes.
“You like carting me around, don’t you?”
He chuckled. “It’s not really carting. You’re light as a feather. Besides, you feel good in my arms.”
“You’re spoiling me. Just like you spoil Bo.”
“I like spoiling you.” He nudged the bedroom door open. When Bo jumped up on the bed, he glared at the dog. Before he could do anything, Emma snapped her fingers and pointed to the dog bed in the corner of the room.
Bo hung his head and slowly jumped from the bed, then walked over and plopped his giant body down on the bed with a groan.
JT looked at Emma with surprise.
“He’s a good dog.” She smiled up at him.
He kissed her again and before they hit the bed, his shoes and jeans were gone, as was the rest of the lace covering her.
He took his time, running his hands over her soft body, wanting to enjoy the feel of her moving under his hands. When he finally slid into her, it was like returning home after a long journey. She fit him perfectly. She was made for him and he was made to please her.
The thought crossed his mind briefly that he wanted to spend the rest of his life learning just how to please her in as many ways as possible. But then he felt her release and leaned in and kissed her as he joined her pleasure.
* * *
Emma checked her phone messages the next morning while JT made French toast.
There was less than a week before the premiere of Crescent Creek. She still had so much to do, and she knew her time on the island was winding down.
Now that the paparazzi had found her, she might as well head home. But she didn’t want to leave JT or Bo.
She wanted to stay right here, hidden away from all the craziness of life. Which meant it was time to pack up and go home.
She just needed to work up enough courage to tell JT. She would tell him over dinner, after she’d made plans to return the following day.
So, while JT went to work in his office, she purchased plane tickets and made other arrangements.
She had picked out her premiere dress almost a full month back, but she still needed to go in for the final fitting, along with purchasing all her accessories.
The jewelry was going to be on loan thanks to her agent. But shoes and a handbag were still needed.
She figured she had three days to get everything together once she got back. That morning, she had set some of Bo’s food out on the back patio, hoping the mama cat would start coming around. She also cleaned and filled Bo’s outdoor water bowl. She thought about leaving some milk out, but with the heat during the day and the rain in the evenings, she doubted it would stay fresh.
She kept glancing out the back glass doors in hopes of catching a glimpse, but when JT returned to help with dinner, the bowl was still full and untouched.
“Don’t worry, I checked the video again this morning and saw her down at the dock catching mice earlier.”
“Oh?” She sat up a little straighter. “You saw her?”
“Yes, I lost her when she went into the bushes. Funny, now that I think about it, she might have been living here with me all along, and I just didn’t know about it until now.”
“Really?”
“Sure. I mean, there are mice on the island.” He shrugged. “They find a way here. I’ve laid out traps, but never caught any. I bet the previous owners had a few of them around.”
“Which means, if there’s a mama, there must be a daddy.”
He chuckled. “It would stand to reason.”
“Bo was so gentle with the baby. It makes me wonder if he knows where they are. I mean, he brought one to me as if to say, here, look.” She held out her hands and remembered how the small gray kitten had fit perfectly in her palms.
“We can go out looking after dinner,” he suggested.
“I’d like that.” She thought about telling him that she was leaving in the morning, but decided to hold off until their walk.
They ate grilled shrimp with wild rice and fresh vegetables, then she helped him clean up. She had to admit, JT was a better chef than she was. She’d taken cooking classes when she’d first moved to LA in hopes of a backup career, she had just never really had a heart for it.
At this point in her life, she wasn’t even sure she still felt a calling for acting. Sure, she was good at it, or so everyone had told her. She enjoyed the career well enough, but all the games she’d seen in Hollywood left her with a sour taste in her mouth.
Especially after dealing with Mark. It was disappointing to know the man was a household name and heartthrob to millions. They say you should
never meet your heroes, and she knew why now.
“You’re quiet,” JT said as they left the house armed with some milk and a bag of bacon to lure the cat from her hiding spot.
“I was just thinking about meeting the people you idolize. How disappointing it is.”
“I’ve never really met any of my idols yet.” He reached out and took her hand while shifting the container of milk into his other hand. “Who has disappointed you?” He glanced at her. “Me?”
She laughed. “No, you’re the only one that hasn’t disappointed me.” She wanted to say more, but held back.
“Mark?” he asked after a moment of silence.
“Him and a few others.” She shrugged. “All of Hollywood, if you think about it.”
“Not what you thought it would be?”
She shook her head. “You have this image. Seeing all the movies, all the stars.”
“That everything is perfect.”
“Exactly.” She pointed at him with the hand that held the container of bacon. “Then you get there and realize everyone is just…”
“Human?” he supplied.
“Disappointing.”
“So, is this it for you then?”
“No, of course not. Don’t get me wrong, I still love acting. I’m just not sure California is for me.”
“New York?” he asked, stopping outside the boathouse.
She shrugged. “There are a lot of actors and actresses who jump around. Maybe I’ll find my place.” She sighed as she looked off over the water. It was the first night in many that they hadn’t gotten an evening shower.
She was going to miss this, the calm, the peace, JT. She glanced over at him and realized he’d been watching her.
“You’re leaving,” he said softly.
She sighed deeply and nodded. “My flight leaves at one tomorrow.”
He was silent for another moment. Then he turned to her. “How about going to the premiere with me?”
Her heart did a jump before it fell to the bottom of her stomach. “I can’t.” She saw the pain behind his blue eyes and quickly jumped in. “I’m scheduled to arrive with Mark and Liam, together. It’s… for show,” she added quickly. She took JT’s hand in hers. “I would rather go with you.”
Hidden Charm: A Silver Cove Novel Page 12