“Emma.” He said her name quietly, his hand on the doorknob. “If blowing out candles and watching Kyle and Andraya make a mess is important to you, or to them, then of course I’ll be there.”
“Thanks, Jake,” Emma said. “I think Kyle and Andraya will have fun.”
Jake opened the door and allowed her through. “You’d better grab a hot shower. Susan can watch the little ones while you get cleaned up. I do have some work to do in my office before dinner, but if I get tied up, just come get me.”
Emma glanced at her watch. “I’ve got a telephone repairman coming any minute, Jake, and we needed to fix the phones in your office as well. I’m sorry, I didn’t think you were going to be home until this evening.”
“What’s wrong with the phones?”
Emma frowned. “I don’t know. There’s an echo I don’t like. Joshua thought the squirrels might have chewed on the lines, so I’m having everything checked, starting in the house and working backward. He shouldn’t be in your office long. I’ll get him out as soon as possible.”
“Have Joshua do a security sweep as soon as he leaves,” Jake cautioned. “And have him stay with the man at all times.”
She stuck her chin in the air. “I’ll stay with him at all times. I’m perfectly capable of looking after the house.”
“Joshua isn’t looking after the house,” Jake snapped, his eyebrows drawing together. “He’s looking after you.”
“We’ve had this conversation a million times, Jake. I’m not two. I don’t need looking after. It’s my job, not Joshua’s.”
Jake opened his mouth and closed it. She had the most sexy, stubborn look on her face he’d ever seen. His body reacted with a hot flair of need, a need to conquer, a drive to change that look to submission, compliance, hunger even. Few people ever argued with him or stood up to him, but Emma had no problem at all giving him her opinion.
He tasted her in his mouth. His body ached. He pushed a towel into her hands. “If you get any strange vibes, call me or Joshua immediately.” He stepped away from her, frowned and turned back. “And I want Josh in the house. That’s nonnegotiable.”
Emma drew herself up to her full height. “Absolutely not. I take care of the house, not Joshua. If I don’t like something, I’ll let you know.”
A hint of a smile flickered across his face. She had the little bite in her voice he loved to hear. It didn’t matter how often he offered to rehire a cook or a nanny, she refused and he was grateful. He had come to enjoy the way she ran the house, the scent of cookies and freshly baked bread in his kitchen and the sound of laughter echoing often through the halls. She considered the house her domain and she guarded it jealously.
“Joshua stays in the house, Emma. You’re too trusting.” Emma made a face at him, shivering, her teeth chattering as she reached for another kitchen towel. “I am not. Just because I like people doesn’t mean I’m trusting. I’m well aware you’re worried about Kyle’s and Andraya’s safety. I agree totally with you that they should have bodyguards. I’ve never once objected to that.”
Jake walked back to her, his body crowding hers until she could feel his heat. She backed up until her bottom hit the edge of the table and she had to stop abruptly. Jake took the towels from her as he deftly removed her barrette with the other hand and slipped it into his pocket where so many others had disappeared before it. Emma found it impossible not to notice the way his muscles rippled beneath his soaked shirt, how wide his shoulders were and how strong his arms seemed.
Her body reacted again, blood surging hotly, something wild inside of her reaching for him. She breathed away the need, her breasts rising and falling, aching to be touched, her nipples tightening into hard peaks she was desperate to hide. He began to rub at the silky strands of wet hair in an attempt to dry them. His arm brushed her breast and her womb clenched and pulsed. She caught her breath and counted in her head, trying to think of anything but how his waist tapered into his narrow hips and how the front of his jeans had an impressive bulge.
For a moment, just one moment, an image rose in her head: Jake’s strong hands on her shoulders, pushing slightly until she obeyed his silent command and she was kneeling, reaching for him, wanting the familiar shape and texture of him, already anticipating his masculine taste and the way he’d make her feel, as if only she could bring him exquisite ecstasy. She’d love looking up at him, meeting his eyes while she took control, driving him past all sanity until he was truly helpless under her erotic onslaught.
Her breath caught in her throat and her heart slammed hard inside her chest. She’d been a virgin when she’d married Andrew. They’d only been married five short months when the accident happened. She didn’t know the first thing about sex, not sex like the images in her head. Her attempts to please him had been funny and not very successful.
“Hey.” Jake tugged at her hair. “Are you listening to me?”
Had he been talking? Color rushed into her face. “Only when you make sense.”
Jake tugged a little harder on her hair until he tilted her head back, forcing her to look into his eyes. “Don’t ignore me when I’m talking about safety, Emma. You can object to having someone in the house with you, but sadly, honey, when it comes to your safety, I get the last word whether you like it or not.” He dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose and left the towel draped over her head. “I don’t want Susan to be a problem for you. If she causes you more work, or any trouble . . .”
“She won’t. She’s watching the children for me. She’s very good with them.”
Jake inclined his head. “I’m heading for the shower. I suggest you do the same. If you feel like conserving water, you can shower with me.”
Shower with him? Had he actually said that, or was her imagination running wild? What in the world was wrong with her? Emma stood speechless, the idea of being naked in a shower with Jake sending her already hot blood erupting into a fiery conflagration she could barely comprehend. She needed a shower, all right. An icy-cold one would be best.
Dragging the towel from her head, she took the back staircase, wanting to avoid Susan and the children until she was cleaned up and centered once again. Jake had managed to rattle her when she was already feeling so moody. She sighed, stripping off wet clothes and flinging them into the laundry basket before stepping under the spray. She was simply missing being close to a man. It had been two years. Maybe Jake was right and she was hiding away on the ranch, rarely venturing out other than to buy groceries and things for the children. Jake took care of everything for her.
She sighed. She needed to make a change. Jake had kept her safe in a little cocoon. She’d relied on him and he’d simply shouldered the burden, just as he took on everything else in his life. He barked orders but he was rarely angry, not with her and certainly not with the children. She wanted to stay where she was. She liked her life, liked cooking for Jake and some of the ranch hands, liked taking care of the children. She’d always wanted a home and she couldn’t ask for a better one. She couldn’t ruin it by having an affair with Jake. And if she was ever stupid enough to give Jake control over her . . . She shuddered at the thought. Jake could take full advantage.
She shampooed her hair, closing her eyes to absorb the sensation of soap and water running in rivulets over her skin. Her skin felt too tight, too sensitive. Everywhere she touched she felt fingers of arousal pulsing through her body. She leaned against the shower wall, frowning, trying to understand what was happening to her. Her breasts felt full and heavy, aching with the need to be touched. She felt empty inside, her body flushed, almost feverish. The water actually hurt her skin.
Emma stepped out of the tiled stall and wrapped herself in a towel, looking in the mirror and feeling a little dazed. The need to be touched was growing, not lessening, and it had come on slowly, so slowly she hadn’t realized what was happening until the last week. Everything seemed different to her, as if all her senses were heightened.
A thump on the door had her whirlin
g around with a small gasp.
“Hey! Emma, look alive. The phone repairman is here.” Emma took a deep breath and let it out. She had to pull herself together and stop all the silly nonsense that could threaten their very comfortable world. She dressed briskly and once again quickly caught her hair in a barrette, pulling it back away from her face, making a mental note to have it cut soon. She wore it up far more often than down anyway. Running after the two small children made it impossible to style.
Joshua waited on the stairs for her. “I’m supposed to stay with you.”
“You’re supposed to stay in the house.” Emma pushed past him, her hand brushing his chest. She felt a shudder of awareness go through him and she turned her head to look at him. Joshua had always—always—acted like an older brother. Now he was looking at her with speculative eyes. She frowned at him. “Go away, Joshua.”
“You smell good.”
“You smell like horses. Where is our guest and why did you leave him alone?” Her voice was tinged with exasperation. Everyone was losing their minds lately, not just her. Joshua stared at her with hot eyes, making her uncomfortable.
She ran lightly down the stairs into the entryway to find a young man standing awkwardly, staring around him with a slightly awed expression on his face. “Hello, I’m Emma Reynolds, the housekeeper. I’ll show you all the phones.”
“Greg Patterson.”
“The housekeeper?” Joshua snorted.
Emma glared at him. “Thank you so much, Joshua. I’ll show him the phones. If you’d like, I made fresh bread. It’s in the bread basket on the counter.”
Joshua frowned at her. “Emma . . .”
She smiled serenely. “It’s your favorite. I know you’re on a break, so I made fresh coffee for you as well.” There. She’d given him a good reason to stay in the house and not make it look like they didn’t trust the phone man. She kept her smile, willing Joshua to follow her lead.
“The kids?”
“Taken care of,” she answered, grimly hanging on to her smile. Did he think she was an idiot? Of course she’d made certain Susan knew to keep Andraya and Kyle locked away in the nursery while they had company in the house. He was almost as bad as Jake. She’d lived with the security for two years, understood it and accepted it, but she didn’t need a babysitter. She was not going to be humiliated by having Joshua follow them from room to room. He could sit in the kitchen and listen for screams if he was as paranoid as Jake. Jake had said in the house, not necessarily in the room.
The scent of fresh-baked bread permeated the house, and after a brief hesitation and quick warning glare at the telecommunications man, Joshua abruptly turned on his heel and headed for the kitchen.
Emma turned her attention to the workman. He was short and stocky, with wavy brown hair and warm, smiling eyes. He looked so familiar Emma found herself frowning, trying to place him. “Do I know you?”
“Sort of.” He followed her down the hall, staring, a little awed at the massive, beautiful rooms they passed. “We’ve bumped into each other in the grocery store, in the produce section. You helped me pick up my apples when I dropped them.”
Emma laughed. “I remember, of course. You enjoy juggling.”
His gaze flickered downward to her left hand, noted the absence of a ring as she waved him into a room. “Quite a house you’ve got here.”
“Thank you.” Emma loved the house, and appreciated anyone who recognized its beauty. “It takes quite a bit of care, but I love working here.”
“I always wanted to see this estate. No one can actually get on the property without an escort. The grounds are incredible and the house even more so.”
“It is a working cattle ranch,” Emma explained.
“Is Mr. Bannaconni here much?”
Emma tossed a small smile over her shoulder, but didn’t answer the query. Her loyalty was solidly with Jake, and as such, she never gave information about him to anyone. The smallest remark could end up in a tabloid, and Jake had enough people hounding him. In truth, he flew often out of the country as well as to the many states where he owned properties, but he always returned home to the ranch.
They passed the long, wide, sweeping staircase and the high ceiling where the bronze leopard sat amid climbing plants. She was pleased at Patterson’s swift intake of breath. “This house is amazing. You must love it here.”
“Yes, I do.” And she took great pride in making certain it was clean. Jake insisted on cleaners coming twice a week, but she managed every day and it made her feel possessive and proud of their home.
She gestured toward the phone in the den. “This is where I notice the noise the most. The other phones have just a tinge, but this one is more pronounced.”
Greg set his equipment down and watched as she perched on the arm of a chair across the room from him. “This may take a while.”
“That’s fine. I expected it to,” she answered, her voice pleasant.
Greg snuck another quick look at her before returning his gaze to the phone cradled in his hand. “Are you and Mr. Bannaconni together? I didn’t notice a ring, but that doesn’t seem to make much of a difference these days.”
Emma stiffened. Was he looking for information for the tabloids? She tried to keep her voice light and casual. “I work here.”
Greg shot her a quick, shy smile. “Well, in that case, there’s a great movie opening at the theater tomorrow night that I was hoping to see. I don’t suppose you’d want to go with me?” He couldn’t make himself look at her when he asked her, rubbing at an imaginary fleck of dirt on the telephone instead.
Emma sucked in her breath. She’d never dated anyone, not really. Not before Andrew. But Jake had just taunted her, made fun of her actually, by telling her she’d never find another man because she didn’t pay attention to men. Jake, Greg seemed young and uncomplicated, even tame. He certainly didn’t stir her sexually, but she needed something, a change, a way to deal with the way Jake made her feel.
“If you don’t mind me meeting you there, and it would have to be the late show,” Emma found herself agreeing. She held her breath, suddenly hoping he would say no.
“Great!” An enthusiastic smile lit his eyes. “Tomorrow night, then.”
Emma’s heart thudded in alarm. What had she done? Jake had hurt her ego, and in a small spurt of defiance she had made a decision she wasn’t really ready for. And it wasn’t fair to Greg. She had no real interest in him. Her decision was really about being afraid of herself, of the aching needs she couldn’t quite get free of. She wasn’t herself lately at all, and her dreams were downright humiliating. Every single one of them was about Jake and things she had no real knowledge of and wasn’t certain she really wanted to learn.
“Greg, I’ll go with you as a friend. Nothing more. If that’s not what you want, then I’ll have to back out. I should have made that clear.” She kept her voice gentle, low, sorry she might be hurting him, angry with herself for getting into such a position because of pride and fear. It wasn’t Greg’s fault that he’d happened along at precisely the moment she would agree.
“I understand. It’s all good,” he said. “I’d like to go with you.”
He sent her another brief grin, one that was strangely reminiscent of Andy’s. Sweet. Not asking for anything. Friendly. Maybe he was just what she needed. Jake’s personality was overwhelming, swamping her, chipping away at her resistance. Everything about Jake tore at her continually. His intense needs. His dark, brooding manner. His pain. His arousal. His orders and flashes of temper. The way he softened when he was with her. The way he lay next to her when he couldn’t sleep and idly played with strands of her hair, sometimes touching her soft skin and sliding his fingers over her warmth as if she belonged to him.
Just thinking about his touch made her slick with damp heat. She took a breath, let it out and forced a smile, trying to understand what Greg was saying to her.
Greg explained every detail as he worked, his voice droning on and on, unti
l she felt desperate. It was impossible not to think about Jake when she wasn’t in the least bit interested in how the phone worked. She heard him call her name and looked up expectantly, embarrassed that she’d drifted off a second time.
Greg frowned as he looked at the phone. “What exactly are you hearing? Because the line appears clean.”
“I don’t hear it until I actually talk, or someone else is talking to me. If I’m quiet, it’s not there. I had a couple of the ranch hands listen and only Joshua could hear it, but it really bothers me.” It made her uneasy. The phone in Jake’s office didn’t seem to have the same problem on it. She’d gone into his sanctuary and checked herself, relieved when his private line appeared to be clear. She just had a bad feeling.
“Do you hear voices?”
Emma burst out laughing. Greg looked up, a little startled, realized how his question might sound and then joined her.
“The line appears to be clear. My equipment is showing a strong signal, but if you only hear it when you are actually speaking, we could be dealing with something like spy equipment.” His eyes brightened and he grinned at her much like a small boy. “That would be cool. Could someone be spying on you?”
“I think you’ve been watching too many movies,” Emma said, forcing another laugh, suddenly quite uncomfortable. Even the paparazzi were known to bug houses, and someone like Jake had all kinds of enemies.
Greg laughed again. “Well, it would certainly be a first if I ran across spy equipment.”
7
JAKE stood just outside the open door, his heart beating in his throat as he breathed away the need for the leopard to rise. In that moment, with Emma’s innocent laughter ringing in his ears and the scent of her arousal filling his senses, he recognized that he was becoming dangerous. Something was very wrong. He should be in his office, locked away from all noise, never overhearing the play between a man and woman. He could hear the male interest in the man’s voice, the innocence in Emma’s tone. Yet she was definitely aroused, and that maddened him. He felt cruel, capable of viciousness. He hated that ugly part of him, the one that rose when he felt things too deeply, telling him, showing him that he carried the legacy of evil in his blood.
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