The next shop yielded nothing and the third shop was closed, which meant they had to cross the street to the little French boutique where Jake had first taken her after Andraya had been born, which was perhaps part of the allure. The designers displayed there were some of her favorites. She found a black, very sophisticated dress with a low V-neck falling into a close-fitting skirt and a daringly bare back cut all the way past the waist, making it impossible to wear a bra. She held it up, hesitating to try it on. It seemed too much trouble.
Drake said nothing to her but walked to the dressing room, looked inside and indicated for her to go in. She didn’t look at the clerk, but followed his unspoken signal and slid into the soft material. It clung to her as if made for her. Fortunately the shop carried other accessories, so it wasn’t difficult to find a lacy black garter belt and high-topped stockings. The shop next door had perfect matching heels, and before she could take the purchases, Drake stepped forward and arranged for a courier to deliver the boxes to the ranch.
Emma fell into step behind Drake, with Sean and Evan on either side of her and Joshua right behind. “It’s sort of like a parade,” she said, glancing around her.
The men were looking out away from her, watching traffic and people, even buildings. She sighed as they approached the stoplight and were forced to halt and wait for the light to turn. She could feel the curious stares, and her fingers slipped to the ring, rolling it around on her finger. She wasn’t cut out for this kind of life. She felt absolutely ridiculous and embarrassed. She was going to have to talk to Jake and make him understand that security was fine for the children and for him, but definitely not for her—not like this. Taking one bodyguard should be enough.
They stepped off the curb and started across the street with the pedestrians flowing around them. They were like a little moving island, she thought. The sound of a motorcycle barely registered when she felt Drake’s hand on her arm, yanking her forward and away from her two side guards. The bike slid straight at Sean’s legs, the helmeted driver leaping off as he laid the bike down in an effort to take out both Sean and Evan like bowling pins. Joshua dragged Evan clear and Sean tried to leap out of the way just as a Mini Cooper bounced over the grass and curb to slide sideways, doors open. A second motorcycle roared through the scattering crowd, heading straight for Emma, the driver stretching out his hand to catch her shoulder, presumably to shove her into the waiting Mini Cooper.
“Down, Emma,” Drake yelled, whirling around to face the new threat.
She dropped and the hand stretching for her missed. Drake was already reaching out, snagging the driver and ripping him off the bike with one hand, spinning him around, using his cat’s strength and shoving the knife he’d pulled deep. Blood sprayed across the ground, including across Emma. He drew his gun, his body crouched over hers, one arm out to cover as much of her as he could as he took aim at the driver of the Mini Cooper. The driver spun the small car in a tight circle, right into the crowd. Drake squeezed the trigger and the windshield spiderwebbed. The Mini Cooper fishtailed down the street, bumped onto a sidewalk and over the grass before coming to a halt.
Chaos erupted around them, people screaming and running, but the team performed as one unit, Joshua drawing and firing, taking out the first driver as their own Cadillac screeched to a halt, blocking the intersection. Evan yanked open the door and Drake all but threw Emma inside, jumping in after her while Evan took the front seat and Sean hobbled to the driver’s-side back seat. They drove off fast, leaving Joshua to deal with the police.
Drake called the incident in, explaining to the dispatcher and then informing Jake they were coming in fast.
“Are you all right, Emma?” Drake asked, his voice gentle.
She nodded her head, but there were tears in her eyes and she refused to look at him. “I don’t understand what happened.” She was shaking, and when he touched her, she jerked away from him. She didn’t know if she wanted to go home anymore. What had been safe and comforting for so long now seemed alien. The men who had been her friends, men she admired and cared for, weren’t at all who she’d thought. “What did they want with me?”
“You’re the only Achilles’ heel Jake has. They’ve never found a way to get to him. And now they have the means to destroy him.”
“Did you kill those men back there?”
“Yes,” he answered curtly. “We don’t miss.”
She swallowed hard and looked up at Sean. “Are you all right?”
“A few bruises, nothing to worry about,” he assured.
Emma pulled her knees up to her chin and sat rocking back and forth, holding herself tightly. Drake put a gentle hand on her shoulder a second time. “I know violence can be shocking, Emma, when you aren’t used to it.”
“It’s crazy,” she answered. “This is so crazy and I don’t even understand why.” She lifted her head and looked at Drake, her eyes swimming with tears. “Do you have any idea how crazy this will make him? Jake will lose his mind over this. He will, Drake, you know him. He isn’t going to wrap his arms around me and say he’ll make it all go away.” A sob escaped and she pressed her face against her knees, shaking her head.
“When a man goes his entire life with nothing, Emma, and then he finds a woman who is his entire world, who is everything to him, he’ll do anything to protect her,” Drake said. “Even if you took that ring off, the one you keep pulling off your finger, it wouldn’t make a difference in how he feels about you. They would still be able to get to him through you.”
“I’m not taking off the ring.” She looked up at him, her gaze fierce. “You just don’t let anything happen to him. I know this party is important and he’s going to insist on going and he’ll tell you that I’m to be your first priority, but you don’t let anything happen to him, Drake. He’ll risk everything for me, I know he will. You don’t have to tell me. That doesn’t make any of this easier to live with, but I’m not walking away from him. I love him. Now they’ve made me angry too.” She rubbed her chin on the tops of her knees, her fists clenched, tears still falling. “Don’t you let anything happen to him.”
Jake was waiting, pacing back and forth, as the Cadillac pulled up to the house. “What the fuck happened, Drake?”
“Jake,” Emma interrupted before Drake could answer,
“you’re supposed to put your arms around me and comfort me. That’s what fiancés do when someone tries to kidnap their betrothed. Drake did his job, I’m fine, three men are dead, and in case you’re interested, Sean’s hurt.”
Jake let himself look at her. For one moment time seemed to stop. She was alive. She was safe. Tears streaked her face and there was blood on her. His gaze quickly jumped to Drake.
“Not hers,” Drake confirmed.
Jake’s knees actually felt weak and he could only stand there, trying to stop the roaring in his head and the hammering of his heart. He reached for her, needing to touch her, to feel her warmth and know she was safe. The moment his arms closed around her and he drew her from the seat of the SUV, he felt complete.
“Thank you, Drake.” His voice was gruff with emotion, and he turned away from them, burying his face in the silk of her hair, carrying her into his house. “I’m sorry, Emma. I shouldn’t have put the announcement in the paper.”
“It wouldn’t have made a difference, Jake,” Drake said. “At least we know someone’s watching the ranch. How else would they have known we were on the move with her? And they didn’t have a professional crew coming at us. It was amateur hour.”
“The police are on the way,” Jake said tersely. “I’ve got the lawyers waiting. I want your report. Tell them everything and do whatever they say when the police come.” He kissed the top of Emma’s head again. “They’re going to want to talk to you, Emma. You’ll need to talk to the lawyers as well, and don’t answer anything the police ask until the lawyers okay it.”
She nodded, looking a little frightened, and Jake kissed her, his mouth coaxing, feeling her tremble agains
t him.
The process with the lawyers and police took long, exhausting hours. Emma eventually fell asleep, curled in a chair. The questions had been endless, but truthfully, everything had happened so fast she couldn’t tell them much, only how scared she’d been. Jake draped a blanket over her while he and Drake and the lawyer talked with the police and she’d finally just drifted off.
After everyone left and the house was quiet and dark, Jake stood over Emma for a long time, just watching her sleep. His lungs burned with the effort just to breathe. His vision blurred as he picked her up, cradling her close to him, sheltering her against his heart. She murmured softly, frowning and burrowing against him.
“I’m just taking you upstairs,” he said, his heart aching. If this was love, it hurt like hell.
15
“YOU look beautiful, Emma,” Jake said, “absolutely beautiful.”
She was grateful he didn’t say anything about her hair being up. He preferred it down, but it didn’t go with the sophisticated look she was trying to pull off. She was actually a great deal more nervous than she thought she’d be. She cared nothing for these people, but she wanted to be an asset to Jake.
Knots of gold were on her ears and gleamed in a collared necklace at her throat. More golden knots formed a chain around her wrist. The pieces were spectacular, one of a kind, yet very simple in their design.
She put her hand in his as he helped her from the car. She tried not to tremble, not to allow him to see her sudden nerves. After all, she was there to support him. But Jake saw everything about her, and she wasn’t surprised when his fingers came under her chin to tip her face up to his. His eyes were sharp, focused, intent. “We’ll be fine, honey. Remember the rules and stay very close to me. Trust no one here. No one at all. Drake and Joshua will be inside; they’re coming as our guests and they’ll stay close.”
She pressed a hand to her churning stomach. “I’m pretty nervous, Jake. I can’t imagine that I’ll be making a lot of new friends tonight.”
“You told me that you could smell a lie. Trust that tonight. Use all of your senses.”
She slipped her hand into his. “I’ll be fine. Let’s get this over with.”
He brought her hand to his mouth. “They’ll be here tonight.”
“Whatever you need here must be important,” Emma said.
“I have to find out what they’re after. I know they think I’ll give them one of the children. They have to have something big to think I’d give up a child to them.”
Emma stiffened. “I don’t understand what that means. Have they threatened you? Us? Are they blackmailing you? Do you think they were behind the kidnap attempt on me?”
Jake shook his head. “Yes, but I don’t know why. They’ve been working very hard, thinking they’re under the radar, and I don’t have a clue what they’re up to, why they’re trying to take over my company, the one that owns all the various tracks of land with the potential for natural gas or oil on them. They don’t have a prayer. Even after buying off my man, it’s locked up tight. I’m not that stupid as a businessman. They know something I don’t, and I have to find it out. Knowledge can be the most deadly weapon of all.”
“Do they think you’d give up a child for money? Or give them money for me?”
He would give up his life for her—or for the children. And maybe that was their ultimate goal. He couldn’t see what the enemies were after, and that worried him more than anything else. “They would give up a child in an instant, so they might judge me accordingly. It’s possible you’ll find out more than I will. They’ll be more inclined to think they can talk in front of you. They like innuendoes and think they’re very clever with their barbed comments.” His hand slid up her arm until he reached her shoulder and pulled her to him. “Be careful, Emma, and if it gets to be too much, signal me and we’ll leave.”
He was worried. Really worried. And that was very unlike Jake. There was something going on behind the scenes that she didn’t understand, but for him to be this worried over a party, her nerves turned to full-fledged stomach flips as they walked toward the entrance, hand in hand.
“If we get separated—and we will, they’ll see to that—take the opportunity to sit down in any chair in the center of the room. I’ll keep an eye on you. Don’t accept drinks from anyone else, and when you do get a drink from the bar, don’t put it down and pick it up again.”
Emma nodded, unsure whether he was just being paranoid or if he had information he wasn’t sharing with her. Either way, she was very nervous as they walked toward the elaborate mansion. The noise hit her first, hurting her sensitive ears. She felt hot, as if she had a fever, her core body temperature rising until she felt beads of perspiration between her breasts. Her body burned in heightened awareness. She could only put it down to Jake’s close proximity. She was becoming as bad as he was, needing sexual relief often or her body seemed to just burn all the time.
Jake glanced down at her. Her scent was alluring, her body nearly glowing. He could feel the heat radiating off her, stirring his shaft until it was engorged and hard, aching for relief. She could do that so easily to him, and he realized no other woman would sate him. It was her body he craved, and she was driving him close to the edge of his control without doing anything more than dressing up for an event he had asked her to attend with him.
As they headed toward the entrance, he let his hand slide down her back and over her round, firm bottom, seeking the line of her underwear. She had worn garters and heels just as he’d asked, but he could just make out the outline of very thin panties clinging to the shape of her. It amazed him, with so much at stake, the cat in him still needed the reassurance of her commitment to him, her absolute loyalty. He had to know at all times that he was her choice, that she belonged to him.
What the hell was wrong with him? Where was his control and discipline? He was shaky at best, had been for the last hour or two, and it was slowly getting worse. The longer he was in her company, the worse the sensations grew. If this party weren’t so important he would have turned around and taken them home and out of harm’s way, but his businesses were under attack. Employees had been bribed. Even one of his secretaries, who had been with him for years, had reported that she’d been approached by Trent’s lawyer to feed them information. And now his family had been threatened. For what?
It hadn’t surprised him to learn that Susan Hindman’s governess was related to Trent and she’d been acting on his orders. She reeked of cat. A shifter who couldn’t shift. He had put private detectives on her and learned she was one of Trent’s nieces who regularly slept with him. She would do anything for him, including sleep with the senator to cement political connections for Trent. It still didn’t explain why she had been ordered to bug his house phone. Trent would have known he’d never talk business on his house phone. What were they looking for? What information did they have that Jake didn’t?
He leaned down to press his mouth against Emma’s ear, not certain whether he needed the contact or she did. “Are you ready, honey?”
She looked up at him and smiled. His stomach knotted. She managed to look serene in spite of her nerves. “Let’s get it over with so we can be alone. I dressed for you tonight, not for them.”
A small smile formed and the knots in his gut slowly unraveled. “You left your panties on.”
“True, but I can take them off when we leave.”
He knew she was giving him something else to think about—a secret shared. His heart did a funny little flip. “I like your thinking.” He let his hand slip along her bare back and high up around to slip inside the material and stroke the side of her breast. “I’m going to have a hard-on all night now just thinking about you taking off your panties and handing them to me.”
“Just think how good you’re going to feel when I actually do it,” she teased.
Jake didn’t have to knock on the door; it was opened as they approached and Joshua, Conner and Drake fell into step with them. His
hand was back in place, at the small of her back, guiding her inside. The moment he stepped inside, the scent of male cat was heavy in the room. Even the fragrance of perfume couldn’t drown out the smell. Jake’s cat slammed hard against his skin, leaping and raking, snarling to get out, to remove Emma from the close proximity of any other male. He was going to have a difficult time tonight. She smelled alluring, her body hot as he moved her through the room, his hand on her back, a warning growl rumbling in his chest.
They had brought in male leopards! Rivals. They must have done it on purpose. They had to know about the madness, then, and wanted him to lose control. This was going to be an ordeal of wills, of nerves, a clash that would be win or lose everything. How many enemies were in the room? The Bingleys weren’t leopard. Only the Bannaconnis and Trents were, but Drake and Joshua had told him there were some leopards willing to be employed by anyone paying top dollar for their services.
Drake jerked his head, indicating two men lounging in the corner, watching them enter. He obviously recognized them.
The room was crowded and Jake was greeted immediately as they wove their way through the throng and toward the bar. He spotted Cathy and Ryan Bannaconni and Josiah Trent talking together in the far corner. He knew they’d be there. He’d braced himself for seeing them. “In the corner, the enemies, and even worse than them, Josiah Trent,” he said to Emma. “Do not make the mistake of being alone with them. Stay in the middle of the room, out in public.”
So many people crowded around them, eager to meet Emma, as he’d known they would be. He kept her close as they moved around throughout the evening, talking briefly to as many people as he could, trying to get a feel for what the undercurrents were. Conspiracy. He smelled it. Tasted it. Inevitably, as the night wore on, he heard the soft whisper of it and satisfaction slid through him.
“I think I’ve found what I was looking for, Emma. I’m going to join the group of men over by the window and lead them into talking about real estate. Sooner or later they’ll ask me if I’m willing to sell my company. You’d be a major distraction to all of us, me especially. I need to concentrate on nuances. I’ll get you a glass of wine and I want you to sit on the couch in the middle of the room. People will come up and talk to you, probably even the enemies, so if you can’t handle it, give me a signal and I’ll get you out of the situation.”
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